Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on (video)

Posted on 29/08/2012 by Mat Smith

While Sony's keeping quiet on a lot of the precise technical specs, there's plenty to talk about in the form-factor Sony has chosen for one of its debut Windows 8 VAIO devices. The Duo 11 slider pairs an 11.6-inch screen with a sliding -- and very satisfying -- hinge. This gives the slate two different ways to deal with Microsoft's forthcoming OS. Handily, Sony has also developed a precise digitizer to work in tandem with the device. We're liking the style of the slider, and that petite footprint is also rather appealing -- aside from the paucity for keys. There are more impressions and a hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on

Continue reading Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on (video)

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one

Posted on 29/08/2012 by Jon Fingas

Sony just threw itself fully into the touchscreen Windows 8 arena -- it's introducing the VAIO Duo 11 slider tablet and the Tap 20 combination desktop and tablet design at its IFA 2012 press conference. The Duo 11 is a noticeably amped-up realization of the Hybrid concept we saw at CES. Its 11.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is joined by a proper digitizer stylus for low-lag handwriting as well as some seriously powerful innards for a convertible PC its size: we're talking an Ultrabook-level Core i3, i5 or i7 as well as a 128GB or 256GB SSD, NFC wireless, GPS, and HD-capable cameras at the front and back. Sony is hoping for a late October release for this beast of a slate, although we haven't been given that all-important price.

The VAIO Tap 20, meanwhile, is more than just a tilting all-in-one desktop in the vein of Lenovo's IdeaCentre A720. Despite carrying a 20-inch, 1,600 x 900 touchscreen, it's still very much battery-powered -- you can lug the 11.4-pound PC into the living room and treat it like a tiny multi-touch table, if that's your inclination. It's sharing the same processor picks as the Duo 11, but it turns to more conventional 750GB or 1TB hard drives and puts the emphasis on shareable apps like Family Paint and the Fingertapps Organizer calendar. Not surprisingly, there's only one, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera here, although NFC does make the cut. The Tap 20 is due to arrive at about the same time as its smaller Duo 11 sibling, although we're once again without details of how much it will cost.

Gallery: Sony VAIO Duo 11

Gallery: Sony VAIO Tap 20

Continue reading Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets

Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear introduces Vybe, a 15-inch notebook that’s ready to go in 48 hours

Posted on 06/08/2012 by Daniel Cooper

Need a super-spec gaming notebook in a hurry? Maingear's new Vybe laptops should be right up your street. Once ordered, the pre-built units can leave the company's New Jersey HQ in under 48 hours, packed to the gills with all the options you'd expect from the company. The range is packing Ivy Bridge CPUs, Kepler-running GeForce 650M or 660M with 2GB RAM and a 1080p, LED-backlit matte (matte!) finish display. The four options available are laid out in a table after the break -- but rest that itchy mouse finger a moment more, as while the base "Good" and "Better" systems are available from today, you'll have to wait until August 17th if you're looking for the "Best" or "Ultimate," the latter setting you back $1,999.

Continue reading Maingear introduces Vybe, a 15-inch notebook that's ready to go in 48 hours

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Maingear introduces Vybe, a 15-inch notebook that's ready to go in 48 hours originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon pricing spotted in Hong Kong

Posted on 02/08/2012 by Jon Fingas

Lenovo floated the ThinkPad X1 Carbon past us in May without so much as a whisper of what the lightweight Ultrabook's price would be. The company doesn't mind shouting it out in what looks to be a Hong Kong back-to-school promo flyer, though. As long as the Newsmth.net post represents the final pricing, local residents can normally expect to pay about HK$12,880 ($1,660 US) for an X1 Carbon with a 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. That's quite the premium if you compare it directly to what we see in the US for a PC like the Samsung Series 9, although it's tricky to tell if prices will be comparable on the other side of the Pacific: there's no sales tax in Hong Kong, among other factors. Even if the price varies by the time of the US launch later this summer, students in the city are already getting a discount to HK$9,180 ($1,184) that suggests at least some wiggle room if competition among Ultrabooks grows especially fierce.

[Thanks, Sam]

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon pricing spotted in Hong Kong originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Precision M4700, M6700 business laptops suit up (update)

Posted on 24/07/2012 by Daniel Cooper

Dell just put out its new hardcore business laptops onto its storefront. Both the Precision M4700 and M6700 come with Ivy Bridge CPUs and a wealth of build-to-order options including Red Hat Linux -- after all, this is Dell we're talking about here. The 15-inch M4700 is available for $1,049 (£999 in the UK) plus tax and shipping, while the 17-inch M6700 has a base price of $1,849 (£1,349 in the UK).

[Thanks, Nick]

Update: And now, with PR! In case you're not itchin' to dig into the details, let us hit the highlights for you. In addition to the 6 pound M4700 and 7.6 pound M6700, Round Rock also rolled out a new 17-inch Covet Edition laptop that sports a ruby red skin and an edge-to-edge 1920x1080 IPS display covered in Gorilla Glass 2. Speaking of screens, the less flashy Precision units also have the HD IPS display option, and all three PCs come with a nine-cell, 97Wh battery. As for storage, a wealth of spinning and solid state options are available, for a max of 2.8TB that can be configured in RAID 0, 1 or 5. Appetite whetted? There's more after the break, and you can head on over to the source link below to put in your order.

