Evernote Moleskine Smart Notebook Makes Digitizing Notes Easy

While you can take plenty of notes with laptops and tablets, it’s still convenient to be able to note stuff down in a notebook with a pen. If you’ve ever wanted to easily digitize everything that you jot down, take a look at the Evernote Moleskine Smart Notebook. It’s been designed so that you can easily transfer it to your smartphone.

evernote moleskine smart notebook

The Evernote Moleskine Smart Notebook works in tandem with the Evernote app and it allows you, once you’ve snapped a photo of your notes, to quickly digitize them. This means that the text and notes can be searched through easily. The paper is specially formatted for use with the app to ensure the best quality scans, and you can tag pages and passages with Smart Stickers and arrows. It’s definitely an interesting way to minimize your footprint, if you don’t want to lug your laptop to class when taking notes (or doodling.)

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While it won’t replace your computer or tablet it should allow you to be more effective with your notetaking. It’s available for pre-order from Evernote for $24.95.

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[via Uncrate]


OLPC delivers big OS update with text-to-speech, DisplayLink and WebKit

OLPC delivers big OS update with texttospeech, DisplayLink and WebKit

While most of its energy is focused on the XO-4 Touch, the One Laptop Per Child project is swinging into full gear for software, too. The project team has just posted an OS 12.1.0 update that sweetens the Sugar for at least present-day XO units. As of this latest revamp, text-to-speech is woven into the interface and vocalizes any selectable text — a big help for students that are more comfortable speaking their language than reading it. USB video output has been given its own lift through support for more ubiquitous DisplayLink adapters. If you’re looking for the majority of changes, however, they’re under-the-hood tweaks to bring the OLPC architecture up to snuff. Upgrades to GTK3+ and GNOME 3.4 help, but we’re primarily noticing a shift from Mozilla’s web engine to WebKit for browsing: although the OLPC crew may have been forced to swap code because of Mozilla’s policies on third-party apps, it’s promising a much faster and more Sugar-tinged web experience as part of the switch. While they’re not the same as getting an XO-3 tablet, the upgrades found at the source link are big enough that classrooms (and the occasional individual) will be glad they held on to that early XO model.

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OLPC delivers big OS update with text-to-speech, DisplayLink and WebKit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Series 9 WQHD: Hands-on with Sammy’s Retina retort

Samsung normally isn’t shy about showing off its manufacturing prowess, so imagine our surprise to find the company had snuck a super-high-resolution ultrabook onto the IFA show floor. The Samsung Series 9 WQHD ultrabook is billed as a concept right now, but it’s one we’re hoping the Koreans bring to market sooner rather than later: taking pride of place is a 13-inch 2,560 x 1,440 display with a matte finnish, for smooth graphics on a par with the glorious visuals from Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Though the Samsung’s panel doesn’t quite match up to the Retina Mac’s 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, its smaller size means pixel density is almost identical between the two models. The MBPr comes in at 221ppi, whereas the Samsung sneaks ahead at 226ppi (though the difference is, to the eyes, imperceivable).

No matter the stats, Windows 8 looks incredible on a display of that resolution and – as we’ve come to expect from Samsung notebook displays – with such vivid colors and strong brightness. Beyond pixel count specifications were in short supply, but the rest of the machine basically falls in line with 2012 Series 9 notebooks we’ve already seen. That means Ivy Bridge processors and a waifish profile.

Sadly, the detail we were most keen to find out – when we could expect to see the Series 9 WQHD on shelves – was something Samsung wouldn’t discuss. Of course, Apple is tipped to be readying a Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it’s possible that Samsung’s 2,560 x 1,440 panels could be headed to Cupertino’s production partners ahead of even Samsung’s.

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Samsung Series 9 WQHD: Hands-on with Sammy’s Retina retort is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Samsung’s dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on

See that? It’s not your daddy’s flip hybrid tablet — it’s the new dual-display laptop prototype from the fine people at Samsung. The body of the notebook is certainly in the vein of a MacBook Air or ultrabook, with slim metal slides that taper off into a point. The palm rests, meanwhile, are a brushed metal, with black chiclet-style keys above. On the bezel above the screen is a camera.

