Apple iMac 2012 hands-on

Apple’s iMac 2012 line-up has been revealed this morning, and those hoping for a compelling alternative to the new Windows 8 all-in-one PCs we’ve been seeing have had their wishes granted. Now incredibly thin – just 5mm at the tapered edge – and occupying 40-percent less volume than the slab-sided predecessors, the narrow iMacs are just as impressive in the metal as they are in photos. These are all-in-ones you almost can’t believe contain a full computer; read on for our first impressions.

Apple is very keen to talk up the high-tech manufacturing magic it had to muster in order to make the new iMacs quite so slim, but it’s the end-result that really grabs the attention. The crisp lines are reminiscent of the edges of the Retina MacBook Pro line, with bunched vents running under the chin of the desktop, and bevels in the stand that echo what we’ve seen Appel doing in its high-end notebook range.

What they don’t have is Retina resolution. Will-they-won’t-they chatter had circulated for months, but in the end it seems Apple’s supply chain either can’t supply higher-resolution panels at a cost the company thinks is realistic for consumers, or simply can’t supply them at all. Instead, you get 1920 x 1080 Full HD on the 21.5-inch iMac and 2560 x 1440 resolution on the 27-inch iMac.

What’s changed is the way the screens are layered together, and even without Retina that’s impressive. Optical lamination, just as we’ve seen used on the iPhone 5, brings the LCD IPS and cover glass together into a single pane, for what Apple says is 75-percent less reflection. To our eyes, though, it’s the colors and detail that really stand out. We hope Apple also uses the same sort of technology for a new Thunderbolt Display, as no matter how good that standalone monitor is, it pales next to the 2012 iMacs.

A solid selection of Core i5 and Core i7 chips, together with the speed/capacity advantages of hybrid SSD/HDD storage (if you don’t opt for regular SSDs or HDDs) should keep the iMacs running swiftly too, though we’ll have to wait until we can review them to know that for sure. For now, enjoy our hands-on gallery.

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Apple iMac 2012 hands-on is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iPad mini hands-on

Apple’s iPad mini is here, and the family resemblance is clear. Slotting in-between the 9.7-inch iPad and the 4-inch iPod touch, the new 7.9-inch iPad mini further closes the ranks of the Apple mobile range, and we wasted no time grabbing some hands-on play following its breathless unveil in San Jose this morning. Read on for some first impressions.

The design is slick and cohesive, with the unibody aluminum back plate curving sinuously around and meeting the glass fascia: everything about the aesthetic emphasizes the relative simplicity of those two halves, though there’s obviously plenty of engineering gone into making them work together. At first glance, the narrow side bezels look somewhat odd, but they make far more sense when you actually pick the iPad mini up.

You can grip it comfortably in one hand, fingers wrapping around the edges just as we’ve praised Amazon’s Kindles and other small ereader tablets for in the past. That, together with the relatively light weight compared to the full-sized iPad, means holding the iPad mini one-handed for extended periods should be comfortable.

The resolution may be the “old” 1024 x 768 of the original iPad and iPad 2, but it’s squeezed into a smaller screen, so individual pixels aren’t so noticeable. Viewing angles are as broad as we’ve come to expect from an IPS panel, and iOS 6 doesn’t look too cramped, either. Steve Jobs may have been scathing about “tweeners” in the past, but – perhaps unsurprisngly, given iOS is also used on the far smaller iPhone and iPod touch – it works just fine on the iPad mini.

Apple didn’t dip under the $300 mark as many hoped, but the premium materials – versus the more common plastics of Android slates – do help differentiate the iPad mini some. Those already invested in the iOS or OS X ecosystem will obviously have a vested interest in opting for Apple’s smaller tablet, too. We’ll know more when we have a chance to play with a review unit, but for now the iPad mini is ticking plenty of the boxes we were hoping it might.

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iPad mini hands-on is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iPad Mini Hands-On: Not As Small As You Think (Updating)

The brand new iPad Mini is pretty much everything we expected but how is it, like, in real life? Apple just let the tech world go hands on with the iPad Mini and most agree: it’s not as miniature as you’d think! Which is a good thing. More »

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro hands-on!

Apple 13inch Retina MacBook Pro handson!

