Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve officially entered the final hours of August, and in typical SlashGear fashion, we’re sending thing off with a bang. Today’s IFA adventures didn’t produce as much news as the two days before it, but we still have plenty of hands-on posts for you to check out, just like yesterday. We got to check out a couple of Dell’s upcoming products today, spending some hands-on time with the Dell XPS Duo 12 and the more traditional Dell XPS 10. Dell wasn’t the only one showing off new computers and a tablets today though, as we also have a hands-on with HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4, SpectreXT and ENVY x2, along with a hands-on post for the new Toshiba Satellite U920t.

We also got to have a look a bunch of interesting devices and accessories today, ranging from the Lifeproof case for the iPhone4/4S and the Jarba Soulmate to the E-Ink concept phone and the iRobot Scooba 390 and 290. It was definitely an exciting day for new gadgets and devices, so be sure to look through all of those hands-on posts.

The next iPhone made an appearance in some new images today, and in them we get an idea of its measurements. Speaking of rumored iDevices, the iPad Mini has apparently popped in one app developer’s device files, and Apple may eventually face an iPhone 5 stock bottleneck due to a shortage of screens at Sharp. The Nokia Lumia 920 PureView and Lumia 820 Windows Phone 8 handsets suffered a leak today (complete with images of the Lumia 820 Arrow later in the day), and Facebook had to revise its profit forecast by slashing $1 billion from it.

We were introduced to a slew of Windows 8 products today, most of which belong to Lenovo. This includes the Lenovo IdeaCentre A520, the IdeaPad Z series of notebooks, the IdeaPad U510 ultrabook and the Lenovo IdeaCentre B340 and B545 all-in-one PCs. Acer got in on the Windows 8 action as well, introducing the world to the Acer Aspire M3.

It may not be long before your Samsung device can react to your body language, today we seemed to get confirmation that the iPhone 5 is on the way with a new iPhone “recycling” program, and a round of Xbox-branded games have been confirmed for Windows 8 PCs. On the same day that reported images of the next Kindle Fire leaked, we get word that Amazon is planning to announce two new Kindle Fires at its press conference on September 6. The Samsung Galaxy Stellar appears to be hitting Verizon on that same day, and finally tonight, Bethesda has hinted that Skyrim‘s first DLC, Dawnguard, may not make it to the PS3.

That’s all for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up! Enjoy your weekend folks, and be sure to keep checking back with us here at SlashGear for more news from IFA 2012!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 31, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The software running HP’s now cult-classic TouchPad tablet as well as a range of smartphones has been released as Open webOS beta today. This beta release of the software will have developers able to access it using an Apache 2.0 license, and the development will commence immediately for 3rd party users looking to bring the system back to life after an ill-fated run over the past few years ended with HP cutting off their mobile hardware lineup.

This code is bringing (in beta) a set of 54 components making 450,000 lines of code, and all the elements you’ve seen of the desktop build released to Ubuntu are included of course as well. Developers will be glad to find a collection of 3rd party Enyo apps supported here on the packages System Manager as well as the ones you’d expect from the basic set of apps included on the mobile device build.

HP’s servers will be bursting at the seams with this lovely offering starting today – if you don’t see it, wait a bit longer. You’ll be grabbing such lovely bits as “build-desktop” and “core-apps” never before legally distributed to the public. Grab em all and report back to tell everyone how much awesome developing fun you’re having!

Also check the timeline below for more information on webOS as it’s made its path towards the open environment it’s about to be in now. HP is working with the community to keep webOS an operating system worth working with, and we’re excited to see it continue to expand. Also see our webOS tag portal and HP tag to keep up to date with both groups in the very near future too – exciting things are bubbling up!

Open webOS beta released today for developers is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you are part of the Apple camp, you would most probably say that the MacBook Air was the catalyst for the PC camp to come up with the super slim and sexy Ultrabook. Here we are with one of the latest creations from HP’s camp, which is known as the HP ENVY x2. It is definitely a looker, I will give it that, and if you ever asked yourself the question of whether to tote around your notebook or your tablet to a given destination with just one choice, then you need not answer that question any more if you happen to pack a HP ENVY x2 in your backpack. I will let you know why right after the jump.

To keep up with the Joneses, the HP ENVY x2 will sport a sleek aluminum finish as well as an innovative hinge which has magnets, allowing you to glide the tablet smoothly into place, while keeping it there. Tipping the scales at a mere 3.1 pounds. If you separate the tablet, that particular portion will weigh a mere 1.5 pounds. Surely you will not complain any more about sore shoulders whenever you hit the showfloor at events and shows like CES?

Thanks to the inclusion of Windows 8 as its operating system of choice, you are able to interact with the HP ENVY x2 directly through its 11.6” HD touch display. Whenever you want to share a video or a presentation with others, the extra wide viewing angle will make that a possibility, and so too, does its bright 400-nit In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel deliver a visual experience that will not be forgotten too easily, be it indoors or outdoors. Want to keep in touch with family and friends from near and afar? Fret not, the HD webcam located at the front bezel will be able to cater for all your video call needs, while there is an 8-megapixel camera located at the rear of the HP ENVY x2 which will record great looking photos and shoot memorable videos.

SSD is used in favor of a hard drive, while the inclusion of NFC connectivity helps bring it to the next level of computing. You will be able to find the HP ENVY x2 in the market as soon as Windows 8 arrives, which should be sometime at the end of October.

Press Release

[ HP ENVY x2 could fool some into thinking this is a MacBook Air copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We have taken a look at the HP ENVY Ultrabook and Sleekbook in the past, not to mention the new generation of ENVY notebooks, but here we are with the latest HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 being introduced that focuses on the following catchphrase, “the power of touch.” You will find the HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 to be a looker, that’s for sure, where it sports an eye-catching metal design, boasting a 14” multitouch High Definition display while measuring a mere 23mm thin and tipping the scales at just 4.77 pounds. Enjoy the picture gallery at the end of the story below. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HP launches new All-in-One PCs, HP ENVY Ultrabook and Sleekbook,

HP is coming out with the HP Envy X2, a 11.6″ (1366×768) touch-screen slate PC that can be converted into a clamshell laptop with a simple “snap” into a keyboard dock. This is a concept that has been popularized by the ASUS Transformer Pad which combines the elegance of a tablet to the productivity of an ultra-light laptop.

We’ve played with it, and the first thing that we noticed was the rather amazing build quality and solid feel of this product. The Envy X2 is mostly made of aluminum, and both the tablet and the keyboard feel extremely rigid – almost like a solid bloc of aluminum. The connector is pretty easy to snap in place (one-handed operation), and feels very robust as well. Users can grab the screen and lift the dock+tablet combo without any problems. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook with IPS display, Possible HP Windows 8 tablet spotted again, this time on HP’s own website,