While we've been pleasantly surprised by some favorable browser scores, we couldn't help sneaking another peek at the phone's (second) launch -- this time right in the center of London. We took the Orange Santa Clara San Diego for a spin on our latest benchmarks. See how Intel's new mobile processor fares against much pricier competition right after the break.

Continue reading Orange San Diego: Intel's Medfield phone gets benchmarked

Orange San Diego: Intel's Medfield phone gets benchmarked originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Orange took its time to decide, but now it's settled. The first European Intel-equipped smartphone is the San Diego, replacing the Santa Clara codename assigned to it since February's Mobile World Congress. It will launch on pay-as-you-go at £200, including £10 of credit -- although Orange tell us this will be an introductory price. On contract, prices will start at £15.50 per month for two years and Brits will be able to pick one up from June 6th. We're getting the full run-through from Orange UK and Intel, but we're itching to run our new benchmarks on the Medfield phone as soon as they let us at it. And that pesky Gingerbread OS? We've been told to expect Ice Cream Sandwich closer to the end of Q3. But with just the single carrier, we're hoping testing time could be shaved off significantly.

Gallery: Orange Santa Clara hands-on at MWC 2012

Continue reading Orange San Diego revealed: Intel-powered phone to reach UK on June 6th for £200

Orange San Diego revealed: Intel-powered phone to reach UK on June 6th for £200 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well hello there again, Gigabyte X11. Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak, Gigabyte's just made its 11.6-inch X11 laptop (or is that an Ultrabook?) official. At 975g (2.15 pounds) it claims the title of "lightest notebook on earth" -- and weighs even less on Mars. Design-wise, you're looking at a 16.5mm (0.65 inches) to 3mm (0.19 inches) thin Macbook Air-like body made of real carbon fiber (!) with an aluminum hinge. Under the hood you'll find unspecified third generation Intel Core processors (read Ivy Bridge), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Intel HM77 Express chipset with Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 128GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.

Ports include power, USB 2.0 and mini DisplayPort on the left side plus microSD, combo audio and USB 3.0 on the right. While the specs also mention gigabit Ethernet, there's no sign of it anywhere in the press shots. The display is a 1366x768-pixel LED-backlit affair dotted with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. A chiclet keyboard, buttonless trackpad and 4730mAh 7.4V Li-ion polymer battery (likely sealed) complete the package. There's no word on availability, but prices will range from $999 to $1299 with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional in tow. Expect more information when we get our hands on this sexy beast at Computex next week.

Update: Our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese just got to spend some time with this svelte black slab. Take a look at the gallery below and hit the break for the hands-on video.

Gallery: Gigabyte X11 hands-on

Gallery: Gigabyte X11 press shots

In addition, Gigabyte's announcing two 14-inch laptops -- the U2442 and U2440 -- which feature third generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Unfortunately, we're still busy drooling all over the X11 gallery, so we'll direct you to the full PR after the break for the complete details.

Andy Yang contributed to this report.

Continue reading Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on video)

Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 03:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Intel first unveiled its grand plans for Ultrabooks at last year's Computex, many of the fireworks were consciously reserved for Ivy Bridge-based variants in 2012 -- well, they're here. This year's show in Taipei will show off the third generation of the skinny, MacBook Air-inspired platform, and Intel is toughening up the design requirements in the process. The thickness requirements are the same as last year, at 18mm for systems with screens under 14 inches and 21mm for bigger machines, but high-speed ports are now mandatory to get that coveted "Ultrabook" label and the full marketing weight of Intel's $300 million Ultrabook Fund: if a PC doesn't have either USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, it's out of the running. Intel also wants security built-in, rather than optional, as well as guarantees that a system is quick and responsive when it's fully awake. Not that this would be terribly hard with the low-voltage Ivy Bridge processors launching at the same time, mind you.

Just to reinforce the importance of it all, Intel is noting that the flood of Ultrabooks is about to pick up in a big way as the category hits the mainstream. We were promised 75 Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks this year in a presentation back at CES; that number's now up to 110, 30 of which will be Windows 8-friendly touchscreen models and another 10 opting for the convertible tablet route. At least some of those lightweight portables should pop up at Computex next week, and you can be sure we'll be investigating as many of them as we can to see just how well Intel's partners have advanced the game.

