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IBM's monster mainframe is built to handle your mobile shopping
Shopping from your phone is a big deal these days, but it requires a lot of effort behind the scenes to run smoothly -- when there are thousands of people tapping "buy" in short succession, they can easily bring a server to its knees. That crush might not be a problem for stores that have IBM's beastly new z13 mainframe, though. The system's gobs of CPU power (the "world's fastest microprocessor," IBM claims), memory and bandwidth let it handle a whopping 2.5 billion mobile shopping transactions per day, or enough that even a mad rush like Black Friday shouldn't bog it down. It's fast enough to analyze every deal in real time, too, so it's more likely to catch someone who stole your credit card info before you have to dispute any unwanted charges. You'll probably never know which specific apps and sites are using the z13, but this giant computer might just save you from inordinate waits and rude surprises the next time you're ordering online. [Image credit: IBM, Flickr]
Sony refreshes VAIO Z series with Ivy Bridge, price now starts at $1,600 without the docking station
In case you didn't notice, Sony completely revamped its laptop lineup this morning. Unlike some of the other models on offer, the high-end Z series didn't get a redesign, but Sony at least took the opportunity to refresh it with new Ivy Bridge processors. Oh, and lower the starting price. The Z will no longer be bundled with the Power Media Dock, that external hub housing both a discrete GPU and optical drive. As such, the laptop will now start at $1,600, down from $2,000, while the dock will retail for an additional $400. Spec-wise, the Z still weighs a scant 2.6 pounds, but it's now constructed from carbon fiber and will be offered with a glossy finish. It will also be available with quad-core Ivy Bridge CPUs, though the starting model's processor is dual-core. Otherwise, it offers nearly the same specs as the model we reviewed last year, including a 1080p display and solid-state RAID drives. Look for the refresh sometime this month, and in the meantime we've included pics below to jog your memory on what this guy looks like.%Gallery-156870% %Gallery-156166%
Sony Z Series Walkman Player review
Since it was announced last August, we've anxiously been waiting for Sony's flagship Walkman Z (the first to feature Android) to hit US shores. (It made it here well after the holidays passed. Better late than never, right?) While Sony is billing the Z as a Walkman first and foremost, its spacious 4.3-inch display and 1GHz Tegra 2 SoC ensure it's powerful and well-sized for playing games and generally making the most of Gingerbread. The device will be available in a variety of flavors, with up to 32GB of storage ($330), though for the purposes of this review we've been rocking the entry-level 8GB model ($250). Although we haven't exactly been charmed by similar devices vying for a piece of the iPod Touch's market share, the Walkman Z has plenty of promise. The question is, does it deliver? And does it deserve your $250 when it goes on sale in March? Let's find out.
Sony VAIO series get minor processor refresh, Z series grabs LTE option on the way
Ahead of any possible Ultrabook announcements, Sony's looking to give its existing VAIO catalogue a (relatively underwhelming) shot in the arm with a bundle of hardware retweaks. The Z series looks to gain the most out of the Spring refresh, with a new off-white Carbon Fiber Silver color option set to be offered up alongside an optional LTE modem. The series also gets a processor step-up, with new Intel Core i5 and i7 options rounded off with the choice of SSD storage. Including the connectable drive, prices for the series refresh will start from $1,950. Meanwhile, both the S (13-inch, $800, 15-inch, $980)and E series will get a similar bump to Core i7 processors, with both the S and aforementioned Z series able to lock into an extended sheet battery accessory. If minor processor improvements, more battery options and LTE connectivity warrant forking over your cash, you can expect the revitalized units to arrive early next month.
Sony Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player hands-on (video)
You may well have missed it in today's deluge of Sony product announcements, but the company showed off the latest device to carry its age-old Walkman brand. The 4.3-inch handset device runs Android Gingerbread, and is still in its early stages at the moment, carrying the fairly uninspired Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player moniker. The device has an HDMI port that can be used to play things like mobile games on an HDTV. Sony seemed far less interested in that functionality than its Throw feature, however, which offers up wireless transfers to devices like the company's Bravia TV line. We gave it a whirl, and the whole thing was rather painless, even in a setting like Sony's booth, where the place is lousy with Bravia sets. The device, it seems, isn't quite ready for primetime, so we don't have any word on pricing or available yet. Check out a video of the Walkman in action, after the break.%Gallery-132199%
Is this the next Sony VAIO Z?
