NEC’s spring all-in-one PC lineup melds TV with Twitter

NEC's spring allinone PC lineup melds TV with Twitter

Like all-in-one PCs, TV and Twitter? NEC’s new desktop PCs might just hit the spot — if you live in Japan, that is. The company just launched its spring 2013 lineup of Valuestar systems which will be available in two display sizes on February 7th. Valuestar W computers pack a 23-inch screen and Core i7 processor with the 3D-capable VW970/LS costing ¥235,000 ($2,550) and the 2D-only VW770/LS listing for ¥215,000 ($2,330). The Valuestar N series boast a 21.5-inch display and come in three versions: VN770/LS with Core i7 for ¥195,000 ($2,110), VN570/LS with Core i3 for ¥160,000 ($1.740) and the ¥125,000 ($1,360) Celeron 1000M-equipped VN370/LS. While there are no details on RAM or storage options, all PCs run Windows 8 with Office 2013, and feature TV tuners, Blu-Ray drives (DVD on the VN370/LS), DLNA support, Yamaha sound systems, built-in video tutorials and access to music.jp’s service. The 23-inch models provide instant-on TV functionality with three TV tuners (two for recording, one for viewing) while 21.5-inch units include dual TV tuners. NEC offers several ways to control the computer’s TV functionality: via standard remote control, using gestures (except VN370/LS), with a custom smartphone / tablet app and even from Twitter. Yes, you can now DM your Valuestar system (even when it’s turned off) and tell it to record TV — you can also have it monitor Twitter for certain keywords / TV shows and overlay a popularity meter. What could possibly go wrong?

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Via: AV Watch (translated)

Source: NEC

Raspberry Pi Model A hits Europe with $25 price tag, expected worldwide soon

Raspberry Pi Model A hits European etailers with $25 price tag, expected worldwide soon

Looking for a slimmed-down Raspberry Pi with a single USB port, 256MB of RAM, no Ethernet and one-third the power consumption of a Model B board? You’re probably in the market for Model A — a $25 alternative designed for use in battery or solar-powered devices like remote sensors, WiFi repeaters, robots and so on. Europeans currently have exclusive access to the cheaper Raspberry Pi flavor, which according to an Adafruit test consumes only 100 mAh of juice (compared to about 300 mAh for the Model B, due to Ethernet power requirements). Beginning today, hobbyists can get their fix directly from RS Components and Element 14, with pricing fixed around £19, including VAT. According to the manufacturer’s blog post, Model A exclusivity will be short-lived, with the device coming to the rest of the world “very soon.” If you’re based across the pond, however, you can hit up our source links to place your order now.

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Source: RS Components, Element14, Raspberry Pi

AMD offering Never Settle: Reloaded games bundle with Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs

AMD offering Never Settle: Reloaded games bundle with Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs

If you’re the fidgety type that’s also in the market for a new GPU, AMD’s ready to tempt you into springing for a Radeon HD 7000 series card with the promise of free gaming swag. The imaginatively named “Never Settle: Reloaded” bundle reuses several titles from last year’s promotionFarcry 3, Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution — and adds a few more it hopes will grab your attention: BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, DmC Devil May Cry and Tomb Raider. AMD’s 7770 GHz Edition GPU no longer qualifies, but purchase a 7800 or 7900 series card and you’ll be given at least a couple of games to enjoy on your new hardware. Exactly what software you’ll receive varies on how much dough you’re waving around and what region you’re shopping in, so head to the source link for a full rundown of the options. A single 7990 or a two-pack of 7900 series cards will get you the most games, but if you don’t quite have the bread, ask Lara for a loan — she might be willing to share some of her perilous adventure fund and help you out.

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Source: AMD

VESA outs latest DisplayPort Dual-Mode 1.1 standard with 4K HDMI support

VESA outs latest DisplayPort DualMode standard with 4K HDMI support

As manufacturers ramp up the pixels for TVs, that tech will soon trickle over to the computer side of things. As such, the VESA standard body’s just announced a new DisplayPort version that’ll work with the highest HDMI 1.4a resolutions like Ultra HD (4k), 3D 1080p60 and 1080p with deep (billions or more) colors. It’ll be able to output those modes through a new DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, version 1.1, once new graphics cards and devices arrive “later this year” with the standard, according to VESA. As it stands, DisplayPort Dual-Mode already supports all those resolutions natively (and more), including UltraHD at 60Hz or even four simultaneous 1080p60 monitors. However, the new standard, along with a compliant adapter, will let you drive HDMI 1.4 TVs or displays using a single cable at the higher resolutions (if supported) — rather than the 1080p60 it was limited to before. If you need a higher res version of things, check the PR after the break.

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Via: AV Watch (translated)

Fujitsu announces bevy of FMV Windows 8 AIO PCs, laptops along with WiFi-only Arrows tablet

Fujitsu announces bevy of FMV Windows 8 AIO PCs, laptops along with WiFionly Arrows tablet

Staggered product releases? Perish the thought with Fujitsu, who just launched twelve (count ’em) products into the Japanese market — including laptops, AIO PCs and a tablet, all sporting Windows 8. For portable computing, Fujitsu’s brought the Lifebook AH Series of 15.6-inch PCs, with Core i7-3632QM processors, 8GB memory and Full HD IPS touchscreens on the high-end models, along with niceties like Pioneer speakers and Blu-ray drives. Lower-end models in that range will feature Core i5 or i3 processors and 1360 x 768 LED touch panels. The Lifebook SH Series are 13.3-inch Core i5 models with 1366 x 768 non-touch panels, while the UH Series feature 13.3-inch and 14-inch models with Core i3 and i5 processors, respectively, along with 1360 x 768 non-touch panels and weighing in at a low of around 3 pounds.

