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ASUS Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook to appear at Computex 2013 with Gorilla Glass 3 lid
ASUS' Transformer Book hybrid may have just graduated from our review testing, but the company already has a new product to tempt you. The Zenbook Infinity will be the "world's first Ultrabook with a lid made form Corning Gorilla Glass 3" and will be revealed in full at Taipei's Computex 2013 in a few weeks. It'll measure in at just 15.5mm thick, which a full 14 percent thinner than previous Zenbooks. Next-generation Gorilla Glass will cover the outer lid and the keyboard surround, although you can expect to see that familiar concentric circle pattern beneath the protection. ASUS says the Ultrabook will launch Q3 2013, but expect to see the full specs before then.
Gorilla Glass 3 panels to be 50 percent stronger, more scratch resistant
Corning, maker of the glass panels found in all iPhones and iPads, has announced the next generation of Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass 3 panels will be three times more scratch resistant, have a 50 percent increase in the panel's retained strength after a the glass becomes flawed (cracked or scratched), and offer a 40 percent reduction of visible scratches. Gorilla Glass 3 will be shown off at CES next week. The new glass is expected to make its way into the next iteration of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Gorilla Glass has been used in every iOS device to date as well as devices from numerous competitors.
Corning introduces Gorilla Glass 3, promises ape-sized improvements in durability
Once, twice, three times a gorilla? Corning's primate-themed glass is ready for a third go-round, and as you'd expect, it's even tougher than the first two iterations. Gorilla Glass 3 has been improved at the molecular level, incorporating a proprietary feature called Native Damage Resistance (NDR). According to Corning, NDR reduces the propagation of flaws, the appearance of scratches and does a better job of maintaining the overall retained strength of the glass. As a result, GG3 claims a three-fold improvement in scratch resistance, 40 percent reduction in the number of visible scratches and 50 percent boost in retained strength after the glass becomes flawed. None of this actually means your phone or tablet will survive a five-foot drop onto concrete, granted, but you'll at least feel more comfortable keeping your keys somewhere close by. The full press release can be found below.
HTC 8X review: Windows Phone 8's compact flagship
More Info Windows Phone 8X by HTC: 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE, dual-core S4, available this November Windows Phone 8X by HTC hands-on: Microsoft's modern mobile OS personified in polycarbonate Windows Phone 8 review It feels like forever since Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 back in June, but the mobile OS is finally here and with it comes the inaugural volley of compatible handsets. The first one to cross our desks is the global, unlocked version of HTC's Windows Phone 8X, a device we first saw in September. Unlike other current flagships, this phone breaks the bigger-is-better trend by providing a full set of high-end specs in a relatively compact package -- combining a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display, Qualcomm dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and NFC in a sleek and colorful package. Does the 8X have what it takes to carry the Windows Phone 8 torch? Is this a bona fide flagship despite its reduced footprint? Has HTC designed a better handset than its existing Android superphone, the One X? Find out in our review after the break.%Gallery-169525%
Corning Gorilla Glass now used in over 1 billion devices worldwide
Gorilla Glass is the ultra-hard, scratch-resistant material that debuted on the original iPhone. When that seminal smartphone was in development, Apple CEO Steve Jobs talked Corning CEO Wendell Weeks into starting mass production of Gorilla Glass. It was a good thing that Weeks listened, as Corning's quarterly earnings release notes that Gorilla Glass is now used in over 1 billion devices worldwide. Just about every major manufacturer uses the glass now, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, HTC, LG, Lenovo, Nokia and Sony. It's responsible for over US$363 million in revenues for Corning in the third quarter of 2012 alone. What's coming next from Corning? A new "ultra-slim flexible glass" called Willow Glass is expected to change the future of smartphones and tablets, making curved glass surfaces simpler and cheaper to produce. [via TechCrunch]
Corning touts 1 billion Gorilla Glass devices: that's a lot of face-saving surfaces
You could argue that toughened glass is the cornerstone of the modern mobile industry: without the knowledge that our touchscreen phones and tablets could survive the everyday risks of scratches and minor drops, many of us would be terrified of leaving home with a glass-covered mobile device in our hands. Corning now has evidence to prove just how important that silicate can be. In addition to the mostly upbeat third quarter fiscal results you'll find after the break, the firm brags to us that more than one billion devices have shipped with some variant of Gorilla Glass in place, spread across 33 major brands and 500 individual models that are occasionally very immobile. We can't give Corning all the credit when alternatives like Dragontrail exist, but numbers like these make it hard to dispute that millions of gadgets have been spared an untimely end (or a flimsy plastic display) by some clever primate chemistry.