We haven't heard much about Sony's ultra slim VAIO Z in months, but when we have, we've always been left with more questions than answers. We've seen its specs (but not handsome face) splashed on various European websites, while Sony, for its part, has only made the coy promise that its newly redesigned S series thin-and-lights are not meant to replace the more premium Z line. Lo and behold, we're now seeing photos of what purports to be the next-gen Z series and, as always, we're left wanting more. In these pics, you've supposedly got the Z -- sometimes with a black lid, sometimes gold -- sitting next to an external dock housing what appears to be an optical drive. If you drop in on the gossip circles in NotebookReview's forum, you'll read some speculation that there's an external GPU baked in there, too -- a compelling idea, though even "Eddie," the guy who leaked these photos, doesn't seem completely confident as to what that peripheral actually does. Given that the Z series has been MIA from Sony's site for months now, we hope the company gets a move on and outs this thing -- if this is, indeed, what it is. Until then, amuse yourselves with photos and crowd-sourced specs at the source links.
Leaked AMD roadmap reveals Desna APU, bona fide tablet strategy
What's a chip maker to do after successfully hawking five million of its Fusion APUs? Why, expand the line, of course! A leaked slide deck from within the lairs of AMD is showing off quite a bit of the company's upcoming roadmap, and while a good deal of it has already been made public in one way or another, there's one term that's causing all sorts of buzz -- and for good reason. Desna is the name to know, a Z-Series APU that's aimed squarely at the tablet form factor. To date, only a handful of chips have managed to slide into slates, and while we always reckoned that a version of Fusion could really give those ARM-based alternatives a run for their money, it wasn't clear if AMD actually had one that would handle the power and heat requirements. Based on these sheets -- dated this month, for what it's worth -- the Z-Series chip will offer Flash compatibility, DirectX 11 support and IE9 / HTML5 acceleration, and that's just for starters. Head on down to the links below for the full skinny, but make sure you grab a cup of joe and unplug the line first. You'll need a few, to say the least.
Lenovo officially rolls out new IdeaPad Z Series
Typical loose-lipped Lenovo had a bit of a hard time keeping its new IdeaPad Z Series a secret, but at least now we can see why. First off, the new line of laptops ditches the glossy, fingerprint-loving covers for ones with a "metallic effect," and even better, the entire line sports chiclet keyboards that are similar to that on the S10-3. If you haven't noticed, we really have a major thing for Lenovo keyboards lately. And while the laptops may come in at under 1.2-inches thick, the 13.3-inch Z360 and the 15.6-inch Z560 have onboard optical drives, and both pack standard-voltage Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processor options. Oddly, Lenovo doesn't seem to be announcing the 14-inch Z460 we had seen a few weeks back, but we assume that one will be up for grabs in other markets. Though the lowest end $649 config won't have NVIDIA GeForce 315M graphics or Blu-ray, it should pack enough power to handle watching that cute girl cry over Justin Bieber on YouTube and those other necessary productivity tasks. Sneaking into the new family is also the 15.6-inch Z565, which differs from its new-born brothers with a glossy black cover and AMD internals. Like the HP ProBooks and Dell Inspiron M501R, the Z565 can be configured with AMD's newest quad-core Phenom II X4, as well as with other new Phenom II, Turion II, Athlon II and V Series processors. We'd imagine there will be good deals popping up all over the place, but unfortunately all of the systems won't be available until June. In the meantime, you've always got the gallery and press release below to cheer you up. %Gallery-92603%
Dell's sensual Latitude Z now on sale, starts at $1,799
Mmm, sexy. To be honest, we're still trying to shake the butterflies we felt when we touched Dell's 16-inch Latitude Z yesterday, and if you'd care to join us, you can place your order right now. The base package gets going at $1,799 after a $200 instant rebate, and that'll net you a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU, 64GB SSD, Intel's GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 4-cell battery, 8x slot-loading DVD burner, 802.11a/g/n WiFi and a 3-year warranty. So, who's putting a dent in their credit card tonight? Be honest -- we're all friends here.[Via Laptoping]%Gallery-74180%
Dell Latitude Z series to include wireless charging?
