Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM) have revealed BlackBerry 10 and one of two new hero devices for the software: the BlackBerry Q10. This device has a combination of two user interfaces, one a touchscreen, the other a classic BlackBerry keyboard. The details surrounding this device have been “leaked” several times before this first official reveal, but the final specifications have (as we’re finding here) never been perfectly nailed by any one leak or tip – stainless steel, edge to edge glass, and a full BlackBerry 10 experience await you!

The back of the device works with a three-dimensional glass-weave structure that makes the feel of the device wholly unique. The keypad is the widest that the company has ever delivered, and the AMOLED display is what the company calls their “best yet” for brightness and excellence in delivering the content you’ll be working with in BlackBerry 10. WIth a dual-core processor under the hood and the largest battery inside that the company has ever put in a BlackBerry smartphone, you’ll also be rolling out with high power all day long.

This machine will be delivering the first full BlackBerry 10 experience with the classic keyboard and touchscreen at once in the world. While the final details will be revealed soon (stay tuned to this post and our upcoming hands-on as well), you’ll do well to check out our timeline below as well as SlashGear’s lovely BlackBerry 10 tag hub. This experience is one of two that BlackBerry needs to key in on as perfect – it’s all or nothing right here in the first part of 2013!

Note in the timeline below that RIM has re-branded themselves as BlackBerry and BlackBerry alone as well, this solidifying the message for the world and showing us that they mean business with both BlackBerry software and hardware from this point forward. Also keep an eye on the CEO of BlackBerry this week as he continues to champion the platform now that it’s out in the wild, and let us know if you’re planning on working with the full-touch Z10, the touch/keyboard experience of the Q10, or if you’ll be waiting for the next generation of BlackBerry 10 devices after this!

BlackBerry Q10 official as QWERTY touchscreen hero is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

HP dove into the Windows 8 ecosystem without hesitation, and the results of that effort are tons of new laptops and desktop computers, some of which are the company’s new ENVY TouchSmart all-in-one series of Windows 8 machines, which we first heard about back in September. They have an entry-level 20-inch model, as well as a 23-inch variant that we took for a spin. It has a fast quad-core processor, quick graphics, a lot of system memory, and a huge hard drive, not to mention the 1080p touchscreen. It’ll cost you, though: around $1,700 for this particular build, but the ENVY 23 TouchSmart (model d060qd) definitely has all the specs to make anyone happy. However, is it right for everyone? Let’s find out.

Setup

Setting up the new TouchSmart machine was fairly straightforward, with only a few roadblocks along the way. First of all, the instructions are completely worthless as far as setup goes, so if you’re usually one to rely on such paperwork, there’s no need to do so this time around. The booklet mostly just discusses maintaining the computer and troubleshooting various problems that could arise. Other than, there are only a few photos meant to help you set up the new computer, most of which were confusing and offered no text to describe the images whatsoever.

In any case, I was able to get up and running in about 10 minutes. The wireless keyboard and mouse connected right away during the initial bootup — no need to pair either devices, and I was looking at the Windows 8 home page in no time. Obviously, everyone expects a smooth and easy setup experience with new products, and HP definitely made it easy for me.

Hardware and Design

This specific review unit comes packing with incredible specs. There’s an Intel Core i7 3770S quad-core processor clocked at 3.1GHz, accompanied by 12GB of DDR3 RAM and a 3TB Seagate hard drive. Graphics-wise, we’re looking at an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M with 2GB of memory, which provides fast, middle-class performance in case you ever get caught playing any kind graphics-intensive title on your new touchscreen PC. Other than that, there’s Beats Audio integration, which provides three internal speakers along the bottom, as well as boosts performance for any speakers plugged into the audio jacks. You also have a slot-load Blu-ray drive on the right side. Of course, you also can’t forget about the 23-inch 10-point touchscreen display with a 1920×1080 full HD resolution.

As far as ports go, you have two USB 3.0 ports on the left side, along with a SD card slot and microphone and headphone jacks. On the back, there are four USB 2.0 ports, ethernet, and a nifty subwoofer-out port that allows for deeper sound out of the relatively puny speakers that are equipped with the ENVY 23 TouchSmart. Then, on the right side, there’s a lone HDMI port for connecting to an Xbox 360, PlaySation 3, or any other HDMI-capable device that can use the computer as a monitor or display.

