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Sony's VAIO Pro Ultrabooks weigh as little as 1.92 pounds, ship June 9th from $1,150
If you've been mourning Sony's decision to discontinue its super-thin Z Series laptop, you can at last dry your tears: the company just announced two flagship Ultrabooks that should more than make up for your loss. For starters, the VAIO Pro 11 and Pro 13 each weigh less than the Z, at 1.92 and 2.34 pounds, respectively -- in fact, Sony claims they're the lightest touchscreen Ultrabooks ever made. They also last longer on a charge and have an optional sheet battery that promises to double the battery life, providing up to 14 hours on the Pro 11 and 13 hours of use on the Pro 13. Presumably, they're faster too: both ship with Haswell processors, and the 13-inch version in particular will be offered with PCIe solid-state drives. And, lest you worry Sony evolved the Z too much, its flagship laptops are still made of carbon fiber from top to bottom. Either way, you'll have your choice of Core i5 and i7 processors, with 1080p IPS displays, NFC, backlit keyboards and Exmor webcams all standard. Just about the only things you won't get back from the Z are a dedicated GPU and an optical drive. (And who wants a DVD writer, anyway?) If nothing else, perhaps the price might convince you to settle for integrated graphics: these machines are considerably more affordable than the Z, which started at two grand. Now, in the year 2013, you can pay $1,150 and up for the Pro 11, or $1,250-plus for the Pro 13. They'll be available June 9th with black and silver color options, but if you have to know more now, we actually have a review of the Pro 11 ready for your perusal. (Spoiler alert: we like it. We like it a lot.)%Gallery-189864%
Sony gives the slider another shot with the VAIO Duo 13: coming June 9th for $1,400
Thanks to the magic of leaked YouTube videos, we already knew Sony was working on another slider Ultrabook to replace the failed Duo 11. Now it's official: the company just formally announced the Duo 13, and if Sony's to be believed, it addresses many of the original's shortcomings. For starters, the new "Surf Slider" hinge is supposedly easier to open -- Sony even says it's possible to maneuver with one hand. If you look at those product shots below, you'll see it's also prettier to look at from behind (guess Sony heard us complaining about the exposed cabling on the Duo 11). What's interesting is that the Duo 13 has similar dimensions as its predecessor, and it only weighs a fraction more (2.93 pounds vs. 2.87). The trick was to shrink the bezels, and also to switch to a carbon fiber design, similar to what you'll find on the old Z series and the new Pro line. Oddly, though, while the dimensions haven't changed dramatically, Sony still made room for a less cramped-seeming keyboard, one that even includes a proper trackpad. That's right, folks, the optical tracking stick is gone. We have a feeling you won't miss it. Some other design notes: the Duo 13 adds a place for stowing the digitizer pen, which the Duo 11 lacked. What's more, while the Duo always had a scratch-resistant 1080p IPS display, this one also makes use of Sony's Triluminos technology, originally used on the company's Bravia TVs. Additionally, it has the same X-Reality processing engine you'll already find on some Xperia smartphones. Rounding out the spec list, there's NFC, Haswell processors and optional AT&T LTE. The main camera, meanwhile, has been upgraded to an 8-megapixel shooter with an Exmor RS sensor; the front webcam now does 1080p video. As for battery life, it should last about 10 hours, thanks to Sony's Active Sleep technology. Look for it to arrive June 9th, in both black and white, with a starting price of $1,400. We've already given the Duo 13 the full review treatment; check that out here.
