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There's no such thing as too many antennas for ASUS' high-end router
Six antennas, apparently delivering up to 3,200 Mbps. Those are some impressive credentials, especially from the typically sleepy world of wireless routers. ASUS reckons its new six-pronged WiFi brick is not at all sleepy either: The RT-AC3200 will come with an adaptive Quality of Service feature that allows users to manage their bandwidth and traffic, working on tri-band 802.11ac. Meanwhile, AiRadar will apparently intelligently strengthen and tweak your wireless coverage. ASUS is promising that this will give improved signal stability, range and optimal speeds. If it sounds like something that could need technical support and a lengthy troubleshooting phone call, rest assured, ASUS is promising a 30-second set-up time that's friendly to router rookies. There's no pricing alongside the technical specifications, but we reckon it could well be the kind of router you'd likely need to make the most of Google Fiber and similar high-speed internet connections.
ASUS' 20-inch 'portable' all-in-one PC has gesture controls and a carrying handle
"Portable" can mean different things to different people, and ASUS is also severely stretching the definition of the word with its new 20-inch all-in-one PC. The built-in battery will apparently go the distance, as long as said distance takes five hours, while a fold-out handle ledge offers a way to carry it without getting finger smudges on the screen. The unit weighs in at 3.2kg, and when we gingerly picked it up to carry, we were left wishing for a handle that was a little more substantial.
The ASUS MeMO Pad 8 is 'the world's lightest 8-inch LTE tablet'
ASUS boss Jonney Shih is barreling through his announcements at Computex 2014. Along with routers, 4K monitors and flagship laptops, he also revealing the company's newest tablets, and the MeMO Pad 8 is the first salvo. With a 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel processor, Gorilla Glass 3 and a full HD display, Shih says it's the lightest LTE tablet in the world -- it's only 299 grams. It was swiftly followed by the slightly smaller, and logically named, MeMO Pad 7. It'll also pack Intel's 64-bit Atom processor, although the screen is merely HD (that's 720p), not 1080p like the MeMO Pad 8. If you haven't quite bought an Android tablet yet (and you're still in the market for one), the MeMO Pad 8 will arrive later this year in pink, white and royal blue color options, while the MeMO Pad 7 will be dressed in turquoise, red, white and yellow. Summer shades, people. Summer shades.
Daily Roundup: HP Haswell Chromebook hands-on, Dell going private, Samsung's 64-bit CPUs, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Home Lohas brings hydroponic gardening into your room, rabbit guard not included
While running between booths at Computex earlier this month, we were momentarily distracted by these vegetable boxes (maybe it was lunch time as well). As it turned out, this product was launched by Taiwan-based Home Lohas around the same time as when the expo started. The company pitches its hydroponic gardening appliance -- so the vegetables rely on nutritious water instead of soil -- as a hassle-free, low-power solution for growing your own greens, plus it's apparently the only solution in the market that doesn't need water circulation. With its full spectrum LED light, air pump and timers, harvest time can apparently be reduced by about 30 percent. It's simply a matter of filling up the water tank, adding the necessary nutrients and placing the seeded sponge on the tray (the package includes three types of organic fertilizers and some seeds). The only downside is that this system costs NT$15,800 (about US$530) in Taiwan, and for some reason, it'll eventually be priced at US$680 in other markets. If that's too much, then stay tuned for a half-size model that's due Q4 this year. %Gallery-191544%
Antec to extend its Bluetooth product range with Pulse, SP1+, SP3 and SPzero (hands-on)
To most people, Antec's probably better known for its desktop-related products, but at Computex, the company made quite a big effort to pimp its A.M.P. (Antec Mobile Products) range of Bluetooth audio devices. You may have already come across the SP1 Bluetooth speaker (pictured above in several colors), but we've been told that an identical-looking SP1+ is coming this October. What's new? Well, the refresh will come with NFC-enabled Bluetooth pairing, as well as CSR's TrueWireless Stereo technology that will let you use one SP1+ as the left channel, and another SP1+ as the right channel (but both drivers in each SP1+ are still active in this case). Do read on to see what else Antec has up its sleeve later this year. %Gallery-191259%
PQI Power Drive merges power bank, card reader and wireless access point into one
