Since not everybody wants to lug an eight pound gaming machine or settle for a lightweight but graphics-challenged notebook, Gigabyte unveiled its U-series at Computex: two notebooks and an ultrabook with discreet NVIDIA graphics and 4th-generation Intel CPUs. The models build on the company's last-gen 14-inch U2442 Ultrabook, which unlike most models in that category, carried GeForce GT640M graphics and a generous supply of ports while still maintaining a respectable 3.3 pound heft. Gigabyte's looking to continue in that vein with the new models, which will all arrive by early August. To see a breakdown on all the pricing and specs, head after the break.

Gallery: Gigabyte U24F Press Gallery

Gallery: Gigabyte U24T Press Gallery

Filed under: Laptops

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If you've been waiting for the least burdensome tablet you could find, Sony's 17.5 ounce, 6.9mm thick Xperia Tablet Z is now up for pre-order in the US. On top of being the lightest, slimmest 10-inch slate on the market, it's not exactly slumming spec-wise either: there's a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, 2GB RAM, an 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera, NFC, LTE, S-Force virtual surround sound, 32GB storage and a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 tech. To round it off, the tab is dust- and water-resistant, and Sony's pre-loaded its TV SideView app, which uses the built-in IR to let you change your TV's channel and get scheduling, recommendations, voice search and IMDB-like info. The downside? We noted that the ambitiously thin design made the device a bit bendy and creaky. You can pre-order at the source ($500 for the 32GB model and $600 for 64GB), or check the video after the break to see how a three-legged dog might use the slate while taking a bath. No, you didn't just misread that.

Filed under: Tablets, Sony

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Source: Sony Store

Microsoft's Surface Pro will mark its first venture outside the cozy confines of the Americas by heading to China on April 2nd, according to its Weibo site. That could also mean that lovers of the convertible tablet in Australia, parts of Europe and elsewhere might also be able to grab one soon -- as Redmond indicated earlier that it would roll out in those countries around the same time. There's no word yet on pricing or where to get one, but Microsoft recently launched its flagship Chinese store on Tmall, so that would be a good place for shoppers there to start -- assuming they're interested.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Via: The Verge

Source: Microsoft (Weibo)

If Chromebooks from Acer, HP and Samsung have struck your fancy but haven't been available in your country, your fortune might have just changed. Google's proclaimed that Chrome OS laptops from the trio will see begin rolling out to folks in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. Not only is Mountain View expanding its laptop initiative's international horizons, but it's bringing them to more than 1,000 Best Buy stores too, roughly 500 more than previously carried them. Ready to snatch one of the notebooks? Hit the source links to get crackin'.

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung, Google, HP, Acer

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Source: Google (1), (2), (3)

Microsoft's Surface is continuing its global retail rollout, expanding its reach well beyond the western hemisphere. In late March the RT model of Redmond's in-house tablet effort will begin popping up in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan, (though, not necessarily at the same time) adding to the pile of European nations where it's already launched. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro will finally be leaving the Americas and heading for Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK sometime in the coming months. Unfortunately Microsoft isn't getting any more specific about when its full-blown Windows 8 machine will appear in countries other than the US and Canada. All we can do now is await the promised follow up post on the Surface blog for more details about availability. If you're a fan of press materials (even those that don't provide a ton of information) you'll find some after the break.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Surface Blog

Microsoft's trying to address the recent shortfall of Surface Pro models, and has vowed via its Surface Pro blog to get more into the market "as quickly as we can." As such, it's begun dispatching 64GB SKUs to Best Buy, Staples and its own Microsoft Store in the US, with Canada to follow in a few days. 128GB SKUs will ship "later this week" to retailers, according to Redmond, "with some units available by the end of the week." All flavors of the tablet-cum-laptop disappeared from shelves shortly after they arrived in retail stores and online, both stateside and north of the border. The company said it'll fulfill orders for customers who made a reservation first, but that your local retailer "should have (stock) soon," too.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft Surface Blog