Continue reading Dell Precision M4700, M6700 business laptops suit up (update)

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Dell Precision M4700, M6700 business laptops suit up (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition

Posted on 20/06/2012 by Steve Dent

True to its pledge, ASUS has hauled the backlit keys and 1920 x 1080 IPS displays of the Zenbook Prime UX31A stateside, where it just made the Amazon scene in Core i7 and i5 Ivy Bridge flavors. The 13.3-inch Ultrabooks also have 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4000 Graphics and 128GB or 256GB solid state drives, depending on the model, and weigh in at a stark 2.86 pounds. The priciest Core i7 configuration with a 256GB SSD will run $1,599, and the lower-end Core i5, 128GB SSD version is $1,149. Some models are out of stock already, so if want to shell out, check the source for the product page.

ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A alights its Ivy Bridge at Amazon: $1,149 for Core i5 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell gives a peek at a revamped XPS 15 in Romania

Posted on 16/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

Dell showed the heart of its 2012 laptop design language in the XPS 13 just as the snow started melting, but it's been mostly silent or conservative ever since. The company must want to close out the spring the same way it entered: Dell and Romania's Asesoft Distribution have just previewed a larger XPS 15 at an event B1 attended at the Bucharest-based Romanian Aviation Museum. Based on the early look, Dell isn't going to stretch the Ultrabook definition across the whole XPS range. There will still be full-power, 2.5GHz dual Core i5 and quad 2.1GHz Core i7 chips from Intel's Ivy Bridge family, and NVIDIA is supplying some modestly ultraportable GeForce GT 630M and 640M video. Although there's no special tricks that we can see so far, the 15.6-inch system is reportedly due to show in at least Romania by the end of the spring, which leaves just weeks to wait if you prefer your mid-size performance laptops designed in Texas.

Dell gives a peek at a revamped XPS 15 in Romania originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with Ivy Bridge at WWDC

Posted on 11/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

Apple is certainly making WWDC a hardware conference this year -- it just unveiled a refresh of the existing MacBook Pro running Intel's newer Ivy Bridge processors on the San Francisco gathering's opening day. The 13- and 15-inch portables run up to 2.7GHz quad Core i7s (turbo up to 3.7GHz), carry up to 8GB of RAM and have GeForce GT 650M-based graphics 60 percent faster than the previous generation. Like the new MacBook Air, they tout USB 3.0 ports. If you're more comfortable with Apple's conventional MacBook Pro design than the new variety, Apple will ask $1,099 for the base 13-inch version and $1,799 for a 15-inch version, with an upgraded 15-inch model going for $2,199. All of them are shipping today -- we're not seeing any mention of an updated 17-inch version, so it may have been cast aside.

For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub.

Continue reading Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with Ivy Bridge at WWDC

Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with Ivy Bridge at WWDC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP updates Envy 15, 17 and 17 3D to Ivy Bridge, game and media fans rejoice

Posted on 05/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

HP has been very eager to take the Envy line in an Ultrabook direction, leaving performance hounds a bit wanting. Much to their (and our) relief, the full-fat Envy 15, Envy 17, and Envy 17 3D have all made the leap to Intel's latest round of Ivy Bridge processors. Along with the 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz quad Core i7 chips we all know and love, the Envy 15 and regular 17 can get a dual 2.5GHz Core i5 to keep the price slightly closer to Earth. All of them ship with an equally upgraded AMD Radeon HD 7850M to give games that extra jolt of energy, and you won't find one with less than 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Should you like the Envy's current formula and just wish it had that much more oomph, you can pay a post-discount $1,100, $1,250 or $1,530 to bring one to your door.

[Thanks, James]

HP updates Envy 15, 17 and 17 3D to Ivy Bridge, game and media fans rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP takes EliteBook W-series on a trip to Ivy Bridge, throws in Z220 Xeon workstation for good measure

Posted on 04/06/2012 by Jon Fingas

HP takes EliteBook Wseries on a trip to Ivy Bridge, throws in Z220 Xeon workstation for good measure

HP has been rolling out a steady stream of Ivy Bridge-based upgrades over the past few weeks, and now it's the turn of the pro-oriented EliteBook W-series to get the long-awaited upgrade. The 8470W, 8570W and 8770W draw on Intel's faster dual Core i5 and quad Core i7 chips with respective choices of 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch screens. All of them pack AMD's FirePro for video duties, although big spenders at the larger two sizes can opt for one of NVIDIA's Quadro K-series graphics chips as well as an IPS-based display for color-sensitive work. Options will get you niceties such as a 24GB SSD cache, 3G and up to 16GB of RAM, although the EliteBooks' signature military-spec resistances to dust, shock and temperature are thankfully par for the course. The range costs $1,329, $1,449 and $1,699 as you move up the screen size ladder, and all three will be available before June is over.

If you prefer your workstations to be more powerful but slightly more stationary, you're still welcome in HP's world: the equally fresh Z220 desktop carries Intel's new quad-core Xeon E3 processor or, if that's a bit too rich for your blood, a Pentium or quad Core i7. AMD FirePro and NVIDIA Quadro video cards are both made-to-order upgrades, and the modern underpinnings add both USB 3.0 as well as headroom for up to 32GB of RAM, if the fear of paging to disk keeps you awake at night. HP has both tower and small form factor versions of the Z220 starting off at $699, and they too will be ready to stretch IT budgets later this month.

Gallery: HP EliteBook W-series and Z220 workstation