Mar 06
The Wall Street Journal is claiming that Microsoft has started offering discounts to OEMs for Windows 8 and Office 2013, in a bid to drive sales of small, touch-enabled laptops. More »
Mar 05
Surface Pro Clone Caught At CeBIT
Posted in: Today's Chili
[CeBIT 2013] The Microsoft Surface Pro has been available for nearly a month in the U.S. and has steadily been making itself available again through Microsoft’s brick & mortar and online stores. Microsoft announced today the Surface Pro is heading to Germany during this year’s CeBIT, but it looks like clones of the company’s popular tablet has made its way to the show.
The Surface Pro clone looks an awful lot like the official tablet as it sports a 13.3-inch screen although it’s internals are quite different as the clone runs on either a Core i3 or i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and options for a 32 or 64GB SSD. The Surface Pro clone also has a 5MP rear-facing camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, a SIM card slot, SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports and a mini HDMI port.
The manufacturers of the Surface Pro clone are HKC from Shenzhen who are an OEM, although it seems this “original” equipment might not be so original after all.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android 4.x Finally Overtakes Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Future Ferrari Models Could See iPads Integrated Into Them,
Mar 05
Windows 8‘s finger-focus has spawned some interesting form-factors, and following in the footsteps of Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga comes the Panasonic Toughbook CF-AX2, a rugged twist on the 360-degree hinge concept we’ve been playing with here at CeBIT 2013. A compact 11.6-incher with a 1366 x 768 10-finger multitouch display, the CF-AX2 runs Intel’s latest Core i5 processor for lengthy runtimes – Panasonic claims up to eight hours on a single charge – and, thanks to some hot-swappable battery magic, allows you to switch out for a new power pack without shutting down.
That’s because there’s a smaller, internal battery inside the Toughbook’s compact footprint, which tides the CF-AX2 over while you drop out the first pack and slot in a second one. It’s a factor that will make the Toughbook particularly appealing to Panasonic’s target audience: mobile professionals who’ll also appreciate the drop and bump resilience.
Inside, there’s a Core i5 3427U processor and Intel HD 4000 graphics, and Panasonic has managed to accommodate no small number of ports despite the size. You get VGA, HDMI, two USB 3.0, ethernet, audio in/out, and an SD card reader, as well as the usual WiFi and Bluetooth (with a discrete switch to turn the wireless off).
The touchscreen is bright and responsive, and has a welcome matte finish for anti-glare purposes. It was certainly capable of holding up to the CeBIT show floor lights, which bodes well for outdoor use. Next to the webcam is a physical Windows button for use when you fold the CF-AX2 back into tablet mode (though it’s worth noting that it leaves the keyboard and trackpad exposed on the opposite side, the same issue as with the Yoga. The chassis is also somewhat plasticky, at odds with the ruggedized finish.
Panasonic is already offering the Toughbook CF-AX2 in Japan, with European sales kicking off this quarter.
Panasonic Toughbook CF-AX2 hands-on: Extreme Yoga is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Mar 04
Microsoft’s Surface RT is getting a welcome boost in visibility, in the UK at least, as heavyweight retailers PC World and Currys add the Windows tablet to their line-up. The slate will be sold online and via both retailers’ click-and-collect service; however, there’s no sign that either store will actually stock the Surface RT on-site unless its been previously ordered through the web.
That’s a blow to Microsoft, seeing as it means those would-be tableteers simply browsing the shelves at PC World or Currys are unlikely to actually see the Surface RT and add it to their list of contenders. Both retailers stock the iPad and iPad mini in-store, for instance, giving Apple’s tablet an instant boost in impulse-purchase appeal.
Still, given retailers and manufacturers alike were concerned that there would be no interest whatsoever in Surface when Microsoft first announced its intentions to enter the tablet hardware business, even getting PC World and Currys onboard is arguably a success. Microsoft is still yet to announce any official sales figures; the Surface RT showed up in the UK first in John Lewis stores.
Meanwhile, there’s no sign of the Surface Pro – which runs the full version of Windows 8 – showing up at the two new stores. Released last month, the Surface Pro comes with a special digital stylus for handwriting recognition, sketching, and more, though is significantly more expensive than its RT-based sibling.
Currys and PC World will be selling the Surface RT from £399.99 for the 32GB tablet-only, while adding in the Touch Cover takes that to £479.99.
Microsoft expands Surface RT sales as UK big-box retailers wade in is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Mar 01
When it comes to gesture based typing we often think of Android. Some of the apps for Android include Swype, TouchPal and now the default keyboard in Android 4.2. But on that note, it looks like TouchPal has recently released an app for another platform — Windows 8. The one catch, the keyboard is not yet available from the Windows Store.
You can however download TouchPal for Windows 8 directly from the TouchPal website.The keyboard is available for free and brings features including the ability to switch back and forth between swiping and typing. There is also something that you don’t get with the default keyboard — the ability to split the keyboard in two. You can get an idea of this in the video below, however it is just how it sounds with the keyboard splitting between the G and the H keys.
Those familiar with gesture based typing already have an understanding as to how this works. For those new to this concept, you basically just tap the first letter in the word and then without lifting your finger you just swipe through the remaining letters. This makes typing on a touchscreen a bit easier and in some cases a bit quicker. Plus, you can also worry a bit less about mistyping and misspellings as the app has predictions. We have not tested enough to back this up, however TouchPal is touted as being able to save about 60 percent of keystrokes.