As far as the placement of all the ports, I have to say that it’s all pretty scattered. It’s nice to have two USB ports, the SD card slot, and the audio jacks on the side for quick and easy access, but having the HDMI port all by itself on the right side doesn’t quite make sense — it seems it would make better sense if it was with all of the other connectivity options on the back. We’re also not sure why HP didn’t include more USB 3.0 ports on the back. Those with a USB 3.0 external hard drive may be disappointed by this, since you’ll be stuck with plugging it in on the side and having a USB cable stick out the whole time.

The ENVY 23 TouchSmart sits on a big base, which takes up most of the width of the computer and leaves a giant footprint on any desk. Unlike the iMac, and even one of Vizio’s latest all-in-one offerings, HP’s newest machine doesn’t have a small base in the middle. However, that’s mostly because the entire panel is supported by two beams on the sides, which then connect to the base, providing a frame-like structure to the computer. I have to say, though, that the base and the two supporting beams are fairly sturdy. While you can easily adjust the angle of the display without much effort, playing around with the touchscreen doesn’t affect the computer’s stance — it stays still extremely well, even through marathon sessions of tapping and scrolling.

The front of the display is completely covered in a single pane of glass, so when the screen is off, it looks like it’s a borderless display. However, the display has a rather thick bezel, which makes the computer look a little bulky and ancient. HP could’ve easily bumped up the screen size without making the machine any bigger, but most likely due to circumstances that are unbeknownst to me, I’m sure there was a reason why HP kept it at 23 inches with a thicker bezel. The display is pretty glossy, though, so if you plan on using the touchscreen portion (as opposed to the mouse and keyboard), expect a lot of fingerprints and smudges.

Sadly, the computer comes with a power brick attached to the power cord. It’s not too big of a deal, since most electrics come with one anyway, but all-in-one machines are supposed to be meant for saving space, so the power brick may be an unexpected surprise if you’re interested in going with this model. The end of the cord (the end that plugs into the computer) sits at a right angle, so in order to plug it in, you have to bend the cable so that it’s perpendicular to the wall, and then have it bend downwards to feed it behind your desk to be plugged into the outlet. It just make more sense if the connector was straight, or at the very least a 45-degree angle, which is actually gaining popularity with various cable manufacturers anyway.

Overall, the design of the ENVY 23 TouchSmart isn’t too bad. There are certainly things that I would change, including a slightly smaller base and a thinner bezel, but I love the sturdiness of the stand with the ability to adjust the angle of the display easily when need be. It would’ve nice to see some USB 3.0 ports on the back, instead of just on the side, but a total of six USB ports isn’t anything to complain about. The speaker quality was fairly good, and while it did sound a little tinny, it’s definitely an upgrade from what you would get with regular laptop speakers. There’s a lot more bass in these speakers, and if you pair them up with an external subwoofer, it’ll make for a pretty decent system for personal listening.

Software

As far as software goes, there’s actually not a lot of bloatware. There’s obviously a few HP-specific apps — some you may find useful, and others just an annoyance. The company pre-installed their “Connected” Photos and Music apps, both of which are HP’s own version of a photo manager and music player, respectively. Connected Photos is powered by Snapfish, and it not only lets you manage and organize your photo collection, but it also integrates with Facebook and you can easily push your smartphone photos to the app as well. The music player is HP’s own version of iTunes of sorts. You can manage and play your music, as well as browse popular music and even buy tracks right from the app. We’re not sure that most users would utilize these two apps, since there are far superior options out there, but the choice is there nonetheless.

HP also included their own backup app, similar to Time Machine on Mac, and they also have what’s called HP MyRoom, which is a video-conferencing app that resembles most other apps like it, such as Skype (which is also pre-installed interestingly enough). HP even has its own app store called HP+, where you can download games, entertainment apps, software, etc. Sadly, though, it’s lacking in content and doesn’t have a lot of options — you’re better off sticking with the Windows Store.

Other than that, HP included some non-HP apps into the bloatware mix, including Kindle, eBay, Netflix, Norton Antivirus, and Skype. Surprisingly enough, the computer arrives clean of most bloatware, and what’s already there shouldn’t bother the user at all, except for maybe Norton, which pesters you every now and then to activate or update the software. Besides that, though, the HP apps don’t get in the way too much, and if they do, you can simply move around the app tiles to hide the apps and make the homescreen how you want.

