Tag Archives: Gorilla glass

tablets

Microsoft Unveils The Surface, a 10.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet

2 Comments

Microsoft has just unveiled a Windows 8 tablet, called Surface. In a late night press conference from Los Angeles, CEO Steve Ballmer stunned the world when he officially announced that his company is making a brand new slate running an Intel i5 CPU on board and powered by the all-mighty NVIDIA ARM processor. The 9.3mm thick device that will come out sometime before the end of 2012, is said to include a 10.6-inch Gorilla Glass 2 HD display on top, along with two 2×2 MIMO antennas for better WiFi connectivity, 32GB or 64GB of storage at your choice, and a slew of common ports such as micro HDMI, microSD and USB 2.0. The surface is made from high-quality elements and coated with VaporMg magnesium materials. Such process and specs require great efforts to adapt, but nonetheless, the retail cost will continue to remain very attractive, says Ballmer, very similar to those other ARM tablet machines available in the market.

But that’s not all, ladies and gents… Let me direct your attention to additional stuff the Redmond team has recently introduced. Yes, there’s another tablet configuration out there, and if the first model was built to be compatible with the very basic Windows RT OS version, the latter – A Premium Device – is said to be strong enough to support Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 Pro. So what does it pack inside? First and foremost, an Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor, that is tucked with a bigger 42 W-h battery, either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a similar batch of micro SD, micro HDMI and Mimo WiFi installations, and last but not least, the latest USB 3.0 ports. The 10.6-inch ClearType touchscreen is claimed to feature a higher 1080p resolution and the tablet itself will boast a dedicated pen with a special “Palm Block.” No word on price or availability yet, but we’ll keep you posted. In any case, they’ll be “on par with Ultrabook-class PCs” and out roughly 3 months after the Windows 8 official release.

Accessories wise, Microsoft has partnered with a group of aftermarket suppliers to develop both cover and keyboard accessories to the Surface line of tablets. Yesterday, the company has officially introduced two of those futuristic peripherals, Touch Cover and Type Cover. The first, is a 3mm thick cover made of Polartec materials, which hooks to the Surface with those Smart Cover-like magnetic attachments. No, that ain’t original but if it works, it works, right? Well, that’s your decision. Anyway, the Type Cover is the kind of things we’re used to seeing over the last couple of years. In general, we’re looking at a 5mm-thick keyboard docking station product that turns your tablet into a hybrid netbook/tablet machine. As simple as it seems.

[youtube id=”dpzu3HM2CIo”]

[youtube id=”PP6aTFgkNL4″]

[youtube id=”jozTK-MqEXQ”]

Second video by laptopmag

 

Microsoft Announces Surface: New Family of PCs for Windows

Microsoft-made hardware to be available starting with release of Windows 8 and Windows RT.

LOS ANGELES – June 18, 2012 – Today at an event in Hollywood, Microsoft unveiled Surface: PCs built to be the ultimate stage for Windows. Company executives showed two Windows tablets and accessories that feature significant advances in industrial design and attention to detail. Surface is designed to seamlessly transition between consumption and creation, without compromise. It delivers the power of amazing software with Windows and the feel of premium hardware in one exciting experience.

Advances in Industrial Design

Conceived, designed and engineered entirely by Microsoft employees, and building on the company’s 30-year history manufacturing hardware, Surface represents a unique vision for the seamless expression of entertainment and creativity. Extensive investment in industrial design and real user experience includes the following highlights:

Software takes center stage: Surface sports a full-sized USB port and a 16:9 aspect ratio – the industry standard for HD. It has edges angled at 22 degrees, a natural position for the PC at rest or in active use, letting the hardware fade into the background and the software stand out.

VaporMg: The casing of Surface is created using a unique approach called VaporMg (pronounced Vapor-Mag), a combination of material selection and process to mold metal and deposit particles that creates a finish akin to a luxury watch. Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.

Integrated Kickstand: The unique VaporMg approach also enables a built-in kickstand that lets you transition Surface from active use to passive consumption – watching a movie or even using the HD front- or rear-facing video cameras. The kickstand is there when needed, and disappears when not in use, with no extra weight or thickness.