Apple just introduced its second Retina display MacBook: the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,699 and is shipping today. Just months after the 15-incher was gifted with a display that packs more pixels than your existing HDTV, the 13-inch sibling is receiving similar treatment. Unveiled today in San Jose alongside the iPad mini, the intensely dense 13-inch MBP is true to the rumors — there’s a 2,560 x 1,600 panel, a pair of Thunderbolt ports, a full-size HDMI socket and a MagSafe 2 power connector. Unfortunately, those yearning for a Retina-equipped MacBook Air won’t find their dreams fulfilled just yet, but you can bet that holdouts will most certainly give this guy a look.

For starters, it’s wildly thin. No, not manilla envelope thin, but thin enough to slip into most briefcases and backpacks without the consumer even noticing. Outside of that, it’s mostly a shrunken version of the 15-incher let loose over the summer. The unibody design is as tight as ever, with the fit and finish continuing to impress. In my estimation, this is Apple’s most deliberate move yet to differentiate the 13-inch MacBook Pro from the 13-inch MacBook Air. On one hand, power users longing for a highly portable laptop can rejoice; on the other, this could be seen as reason for Apple to restrict the use of Retina displays to its Pro range for the foreseeable future.

Compared to the 1,280 x 800 resolution of the non-Retina 13-inch MBP, the new display is particularly stunning. Text has never looked more crisp, and colors are stupendously vibrant. Of course, apps, websites and graphics that haven’t been optimized for Retina still look like utter rubbish, and as more Apple machines transition to these panels, the outcry is going to get even louder. But, hopefully, it’ll light a fire under developers to get with the program.

Continue reading Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro hands-on!

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Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell unveils Inspiron 15z Ultrabook with optional touchscreen, prices start at $750

Dell unveils Inspiron 15z Ultrabook with optional touchscreen, prices start at $750

In case Dell’s convertible XPS 12 is too expensive (or weird-looking) for your tastes, the company’s got a more traditional sort of Ultrabook on tap. The company just announced the Inspiron 15z, a 15-inch notebook with an optional touchscreen. As you can see in our hands-on shots below, it’s essentially the same plastic-and-metal design as earlier Inspiron Ultrabooks, though that touchscreen is of course new. At “less than an inch thick” it’s still chunkier than your typical ultraportable, but if you insist on having a DVD burner, this could be a tempting choice. Plus, at 4.12 pounds, it’s reasonably light for a machine with this large a footprint.

It’s already up for sale on Dell’s site, starting at $750 with a Core i3 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive paired with a 32GB SSD. Touch-enabled versions start at $900. So far as we can tell, the memory and hard drive stay pretty consistent as you move up in configurations, though you can opt for a Core i5 or i7 CPU. The highest-end confg also steps up from integrated graphics to a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT630M GPU. Curious? We’ve got hands-on pics below, with more details at the source link.

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Dell unveils Inspiron 15z Ultrabook with optional touchscreen, prices start at $750 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell begins accepting orders for its XPS 10 tablet running Windows RT, prices start at $499 (updated)

Dell begins accepting orders for its XPS 10 tablet running Windows RT, prices start at $499

Surface isn’t the only Windows RT tablet going on sale this week: Dell’s XPS 10 officially starts sales on Friday, though it’s actually for purchase now on Dell’s site. (It won’t ship until mid-December, so don’t get too excited.) The tablet starts at $500 for the 32GB tablet by itself, which is right in line with Microsoft’s Surface pricing. The 64GB model is priced at $600. Interested in that optional keyboard dock? (Of course you are!) Dell is selling two bundles: one with the 32GB tablet for $680, and another with the 64GB one for $780. Though the keyboard comes at a premium, especially compared to Microsoft’s Touch Covers, it offers some things Microsoft doesn’t — namely, a USB port, HDMI output and a built-in battery. Whichever model you choose, the XPS 10 has a 10.1-inch screen with 1,366 x 768 resolution and a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz. While it has 10 point multitouch support on that IPS LCD, there won’t be any kind of active pen or stylus tech built in. Hit up the source link for more info, and check out our fresh round of hands-on shots below.

Update: As some of you have pointed out, that $499 starting price includes a one-year service plan, valued at $100. You can opt out of this plan and get the standalone tablet for $399.

Update 2: We’ve been in contact with Dell about some errors that apparently slipped through to their sales page, and have updated the specs above for the CPU, input support and warranty information. That $499 price will stick, as the warranty cannot be deselected.

