Hasta La Gadget!

We had two major gripes when we reviewed ASUS’ original Transformer Book. One, it cost a lofty $1,500, even with a last-generation Ivy Bridge processor. Two, it was on the heavy side — though to be fair, a 13-inch dockable tablet is unwieldy by definition. Well, ASUS went back to the drawing board and addressed at least one of our complaints. The refreshed Transformer Book, the T300, ships with a Haswell processor, which promises not just faster performance, but longer battery life (eight hours, to be exact). It also steps up to a max of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, up from a 128GB SSD and 4GB of memory last time around.

Unfortunately, at 1.1kg (2.43 pounds) for the tablet and 800g (1.76 pounds) for the dock, it still feels weighty in the hand regardless of whether you’re using it in tablet mode or as a proper clamshell laptop. Otherwise, the key specs are the same — namely, a 13.3-inch IPS display with 1080p resolution and a mix of micro- and full-sized ports on the tablet and dock. No word yet on pricing or availability, but for now we’ve got hands-on photos below.%Gallery-slideshow79408%

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, ASUS

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Sony’s tabletop Windows 8 slate, the VAIO Tap 20, made its debut at last year’s IFA, so it’s only fitting that we’re back in Berlin to meet the successor. Dubbed the VAIO Tap 21, the follow-up packs a slightly larger, 21.5-inch display, and its design is more sophisticated, to boot.

In addition to boosting the PC’s dimensions by an inch and a half, Sony’s bumped up the touchscreen’s resolution from 1,600 x 900 to a full 1,920 x 1,080. It’s still an IPS panel, as the impressive viewing angles made clear in our hands-on time, and it still offers software programs such as Family Paint to take advantage of the 10-point multitouch. What’s more, the company says it made the Tap 21 50 percent thinner than its predecessor, and we’re looking at about eight pounds versus ten. Processor options include Core i5 and Core i7 Haswell chips, and the Tap 21 will be available with an SSD or hybrid hard drive.

Interestingly, though the Tap 21 is a far cry from “portable,” Sony plans to sell a carrying bag. (Okay, an especially good packer could probably wedge this guy into a sizable carryon — and the machine’s internal battery does make it suitable for a trip away from the outlet.) On the price front, all we’re getting is “comparable with the Tap 20.” That mobile desktop launched with an $880 base price, so draw your own conclusions.%Gallery-slideshow74024% %Gallery-slideshow79437%

Dana Wollman contributed to this report.

Filed under: Desktops, Tablets, Sony

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It’s sort of insane to think that Sony, a goliath of the consumer electronics industry, is only just getting around to releasing its first Windows 8 tablet. But you know what they say: better late than never, right? The company today unveiled the VAIO Tap 11, a standalone tablet that seems specifically designed to obliterate the Surface Pro. Similar to Microsoft’s flagship tablet, this is an 11-inch device with a kickstand, Intel Core processor and 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display that supports pen input. Also similar: it works with a keyboard that latches onto the tablet via a magnetic connector.

Here, though, the keyboard attaches on the front face, not on the bottom edge, and it’s a proper wireless keyboard with surprisingly decent travel — not at all like the flat Touch Cover that goes with the Surface. What’s nice, too, is that even with the thicker keyboard attached, the Tap 11 is about as thick as the Surface Pro itself. In fact, Sony says this is the “world’s thinnest tablet PC.” Which it might be — until the next-gen Surface comes along, anyway. Also worth noting: the keyboard conveniently charges through the connector on the tablet, so the odds of the battery dying on you mid-sentence are thankfully very low.%Gallery-slideshow74530%%Gallery-slideshow79317%

Filed under: Tablets, Sony

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It’s cold, gray and rainy here in Berlin, but we’ve never let a little lousy weather get in the way of a perfectly sunny liveblog. Sony’s always got a ton of stuff to show of at IFA, and we don’t expect this year to be any different. Cameras, phones, and maybe even a wearable or two will likely be on hand at today’s event. So join us here at 10AM ET, and bring some snacks. It might be a long one.

Filed under: Sony

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Only just after it leaked out, the folks at HDMI Licensing are announcing HDMI 2.0 officially. Arriving just in time for the wide rollout of a new generation of Ultra HDTVs, it adds a few key capabilities to the connection standard. With a bandwidth capacity of up to 18Gbps, it has enough room to carry 3,840 x 2,160 resolution video at up to 60fps. It also has support for up to 32 audio channels, “dynamic auto lipsync” and additional CEC extensions. The connector itself is unchanged, which is good for backwards compatibility but may disappoint anyone hoping for something sturdier to support all of those suddenly-popular dongles. The cables won’t change either, as the group claims current high-speed Category 2 wires can handle the increased bandwidth. Some companies have suggested upgrade paths for their UHDTVs already on the market — hopefully we’ll find out more about those plans this week at IFA 2013.

Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: HDMI.org