Hasta La Gadget!

ASUS has just unveiled a new tablet, and it marks the return of the MeMo Pad series. This one is a 10-inch, 9.5mm-thick slab, housing both a dual-core, 1.6GHz Intel processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean — another Clover Trail+ powered tablet from the Taiwanese company. Perhaps just as notable is the inclusion of a 1,920 x 1,200 backlit 10-inch screen — one that’s capable of 1080p video playback and one that performed just as admirably as recent ASUS tablets. We’re promised 10 hours of use from the 25Wh battery, with all the requisite Bluetooth (3.0), WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n) and GPS connectivity. There are also dual speakers but we’re waiting to confirm if this means stereo sound. It’ll arrive in two configurations: 16GB and 32GB, in either dark blue and white. The whole package weighs in at just 580g and we just got to handle it for ourselves — check out our impressions and hands-on video right after the break. We’ll be updating the post with pricing and availability when we hear more.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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It doesn’t seem fair to call the MSI Primo 81 a KIRF iPad mini. Sure, it looks a helluva like Apple’s smaller tablet, but it wouldn’t be accurate to call it an imposter either. What we have here is a 7.85-inch Android slate that actually uses the same IPS, 1,024 x 768, LG-made display as the mini, putting it a step above a knockoff, if you ask us. In addition to those shared viewing angles, the Primo 81 has nearly identical dimensions, and it’s almost as thin too (7.8mm thick vs. 7.2 on the mini). Even the matte finish is similar to the iPad’s, and the build quality isn’t bad either, even if it isn’t quite on par with what Apple has to offer. As it happens, the Primo 81 isn’t headed to the US, so the specs might be irrelevant to you, but in case you’re tuning in from overseas, this thing runs Android 4.2, powered by a quad-core Allwinner A315 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 3,500mAh battery. No word yet on price or an on-sale date, unfortunately. In the meantime, we’ve got hands-on shots of that below, along with the similarly specced Primo 93, which takes after the iPad 4 with a 9.7-inch screen. With rubber accents on that one, though, you’d hardly mistake it for an Apple product.

Filed under: Tablets

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It looks like the promise of smaller Windows 8 tablets has been fulfilled, and Acer’s revealed its plans for a smaller form factor. Yep, we heard word of (and even peeked at listings for) the 8-inch Iconia W3, but it’s been unveiled in earnest here at Computex 2013, weighing just over a pound and measuring under half an inch thick. Acer’s promising around eight hours of battery life, while that smaller screen can still beam out 720p video playback on its 1,280 x 800 display. Better still, Acer has added in a full version of Office free with the tablet which should go well with the optional full-size keyboard accessory (69 euros, around $90) — one that apparently mirrors those found on Acer’s 13-inch notebooks. On the tablet itself, there’s front- and rear-facing two-megapixel cameras, plus connectivity through Bluetooth 4.0 and micro-USB.

The Iconia W3 also houses Intel’s dual-core 1.8GHz Atom Z2760 processor, one we’ve already seen on larger Windows 8 slabs, and will have either 32 or 64GB of internal storage, with an additional 32 gigs of space possible through microSD expansion. A built-in micro-HDMI port should also ensure displaying content on larger screens is relatively painless, although the tablet does lack the plethora of ports found on its bigger brothers, like USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt. The Iconia W3 will be priced at 329 euros for 32GB and 379 euros for 64GB — Acer US confirms that the tablet will arrive at $379 but haven’t confirmed which capacity just yet. It will go up for pre-order tomorrow at Amazon, Microsoft’s retail stores and online Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples and Walmart, with a retail launch before the end of June. Before then, though, we’ve already got to grips with the world’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet. Check out our impressions right after the break.

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

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It was a year ago at Computex that Acer unveiled the Aspire S7, a skinny sliver of a thing that turned out to be one of our favorite Ultrabooks of 2012. Now, 12 months later, the company is unveiling… the Aspire S7. A much-improved S7, to be precise. Going into the second half of the year, there’s only to be a 13-inch version (the 11-incher’s been discontinued), and it has much the same industrial design, with a lightweight chassis and Gorilla Glass lid. The difference is that it will now be offered with a 2,560 x 1,440 screen, which will be standard in certain regions, like Europe. (Elsewhere, a 1080p IPS panel will continue to be the base option.) As you’d expect, Acer’s upgraded the S7 to Haswell CPUs (Core i3, i5 and i7), but it also squeezed in a bigger battery — 47Wh, up from 35Wh. Between that bigger cell and new chipset, Acer is rating the battery life at seven hours, which, if true, would correct one of the OG model’s biggest shortcomings. Rounding out the list, Acer moved the mics to the front, and also updated the cooling system with the promise of less fan noise.

Meanwhile, Acer thoroughly revamped the mid-range S3 Ultrabook so that it looks more like the S7. The main differences are that this has no Gorilla Glass on the lid, and the entire machine is noticeably heavier (1.67kg vs. 1.3). Part of the reason for that chunkier shape is that it will be offered with beefier components, including optional NVIDIA GT735M graphics and a 1TB hard drive (you can also get it with an SSD). Additionally, the S3 steps up to Haswell CPUs, along with a 1080p IPS touchscreen — the same kind that the S7 had when it first launched. Design-wise, as we said, it looks like the S7, particularly with the lid shut, and it’s now made from one piece of aluminum, instead of several. The keyboard looks different from the S7’s, though, and is also a bit clackier, for whatever reason. In Europe, at least, the Aspire S7-392 will start at €1,450, and the S3-392 will go from €999. Both will arrive in July. No word yet on US pricing. For a closer look, check out our hands-on photos and video, both embedded after the break.

Update: US pricing for the S7 will start at $1,400 and go up to $1,700, depending on the configuration.

Filed under: Laptops, Acer

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It wasn’t all that long ago that we first got our mitts on the Blade 2.0, and today we came to grips with two new third-gen Razer gaming laptops: the Blade Pro and a fresh 14-inch model. On the outside, both of these Blades favor their elders — both sport matte black anodized-aluminum shells with Razer’s trademark Slimer-green accents and diminutive power bricks. Where they differ from previous Blades is in what lies beneath that familiar facade.

Each will come with Intel’s fourth-generation Core-i7 quad-core silicon (a 47W chip in the Pro and a 37W CPU in the 14-incher) and a freshly revealed NVIDIA GTX 765M GPU, plus bigger batteries than ever before. If it wasn’t already obvious, let us spell it out for you: a big reason for these changes is electrical economy. One of the biggest complaints with any portable gaming rig is its battery life, or more accurately, lack thereof. A more efficient CPU and GPU, plus an extra 10 to 14 Wh of juice means that Razer is acutely aware of the problem and is taking steps to fix it. Razer ran the MobileMark 2007 battery test on the new 14-inch Blade and it lasted six hours. Of course, we’ll have to wait until we review these new rigs to discover real-world battery life, but at least on paper, the two new Blades will be a bit more miserly.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

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