Hasta La Gadget!

Maingear certainly loves to turn out solidly specificated hardware, and today is no exception. Its latest offering? The Nomad 17. As the name suggests this is a 17-inch notebook for gamers on the go. (Nomad, get it?) The new addition will support third-gen Intel Core i7 chips (up to 3.8GHz) and a maximum 32GB of RAM, with a choice of hard drive configurations. It’s not all about the under-the-hood grunt, though, with Maingear offering a choice of six colors for what it’s calling “hand-painted premium automotive paint jobs.” As for the other spec options? You can expect NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M or 680M graphics, a 1,920 x 1080 display, combo Blue-ray optical drive, b / g / n wireless along with USB 2 / 3, DVI-I, HDMI and Fire Wire ports. So, this definitely sounds like a ride you can make your own. Assuming you’re good with the $1,599 starting sticker price that is.

Continue reading Maingear announces Nomad 17 gaming laptop, comes with custom paint job

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

Maingear announces Nomad 17 gaming laptop, comes with custom paint job originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Thursday evening, everyone. This afternoon, RIM delivered its quarterly report, and even though it didn’t look too good, it was still better than quarterly reports of the past. Samsung is teasing a new Galaxy Note II event for October 24, while Google turned 14 years old today and celebrated with a brand new doodle. Qualcomm introduced a pair of new processors for mobile devices today, and a series of new iPhone patents deals with things like disappearing buttons, 3D displays, and invisible speakers.

Intel has reintroduced a processor meant to run Windows 8 tablets, and speaking of the incoming operating system, Microsoft founder Bill Gates shared some thoughts on Windows 8 today as well. A couple more companies have been updating their apps to play nice with the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, with Netflix delivering a new widescreen update for iDevices and Foursquare updating its iOS app as well. Camera+ launched an update for its own app too, adding support for iPad and iCloud.

The AMD AppZone Player was announced today with BlueStacks support in tow, and you can now sync your iPhone with Google contacts thanks to CardDAV integration. Google also launched a new field trip app today, which is being described as “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you,” and Dish Network announced that it will be launching satellite broadband for rural areas next week. A Google executive was arrested and later released in Brazil after the company didn’t cooperate with take down requests centered around a video that criticized a Brazilian politician, and sure enough, Rovio’s new game Bad Piggies has secured its spot as the top App Store app on the same day it was released.

In perhaps one of the biggest news stories of the day, NASA scientists are saying that Curiosity has discovered an ancient streambed on the surface of Mars, and Facebook has launched a new gifts service, allowing users to buy real life gifts for their Facebook friends. Steam will be kicking off a private Linux beta sometime next month, and European pricing details for the incoming Nokia Lumia 920 surfaced. Finishing up the news from today, Polaroid has announced a series of new sports video cameras for the more adventurous folks out there.

Finally tonight, Chris Burns interviews Dr. Edward Farhi about the time travel mechanics found in the new movie LOOPER (with the full review of the flick coming later on tonight), and we have a review of the Samsung Galaxy Stellar by yours truly. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up. Go out and enjoy the rest of your night and start getting excited for the weekend!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 27, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The processor formally known as Clover Trail has been re-introduced this week at an event showing off its greatness in a collection of Windows 8 hero machines. This is the Intel Atom Processor Z2760, made to run Windows 8 tablets and tablet convertables. Here you’ve got optimization for both the new Windows 8 touch-friendly interface and the classic Windows desktop mode along with “fast and responsive performance” in a variety of machines that are, in this showing, lightweight, sleek, and overall rather tiny.

With the Intel Atom Processor Z2760 you’ll see machines as thin as 8.5mm and as light as 1.5 pounds, with battery life that’s bumping up to over 10 hours of local HD video playback (according to Intel, of course), and over 3 weeks of standby time (once again, according to Intel.) This processor allows for NFC integration, high definition cameras, and wi-fi, 3G WWAN, and 4G LTE.

The architecture formerly known as Clover Trail is coming on strong this week from Intel with a dual-core, four-thread, up to 1.8 GHz processor with both Intel Burst Technology and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology. Burst allows you to dynamically ramp up your performance for instant gratification in great need while Hyper-Threading brings on support for multi-threaded applications. Two instruction threads in parallel will be helpful in Windows 8 on the tablet, without a doubt.

