Hasta La Gadget!

Yesterday, we heard yet another rumor that Microsoft is working on a sub-10-inch tablet, something we heard before that back in April. The rumor yesterday said that Microsoft would be rolling out a 7.5-inch tablet early next year, but it looks like we might not have to wait that long to see a small-display Windows 8 device hit shelves, with Amazon showing the first ever Windows 8-wielding tablet with a display size under 10-inches.

The Acer W3-810-1600 is an 8.1-inch tablet with a resolution the same as the Nexus 7 – 1,280 x 800 – running Windows 8. According to the specs list, inside users will find a 1.5GHz A4 processor and 2GB of RAM, as well as 32GB of internal storage space. Graphics come by way of Intel GMA, and the battery has a 3500mAh capacity with a reported charge life of 8 hours.

The only connectivity feature listed is 802.11b/g/n – no mention of Bluetooth. There’s a rear webcam with a decent 2-megapixels, and the entire unit measures in at 8.62 x 5.31 x 0.45-inches with a weight of 1.1-pounds. The color for the device is silver – it is possible there could be other color options, but only time will tell.

And finally, there’s the price: $379.99. While it isn’t the cheapest tablet out there, the price tag is nothing unusual for a slate, and it is important to remember that it runs full-blown Windows 8, not the less-than-consumer-embraced Windows RT. There’s nothing else to speak of on the device for now, but if the rumors prove true, we should start hearing about the slate – or others like it – by this fall.

[via PC Magazine]

Acer Windows 8 tablet with 8-inch display appears on Amazon is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Acer teased a “unique noteook” in a Star Trek trailer a few weeks ago, and earlier this morning, the company held a press event in New York City to unveil what they consider to be a unique notebook. We believed what Acer could be unveiling today could be a laptop / tablet hybrid, such as the HP Envy X2 or similar devices, and it looks as though that’s exactly what they had prepared to unveil today, but they had a bit more to show than just a simple laptop / tablet hybrid machine.

One of the first products Acer showed off this morning was the Acer Aspire R7, which is a Windows 8 notebook that features a 15.6-inch screen which is mounted on an ezel hinge that allows the user to adjust the screen to whatever angle is most comfortable for them. The screen is also flippable, which makes it possible for you to share the R7’s screen with someone sitting across from you, or even lay the screen flat in order to collaborate with someone else.  Acer has re-imagined the layout of its R7’s keyboard / trackpad by moving the keyboard forward and having the trackpad closer to the screen. The Acer Aspire R7 is expected to be released on May 14 exclusively at Best Buy.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Acer Might Make Windows 8.1 RT Tablet, Shuns Current RT Version, New Surface Tablet With 7.5-Inch Display Will Allegedly Sell For $399,

And the news just keeps on coming. Acer just made yet a third product announcement here at its New York City press event. That would be the Acer Iconia A1 tablet, the same Android tablet leaked by a French retailer a few weeks back. Well, it’s official now, and it’s going on sale in the US later this month for $169. Spec-wise, it measures 11.1mm thick, runs a 1.2GHz quad-core processor from MediaTek, and is topped off by a 7.9-inch IPS display with 1,024 x 768 resolution (hey, what’d you expect on a budget tablet?). It also has 8 or 16GB of internal storage, as well as built-in 3G, similar to the comparably priced FonePad from ASUS. As for software customizations, you’ll find Acer’s WakeApp feature which lets you launch into a designated app when you wake the tablet from sleep.

In our brief hands-on, the device felt like you’d expect a $169 tablet to feel: it’s made of plastic, and lacks any sort of visual flare, but the back cover at least feels durable, and doesn’t seem to pick up many fingerprints (especially in white). The display, too, might be the best part about the device, its low pixel count be damned: the viewing angles are wide enough that you can read the screen with the tablet lying face-up on a table. That’s all for now, but we’ve got some hands-on shots below.

Update: We’ve amended the post with full (and correct!) specs.

Update #2: Acer’s confirmed the 16GB version of the tablet should sell for about $199 in the US. It’s expected to ht shelves by the end of the month.

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

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Skype has been on a roll recently. They are making a lot of improvements to the service in order to make it easier for users to connect with people that they need to. Just last week, Skype was integrated with Outlook.com, allowing users to make calls directly from their email inbox. This integration with Outlook.com is due to the fact that Microsoft now owns Skype. Recently the video messaging feature was added to Skype’s desktop application for Windows, today an update brings the same feature to the Skype app for Windows 8. The Windows desktop version which brought this feature to PCs running Windows 7 or higher is actually the latest beta build of Skype, whereas the Windows 8 app is the consumer build.

The service has been testing this particular feature on a number of platforms such as iOS and Android, and is now available in preview form for them. Its very easy to send a video message through the app. Simply click on the + located under a contact’s picture and there’ll be an option to send them a video message. Once it is recorded and sent, it will be visible in that contact’s chat feed. The update app can now be downloaded from Windows Store.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 Rolls Out, Skydog Gives You Complete Overview Of Your Home Network,

This week the folks at Microsoft have been tipped to be wrapping up production of a second-generation Surface tablet for Windows 8, readying the device for a reveal at this year’s BUILD developer conference. A release of a second-generation Surface tablet will be done “cautiously” according to sources speaking this week, with the original run of the tablet having sold less than expected in its initial push. Both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro may be getting a full refresh this year.

Word from upstream supply chain sources speaking with Digitimes have suggested that BUILD will be the place where a new generation of Surface tablets will likely appear first. They’ve added that the first generation, having sold what they claim is 1.5 million units total for the first two releases of the tablet (RT and Pro). This being half of the expectations the company had, a “cautious attitude over promotions” has been initiated for the 2nd generation.

This second generation has a series of components largely the same as the first run, with what these same sources say are parts from LG, Samsung, NVIDIA, Intel, and Pegatron. Changes would be in the chassis of the tablet switching from what was manufactured by China-based Chungnam Precision Casing to Ju Teng. At the moment there’ve been no confirmations from any of the named manufacturers on a second-generation Surface model.

The final bit of information this source spoke about this week was the idea that this generation of the Surface tablet would feature between a 7 and 9-inch display, this matching up well with the trend for larger and smaller than 10.1-inch tablet standard sizes in the industry.

Microsoft Surface 2 tipped as cautious BUILD release is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.