How Corning developed the iPhone glass
WIRED has published a compelling look at how Corning created Gorilla Glass, which is used in iPhones. Steve Jobs went to Corning in 2005 and convinced CEO Wendell Weeks that is company could invent a new type of glass within six months. That meeting was related in Walter Isaacson's bio of Jobs, but the story of how Corning did it has not been told. WIRED begins with the company's accidental invention of the material that would become Corningware and goes on from there. For example, one of the first conversations Corning had with Jobs was about a projection technology it was working on. Jobs called it "dumb." Corning got to work and saw promise in a cooling technique called fusion draw. Unfortunately, it had only one plant capable of the process. I won't spoil anything by saying it eventually worked out. That's the end of the story, which I encourage you to read in full. Each new iteration of Gorilla Glass presents its own challenges. It's a fascinating story about a component of our iPhones we look at every day.
Sony sets US pricing for 55-, 65-inch HX950 HDTVs: $4,499 and $5,499
We had to wait an extra week for the US details, but Sony has revealed Stateside pricing for its new top of the line HDTVs at CEDIA 2012. The 55- and 65-inch BRAVIA XBR-HX950 HDTVs have pricetags of $4,499 and $5,499, respectively and the press release promises immediate availability online, at Sony stores and through "select" retailers although we heard they may arrive in force around the same time as the 84-inch 4K monster. The press release also has all the specs for these refreshed versions of the old HX929 champ, which bring along all the local dimming, Gorilla Glass and connected TV features we've come to expect without any additional surprises, although we suspect that won't slow down orders from any fans of the monolith TV style with $5k or so burning a hole in their pocket.
Corning and Samsung plan LCD glass plant in China, may toughen up a few laptop screens
Corning and Samsung were the best of friends well before even the Lotus Glass deal, but the relationship just got a little cozier. The two have agreed to build a plant in China's industry-heavy Wuxi New District focused on making glass to cover LCD panels in laptops and desktop displays. The roughly $600 million factory will be a major production hub for Samsung, not just an expansion: it's planning to stop some of its glass production in South Korea and send that work to the new facility when it opens. There won't even be signatures on the agreement until sometime later this year, so the plant itself is still a distant prospect -- but while the two haven't outlined their exact strategy, the new plant may be the ticket to toughening up that future Series 9 laptop with a touch of Gorilla Glass.
Motorola Atrix HD now on sale at AT&T: $100 on contract for LTE, 720p and ICS
Well, lookie here. It didn't take long for Motorola's latest Atrix variant to go from unveiled to launched, as the Atrix HD is now on sale at AT&T for a wallet-pleasing $99.99 on contract. Sign the dotted line for two years, and you'll be getting a 4.5-inch Android superphone, complete with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), a true 720p display, Kevlar-infused backing, a "splash resistant" casing and an LTE radio. Those who indulge quickly are set to grab a gratis Vehicle Dock for "a limited time," and you'll also enjoy the first Moto handset to bring the outfit's Circle Widget to the homescreen -- which is engineered to take owners directly to their AT&T account info, displaying data usage, battery status and more. The phone's listed right now in AT&T's smartphone section in Titanium and Modern White, but the link to buy it seems deactivated for the moment. Still, it's all square to go on sale today, so keep a close eye on the source link if you're dead-set on an upgrade. Psst... you can learn more about the Atrix lineage through our original Atrix 4G and Atrix 2 reviews.