Touch Cover: The 3 mm Touch Cover represents a step forward in human-computer interface. Using a unique pressure-sensitive technology, Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures, enabling you to touch type significantly faster than with an on-screen keyboard. It will be available in a selection of vibrant colors. Touch Cover clicks into Surface via a built-in magnetic connector, forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and works as a protective cover. You can also click in a 5 mm-thin Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

An Amazing Windows Experience

Two models of Surface will be available: one running an ARM processor featuring Windows RT, and one with a third-generation Intel Core processor featuring Windows 8 Pro. From the fast and fluid interface, to the ease of connecting you to the people, information and apps that users care about most, Surface will be a premium way to experience all that Windows has to offer. Surface for Windows RT will release with the general availability of Windows 8, and the Windows 8 Pro model will be available about 90 days later. Both will be sold in the Microsoft Store locations in the U.S. and available through select online Microsoft Stores.

Contributing to an Expanded Ecosystem

One of the strengths of Windows is its extensive ecosystem of software and hardware partners, delivering selection and choice that makes a customer’s Windows experience uniquely their own. This continues with Surface. Microsoft is delivering a unique contribution to an already strong and growing ecosystem of functional and stylish devices delivered by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring the experience of Windows to consumers and businesses around the globe.

Additional Product Information

Surface for Windows RT

OS: Windows RT

Light(1): 676 g

Thin(2): 9.3 mm

Clear: 10.6″ ClearType HD Display

Energized: 31.5 W-h

Connected: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae

Productive: Office ’15’ Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover

Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand

Configurable: 32 GB, 64 GB

Surface for Windows 8 Pro

OS: Windows 8 Pro

Light(1): 903 g

Thin(2): 13.5 mm

Clear: 10.6″ ClearType Full HD Display

Energized: 42 W-h

Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae

Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block

Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand

Configurable: 64 GB, 128 GB

(1), (2). Actual size and weight of the device may vary due to configuration and manufacturing process.

Suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC. OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT.

For more information about Surface, visit http://www.surface.com.

tablets

Toshiba’s New Excite X10 Claims To Be World’s Thinnest Android Tablet

3 Comments

Toshiba has officially announced a new sleek 10.1-inch tablet which sports a 1280 x 800  Gorilla Glass IPS touchscreen and said to be the world’s thinnest tablet in the market, to date, with a .3-inch thick and only 1.2-pound in weight. The new slate that goes by the name “Excite X10” is planned to include  a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor under the lid, along with 1GB of RAM, Android 3.2 for the Os (ready for an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade), WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a microUSB, microHDMI, GPS support and microSD card slot. The way it looks, there are two cameras, one 5 megapixel camera in the back of the tablet, and a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front. Your choices among the Excite offerings are the 16GB that will run $529.99 while the 32GB version will retail for $599. Full PR and video, courtesy of Notebooks.com,  just after the break.

[youtube id=”0NDO2dCTNGU”]

 

TOSHIBA UNVEILS PLANS TO BRING THE WORLD’S THINNEST 10-INCH TABLET TO THE US MARKET
Excite X10 Tablet Paves the Way for Premium Tablet Design by Achieving Ultra-thin and Light Form, While Maintaining Essential Ports and Features
LAS VEGAS – Consumer Electronics Show 2012 – Jan. 9, 2012 – Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today revealed plans to introduce the ExciteTM X10 tablet, the world’s thinnest 10-inch tablet, to the U.S. market. Measuring in at just 0.3 inches (7.7mm) thin and weighing just 1.18 pounds (535g)1, this next- gen tablet offers a premium design with essential ports and features needed for a more complete experience. The Excite X10 tablet will be available in the U.S. starting in the first quarter of 2012.

A More Premium Design
Ultra-thin, ultra-light and ultra-powerful, the Excite X10 features a high-resolution 10.1-inch diagonal AutoBriteTM display2, offering an ideal canvas for browsing and entertainment. Designed for durability and style, the device also features a high-quality magnesium alloy surface and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass display with an anti-smudge coating for greater resiliency.

“Excite X10 pushes the boundaries of what a thin and light tablet is capable of, delivering elegant styling without sacrificing features or durability,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division.

All the Essentials on Board
To connect with other devices, the Excite X10 tablet comes with all essential interfaces and ports onboard, including micro-USB and HDMI ® ports, a micro-SD slot to share content and files with other devices, plus Wi-Fi ® and Bluetooth ® connectivity. The micro HDMI port allows users to extend HD content from their tablet screen to a large screen HDTV. Front and back HD cameras provide convenient photo capture, plus 1080p video recording and conferencing. Stereo speakers enhanced with exclusive deliver superior entertainment capabilities.

“We see the tablet as a key device in a connected home ecosystem, so delivering not just a thin and light design, but one that also incorporates built-in ports, is a step toward making the connected home a reality,” added Pinto.

