Microsoft trumpets Windows RT OEM partners, lists ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung

Microsoft trumpets Windows RT OEM partners, lists ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung

Following sharp comments from Acer’s JT Wang surrounding Microsoft’s decision to compete with vital OEM partners in the tablet space, Mike Angiulo — the vice president of Microsoft’s Ecosystem and Planning team — has stepped to the plate with a resounding “thank you” to those very associates. Aside from praising those who will be helping to make Windows RT more than a passing fad, the company affirmed that ASUS, Dell, Samsung and Lenovo will all be shipping ARM-based products with the aforementioned operating system onboard. This pretty much confirms that the Yoga will indeed ship as a WinRT variant, and it also makes clear that Dell’s hard work for a spot in the lineup paid off. Exact model details aren’t being disclosed, nor are ship dates, but it’s becoming abundantly clear that Microsoft is working overtime behind the scenes to give its allies equal footing come October 26th.

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Microsoft trumpets Windows RT OEM partners, lists ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo’s Windows RT tablet will be ARM-based IdeaPad Yoga

Last week it was reported that Lenovo was working on a convertible tablet that would run Windows RT, Microsoft’s ARM-based version of Windows 8. The concept was the same as the IdeaPad Yoga first shown off at CES 2012, but instead of running full-blown Windows 8 and using Intel’s Core i5 chip, the tablet would be utilizing one of NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processors and running Windows RT. ABC News corroborates the report, saying that the tablet will carry the IdeaPad Yoga branding.

Lenovo’s plan is to release two versions of the convertible tablet, with the NVIDIA-based version to feature “double the battery life of the Intel version.” According to ABC News, the tablet should hit the market around the same time as the general Windows 8 release on October 26th. At a Lenovo event last Wednesday, the company dropped a hint that that it was working on a Windows RT product, but declined to give specifics.

The IdeaPad Yoga that was shown off earlier in the year was a convertible ultrabook featuring one of Intel’s ULV Core processors. The device functions as a normal laptop, but the screen can be folded backwards, transforming the notebook into a tablet, allowing users to interact with Windows 8 using the touchscreen. The Intel version is said to cost around £1,199 (~$1,880).

ASUS is also working on a similar product, having shown off the TAICHI at Computex back in June. Featuring an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, the TAICHI comes with dual 13.3-inch and 11.6-inch displays, both running a 1080p resolution. The 13.3-inch screen serves as a regular display when in notebook mode, while the 11.6-inch display serves as a touchscreen (complete with stylus support) when the laptop is closed.

[via The Verge]


Lenovo’s Windows RT tablet will be ARM-based IdeaPad Yoga is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops

Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops

Eurocom has carved out a strange but soft spot in our hearts for its desktop replacement-level laptops — the insistence on overkill hardware leaves even the vaguely ultraportable Monster packing the kind of power reserved for larger-screened (if also much thinner) counterparts. Nowhere is that too-much-is-never-enough attitude truer than in the just-launched, 17.3-inch Scorpius. While supporting up to 32GB of RAM isn’t unique anymore, the Scorpius can optionally carry two of NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 680M graphics chips with the full 4GB of video RAM per piece. That’s more graphics memory than the total system memory of some entire PCs, folks. Eurocom can optionally slot in two of AMD’s Radeon HD 7970M or step down to a single graphics core, and the usual bevy of processor and storage choices culminates in as much as a quad 2.9GHz Core i7 and four drives. The lowest price that will net a fully functioning Scorpius is $1,793, although we’ll admit that it’s very tempting to pick that dual 680M option and come out with a $2,857 bill — not to mention some serious bragging rights with the gamer crowd.

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Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 10, 2012

Welcome to Friday everyone. The weekend is here is last, and what better way to kick it off than with a giveaway? We’ve teamed up with NVIDIA to hand out three 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablets, so be sure to enter (but read the rules before you do!). Apple and Samsung’s ongoing patent trial gave us a glimpse at sales numbers for both companies today, and we also found out that Apple is looking for a whopping $2.45 billion from Samsung. Even though Google has remained publicly silent about this whole suit, it turns out that it has been providing support for Samsung behind the scenes during the trial.


Let’s talk about space for a moment: today we found out NASA’s plans for observing the weather on the surface of Mars, and Elon Musk seems to think that we’ll have humans on the red planet within 12 years. We also found out why the Curiosity can’t send back better pictures of Mars, so if that has been an annoyance for you, be sure to give that a read. Google has gone to war with piracy, and the FTC has told Facebook that it needs “express consent” before it shares any information on users which would normally be prohibited under its own privacy settings.