After showing off its USB OTG accessories and NFC flash drive, PQI decided to tease us with its unannounced Power Drive that was sat quietly in a corner at Computex. Much like the Air Pen launched last November, this upcoming device acts as a portable wireless access point with storage expansion, meaning you can share an RJ45 network connection and your files over WiFi. But what's new is that not only is the RJ45 port collapsible to reduce device thickness, there's now also a standard SD card slot in addition to the old microSD slot. Better yet, as the name suggests, the Power Drive can also be used as a USB power bank to charge up other devices, making this PQI's most versatile WiFi product yet. Alas, details are light on the specs, so stay tuned for its announcement at some point in Q4 this year. %Gallery-190769%
PQI demos NFC-encrypted flash drive, offers different access modes via Android app
Sure, there are already plenty of cool options when it comes to encrypted flash drives, but what about one that uses NFC on your Android or even Windows 8 device to unlock it? PQI showed us one such implementation at Computex. Essentially, this NFC flash drive requires an NFC-enabled device to toggle its access mode: full access, read-only, one-time access (and remains hidden afterwards) or hidden. All you have to do is choose the desired mode in the app, type in your preset password, and then tap the flash drive (even when unplugged) with your device to change the former's setting -- provided that the password matches, of course. Since the encryption is done on the storage controller level, the computer's drive utility wouldn't be able to see the dongle at all if it's hidden, so you wouldn't even be able to format it unless you unlock it or, well, physically destroy it. And that could be anywhere from 8GB all the way up to 64GB of storage space, when the drive launches in Q4 this year.
PQI unveils upcoming micro-USB OTG drives and accessories
Taiwanese flash memory specialist PQI had quite a big presence at Computex, and luckily for us, it also brought along several new products to show off. The biggest bunch from the lot were the company's new Connect 200 and Connect 300 series micro-USB OTG dongles, most of which offer memory expansion that will come in handy for microSD-less devices. Do bear with us while we go through all six of these products.
The Daily Roundup for 06.07.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Computex 2013: the best of Haswell
Intel used this year's Computex to officially debut Haswell-based Core processors, and it had no shortage of willing launch partners: seemingly everyone had at least one updated PC to reveal. The refinements to battery life and graphics also led to quite a few companies pushing the boundaries, whether it was in cutting-edge screens or exotic form factors. Quite frankly, there was a lot to cope with in several days -- enough so that we're putting the more important Haswell offerings in one convenient roundup. Read on for our look at the desktops, laptops and tablets that launched in sync with Taiwan's premier tech event.
In Win's Tou desktop case has glass and class all over it
At Computex, Taiwan-based In Win has once again brought out its funky-looking desktop cases, but this time there's a new star on the stage. Dubbed the Tou (meaning "transparent" in Mandarin Chinese), this ATX full tower features several 3mm-thick tempered glass panels that are screwed onto an aluminum structure. And since the coated glass is semi-transparent, you can just about see the desktop's innards if you switch on the LEDs inside, which can be controlled via the touch panel above the two front USB 3.0 ports. When the internal lights are off, the desktop is pretty much just a mirror, but you'll want to degrease your fingers before touching any part of it. Sadly, at the moment the Tou is still at concept stage, so we couldn't squeeze a price or date out of the reps. When the chassis does become available, you'll know as soon as we do. %Gallery-190646%
Asus ROG unveils 'Poseidon Formula 1' gaming PC at Computex
If you've always wanted your gaming rig to look like a weird mix between a diesel generator and a flux capacitor, Asus' Republic of Gamers imprint may have just the thing. Unveiled earlier this week at Computex in Taiwan, Asus' "Poseidon Formula 1" gaming rig is an intimidating mass of metal, tubes and, reportedly, power. The unit gets its name from its "ROG Poseidon" graphics card, which sports an Nvidia GTX 700 GPU and Asus' proprietary hybrid "DirectCU H2O" cooling system. DirectCU H2O combines multi-directional "CoolTech" air-cooling with liquid-cooling systems to reduce the GPU's operating temperature by as much as 31 degrees Celsius, or nearly 88 degrees Fahrenheit. That graphics card is plugged into Asus' "ROG Maximus VI Formula" motherboard, a unit that comes equipped with its own fancily-named hybrid cooling technology: "CrossChill," a system that combines heatsinks and liquid cooling. The motherboard also includes a "SupremeFX" onboard audio card, which can pump out jams through a 600 ohm headphone amplifier shielded for electromagnetic interference. No word yet on when the rig will be available, what it will cost or what processor/HDD/SDD/RAM configurations will be offered.