AT&T Atrix HD priced at $99: coming July 15 (video)
While we've already stared down the specifications, AT&T's announced that it will bring Motorola's big and skinny slab to the US later this month, while Bell will do the honors in Canada "this summer." Priced at $99, the Atrix HD will tie together LTE connectivity with a 4.5-inch 720p display, available in both Modern White and Titanium colors. Better still, it's all arriving later this week, on July 15. If you're thinking about becoming an early adopter then you'll want to move quickly, as a free Vehicle Dock will ship with each one for a "limited time", designed to work perfectly with the included Smart Actions. Finally, this is the first phone to feature Motorola's "circle widget" on the home screen, designed to take owners directly to their AT&T account info, displaying data usage, battery status and more. Check after the break for a quick video walkthrough from AT&T plus a press release with all of the specs and details. %Gallery-160067%
Motorola DEFY Pro heads to Brazil, offers tough and tactile Android action
You got to give it to Motorola, it's pretty specific with its handset releases. Today's announcement? It's the DEFY Pro doing the Samba towards Brazil. The "lifeproof" phone is designed to battle the elements (water, dust and carnival spirit,) and is the first touchscreen / QWERTY Android handset from the firm. There's 2.7-inches of Gorilla Glassed screen to poke at, an SD card slot to upgrade the 2GB onboard memory (upto 32GB) plus GPS and WiFi (so you can find your way home with the morning after). How much for this party of a phone? We don't know just yet, but the fun starts on July 15th, when it becomes available. Update: Motorola reached out to us with some clarification on its claim of being the first touchscreen / QWERTY Android handset: The release denotes that the DEFY Pro is our first life-proof device to feature both a QWERTY and touchscreen. Motorola's life-proof devices are water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof, ready to handle life's daily challenges, indoors and out. Admiral and Titanium have similar features but are categorized slightly differently since they are iDEN-based products and have different mil-spec certification.
Motorola Atrix HD revealed with 4.5-inch Colorboost HD display, ICS and Droid RAZR looks
The next Motorola Atrix phone has been revealed on the company's website as the Atrix HD, with an MB886 model number matching the "Dinara" we saw pass through the FCC. According to the listed specs, it features a 4.5-inch HD Colorboost (720 x 1,280) display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and (predictably) looks very much like the Droid RAZR. There's no carrier mentioned (other than the blatant logo at the bottom), but judging by the radio bands mentioned in the specs, it comes off very much as a Droid RAZR for AT&T with quad-band EDGE, quad-band HSPA+ and dual-band LTE. It has a 1780 mAh battery, 8MP rear camera, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (up to 32GB external) and measures 8.4mm thick. The construction is as you'd expect, with Gorilla Glass and Kevlar fused to make the "business ready" handset, while the Atrix 2's Lapdock 100 is listed as an accessory. There's no word on when the third Atrix will be launched, but you can find out all about it and sign up for updates right now at the source link.
Microsoft reveals its own Windows 8 tablet: meet the new Surface for Windows RT
Here at its mysterious, last-minute press event in Los Angeles, Microsoft just confirmed it will sell its own Microsoft-branded Windows 8 RT tablet under the Surface badge. Measuring just 9.3mm thick, the Surface for Windows RT is built around an angled, all-magnesium VaporMg case that weighs just under 1.3 pounds, with an NVIDIA-made ARM chip powering the whole affair. Microsoft's hardware partner has also gone all-out on extra touches, such as a built-in stand, twin 2x2 MIMO antennas for WiFi, and a 10.6-inch optically-bonded, Gorilla Glass 2-covered HD display. Not unlike Apple's last two generations, there's a magnetically attached cover, but it's more than just a protector: here, it includes a full multi-touch keyboard and trackpad. As for expansion, you'll get one each of HDMI, microSD and USB 2.0 (sorry folks, no 3.0) as well as either 32GB or 64GB of storage, while software includes the usual Windows 8 accoutrements and a newly Metrofied version of Netflix. The Surface for Windows RT should arrive roughly in step with Windows 8, but Microsoft is only promising pricing "competitive" with similar ARM tablets -- and you're looking for a tablet with more grunt, you can spring for the Intel-packing Surface for Windows 8 Pro. Be sure to check out our hands-on with the Surface! [Thanks to everyone for the product link] %Gallery-158533% %Gallery-158538%
Nokia uses Lumia 900 as a hammer in a torture test, makes us wince (video)
As much as we're familiar with mobile device torture tests, they're normally inflicted by us or otherwise not-so-voluntary. Nokia, however, has stepped up to the plate and doled out the abuse to the Lumia 900 itself with a hammer and nail, all based on a wager that the Windows Phone's use of Gorilla Glass would hold up to Sonim-level punishment. The company's Chris Ruble and Mike Meyers (not that Mike Myers) used a Lumia 710 as a dry run before an on-camera demo that not only saw the 900 assaulted with the hammer, but used as a blunt instrument itself -- all without a crack or scratch. We imagine that other toughened-glass phones would survive the hit, and there's every possibility that smacking the polycarbonate plastic would leave more than a scuff mark. Nokia's test still proves that its pride and joy can withstand more than just a casual roughing up, and you can see the slightly cringe-inducing test in the video below.