As for AIO models, Fujitsu’s FH Series hits the high-end of its line with 2.40 GHz Intel Core i7 processors, 8GB memory and 1920 x 1080 touchscreen panels for the 23-inch models, and a non-touchscreen panel with the same resolution on the 21.5-inch offerings. The low-end EH-series will sport 20-inch, 1600 x 900 panels with AMD-E2-1800 CPUs and 4GB of RAM. All the laptop and desktop models will come along with Office Home and Business 2013, Fujitsu’s My Cloud hybrid cloud service, and options like gesture control. Finally, Fujitsu has also announced a WiFi-only version of its 10.1-inch Arrows QH55/J Windows 8 tablet, which packs Full HD 1,366 x 768 resolution, a quad-core 1.7GHz Tegra3 processor dual-core Atom Z2760, stout 10,800 mAh 29 Wh battery and Office Home & Business 2010. The high-end laptops will arrive by the end of February, and the rest will arrive on February 7th, with no pricing shown yet. If that all sounds good, just remember — you’ll likely need to be in Japan to get any of it. Check the PR after the break for more info.

Correction: Fujitsu actually launched two Arrows tablets today, the aforementioned WiFi Arrow QH55/J which packs a more Windows-friendly dual core Intel Atom Z2760 processor, and an Arrows FAR70B Android 4.0 tab, with a quad-core Tegra3 processor, 1920 x 1200 resolution and 10,080 mAh battery. Thanks to everybody who pointed it out!

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Microsoft releases Bing-powered apps for Office 365 Home Premium

Microsoft releases Bingpowered apps for Office 365 Home Premium

Because no corporate monolith can resist a good play at synergy, Microsoft’s leveraging its properties to intro a suite of free Bing-powered apps for Office. If you’ve signed up for the company’s recently released, cloud-based Office 365 Home Premium, you’ll now be privy to five distinct Excel and Word applications that rely on the search engine for the insertion of dynamic data. For Excel, users can choose amongst Bing Maps, used to embed location data, and Bing Finance, which allows for the creation of a portfolio table. While Word-oriented Office 365 users will now have the added benefit of dedicated Image and News Search apps, letting them trawl the web and insert relevant info from within a document. There’s also a Dictionary app that’ll monitor your typing and make suggestion from within a right rail. It’s all live in the Office Store now, so head on to the source to start your installs.

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Source: Bing

Apple halting Mac Pro sales in Europe on March 1st in the wake of new standards

Apple Mac Pro 2010

Apple has hinted that it will give Mac Pro aficionados some love with a professional Mac follow-up sometime this year. For Europeans, though, it might not come soon enough: the company has confirmed that it’s officially stopping sales of the current Mac Pro in European Union-affiliated countries as of March 1st. Why? Soon-to-be-implemented tougher standards require that companies shield their fans and electrical ports more thoroughly than we see in the existing system, Apple says. While there’s no immediate sign of a replacement, prospective customers who want the tower for projects won’t be completely left out — resellers will be free to sell what stock they have after the cutoff date. That might still be small consolation to European pros who need heavier iron for their tasks than an iMac.

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Via: MacRumors

Source: Macworld UK

Slickdeals’ best in tech for January 31st: 42-inch LG 3D HDTV, Dell XPS 8500 and Klipsch S4 in-ears

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

Slickdeals' best in tech for January 31st: 42-inch LG 3D HDTV, Dell XPS 8500 and Klipsch S4 in-ears

In a special Thursday edition of our gadget deals roundup, we offer some of the internet’s best buys as we begin to look the weekend’s direction. There’s a pretty diverse group this time around too, as a Dell desktop, ASUS laptop, Klipsch in-ears, 42-inch LG 3D HDTV and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds digital camera all make the cut. Take a quick jaunt past the break to examine all of the offerings, and be mindful of any coupon codes that may be required in order to cash in.

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Source: Slickdeals

BlackBerry Link now up for grabs to sync your BB10 device and computer

Blackberry Link now up for grabs for desktop syncing of BB10 devices

If you’ve managed to score a BlackBerry 10 device already (meaning you’re likely speaking the Queen’s English), you’ll be able to sync it up with your desktop as soon as you can cable them together. BlackBerry Link, the new name for Blackberry Desktop software, is now available for download everywhere (including the US) to backup and sync content like pictures, audio and video. Legacy handsets running version 7.1 of the OS or earlier will still require the previous Desktop app, but Playbook tablets running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 will also work with the latest version. Hit the source to grab it, and don’t forget add another revision to your RIM BlackBerry vocabulary.

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Via: Crackberry

Source: Blackberry (UK)

Sony VAIO – 18 new models for spring 2013 among its 5 series – Duo 11, T Series, S Series, E Series, L Series

Sony just revealed its new models for spring for VAIO’s 5 series with a total of 18 models. All are due to be released in Japan on February 9th. Laptop and desktop computers include 3 touch panel compatible models. All of these new models have Windows 8 “Office Home and Business 2013″ pre-installed.
I previously wrote about the convertible laptop/tablet “VAIO Duo11″ with Windows 8 64 bit on Intel Core i5, 11.6 inch display, 4GB RAM and SSD 128GB hard drive, but …