Intel to show third-gen Ultrabooks at Computex, makes USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt a necessity originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel announced its quad-core Ivy Bridge processors in April, but we've known that dual-core CPUs must be on the way too. And alas, the chip maker does have some up its sleeve -- 14, to be exact. Core i5 and Core i7 versions will be the first to ship, with Core i3 processors launching later this year along with new Pentiums and Celerons. Of the 14 dual-core processors, six are desktop-grade. The rest are mobile, though four are ultra-low voltage (which will be denoted by a U at the end of their name). Computex is just around the corner, and we expect to see plenty of Ivy Bridge systems -- especially Ultrabooks with ultra-low voltage CPUs -- there next week. In the meantime, we've already reviewed the Lenovo ThinkPad x230, a system running a dual-core 2.6GHz Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor. If you're into the nitty-gritty details, you'll find plenty to love in the Intel slides below the break.

Continue reading Intel details 14 dual-core Ivy Bridge processors ahead of Computex

Intel details 14 dual-core Ivy Bridge processors ahead of Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We all know the coffee shop WiFi routine: crack open the laptop, visit a splash page, and dutifully wait until you're logged in before you get to Twitter. Through a new deal between Intel and DeviceScape, you won't even have to think about it. Intel's Smart Connect tool will soon automatically sign in your Ultrabook to a curated list of quality, open WiFi hotspots, even if the PC is fast asleep. This last trick might need Windows 8's Connected Standby mode to live up to Intel's expectations, but the dream is to have your email and social feeds updated and waiting before that laptop or tablet screen has even blinked into life. Intel is leaving some gaps in the story, such as whether or not gadget owners will pay a premium for the fast access. We'd guess that Intel is counting on higher computer (and more importantly, processor) sales to make up the difference.

Intel teams up with DeviceScape for automatic public WiFi, will hook up your Ultrabook in the background originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

At CES 2012, Lenovo was the first to announce a Medfield-powered smartphone: the K800. And while it was the first to be unveiled, it couldn't beat the Lava Xolo X900 to market. Lenovo's not too worried about that, however, as the K800 has arrived in China right on schedule, having originally aimed for a Q2 launch and later refining the timeframe to the end of May. The fruits of Intel's labor can be had for the grand 'ol retail price of RMB 3,299 ($524), which gets you a 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, Android 2.3, a 4.5-inch 720p display, an 8MP rear camera and 16GB of internal storage. We haven't heard any news of the phone reaching across the Pacific, but we're sure that won't stop the most insistent of you from grabbing a unit through alternative methods, right?

Lenovo LePhone K800 launches, officially brings Medfield to China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A lot has happened since Lenovo unveiled its biz-oriented Edge S430 back at this year's CES, but after months of staying under the radar, it's finally looking like the laptop's ready to hit a few shelves around the globe. If a product page on Geizhals.at is to be believed, the Thunderbolt-loaded, 14-inch S430 is set to carry a €809 (about $1,015) price tag on one of the higher-end models, with this particular one showing a hot-off-the-press Ivy Bridge CPU (i5-3210M), NVIDIA GeForce GT630M graphics, 4GB of RAM and two USB 3.0 ports, among other things. Of course, this kind of cash is a slightly larger amount than, say, the $749 we heard when the machine was announced -- though, that's likely caused by the souped-up specs and could, as usual, vary depending on configuration. Either way, we have a feeling it won't be too long before we find out its official pricing and release date.

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge S430 readies to enter Euro market, gets priced at €809 on German site originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Drops, shocks, heavy vibrations, dust, water and temperatures in the extremes -- just the kind of punishment you'd expect a DRS Armor slab to put up with, and the firm's latest do so without the briefcase-like look. With MIL-STD 810G certification and an IP65 rating, the 7-inch multi-touch slates can withstand some rough and tumble -- though there's no word if they can pass the tesla coil benchmark. At 1.3 pounds, the Android 3.2-loaded X7ad squeezes out eight hours of battery life with a 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor. Its Windows-minded doppelganger, the X7et, holds a six-hour charge, sports an Atom Z670 processor and tips the scales at just under 1.5 pounds. If the chunkier look strikes your fancy, the 12.1 inch X12kb has you covered -- though at 5.5 pounds, it's the lightest MIL-STD-810G certified convertible tablet currently available. The swivel screened slate has up to eight hours of battery life, a Core i5 560UMCPU processor, a polarized LCD glass display, a spillproof keyboard and touchpad in addition to a one-click stealth mode that disables light and sound for "covert operations." With GPS, WiFi and Gobi Wireless Broadband options, all three of these are ready for missions at home and abroad, however you might need that stealth function to find out the (currently unspecified) pricing.

