Hasta La Gadget!

Fujitsu burst on to the Ultrabook scene in earnest with the Lifebook UH75 last fall, and it’s clearly bent on keeping our attention: it just launched an early sequel, the Lifebook UH90. The 14-inch portable is ever-so-slightly thinner than its ancestor at 15.5mm (0.61 inches) thick, but upgrades to an extra-dense 3,200 x 1,800, IGZO-based touchscreen. The improvements are more than just skin-deep, of course. A Haswell-based, 1.6GHz Core i5 helps feed that monster display, and a 500GB hybrid hard drive strikes a balance between speed and storage. Japanese buyers will get a crack at the UH90 on June 28th under the country’s customary open pricing system. There’s no word yet on a possible US release, but we hope one is on the cards.

In case the UH90 is too pricey, Fujitsu also has a trio of more modest PCs on tap. The Esprimo FH78 all-in-one (shown after the break) runs on a Haswell-era, 2.4GHz Core i7 and stuffs a 30W, 2.1-channel Pioneer speaker system underneath its 23-inch display. The PC builder’s 15.6-inch Lifebook AH models have also been given a slight bump: the AH45’s battery life has doubled to 6.4 hours, and the AH42 has upgraded to a 2.4GHz Pentium while lasting for 7.9 hours on a charge. We’re not expecting the Esprimo to reach the US, although the starter Lifebooks may cross the Pacific.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Intel

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Source: Fujitsu

It’s that special time for Apple devotees: WWDC 2013 is next week, and that means a customary glimpse of where iOS and the Mac are going next. However, we’re getting everything but business as usual this year. The crew at 1 Infinite Loop has shaken up its software strategy, putting much of its emphasis on Jony Ive’s design chops and tighter collaboration between teams. Is Apple about to deliver major OS refreshes that some say are long overdue? And what about hints of new hardware introductions at the same time? We’ve gathered together some of the more notable rumors to help understand what Apple may introduce on June 10th — and what’s likely to remain wishful thinking.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple

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It’s fair to say that Haswell doesn’t do much for desktop enthusiasts — a few percentage points of compute performance perhaps, but nothing like the major improvements for mobile SKUs and integrated graphics. Nevertheless, those questing after every extra FLOP probably ought to take note that ASUS is about to bring out a Haswell-equipped version of its ROG TYTAN desktop. We have no pricing or availability yet, just an official video that popped up on ASUS’s official YouTube channel during the weekend. It promises a water-cooled Core i7-4770K with one-button overclocking to 4.1GHz, alongside an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680. That choice for graphics seems a bit strange, given the launch of the GTX 770 and 780 last week — but it’s possible the spec will be updated, or that more expensive options will have the newer cards. We won’t know either way until ASUS puts out some info pricing and availability, and we’ll update this post if that happens.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, ASUS

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Source: ASUS (YouTube)

Though the code-named “Haswell” generation of Intel Core processors has been finding itself the subject of reports and detail talks from the company that makes it for many, many months, it’s today that the 4th generation of Intel processors gets its official ushering in to the public. This June 4th – that’s just a couple days away – marks the point at which Intel suggests it’s time to upgrade the innards of the generation of “2-in-1″ computing: that’s convertible computers – flipping screens, removable displays, and everything in-between.

Intel suggests that the PC has been moving through an era of re-invention since the introduction of the “Utrabook” category in 2011 at Computex – and what do you know, Computex is once again just around the corner – starting on June 4th, the same day Haswell will be on the market. By 2012, Intel says, the Ultrabook had reached mainstream pricing and brought on touchscreen abilities – there saw the 3rd Generation Ivy Bridge Intel Core processor family as well.

Now in 2013 Intel sees “2-in-1″ computing moving forward. These are computers that are sometimes “tablet first”, otherwise “notebook first”, working with differentiation opportunities galore. To work with this odd set of machines as well as the desktop family, Intel has revealed a set of processors both inside and outside the Ultrabook environment.

For the mobile family there are H, M, U, and Y processors. Haswell’s H category works with Quad Core and Intel Iris Pro graphics, while M works with Quad Core and Dual-core 2-Chip. Starting with U, Haswell processors are designed for Ultrabooks, the U category bringing an SoC with Intel Iris graphics options, the Y category bringing in the SoC with the lowest power made specifically for detachables.

Desktop Haswell processors exist in the K-Series for enthusiasts, these being unlocked and ready for overpowering. There will also be performance and mainstream Haswell architecture for both performance and mainstream applications in both quad-core and dual-core configurations, with low power going to the S-Series and T-Series. Intel’s presentation of the current state of desktop computing includes an “ultra small footprint” tied to responsive performance and stunning visuals: smaller as they continue to get more powerful.

The Intel 8 Series Chipset for both mobile and desktop applications will be pushed on June 4th as well. Pricing on end-user desktop units will begin with the Core i5-4570′s $192 USD – that’s with its lowest specifications intact, ready to roll. Each of the i5 offerings shown so far cost less than $300, with the highest-spec’d i5-4670K coming in at $242 USD. Meanwhile the i7 family begins at $303 with the i7-4770 and ramps up to $339 USD for the i7-4770K, with more on the way.

Haswell 4th Generation Intel Core launch set for June 4th is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Haswell is hardly a secret at this point: there’s been a steady drip-drip of demos and technical leaks since as far back as 2011, and just a month ago we brought you the low-down on its integrated graphics. But today, finally, we have official pricing for a number of variants, a concrete date for availability (this coming Tuesday, June 4th) and, perhaps most importantly, some detailed benchmark claims about what Haswell is capable of — particularly in its mobile form.

Sure, Intel already dominates in MacBooks, Ultrabooks (by definition) and in hybrids like Surface Pro, but the chip maker readily admits that the processors in those portable PCs were just cut-down desktop chips. Haswell is different, having been built from the ground up with Intel’s North Cape prototype and other mobile form factors in mind. As a loose-lipped executive recently let slip, we can look forward to a 50 percent increase in battery life in the coming wave of devices, with no loss of performance. Read on and we’ll discover how this is possible and what it could mean for the dream of all-day mobile computing.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Intel

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