Smart Multicore Performance with Long Battery Life
Powered by the Texas Instruments OMAPTM4430 mobile processor3, the Excite X10 delivers smart multicore processing power without draining battery life. The multicore design features two ARM CortexTM A9 cores plus dual-channel memory for greater speed and efficiency, offering smooth web browsing and multi-tasking plus high definition video and entertainment.

To connect with other devices, the Excite X10 tablet comes with all essential interfaces and
ports onboard, including micro-USB and HDMI® ports, a micro-SD slot to share content and files with other devices, plus Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity. The micro HDMI port allows
users to extend HD content from their tablet screen to a large screen HDTV. Front and back
HD cameras provide convenient photo capture, plus 1080p video recording and conferencing. Stereo speakers enhanced with exclusive deliver superior entertainment capabilities.

Powered by the Latest Android Technology
The Excite X10 tablet is powered by the latest Android platform technology. Also included is a full suite of familiar Google Mobile Service applications, including the Android Market, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Music, Videos, plus select third-party applications including Netflix.

Specifications
— Latest Android technology
— 10.1-inch diagonal LED Backlit widescreen Corning Gorilla Glass display with IPS
technology and 10-finger multi-touch support
— 1280 x 800 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
— Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor; 1.2GHz with 1GB LPDDR2 RAM
— 16GB and 32GB configurations4
— 2 megapixel front-facing camera
— 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
— Micro USB, Micro HDMI ports
— Micro SD card slot
— Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
— Gyroscope, Accelerometer, GPS, eCompass and Ambient Light Sensor
— Stereo speakers with sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS® Labs
— Built-in 25 watt-hour rechargeable lithium ion battery
— 10.1″ (W) x 6.9″ (D) x 0.3″ (H)  1.18 pounds (535g)

Pricing and Availability
The Excite X10 tablet will be available in mid-Q1 2012 for a starting price of $529.99 MSRP5 for the 16GB model and $599.99 MSRP for the 32GB model at major U.S. retailers, e-tailers and ToshibaDirect.com.

tablets

ASUS Eee Memo Pad Unofficially Leaked (Update: Now Official)

CES is always a good time to prepare a roll-out strategy for brand new products around the world. And while there’s no official word from Asus yet, we hear that the company plans to launch its own 7-inch Eee Memo Pad tablet, at the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow which will take place in Vegas from January 10th to January 13th, 2012. A firm release date has not been set, but judging from a recent leak, we do know it  will be available with a 1,280 x 800 capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, WiFi, 3G connectivity and 16, 32 or 64GB of storage capacities at your choice. The full details are yet to be disclosed, and all that’s left is for you to decide which configuration suits you best and which package will you get: this one or the Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Tough decisions!

Update: As it turns out, Asus is planning to offer TWO new Memo Pad devices and not just one as we had earlier thought. The first, the Eee Pad MeMO (ME171) that we’ve already seen before, packs a 7-inch WXGA 1,280 x 800 IPS capacitive touchscreen, along with  a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8260 processor, 1GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR,  a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera plus 5 megapixel rear camera, GPS, gyroscope, proximity sensor, 16GB / 32GB of storage capacities, and  a micro-USB port. The 4,400mAh Li-polymer battery inside will be able to deliver up 8.5 hours of video time, on average, powered by the latest Android 4.0.1 Os running atop. General availability is scheduled for Q2 2012 in the U.S.

The second device, the  ME370T – A 7-inch  quad-core tablet, powered by a Tegra 3 chip, is likely to run an Android Ice Cream Sandwich under the hood, paired with a WiFi-only connectivity an 8 megapixel camera behind its back and some other goodies that you’ll just have to wait patiently for them a few weeks more. Video (courtesy of  netbooknews) and Full PR after the break. 

[youtube id=”qV3MCzPHMLs”]