Continue reading DRS unveils trio of ruggedized tablets in Windows and Android flavors

DRS unveils trio of ruggedized tablets in Windows and Android flavors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 May 2012 03:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The pace of netbook launches has visibly slowed between the dual-pronged pressures of tablets and ultrabooks, and at least for Americans, it's about to get a lot slower. A Toshiba executive has warned that there aren't any plans to bring more netbooks to the US; the NB510's presence at CES this year is now as close as Yankees will get to any more Atom-powered notebooks from the outfit. Instead, all of Toshiba's enthusiasm for ultraportables in the country will be spent on Ultrabooks like the Portege Z835. It's a sad day for those who like their computers tiny, especially as it hikes the minimum price for a super-light Toshiba laptop to $800, but it's hard to ignore a rapidly declining market. We also imagine that Toshiba will gladly steer you to one of its Excite tablets if you're looking for the basics in a small shape.

Toshiba bows out of netbooks in the US, sees Ultrabooks as the wave of the future originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kanex is releasing its very own Thunderbolt cable. However, if you were looking for something shorter and cheaper than Cupertino's six foot, $50 beast, prepared to be disappointed. Costing $60, the only difference between the two is that this is black instead of white, but if your inner-Goth couldn't bear to see another pearly cable, then perhaps those extra ten bucks won't matter.

Update: Our friends over at 9to5mac pointed out that WD and Elgato are also pumping out speedy cables to the masses.

Kanex outs non-Apple Thunderbolt cable (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Like any tech company worth its weight in silicon, Intel puts plenty of cash into research, often partnering with outside labs and schools that are less concerned with turning every project into a multi-billion dollar product. After throwing $30 million at Carnegie Mellon last year to open two new labs, Chipzilla is investing $40 million more in a global network of university research centers. Over the next five years that money will be rolled out to what the company is calling, Intel Collaborative Research Institutes (ICRI). The ICRI are based on the same premise as Intel's Science and Technology Centers, like those opened at Mellon, except with a global reach. Two existing labs, the Intel Visual Computing Institute at Saarland University and the Intel-NTU Connected Context Computing Center at National Taiwan University are being rolled into the program. In addition, three new centers are being opened up, including ICRIs for Sustainable Connected Cities in the United Kingdom, Secure Computing at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and Computational Intelligence at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. For more info on what sort or work they'll be doing at the various labs check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories

Intel funnels $40 million into global network of research laboratories originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Android developers are all too familiar with not-so-hot emulator performance, so it's a relief that there's now an system image in a native x86 for testing. While you'll still likely want to test on ARM, the x86 image will both help ferret out bugs specific to Intel's architecture as well as provide a much faster experience debugging apps now that the ARM-to-Intel translation isn't needed on top of running a whole second operating system. It's not perfectly up to date, running on Android 4.0.3, but it's close enough that the environment will mimic much of what users see -- and a big help if you're jumping into writing specifically for Intel devices. If speed is of the essence, or you're not keen on importing a Lava Xolo X900, you just need to update the SDK Manager to start testing with an Intel-flavored green robot.

Intel posts x86-friendly Android 4.0 image, lets you feel the need for speed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel's chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, doesn't own a smartphone. Well, not by his definition anyway. Talking in Tel Aviv, Rattner was evangelizing about the opportunities in machine learning, and outlining the goals of the firm's Collaborative Research Institute for Computational Intelligence. Working with Technion and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Intel plans to develop small, wearable computers that learn our behavioral patterns -- like where we left our keys -- and other things today's "smart" phones could never do. Intel's Israeli president, Mooly Eden, went on to claim that within five years, all five senses will be computerized, and in a decade, transistors per chip will outnumber neurons in the human brain. All that tech to stop you locking yourself out.

Intel research hopes to give computers human smarts, appreciate our idiosyncrasies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've wanted to build an X79-based gaming PC but were fretting over getting the most out of the quad-channel DDR3 memory you'll want to pair with that Ivy Bridge processor, don't fret: HotHardware has gathered together some of the most common high-speed RAM options and put them to the test. The results aren't clear cut and depend heavily on what you're looking for. Corsair's 1,866MHz Vengeance kit and a similarly clocked G.Skill RipJaws Z set are recommended for striking good balances between low lag and raw speed, while Patriot's Viper X Division 4 is lauded for having the best value and the best stock cooling. That's not to say that Kingston's HyperX line isn't worth it for some speed demons, but the testers suggest hitting the middle of the road to get a good trade-off between speed and the cash outlay you'll need to get there.

