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Encrypted Text: The rise of the ranged rogue
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. The original Shuriken Toss never made sense. Why would rogues, a purely melee class, want a single ranged attack? We don't have the supporting toolbox to make the transition into a ranged DPS spec. Melee uptime is our top priority. Because of our reliance on our melee attacks, mobility is our most requested feature. Why would a class want Shuriken Toss when they can have Shadowstep? Patch 5.2 is turning a one-off ranged ability into everything a rogue needs to attack targets from range. If you use Shuriken Toss on a target that is farther than 10 yards away, your auto-attacks gain a 30-yard range for 10 seconds. The auto-attacks turn into tiny shuriken that you throw at your target. These shuriken have several special properties, but the extended range is obviously the most important aspect of the ability. With Shuriken Toss, ranged auto-attacks, and Deadly Throw, rogues suddenly have a ranged repertoire.
Encrypted Text: Shuriken Toss breaks all the rules
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. Raise your hand if you remember fighting against Shazzrah. I'm not talking about our recent bout with Shannox or even our old fights against Mother Shahraz. Shazzrah goes way back, to WoW's very first raid instance, Molten Core. Due to the frequent AoE explosions that Shazzrah unleashed, rogues couldn't engage him without being slaughtered immediately. While the rest of the raid fought the boss, I joined the other rogues in my group crushing Blindweed and making some food next to the Cooking Fire. As a melee class, our biggest weakness for years has been that we can only deal damage to nearby targets. It's limited our ability to swap targets effectively, our ability to avoid point-blank AoE attacks, and our ability to attack any target that's not on the ground. Rogues, along with other melee classes, have actually been benched because of these limitations. These shackles and restrictions have bound our class since its inception. Shuriken Toss has the chance to change all that. The new level 90 rogue talent slated for Mists of Pandaria might redefine what it means to play a rogue.
Dell XPS 14z available now for $1000, ready to assail your eyes with a Shuriken display
From IFA to retailers' shelves, Dell's XPS 14z has finally completed its marketplace destiny. The 14-inch Windows 7 laptop we recently reviewed as a sensible buy is now up on the company's site in three configurations, with the base model starting at $1,000. For your money, you can choose from a Core i5-2430M or Core i7-2640M processor, DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB, up to 750GB of storage, an Intel HD Graphics 3000 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics card and, of course, you get that narrow bezeled Shuriken display. Looking for a lightweight laptop to add to your computing arsenal? Then hit up the source below and get to ordering. [Thanks, Jordan]
Dell XPS 14z review
As far as product launches go, Dell didn't exactly rip the Band-Aid off the XPS 14z. After teasing it back in September, the company let all the specs out of the bag, but stopped short of naming a price and ship date for the United States. Well, now we know: this 14-incher will be available in the US and Canada November 1, and will start at $1,000 -- a price that puts it in direct competition with the likes of the HP Envy 14 and Sony VAIO SA series. Like these other laptops, the 14z commands a premium over cheaper models, with beefier specs and a (supposedly) more luxurious design. With Core i5 and i7 processor options, discrete graphics, USB 3.0 and an optional solid-state drive, it offers a lot of the same specs as its peers, though it manages to stand out in a couple key ways. One, it sports an LG Shuriken display, which crams a 14-inch screen into a chassis normally reserved for 13-inch systems (translation: its bezels are super narrow). And with a starting weight of 4.36 pounds, it's lighter than a lot of the other laptops you're probably considering. But are these bullet points enough to make it a smart buy? Read on to find out. %Gallery-137332% %Gallery-137029%
Ultrabooks invade IDF 2011, Toshiba Portege Z830 makes cameo (video)
While we've already seen Ultrabooks from a bevy of brand name manufacturers -- Toshiba (which we caught on video below), Lenovo, ASUS and Acer -- ODMs are now joining the thin and light party here at IDF. There's one catch, however: this row of Ultrabooks from the likes of Pegatron, LG, Invetec and Foxconn aren't nearly as svelte as their branded counterparts, leading us to believe that Intel's specs aren't quite as rigorous as we'd originally thought. Video proof after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-133549%
LG P220 ultraportable hands-on at Computex 2011 (video)
What would happen if you took a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and shrunk it down a notch into a 12.1 or 11.6-inch ultraportable but decided to keep the box shape instead of using a MacBook Air-like wedge design? We're pretty sure you'd end up with something like this sexy LG P220. We saw this light and thin laptop at the Intel booth at Computex and came away rather impressed. While the materials used (plastics) don't live up to the lofty standards set by Apple's popular notebooks, the innards appear to pack a serious punch. We don't have any specs, but the unit we handled was equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, and LG's gorgeous super slim bezel-hating Shuriken display. We'll keep you posted with more info as soon as we dig it up -- in the meantime, why not take a look at this hot little number in our gallery and hands-on video after the break? %Gallery-125014%
Acer TravelMate 8481 series laptop shown off with super thin bezel, or so you think
