Weekly Roundup: Smartphone buyer's guide, Hyperloop, Windows 8.1 release date, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Engadget's back to school guide 2013: smartphones
If you're headed back to school, you'll undoubtedly need a trusty mobile companion to organize your classes, and keep you on time with homework. Luckily, you have plenty of great options across budget categories, operating systems and screen sizes. Head on up to our Smartphone buyer's guide, and choose the right device for your needs.
Acer Aspire S7 review (2013)
Acer's third Ultrabook, the Aspire S7-391, was near-perfect. It sported a stunning full HD display, exceptionally fast performance, and an extra-light chassis. But, its poor battery life kept us from being able to fully recommend the computer. Apparently, the second time's a charm for Acer: the company's refreshed S7 Ultrabook addresses all the things we disliked about the original. Just be prepared to pay a premium over competing laptops with similar specs. Read on for more.
Elon Musk details Hyperloop: public transit via aluminum pods and electric motors
For months, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been teasing a new -- faster and more efficient -- form of transportation. This week he finally unveiled his plans for the project, appropriately called Hyperloop. The system uses aluminum pods that will hypothetically carry passengers from SF to LA in just 30 minutes, traveling at speeds up to 800 miles an hour. Read on for more, and check out Musk's full plans here.
Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 launching October 17th
After a whole saga of rumors, Microsoft, this week, confirmed that it will be launching its new Windows 8 update on October 17th (well, in the US, anyway). In the meantime, if you can't wait another few months, head on over to our in-depth hands-on and subsequent coverage for an idea of what you should expect come October.