Quad-channel DDR3 memory corralled in round-up, Corsair, G.Skill and Patriot take home the trophies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung has been almost completely silent regarding its Chromebox since its CES outing, so we were taken aback when we were tipped off that it was hiding in plain sight on TigerDirect's web store. Sure enough, a product listing provides a lot more detail about the tiny Chrome OS desktop than Samsung gave us in January, including its use of a 1.9GHz, dual-core Celeron B840, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 16GB solid-state drive and six (not five) USB ports. We haven't seen mention of the promised wireless keyboard and mouse bundle, although the retailer's configuration might reflect a stripped-down trim level: at $330, it's a lot less than the $400 we were quoted at the start of the year. We wouldn't count on the store listing staying up -- at least, not until Google I/O -- but you can get a whirlwind tour of the Chromebox's core features through the hilariously awkward video below, which strips out the price if you're not watching from TigerDirect itself.

[Thanks, Pete]

Continue reading Samsung Chromebox gets a premature outing, $330 price tag (video)

Samsung Chromebox gets a premature outing, $330 price tag (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been waiting to, literally, get your hands on the submissive A720 all-in-one from Lenovo, now you can. When we got our paws on it back at CES, it's fair to say we were intrigued. Now, the 27-inch 10-point multitouch PC is up for your buying pleasure. The bad news is, that reported $1,299 base-model price is now actually $1,849, rising to $2,099 if you want the bells and whistles (or 64GB SSD and TV tuner more specifically). You are getting some Ivy Bridge action in that mix, though. The first units won't ship until early June, but if you're looking for a tactile desktop, run your fingers over the source link for more info.

Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 now up for touchy-feely orders originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Heavens, it's already time for another Linux kernel refresh. We're now looking at 3.4, which is available for download now. Whereas the last version was all about green robots, this update focuses on support for the latest processors and graphics cards, including AMD's Trinity and Radeon HD 7000-series, NVIDIA's Kepler stack, plus the graphical component inside Intel's Medfield mobile chip. As if that wasn't enough, there are plenty more changes at the source link, along with a serene missive from the man himself.

Linux kernel 3.4 is out: supports Trinity, Southern Islands, Kepler, Medfield and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel had already promised that it would avoid using conflict minerals, and now it's giving itself a more concrete timetable for that to happen. It wants to have at least one processor that's proven completely conflict-free across four key minerals -- gold, tantalum, tin and tungsten -- by the end of 2013. Lest you think Intel's not taking swift enough action, it wants to reach the tantalum goal by the end of this year. The effort's part of a wider array of goals that should cut back on the energy use, power and water use by 2020. Sooner rather than later, though, you'll be buying a late-generation Haswell- or Broadwell-based PC knowing that the chip inside was made under nobler conditions.

Continue reading Intel wants to have conflict-free processors by the end of 2013

Intel wants to have conflict-free processors by the end of 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's like Highlights for kids, but with a decidedly techno-centric spin. The company known more for what it's put inside our gadgetry has just unveiled a new digital magazine, iQ, intended for the youthful, über-connected masses. Looking much like Flipboard in design and borrowing a live tile-ish approach, the internally-curated Intel webzine culls content from outside pubs and mixes it in with original and partner-contributed pieces to, as EIC Bryan Rhoads puts it, "tell... the bigger story of who we are as a brand." Indeed, it may do just that via the circuitous route of social recommendations, given that each news box grows in prominence along with its viral importance. There's no paid or free app to download, just a simple URL to link you to that dynamic "front page." So, if you feel your angst-ridden teenagers are in need of an industry-specific educational focus, this might be one site to add to their bookmarks.

Intel launches youth-focused iQ webzine, tells its brand story through aggregation originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Intel brings Ivy Bridge to third-gen Core vPro business platform

Intel brings Ivy Bridge to third-gen Core vPro business platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 22:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel's been playing the slow tease with its Haswell microarchitecture as far back as 2008. But today, we finally have a glimpse at what devices running that 22nm core might look like. Shown off at IDF 2012 down in Sao Paulo, the company's Brazilian prexy, Fernando Martins, was photographed brandishing an Ivy Bridge-loaded Windows 8 Ultrabook powered by that next-gen CPU, replete with touchscreen functionality. While it remains to be seen if such hands-on features will make it into the final consumer product, this reference design does at least tip us off to a potential form factor. When those chips do make their official market debut, you can expect a line of svelte laptops that will reportedly consume 20x less power and last up to ten days on standby. That'll make for some nice computing kit, for sure. Now you just have to endure the wait. Hop on past the break for a closer look at this work-in-progress.