Sure, Ubuntu for smartphones is slated to appear as a downloadable image for the Galaxy Nexus late this month, but you'll have to wait until fall to get your hands on honest-to-goodness Ubuntu phone hardware. According to the Wall Street Journal, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says Ubuntu handsets will hit two "large geographic markets" in October, and that the open source OS has struck the fancy of carriers, to boot. However, Shuttleworth remained coy regarding which regions will see the devices launch in October and which manufacturers will be serving up hardware.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: CNET

Source: Wall Street Journal

If you like the very best, you'll be happy to hear that the biggest capacity, most expensive iPad yet has now landed at the Apple Store online. US customers can pick from AT&T, Sprint or Verizon to power their 128GB LTE model ($929), although AT&T has a reduced waiting time of 1-3 days, compared to 3-5 business days for the other two carriers. Expect the WiFi iteration ($799) to arrive within three days -- that is, if you place your order at the source today.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Apple Store

If you like what you've seen so far from RIM BlackBerry's big launch event today, then you might want to know when you can get it. Those in the US might have hoped the rumors weren't true, but indeed, you will have to wait until March before you can get your hands on BlackBerry 10. Though when it does land, customers of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint (only Q10 confirmed) and T-Mobile (Z10 confirmed) will all be able to get onboard. BlackBerry's giving its home turf a little bit of a head start with a February 5th release date and Bell, Rogers, Koodo, Telus and Virgin Mobile confirmed as carrying. But -- as had already been hinted at -- it's the UK that gets the goods first, with the Z10 and Q10 both available starting tomorrow on all the major carriers. US pricing will depend on each operator, but expect to pay around $200.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: T-Mobile

So it won't arrive in January as originally planned, but better a little late than never, right? Microsoft just announced that its Surface Pro tablet will go on sale February 9th in the US and Canada, with wide retail availability beyond just Microsoft.com and Microsoft Stores. As you may have already read, the device will start at $899 for the 64GB model, and $999 for the 128GB version. Whichever you choose, a pressure-sensitive pen comes in the box; the keyboard does not (that'll be $120 or $130, depending on whether you get the Touch or Type Cover).

Also on February 9th, Microsoft is going to start offering a 64GB standalone version of Surface for Windows RT for $599 (the 64GB model is currently sold as part of a $699 bundle with the black Touch Cover). That's good news, we suppose, for folks who prefer the tactile feel of the Type keyboard. Or, you know, who have their heart set on cyan. Additionally, Surface RT will soon be available in 13 more markets: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. All told, that more than doubles the number of a countries where the Surface RT is sold. So, Western Europe should pretty much be set now.

Finally, in addition to those two tablets, Microsoft is introducing a bunch of accessories, also slated to land February 9th. These include three limited edition Touch Covers with funky patterns drawn on (we don't know about you, but we especially dig the skulls). It's not unlike the way Microsoft already sells artsy versions of its computer mice; indeed, a Microsoft rep told us the company intends to release even more special editions, the same way it keeps swapping in new mouse colors. Finally, Microsoft also announced the Wedge Touch Mouse Surface Edition, which is basically the regular Wedge mouse, just done up in the same finish as the Surface tablets. That will cost $70, while the limited edition keyboards are priced at $130 a pop. Hopefully we'll be hitting you back soon with a full review but for now, we've got shots of both the tablet and the new accessories waiting just past the break.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft Store

Ever since we first saw Leap Motion's hyper-accurate gesture control system in person, we've been waiting for the time when we can walk into a store and buy one. Sure, devs have been able to buy Leap controllers for some time and it won't be long before Leap's tech is baked into retail laptops, but now the general public's going to get the chance to grab the standalone controller, too. That's right, folks, this spring, the Leap Motion Controller will be available nationwide at any Best Buy store, with pre-orders starting in February. So, it won't be long before you can stroll on down to the nearest big blue box and pick one up -- assuming there's still one within strolling (or driving) distance.