An article appeared in Forbes the other day that we found very interesting indeed. The gist? That our current economic hiccup is ending (we'll believe that when we see it) and if Dell plays its card right it can capitalize on the imminent post-recession uptick in sales that's sure to come as companies start clamoring to tend to their long-neglected technology. And the key to such a strategy? Newer, sexier gear, such as Dell's long-rumored, not yet confirmed Latitude Z notebook. The premium machine is said to feature a 16-inch display and "most likely, advanced wireless capabilities, perhaps even wireless charging." Apparently we can expect the machine to launch within the next few weeks, at a price point that is yet to be determined -- although we're guessing it ain't going to be cheap.[Via SlashGear]
Dell's ULV-powered Inspiron 14z and 15z now on sale
If you're looking for some ultra-light laptop love in your life, Dell today debuted its 14-inch and 15.6-inch Insprion Z series portables. Both models have more or less the same specs, meaning up to a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 with GMA X4500HD graphics, 1366 x 768 resolution, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 802.11a/b/g/draft-N, Bluetooth, a 7-in-1 card reader, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 6-cell battery. Starting prices for the pair go as low as $599, but if you're looking to load up on as much as possible from the get-go, expect to pay somewhere in the vicinity of $1,034. Read - Inspiron 14z Read - Inspiron 15z
Dell's slim new Inspiron Z family is totally carb free
Dell's got a new lineup heading your way this fall, this time taking its low-cost Inspiron laptop brand to thin land. The Inspiron Z "family" isn't anything stunningly slim, and the 11.6-inch, disc drive free Z in the low end looks positively netbook-ish, but all the laptops are CULV-powered and should probably be arriving at pretty trim price points to fend off the likes of Acer's Timeline series. Hopefully we'll have more details soon (Dell sure does love to tease when it comes to CULV), but for now there are some ultra-exciting laptop stacking pics below to keep you entertained.
Mysterious Dell laptop hits FCC, is a shoo-in for leaked Latitude Z
While most of Dell's latest FCC filing is hidden behind a confidentiality agreement, we couldn't help but notice on the label location host picture a distinct bump on the laptop's back side, which matches up quite well that pretty Latitude Z series leak we covered back in June. Testing a 802.11 b/g single-chip client is somewhat of a downer since it implies no Draft-N, but hey, we don't mind being proven wrong here. External photos and user manual are being withheld at Dell's request until October 25, but hopefully we won't have to wait that long for the full story.
Dell Latitude Z series laptop leaked, sized up in pictures
With nary another word in terms of specs or details, one lucky forum goer at NotebookReview has posted what looks to be pics of a new, as of yet unannounced Dell Latitude Z Series laptop. Not much to say at the moment, aside from the obvious Adamo influence, but we did spot a biometric fingerprint scanner, an oddly-placed ethernet port in the back, and Windows / Intel Centrino stickers. Earlier in the thread another person, albeit lacking any physical proof of owning one, chimed in to say it'd have a 15-inch matte screen, Core 2 Duo processor, webcam with facial recognition, and DisplayPort, with a scheduled release a week from today. Judging by the ports in the pics, it's definitely a thin one -- could we be seeing Dell finally dip its toes into the CULV market? With any luck, we'll be hearing more about this soon. [Thanks, Krzysiek]
Video: Sony's XBR9 and Z-series TVs herald the death of the set-top-box
It's been a long time coming, but television manufacturers have finally wised up to the ways of the Internet and the realities of modern content sourcing and distribution. Case in point, Sony, with its XBR9 and Z-series televisions with built-in Ethernet jack for accessing internet media and informational widgets based on the Yahoo platform. The cats over at SonyConvergineer have put together a few introductory videos (embedded after the break) showing-off Sony's connected capabilities on a production set using Sony's Xross Media Bar UI and Bravia remote control. Right, XMB, thus making the user experience on these Bravias consistent with Sony's PS3 and PSP gaming consoles and select VAIO laptops. A unified-UI trend noticed by Samsung and others that helps promote a consistent user experience across devices. About time, eh?