Update: A spokesperson for Intel reached out to let us know that the device above is not, in fact, running a Haswell core. The Ultrabook in Martins' hands is actually an Ivy Bridge reference design.

[Thanks, Henrique]

Continue reading Ivy Bridge-based Windows 8 Ultrabook reference design shown off at IDF 2012 in Brazil (update)

Ivy Bridge-based Windows 8 Ultrabook reference design shown off at IDF 2012 in Brazil (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Acer made something of a splash when it trotted out its Timeline Ultra series of Ultrabooks at CES; those waves are just now hitting the shore with a full-on release in the UK under a tweaked Aspire M5 name. Both the 14- and 15-inch models are now known to be packing Intel's Ivy Bridge-era third-generation Core processors, and the "dedicated" video we heard about in January is NVIDIA's Kepler-based GeForce GT 640M, which we saw in the Timeline Ultra M3. Either new PC is still under 20mm (0.8 inches) thick with the option of an SSD, like the M3, but slapping the M5 badge on top means a much narrower display bezel, a backlit keyboard and other more upscale touches that show where your money's going. Picking the 15-inch model adds an optical drive along with a keypad for number-crunching. Mum's the word on exact specs and that all-important pricing, but those questions will be answered by the time the M5 hits British shops in mid-June. Now all that's left is to know when the new Aspire reaches the other side of the Atlantic.

Continue reading Acer ships Aspire M5 Ultrabook to UK in June, Ivy Bridge and Kepler chips in tow

Acer ships Aspire M5 Ultrabook to UK in June, Ivy Bridge and Kepler chips in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel is pushing out that delicious Ivy Bridge update to server chips and, interestingly, it's not focusing purely on the high end to start. In total, 28 new Xeon CPUs were introduced today, including the E5-4600 and 2400 families targeted at four and two socket systems, respectively. Those tweaked mainstream processors aren't the interesting part, though. We're more intrigued by the updated E3 series, the low-end offerings that are aimed small businesses and light web-hosting duty. In particular the new E3-1220L v2 slashes power consumption to an impressive 17w by going with just two cores and only 3MB of cache. While that 3W advantage over its predecessor may not sound like much, it can make a huge difference in the microserver market and in high-density environments where cooling a room full of servers can become problematic. Even in its stripped down form the extremely low-power processor still supports Turbo Boost, Trusted Execution Technology and PCI-Express 3.0. Considering that last-gen's Atom-based server chip pulled down 15W, we'd consider the 1220L v2 an impressive feat of engineering. Now we've just gotta hope that Intel can carry through on that promised 6W Centerton chip. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers

Intel launches new Ivy Bridge Xeons, targets microservers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ivy Bridge, Intel's first generation of chips to use the 22nm fabrication process, is hardly out of the gate, and yet talk has already turned to the company's next manufacturing technologies. According to Xbit Labs, which got its hands on some telltale slides, Paul Otellini et al. have the roadmap for 10nm, 7nm and 5nm processes locked down, and the company is preparing fabs in the states and Ireland to make chips using the 14nm fabrication method. Given that timeframe, Intel says 10nm chips will ship in 2015, with work on 5nm technology beginning that same year. While the slides in question look legit -- and that timeline matches previous reports -- we're not sure just when these mystery slides first made the rounds. Alas, we'll have a good few years to sort 5nm fact from fiction.

Intel sets sights on 5nm chip; already gearing up fabs for 14nm production originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yup, Apples are bound to flow beneath the Ivy Bridge at some point, but how much of a performance boost will they deliver? If you're happy to hold onto a little skepticism, then two unexpected appearances on the Geekbench site could offer some early answers. The first purports to be an unknown 'MacBookPro9,1' laptop powered by an Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM running at 2.7GHz, which achieved a benchmark of 12252 -- that's around 17 percent better than a current equivalent Core i7 15-inch or 17-inch MacBook Pro. The second benchmark comes from an 'iMac13,2' running off Intel's next-gen Core i7-3770 desktop chip clocked at 3.4GHz, which only merits a score of 12183 because it's hobbled by 4GB of RAM. If you exclude memory and compare only the CPU integer and floating point scores, then you're looking at a roughly nine percent gain over a current 27-inch iMac with a 3.4Ghz Core i7-2600 processor. Now, these benchmarks could be faked, or represent non-final hardware, but the motherboard codes look valid (see the source links) and they generally tally with what we've come to expect from Ivy Bridge: a healthy oar-stroke forwards, but nothing that would frighten the fish.