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Dell begins accepting orders for its XPS 10 tablet running Windows RT, prices start at $499 (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Lumia 510 hands-on

Nokia Lumia 510 handson

Squeezing in between Nokia’s Asha series and the Lumia 610, the wallet-friendly Lumia 510 has been unveiled in India. The smartphone will be priced around $199 when it ships next month in India and China. It will eventually make its way to other Asia-Pacific countries and South America, but there’s no news yet on any stateside availability. We did expect this Microsoft-powered device to turn up with version 7.8 of its mobile OS, but instead, there’s Windows Phone 7.5 and the promise to an eventual upgrade. We’ve got more impressions after the break.

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Nokia Lumia 510 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EE launches EE Film for mobile video rentals (hands-on)

EE‘s new 4G plans for the UK have been revealed, but the carrier also has a new movie store, EE Film, for both its own subscribers and those of other carriers. Preloaded on EE handsets, such as the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III 4G LTE, and Galaxy Note II 4G LTE, but also available to other smartphone users to download, EE Film will offer what the network says is the best selection of new releases of any UK rental service, on a par with DVDs.

Over 700 will be offered at launch, priced from £0.79 for rentals, though some of the blockbuster titles – such as Wrath of the Titans and Prometheus – came in at £3.99. Rental purchases last for up to 30 days, though once you start watching you have 48hrs access before the movie expires; that compares well to iTunes’ 24hrs rental period.

Rented movies can be downloaded to a device, or streamed to up to three devices, including over 4G connections. Billing is either to an EE contract bill or via credit/debit card or PayPal; subscribers to other UK networks will have to use a card or PayPal. Users will be able to pause playback on one device and then resume it on another.

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Until the end of February 2013, EE will be offering subscribers one free rental per week, and if they use 4G to download it that won’t be counted against their monthly allowance. They’ll also get 2-for-1 cinema tickets on Wednesdays, accessed either via text message or the EE Film Store app.

For more on EE’s pricing, head over here.

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EE launches EE Film for mobile video rentals (hands-on) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36

EE announces UK 4G pricing

We’ve seen the speeds, we know the handsets and now we know how much it’ll cost you to be among the first to try 4G in the UK. EE has outlined its contract and handset pricing from October 30th, with all of the bundles including unlimited calls and texts. Yep, the new carrier is breaking it down by data, with its entry-level 500MB bundle starting at £36 for 24 months. You’ll have to make an initial payment for most handsets, although the Ascend P1 will be free from the 1GB bundle upwards. Data allowances go up to 8GB for £56 per month, although users can add even more, with an extra 50MB costing £3, or up to 4GB for £20.

EE details UK 4G pricing Unlimited calls, texts, and 500MB of data starting from 36

Now, if you’re looking to get Apple’s latest on 4G, it’ll set you back at least £20 on the highest data plan. Already got your LTE-ready iPhone 5? Then you’ll have to wait until 9th November, when the network will start offering SIM-only 12-month plans priced from £21. The 4G network will also offer its phones on 12 month contracts for an additional £10 on top of the prices shown above. EE will let users who bought comparable non-4G versions in the last six months (like the One X or Galaxy S III) to exchange their devices for a one-off payment of £100. Alongside the all these pricing details, the Orange/ T-Mobile team-up also spilled the beans on some service features for its new customers — and we’ve got it all covered after the break, including a quick hands-on with its Film store service.

Continue reading EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36

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EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Node modular iOS sensor hands-on

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With the spate of bad publicity surrounding all those Kickstarter projects that never make it beyond the funding stage, there’s a certain surreality to actually holding a crowd-funded device in your hands. But here it is, the Node, a project we highlighted in its infancy, way back in February. The whole thing blew way past its funding goal, scoring $76,000 out of a requested $50,000. And now, roughly eight months later, the product has been shipped out to enthusiastic supporters all over the place, inside an unassuming white box. Since its inception, the Node’s been an interesting (if not particularly easy to explain) proposition. Now that we’ve got our hands on one, not all that much has changed — which is to say, in its early stages, there’s a lot of potential, but its still a bit of a hard sell.

Hardware-wise, the Node’s a solid proposition — the size and shape of a roll of quarters. The body is made of a white plastic, with Node logos indented on either side. Next to one, you’ll find a micro-USB port for charging, and by the other, you get the power button, which also serves to turn on the flashlight module. Inside the body, you’ve got the battery (which should give you 12 to 14 hours with Bluetooth on), an accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope.

Continue reading Node modular iOS sensor hands-on

Node modular iOS sensor hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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