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It's only been about a week since the Ascend D2's official debut at CES, but according to Huawei's latest announcement on Sina Weibo, the manufacturer will already be offering its unsubsidized 5-inch 1080p flagship at its online store right after 5pm local time tomorrow. Specifically, this will be a China Telecom (CDMA2000) variant with dual-SIM support, so Huawei fans outside China may want to wait for the WCDMA flavor (there's always the Oppo Find 5 as well). If you happen to be in China and don't mind using China Telecom, then feel free to fork out ¥3,990 or about $640 to be one of the first handful of owners of this 32GB, 1.5GHz quad-core device. That is, if you manage to get your order through "while stocks last."

Filed under: Cellphones

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Via: Sina Weibo

Source: Vmall

Ho ho ho! Even on this special day, the folks at Oppo decided to drop a bomb on its "Ofans." According to a fresh teaser on its Facebook page, not only will Oppo be offering the $499 16GB version of the quad-core, five-inch 1080p Find 5 in the US (as we already knew), but there'll also be a 32GB flavor for $569. What's more, the image also lists many additional countries: Canada, UK, Spain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, Malaysia, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, Greece, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Japan and Hong Kong. Just to be sure, we reached out to Oppo and were told that it's aiming to hit all these markets within Q1 next year; and better yet, it'll try to do that as close to the early-January China launch as possible. Sounds like the company's pushing for a global online retail channel (the blurred out URL probably indicates that it'll be a centralized website), and it'll be interesting to compare its performance to Xiaomi's more humble attempt closer to home.

Update: We've been told that this is only a partial list, so fret not if your country isn't there.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Oppo (Facebook)

With all these Snapdragon S4 Pro phones popping up here and there, Xiaomi's finally announcing its launch plan for the retail version of its very own Xiaomi Phone 2 aka MI-Two, which is also powered by Qualcomm's APQ8064 SoC. Here's what's going to happen: on October 30th, the company's online store will release the first 50,000 units, followed by another 250,000 units (approximately) in mid-November. Additionally, the device will be offered in both 16GB and 32GB flavors, which are priced at ¥1,999 (about $320) and ¥2,299 (about $370), respectively. Folks who reside in China can now register online for a quota, but it'll probably be just a matter of time before we see these on eBay, anyway.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Engadget China

Source: Xiaomi (Sina Weibo; login required)

Samsung's Galaxy Note II played coy at first by only hanging out with the European crowd, but now that it's here, it's the life of the US carrier party. The two biggest, AT&T and Verizon, have now glommed the phablet and each are offering it for pre-sale in all its quad-core Exynos, 5.5-inch glory for $300 under a two-year contract. We just handled Verizon's variant, but weren't sure of a sale date, and AT&T's version, which we saw earlier was already expected for pre-order today. When Sprint's copy of the handset arrives later today, that'll round out the Note II's major US carrier dance card -- so you'll be able to grab it at whichever plucks on your heart (or purse) strings.

[Thanks to all who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon, AT&T

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Source: AT&T, Verizon

US Cellular has been offering the Samsung Galaxy Note II on pre-order for over a month now, but it just sent out an email clarifying that the device will be stocked on retail and virtual shelves beginning this Friday, October 26th. This falls in line with the "late October" timeframe we were promised; pre-orders, by the way, will also begin shipping tomorrow. As a recap, the Note II will only be available in titanium gray and with 16GB internal storage, and will cost $300 with a two-year commitment and $800 without one -- a huge difference, no doubt, given T-Mobile's $650 full retail cost. Tomorrow is the last day to pre-order if you're worried about facing inventory shortages or long lines on Friday. The best part? No silly logo on the home button (we're looking at you, Verizon).