ASUS Eee Pad MeMO ME370T

7″ Tablet with an emphasis on Entertainment, Media and Light Productivity. Thin and Light chassis design with Capacitive Stylus capabilities.
MSRP – TBD Availability – Q2 2012 in North America
Display – 7.0″ WXGA, 1280 x 800 resolution, IPS panel with capacitive touch
Processor- Qualcomm 8260 1.2GHz dual-core
Memory- 1GB
Storage- eMMC 16GB/32GB ; ASUS Webstorage options
Connectivity- WLAN 802.11b/g/n , Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
Camera- 1.2MP Video Camera (front )/5MP Auto-Focus Camera (rear) (1080P recording)
aGPS- Qualcomm GPS One
Sensors- G-sensor; e-compass; Light sensor; Gyroscope, Proximity sensor
Interface- 1 x Micro USB port (client) ; 1 x Audio Jack (Head Phone / Stereo Mic-in)
1 x Card Reader(Micro-SD); 1 x micro HDMI (1.3a); 1 x SIM Card slot; Stereo Speakers
Battery- Li-polymer 4400mAh (Battery Life: 8.5hrs video playback routine)
OS- Android 4.01
Dimensions / Weight- 7.8 x 4.6 x 0.50″; 14.2oz
Applications – MyPainter, MyNet, MyCloud, Asus Sync and other productivity and entertainment applications.

__________________

tablets

HP webOS Tablets Rumored For a March 2011 Arrival

1 Comment

Well, it looks like we don’t really need to wait until February 9 to get details about one of the most anticipated webOS products in the HP lineup – they’re right here, courtesy of Engadget tipsters, and we couldn’t be pleased more with this, could we? Generally speaking, we’re looking at two new webOS slates that HP adds to its most impressive burgeoning portfolio, a 9-inch codenamed Topaz and a 7-inch going by the name Opal. And while we couldn’t help noticing a certain similarity between Palo Alto’s future slabs and Cupertino’s trendy and fashionable iPad device, there are yet several differences distinguishing the two species from each other – the lack of “home” button, for instance, or the presence of a micro USB port on the bottom along with a 1.2GHz processor and a front-facing camera upfront. In addition to that, we can also spot a set of three stereo speakers for audio layout (in landscape and portrait modes) on both Hewlett Packard units, while their back side seems to be getting a black glossy coating material of some sort.

Aside from the minor details, and the fact that the first webOS tablets family may start shipping in March of 2011 (unconfirmed), we do not have much to say, except that at least one version, out of the two that HP plans to release, will be offered in three optional paths: as a WiFi-only model, as part of an AT&T 3G plan or with Verizon’s Wireless’ LTE network. Either way, we hope these rumors turn out to be true. Stay tuned.

Update1: As far as measures go, rumor has it that the Opal will be sized at 180 x 144 x 13mm while the Topaz slate is a bit bigger, at 241 x 190 x 13mm. Screen wise, we’re looking at a 1,024 x 768 pixel TFT LCD multitouch display, instilled on both versions, along with a “premium audio” system based on HP’s most  advanced Beats audio platform. Other than that, we also hear that potential buyers are likely to be given “tens of gigabytes” of cloud storage, which frankly sounds pretty neat as well, but then, you’ll have to wait for February 9 in order to get even more savvy.

Update2: The good guys over at Pre Central have managed to put their hands on an internal paper with a list of specs of HP’s upcoming tablet. As it turns out, the 9.7-inch HP Topaz is likely to include a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor on board, along with 512MB of DDR2 memory, an Adreno 220 GPU for the graphics, a mic,  802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1024 x 768 touchscreen resolution, a front-facing 1.3MP webcam and either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at your choice. Besides that, we also expect some neat goodies under the lid, such as a built-in accelerometer, paired with a gyroscope, and a light sensor for auto background colors, while battery wise, we’re looking at somewhere around 8 hours of continuous work.

[via Engadget]

Continue reading HP webOS Tablets Rumored For a March 2011 Arrival →

Audio, Media Players, Video

Zune HD Officially Goes Live, Already Considered a Hit On The Streets

It’s here! Microsoft officially rolls out its highly rated Zune HD media player, and boy this thing looks good. Yes, we know, most details are pretty much known at this point, but still deserve a round of applause, aren’t they? And just in case you missed the buzz, those fancy shcmancy specs we get, include a beautiful 3.3-inch Gorilla glass 480 x 272 OLED capacitive 16:9 aspect-ratio touchscreen, which hides underneath a built-in HD Radio receiver, seating along with a wireless WiFi antenna connection and a fine batch of accelerometer sensors for landscape use. Excited? We are, but that’s not all, since Redmond has wisely tossed in Nvidia’s mighty Tegra processor, which is technically constructed from eight different sub processors inside, that flawlessly handle their tasks at a time. Now that’s a real beast, isn’t it? OH Yeah. Storage wise, you get to choose between 16GB or 32GB flash capacities that fairly priced at $219.99 and $289.99, respectively.

zune-hd

Continue reading Zune HD Officially Goes Live, Already Considered a Hit On The Streets →