Many of you have heard by now that Blizzard’s battle.net servers fell victim to a security breach this week, and we detail what you can do to make sure that you stay protected. Today images of both the new iPhone’s battery and its reported mini dock connector surfaced, as did more Geekbench results for a computer that looks an awful lot like a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Samsung has detailed its new Exynos 5 Dual chipset for smartphones, and Acer expressed concerns over Microsoft making Surface too cheap while unleashing details about its own upcoming Aspire S7 Ultrabook. Speaking of Microsoft, it appears that the company is considering yet another replacement for the Windows 8 Metro branding it can no longer use.

After hearing that Samsung isn’t interested in acquiring RIM, we’re now being told that IBM might be considering a buyout. MIT has developed a new resilient robot that’s the size of an Earthworm (it’s been dubbed the “Meshworm”) and a few new details about the next iteration of Kinect were leaked today. Finally, Rovio has announced that a new pink-feathered fowl will be joining the roster of temperamental birds in the next Angry Birds Seasons update, so watch out for that.

That about does it for the SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up for this Friday, so now all that’s left for you to do is to go out and enjoy the weekend! Have a good one, folks!


SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 10, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


SlashGear’s Gigantic Tegra Hub Nexus 7 Giveaway!

It’s time again to head down to the Tegra hub and check out not just the massive amount of Tegra-powered content, but no less than three 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablets we want to give away to you! Over the next week both SlashGear and NVIDIA will be sending out three of these next-level tablets to you, the readers! All you’ve got to do is dive in to the Tegra hub and pick out your favorite Tegra-powered game, smartphone, or tablet!

The rules of this particular send-off of these three super-powered Google beasts are simple. We’ve got a Tegra hub, and we want you to check it out. We’ve also got three Google Nexus 7 tablets (see our full review of the Nexus 7 here) that we and NVIDIA want you to have. See what we’re getting at? ALSO NOTE: Android Community has a similar giveaway going on with three more tablets connected to their forums – you can only win once between our two sites, but that’s double the chances of winning anyway!

All you’ve got to do is follow these simple rules:

1. Visit our [NVIDIA Tegra hub] and check out the Phone Reviews, Tablet Reviews, and Games on Tegra Zone.

2. Pick your favorite NVIDIA-powered Phone, Tablet, or Game and post it in [this Facebook thread] along with a link to the SlashGear post and your reason for choosing it!

3. Cross your fingers and hope that we’ll love your entry the most!

This giveaway starts on Friday, August 10th, 2012 and runs until Friday, August 17th at midnight. We’ll pick a collection of our favorite entries and from that set we’ll choose three winners at random – we’ll announce the winners on Monday, August 20th on Facebook and right here in this original giveaway post!

Competition is open to residents of the US only, over the age of 18. One entry per person. Family members of NVIDIA, ASUS, Google, and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear Facebook page; entries left in the comments section of this or any other post will not be recognized.

The winners will be contacted by an Android Community/SlashGear staff member upon being selected and will be expected to respond to that staff member; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners agree that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to Android Community, SlashGear, and NVIDIA.

Prize packs consist of a pack including one Google Nexus 7 tablet, and that’s it! There are no other alternative for prize winners unless this prizes become unavailable, in which case SlashGear reserves the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value.

Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by NVIDIA. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to giveaway [AT] slashgear.com.


SlashGear’s Gigantic Tegra Hub Nexus 7 Giveaway! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue

NVIDIA logo

NVIDIA’s fiscal performance in its second quarter shows the rewards of patience in the mobile sphere. It just saw its profit double versus a glum first quarter to $119 million, even though the company only slightly edged ahead in revenue to $1.04 billion. In explaining the success, the company is quick to point to a confluence of events that all worked in favor of its bank account: a slew of Tegra 3 phones and tablets like the Transformer Pad TF300 made NVIDIA’s quarter the brightest, but it could also point to a much-expanded GeForce 600 line on the PC side and the shipments of the first phones with NVIDIA-badged Icera chips. The graphics guru expects its revenue to climb more sharply in the heat of the third quarter as well — between the cult hit Nexus 7 tablet and a role as a major partner for Windows RT, NVIDIA has at least a temporary license to print money.

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NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transformer Pad TF300TL LTE tablet revealed with Tegra 3

It appears that the quad-core ASUS Transformer Pad TF300TL tablet will be hitting Germany and Austria later this month, complete with support for 4G LTE. German site TechFokus reports that a press release gives the TF300TL a middle of August release for both countries, so it won’t be much longer before it launches in at least some parts of the world. At the moment, it’s still unknown when it will arrive in the United States, or any other countries for that matter.


