Hasta La Gadget!

Overclocking may yield impressive benchmark results, but it turns out scores from Windows 8 PCs may not be reliable. The management at overclocking community HWBOT has discovered that tests provide inaccurate stats when then CPU base clock frequency is fiddled with from within the OS. Hardware-based real-time clocks (RTCs) help keep accurate track of time, but the operating system’s timekeeping somehow slows down or ramps up when processing speeds are tweaked. When underclocked by six percent, the outfit’s Haswell-infused system lagged 18 seconds behind actual time, fooling the benchmark into a higher score since it seemingly finished in a shorter period of time. Conversely, a boost to CPU speeds results in a lower mark as the internal timepiece ticks away faster than usual. However, modifying processor speeds at boot time avoids these issues.

As a result of the revelation, HWBOT is no longer accepting benchmarks from computers running the eighth iteration of Ballmer and Co.’s software, and will invalidate those already in its database. “Simply no benchmark – not even 3DMark – is unaffected by Microsoft’s RTC design decisions,” the outlet adds. The timing issues are said to stem from Windows 8’s support of disparate hardware setups, including embedded and budget PCs that don’t have a fixed RTC. If you’d like to see the inconsistencies for yourself, head past the break for video proof.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: ExtremeTech

Source: HWBOT

Back in March, Wacom teased a standalone tablet for the graphics-minded set. In the meantime, the outfit released the Cintiq 13HD: a slate-size pen display that nailed down the compact end of its Cintiq line, but must remain tethered to a desktop or laptop for use. Now, the peripheral company has officially taken the wraps off of the Cintiq Companion and Cintiq Companion Hybrid. Both units wield similar aesthetics to the 13HD and house a 13.3-inch TFT LCD display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution serving up a 700:1 contrast ratio and 16.7 million colors — that’s 75% of the Adobe RGB gamut. As you might expect, the trusty ExpressKeys, Rocker Ring, customizable controls and multitouch gestures are all here alongside the Pro Pen, its 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and an adjustable stand. The main difference between the two? The Companion sports either Windows 8 or Window 8 Pro while the Companion Hybrid runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The Cintiq Companion packs a third-gen Intel Core i-7 processor, 8GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and SSD storage. Selecting Windows 8 will nab you 256GB of space while opting for Windows 8 Pro bumps that capacity up to 512GB with price tags of $1,999 and $2,499 respectively. As for the Android version, it features both a NVIDIA GPU and quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 2GB RAM and HDMI input with 16GB and 32GB options. The former will dock your wallet for $1,499 while the latter clocks in at $1,599. MicroSD slots are included on the entire lot, should the need arise to wrangle a memory card or two. Across the board you’ll also encounter a 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front-facing shooter, WiFi and Bluetooth. Cintiq Companion Hybrid units will arrive mid-September and Cintiq Companion models will hit shelves in October, but the whole family is up for pre-order now. In the meantime, you can catch all of the details on both in the PR that resides after the break, %Gallery-slideshow73013%

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets

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Source: Wacom

We already suspected that Windows and Skype were going to get particularly cozy after Microsoft phased out Messenger, but it’s now official: Windows 8.1 will ship with Skype pre-installed. Those who haven’t already downloaded the messaging client will get it when they upgrade their OS (or buy a Windows 8.1 PC) after October. The move won’t change much for existing Skype users, but it could easily lead to a jump in Skype adoption when the app will soon come bundled with the majority of PCs.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft

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Source: Windows Experience Blog

Remember that “watered-down ThinkPad Tablet 2” we were able to ogle back in June? Eh, don’t bother lying — the Miix 10 name is hitting you as the freshest of the fresh, and honestly, there’s no shame in that. Lenovo’s latest Windows 8 slate is now officially featured on the company’s site, with orders being accepted now and early shipments expected to commence on August 16th. For those curious, $600 nets you a 10.1-inch tablet, replete with a 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760 CPU, integrated graphics, 2GB of LPDDR2 memory, a 1,366 x 768 native resolution, 64GB of eMMC flash, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 1MP front-facing camera and a two-cell Li-Polymer battery. Interested? You can part ways with your credit card number right here.

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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Via: WPCentral

Source: Lenovo

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

In that human-behavior lab known as the New York City subway, a vacationing family recently sought to get in a group self-portrait on their last day in the Big Apple. But the rocking train kept thwarting the capture of their jostled bodies. To frame the picture, they tried trading the quality of their smartphone’s rear camera for the one above the phone’s display so they could better preview the picture, but still had trouble composing the shot. Finally, a local passenger riding with them stepped in and offered to take their photo, which he did to their expressions of gratitude.

The incident served as an illustration of the often precarious situations in which we use our smartphone cameras. Had their phone been Nokia’s Lumia 1020 and the stranger not intervened, the 41 megapixels of light-capturing prowess might have gone for naught as the family would’ve had to rely on the phone’s middling front-facing camera.

Filed under: Cellphones, Microsoft

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