E Ink and Sonostar pair up for Mobius flexible-display smartwatch, we go hands-on at Computex
Earlier this week, E Ink announced its Mobius flexible display, a 1.73-inch touch-enabled panel for smartwatches. Now, the new screen has made its way onto the Computex exhibition floor in Taipei. Sonostar, a local manufacturer, has integrated the 320 x 240 grayscale panel within its new wearable, which the company is demonstrating for show attendees. Simply called "Smartwatch," the product is little more than a mockup at this point, but it is expected to hit production sometime in Q3 of this year. The two samples on hand were non-functional, unfortunately, but they did each contain a working Mobius panel -- one displayed a sample Facebook notification, while the second had the time and date with a small low-res picture of a dog, along with battery and Bluetooth indicators up top. The watch itself was very lightweight, and while glare was clearly an issue today, there's plenty of time for engineers to tweak things before this ships later in the year. The Smartwatch, which can stay powered for up to a week with each charge, will come in both black and white, and should be compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Pricing is not yet set, but representatives did confirm that it'll be coming to the US.%Gallery-190370%
Gigabyte Smart Lamp doubles as an Ultrabook hub, is missing a few ports (hands-on)
Things we expected to see at the world's premier computer show: mainstream notebooks, gaming notebooks, thin notebooks ("pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp"), maybe even a tablet or two. But a desk lamp? Not so much. And yet, that might be the most memorable thing Gigaybte is showing here at Computex. The Smart Lamp is, as you'd expect, a proper light, one you can use on four different brightness settings. But it also doubles as a laptop hub, with a DVD player built into the base, along with a handful of other ports. These include two USB sockets, dual headphone / earphone jacks and an SD reader. It's a neat idea, to be sure -- who doesn't love two-in-one devices - but considering it's supposed to supplement the ports normally found on Ultrabooks, it seems to be missing quite a few big ones. Why not throw in an HDMI port, or some other kind of display output? Ooh, or how about an Ethernet jack? Or a DVD drive that can burn discs in addition to play them? Anyway, you can color us slightly disappointed after having gotten an up-close look, even if the concept itself deserves an 'A' for creativity. No word yet on how much this will cost, when it will go on sale or in which countries it will be available. Until then, check out the walk-through video below -- not that this thing needs much further explanation.%Gallery-190369%
ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 gets August release date
For once, we were offered some nicely specific pricing for ASUS' incoming MeMo Pad HD 7 (namely $129 for the 8GB model and $149 for the 16GB option), but were left wanting on any sort of release date. Fortunately, ASUS' UK branch has told us to expect the colorful Nexus 7 doppelgänger this August. As mentioned during the company's Computex reveal, the smaller, cheaper iteration is geared towards developing markets and it looks like ASUS is sticking with that -- only the 16GB model will go on sale in the British Isles, priced at £149.
ASUS' ET2702 all-in-one is its first with a 2,560 x 1,440 screen
Even if you just skim our Computex coverage, you'll quickly see there's a theme tying it all together: displays. Super-high-resolution displays. It's true of every company we've seen, really, but moving beyond 1080p seems especially important to ASUS. So far, the firm has shown off a pair of 4K displays, along with its first 2,560 x 1,600 tablet. Now, it's unveiling its first all-in-one desktop with QHD resolution. That would be the ET2702, which comes standard with a 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 IPS screen. Though we admittedly only spent a few moments with it, we noticed the colors held up even under the glare of the harsh lighting in Taipei's Nangang Exhibition Center. We were also taken with the design, which includes an edge-to-edge glass display layered over a long speaker grille. There are some other modern touches, too, like white LED lights, a matte aluminum pedestal and a metal mouse to match. Speaking of that mouse, it's one of the nicer ones we've seen tossed in with an all-in-one: aside from the quality build materials, it has a touch strip providing haptic feedback. The included keyboard is well-spaced and easy to type on as well. In the US, at least, there will be just one configuration to start, with key specs including: a Core i7-4770 processor, a 2GB AMD Radeon HD 8890A GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 2TB hard drive, 802.11ac and a Blu-ray drive. It'll arrive in either late July or early August, we're told, with a price around $2,000, if not slightly less. For a closer look, we've got hands-on photos below and a short walkthrough video after the break.%Gallery-190242%
SoftKinetic teases embedded 3D depth camera, coming to Intel devices next year (hands-on)
At Intel's Computex keynote earlier today, the chip maker teased that it expects embedded 3D depth cameras to arrive on devices in the second half of 2014. Luckily, we got an exclusive early taste of the technology shortly after the event, courtesy of SoftKinetic. This Belgian company not only licenses its close-range gesture tracking middleware to Intel, but it also manufactures time-of-flight 3D depth cameras -- including Creative's upcoming Senz3D -- in partnership with South Korea-based Namuga. Read on to see how we coped with this futuristic piece of kit, plus we have a video ready for your amusement. %Gallery-190272%
Intel VP: 'Lack of LTE' hampers our approach to the US smartphone market
During Intel's press conference today, we got a brief glimpse into how Intel's smartphones are fairing globally. The noticeable gap, however, was the US. Answering questions during a Q&A session following the Computex keynote, Tom Kilroy, Executive Vice President of Sales said that there was a major reason why it was lacking US carrier support: LTE. "Absence of LTE is the reason. We can't get ranged by US carriers without LTE, so once we have multi-mode LTE coming to market later this year, we'll have an opportunity to compete in that business." While we've seen Intel add 4G radios to its Atom processors for global-roaming tablets, there's no news yet of the capability launching on its smartphone designs. Last year, Intel launched a Medfield-powered version of Verizon's RAZR M in Europe and Asia, under the RAZR i branding and with only 3G radios.