Update: 9to5Mac has done some digging and come up with a few more interesting tidbits about the upcoming MacBook Pro refresh. For one, code pulled from the Mountain Lion beta appears to indicate that the Ivy Bridge machines will boast USB 3.0 and a new GPU in the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M. The site also claims that the laptops will be slimmer than the current gen, a rumor that we've been hearing for quite some time now.

MacBook Pro and iMac with next-gen Ivy Bridge processors crop up on benchmarks (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For all the good stuff it brings, Ivy Bridge has also been running a little hotter than reviewers and overclockers might have liked -- and that's putting it mildly. A few weeks back, Overclockers discovered a possible culprit: regular thermal paste that sits between the CPU die and the outwardly-visible heatspreader plate. By contrast, Intel splashed out on fluxless solder in this position in its Sandy Bridge processors, which is known have much greater thermal conductivity. Now, Japanese site PC Watch has taken the next logical step, by replacing the stock thermal paste in a Core i7-3770K with a pricier aftermarket alternative to see what would happen. Just like that, stock clock temperatures dropped by 18 percent, while overclocked temperatures (4GHz at 1.2V) fell by 23 percent. Better thermals allowed the chip to sustain higher core voltages and core clock speeds and thereby deliver greater performance. It goes to show, you can't cut corners -- even 22nm ones -- without someone noticing, but then Apple could have told you that.

Intel caught out using cheap thermal paste in Ivy Bridge? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you like your computing to be neither seen, nor heard (or less seen and less heard), J&W has announced another bantam slab of nettop for your consideration. On the inside there's a choice of Cedar Trail D2550, N2800 and N2600 dual-core options, with support for up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM. Diminutive machines don't mean lack of I/O, and in this case you'll be getting three USB ports, a multicard reader, LAN, HDMI, VGA and RS232. Fanlesstech points out that it's actually a nano-ITX system, which measuring in at only 135 x 128 x 45 mm means it can be tucked away into even more convenient crevices. Just make sure not to hide it away too securely, else that 802.11.n WiFi might suffer.

J&W announces M001 Cedar Trail nettop, to keep desks and ears happy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 23:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Okay, it may not be one of the sleekest laptops we've seen of late, but Panasonic's B11 is packing a hefty amount of horsepower underneath that beastly shell to make you forget its looks. This Let's Note B11 is a worthy refresh to the B10 series we showed you a while back -- although aesthetically it didn't change much. Inside the Japan-bound B11 is Intel's latest Core i7-3615QM chip, which you can pair alongside a 750GB hard drive or a 256GB SSD. You can also choose up to 16GB of RAM if you go the quiet route, while the HDD configuration only allows a maximum of 8GB of memory. The 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) B11 is set to hit Japanese shelves on May 18th, with pricing ranging from a whopping 170,000 to 250,000 yen (around $3,100) depending on how you set it up.

Panasonic outs Let's Note B11 laptop series in Japan, Ivy Bridge in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel has typically kept its cool in responding to Windows 8 on ARM, but that war of words (and chips) just got a little more heated at an investor meeting. CEO Paul Otellini saw his more mobile-oriented competition facing a "big uphill fight" without the presence of legacy Windows app support. That's a big drawback for corporate buyers that have legions of traditional apps they want to keep running, the executive said. He also used the opportunity to rib ARM over a lack of any existing Windows hardware. There's certainly no question that Intel has a head start in Windows 8 support, but the remarks do come with a degree of irony. Intel is cutting into ARM's territory with Atom-based Android phones, and while it won't have as much of a problem with legacy OS support as ARM will with Windows, Intel has a lot to prove on its own.

Intel knocks ARM's legacy app dilemma in Windows 8, says it has a 'big uphill fight' ahead originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just in case you thought NEC was done with its PC updates this week, the Japanese PC builder has thrown its hat into the Ultrabook ring with a unique contribution of its own. The LaVie Z has a 13.3-inch screen like your garden variety ultralight, but it weighs just 2.2 pounds through a new lithium-magnesium alloy shell about half the weight of the aluminum that some companies love to use. Unfortunately, that weight and the slim frame are about all we know so far: NEC isn't providing any internal specifications, possibly because it's waiting on Ultrabook-ready Ivy Bridge chips. Even so, if you're hanging around Japan and want the lightest possible laptop you can get at a 13-inch screen size, the wait until the planned summer release will feel like an eternity.

