Hasta La Gadget!

Back in 2011, Microsoft announced it had purchased Skype for a cool $8.5 billion, and shortly thereafter we started seeing Microsoft slowly start to integrate it into its products, even ending its own Windows Live Messenger and having those users move over to Skype. A new version of Skype is available today, and once again, it’s receiving some integration with a Microsoft product.

Skype 6.1 for Windows now has Microsoft Outlook integration as you’ll be able to send Skype instant messages and make calls all from the comfort of Outlook, which we’re sure many of you stare at for hours in a single day. Not only that, but Outlook will also display a user’s Skype online status, contact information and mood message within their Outlook contact card.

Aside from the Outlook integration, Skype has made additional changes to its application that makes it easier to add a new contact and has also made changes to users’ profiles and gives more information within the account information area.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HoverCam Document Scanner Updated At CES, Asus Teams Up With Leap Motion,

We’ve been given another opportunity to get right in deep with Lenovo’s newest convertible tablet running full Windows 8: the ThinkPad Helix, and this time we’re making a point of checking out not just the ripping and the flipping, but the spoiler on the back and the precision ruined craftsmanship as well. As you may well know from our previous look at this machine, you’re able to open it up in its notebook form to use it as a full-function Windows 8 laptop, press the button on the lower left of the display, “rip” it out, use it as a tablet, and place it back in place the other way around – then you can push it back down flat and have a massive battery capacity as well.

One of the more interesting things we’ve learned in this new look at the machine is the fact that you get a couple of relatively hidden cooling fans under the hood in the back. Have a peek at this sequence of photos to see the spoiler (our term, not theirs) coming up as you life up the hood of this beast. Under that spoiler is a couple of fans that’ll keep this machine cool no matter what you’re processing or indulging in.

The Lenovo Helix is solid, made with the same level of attention to detail that the full ThinkPad line always is. When we took a few minutes to literally carry the device around for a while, we noticed it was relatively light and felt solid above all else. The connection between the tablet and the keyboard is strong and ready for everyday work and play action.

Have a peek at the photos and video above and below and make sure you tune in throughout the week to our CES portal for every bit of CES 2013. We’ll be getting much more hands-on and up to the minute updates as we see the best of the season appearing right here, live from Las Vegas.

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix extended hands-on: Rip and Flip up close and personal is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Panasonic has jumped on the 4K bandwagon, but not just in TVs: the company has a ridiculously appealing 4K Windows 8 tablet at CES, squeezing 3840 x 2160 pixels into a 20-inch frame. Officially a prototype, though one which Panasonic tells us is very likely to see production, the unnamed slate may not fit into your purse like an iPad mini, but it does have some compelling applications in graphic design, video editing, architecture, and more. Read on for our hands-on first impressions.

Panasonic’s claim that the 4K tablet is the “lightest and thinnest” in the the 20-inch category seems a little redundant, given the scarcity of rival machines, but the rest of the specifications hold muster. As well as the 230ppi 15:10 display there’s an Intel Core i5-3427U 1.8GHz processor and NVIDIA GeForce graphics keeping things ticking along, along with 4GB of RAM (up to 16GB supported) and a 128GB SSD.

Connectivity includes microSDXC, a single USB 2.0 port, WiFi a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0; there’s also a front-facing 720p HD webcam, though the absence of a rear camera is unlikely to disappoint too many people given the whole thing weighs in at 5.3lbs and measures 18.7 x 13.1 x 0.4 inches.

The display itself supports ten-finger multitouch, but also an Anoto-powered digital pen that can be used to annotate documents, sketch, or generally make more precise edits. Panasonic had a few suggested uses for the slate, with one demo showing a live preview from a nearby DSLR, complete with editing tools, while another demonstrated how a pair of the 4K tablets could allow for collaborative work in different locations, each mirroring the changes made on the other. The crispness of the display is what engages you first, though, with Panasonic’s demo schematics ink-on-paper precise even when you got up close to the glass.

While you might not whip the 20-incher out in the line at the grocery store, there’s nonetheless a battery inside with a “healthy” 2hr runtime estimate; given the size of the screen, and the fact that most users will probably only ever rely on onboard power when toting the slate between rooms, that’s probably more than sufficient. It’s definitely a two-hander when carrying it, but it’s not ridiculously heavy.

Pricing and availability are still a mystery, with Panasonic coy about being specific on launch plans. Still, there’s definitely a drive to get the 20-inch tablet onto the market, and with 4K still not having much relevance in TVs – despite the plethora of sets supporting it at CES – out in the mainstream, this could be the best application for Ultra HD resolution so-far.

Panasonic 20-inch 4K Windows 8 Tablet hands-on is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you have experience issues with audio editing from time to time (as most of us almost certainly do), then you might want to give this new product from Blue Microphones a look. Dubbed Nessie, this new microphone aims to take the hassle out of audio editing and recording, offering a number of features that clean up your recording in real time. That sounds great as far as we’re concerned, especially considering how much of a headache audio editing can be.

Specifically speaking, the Nessie utilizes what Blue is called “adaptive processing,” which combines an equalizer, de-esser, and level control. Through using this adaptive processing, the microphone can clean up your audio as you’re recording it, which could mean that you spend less time editing your track after you’ve finished recording all of your audio. Provided this feature works as good as Blue claims, then it should prove to be a very handy feature indeed.

Of course, implementing real time processing isn’t going to solve all of your editing woes, which is why Blue is also including a “studio-grade” pop filter and a shockmount to help cut back on rumbling and vibrations while you’re recording. You’ll also be getting three recording modes with Nessie, with one tuned to give you richer vocals and another designed to deliver more detailed sounds from instruments. If you’d rather do without those two modes, the third lets you record raw audio, which you can then manually edit after the fact. This way, if you’ve already got audio editing down to a science, you can have complete control over your recordings.

Nessie features a zero-latency headphone jack, and is USB plug-and-play compatible with both Mac and Windows. If you want to record on the go, you can use one of Apple‘s 30-pin to USB or Lightning to USB camera adapters to hook up Nessie to your iPad. If you want a Nessie for yourself, it’ll set you back $99.99, but at the moment, it’s unclear when Blue is planning to make it available. We’ll have that information for you once Blue makes it available, but in the meantime, keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more straight from CES 2013!

Blue Microphones launches Nessie with adaptive processing technology is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at ASUS have revealed the VivoTab Smart Tablet, a full Windows 8 tablet with a 10.1-inch full touchscreen display and a unique combination of wireless keyboard and foldable cover which holds the unit upright. This machine is being shown live and in person at CES 2013 and a looks like a winner if ever a Windows 8 tablet was one.

This beast takes on a form that may remind one of the Microsoft Surface Tablet but brings on its own bit of flare with a combination of covers in one go, here being shown with a variety of different color combinations (that look surprisingly like the Moshi iGlaze Versacover – take note!) This machine is relatively light, especially for a full Windows 8 machine, and is made to take on the market that’s surprisingly short of full Windows 8 tablets right this very minute.

Have a peek at this machine that’s got NFC, an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor, and the ability to take photos with both a front and a back-facing camera. Quite similar to the display on the ASUS Transformer Prime, this tablet has excellent viewing angles and will be prepped for both simple browsing and your on-the-go computing needs.

This beast will be out sooner than later, taking on the market before the end of the Summer here in 2013. Have a peek at our ASUS tag to see more ASUS action today for the next week to see what else they bring to the mean hallways of CES 2013. Also make sure to keep your eyes on our giant CES hub for the hands-on or otherwise up to the minute action over the next week as well!

ASUS VivoTab Smart Tablet: hands-on with fold-cover magic is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.