Hasta La Gadget!

Over the last year, some key manufacturers have opted to reduce their dependence on major trade shows, instead deciding to launch new devices at blowout private events. That’s not the case at Computex. As the home of substantial technology players such as Acer, ASUS and HTC, Taiwan is no stranger to innovation. Its capital city, Taipei, has played host to this annual IT show for more than three decades, and judging by the activity today, the event remains vitally important to the country, and the industry as a whole. We had a chance to check out a tremendous number of new products on the first day alone, but we’ll continue delivering news and hands-ons throughout the week. For a look at what we saw on Monday in Taipei, click past the break. Then check out our event hub for a complete look at Computex 2013.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets

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Need a taste of Intel’s latest silicon, but can’t be bothered to build your own machine? Velocity Micro is here to help. Like the folks at Origin PC, Velocity Micro has jumped on the Haswell bandwagon, announcing this weekend that select machines in its Enthusiast line are now available with Intel’s 4th generation Core processors. Desktop rigs with the new chips start at $1,524, but consumers looking for a more portable solution will have to look elsewhere. Check out the press release after the break for the official announcement.

Filed under: Desktops, Intel

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For those of you who expected ASUS to only announce Ultrabooks here at Computex, the following news might seem a little out of left field. The company just unveiled the G10, a desktop with a portable battery that doubles as a built-in UPS (uninterrupted power source) — a product for those who refuse to take any chances on data safety. According to ASUS, the battery is designed to last at least 20 seconds, which is a fairly typical recovery period for power outages. When setting up the demo machine today here at Computex, though, the company managed about two minutes, which is quite impressive indeed.

On the inside, you’ve got your choice of Haswell processors, along with NVIDIA GeForce GTX650 graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB HDD paired with a 128GB SSD. Taking a quick tour of the hardware, you’ll find a 16-in-1 memory card reader, a DVD burner, six USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 connections, HDMI-out, DVI-D and VGA. It’s slated for a Q3 or Q4 launch, we’re told, but we still don’t have a price or precise on-sale date. Naturally, we’ll update this post as we learn more on that front but for now, enjoy the hands-on shots below and the demo video after the break.

Filed under: Desktops, ASUS

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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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BMW and ASRock just announced the new M8 gaming PC, which will debut at Computex next week. The collaboration is ASRock’s first rig with a small form factor, though it shares the sharp lines and edgy color palette of the hulking, BMW-designed Thermaltake Level 10 case. An OLED screen sits on the front of the case and displays stats such as fan speed and temperature, and there’s a knob for adjusting the fan depending on the game at hand. Interestingly, the M8’s semi-transparent side panels are attached magnetically rather than screwed in, so users should have no trouble accessing components. So far, the companies have only shared connectivity specs: 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 are on board, as is a quad-core Creative SoundCore 3D audio processor. We’re bound to find out more in Taipei, though, so hang tight.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

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Via: SlashGear

Source: BMW