PMD and Infineon to enable tiny integrated 3D depth cameras (hands-on)
After checking out SoftKinetic's embedded 3D depth camera earlier this week, our attention was brought to a similar offering coming from Germany's PMD Technologies and Infineon. In fact, we were lucky enough to be the first publication to check out their CamBoard Pico S, a smaller version of their CamBoard Pico 3D depth camera that was announced in March. Both reference designs are already available in low quantities for manufacturers and middleware developers to tinker with over USB 2.0, so the two companies had some samples up and running at their demo room just outside Computex. %Gallery-190502%
Gigabyte outs three low- to mid-range handsets with dual SIM slots, we go hands-on (video)
Okay, so we didn't quite know what to make of Gigabyte's lamp / Ultrabook hub. But what about its new smartphones? The company is showing off three handsets here at Computex 2013 -- the Maya, Sierra and Simba, in ascending order of impressiveness -- all of which have dual SIM slots, IPS displays, 1GB of RAM and a stock build of Android 4.2. To tell the truth, none of them are exactly high-end (even the top-tier Simba runs just a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor), but we were impressed by the quality of those IPS screens, which offer wide viewing angles even under harsh lighting. They've all got thick, plastic builds too, but some are at least nicer-feeling than others. The 5-inch Sierra has a slightly metallic finish that could possibly pass for metal at a glance. The 5-inch Simba is done up in a trendy white, but with a glossy, tacky sort of look. And the lowest-end Maya (4.5-inches) is made of plain, drab plastic. Not much to see there. On the inside, as we said, the Simba has a Snapdragon 400 (Krait) SoC, while the other two make do with a 1.2GHz, quad-core processor from MediaTek. As for screen quality. the Maya has QHD resolution whereas the Sierra and Simba step up to HD; either way, no 1080p flagships here. That's about all we have to share at this point -- Gigabyte hasn't announced pricing or availability -- but a company rep did tell us these phones should at the very least be headed to Asia and Eastern Europe. For now, head past the break for a quick video tour.%Gallery-190374%
Sharp shows off 14-inch and 15.6-inch 3,200 x 1,800 IGZO panels (eyes-on)
It was only a few hours ago when Fujitsu announced its UH90, the first laptop to feature a 14-inch 3,200 x 1,800 IGZO display. While the device won't hit Japan until June 28th, we were lucky enough to stumble upon the panel itself at Sharp's Computex booth. In fact, the company also had a 15.6-inch IGZO panel with the same QHD+ resolution, 400 nit brightness plus 1000:1 contrast ratio, and both looked super crisp to our eyes. Alas, IGZO is still a bit behind LTPS panels when it comes to viewing angle, but we had absolutely no problem when looking at the displays straight on. With the UH90 rolling out soon, we should see more devices shipping with these panels very soon. %Gallery-190394% Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S 4 coming with an Intel mobile chip? (updated)
Huh? While we knew the Galaxy Tab 3 is certainly coming with a Clover Trail+ chipset, there was another device that is apparently making the transition to Intel's mobile chip: the GS4. At least according to Intel's mobile keynote slide, seen above. Are the pair waiting on LTE capability to arrive? Quite possibly. During the Q&A session afterwards, We asked Intel's Hermann Eur, General Manager for Mobile, who reiterated that the GS4's 3G model contains Intel's modem, although that doesn't explain quite why the phone is nestled alongside an otherwise all-Atom lineup of tablets and smartphones. We're looking into it. Update: We grabbed an Intel spokesperson who tells us the Galaxy S4 made the lineup due to the aforementioned 3G radios. We're taking their word for it, but we'll be hearing more from big mobile brands and Intel over the next year.