The magic, however, doesn’t happen until you close the thing, turning on a display on the hood. Yep, it’s yet another attempt to capitalize on Windows 8’s dual-nature. Inside, you’ve got a fully functioning laptop and outside you’ve a touchscreen tablet that, yes, utilizes everyone’s favorite proprietary stylus, the S-pen, and there’s also a rear facing camera on the outside. Perhaps it’s all that functionality packed inside, but this prototype is certainly heavier than your standard ultrabook, and unlike most systems, a lot of that weight is located in the display — we’re sure there’s a fair amount of internals located up there.

This being a prototype, the Samsung rep we spoke with had no clue on what such a device might cost or when it might come to market — or even if this thing will ever see the light of day, so don’t get your dual-hopes up just yet. The hybrid was sitting right next to the 2,560 x 1,440 Series 9 prototype we recently scoped out and in front of a wall of concepts that explore the brave new world of elastic form factors to their fullest. Check out a video and some notes on the other devices after the jump.

Continue reading Samsung’s dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on

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Samsung’s dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire M3 touch Ultrabook hits Windows 8 arena

Over in Berlin at IFA 2012, the folks at Acer have revealed their next-generation Ultrabook lineup by the name of Aspire M3 touch. This lineup improves on their Ultrabook offerings thus far with a 10-point touch display optimized for Windows 8. The Acer Aspire M3 touch is just 22mm thin and weighs in at 2.3kg, toting with it a frameless 15.6-inch display with full touch capabilities.

Inside you’ll find a next-generation NVIDIA GeForce GT640M GPU, the first in an Acer Ultrabook, and a 3rd Generation Intel Core processor besides. You’ll also get Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancements working with what Acer calls “premium” speakers – hard hits and big beats on the way! This unit also has battery power that Acer rates at a full day of productivity and entertainment unplugged.

The Aspire M3 touch has a lovely dark casing made of aluminum alloy and works with a chiclet keyboard including full QWERTY and numeric keypad as well. You’ve got an oversized touchpad for precision control aside from your touchscreen, and the whole device is, again, so thin that you’ll want to bring it everywhere. This unit works with Acer Instant Connect so you can reconnect to access points you’ve got saved up in just 2.5 seconds, and Acer Green Instant-On so you can resume from sleep mode in 1.5 seconds.

This unit is one of several revealed – or presented again – at IFA 2012 in Berlin. Have a peek at our Acer tag portal as well as our portal for IFA and stay tuned as the devices keep popping up left and right! ALSO NOTE: Pricing and availability have not yet been announced, but we’ll have it all up for you soon as we can!

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Acer Aspire M3 touch Ultrabook hits Windows 8 arena is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Dell XPS Duo 12 hands-on

Windows 8 notebooks and tablets have come in all form-factors at IFA, but Dell’s XPS 12 Duo is – with its rotating display – perhaps the most eye-catching of the bunch. Dell kept the 12-inch ultrabook behind glass after its initial launch, but we caught up with the company for some hands-on playtime. The takeaway is simple: the XPS 12 Duo takes the concept of the old Inspiron Duo and polishes it to the point where it’s ready for primetime. Read on for our first impressions.

Where other Windows 8 tablets go for the docking-slate approach, pairing a lightweight tablet with a removable keyboard, the XPS 12 Duo is a full ultrabook that can double as a tablet with the flip of a screen. The original Inspiron Duo was a great idea but poor in delivery: it was too thick, underpowered, ran an OS that wasn’t ready for touchscreen use, and had too small a display that ended up dwarfed by its oversized bezels.

In contrast, Dell has used premium magnesium alloy for the screen bezel: that means it can be significantly thinner than before, despite showing no flex whatsoever. Enclosed inside it there’s a Full HD touchscreen that magnetically clings into either front- or rear-facing orientation; it’s backed with a sheet of carbon-fiber for resilience without weight or bulk.

We can’t talk about exact specifications, nor when exactly the XPS 12 Duo will hit the market, but we’d expect Dell to want to join the rush of firms releasing Windows 8 hardware around the end of October. What we can say is how well the new Dell works as both a notebook and a tablet. In the former orientation, the 12-inch form factor means the backlit keyboard is spacious enough – and has enough key-travel – for touch-typing, and has great feel. There’s also room for a good sized trackpad for when you don’t want to reach up to the screen.

