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Razer's 2013 line of Blade laptops include 14" model, upgraded internals
Razer has unveiled the 2013 models of its ongoing Blade series of high-performance gaming laptops. In addition to upgrading and renaming the existing 17-inch model to the "Razer Blade Pro," the peripheral/PC manufacturer has also introduced a new 14-inch variant. Pre-orders for both rigs begin on June 3. Starting at $1,799.99, the 14-inch Blade is powered by a "future 4th-gen Intel Core" processor – otherwise known as a Haswell – eight gigs of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 765M. Its screen outputs at a resolution of 1600 x 900, and its data is stored on a SATA III SSD drive that comes in 128, 256 and 512 gigabyte flavors. Razer says the battery will last "up to six hours," and that its wireless interweb adaptor is "up to five times" faster than other wireless-N devices on the market. The new 17-inch Razer Blade Pro looks pretty much the same as last year's second-generation Razer Blade, though its internal bits have been upgraded to the 14-inch model's hot new digs and its starting price has been lowered by $200, down to $2,300. The Pro also includes an Ethernet port and Razer's proprietary capacitive multitouch LCD display/trackpad, two features that have been omitted from the 14-inch Blade.%Gallery-189866%
Razer gives away custom Star Wars-themed Blade, may turn friends Imperial Guard red with envy
Razer has been big on Star Wars gaming gear, but never quite like this. Enter a free contest and there's a chance to win a completely unique Star Wars: The Old Republic version of Razer's Blade gaming laptop. The winner sees the system's normally black shell replaced with a matte, laser-etched aluminum gray and the green backlighting dropped in favor of a subtler yellow matched to the MMORPG logo. Anyone who brings out this portable at a bring-your-own-computer gaming party is inevitably going to be the center of attention, although we have a feeling some would almost prefer the second-place bundle of peripherals -- at an estimated worth of $15,000, the Star Wars Blade might be too precious to carry for all but the most well-heeled of fans.
Razer CEO wants annual Blade laptop refreshes, isn't worried about price complaints
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan is charismatic, clearly very smart and passionate -- not a bad combination considering he's the face and voice of a major international hardware manufacturer. Razer's latest, the second-generation Blade gaming laptop, launches this week for the whopping price of $2,500, and we spoke with Min-Liang about just that. "This," he said, referencing the second-generation Blade's slim power brick, "costs seven times this," he added, pointing to a competitor's power supply. "Do we have to do this? Probably not." And that's emblematic of Razer's whole approach to the Razer Blade, as a line of gaming computers. Expensive? Yes, very. But significantly nicer and more detailed that its less expensive competition? Also yes. Also very. As our own Sean Buckley put it in our review of their latest gaming laptop, "the Blade is a gorgeous machine." It's true -- at just 0.88 inches tall and 6.6 pounds, the new Blade is remarkably thin and light for a 17-inch laptop with enough juice under the hood to sate even the most spec-obsessed of PC gamers. But are enough gamers out there willing to trade a lower price tag for a better-looking machine? Razer and its CEO certainly think so, and they've got numbers from the first, more expensive Blade to prove it. "The original Blade was at $2,799. Back then, it was pricey, but we've been surprised at the amount of demand for that. We thought we were gonna sell out in 30 days -- we had 30 days' stock. But we sold out in 30 minutes for the first batch," he said. And, as far as pre-order numbers go for the second version, Min-Liang's confident they mean good things for the future of the Blade. "We're getting hammered with the pre-orders for the new Razer Blade. Right now, we'll be able to ship most of the orders by September 30, fingers crossed. But we're trying to bring in as many units as possible," he excitedly explained. Min-Liang isn't too worried about offending first-gen buyers, either -- the first Razer Blade launched in early 2012 for just shy of $2,800. Less than 10 months later, the second-gen Blade is launching for $300 less with a significantly upgraded graphics card. Sure, first-gen adopters get a $500 discount on the new Blade, but the sting of early adoption is especially rough in such an instance.
Razer Blade review (late 2012)
Razer has made a habit of catching us off guard -- breaking the mold as an accessory manufacturer by building laptops, prototype game handhelds and controller-toting tablets. Their Blade laptop cut through our expectations as well, featuring a beautiful aluminum shell and one of the thinnest profiles of any gaming rig on the market. It had some serious flaws, though: it was underpowered, had minor build issues and simply fell short in the audio department. Its maker, apparently, wasn't deterred: mere months after the original Blade's own debut, Razer is now introducing a successor. Most of the changes are internal: this model swaps out the original's Sandy Bridge CPU and last-generation NVIDIA graphics for a newly announced 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-3632QM processor and a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 660M GPU. It caught our interest -- Razer had previously insisted its first laptop wasn't built just for power, but for a premium experience. Now, the firm seems to be focusing on both (now that's a premium experience we can get behind). So, is this upgrade enough to make up for the OG version's shortcomings? Read on to find out.