Sony updates plethora of VAIO laptops in Japan
Ah, Spring. The season of vacations, beach attire and VAIO updates. We already heard that Sony was giving its VAIO P netbook a dose of Windows XP and an optional 256GB SSD, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Type T, Type Z, Type F and Type A are all getting makeovers, so we'll do our best to break 'em down right. The beastly A series will continue to be menacing, boasting an 18.4-inch 1080p panel, WiFi, a HDD / SSD hybrid system, 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce 9600M GT. The F series rolls in with a 16.4-inch display, 4GB of memory, ATI's 256MB Mobility Radeon HD 3470, WiFi, a battery good for three hours and a Core 2 Duo P8700. The other guys are seeing far lighter touchups, but you can feel free to have a look at all of these Japan-bound units in the links below.Read - VAIO updates IRead - VAIO updates II
Sony brings Yahoo! widgets to 1080p ZBR9 / Z-Series HDTVs
No surprise here, but Sony's making darn sure it's not left behind in the connected HDTV arena by introducing seven new sets that all look to the Yahoo! Widget Engine to pull down Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Slacker and other web-based content right on one's HDTV. Proudly dubbed Bravia Internet Widgets, the functionality will come bundled in with the firm's ZBR9 lineup (comprised of the 52-inch KDL-52XBR9, 46-inch KDL-46XBR, 40-inch KDL-40XBR90 and 32-inch KDL-32XBR9) as well as the 52-inch KDL-52Z5100, 46-inch KDL-46Z5100, and 40-inch KDL-40Z5100. All seven sets tout 1080p panels, BRAVIA Sync, four HDMI inputs, an Ethernet jack and a cute Energy Star 3.0 sticker to boot. Gear up for TV 2.0 (or are we up to 3.0?) to land this Spring.
Sony's 'Quantum of Solace' VAIO laptop revealed as expensive, deadly
Someone over at Gadget Review has finally got their hot hands on the James Bond Quantum of Solace laptop -- and contrary to reports, it hasn't exploded, shot poison darts or been used to defuse a bomb... yet. Believe it or not, this machine isn't actually a piece of high-tech spy gear -- it's a garden variety Sony Z series with the usual kit: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 128GB SSD or 320GB hard drive, 3G connectivity, 4GB RAM, 13.3-inch LED backlit LCD, fingerprint reader, Motion Eye camera and Blu-ray drive. This piece of cinematic history will be limited to 700 units, and it's expected to set you back a cool $4,000 -- but hey, check out that 007 logo! If that doesn't get you some action, nothing will. This babe / danger magnet ships at the end of October, we suggest employing Odd Job to help you nab one.
Datto's Z Series: world's first on / off-site backup solution to use ZFS
Datto earned a round of golf claps with its Backup NAS by bringing comparatively affordable off-site storage to the small businesses of the world, but it's giving itself a round of applause with the Z Series. Hailed as the "planet's first on and off-site backup solution to use ZFS," these units provide up to 1TB of local and off-site storage, optional RAID 1 local redundancy, twin gigabit Ethernet ports, OS X / Windows / Linux compatibility and the obligatory rock-solid stability that ZFS is known for. You'll also get a rapid recovery promise, which enables you to sleep easy knowing that your data can be restored within 24 hours should disaster strike. The units range in capacity from 250GB ($499) to 1TB ($1,149), while the required service packages demand anywhere between $35 per month to $1,000 a year.
Sony's forthcoming VAIO Z series laptops unofficially detailed
Hooray! More Sony VAIO laptops with naming schemes impossible to decipher! Following up on those tasty new FW and SR lappies that we were informally introduced to earlier this week comes even more foreign images detailing a 13.1-incher. On the surface, it looks like said machines will feature a Core 2 Duo processor, 1,600 x 900 native resolution, 4GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, dual-layer DVD burner, a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics card, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, integrated HSDPA connectivity and a modest array of ports. For more details on which model gets what (off the record, of course), dip on into the read links below.Read - Images / specs of new machinesRead - More details on rumored VAIOs