A little pressure in the upper corner of the display, and it rotates smoothly and magnetically clips into place facing the other way. Close the lid, and you’ve got a tablet; it’s obviously heavier than a slate-only device, such as Apple’s new iPad, but then you also get a larger display. That delivers 400nit brightness, too, and is incredibly detailed and clear (so bright, indeed, it was difficult to photograph): websites look great (and you can use multitouch gestures to navigate them, of course) as does text whether you’re using the XPS 12 Duo as an ereader flipped into portrait orientation, or for creating content in apps like Word or PowerPoint. Keep the screen in tablet mode but leave the lid open, meanwhile, and you can use the XPS 12 Duo for presentations, controlling them from behind the display.

Dell’s compromise – or that of the XPS 12 Duo’s end user – is of weight, convenience and power. The convertible ran smoothly, despite crunching high-resolution graphics, while we used it, though its heft is more akin to an ultrabook than a true tablet. Those looking to carry it around in slate orientation will need to accept that there are concessions to be made if you want instant access to a decent keyboard.

Pricing will play a huge role, but with Dell positioning the XPS 12 Duo as a premium model (and having the smaller, dockable XPS 10 for those looking for a more mainstream Windows tablet implementation) all this slick hardware probably won’t come cheap. Still, for those wanting to make the most of Windows 8′s touch capabilities without giving up on notebook flexibility, it’s shaping up to be a strong (if niche) contender.

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Dell XPS Duo 12 hands-on is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Lenovo IdeaPad Z Series brings thin yet sturdy power to Windows 8

The Lenovo IdeaPad Z Series has been revealed this week with the Z500 and Z400 bringing up to Genuine Windows 8 Pro to a set of study, thin, and powerful notebooks. Unlike many of the devices revealed this week, the Z Series does not have a touchscreen interface. Instead you’ll be working with an Intelligent Touchpad optimized for Windows 8 and its touch- and gesture-friendly UI.

This line of notebooks works with up to Ivy Brindge, the 3rd Generation Intel Core processor line up to i7, and up to Genuine Windows 8 Pro for your next-generation computing needs. You’ll be choosing between the Z500 with its 15.6-inch backlit LED HD display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and the Z400 with its 14-inch backlit LED HD display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution as well. Both notebooks have 16:9 ratio widescreen displays as well.

Lenovo’s Z Series comes with Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity as well as an integrated DVD reader/writer – this drive also functions as a Blu-ray Disc drive as well. This machine line works with stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theatre v4 audio certification for what the group lets you know is definite Immersive Sound. The Z Series includes Lenovo’s choice OneKey Recovery system for easy data backup and as well as recovery.

You’ll be working with a front-facing 720p HD webcam as well as a Backlit AccuType keyboard that includes individually rounded keys. Lenovo notes that this will allow for comfortable and accurate typing all night and day long. You’ve also got up to NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M 2GB graphics with DirectX 11 under the hood – great stuff! The IdeaPad Z400 will be available November 2012 starting at US $549 while the IdeaPad Z500 will be available September 2012 starting at US $549.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Z Series brings thin yet sturdy power to Windows 8 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Lenovo IdeaPad U510 Ultrabook brings disk tray to the show

It appears that Lenovo has decided to take the idea that ultra-thin computers cannot have a disk drive and throw it out the window with their newest Ultrabook, the IdeaPad U510 – and it’s got Windows 8, too! This machine comes in at 0.83-inches thin and has a 15.6-inch HD display along with a full keyboard and – yes indeed – an internal DVD reader/writer and Blu-ray Disc drive that pops out to accept your disks whenever you need it. The U510 will be appearing with a range of colors for its exterior and a fully metallic feel – with real metal!

This unit weighs in at 2.2kg – thats about 4.85 pounds – and is 21mm thick (that’s 0.83 inches, once again), meaning this device is certainly mobile for how powerful it is. Inside you’ll find an Ivy Bridge (3rd Gen) Intel Core i7 processor (if you so choose) as well as either Genuine Windows 8 or Genuine Windows 8 Pro right out of the box. This unit’s display is 1366 x 768 pixels sharp and has a 16:9 aspect ratio as well.

