Hasta La Gadget!

If you thought laptop / tablet mashups were trendy, we can think of at least one other theme you’re going to see repeated ad nauseam over the coming months: PC makers putting touchscreens on things that didn’t used to have them. That’s right, in addition to all those funky-looking hybrids, you’re going to see lots of familiar-looking laptops get upgraded with touch in time for the Windows 8 launch. Exhibit A: HP, which just announced two conventional notebooks with touch. This includes a finger-friendly version of the 14-inch Envy 4 Ultrabook, as well as the Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook, a 15-inch version of the Spectre XT announced earlier this year. Both will be available during the holiday season. That’s the short version, but if you follow past the break, we’ve got a lot to talk about in the way of specs. Join us, will you?

Continue reading HP announces 15-inch Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook, Envy 4 Ultrabook with touch

Filed under: Laptops

HP announces 15-inch Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook, Envy 4 Ultrabook with touch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Computex was a coming out party for Windows 8 Ultrabooks, Toshiba was one of the wallflowers: though the company teased some concept devices, it only let journalists photograph them from certain angles, and with their screens turned off. Now, though, we’re closing the summer with yet another tradeshow, and Toshiba is using the occasion to demo its wares in more detail. The company just announced the Satellite U925t, that Windows 8 slider we showed you earlier in the summer. No word on price, except that it’s expected to be “slightly north” of the Satellite U845W, which starts at $1,000. We do know that it will ship on October 26th, the day Win 8 formally launches.

In the meantime, Toshiba hasn’t left any specs to the imagination. What we have here is a 12.5-inch Ultrabook with a slide-out, Gorilla Glass touchscreen. Pushing the screen up reveals a built-in keyboard, and we were pleasantly surprised in our hands-on to find that it’s actually quite spacious. (With this form factor, the propped up display usually cuts into the usable keyboard space.) The keys are also backlit, and have the same feel as what you’ll find on Toshiba’s U845 and U845W Ultrabooks. That is to say they’re shallow, and very, very quiet. The whole package weighs “just over three pounds” and measures about 0.8 inches thick, making it easy enough to stuff in a carry-on.

When you push up the display you’ll also find another surprise: an autofocusing 3-megapixel camera on the back side. For good measure, there’s also a lower-res shooter up front. On the inside, it packs a Core i5 processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics and a 128GB SSD. Like many other Ultrabooks, it also has Intel’s Wireless Display tech on board, though you’ll of course have to buy the requisite set-top box separately. Taking a tour around the device, you’ll find a mix of tablet- and laptop-style trappings: two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, vents, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a volume rocker and a button for turning off screen auto-rotation.

Software-wise, Toshiba is bundling Desktop Assist, a utility designed to give Windows 8 newbies quick access to files, programs and the like. You’ll also see Live Tiles for things like Toshiba Central (a support hub), Book Place and Toshiba App Place. That’s all she wrote for now, but expect us to follow up closer to October 26th with a more specific price. Until then, we’ve got hands-on photos below, along with a short walk-through video.

Continue reading Toshiba unveils U925t Ultrabook with slide-out touchscreen, keeps the price a secret for now

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Toshiba unveils U925t Ultrabook with slide-out touchscreen, keeps the price a secret for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s most recent Ultrabook offerings have something of a split personality. On the one hand, there’s the Satellite U845W, a high-end machine with solid quality and a funky, 21:9 display. Announced alongside it, though, was the Satellite U845, a more modest sort of machine for folks who can’t afford to spend $1,000 on their next laptop. Starting at $750, it offers all the specs you’d expect from a mid-range laptop: Ivy Bridge, Intel Wireless Display and a backlit keyboard. And, given that it’s a slightly larger Ultrabook, it also makes room for key ports like HDMI and an Ethernet jack. But the U845 is hardly the only 14-inch thin-and-light on the block, and it’s definitely not the only sub-$800 system aimed at the back-to-school crowd. Read on to see if there’s enough pizazz here to make this a memorable machine.

Continue reading Toshiba Satellite U845 review: an inexpensive Ultrabook worth considering

Filed under: Laptops

Toshiba Satellite U845 review: an inexpensive Ultrabook worth considering originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We often assume that Ultrabooks scarcely have any room to budge on the inside, and that’s usually true. An iFixit teardown of ASUS’ Zenbook Prime has proven that there’s always an exception to the rule. Looking at a UX32VD with the same base layout as the UX31 we reviewed, the repair outlet finds that the upgraded Zenbook has both embedded and removable RAM: provided owners are still willing to perform some surgery, they can upgrade past the 4GB of included memory on their own terms. The repair team is a bit dismayed that there’s a 5,400RPM hard drive spinning near the mini SSD — how very 2011 — but notes that it’s equally swappable by those who want something faster. Whatever you think of the fully pieced-together ASUS PC, it’s apparent there’s a reward for those willing to take it apart.

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Zenbook Prime faces teardown, affords a little expansion in an even smaller space originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS made a grand entrance into the Ultrabook race with the Zenbook Prime UX31E, which brought a sleek design and lovely, high-res screen. That machine was one of our favorites in what was still a budding category, though we took issue with the shallow keyboard and uncomfortable touchpad. The company recently started shipping its new Zenbook Prime series, including the 11-inch UX21A we checked out a few months ago. But there’s also a follow-up to the 13-inch UX31E on the market: the ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A. This laptop offers a retooled keyboard, Ivy Bridge chips and a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, starting at $1,069. So how does the new 13-inch Zenbook stack up in a crowded field of high-end ultraportables? Join us past the break for the full report.

Continue reading ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Ultrabook review: a high-res display, and a much-improved keyboard

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Ultrabook review: a high-res display, and a much-improved keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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