NEC's 13.3-inch LaVie Z Ultrabook weighs just 2.2 pounds, brings lithium-magnesium into your life originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel unveiled its Hybrid Memory Cube at IDF late last year, and there's already an alliance dedicated to standardizing and implementing the technology. Now Microsoft wants in on the action: the outfit just announced that it will lend its clout to the Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium. To jog your memory, HMC technology promises seven times the efficiency of current DRR3 memory modules and is being vaunted by Intel et al. as the solution for monster systems requiring lower power usage and higher bandwidth. Redmond's joining a well-attended party; IBM, Micron, Samsung and many others are already members of the consortium.

Continue reading Microsoft joins Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium to develop new DRAM standard

Microsoft joins Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium to develop new DRAM standard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fujitsu's teased us before with Intel's hot new chipset, but now it's getting ready to actually ship two notebooks with Intel's third-gen Core i7 CPU. The first, like others before it, will be a refresh of an older model, the LifeBook LH532, with its last-gen i7 tech swapped out for Ivy Bridge. Other specs will stay the same, with 2GB of system memory, NVIDIA GeForce GT620M graphics with 2GB of VRAM and a 15.6 14-inch 1366x768 high definition TFT LED wide screen. The LifeBook LH772, on the other hand, is an all-new model which will have the same Ivy Bridge i7 horsepower and screen, but the addition of a 2GB NVIDIA Optimus graphics and 4GB of RAM. Being more upmarket than its cousin, it'll have added touches like Onkyo Box Speakers, a DTS UltraPC II Plus sound system and a fingerprint sensor.

Both LifeBooks will have Fujitsu's Face Sense utility, which uses a front facing camera to detect your presence, and pause the system if you're not there. Fujitsu is also touting its Takumi design philosophy, supposedly offering zen-like simplicity and attention to detail -- with features like multiple color choices, rounded keyboard outlines, leveled palm rests and dichromatic keys. Fujitsu hasn't announced pricing yet, but if you need to hit your tasks quickly but harmoniously, check the PR below for more details.

Update: The Lifebook LH532 is a 14" model, not 15.6". Apologies for any confusion.

Continue reading Fujitsu unveils two new LifeBooks, shows some Ivy Bridge zen

Fujitsu unveils two new LifeBooks, shows some Ivy Bridge zen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lenovo's going all-out on Ivy Bridge-based ThinkCentre pro desktop updates this evening, and the centerpiece is the smallest of the lot. The ThinkCentre M92p Tiny -- yes, it's officially nicknamed Tiny -- is about as thick as a golf ball at 1.4 inches and ready to tuck behind your display, but packs up to a third-generation Intel Core chip, vPro for IT control and your choice of spinning or solid-state hard drives. The M92p Tiny and a lower-end M72e should arrive in June, although what the respective $799 and $499 prices will get you are still mysteries.

There's no shortage if you prefer your desktops slightly more upsized. The all-in-one pack is topped by the 21.5-inch ThinkCentre Edge M92z, an uncommonly thin (2.5 inches) desktop using an IPS-based LCD with optional multi-touch that's due in July for $699. The 20- and 23-inch M92z AIO models start off at $799 for their June releases and pack up to 1TB of storage and dedicated AMD Radeon HD graphics, while a more modestly equipped, 20-inch M72z AIO will appear the same month for $599. And if you've just got to have a traditional box, Lenovo will gladly sell you the budget ThinkCentre Edge 72 ($439) or slightly uprated ThinkCentre M82 ($599). Everyone has the option of the 23-inch ThinkVision LT2323z display, which touts an IPS-based LCD and a webcam with Lync VoIP-certified, noise-cancelling microphones. The screen's price hasn't been set, but it does have a locked-in June release. You can delve into the full details of Lenovo's massive ThinkCentre revamp in the releases after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkCentre May 2012 updates

Continue reading Lenovo swings out diminutive ThinkCentre M92p Tiny, bevy of all-in-ones and VoIP-ready ThinkVision display

Lenovo swings out diminutive ThinkCentre M92p Tiny, bevy of all-in-ones and VoIP-ready ThinkVision display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, you may need to shop around to find a replacement for that 11-inch number Dell pulled off the shelves, but that doesn't mean you need to miss out on a free Ivy Bridge upgrade. Origin PC tells us that it's offering the very same silicon swap as Dell to folks who pulled the trigger on any of its laptop and desktop PCs before Intel's big launch. If your order hasn't shipped yet, you're looking at an upgrade. Now if only we could find a manufacturer willing to hand out free GPU upgrades.

