Hasta La Gadget!

Here at CES 2013, LG’s introing a brand-new Windows 8 line: the Tab-Book and Tab-Book Ultra. As you may be able to tell from the naming convention, the devices are intended to offer the best of both worlds, offering a convertible slider form factor and, in the case of the Ultra, the thinness and lightness associated with Ultrabooks. Both models support five-point multi-touch and pack 11.6-inch 720p IPS displays, in addition to ports for HDMI and USB 3.0. But that’s about where the similarities end. The Z160 is the company’s more high-end offering, weighing 1.23kg and measuring in at 19.4mm thick (versus the H160’s 1.05kg and 15.9mm thickness) and also features a third-generation Intel Core i5, whereas its sibling is Atom-powered. Seen from the side, the two hybrids appear a bit chunky, so we’re not entirely convinced the Z160 deserves the extra Ultrabook-like comparison. To access the sliding function and expose the somewhat cramped keyboard beneath, users will have to press a dedicated button along the left edge of the device. In our brief testing, the screen seemed to snap into place quickly and with ease. We’re not sure how comfortable that “Ultrabook” configuration will be for users considering the hard-edged rim that pokes up just above the keyboard and cuts into the wrist. Again, we don’t know pricing or availability for either of these Tab-Books, so for now check out the gallery below and stay tuned for a video walkthrough.

Continue reading LG Tab-Book Ultra Z160 and Tab-Book H160 hands-on

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, LG

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Welcome to “Laptop Porn,” an exciting series hosted by that lady who reviews notebooks sometimes. Here at CES 2013, Samsung is showing off a white version of its 13-inch Series 9 Ultrabook — the same second-gen model that’s been shipping since last year. What’s interesting is that although this has the same magnesium-alloy frame as all the other Series 9 laptops, the finish feels different: it’s smoother, and warmer to the touch. It feels so different, in fact, that we initially thought it was some sort of watered-down plastic version meant to be sold at a lower price.

As it turns out, it’s apparently just difficult to paint metal, and the manufacturing process required to make this laptop in white results in a smoother surface. We’re not sure we prefer it this way, though this finish does have the advantage of masking fingerprints better. Samsung says it hasn’t decided whether or not to bring this to market. In fact, a rep told us the product team is going to listen to feedback at the show to decide whether or not introducing this different material is a good idea. (We already know they take Engadget commenters very seriously!) In any case, in absence of any concrete plans, we’ll leave you to peruse our hands-on photos and have unnecessarily heated arguments about color preferences.

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung

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The Panasonic liveblog was barely finished when we saw this beauty calling out to us from the show floor. This is Panasonic’s 20″ 4K tablet, running Windows 8. It’s a prototype design right now, but seemed to be pretty well put together, and not something quickly knocked up for the show. Given that it’s not a full release model, details on specifications are sparse, but we can tell you that as well as that truly jaw dropping display, there is a front facing camera (no details on resolution, but possibly 2-megapixel), and an Intel Core i5 running the show. Input / output wise there wasn’t a lot going on, but there was micro-USB, microSD and at least WiFi. If you’re thinking that that display is going to pretty much keep you tethered to a wall to keep it powered, then we were told that it will at least give you two hours of use on the go.

Panasonic also told us that Anoto digital writing technology features in the tablet, which makes sense given that — judging by the display section for this device — that the tablet is aimed at marketing professionals, architects, photographers and other such business users. Given the tablet’s size, it’s not the sort of thing you are likely to be slinging in a rucksack and taking out on the road. That said, in our time with it, picking it up and moving it about wasn’t terrible, and you can imagine swanky design houses and media companies lining the walls of their offices with these things. No word on price or availability, but Panasonic were confident that this would make it to production.

Continue reading Panasonic 4K tablet prototype hands on (update: video)

Filed under: Displays, Tablets

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The Samsung DV150F is one of several cameras revealed this week carrying the ability to work with the company’s SMART CAMERA 2.0 software. Here we’re finding that even more enticing than the promise of next-generation sharing abilities is the display sitting on the front of the machine, giving us the ability to take full-on self-shots without the need of a mirror or a rather sizable flip screen. This machine was available for our perusal this week at the Digital Experience show put on by the folks at Pepcom during CES 2013 – have a peek!

The Samsung DV150F is a rather tiny device, certainly small enough to fit in your front pocket on any average ol’ day. It’s got a 16.2 megapixel CCD image sensor with the ability to capture 720p HD video, and it brings on wi-fi connectivity like the rest of the new wave of Samsung SMART CAMERA devices. The button on the back quick-toggles your connection to a local wireless network and you’re able to share like a maniac at will.

The term Live View is used here to brand the ability to see yourself while you’re taking a photo of your own face with the front-facing camera. This camera’s shots are certainly going to be fine and high quality enough for you to upload and use on your favorite social networks and even print should you feel the need to capture a series of photos at a party that you don’t just want to post to Facebook. You’ve also got a microSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot and several color casings to choose from.

This is but one of several Samsung SMART CAMERA machines we’ve seen this week – have a peek at our Samsung tag portal to see the full set and jump on in to the next generation of Samsung’s glorious connection to the share-friendly web. Also make sure you’re glued to our giant CES Hub for more CES 2013 than your eyeballs can possibly need!

Samsung DV150F point-and-shoot with front-facing display hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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It’s no secret that we generally enjoy Braven’s pushes into the portable Bluetooth speaker arena. The company is again aiming to take your dollars away from the likes of the Jawbone Jamboxes, offering up two new units for CES. The 850 is it’s largest speaker yet, being roughly the same size as Big Jambox — and priced much the same at $300. As you’d expect, the 850 is clad in aluminum, and has a USB port for charging external devices. That’s not all, however, as Braven claims this is the worlds first battery-powered speaker that’ll charge 2.1A gimzos (like the iPad) on its own accord (no word on expected battery life). Even more impressive — and expensive — we’re told that two units can be run in true stereo with either serving as the left and right channels. No pictures for now, but we’ll update this post as soon as we get them.

Aside from the 850, the $170 BRV-1 (dummy units pictured) ditches the company’s smooth rectangular speaker angles, in favor of ruggedness and IPX5 water-resistance. The not-so pocketable speaker is clad in rubber, featuring two large buttons on both edges for playback controls. The speaker grill on the front get’s Braven’s usual treatment with aluminium, while the back houses twist-cap protected microUSB port, USB port, battery indicator and a 3.5mm input jack. Both speakers are set to site along its Six Series units sometime this month, and you’ll find more pictures of two BRV-1 mockups in the gallery below.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

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