Remember the rumor about an upcoming Acer laptop housing a super thin LG Shuriken display? Well, here it is at Computex. Thanks to the crazy thin bezel, we noticed this TravelMate 8481 series laptop quietly chilling out in a corner at Acer's booth, though upon closer inspection it turned out that the bezel is slightly deceptive. What's really happening here is that while the screen module (which includes the 1.3 megapixel webcam) really is eating away the bezel, the actual LCD (14.1 inches at 1,366 x 768) isn't really touching the edge. Still, it's one helluva slim display thanks to LG's display technology and Acer's carbon fiber chassis. Other highlights include Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT520M, up to 320GB of hard drive space, up to 13 hours of battery life, USB 3.0 with power-off charging, fingerprint reader, HDMI, and Bluetooth 3.0. Oh, and like some of the ThinkPads, the mouse buttons use the same mechanism as the keyboard keys for better clicking experience, though it might not be everyone's cup of tea. No prices announced just yet, but keep an eye out for a global launch around mid-June. Video after the break. %Gallery-124876%
LG P430 and P530 Blade laptops bedazzle with slim bezels, aluminum bodies, and Core i7
We heard of a bezel-hating LG Shuriken display sneaking its way onto Acer laptops recently, but the Korean company has wisely opted to debut that cutting-edge technology in its own portable computers first. The 14-inch P430 and 15.6-inch P530 mark the start of LG's new Blade series of laptops, which are the result of some obsessive slimming work at the LG labs -- display thickness is 4.5mm and 4.7mm, respectively, while the bezel on the 14-inch model is so narrow as to fit its screen within the dimensions of a traditional 13.3-inch laptop. Weight, at 1.94kg on the P430 and 2.2kg on P530, is also said to be on par with machines offering significantly smaller screens, but that's not at the sacrifice of construction materials as brushed aluminum is used to strengthen LG's new slimsters. A Core i7 CPU and GeForce GT520M GPU will provide the internal firepower, though the rest of the hardware specs are as yet unannounced. The P430 will launch in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America at the end of May, to be followed by the P530 in June. Full PR after the break. Update: LG has now listed the full specs sheets on its Newsroom website.
Acer said to be using LG Shuriken display in upcoming laptop -- less bezel, less thickness, more awesome
The zany guys and gals at DigiTimes have a saucy new rumor to start our week off with a bang. A newfangled LG display, dubbed Shuriken, is apparently being recruited in Acer's fight against irrelevance. The Taiwanese company will reputedly use it in an upcoming 14.1-inch laptop, but here's the kicker: the physical size of the laptop will be no bigger than that of a 13.3-inch model. That's because the Shuriken's panel will require less bezel (8mm instead of 12mm) and less thickness, slimming itself down to just 4mm. LG already has the 12.5-inch Xnote P210, which would seem to be employing similar technology, so it's not a stretch to believe the company's war on bezels has stepped up to the 14-inch size class. Acer is expected to launch this new laptop as early as next month, though the cost of the Shuriken displays is cited as the reason they haven't been taken up more widely yet, meaning the price of the eventual product will be almost as intriguing as its looks.
Hands-on with the T-Mobile Sidekick LX
The full-scale launch doesn't come until the 24th, but current subscribers can get their grubby paws on Danger's latest and greatest starting today. Needless to say, the Sidekick LX is the best Hiptop to date; we were pleasantly surprised with the handset's build quality, the blue shell with chrome trim looks pretty slick, and the bright, crisp widescreen display is simply glorious. Can't get to the store just yet? No worries, we've got you covered with a bunch of shots that should make the day fly by just a little quicker!%Gallery-8722%
Sidekick LX "Shuriken" in the wild?
Is it just us, or does this thing look... well, not that great? This here is allegedly a shot of the upcoming Shuriken / Sidekick LX / Sidekick 4 -- Sharp's next-gen Hiptop alongside Motorola's Sidekick Slide -- doing its thing in the wild. Sadly, the case looks like cheap black plastic, the keyboard looks bizzare, and the chrome speaker looks out of place, though we suppose those bits could all be little pieces of preproduction indiscretion. Fortunately, the rumored 3-inch widescreen display should go a long way toward making up for any lingering ugliness when it launches in the not-too-distant future, but the Slide's looking a little better now, ain't it?
Sharp's Sidekick "Shuriken" hooks up with FCC
We're still not sure whether this is the legit Sidekick 4 -- you know, the true successor to the Sidekick 3, as opposed to some tangential compromise like the Sidekick iD -- but we're definitely encouraged by Sharp's internal designation for this sucker. It's been assigned the model number "PV250" to be exact, which would put it above the Sidekick 3's PV200 (and well above the iD's PV150), suggesting that the Shuriken is likely the next-gen Sidekick we should all be getting excited about, not the Slide from Motorola. Then again, it seems like there isn't much new here; it should get a healthy 3-inch widescreen display, which is nice and all, but 3G data is still nowhere to be found. Guess you need a functioning 3G network to offer 3G devices, eh, T-Mobile?
"Shuriken" is Sharp's Sidekick 4?
Remember those renderings of two upcoming Sidekicks, one labeled the "Sidekick Slide" and the other called out simply as the "Sidekick"? We now know a heck of a lot more about the Slide, and it seems the mysterious "Sidekick" might be getting outed now, too. Hiptop3.com is reporting that the handset is codenamed "Shuriken," a device that will ultimately become the Sidekick 4 sporting a full 3 inch widescreen display, microSD slot, and 1.3 megapixel camera. Unlike the Motorola-made Slide, the Sidekick 4 will be made by Danger's old pal Sharp. None of this is verified, of course, but the leaked screen cap is calling out a Q4 release -- in Germany, at least -- so we'll know soon enough.[Thanks, EC and Boy Genius]
