Samsung ships ATIV Smart PC Pro with AT&T LTE, 13-inch Series 9 Premium with 1080p screen

Posted on 25/03/2013 by Jon Fingas

Samsung's ATIV Smart PC has been giving Americans a blend of LTE data and Windows 8 for some time, but we're sure that some would like a little more oomph. The company agrees -- it just released a version of the ATIV Smart PC Pro equipped with AT&T-capable LTE. If you've got a not-insubstantial $1,600 to commit to a tablet, you can stay online beyond WiFi while wielding a laptop-grade 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and as much as eight hours of runtime.

Ultrabook fans aren't left out from Samsung's upgrades. A newer Premium trim level for the 13-inch Series 9 swaps out the regular 1,600 x 900 LCD for a full 1080p screen. The higher resolution bumps the price to a slightly intimidating $1,900, although Samsung does outfit the PC with a 1.9GHz Core i7, 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Between this and the Smart PC Pro, it's safe to say that the company can accommodate the highest of the high end.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Samsung

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Source: Samsung (1), (2)

Dell XPS 13 with 1080p now stocked for $1,400 and up

Posted on 06/02/2013 by Steve Dent

If you're into the "more pixels" ultrabook mantra and suitably flush, the 3 pound Dell XPS 13 with a 13.3-inch 1080p display, now on Dell's shelves, may be your machine. The soon-to-be-private outfit flaunted it at CES 2013, saying it also had a much wider 72 percent color gamut (instead of 45 percent for the 720p models), which definitely jibed with the more brilliant display we saw. The barrier for entry will be a little dearer than Dell first said, though, as a 3rd-gen Core i5 model with 8GB of RAM, Intel HD 4000 graphics, Windows 8 and a 256GB SSD will run $1,400, $100 more than it first promised. A 3rd-gen Core i7 model will start at $1,600 with the same specs. You'll be able to grab the latter model by February 14th, while the Core i5 (and lower-priced 720p) versions are in stock and shipping by next day. Considering similar models and the imminent arrival of a certain Mr. Haswell, we hope it won't be a hard sell at that price -- even with the 1080p screen.

Filed under: Laptops, Dell

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Via: Lilliputing

Source: Dell Store

Sony details VAIO T15, touchscreen T14 Ultrabooks on their way to Japan

Posted on 29/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Sony was mum on most of the details of the VAIO T15 and a touch-upgraded T14 when they appeared at CES. We won't have to wait until the spring launch in the US to know what some editions of the Ultrabook will carry, though. At least for Japan's February 9th release, the T15 won't be running any Haswell-based parts -- the top-spec system carries a 2GHz Core i7 from the current generation, a BDXL drive and a 1TB hybrid hard disk. The touch-ready T14 will be just as modest with a 1.8GHz Core i5, a DVD burner and up to 750GB of hybrid storage. We wouldn't be shocked to see performance boosts to either PC before they cross the Pacific, but we at least know what to expect as a baseline.

Filed under: Laptops, Sony

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Source: Sony (translated)

LG intros 15.6-inch U560, helps stretch our definition of Ultrabook (video)

Posted on 24/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

There have already been a few 15-inch Ultrabooks that have pushed the very limits of the thin-and-light category. Still, LG wants its turn at bending the rules. Its new U560 packs a 15.6-inch display and an optical drive that, together, contribute to the PC's 4.3-pound weight and 0.82-inch thickness -- really, it's a traditional laptop in a slimmer than usual package. Not that we'll complain too much when it involves an IPS-based LCD, a 1.8GHz Core i5, dedicated graphics (a support page suggests NVIDIA) and both a spinning hard disk as well as solid-state storage. The U560's launch is limited to South Korea so far, although we wouldn't be surprised to see Europe and other territories get their turn.

Filed under: Laptops, LG

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Source: LG (translated)

Samsung Chromebox Series 3 pops up in online stores with a Core i5

Posted on 16/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

No one would accuse Samsung or other Chrome OS supporters of hardware overkill: the Chromebox Series 3 and other Google-based PCs often carry just enough processing grunt to browse the web properly. Imagine the resulting surprise when a Liliputing reader discovers an unannounced Core i5-equipped model listed as in stock at multiple retailers. The XE300M22-A01US carries a 2.5GHz, Sandy Bridge-era dual-core chip on top of the usual 4GB of memory and 16GB solid-state drive. That's far from cutting edge, but more powerful than the creaky Celeron reserved for those who didn't receive a Google I/O edition. Samsung hasn't confirmed the existence of the quicker Chromebox, and there's some question as to whether the system incorporates the sleeker 2013 redesign or sticks to the tried-and-true 2012 layout; we've reached out to both Google and Samsung and will let you know if there's more concrete information. Quoted prices suggest there's a premium over the original at $405 or more, as of this writing. It's a lot to pay for a PC without native apps, although those who want only the unfettered web might have something close to their dream desktop.

Filed under: Desktops, Internet, Samsung, Google

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Via: Liliputing

Source: Amazon, CompSource

Gigabyte shows off an extra-tiny desktop PC with a Core i7, April release date

Posted on 10/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Gigabyte shows off an extratiny desktop PC with Core i7, due in April

There was a surprise waiting alongside Gigabyte's Windows 8 tablet duo at CES: an exceptionally small desktop. The as yet unnamed mini PC is a minor marvel of engineering that's much smaller than a Mac mini at an 0.3-liter volume (10 fluid ounces), but still manages to cram in a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. We're also looking at up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for heavy duty tasks. Expansion is about the only sacrifice, as there's just two USB ports, Ethernet and a rather curious choice of two HDMI ports on the pre-production model we saw. Gigabyte didn't have the system ready to test, but it should ship worldwide in April, with a price to be set later.