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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T-Mobile may be a bit late to the Samsung Galaxy Note II party, but the mega-sized 5.5-inch smartphone has now landed in its online store for $370 on contract. You'll need to commit yourself for two years to get that price, but if you can manage it, the quad-core packing handset looks to be ready to ship in Marble White or Titanium Gray shades. Its presence in the store slid under the radar with few other details or fanfare, but if you've been eying a T-Mob variant of the phablet with bad intent, check the source to see how to grab it.

[Thanks, Amon]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: T-Mobile (1), (2)

Google seems to have run out of the 8GB version of its Nexus 7 tablet. Sometime today, the $200 slate went from "In Stock" to "Coming Soon", with the Play store giving would-be purchasers the option to sign up for an email notification when it becomes available once again. Might this be a case of demand exceeding supply, or could the least capacious Nexus 7 be on the outs -- making way for a forthcoming 32GB version? No one outside of Mountain View can say for sure, but odds are favorable we'll find out at next week's Android event. Stay tuned.

[Thanks, Jeffrey]

Filed under: Tablets, Google

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Source: Google Play Store

In case you haven't heard, a lot -- and we mean a lot -- of Windows devices are going on sale this week. Today it's ASUS' turn to give its lineup a formal coming-out party: the company is hosting a press event here in New York City, where it just announced the dockable VivoTab RT will be available on October 26th, starting at $599 for the 32GB model, keyboard included. Alternatively, you can buy the 64GB tablet and docking station for $699. As we previously reported, an LTE version is coming to AT&T. Finally, ASUS says it will also sell the tablet and dock individually, but we haven't yet learned final pricing for those items. We'll update this post when we do.

Gallery: ASUS VivoTab and VivoTab RT launch event

If this is your first introduction to the VivoTab RT, here's a quick recap: it basically offers everything people loved about ASUS' Android-based Transformer tablets, except it runs Windows RT instead. Like the Infinity and other recent ASUS tablets, it has a 600-nit Super IPS+ display, offering 178-degree viewing angles and Gorilla Glass protection. Other specs include a quad-core Tegra 3 chip (the new T30, to be exact), 2GB of RAM, NFC and an 8-megapixel rear camera with an auto-focusing f/2.2 lens. Then there's that keyboard dock, which has a USB 2.0 port and built-in battery rated for seven hours. (The tablet itself is said to last up to nine hours.) Finally, of course, as a Windows RT device it comes loaded with all of the same stock applications you'll find in full Windows 8 (Mail, IE 10, etc.), along with Office 2013 Home & Student. The main difference: you won't be able to install legacy Windows programs.

The VivoTab RT arrives the same day as the Surface for Windows RT and indeed, we'll be eager to compare the two, especially since pricing for the keyboard-tablet bundles is identical. In fact, ASUS sent us one to test, and you can expect a review any day now. Until then, we've embedded some press photos below, in case you're just getting your first look.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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In the leadup to tomorrow's Samsung Galaxy Note II event, AT&T has decided to make its pricing and availability known to the general public today. The 5.5-inch smartphone will be available in stores and online starting November 9th, and the cost for the LTE-enabled device will be $300 with a two-year commitment. Lest you fear having to wait an extra two weeks to waltz into a store, you'll be able to head online on Thursday and pre-order it. The press release below has the details, so follow us past the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

We got tipped off way back in August and managed to get a little hands-on time with the variant, and now that October is well under way, MetroPCS is offering up some more info on its Galaxy S III offering. The popular Samsung handset will be hitting the carrier's stores and site on Monday, October 22nd. Off-contract pricing for the Android smartphone's gonna run you $499, on top of $30 to $70 a month for one of the carrier's LTE plans. Spec-wise, you're getting a 4.8-inch SuperAMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM. More info on the offering can be had in the press release after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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With Surface for Windows RT going on sale in just 10 days, Microsoft is finally ready to talk about pricing and availability -- not to mention, some technical details it left out when the tablet debuted back in June. After the Surface product page prematurely went live on Microsoft's site a few hours ago, the company just officially announced that the 10.6-inch, ARM-powered slate will go up for pre-order at 9AM PT today, starting at $499 for the 32GB version. For $599 you get the 32GB model with a black Touch Cover.