Second-generation Razer Blade hands-on (update: video)
Razer's second attempt at a gaming laptop is just as sleek as its first try, and even more powerful. The second-generation Razer Blade -- Razer Blade 2.0, we're calling it -- packs some serious hardware: an unannounced Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics (a big step up from last year's GT 555M inclusion), 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM, a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive, and 64GB of solid state storage. All that hardware is stuffed in a nigh identical aluminum chassis to the first edition, with a 17.3-inch high def screen and the infamous multitouch LCD Switchblade interface (read: that bizarre little touch screen built into the keyboard). And all this for the low, low price of ... nearly $2,500. Yikes. For the savvy, independently wealthy gamer on the go, however, little else on the market compares to Razer's Blade laptop. The second generation focuses on beefing up the tech specs from last year, and that's immediately apparent with the inclusion of the Kepler-grade GTX 660M. Not much else is changed in the hardware department otherwise, with the exception of the USB slots all being upgraded to 3.0 -- the same LCD touch panel display sits on the right side of the keyboard, and its been bolstered with a new software suite.
Second generation Razer Blade upgrades innards, lowers price
The original Blade laptop from Razer may only be six or so months old at this point, but six months is essentially a million, billion years in consumer electronic terms. Hence, Razer has announced an updated version of its gaming rig, which features new internal components and a lower-yet-still-wallet-crushing price of $2,499.Whereas the original Blade packed a 2.8 GHz Core i7 processor and a GeForce GT 555M GPU, the new model ships with an as-of-yet unannounced Core i7 CPU and a GeForce GTX 660M, as well as eight gigs of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM, a 500-gig 7200 rpm hard drive and 64-gig solid state drive. The rest of the package (17ish-inch 1920x1080 display, capacitive multitouch Switchblade LCD side display, etc) remains the same. First generation Blades will be receiving a price drop to appropriately reflect the introduction of the new hotness, bringing its down to $2,299. Anyone that has already purchased the original Blade, however, will be able to upgrade to the new model at a $500 discount. Pre-orders for the second generation Razer Blade start tomorrow, with delivery expected to take place by the end of the month. %Gallery-164115%
Second-generation Razer Blade laptop sharpens its edge with GTX 660M, unannounced Core i7 CPU
The 17-inch behemoths that call themselves gaming notebooks are traditionally quite large, trading extreme performance for substantial bulk. These machines routinely flirt with double digit weigh-ins, and flaunt meaty 1.5-plus inch bezels. They represent a unwieldy reality in portable power that most gamers have learned to expect. Not Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan, however -- he's still chasing the dream: thin, powerful and sleek. Tan caught up with us this week to brief us on the next generation Razer Blade, a rig that still boldly claims to be the "world's first true gaming laptop." Razer's first laptop hit shelves earlier this year, packing a 2.8GHz Core i7-2650M CPU and a GeForce GT 555M GPU into a svelte 0.8-inch aluminum shell. Tan explained that the rig's attractive hull hadn't changed much, but its internals sure have. "The Blade was our first laptop, and we've taken feedback really seriously since then," the CEO told us. "We've been listening to gamers and made a chart of all the pros to keep, and all the cons to address. Every single one of them." That chart eventually mapped out the refreshed rig's internals, which include an unannounced Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics, 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM, a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive and 64GB of fast-booting solid state storage. All this comes in the same aluminum shell as the first Blade, of course, sporting a 17.3-inch high definition display and the firm's exclusive multitouch LCD Switchblade interface. Tan says the new build addresses some of our own complaints too, noting that the sticky hinge that plagued our review unit has been tweaked to bend to a lighter touch. The machine's internal speakers have been upgraded as well, and are said to be 250% louder with no distortion. The new Blade's sharpened specs will come with a price cut, ringing in at a penny under $2,500 -- and gamers who picked up its predecessor (which will be getting its own price cut, to $2,299), we were told, can snag one for $500 less. Pre-orders are slated to start on September 2nd, and should ship within 30 days. The new laptop is being unveiled for the first time at PAX Prime this weekend. Not in Seattle for Labor Day? Check out the official press release after the break. %Gallery-163950%
Check out Razer's Mechwarrior Online 'Artemis' prototype and other peripherals