The TF300TL is expected to cost around €629 ($772) if you want the optional keyboard dock, and €529 ($649) if you don’t. ASUS has been building this up as the first quad-core 4G LTE tablet, and it comes complete with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. You’re packing some power under the hood, and you’ve got 4G LTE to boot. What more could you want?

According the ASUS announcement, the tablet also comes with 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1-inch display capable of 1280 x 800, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich installed. The TF300TL will come in the same colors as the currently-available Wi-Fi only version (red, white, and blue), and German carrier O2 will be offering a special white tablet. It all sounds great, but as stated above, we’re still waiting for ASUS to announce it for other countries.

If this this tablet is indeed landing in Germany and Austria later this month, then it may not be long before ASUS starts talking about launch in additional countries. That, of course, depends on how quickly the company wants to release the tablet worldwide, but we’re hoping for a speedy announcement. Stay tuned, as we’ll update you if ASUS makes any announcements for the availability of the TF300TL in other countries.

[via The Verge]


Transformer Pad TF300TL LTE tablet revealed with Tegra 3 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


OUYA’s Kickstarter funding is complete: over $8.59 million raised, starts shipping in March

It’s a wrap! Suffice it to say, it’s a been a relatively short, yet astoundingly fruitful — and initially record-breaking — funding run for OUYA, the hackable, Android-based gaming console. With just 29 days to work with since being announced, the Yves Behar-designed system has raked in over $8.58 million thanks to just under 63,300 backers on Kickstarter as of its official 1AM ET funding deadline today (You’ll find the final tally below).

Those who opted for developer editions will be able to start tinkering with their own units around December, while the majority of backers should receive the console as early as March 2013. Missed the Kickstarter bandwagon? Don’t fret, because OUYA plans to take pre-orders from the general public over the web soon, expecting those units to arrive at doorsteps near April.

The numbers are only part of the picture, of course. If you’ll recall, OUYA swiftly acquired a slew of partnerships from companies like OnLive, Square Enix, XBMC, Vevo, and Robotoki — and as if that wasn’t enough, just yesterday Namco Bandai and Plex officially joined the content-providing party as well. What’s more, we now know that each console will support up to four of those touchpad-equipped controllers for local multiplayer action. Even with all that, this story is far from over, as Joystiq points out that Julie Uhrman and company “promise” to have more updates before its official launch. Naturally, it still remains to be seen how OUYA’s (literally) tiny, Tegra 3-powered footprint will fare against the big three in gaming, but we’re cautiously optimistic.

So, while the final, mass-produced product is still months away, in the meantime you’ll find a recap of all the highlights from OUYA in the nifty saga module below. You can also hit up our friends at Joystiq here for extra insight from the company about its successes so far.

Update (1:15AM): Despite the timer hitting zero, it appears that pledges are still being accepted past the 1AM deadline — better be quick! We’ll be sure to update the numbers again as soon pledging is officially halted.

Update 2 (7:30AM): It took a bit of time, but OUYA’s Kickstarter is officially not accepting any more pledges. The final numbers? 63,416 backers helped to raise a final sum of $8,596,475.

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OUYA’s Kickstarter funding is complete: over $8.59 million raised, starts shipping in March originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets

Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re leaning back with our tablets — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of August we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — you can hit up the hub page right here!

DNP Engadget's back to school guide 2012 tablets

Your back may be straining from the textbooks, laptop, gym gear and lunch in that dangling overstuffed messenger, but you’re still gonna want to save room for one more item — a tablet. After all, while you can surf, tweet, play games and watch video from your other devices, there’s nothing like doing it from a simple glass window that sits in the palm of your hand. As the hardware gets more powerful, these devices are rapidly becoming versatile enough to let you justify leaving the laptop at home on less-intensive days, so why not check out our picks of the finest devices you should be using and abusing before, during and after class.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets

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Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA announces second generation Maximus, now with Kepler power

NVIDIA announces second generation Maximus now with more Kepler

It’s been almost exactly a year since we first heard about NVIDIA’s Maximus technology, and today the firm’s just announced an update. The second generation of the platform is now supported by Kepler-based GPUs. This time around computational tasks get ferried off to the SMX-streaming K20 GPU ($3,199 MSRP,) leaving the 3,840 x 2,160 resolution-supporting Quadro K5000 GPU ($2,249) to tackle the graphical functions. Want to know when you can get your hands on the goods? Well, NVIDIA says starting December, with the Quadro K5000 available as a standalone in October. Head down to the PR for the full spin and forthcoming workstation / OEM details.

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NVIDIA announces second generation Maximus, now with Kepler power originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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