To be clear, that entry-level price does not include that snazzy Touch Cover with the flat, pressure-sensitive keys. Rather, it'll be sold separately for $120. Ditto for the more traditional Type Cover keyboard, which is priced at $130. If you already know you want the packaged deal, however, you can buy the 64GB tablet and Touch Cover as a bundle for $699. Lastly, when Surface starts shipping on October 26th, you'll be able to buy it on Microsoft.com or at a Microsoft Store (if you happen to have one in your neck of the woods). If you're hankering for hands-on photos, we'll redirect you to the first look we published the day Surface was announced. Hopefully, though, we'll soon get a review unit so that we can supplement our preview with meaty, real-world impressions.

Gallery: Microsoft Surface for Windows RT press shots

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft (Surface pre-order page)

At the PadFone 2 launch event in Taipei, ASUS let out some details on worldwide availability for its latest phone-and-tablet combo. A handful of countries in Europe and Asia will actually get to buy it before the end of December this year, including these: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan (which we already know), Thailand and U.A.E. Don't worry if you're not on the list, as ASUS says more will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.

Update: Jonney Shih just announced in Milan that for Europe, the PadFone 2 tablet bundle will be priced at €799 ($1,040) for the 32GB model, and €899 ($1,170) for the 64GB model. Without the tax, these figures aren't too far off from their Taiwanese counterparts, but the subsidized prices, if any, will obviously be a lot more attractive than these.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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Back at Computex, Acer announced the Aspire S7 series -- the company's third line of Ultrabooks, and the first of the bunch to sport touchscreens. At the time, we were told they'd go on sale once Windows 8 started shipping and sure enough, Acer just sent out a press release confirming they'll be available October 26th, the day Win 8 officially launches. Prices will start at $1,200 for the 11-inch model (the S7-191), but you'll pay either $1,400 or $1,650 for the 13-inch version (S7-391), depending on which configuration you choose.

For those who missed the initial June reveal, the laptops all have 1080p IPS screens and backlit keyboards. The 13-inch model in particular has a display that can lie completely flat. Another key difference: the 11-inch version has an aluminum lid, while the 13-incher's is fashioned out of Gorilla Glass. Whichever you choose, the S7 comes with a USB to Ethernet adapter, a micro-HDMI to VGA dongle and a carrying case -- a first for Acer. They also make use of Acer's TwinAir cooling technology and are set up to work with AcerCloud, the company's free online storage service, which you can use with mobile apps on iOS and Android.

Inside, the SSDs are all arranged in RAID 0 configuration, which means you can expect the kind of absurdly fast I/O speeds we recorded on the Aspire S5. (The lack of redundancy in that RAID 0 setup also means you might want to be extra vigilant about backing up your stuff.) The battery life is rated for six hours on both models, but the 13-inch version will be available with an external cell that can supposedly double the runtime. Meanwhile. RAM is fixed at 4GB, and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics are the standard. All told, just the kind of specs you'd expect on a high-end Ultrabook.

Again, these will ship on October 26th, starting at $1,200 for the smaller 11-inch model. In the meantime, we've got a few additional specs after the break, and you can always revisit our hands-on from Computex if you want to re-live the magic of a crowded press conference.

Filed under: Laptops, Acer

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Well, Korea might have beaten the UK to the punch, but England's carriers are getting Samsung's latest super-sized phone ahead of the US. As promised, the Galaxy Note II is hitting shelves today at Three UK, O2 and Vodafone. So far, only Three has made the launch official with a press release, but we're sure O2 and Vodafone will follow in short order. The privilege of running the 5.5-inch monstrosity on Three will cost you €69 up front with either a €34 or €36 a month contract, while pay-as-you-go customers will have to fork over €499. If PR is your thing, it's awaiting you after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Via: Android Central