Razer's E3 booth was fully stocked with both retail and prototype peripherals this year, the most interesting of which was the Artemis, an experimental controller array designed specifically for MechWarrior Online. The prototype, designed and built in a month, features a flight stick on the right, an array of buttons on the left and a 10 inch screen in the middle. Razer hopes to have a retail version of the peripheral ready sometime this year.The rest of the booth was populated by the company's ambidextrous, 8200 dpi Taipan mouse ($79.99, July), a Battlefield 3-branded, helicopter-style Blackshark headset ($129.99, July) and the Blade laptop, all of which can be seen in the gallery below.%Gallery-157589%
Distro Issue 30 brings you 'The Best of Mobile World Congress 2012'
While a handful of Engadget editors braved the show floor in Barcelona, we here at Distro HQ were busy trying to keep pace with the insane amount of news coming out of Mobile World Congress 2012. Fittingly, issue 30 of our fine weekly is packed to the rafters with the best and latest in mobile technology. Also in this issue, Tim Stevens gives us his detailed impressions of Microsoft's Windows 8 consumer preview; we pick apart the long-awaited refresh of BlackBerry PlayBook OS; and Dante Cesa dives into Razer's first gaming laptop, the Blade. Plus, we grill Mobile Burn founder Michael Oryl for the Distro Q&A; Donald Melanson offers his latest reading recommendations; we get real for IRL; and Box Brown reveals a handful of Siri Easter eggs for Last Word.Distro Issue 30 PDFDistro on the iTunes App StoreDistro in the Android MarketDistro APK (for sideloading)Like Distro on FacebookFollow Distro on Twitter
Engadget evaluates Razer Blade performance
Our fellow bloggers at Engadget have gotten their hands on the Blade laptop from Razer (the very first commercial fruits of that "Switchblade" concept seeded so long ago), and the unit gets some high marks, despite some significant flaws. The worst issue with the laptop seems to be the audio (the built-in speakers are so bad that Engadget suspected their unit was broken somehow), but in general the problem with the Blade seems that it's tuned for a mix of portability and performance, which means neither gets to be perfect.Yes, the Blade is sleek and super thin for a PC laptop, but it trades on that build by being a "gaming" unit that doesn't play StarCraft 2 on its highest settings perfectly. (see update) For the sticker price of $2,799, Razer traded a little too much performance for the admittedly impressive form factor.But while Engadget doesn't recommend the laptop wholeheartedly, the site does praise the Blade's "bright and delectably tactile" LED buttons. The article surmises we'll see those types of controls again soon, either in Razer hardware, or units from other device manufacturers.Update: Engadget has discovered that they didn't have the latest drivers for the graphics card, and with those, apparently Skyrim runs much better. Engadget is working on updated benchmarks for all of the Blade's performance aspects.
Razer Blade review
Typically, when a company wants to meet, you expect more of the same -- not a change in strategy, nor a decision to enter an entirely new product category. So when Razer wanted to meet us one bright, oddly cold San Franciscan morning last August, we certainly weren't expecting to meet its CEO, Min-Liang Tan, and we definitely weren't prepared to find a 17-inch prototype laptop, henceforth known as the Blade. Shaving puns aside, we listened to Tan proudly wax on about the results of nearly three years of development, much of which involved recruiting a bevy of talent from the now-defunct OQO. What they'd accomplished, according to Tan, was the "world's first true gaming portable." An audacious statement, sure, especially considering the Blade was to be Razer's foray into the PC market. No matter. Tan's impetus was clear: the outfit would cater to gamers who'd been left in a vacuum after formerly gaming-obsessed companies sold out, leaving the segment to languish. His angle, however, would be different. The Blade wasn't going to be a gaudy, gargantuan, no-holds barred device with outright performance in mind. No, instead the 0.8-inch thick aluminum beaut would attempt to straddle the worlds of portability with performance, seeking to hit a perfectly balanced middle ground. That sounded reasonable, but judging by reactions from most of you, the decision to stuff this $2,799 rig with a mid-range GeForce GT 555M card wasn't. Nor was the call to kit it with a paltry 320GB of rotational storage. Razer would rectify the latter in December, promising 256GB SSDs for all -- a concession that would push shipments back, well, until now. Still, even after toying with it briefly at CES, our impressions were ultimately shallow, as we couldn't get much of a feel for it in that controlled environment. Which brings us to the present day, and with Razer graciously airdropping a Blade onto our doorstep, does this experimental laptop stand up to its maker's gutsy claims? Or will those who've shelled just shy of three grand be sorely disappointed with its execution? Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's to join us past the break.