Filed under: Desktops

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Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Hands-on with Gigabyte’s S1082 and S1185 Windows 8 tablets (video)

Posted on 10/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Handson with Gigabyte's S1082 and S1185 Windows 8 tablets

Gigabyte came to CES with a pair of Windows 8 tablets, the S1082 and S1185, in hopes of making a splash in a US market that still tends to associate the company name with PC motherboards. We had the opportunity to try both, and came away intrigued -- there's a handful of touches on each that separate them from the pack. Read after the break for our impressions and video tours.

Gallery: Gigabyte S1185 hands-on

Gallery: Gigabyte S1082 hands-on

Continue reading Hands-on with Gigabyte's S1082 and S1185 Windows 8 tablets (video)

Filed under: Tablets

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Source: Gigabyte (1), (2)

Razer Edge vs. the competition: fight!

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Sean Buckley

Razer Edge vs the competition fight!

Audacious claims are starting to become a standard component of Razer hardware announcements -- following the Blade's claim to the title of "world's first true gaming laptop" is the Razer Edge: "a full feature PC and the most powerful tablet in the world." It certainly has the full feature PC aspect down -- with an Intel Core i5 (or i7 for Pro) processor at its heart, the Edge is more of a modular Ultrabook than your run-of-the-mill tablet. Then again, that seems to be the Windows 8 slate trend, doesn't it? We pitted the Edge against some of the category's recent stars, including two other tablets, a slider and a full featured convertible laptop. Read on to see how it stacks up.

Continue reading Razer Edge vs. the competition: fight!

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Project Fiona becomes Razer Edge, starts at $999, sans controller

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Sean Buckley

Project Fiona becomes Razer Edge, starts at $999, sans controller

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan has been dreaming about building a true PC gaming portable for years. He's cooked up prototype clamshells, controller-toting tablets, and built two top of the line gaming laptops along the way -- but now his dream is almost ready: the Razer Edge. Look familiar? It should. It's been handled, teased and even redesigned at the behest of Razer's social legions. It's Project Fiona evolved. Hoping to keep pace with community feedback, Razer is kitting out the Edge with a 3rd gen Intel Core processor, a 10.1-inch 1,366 x 768 display, an NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU, 4 to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, USB 3.0 and a 64, 128 or 256GB SSD, depending on the SKU. Min translated the slate's build into some digestible framerates: 59 fps in Dishonored, he told us, and 41 fps in DiRT Showdown. Sound intriguing? It gets better -- the baseline 1.7Ghz Core i5 variant of the Edge will sell for $999 and the beefed up 1.9GHz Core i7 Pro model will run for $1299, keeping the device well below the community's $1,300 to $1,500 price expectations. Even better, the whole shebang is going to be available in the first quarter of this year.

Razer had to change more than Project Fiona's name to stay under budget, of course -- the prototype's handlebar controllers have migrated to an optional gamepad dock. It's a win and a loss -- fans in Razer's social media campaign demanded detachable controllers, but their absence makes obtaining the complete "Edge experience" a bit more of a chore -- one that will cost $249 on top of the price of the slate itself. Even so, the move to modular is a good thing, and allowed Razer to develop other accessories: a keyboard dock, life-giving 40Wh battery packs ($69) and a $99 docking station, replete with three USB 2.0 ports, plus stereo and HDMI output for a "home console" experience. Razer says the Edge has specific "modes" based around these accessories -- the tablet alone features the obvious multi-touch tricks of Windows 8, and the keyboard dock gives PC gamers access to the familiar WASD controls they're used to. The launcher we saw at CES 2012 is still there too, giving the docking station a pseudo-console interface befitting of your television (and Steam Big Picture Mode, of course). As we said, collecting the whole set is a tall order, but Razer is hoping to make the task a little easier for gamers after the Pro model -- offering the i7 tablet and controller dock for a bundled price of $1499 ($50 less than if purchased separately). Completionists will need to wait until Q3 to pick up the keyboard dock though, as its form and price still aren't finalized.

Gallery: Razer Edge gaming tablet

Continue reading Project Fiona becomes Razer Edge, starts at $999, sans controller

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

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Intel, Plastic Logic and Queen’s U build the PaperTab: a flexible e-paper tablet (video)

Posted on 07/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

Plastic Logic may have bowed out of building its own e-readers, but that's not stopping the company from making its presence felt at CES. It's teaming up with Intel and Queen's University on the PaperTab, a 10.7-inch tablet concept built around a flexible, e-paper touchscreen. The prototype runs a Sandy Bridge-era Core i5 processor that lets it stand on its own, but it's ultimately designed to work as part of a team: position awareness lets multiple PaperTabs join together to share a work area, and tapping one tablet with content can send it to a waiting document in another. The bendy nature isn't just for durability and a paper-like feel, either, as readers can flip through pages just by bending the relevant side. A fuller reveal is planned for January 8th, but you can get an initial sense of how the plastic slate works through the video after the break.

Gallery: Intel and Plastic Logic PaperTab