Hasta La Gadget!

If Computex was a coming out party for Windows 8 Ultrabooks, Toshiba was one of the wallflowers: though the company teased some concept devices, it only let journalists photograph them from certain angles, and with their screens turned off. Now, though, we’re closing the summer with yet another tradeshow, and Toshiba is using the occasion to demo its wares in more detail. The company just announced the Satellite U925t, that Windows 8 slider we showed you earlier in the summer. No word on price, except that it’s expected to be “slightly north” of the Satellite U845W, which starts at $1,000. We do know that it will ship on October 26th, the day Win 8 formally launches.

In the meantime, Toshiba hasn’t left any specs to the imagination. What we have here is a 12.5-inch Ultrabook with a slide-out, Gorilla Glass touchscreen. Pushing the screen up reveals a built-in keyboard, and we were pleasantly surprised in our hands-on to find that it’s actually quite spacious. (With this form factor, the propped up display usually cuts into the usable keyboard space.) The keys are also backlit, and have the same feel as what you’ll find on Toshiba’s U845 and U845W Ultrabooks. That is to say they’re shallow, and very, very quiet. The whole package weighs “just over three pounds” and measures about 0.8 inches thick, making it easy enough to stuff in a carry-on.

When you push up the display you’ll also find another surprise: an autofocusing 3-megapixel camera on the back side. For good measure, there’s also a lower-res shooter up front. On the inside, it packs a Core i5 processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics and a 128GB SSD. Like many other Ultrabooks, it also has Intel’s Wireless Display tech on board, though you’ll of course have to buy the requisite set-top box separately. Taking a tour around the device, you’ll find a mix of tablet- and laptop-style trappings: two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, vents, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a volume rocker and a button for turning off screen auto-rotation.

Software-wise, Toshiba is bundling Desktop Assist, a utility designed to give Windows 8 newbies quick access to files, programs and the like. You’ll also see Live Tiles for things like Toshiba Central (a support hub), Book Place and Toshiba App Place. That’s all she wrote for now, but expect us to follow up closer to October 26th with a more specific price. Until then, we’ve got hands-on photos below, along with a short walk-through video.

Continue reading Toshiba unveils U925t Ultrabook with slide-out touchscreen, keeps the price a secret for now

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Toshiba unveils U925t Ultrabook with slide-out touchscreen, keeps the price a secret for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony just threw itself fully into the touchscreen Windows 8 arena — it’s introducing the VAIO Duo 11 slider tablet and the Tap 20 combination desktop and tablet design at its IFA 2012 press conference. The Duo 11 is a noticeably amped-up realization of the Hybrid concept we saw at CES. Its 11.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is joined by a proper digitizer stylus for low-lag handwriting as well as some seriously powerful innards for a convertible PC its size: we’re talking an Ultrabook-level Core i3, i5 or i7 as well as a 128GB or 256GB SSD, NFC wireless, GPS, and HD-capable cameras at the front and back. Sony is hoping for a late October release for this beast of a slate, although we haven’t been given that all-important price.

The VAIO Tap 20, meanwhile, is more than just a tilting all-in-one desktop in the vein of Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A720. Despite carrying a 20-inch, 1,600 x 900 touchscreen, it’s still very much battery-powered — you can lug the 11.4-pound PC into the living room and treat it like a tiny multi-touch table, if that’s your inclination. It’s sharing the same processor picks as the Duo 11, but it turns to more conventional 750GB or 1TB hard drives and puts the emphasis on shareable apps like Family Paint and the Fingertapps Organizer calendar. Not surprisingly, there’s only one, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera here, although NFC does make the cut. The Tap 20 is due to arrive at about the same time as its smaller Duo 11 sibling, although we’re once again without details of how much it will cost.

Continue reading Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets

Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ergo Electronics, the company behind the GoTab, is looking to help bring Android to UK classrooms in the form of the GoNote, a combo tablet / netbook running Ice Cream Sandwich. The device has a 10-inch 1024 x 600 display, a 1.2GHz ARM Rockchip RK2918, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, expandable via a MicroSD slot. Aimed at students, the GoNote also has four USB 2.0 ports and a VGA camera on-board. It’ll be hitting in the UK in September for £150 ($236) in black and white options. More info in the press release after the break.

Continue reading GoNote 10-inch hybrid netbook / tablet bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to UK classrooms next month

GoNote 10-inch hybrid netbook / tablet bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to UK classrooms next month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 02:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most hybrid car drivers will tell you that their world is all about being gentle on the throttle, spending as much time as possible in that electric-only speed range even if it makes a family minivan look speedy. Volkswagen has just claimed a record for doing precisely the opposite: the 2013 Jetta Hybrid is reportedly the fastest production hybrid in the world, having come just shy of a verified 185.4MPH after an all-out assault on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The company did have to modify the sedan to reach the breakneck pace, tweaking the powertrain, wheels and interior to run safely on that atypical surface, but it isn’t known to have bumped the 150HP output of the gas engine or the 27HP of the electric motor. We have a hunch that VW’s title won’t last for long, whether or not we see the claim as valid — there are a few decidedly more performance-oriented hybrids rolling off assembly lines now and in the future. Still, until there’s a more direct challenge, one of the world’s more ubiquitous commuter cars is the hybrid speed leader.

Continue reading Volkswagen 2013 Jetta Hybrid sets speed record, gives new meaning to hypermiling

Filed under: Transportation

Volkswagen 2013 Jetta Hybrid sets speed record, gives new meaning to hypermiling originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker hasn’t had what you’d call the best year so far, but it may have found the ticket to turning its hybrid vehicle business around. Meet Tony Posawatz, Fisker’s new CEO — and, until just weeks ago, GM’s Vehicle Line Director. Despite being the second new chief executive at Fisker since Tom LaSorda arrived in February, Posawatz needs little explanation for his sudden rise to power. He’s an original member of the Chevy Volt leadership structure and could very well know a thing or two about developing a hybrid car from start to finish. His influence might only be keenly felt when the Atlantic wheels its way towards driveways in 2014, but there’s no doubt he’s onboard to right the good ship Karma and improve Fisker’s reputation in the short term. We wouldn’t want to be in GM’s shoes as it watches one of its EV-friendly veterans so publicly jump ship, however.

Continue reading Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO

Filed under: Transportation

Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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