Nokia goes after iPhone, Android in ads
Nokia is ramping up for the launch of its flagship Lumia 900 on April 8. As part of an advertising push, the Finnish company released a series of YouTube videos that target the iPhone and Android. The ads take on the "fragile" glass design of the iPhone, the iPhone's "death grip" antenna controversy, and the washed-out display on Android's AMOLED-equipped smartphones. You can check out the videos below and let us know what you think in the comments. [Via Electronista]
Apple name-drops Corning as iPhone glass manufacturer, we feign surprise
For a company so focused on secrecy, Apple never really did all that good of a job keeping its connection with Corning under wraps. We've always suspected that the company enlisted the Gorilla Glass maker for the iPhone, though it didn't really go out of its way to admit it -- even going so far as omitting the New York-based company from its 2011 suppliers list. Cupertino offered it a little love today, however, giving Corning a nod in its chipper job creation report. While it didn't actually mention Gorilla Glass by name on the page, Apple was happy to talk up the "Corning employees in Kentucky and New York who create the majority of the glass for iPhone."
Microsoft Windows 8 on 82-inch touchscreen hands-on (video)
We don't have 100 fingers -- theoretically the supported limit of Windows 8 on the 82-inch capacitive touchscreen display we just had a chance to go hands-on with at the company's latest OS demo at Mobile World Congress -- but things looked pretty impressive even with just 10. The display we saw is manufactured by a company called Perceptive Pixel, and it may even look familiar -- it's the same glass screen used by television news networks like CNN. But, unlike the giant touchscreens you've seen on TV, this guy is connected to a standard off-the-shelf PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The glass panel is constructed of optically-bonded Gorilla Glass, so there's very little space between the picture and your hand, making for a much more realistic user experience. Naturally, this monitor is all about the visuals, so you really need to see it in action to get an accurate impression of just how slick the experience can be. Jump past the break for our hands-on.
Lumigon T2 hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
We've been waiting for Lumigon to get around to launching its Android opus for a while now. Fortunately, MWC is precisely the right kind of place for a new company to catch the eye of the mobile press. With Ice Cream Sandwich and Bang and Olufsen involvement, we had to take a look at the Lumigon T2 for ourselves. First impressions are after the break, with a video run-through of the stainless-steel lined phone thrown in for good measure.
Lumigon's T2 smartphone wants to control your TV, obey your commands
Ever notice how often you lose your TV remote, but how rarely lose track of that social lifeline you call a smartphone? So did the folks at Denmark-based Lumigon, that's why they've put their Scandinavian heads together to build the Lumigon T2, a Android 4.0 smartphone that's also a universal remote control. In addition to this handset's 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8 megapixel rear facing camera and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower sound, this phone's northern lip can copy commands from remote controls and emulate them using on screen buttons or programmable gestures. Above the T2's 3.8-inch Gorilla glass screen is a dual-action "activity button" that can reportedly be programmed to perform any function the phone has to offer -- like activating an LED flashlight, initiating speed-dial or even turning on and off your TV. Sound pretty sweet? Sure it is -- just don't lose it in the couch. The T2 is scheduled to hit select markets in Europe in Asia later this year, hit the break for the official press release.