Razer Blade spotted at CES 2012, now rocking SSD and functional trackpad (video)
Back in September, we got our hands on the 17-inch gaming behemoth from Razer. There was only one snag: the trackpad wasn't fully functional yet. There were screens in place, but we weren't able to test out all of the controls. Here at CES, we were able to get a quick hands-on with a final consumer model, ready to start dominating your next Skyrim marathon. As you may recall, the trackpad is offset to the right side of the keyboard so as not to interfere with your access to the essential in-game controls. Serving up quite a few functions, the tech includes a miniature web browser, access to control settings, macro key set-up, YouTube viewer, a number pad and a regular ol' laptop touchpad. Another difference between the model pictured here and the one we spent some time with is the inclusion of a 256GB SSD instead of a 320GB HDD which pushed the launch date back to mid January. The kit will still set you back $2,799 and is slated to ship later this month.
Razer Blade gaming laptop delayed until mid-to-late January due to SSD upgrade
Eagerly waiting to get your hands on that nearly $3,000 Razer Blade gaming laptop? Then we're afraid we've got a bit of bad news. Razer confirmed this week on its Facebook page that the initial batch of shipments have been delayed until mid-to-late January (much like the also-delayed Tiamat gaming headset). That's due to a last-minute hard drive upgrade from the standard 320GB HDD to a 256GB SSD -- a switch that Razer says it's been able to do without increasing the $2,799 list price, but which it can't do without incurring a delay (it promises it'll be worth it). To keep the peace with gamers, Razer says it will gladly throw in a free Razer Orochi Blade Edition gaming mouse with your Blade laptop order -- details on receiving it can also be found on the company's Facebook page linked below.
NerdHeist 2011: Razer Blade prototypes stolen from Razer R&D
After what we can only imagine was an exciting and Hollywood worthy laser-grid-circumnavigating vault heist, two experimental Blade prototypes have been stolen from a Razer research and development laboratory in the San Francisco bay area, according to a Facebook post made by Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan. It's unclear as to whether or not these were the only two prototypes, but it's safe to say that any loss like this is a significant one, and that the prototypes are worth far more than the $2,800 retail price originally quoted for the laptop. Tan is asking for anyone with information about the theft to send an email to cult at razerzone dot com. The Blade, revealed earlier this year at PAX, makes use of a proprietary user interface and LCD touchpad; trade secrets which Razer must desperately (and understandably) want to keep out of the hands of the competition. We're not saying this was corporate espionage, of course, but we are heavily implying that.%Gallery-131790%
Razer Blade: hands-on with 17 inches of gaming greatness
Something big's been brewing over in Carlsbad, and the time has finally come for it to be revealed to the world: the Razer Blade. The onyx aluminum beaut before you is the culmination of over three years of work by a stealth team of engineers -- many of them absorbed from the former OQO team. Despite being only 0.88 inches thick (thinner than another 17-incher we know...), the svelte number still packs a punch with a 2.8GHz Core i7-2640M CPU and GeForce GT 555M graphics replete with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory. All that graphical horsepower will splay your exploits on a 17.3-inch LED 1920 x 1080 full HD panel with an HD webcam nestled above. Rounding out the package is 8GB of RAM, three USB ports (one of the 3.0 persuasion), HDMI-out and a 60Wh integrated battery. And it could all be yours for $2,799 when it debuts in Q4 of this year. That's dandy, but we're more stoked on the 480 x 800 LCD trackpad just to the right of the backlit keyboard. It works either as a multitouch-enabled input device or as an additional display for in-game info when the urge to slay demons with an external mouse strikes. North of that hotness lie ten fully customizable buttons, both in appearance (courtesy of a separate LCD) and in function. The keys and trackpad were last seen on a keyboard in a galaxy far, far away, and are running a custom Switchblade UI -- inspired by the company's oh so sexy Switchblade concept that we saw at CES. And just like the concept, Razer's used a custom lighting panel to ensure you can see those keys clearly from an angle -- people don't look straight down at their keyboards, after all. Follow on past the break for more impressions, video and PR. %Gallery-131716% %Gallery-131503%
