Hasta La Gadget!

Most would agree that motherboards aren’t particularly exciting components, so it’s good to have a hook to stand out. ASUS’ new Z87 mobo series for Intel’s Haswell chips may not be waterproof, but the Deluxe / Dual model has plenty to offer nonetheless, including two Thunderbolt ports, on-board 802.11ac WiFi support, ASUS’ “4-Way Optimization” tech and more. What really got our eyebrows lifting at this specific board, however, was the new NFC Express accessory that comes bundled with it (you’ll also be able to purchase one separately). It’s not just your standard USB-connected NFC reader and writer, as it has features like automatic photo and video syncing with mobile devices, one-touch Windows 8 login, and quick-launch options for loading software or sites with a tap. An NFC tag is included, but you’ll need an equipped smartphone for some of the functions, like quick-pairing in ASUS’ Wi-Fi GO! utility for remote desktopping. If you’re not a big NFC user (and let’s be honest, who is?), then at least the little box’s got two USB 3.0 ports, meaning you’re still getting a free, if not overqualified USB hub.

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, Wireless, ASUS

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Via: Fareastgizmos

Source: ASUS (1), (2)

Some of ASUS’ big Computex 2013 launches today involved the latest 802.11ac WiFi flavor, and since you’ll need to feed them with a router packing the same tech, ASUS has also announced one of those: the RT-AC68U. The company claims it’s the first dual-band 802.11ac router with AC1900 data rates up to 1900 Mbit/s, thanks to AiRadar beamforming, which helps bring a stronger connection and 150 percent better range, too (if accurate). You’ll also be able to share files between ASUS routers with USB-attached drives thanks to a router-to-router sync mode, negating the need for a switched-on PC or other device. There’s no word on pricing or availability, but the previous RT-AC66U flagship ran about $200 or so — so we’d be surprised if it came in under that figure.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless, ASUS

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When Wacom teased a tablet-sized offering a few months back, our curiosity was immediately piqued. However, the next reveal from the pen-wielding-peripheral company was the Cintiq 13HD: a product more in line with the outfit’s existing offerings bearing the same moniker. We guess we’ll just have to keep waiting patiently for that truly mobile input device. At any rate, the 13-inch pen display sports the tablet form factor, but remains a dedicated tethered peripheral for artists, designers and photographers. While the device still offers the capable, user-configurable ExpressKeys and mighty Cintiq pen, are the omission of touch gestures and the need to remain wired to your desktop or laptop dealbreakers? Read on to see what we discovered.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Currently up for $50,000 in funding on Kickstarter, the Wheelharp delivers the sounds of a chamber string orchestra via a keyboard and a full chromatic set of real strings. Oh, and it’s pretty much the most striking instrument we’ve ever seen. Developed by Los Angeles-based Antiquity Music, the device reacts to a user’s press of the keys by moving a corresponding string to a rotating wheel with an edge that bows the string. The instrument gives the player plenty of controls; the right pedal controls wheel speed, while the left mans the strings’ damper system.

Though an early version was demoed at NAMM this year, the Wheelharp is currently in R&D mode, and Antiquity plans to put much of the Kickstarter money toward researching the optimal string selection. Hit up the source link to hear the instrument in action. Just don’t get too excited; the instrument will retail for a cool $12,500 — or a slightly more palatable $10,000 through the crowdfunding site.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Alt

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Via: Laughing Squid

Source: The Wheelharp (Kickstarter)

We’ve already seen a couple of new desktop GTX cards from NVIDIA this month, and if the mysterious spec sheet for MSI’s GT70 Dragon Edition 2 laptop wasn’t enough of a hint, the company’s got some notebook variants to let loose, too. The GeForce GTX 700M series, officially announced today, is a quartet of chips built on the Kepler architecture. At the top of the stack is the GTX 780M, which NVIDIA claims is the “world’s fastest notebook GPU,” taking the title from AMD’s Radeon HD 8970M. For fans of the hard numbers, the 780M has 1,536 CUDA cores, an 823MHz base clock speed and memory configs of up to 4GB of 256-bit GDDR5 — in other words, not a world apart from a desktop card. Whereas the 780M’s clear focus is performance, trade-offs for portability and affordability are made as you go down through the 770M, 765M and 760M. Nevertheless, the 760M is said to be 30 percent faster than its predecessor, and the 770M 55 percent faster.

All of the chips feature NVIDIA’s GPU Boost 2.0 and Optimus technologies, and work with the GeForce Experience game auto-settings utility. The 700M series should start showing up in a host of laptops soon, and a bunch of OEMs have already pledged their allegiance. Check out a video with NVIDIA’s Mark Avermann after the break, where he shows off a range of laptops packing 700M GPUs, and helps us answer the most important question of all: can it run Crysis? (Or, in this case, Crysis 3.)

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, Peripherals, NVIDIA

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