The Z2760 uses 32nm process technology and integrated graphics at up to 533 MHz as well as hardware acceleration support for up to 1080p video encode and decode. This SoC allows for one internal MIPI-DSI or LVDS display in additional to one external HDMI 1.3 display – with a cord, of course. You’ve got an integrated memory controller as well as support for LPDDR2 800 MT/s data rates at up to 2 GB. This processor has an embedded multimedia card 4.41 and support for Microsoft Connected Standby.

The Intel Atom Processor Z2760 supports GPIOs, USB 2.0, I2C, UART, SPI, SDIO 2.0, MIPI DSI and MIPI CSI. This architecture also works with Secure Boot and firmware-based Intel Platform Trust Technology. You’ve got support for GPS, accelerometer / compass combination, hardware sensor hub, ALS, SARS, and proximity and thermal sensors, and integrated ISP support for both a primary camera up to 8 megapixels and a secondary camera up to 2.1 megapixels.

Manufacturers joining in on the fun at the initial reveal event on September 27th, 2012 with Windows 8 and the Intel Atom Processor Z2760 both onboard included ASUS, Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and ZTE. Windows 8 and the power under its hood are upon us!

Intel Atom Processor Z2760 Clover Trail detailed for Windows 8 tablet glory is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s Chrome for Android browser has been updated to run on x86 processors, meaning Intel Medfield powered smartphones like Motorola’s RAZR i now play nicely with the app. Unveiled earlier this month, and set to go on sale in October, the RAZR i arrived with a few gaps in its software support, most notably the fact that Chrome wasn’t compatible with non-ARM processors.

That’s been fixed now, meaning RAZR i owners will have a choice of browsers when the smartphone hits shelves. It also means that existing Medfield-based phones – such as the Orange San Diego – can now use the app too, and since Intel is hoping to push the Atom chip as much as possible to Android phone and tablet manufacturers, it paves the way for more devices too.

The new Chrome for Android also includes various bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some fixes to make third-party IMEs work better. It adds YouTube video controls to full-screen playback mode, and videos now continue playing after the phone has been locked and then unlocked.

There’s also location preference integrated at the system level. You can download Chrome for Android from Google Play, and find more on the RAZR i in our full hands-on.

Chrome for Android updated for x86: Plays nicely with Medfield RAZR i is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You only have to look at the tidal wave of Ultrabooks to know that Intel design specifications can carry a lot of influence with manufacturers. That’s why the chip-maker’s claims about its latest reference tablet, built around a dual-core Atom Z2760 processor (aka “Clover Trail“), likely give us a broad hint of what to expect from devices like the forthcoming Lenovo Think Pad 2, ASUS Vivo Tab and Samsung ATIV Smart PC.

In particular, Intel has shown us slides claiming that the dual-core 1.8GHz chip with Imagination SGX545 graphics will offer the “best Windows 8 experience” on a tablet with “compatibility and support for traditional apps and peripherals.” And if you think that sounds like a subtle jibe at ARM-based tablets running Windows RT — a version of the OS that doesn’t even try to play nice with existing software — then you could be right. To be fair though, the point of RT is to offer superior portability, and that’s why Intel is also keen to emphasize that Clover Trail won’t impact too heavily on your freedom of movement. Tablets should come in below 1.5 pounds (680 grams — similar to the RT spec and much lighter than a Windows 8 Pro tablet) and 8.5mm in thickness, with built-in 3G, 4G and NFC. You shouldn’t need to carry a charger either, since a new power management system promises a distinctly un-laptop-like three weeks on standby and a full day of “active use” — defined as being at least 10 hours.

Windows 8 tablets won’t be like Windows 8 Pro machines, however, so don’t go expecting USB 3.0, or a guarantee of 1080p visuals (most Clover Trail devices we’ve seen are 1,366 x 768) or souped-up security — the Atom Z2760 is very much an evolved Medfield processor, with similar silicon and firmware, rather than a shrunken laptop chip.

Needless to say, what really matters is how well manufacturers adopt this design and what price points they manage to hit. Intel says that at least 20 different Clover Trail tablets are already in the works, and early price tags seem to be around the $799 mark — a hefty demand for sure, but perhaps one worth paying for those who need full-fledged Windows 8 and true portability at the same time. RT tablets, meanwhile, will have to come in much cheaper than that in order to be worthwhile.

Continue reading Intel details Clover Trail tablets: three weeks on standby, 10 hours of use, ‘full’ Windows 8 experience

Filed under: Tablets

Intel details Clover Trail tablets: three weeks on standby, 10 hours of use, ‘full’ Windows 8 experience originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 03:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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