Hasta La Gadget!

Not so keen on the idea of buying something with an ASRock logo on the front? It’s about time to shake your mainstream expectations, vaquero. AnandTech just got their paws around one of the company’s highest-end SFF HTPCs, and while we knew from glancing it at Computex that it was primed to perform, the real-world results have shown that it actually is capable of impressing. In fact, these guys called the Vision 3D HTPC “the best SFF HTPC [they had] ever reviewed, hands down,” noting that the 2.4GHz Core i3-370M and GeForce GT425M GPU enabled a “quantum leap” in gaming performance for a system of this caliber. Of course, it checks in at just under a grand, but the inclusion of Blu-ray and an HDMI 1.4a port help to “justify the premium pricing.” Critics also found the machine to be an easy overclocker, appreciated the trio of USB 3.0 ports and found the “perfect wake-up from sleep” to be a welcome extra in a world of quiescent PCs. No need to take our word for it — hit that source link to see just how heavily the pros outweigh the cons.

ASRock Vision 3D HTPC reviewed: it’s the best, guys originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS doesn’t seem to have an issue introducing new laptops. ASUS does seem to have an issue belting out release dates alongside those announcements. Thankfully, a whole slew of the company’s newly revealed machines were both priced and dated at a media event last night in the Big Apple, and the most exciting (or horrifying, depending on perspective) news is that the David Lewis-designed NX90J will be shipping this month. Yeah — your time to run and hide from the world’s next 18.4-inch lappie is just about up, with a pair of models set to land prior to October for $2,299. There’s also a Bang & Olufsen-infused 15-incher for the more sensible among us, as the N53Jf (shown above) will bring a Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT425M GPU and a business-minded design to US shores within the next fortnight for $999. The ROG G73Jw that we heard about earlier in the year is also destined to ship this month for $1,799, and the outfit’s new WiCast EW2000 wireless streamer should hit channels this week for a buck ninety-nine. Hit the links below for all the nitty-gritty.

Continue reading ASUS to ship gargantuan NX90J this month, plenty of other laptops soon

ASUS to ship gargantuan NX90J this month, plenty of other laptops soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seriously, blink and you might’ve missed it. ASUS had its own Intel CE4100-powered companion box on display running what our memory recalls was Windows Media Center Embedded. We’d love to confirm for the 5 percent of our brain that’s uncertain, but by the time we went back for pickup shots of the adjacent (and awesome) Acer box, it was already gone. (Did the RevoPad scare it of that badly?) At any rate, this ASUS device has no drives, but it does boast an ATSC antenna, component and composite video. It’s slated for the first half of next year, though representatives weren’t willing to talk price just yet. Some more pics in the gallery below.

ASUS’ Intel CE4100 Companion Box with Windows Media Center Embedded, there and back (to the ether) again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist — er, make that a smartphone industry analyst — to figure out that Garmin’s been underperforming in the handset game since it tied up with ASUS early last year; notable missteps have included lackluster hardware, a hopelessly delayed first model, banking fortunes on WinMo in its twilight years, and a general failure to capture the kinds of blockbuster carrier deals that can prop up your bottom line. Indeed, it wasn’t long ago that the company went public with the fact that Garmin-Asus’ financials weren’t where they needed to be, but things are getting a little more serious now: CFO Kevin Rauckman has mentioned in an interview that they’ll need to decide “within the next couple of quarters whether [they] continue to invest or whether [they] pull back.” Of course, “pull back” is probably code for “cut and run,” since there’s really no good way to half-ass your smartphone presence and still earn customer loyalty and turn a profit. Looking at Garmin’s bigger picture, it still doesn’t really need to make smartphones to survive — the PND market remains healthy, and the company has a huge presence in the marine and aviation industries — but we’re sure they’d like a piece of the cellular pie. Touch nut to crack, isn’t it, guys?

Garmin: ‘we’ll have to make decisions within the next couple of quarters’ on future of phone business originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that mysterious Windows Phone 7-powered ASUS from early August? Turns out it showed up at Gnomedex this year, and there’s video floating around to prove it. The phone stars in a nearly 12-minute epic detailing the various parts of the platform — all of which we’ve seen before — but obviously, our attention is focused squarely on this hardware that we haven’t really seen before (and looks very different from the ASUS device that Microsoft was using to demo WP7 in the early days). It’s hard to say if the talk of an AMOLED display is true — or whether this is a retail or near-retail piece of hardware — so we’d hold off on saving up for this one just yet. Since Garmin-Asus came into existence, ASUS’ phone efforts have been squarely focused on the joint venture — and seeing how this steady supply of prototype hardware proves that they’ll be making commercial WP7 devices, it’ll be interesting to see whether Garmin’s involved. Follow the break for the full video.

[Thanks, Jack]

Continue reading ASUS Windows Phone 7 proto shows up on video

ASUS Windows Phone 7 proto shows up on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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