Hasta La Gadget!

Gigabyte has gone official with its new Windows 8 computer lineup that includes a convertible, ultrabooks, and gaming notebooks. Gigabyte has a new slate computer called the S1082 is powered by an Intel dual-core processor. The device has a 10.1-inch screen and can be fitted with up to 500 GB of hard drive storage. The slate has some interesting accessories available including a keyboard kit and a multimedia docking station.

The U2142 is an 11.6-inch convertible ultrabook that runs Windows 8 or Windows 8 Professional. It has a multitouch screen and uses third-generation Intel Core processors. Another new ultrabook in Gigabytes Windows 8 line is the U2442 weighing in at 1.57 kilograms and having a 14-inch display. The machine uses the latest Intel Core processors and has Nvidia GeForce GT 650 M or GT 640 M discrete graphics card.

The Gigabyte P2542G is a 15.6-inch gaming notebook with integrated Blu-ray drive. The machine uses an Intel Core i7-3610QM processor and has Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 M graphics. The display supports full HD resolution, and the Blu-ray drive will also burn media.

The final product in the Windows 8 line is the 17-inch P2742G gaming notebook using a quad core third-generation Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 M graphics with 2 GB of GDDR5 RAM. The notebook has dual storage bays supporting up to 2 TB and RAID 0 technology. The machine also has a Blu-ray Combo drive, Bluetooth 4.0, and USB 3.0. Gigabyte offered no details on pricing or availability for any of its new Windows 8 computers.

Gigabyte shows off new Windows 8 computers is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Gigabyte is back with its latest Windows 8 tablet PC. Dubbed as the Gigabyte S1082, the 10.1-inch tablet is powered by a 1.10 GHz Intel Celeron 847 dual-core processor, which is combined with up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a multitouch display with a 1366 x 768 pixels native resolution and an Intel HD 2000 graphics. Measuring 270mm x 173mm x 14.94mm, the gadget also provides up to 500GB hard disk drive or up to 256GB SSD, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, and 3.5G WWAN. Other specs include HDMI, D-Sub, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The Gigabyte S1082 Windows 8 tablet PC is priced at between $599 to $799, depending on the hardware configuration. [PCLaunches]

You’re probably saying to yourself, “didn’t Skype just get a Windows 8-friendly refresh?” Why yes, yes it did. But Skype 6.0 here isn’t limited to Windows RT slates, instead it’s designed for more traditional Windows systems and even has a similarly numbered OS X counter part. There’s a number of notable changes here, including the ability to sign in directly with your Facebook or Microsoft account. (If you’ve got a Live Messenger, Hotmail or Outlook.com account, then you’ve got a Microsoft account.) The most visible changes, however, will be the “flattened” Don’t-call-it-Metro-friendly UI on Windows and the addition of Retina display support on OS X. There’s a few other minor changes, including some additional localizations, which you can read about at the source. And heck, since you’re already there, might as well download Skype too.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

Skype 6.0 lands with Microsoft and Facebook account integration, Retina support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week we’ve gotten the opportunity to take a peek at the nearest-to-final builds of Lenovo’s entire Convertible Windows 8 / RT family this week, including the IdeaPad Yoga 13, IdeaPad Yoga 11, ideatab Lynx, ThinkPad Twist, and ThinkPad Tablet 2. Each of these units is unique in its ability to bring Windows 8 or Windows RT to users in their feature sets that include flipping, turning, folding, and straight up sheathing. While we’ve seen all of these devices before, here lies an opportunity to see them up-close and personal right before review unit time.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13

This machine is what Lenovo is proud to claim as one of the world’s first multi-mode Ultrabooks. It’s got a 13.3-inch 1600 x 900 IPS LCD display with Intel HD 4000 graphics and up to Intel Core i7 processors inside. You’ve got the ability to work with up to Windows 8 Pro on this machine, and it ready to rock in several different display modes.

You can place it upright like a notebook, backwards like a tent, bend up and forward – inverted from its notebook mode, and flat like a tablet. The current MSRP for this device is $1099 USD and it’ll be out in stores relatively soon – exact date to be determined.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11

The IdeaPad Yoga 11 is the more compact version of the unique idea the Yoga 13 presents with a 360-degree folding hinge for multiple modes of use. It also has a massively powerful display of 1366 x 768 pixels across an 11.6-inch HD panel and it works with Windows RT. This tablet-based operating system is powered here by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor we’ve seen many time before, and the whole unit is just 0.61 inches thick. This unit will be coming in at MSRP $799 USD.

