Hasta La Gadget!

It’s a rite of passage of sorts — Apple’s “skinny” iMac has now spent enough time on Earth to be deemed an appropriate addition to the company’s refurb ranks. The base late-2012 configuration, which sports a 21.5-inch 1080p IPS screen, a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 gigs of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and that new super-svelte housing can now be had at a $200 discount, priced at $1,099. As with many Apple refurbished products, you likely won’t be the device’s very first owner, but it will arrive in tip-top condition, with a one-year warranty to boot. As always, “supplies are limited,” so if you don’t mind having a second-hand system on your desk, in exchange for a slightly thicker wallet, you best make your way over to the source link to snag your very own discounted machine today.

Filed under: Desktops, Apple

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Via: MacRumors

Source: Apple Store

It’s been a year and change since BlueStacks announced a Windows 8 version of its App Player, which let you run most of your Android apps on the then-beta OS. Now the company has announced the official version, tweaked to play nicely with Redmond’s own Surface Pro and sporting a fresh, custom-built charm menu and start screen tile. You’ll now be able to run apps in “true” touch-enabled full-screen mode using your Win 8 tablet’s tilt/motion sensors, and everything will work faster, too. CEO Rosen Sharma also touted the release as a way for developers to bypass Microsoft’s “onerous” submission process to get Android apps onto the x86 Surface Pro, and you can’t argue with the price — it’s free, and available for download now. For more, head after the fold.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets

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Source: BlueStacks

After missing initial shipping plans with some undisclosed delays, and despite seeing its welcome party in NYC abolished by a storm dubbed Nemo, Microsoft’s finally started the process to make that long-awaited Surface Pro available to the masses. Starting with US and Canada residents, those seeking Redmond’s in-house hardware and a full serving of Windows 8 can now snag a Surface Pro starting at $899 for the 64GB model, while the more spacious 128GB unit is slightly costlier at $999. And while these prices do include Microsoft’s pressure-sensitive pen, they don’t account for any other fancy accessories, which means potential buyers will have to shell out a little extra cash if a Touch or Type Cover are of interest — more specifically, $120 and $130, respectively. We’ll see how Ballmer and Co. cope with demand this time around, but as history would kindly note, it’s probably best to be one of the first in line just to be extra, extra safe.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft, Microsoft Store

Open source obsessive Michael Larabel says he has it on good authority that Microsoft is considering a native version of Office for Linux. Specifically, the company is taking a “meaningful look” at the idea, now that Linux is showing signs of becoming more of a player in the OS stakes. The information came to Larabel from an unnamed source during this year’s Free Open-Source Developers’ European Meeting (FOSDEM) in Brussels, and this voice in the shadows apparently also revealed the port could be ready in 2014.

Larabel is often right about things like this. But regardless of whether Office for Linux comes to fruition, the idea of Microsoft even thinking about it — and potentially giving such oxygen to a (free-of-charge) Windows rival — may come as a surprise. When someone alluded to this on Twitter, Larabel replied that he wouldn’t be surprised if there are “many doubters” but challenged them to “wait and see.” He points out that Microsoft has offered “unlikely sponsorship” to Linux projects in the past, albeit on a relatively small scale, and that the rumored Office for Android may also function as a stepping stone. Still, there’ll need to be a few more meetings in underground parking lots before we’re totally convinced.

Filed under: Desktops, Software, Microsoft

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Source: Phoronix, Michael Larabel (Twitter)

There are plenty of Linux desktop environments to choose from, but if KDE has a special place in your heartware, you’ll be pleased to know its first 2013 update is out. Making the jump from 4.9 to 4.10 brings various tweaks to Plasma Workspaces, including upped support for high-res displays, a streamlining of the default Air theme, and plenty of behind the scenes adjustments. All running software can now be controlled through a common menu system, search indexes happen faster, and the new Nepomuk Cleaner will help rid those clogged drives of unnecessary data. In addition, printer management has been improved, and the enhanced Dolphin file manager communicates more freely with mobile devices. A thorough, lovingly crafted changelog is available at the source link below, but if you’re particularly fond of surprises, then head straight for the download. Happy upgrading!

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

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Via: Phoronix

Source: KDE