Graphics on the IdeaPad U510 are made possible with NVIDIA GeForce 625M 1GB under the hood, and your memory is going to be ringing up to 8GB HDD storage — 1333/1600 Mhz memory [2 SODIMM slots (1x2GB/2x2GB/1x4GB/1x2GB+1x4GB/2x4GB)]. Right alongside you’ll see your disk drive working with up to 500GB HDD storage – [500GB/750GB/1TB (5400rpm)]; 24/32GB SSD1 cache. For audio you’ve got integrated stereo speakers, two of them at 2W with Dolby Home Theater v4 action backing you up on the inside.

You’ll be working with wi-fi connectivity, 10/100M LAN (RJ-45 connector connected), VGA out, and optional Bluetooth 4.0. Along the sides as well are 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, HDMI out, memory card reader that works with SD and MMC, and a 1/8-inch Stereo Headphone Output & Microphone input combo jack. Lenovo notes that inside you’ll have OneKey Recovery software for easy data backup and recovery as well as remote disable.

Also integrated in the U510 is the ability to wake this Ultrabook up from Sleep mode in just over a second. There’s a front-facing 720p webcam for video chat with software right inside the OS when you start it up – Youcam and Skype amongst them. Also inside are McAfee, Lenovo Support Energy Management to keep you running strong without eating your battery like a pig, and Microsoft Office (everywhere except Japan).

The IdeaPad U510 will be available inside September 2012 starting at US $679 – go grab it! And also stick around for the rest of the Windows 8 wave and Lenovo‘s full IFA 2012 offering too!


Lenovo IdeaPad U510 Ultrabook brings disk tray to the show is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Lenovo IdeaPad Y Series brings UltraBay for interchangeable upgrades

This week the folks at Lenovo have revealed their IdeaPad Y Series with a brand new interchangeable HDD bay they’ve called the UltraBay. This HDD bay is able to swap out for dual-graphics cards, increased storage space, an an additional fan for cooling. Outside this is either the Y500 with a 15.6-inch display or the Y400 with a 14-inch display – and notebooks in black and red!

This machine is made to be changed around, that’s for certain. You’ve got up to 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor options and the ability to add up to NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M dedicated graphics with NVIDIA OptimusTM technology. You also have up to 16GB DDR 3 memory, up to 1TB HDD storage, and up to 16GB SSD cache. You can also work with an interchangeable DVD reader/writer or Blu-ray Disc drive!

This beast works with one of Lenovo’s own Intelligent Touchpads optimized for Windows 8 and their next-generation touch- and gesture-friendly interface. The Y Series has an all-ways on USB port for charging of USB-powered (charged) mobile devices even when the notebook is not powered on itself – unplugged, even.

On the sides you’ve got 2x USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0 port, a 6 in 1 memory card reader, 1/8 inch Stereo Headphone Output Jack/ SPIDIF, 1/8 inch Input Jack Microphone, and HDMI out. The full beast is either 387x259x15.5-36.0mm (13.77×9.64×0.59-1.29 inches) for the larger model or 350x 245x 15-33mm (13.77×9.64×0.59-1.29 inches) and both have a battery that’s quoted at 3 hours of productive usage without recharge. These notebooks will have specifications that vary by region – and both will be available October 2012 starting at US $649. Stay tuned for more Lenovo action at IFA 2012!


Lenovo IdeaPad Y Series brings UltraBay for interchangeable upgrades is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light

Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thinandlight

In addition to unveiling that U925t laptop / tablet hybrid yesterday, Toshiba is announcing some more conventional-looking PCs this week at IFA. These new models include the Satellite U945, a low-end Ultrabook; the Satellite P845t, an Ultrabook with a touchscreen; and the Satellite S955, a 15-inch thin-and-light. Across the board, these will be available October 26th, the day Windows 8 formally launches. For now, too, Toshiba isn’t revealing prices, though we already know plenty about the specs. Join us after the break where we’ll spell out those nitty-gritty details.

Continue reading Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light

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Toshiba outs Satellite U945 and P845t Ultrabooks, Satellite S955 thin-and-light originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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