We found both of the Yoga units to be surprisingly high quality for how seemingly dangerously exposed they are at first with the hinge innovation. But the actual execution of the hinge, in all its two-part glory, takes Lenovo’s assurance that they put their products through rigorous battle-testing and delivers. These units look really, really high quality.

Lenovo ideatab Lynx

The Lynx is a tablet that’s also a notebook – a Windows 8-toting oddity that’ll have you amazed that this is truly one of the first Windows 8 Atom-based machines on the market. Up front you’ve got an 11.6-inche IPS LCD display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution – and it gets quite bright: 400 nit bright to be exact. This tablet works with a full detachable Lenovo Accutype keyboard and will be running with Intel Atom dual-core processors – that’s X2760 dual-core 1.8 GHz. The Lynx has a price of MSRP $599 for the tablet and $149 for the base as of this week.

The Lynx is going to be hitting a rather unique crowd, the same way the Twist will. With the Twist we’ve got the whole machine working with that single bar that allows the display to twist – a bit more fragile-seeming than we’d like to really comment on extensively at this point. The Lynx, on the other hand, appears to have the ThinkPad family in mind with its recognizable keyboard and a full Windows 8 experience ready to rock with Atom.

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

The ThinkPad Twist has a 12.5-inch 12.5-inch IPS LCD display covered with Gorilla Glass, getting up to 350 nit bright and bringing on the HD with Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 to back it up. The full casing on this machine is 0.79-inches thick and it’ll be running full Windows 8 Pro when it hits shelves. The Twist will be appearing for MSRP $849 USD.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

This lovely little beast is the ThinkPad Tablet 2, taking everything great about your everyday-awesome hardcore ThinkPad notebook and bringing it up in a tablet form that’s ready to attach to its own keyboard dock, multimedia dock, and lovely carrying case. The case is able to keep both the tablet and the keyboard base safe in itself at once, both the tablet and the base being essentially the same size, and thusly interchangeable on both sides. This unit has a 10.1-inch IPS LCD display, Gorilla Glass over the front, and Intel Atom inside. You’ve also got wi-fi and AT&T 4G LTE versions available in the very near future – the wi-fi version will be MSRP $649 USD.

Stay tuned for more awesome Lenovo action as Windows 8 and Windows RT takes over the world. Stay close to our Microsoft tag and our Windows 8 tag for the full lo-down as it all goes down over the next few weeks and months. The wave is coming in!

Lenovo Windows 8 Convertibles family comes together for hands-on action is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It isn’t exactly a secret anymore that Microsoft is holding a big Windows 8 launch event in New York tomorrow, and indeed, we’ll be there covering the whole thing. If you want to follow along as we report the news, you’re in luck (at least partially), as Microsoft will be live streaming its keynote from the event. The keynote is scheduled to kick of at 11:15 AM Eastern tomorrow, so be sure to write that down if you want to watch it live.

However, Microsoft won’t be streaming the whole event – just the keynote, which means that the stream will be live for just about an hour tomorrow morning on Microsoft’s website. That’s where we come in – we’ll be at the event all day long checking out Windows 8, Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet, and hardware from Microsoft’s partners, so after the cameras shut down, be sure to keep it at SlashGear for more information for the show.

Microsoft has some pretty big weeks ahead of it. This launch event comes one day before Windows 8 will become available to the general public on October 26. It’s that day that Microsoft will be launching Surface RT across the country as well, and the company is even opening a number of temporary stores in cities around the US to sell the tablet and its new operating system.

Then, we have Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 launch event next week on October 29, which comes the day before Microsoft BUILD 2012 kicks off. It’s a great time to be a Microsoft fan, and we’re excited to see all that Microsoft has to offer in the coming days and weeks. To find out more about Microsoft’s incoming products before the event kicks off tomorrow, be sure to have a look at our Windows 8 and Surface RT reviews!

Microsoft live streaming Windows 8 event keynote is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.