Hasta La Gadget!

The mobile PC market isn’t doing great, but that’s only if you look at it independently of tablet device sales. NPD DisplaySearch now says that over the next five years, however, the mobile PC market will more than double, growing from 367.6 million units in 2012 to 762.7 million by 2017.

The growth is being driven by a sea change in PC computing, as tablet PCs continually replace your standard notebook form factors, and touch gets built in to more and more laptop devices. Almost every manufacturer now has at least one touch-capable model, which is actually required for Windows 8 certification, and which helps explain ambitious devices like the Asus Aspire R7.

In the near-term, NPD DisplaySearch expects tablet shipments to rise 67 percent year-over-year in 2013, reaching 256.5 million on their own. Notebook shipments are expected to slow in general, down to 183.3 million in 2017, from 203.3 million in 2013. NPD predicts growth for certain categories, including touch-enabled devices, and even projects that devices like the MacBook Air and Ultrabooks will adopt touch in the coming years.

NPD doesn’t see Windows 8 actually driving touch adoption, despite the requirement by Microsoft for certification. That’s probably because of reportedly lackluster sales performance by Microsoft’s latest OS so far, but still the category will grow as OEMs look to invest more in hybrid devices, sliders and tablet-style form factors that could potentially resonate better with where consumers seem to be spending their computing dollars these days.

Despite the generally rosy outlook NPD DisplaySearch paints, the fact remains that now, Apple is the company that stands to gain the most from an upsurge in tablet popularity. It sold around 19.5 million iPads during Q2 2013, representing 65 percent year over year growth, and so far no one has been able to come close to that. Others are slowly making inroads, however, including Asus, which reported its Q1 2013 earnings today, including 3 million tablet sales that offset notebook and PC component losses to the tune of $202 million in profit.

Acer held a presser today in New York City and revealed some new devices coming to consumer shortly. The most interesting of them all is the Aspire R7, which is a convertible all-in-one laptop of sorts, but it’s quite different than what you’re probably used to, as the display can move around in all sorts of ways, thanks to Acer’s new “Ezel” hinge.

This laptop sports a 15-inch display that sits on a hinge that allows the screen to be pushed up or back, as well as folding in out and down so that it lies nearly flat with the rest of the computer. The 15-inch display sports a 1080p resolution with your choice of an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor to keep things running smoothly.

Of course, the display is touch-friendly, so no matter how you twist the display, you’ll be able to swipe and tap your way around the device. The whole thing will weigh in at about 5.5 pounds, which is pretty hefty for a laptop hybrid, but what you’re getting is essentially a mix between an all-in-one desktop and a laptop.

As for availability, the Aspire R7 will be out on May 17 only at Best Buy for $999, with pre-orders beginning today. As for further specs, we’re looking at 6GB of RAM, 500GB of hard drive storage (with a 24GB solid date drive), and a bevy of ports and sockets that most users will take advantage of.

Acer Aspire R7 notebook flips, twists, and folds on new “Ezel” hinge is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Makr’s sketchbooks aren’t the type of girl that goes to the pool just to catch some rays in a fancy bikini. They’re water-resistant, so a little splash won’t hurt them. And they look great too. More »

Toshiba is looking to step into the high-end market with the KIRAbook, and laptop that features a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 2560×1440 to take on the likes of Apple’s Retina MacBook Pro models. There will be three versions of the KIRAbook that will release next month, but details are a litte bit scarce at this point still.

First off, the KIRAbook doesn’t look too out of the ordinary. However, all three models will be rocking 8GB of RAM with a 256GB solid state drive. As for the processors, that’s where the three models differ. The highest-end KIRAbook will sport a dual-core Core i7-3537U ultra-low-voltage CPU clocked at 2 GHz, while the mid-tier model will have a dual-core Core i5-3337U clocked at 1.8 GHz.

Details of the processor on the lower-end model haven’t been revealed yet. As for the display, the KIRAbook will feature a 10-point touchscreen, while some models will just have a regular non-touchscreen display. The PPI on the screens clock in at 221, which is just short of the Retina MacBook Pro’s 227 PPI, as well as Google’s Chromebook Pixel, which has a 239 PPI display.

The KIRAbook will start at $1,599, and will go all the way up to $1,999 for the top-tier variant. Pre-orders will start on May 3, when we’ll most likely hear more info about the new laptop, as well as get a handful of photos to see what this puppy looks like. The KIRAbook will officially release on May 12 at places like Best Buy, Amazon, Microsoft, and of course, Toshiba.

Toshiba announces KIRAbook laptop with 13-inch 2560×1440 display is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Cash-strapped businesses and schools are getting some love from Dell today, thanks to its freshly unveiled Latitude 3330 laptop. Shipping with an entry-level price of $419, this modest machine packs an Intel Core i5 3337U processor, a 13.3-inch 1,366 x 768 display, 2GB of DDR3L RAM, a 720p HD webcam and a 128GB SSD. Sure, it may not be the most beastly configuration, but this hardware is definitely capable of handling your homework. In case an employer or local schoolhouse needs to find safe-keeping for a fleet of its rigs, Dell also revealed its new Mobile Computing Cart to take care of the job. This $1,900 transportable docking station supports remote management and can house multiple notebooks, including up to 30 Latitude 3330s at a time. Students on a ramen-noodle budget and fledgling entrepreneurs can expect both the computer and storage cabinet to land sometime at the end of the month.

Filed under: Laptops, Dell

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