Performance

The computer comes with top-tier specs all around, so most users won’t have a problem with performance — the 3TB hard drive will hold plenty family photos and videos, as well as all the music you can think of. The processor is fast enough that apps open quickly, and nothing lags behind, which is great for those older folks that can’t stand anything slower than the Millenium Falcon at light speed. Benchmark scores from Geekbench were actually really decent, and it scored better than most of the newer all-in-ones that we’ve reviewed in the recent past, including Acer’s Aspire 7600U, which has a higher price tag, and it even beat out Apple’s newest iMac, although just barely. The ENVY 23 TouchSmart even kept right up with HP’s Z1 Workstation, which carries a hefty price tag of $2,700.

As far as everyday use, the TouchSmart boots up in about 25 seconds from the time the power button is pressed to the time when the desktop is ready to use. That’s certainly respectable, but considering that HP stuffed a 3TB hard drive inside, we can’t help but feel that the company could have also slipped in a solid state drive as well, just to boost the performance even more. As for the display, it’s a 10-point touchscreen, meaning it will register all ten fingers if need be. In brief, it’s basically feels like a 23-inch upright tablet, and it’s extremely responsive and smooth. It takes little effort to scroll through home screens and websites, and multi-point touch capability is pretty fantastic — pinch-to-zoom works well, and playing around in the painting app with multiple fingers was both fun and impressive.

Wrap-Up

In the end, the HP ENVY 23 TouchSmart can do pretty much anything you throw at it, and it can certainly handle the demanding needs of an entire family, from the little kids all the way up to the impatient grandparents. It comes with most of the features that you would want on a high-end all-in-one desktop — it’s got the large 1080p touchscreen display, a huge hard drive, gobs of RAM, and a super-fast processor. While there are definitely things that I could nitpick about, such as the large base, no USB 3.0 on the back, and a less-than-decent keyboard and mouse combo, I can’t really see how this computer wouldn’t cater to the everyday man or woman. And while the $1,700 may not look too great, the company’s 20-inch models start at around $1,000 if you’re looking for a smaller build. It’s certainly not a desktop that’s aimed towards a specific group of users, so if you’re looking for an all-around Windows 8 machine for the entire family, the ENVY all-in-one series meets the mark.

HP ENVY 23 TouchSmart Review is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we’re coming into the understanding that Netflix has had and likely still has a working collection of stand-alone Roku-like devices in their warehouse collecting dust – and why they were cut from production at the zero hour back in 2007. This device was known as the Netflix Player and was outlined in a lovely video presentation made in-house by Netflix under the title “The Griffin Initiative”. This project was, as its creators recall, just “weeks” away from launch when it was cut down to the ground by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

This project you’re about to see essentially amounts to a significant number of years of research and development by Netflix, all done for a single device then known as the Netflix Player. As Fast Company hears it from a set of unnamed “high-level sources”, the Netflix Player had taken more than one form over its development history. At one point the box was going to be a DVD player that was also able to download movies to a hard drive – this was before streaming video was made a reality with the oncoming wave of power known as YouTube took hold.

The video you see above is the Netflix-made self-motivational video made back when the product was ramping up towards finality. In it you’ll see some LOST references because of the ultra-popularity of the series at the time, and more than a couple of oddities meant to be humorous (and here obviously often racist, as it were,) as the team meets up with Foxconn to discuss manufacturing practices. Back then Anthony Wood (current Roku CEO) was the Netflix Internet TV lead and head of Project Griffin (Netflix Player), and he had the following to say this week:

“We were getting so close to shipping the hardware, and Reed decides, ‘I changed my mind–I don’t want to do hardware anymore. If we ship our own hardware, it could be viewed as competitive.’ It was totally the right decision. Licensing has been hugely successful for Netflix. It would’ve created tension with partners, and increasingly decisions would come up where Netflix would have to decide, ‘Should we make decisions based on what’s best for licensing, or what’s best for our own hardware?’” – Wood

And as you all well know by now, Netflix is still around – and with a force that’s undeniable in the market for both streaming video and movies in general. Roku is also a company that’s still doing relatively well with new bits of hardware and software updates coming on quite regularly. If it meant competing with the rest of the companies that’d been creation similar box devices at that time as well as companies readying their own smart TVs (futuristic at that time as well), or having Netflix exist as software on all of them, there really was only one decision to be made.

What would you have done, readers? Would you have made it clear that Netflix wants to work with everyone by staying the course with software only, or would you have risked creating a box of your own (not unlike what Amazon does with their Kindle devices) still trying to convince 3rd party manufacturers to work with your software (like the Kindle apps do today as well)? Let us know what you’re thinking!