Origin PC upgrading pre-Ivy Bridge orders with new silicon, asking nothing in return originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 06:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intel's not one to mess around when it storms a new market, and its jump into enterprise-level PCI Express SSD seemed no exception. Now, a full review by Hot Hardware of its 400GB ($1,929) and 800GB ($3,859) 910-series confirms that while not as stupid-fast as some, the 2 GB/s read and 1 GB/s write speeds are still sublime. On top of that, throughput holds steady even when the device is besieged by thousands of IO demands. A lack of bootability and on-board RAID were complaints, but these SSDs are intended for datacenters, not your gaming PC. And for its target market, the lowish $4.82 price per GB and chart-topping 14 Petabyte max endurance are also endearing qualities. Given its history of SSD reliability, Intel is bound to draw a crowd of corporate admirers to its 910 series -- even though it's fashionably late to the boardroom.

Intel's PCI-E 910-Series SSD reviewed: blazing fast, even under pressure originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 04:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Are you among the Alienware buyers who plunked down cold, hard cash for a new M14X, M17X, or M18X preceding the launch of Ivy Bridge, but can't stomach the thought of being stuck with Intel's second gen CPUs? Good news, gaming friends, because if your laptop was ordered, but hasn't yet shipped, Dell's doing you a solid by upgrading the chip automatically for you. Best part is, the company will swap in "comparably-priced" new silicon for free, which leaves you to spend your money elsewhere to prep for your forthcoming Diablo III launch party.

Dell to upgrade unshipped Alienware orders to Ivy Bridge CPUs for free originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most laptops being updated to Intel's Ivy Bridge processors have come from international brands, so it may be some relief to European PC buyers that Acer's local Packard Bell badge has made the leap as well. The 15.6-inch EasyNote TV and 17.3-inch LV will each use the new 22-nanometer processors both to push performance that little bit farther as well as get a middling five hours of battery life. NVIDIA graphics in GeForce GT 620M and 630M flavors will spruce up the gaming side, however, and Packard Bell is delivering a 20 percent more responsive multi-touch trackpad, dedicated music / social keys and a bamboo-like lid pattern to add a little dose of style. The duo will surface in Europe during June at prices starting from €499 ($656). Acer has sometimes brought Packard Bell PCs to the US as roughly equivalent Gateway models and vice versa, so Americans shouldn't be surprised if they get counterpart laptops before long.

Packard Bell EasyNote LV, TV laptops bring Ivy Bridge to speed-hungry Europeans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 06:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eurocom calls its Racer 2.0 a small form factor mobile workstation -- by which it means it's a rather sizable laptop, but with plenty of power and decent aesthetics. Known for designing its rigs to be upgradable, the Racer 2.0 is such a recipient, which now offers the Intel HM77 Express chipset and support for both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs. It offers a 15.6-inch, 1080p display (in both glossy and matte configurations), which is powered by a 1.5GB GeForce GTX 660M GPU as the basic option. Those desiring even more oomph may opt for the 2GB Radeon HD 7970M, and even those in need of true workstation graphics may select from a lineup of NVIDIA's Quadro GPUs. The four SO-DIMM slots will accommodate up to 32GB of RAM, and it'll even accept two hard drives (in addition to an mSATA SSD), so long as you're willing to fill the optical drive's slot. Naturally, all the upgrades can make the price soar in a hurry, but the base configuration starts at reasonably palatable $1283. Ready to be sold a new laptop? You'll find the PR after the break.

Gallery: Eurocom Racer 2.0

Continue reading Eurocom Racer 2.0 laptop receives Ivy Bridge, offers Radeon HD 7970M graphics

Eurocom Racer 2.0 laptop receives Ivy Bridge, offers Radeon HD 7970M graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Samsung's latest Series 9 Ultrabook is certainly a beautiful piece of engineering, but really, what's the fun in purchasing a new laptop with yesterday's internals? Fortunately, users won't need to make that compromise, as the company has now outed a refreshed version of the computer that's complete with Ivy Bridge internals. The move follows Samsung's recent reveal of the Series 7 Gamer laptop, but as you'd expect, components in the Series 9 are geared more toward efficiency than performance. At its heart, you'll find a dual-core 1.7GHz Core i5 3317U CPU (which has yet to be announced), Intel HD Graphics 4000 and the HM75 Express chipset. While its internal storage remains the same, with a 128GB SSD, its memory has received a pleasant bump up to 8GB. No word yet on pricing or availability, but for those who want to own the very latest, we invite you to stay tuned.

[Thanks, Brooks]

Samsung teases Series 9 Ivy Bridge Ultrabook, leaves availability in the ether originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 20:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.