Hasta La Gadget!

Google Chromebooks are aplenty at the moment, with Acer, Samsung, Lenovo, and HP all offering Chromebooks at different shapes and sizes. However, it looks like Google may take matters into their own hands, because a video has leaked today that features a touchscreen Chromebook laptop that has a Retina-quality 2560×1700 resolution.

The video was originally uploaded to YouTube, but has since been taken down, and the company responsible for uploading the video, SlinkyMe, says that the video made its way to YouTube after its servers were compromised by hackers. Of course, we don’t know if that was actually the case, since it’s also possible that the video was just accidentally set to “public.”

The Google-designed Chromebook is supposedly called the Pixel, most likely named after the high-resolution display. It’s not said whether the device is both designed and manufactured by Google, or if they’re partnering with a manufacturer to put it together for them, similar to how the Nexus series of mobile devices operates.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that a Google-designed Chromebook has been made. The company released the CR-48 Chromebook, which only made its way to a handful of people and actually never went on sale. Of course, just like with the CR-48, the Pixel looks to be simply designed and takes a few queues from the MacBook, including the aluminum shell and the chiclet keyboard. We’ll be on standby if more details emerge of the Google Pixel.

[via Liliputing]

Google-designed Chromebook Pixel leaks, features Retina-quality touchscreen is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

ASUS‘s VivoBook line has been available for some time now, offering 11.6-inch and 14-inch models, but the company is now offering a middle-of-the-line 13.3-inch VivoBook for consumers looking for a compromise. The VivoBook S300 weighs in at just under four pounds and measures just 0.8 inches thick. Essentially, it has what you’d expect out of a thin-and-light notebook, but without the super-high price tag.

The VivoBook S300 will be available with both premium and budget options, including a Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, as well as Celeron or Pentium chips. However, the S300 will pack in a traditional hard drive rather than a more-modern solid state drive. However, you will be treated with a 44Whr battery, a VGA port, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, and HDMI.

In total, there will be six processor options to choose from, ranging from the Celeron 847 ULV to the most-expensive Core i7-3517U. The four other chips consist of a Pentium, two Core i3 CPUs, and a Core i5. All models will also feature 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, an SD card reader, 2GB to 4GB of graphics, and either a 320GB or 500GB hard drive. The 13.3-inch display will carry a resolution of 1366×768.

Sadly, no pricing or availability details were announced yet, but seeing how you can grab the 11.6-inch model for $499, and the 14-inch model for $699, we’d expect the price range for the 13.3-inch variant to be in the $600 range on average. If you’re looking for a mid-range laptop, the S300 might be the one for you.

[via MobileGeeks]

ASUS VivoBook S300 13-inch notebook quietly unveiled is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple was responsible for an impressive 84 percent of total mobile PC shipments in Q2 2012, owing primarily to the success of its iPad line, according to a new report from supply chain analysis firm NPD DisplaySearch. LG Display reaped the benefit of that market domination, leading the industry in mobile PC panel shipments in 2012 thanks to its supplier relationship with Apple.

The success of Apple’s mobile PC shipments relative to the rest of the market, as measured by OEM shipments to customers, is likely accounted for by the ramp-up of iPad 3 and iPad 2 production. The iPad 3, or new iPad, was just hitting its stride in terms of reaching production levels to keep up with demand following its introduction in Q1 of 2012, and the iPad 2 was enjoying a boost owing to its reduction in price. We’ve seen recently that the iPad 2 remains a very popular option with consumers, and likely made up a significant portion of Apple’s iPad sales in 2012, though the company doesn’t break out sales by individual device models when reporting its quarterly earnings.

NPD says that in 2013, other manufacturers competing with Apple will be looking to build stronger supply chain relationships with touch-capable notebooks (most likely based on Windows 8), and ultra-slim PCs, and that those competitors are working hard on locking down sufficient mobile display volumes from supplier partners. On the supplier side, Samsung specifically is said to be looking into reducing its share of Apple’s display manufacturing and focusing on adding other customers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble to the mix to diversify its efforts, according to NPD DisplaySearch analyst Jeff Lin, which could be related to growing tensions between the two companies.

Through the end of 2012, NPD predicts that year over year growth for notebook PCs will only be at around 2 percent, with a 28 percent drop for the mini-notebook category. But tablet growth is expected to be up around 75 percent year over year. NPD also predicts a 16 percent year over year uptick in notebook PC shipments for 2013 on average, with tablet PCs retaining strong growth, though perhaps at a less impressive rate than they experienced in 2013. Apple will likely still remain a key component of that growth, but we’ll have to see whether diversified offerings by other OEMs, including Asus, which makes the Nexus 7 line of tablets for Google, has any effect on ultimate shipment volume.

Google issued an update this week for the developer edition of Chrome OS, which adds extended display support via HDMI or VGA. Chromebooks packing A15 and Intel Celeron processors are said to fit the bill, while older machines such as the Cr-48 may experience a few hangups. The Dev Channel update also brings a newer version of Flash and Intelligent Window positioning, which automatically organizes your content displayed. If you’d like to go hands-on with these new features before they make their official debut, you’ll need to switch your Chromebook over to the Developer Channel. This can be done by toggling: Menu, Settings, Help, More Info and then selecting the Dev Channel option. However, if patience is your strong suit and you prefer to wait for a certified stable release, at least you now know what lies ahead.

Filed under: Laptops, Software, Google

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Via: Liliputing

Source: Google

We hope you didn’t want Apple’s little event next week to be a complete surprise. After promises of extra details for a prior leak, a WeiPhone forum goer has returned with photos of what’s supposed to be the active screen and ports of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that might be on stage come October 23rd. If this is what we get alongside the similarly unofficial miniature iPad, we’ll take it. The possible leak shows a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (four times higher in resolution than the existing MacBook Pro) and, importantly, no sacrifices in expansion versus the 15-inch Retina model — there’s still the dual Thunderbolt ports and HDMI video that shipped with this system’s bigger brother. Vital details like the performance and price are left out, so there’s a few cards left off Apple’s table, but the images hint at what could be a tempting balance between the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s grunt and the MacBook Air’s grace.

Filed under: Laptops, Apple

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display reportedly seen with 2,560 x 1,600 LCD, dual Thunderbolt ports originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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