Intel announces Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at Computex 2013
Intel's just announced the Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at the company's Computex keynote in Taipei. The camera lets users manipulate objects on the screen using gestures and is able to completely eliminate the background. It appears to be an evolution of the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera we recently played with at IDF in Beijing. This new 3D depth camera is expected to become available next quarter and Intel plans to incorporate the technology into devices during the second half of 2014. "It's like adding two eyes to my system," said Tom Kilroy, VP of marketing. The company's been talking about "perceptual computing" for some time and this certainly brings the idea one step closer to fruition.
Intel's first LTE chip announced for Bay Trail-powered tablets capable of global roaming
At last, Intel finally has its very own LTE modem chip! Intel's Computex 2013 press conference is going on right now, and a company press release states we'll see a 4G LTE multimode solution paired with its 22nm quad-core Atom SoC for tablets. The XMM 7160 will bring Bay Trail tablets (demonstrated on stage running graphically intense games and streaming 4K video over the integrated LTE) with global roaming capability "towards the end of the back to school season." While it's not clear when consumers can get their hands on this technology, hopefully we'll see something pop up on our end before the end of the year. The talk is still ongoing and we should have more details shortly, check out the press release after the break for now. Richard Lawler contributed to this report.
Acer upgrades its PCs with Haswell, new models include the Aspire V7 Ultrabook
This is hardly the biggest Acer news of the week (that would be this, this and this), but it's worth a PSA nonetheless. Now that Intel's formally unveiled Haswell, Acer announced it'll be refreshing much of its PC lineup with those fourth-generation chips -- 23 notebooks and six desktops, to be exact. Obviously, that includes too many models and configurations for us to discuss today, but Acer did say the updates will span the S7, M, V3, V5, V7 and E Series laptop lines, with prices ranging from $600 to $1,600. On the desktop side, the changes are limited to AT3-605 series and the Predator AG3-605 series, with prices running the gamut from $700 to $1,500. If there's one model that caught our eye, though, it would be an Ultrabook from Acer's recently announced Aspire V7 series. The V7-482PG-9884-U (how's that for a name?) has 14-inch IPS display, a Core i7-4500U processor, a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GPU, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD. That'll be available this month for $1,300, putting it squarely at the high end of what Acer has to offer.
Dell refreshes its XPS 12 Ultrabook, XPS 27 all-in-one and XPS 8500 desktop
Now that it's unveiled its next-gen Ultrabook, Dell's taking the opportunity to refresh the machines it's already got. Starting with the XPS 12 convertible Ultrabook, the company is adding an NFC chip, Haswell processors and a bigger battery (50Wh, up from 47Wh). Between that CPU change and the enlarged power pack, Dell says the system will now last up to 9.5 hours on a charge -- more than three hours longer than the OG version. Fortunately for you, the starting price is staying put at $1,200, with shipments beginning July 9th in most regions. Moving on, the XPS 27 all-in-one is stepping up to a 2,560 x 1,440 screen with improved brightness (350 nits vs. 300) and a wider color gamut (99 percent, up from 72). As you'd expect, Dell also swapped in fresh Haswell processors and a 2GB, next-gen NVIDIA GPU, along with a Thunderbolt port, TPM and Dell's ProSupport service offering. Finally, the machine's getting a bigger storage option: a 2TB 7,200RPM HDD paired with a 256GB SSD. That's available today for $1,600 and up -- the same price you would've paid for the last-gen model with a touchscreen. Finally, Dell replaced the XPS 8500 desktop tower with the XPS 8700, which brings Haswell, along with four HDD bays, up to 4TB of storage and up to 32GB of RAM. Additionally, the SSDs offered now include Intel's Smart Response Technology. That's available today too for $700 and up. Happy shopping!