Netflix Player stand-alone hardware revealed (and why you can’t have it) is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s conference call regarding its quarterly earnings mostly rehashed themes we’ve heard before – cross-platform remains a priority. But Google CEO Larry Page had a few words to share about hardware in his own kick-off spiel. Page reiterated what we’ve heard recently about hardware supply levels from the Google Play store, and dropped (it’s a pun, you’ll see why later) a hint around what Motorola is doing at Google in terms of hardware.

Page said that there is “work to be done managing our supply better… and that is priority for the teams.” While it isn’t very detailed, it is at least acknowledgement that the issues around low supply for the hard-to-get and very much in demand Nexus 4 are fully recognized by the very top brass at Google. Page’s comments didn’t go so far as French LG Communications Director Cathy Robin, who promised better supply by February last week, but they show both Google and LG are working together to resolve the backlog.

Also on the hardware front, Page talked briefly about Motorola, and what they’re doing in terms of delivering innovation on that front from their new position under the Google umbrella. Page was even more cagey on this front, but he did come up with possibly telling examples of what kinds of issues they could be looking at. “Battery life is a huge issue,” and he added that you shouldn’t have to constantly worry about your devices, noting that, for example, “When you drop your phone, it shouldn’t go ‘splat.’”

Clearly, these are obvious pain points for mobile devices: durability and longevity in terms of battery life. If Motorola’s hardware engineering team is genuinely being put to work on making real improvements to these and other major smartphone sore spots, I’m content to wait and let things percolate a while longer before we see the union bear fruit. We haven’t yet seen what Google will do once it holds the reins with Motorola’s hardware division, because as Google’s Patrick Pichette pointed out on the call, the company is still working through Motorola’s existing hardware pipeline, which he said accounted for about 12-18 months of releases at the time of acquisition.

New research from Google suggests what we all likely know to be true – your pet’s name followed by a few numbers just isn’t cutting it as a password these days. The company will be publishing a new research paper in the IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine this month, but Wired got a sneak peak, and it details a number of alternatives based on requiring physical devices, in combination with some other form of screen unlock to not only simplify the password process but also make it more secure.

Some of the possible systems they describe included embedded chips in smartphones, which is a pretty convenient method given that everyone will be carrying one anyway, and a slightly more unusual means of delivery via ring worn on the finger. I think I had a pinkie ring once when I was sixteen (it was a mistake), so personally I’d prefer something a little less flashy, but the idea is sound.

As a first step, however, they’re working with a YubiKey cryptographic card, programming it so that it can automatically log a user into their Google account on the web when inserted into a computer’s USB drive. It doesn’t require a software download or any install, just a slightly modified version of Chrome. Combined with Google’s authentication and authorization services, you can see how this would eliminate the need for complicated passwords and even potentially elaborate, “prove you’re a human” CAPTCHA processes that make logging into apps and websites a pain.

Others have tried similar systems, to strong effect. Blizzard uses the Battle.net Authenticator, which can be either a hardware device or a smartphone app for Android and iOS, to provide a temporary, secondary password to users that they can use in combination with their existing password as an added measure of protection. Likewise, Google users can enable two-step authentication, whereby a message gets sent to your phone containing a temp password in addition to your usual login credentials. The problem is that these methods are both still susceptible to phishing attempts, whereby a website masquerades as a legitimate one owned by the company which manages your account, in order to trick you into giving up your own info.

Physical device direct authentication has the benefit of not being susceptible to phishing attempts, and it also simplifies the process, meaning that it could work without an actual password for light security scenarios, and with a simple password in areas where you’re more concerned about your privacy. There’s still a risk of device theft or loss, but that’s easier to mitigate and track than malware based hacking attempts.

Online security has definitely taken steps to try to make consumers feel more protected with measures like two-step authentication, but that has also resulted in a much more cumbersome process than when we all used to just basically use our dog’s name or not even bother with a login at all. This new effort to push a hardware-based password alternative could return some of that bygone simplicity to the web, but it’ll require a considerable effort to gain widespread consumer traction. Google might have the reach and influence to do it, however, and Wired says that Google has created a universal protocol for device-based authentication that works completely independent of any of its own services, and only requires a web browser to support the standard. An open standard with Google’s backing could be just the recipe needed for the next evolution in online security.