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Samsung Galaxy S II Plus makes a random appearance at CeBIT 2013, we go hands-on

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As ubiquitous as Samsung's Galaxy S II is, we imagined that its influence would wane in the face of the S III and whatever we see in a week's time. The Korean behemoth has other ideas, once again refreshing the former flagship to ensure it'll remain on store shelves as an increasingly lower-end option. Inside you've got a 1.2GHz dual-core Broadcom CPU, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). There's also a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel lens up top, as well as GSM and HSPA+ support. How does it compare to the original? Well, it felt a lot more responsive and snappy than when we handled the Galaxy S II last, but part of that is likely due to the new Android Jelly Bean OS' buttery-smooth scrolling. Otherwise, it handled and behaved much like Samsung's aging 'droid hit. The case has now been sanded-down to reflect the company's more natural, Galaxy S III-based design cues, so if you fancy a short game of spot the difference, you can check out the gallery.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S II Plus hands-on

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Fujitsu shows off a tablet prototype with a built-in palm reader (hands-on)

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Fujitsu shows off a tablet prototype with a built-in palm reader (hands-on)

To be honest, CeBIT is a fairly sleepy tech show, especially compared to Mobile World Congress, which just wrapped last week. For Fujitsu's part, the outfit already showed off its waterproof slate and GPS cane (aka the best thing we've seen so far this year). But the company did keep at least one trick up its sleeve: a tablet with a built-in palm reader. If you recall, we knew a year ago that Fujitsu was working on a tablet that could scan the palm as a form of authentication, but we've never actually seen a finished product, or even a functioning prototype. Until today, of course. Meet us after the break for a closer look.

Gallery: Fujitsu PalmSecure prototype tablet hands-on

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Fujitsu launches three new Lifebook E series laptops, we go hands-on

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We may not love the austere devices that are foisted upon us for our daily 9-to-5, but at least Fujitsu's trying to make our late-night commutes a little less unpleasant. The company has outed a trio of 20mm-thick Lifebook E series laptops that hover just outside the entrance to Intel's exclusive Ultrabook club. The first to try its luck with the guest list is the 13.3-inch E733, weighing in a 1.7kg with a screen resolution of 1,366 x 768. If that doesn't succeed, then perhaps the 14-inch E743, with its 1.9kg body and 1,600 x 900 screen might get past. Of course, bringing up the rear is the 15.6-inch E753, which weighs 2.1kg and a choice of 1,366 x 768 or 1,920 x 1,080 displays -- but since none of them meet Intel's latest mandated requirements to bear the Ultrabook name, it's highly unlikely they'll be let in. Naturally, as we're here at CeBIT, we indulged in our favorite hobby, which is smearing our paws all over this hardware to bring you our first impressions.

Gallery: Fujitsu LifeBook E series hands-on

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Fujitsu’s PalmSecure readers about to be seen in the wild (if you use UniCredit bank)

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Fujitsu's PalmSecure readers about to be seen in the wild (if you use UniCredit bank)

If Google is correct (and it usually is), Engadget has been covering Fujitsu's PalmSecure palm-reading technology since the Peter Rojas days. In that time, we've seen these security readers built into prototype laptops, and various corporations have begun testing it out in pilot programs. So it's hardly a novel concept, but it's only now becoming likely that you'll see it in the real world: Fujitsu announced today that its palm readers will soon be installed in bank kiosks, building lobbies, and other places where you might need to verify your identity at a checkpoint of some sort.

So far, Fujitsu's signed on Italy's UniCredit bank, which kicked off a test program late last year. As we've reported in the past, you don't even have to touch the sensor; you can merely hover over it. Which is good news if you're paranoid about swapping germs with all the other nose-pickers passing through security. If businesses choose, they can opt for single-factor authentication, though two-factor security is also an option -- as unique as the veins in your palm are, it's still possible for the reader to register a false positive. If you're curious we've got a quickie demo video waiting just past the break. Unfortunately, though, we still can't vouch for how tedious it'll be when HR demands palm prints for everyone in the office.

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MSI shows off its first gaming all-in-one, the AG2712 (hands-on)

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MSI shows off its first gaming all-in-one, the AG2712, we go hands-on

MSI has been churning out all-in-one PCs for we don't even know how long, but until now it hasn't marketed any of them toward gamers. And we can see why: all-in-one PCs don't have the modular, expandable design of a tower, and also aren't mobile like a laptop (not that gaming notebooks are portable, per se, but you get what we mean). Nonetheless, MSI is taking a chance anyway, in the hopes that some gamers out there would prefer a slimmer, space-saving machine, even if it meant sacrificing the processing clout you'd get from a full-fledged rig.

The AG2712, which was announced a few days ago and is on display here at CeBIT, is a 27-inch desktop that generally looks and runs like any other all-in-one -- you know, one not targeted at the gaming set. On the outside, it has a few too many glossy bits, with a see-through stand at the rear and a wide speaker grille sitting just below the bezel (it makes use of THX audio technology, but there's no subwoofer for accentuating bass tones). On the inside, it runs a mobile Core i7 processor -- Ivy Bridge for now, though a company rep staffing the event here didn't rule out a Haswell refresh later on. For graphics, you've got NVIDIA's 670MX, a laptop-grade GPU announced back in October. As it happens, it's actually standard for all-in-one PCs to pack mobile components. The difference here, though, is that this was built for gamers, and the AG2712 is also kinda thick 'round back, which defeats the purpose of building a desktop with mobile bits in the first place.

On a cheerier note, we appreciate the 27-inch, 1080p touchscreen, which will be offered with a wide-angle matte finish, as pictured above. (Okay, fine, you can get a glossy version instead, if you like.) Otherwise, the remaining specs are pretty standard: HDMI in / out, VGA, Ethernet, a multi-format memory card reader, a tray-loading optical drive, headphone / mic sockets, and six USB ports, two of them USB 3.0. If, on second thought, you don't need all that, MSI is also showing off a 22-inch model, the AG2212, which will have optional discrete graphics and starts with a Core i3, not i5, CPU. Either way, pricing hasn't yet been finalized, so although we're not keen on the idea of a gaming desktop using mobile parts, we'll withhold final judgment until we see how inexpensive it is. For now, enjoy some hands-on photos past the break.

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We’re live from CeBIT 2013 in Hannover!

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We're live from CeBIT 2012 in Hannover!

Hannover might not be as famous as Hamburg (Beatles), Berlin (politics) or Frankfurt (erm, meat-based cuisine), but for one week in March, it's home to one of the world's biggest tech events. Unlike our jaunts to MWC and CES, we're never quite sure what weird and wonderful things we're likely to find at this Teutonic tradeshow, but we'll be sure to bring you something new and exciting. Even better, thanks to some corrupted Michel Thomas Method MP3s, we'll be getting by with what remains of our high school German, a nice smile and a heck of a lot of pointing -- so wish us luck.

Gallery: Live from CeBIT 2013

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Asus E-DT, E-Monitor and E-TV

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According to Digitimes Asus has announced some new low-cost products that extend the Eee PC series including the E-DT, E-TV and E-Monitor. The Asus E-DT is a desktop PC running on an Intel Celeron...