All that said, there does appear to be some issues with the installation process at the moment. Reports coming from the xda-developers user forums note that the installer appears to be in Chinese. The good news is that if you click your way through the installation process, you will be able to adjust and set the default language back to English. Those interested can download the keyboard directly from the TouchPal website.
[via Liliputing]
TouchPal keyboard for Windows 8 brings gesture typing is written by Robert Nelson & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Feb 27
HP will focus on the tablet market
Posted in: Today's ChiliHP is planning on shifting its attention from the PC industry to the tablet industry. It has already started on this transition by announcing its new HP Slate 7 tablet, a $169 budget tablet that will definitely catch the eyes of consumers, and also make it a decent competitor to Amazon’s line of 7-inch Kindle tablets. While it is $10 more than the cheapest 7-inch Kindle Fire, it does have the benefit of running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
HP’s CEO, Meg Whitman, stated at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, that, “We’re shifting resources from PCs to tablets. The market moved very fast to tablets and smartphones, and we’ve got to now manage that transition.” HP did try to get into the tablet market with its HP Touchpad, but unfortunately the tablet did not achieve the success that HP wanted. Its original price tag of $499 and $599 deterred many users from buying the tablet and sent them straight to the similarly priced Android tablets and iPads. Thus began the $99 HP Touchpad firesale that benefited a lot of people (myself included).
Seeing how many people wanted affordable tablets, and how many HP Touchpad owners quickly installed CyanogenMod’s ROM as soon as it was available, HP most likely figured out that their next move should be an affordable, Android tablet. HP’s main focus isn’t just budget tablets however, they do plan on releasing high-end Android tablets, and even Windows 8 tablets in the future.
HP may have a good chance at making a comeback with tablets. Not only just with its budget HP Slate 7, but also with its possible high-end tablets. If they do make a Windows 8 tablet, or an Android tablet with a NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, they have a shot at being a major competitor in the tablet market. That is, if they’re able to competitively price their tablets this time around. Are you excited to see what tablets HP will have to offer?
[via CNET]
HP will focus on the tablet market is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Feb 21
Back in June, we got our hands on Asus’s Transformer Book, a laptop/tablet hybrid running Windows 8. Today, some retailers have opened the 13.3-inch version up to pre-orders, with users being able to grab it for $1,480. Says one retailer, the device will be in stock and begin shipping in the middle of next month.
Officially the Asus Transformer Book TX300CA, the biggest thing that separates this svelte hybrid from Asus’s Transformer Pad is its innards. Equipped with an Intel Core i7-3517U CPU, the device runs Windows 8, and functions just as any other laptop – with the exception of transforming into a tablet. This is one model in the line, which will also feature an 11.6-inch and 14-inch model.
The 13.3-inch model features 4GB of RAM in addition to the Core i7, and has a 128GB SSD. When the keyboard is tossed into the mix, however, its 500GB drive is added to the SSD, bringing the total up to 628GB of storage, a large enough amount to satisfy most users. The only downside to this setup is that access to the data on the HDD won’t be available when the Transformer Book is being used as a tablet, meaning those who use it to store media, such as movies and music, will only have access to the data when the keyboard is being used.
The display is an IPS multi-touch with a full 1080p HD resolution. There’s a high-definition webcam on the front and a multi-touch trackpad on the keyboard dock. Connectivity includes Bluetooth and USB 3.0. In addition to the Core i7, some retailers are also showing a cheaper version featuring a Core i5 processor.
[via Liliputing]
Asus Transformer Book hybrid now available for pre-order is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Feb 21
The Daily Roundup for 02.21.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili 
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Feb 20
The Daily Roundup for 02.20.2013
Posted in: Today's Chili
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Feb 19
LG’s convertible Windows 8 tablet/notebook hybrid will be hitting store shelves in Korea this week, the company has confirmed, freshly branded as the LG Tab-Book and packing LTE connectivity. Announced back in October 2012 as the H160, the Tab-Book runs Microsoft’s full OS – not the RT version – on an Intel Core i5 processor, with a sliding 5-point multitouch display if you don’t want to plug in an external mouse.
Unlike Sony’s VAIO Duo 11, for instance, LG has opted not to include a trackpoint nub in the middle of the keyboard; instead, if you want to to interact with Windows 8, you’ll have to reach up to the touchscreen. Still, you do get a clever auto-sliding mechanism, opening up the display and revealing the keyboard.
As for the display itself, that’s an 11.6-inch IPS LCD panel boasting 178-degree viewing angles. Connectivity includes USB, an HDMI port, and a microSD card slot, as well as the LTE radio and the usual WiFi and Bluetooth. LG has previously claimed that the H160 will run for up to ten hours on a full charge.
What LG isn’t discussing is pricing, nor specific availability outside of Korea. It’s also perhaps telling that the company is yet to announce any plans to make a Windows RT tablet; currently options for those wanting the ARM-variant of Microsoft’s OS – which trades app compatibility for power frugality – are limited, with Microsoft’s own Surface RT the best-known model.
LG Tab-Book Windows 8 tablet/hybrid hits Korea with LTE this week is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.