Intel formalizes Thunderbolt 2, promises products this year
While Intel gave us the technical rundown on its next iteration of Thunderbolt two months earlier, it's now announced that it will officially be known as the not-particularly-original Thunderbolt 2. Promising 20 Gbps throughput and support for 4K video, Intel is now vowing to bring the port to market sometime this year. For a reminder, we've added the company's NAB demo after the break.
ASUS' Jerry Shen flaunts unannounced MeMo Pad FHD 10 LTE, due Q3 with Snapdragon
Even after its press events earlier this week, ASUS still had something up its sleeve for Computex. At a Qualcomm keynote just now, ASUS CEO Jerry Shen took the opportunity to tease an unannounced Android tablet, which is due Q3 this year. Given that it was a Qualcomm event, it was no surprise that the exec confirmed the presence of a Snapdragon chip along with LTE radio on this mysterious slate. Shen also mentioned a full HD display, and given the similar appearance but with a different port layout, we are led to believe that this device will simply be an LTE variant of the new MeMo Pad FHD 10 sans Intel Atom. This could even turn out to be the K005 that we saw in the FCC database, as the MeMo Pad FHD 10 carries the K00A model number. Anyhow, here's Shen's full speech about the tablet: "In Q3 of this year, we will raise the bar of mobile devices by launching an incredible LTE tablet, which will have Qualcomm Snapdragon, full HD display and ASUS SonicMaster to bring our consumers the most superior and seamless mobile experience. I will save the rest for our launch event in the fall." Update: ASUS just confirmed to us that the tablet is conveniently called the MeMo Pad FHD 10 LTE. What a mouthful!
Sony VAIO Pro 11 review: finally, a new flagship ultraportable to replace the Z
More Info Sony VAIO Z review (2011) Sony's VAIO Pro Ultrabooks weigh as little as 1.92 pounds, start at $1,150 Intel: Haswell will boost battery life by 50 percent If you've ever read the comments section here at Engadget, you know it's possible to develop a fanatical attachment to a brand. To a specific product, though? And a laptop, of all things? That's fairly rare. But the VAIO Z wasn't a common notebook. For years, it was Sony's flagship ultraportable, with a featherweight design, top-of-the-line specs and a delicious carbon fiber weave. It was the sort of laptop for which techies happily spent $2,000 -- and they were ready to plunk down even more money when a new version came out. Then it was discontinued, only to be replaced by mid-range models with lesser specs. There was a clear hole in Sony's lineup, and diehards were left disappointed, with no clear upgrade path once it came time to retire the ol' Z. In a sense, the Z is still dead: to this day, there is no Z series in Sony's lineup. But there is the new Pro line, and it more or less picks up where the Z left off. (It takes after the business-friendly S series, too.) Starting at $1,150 and available in 11- and 13-inch sizes, these machines use carbon fiber to achieve an even lighter design (under two pounds for the 11-inch model). Both pack fresh Haswell processors, with 1080p screens, NFC and backlit keyboards all standard. As it happens, we've been testing the smaller Pro 11 for almost two weeks, so although Sony just announced these machines to the public, we already have a full suite of impressions, benchmarks and hands-on photos ready to go. Join us after the break to see if this is the Z replacement you've been waiting for.%Gallery-189832%