Visualized: Intel's Haswell Core i7 overclocked to 6.88GHz on an ASUS motherboard
After winning yesterday's Corsair Overclocking competition at Computex, the same folks were brought over to ASUS' ROG event earlier today, where they overclocked an Intel Haswell Core i7-4770K from its typical 3.5GHz to a staggering 6.88GHz -- just a tad less than yesterday's 6.98GHz -- on an ASUS Maximus VI Extreme motherboard. As a bonus, the DRAM frequency was also pushed to 4.1GHz, which is believed to be the fastest yet on Haswell. As usual, the overclockers poured liquid nitrogen onto the chip every now and then to keep it cool, thus giving us the above photo opportunity. %Gallery-190236%
ASUS shows off new touchscreen, USB and gaming monitors at Computex (eyes-on)
We came to ASUS' Computex booth to see the new 4K monitors, but it turns out the company had a lot of other (albeit slightly less exciting) models on display too. First up (starting with the stuff you can actually buy), the company is showing off a 15-inch USB-powered monitor -- a first for ASUS. In fact, the company has teased this guy before, but with a lower-res 1,366 x 768 display. Now, we're told a 1080p version is also on the way, with the 1,366 x 768 one coming in July for $159, and the full HD model shipping in August for around $209. Either way, you get a matte, anti-glare panel, and the whole thing weighs in at less than 800g (1.8 pounds). And, as is customary for monitors like this, it comes with a carrying case that doubles as a stand. Moving on, we saw two touchscreen monitors (one 19.5 inches, the other 23.6), both of which have 1080p screens -- and some fairly thick bezels. The big differences, so far as we can tell, are that the bigger version has an HDMI panel and IPS, whereas the smaller guy makes do with a lowlier TN panel. No word on price, or even whether this will go on sale in the US, though an ASUS rep did confirm it'll reach select markets sometime in Q4. Wrapping up, ASUS also outed a tri-panel gaming setup, with three 27-inch, 1080p IPS displays. In particular, the company is touting the skinny bezels. Are they skinny enough not to distract gamers, though? Check out our hands-on photos and judge for yourself.
MSI shows off a concept gaming laptop with a touchscreen trackpad (hands-on)
Hot on the heels of announcing some fresh gaming notebooks, MSI is showing off yet another laptop -- albeit, one you can't buy yet. The GS70 Stealth is a 17-inch gamer's machine, and by most indications, it's designed to go head to head with Razer's Blade lineup. At 3.9kg (8.6 pounds) it's reasonably light for a system with this screen size, and with an all-aluminum chassis, it has a more premium feel than other MSI machines (not to mention some competing models from brands like Alienware). What really makes us think of Razer, though, is the secondary display on the interior, which doubles as a touchpad. Unfortunately, because the unit we handled was an early-stage prototype, it wasn't actually functioning as it should, but MSI says the display would allow for touch input, since the primary 17.3-inch (1080p) screen will be non-touch. In short, then, the company thinks this might present a good compromise for folks who want a touchscreen handy, but would rather it not be the main display where they're viewing games. And who knows? Even if you don't crave touch input, it might still make for a neat secondary display, especially if you've got games running at full-screen. No word on when this will come out or how much it will cost, but MSI is going to release essentially the same system, just with a regular touchpad. Look for it in August with a starting price around $1,699 (we've included shots of that below, if you're curious).%Gallery-190221%
ASUS' 31.5-inch 4K monitor priced at $3,799, 39-inch version coming in Q3 (eyes-on)
Yeah, we want one too. Here at Computex, ASUS is showing off its new 31.5-inch 4K monitor, which we just learned will cost $3,799. (Oh come now, don't get all sticker-shocked on us.) The photos below speak for themselves, really, but suffice to say, the combination of that 3,840 x 2,160, 140-ppi panel and that matte, anti-glare finish make for some stunning images. And because the bezels are so thin, photos more or less extend from one end of the screen, uninterrupted. Still think you'll have room to spare after taking into account this monitor's big footprint? ASUS is also prepping a 39-inch version with mostly the same specs (except for pixel density, obviously). We've got pictures of that guy too, though we still don't know how much it'll cost. Look for the 31.5-inch model to ship in June, with its big brother following sometime in Q3. And if a $3,800 monitor isn't in the cards, well, that's what hands-on galleries are for.%Gallery-190223% Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Gigabyte shows four prototype BRIX mini PCs, including models with projectors and wireless charging
Gigabyte said that we'd have at least a few BRIX mini PCs to choose from. At Computex, however, it's showing four new prototypes that could lead to a much larger catalog. Two of them are run-of-the-mill designs with AMD Kabini and Intel Haswell processors -- nice enough, but more evolution than revolution. The other two are decidedly more exotic, though. One includes a wireless charging pad to charge a smartphone in a pinch, while the other carries a pico projector for on-the-spot presentations. Although Gigabyte hasn't mentioned whether or not these BRIX models will reach production, we'd wager that the conservative systems are more likely to reach our desks.
Toshiba outs the PX35t all-in-one with a mouse little enough for women to use
In addition to announcing some new laptops for back-to-school season, Toshiba took the opportunity to refresh its lone all-in-one desktop. This new model, the PX35t, comes with a new look, borrowing some design cues from the televisions Toshiba introduced back at CES. Really, it's that aluminum, U-shaped chin that keeps it looking sort of TV-like, though the new pedestal stand helps too. Inside, it will be offered with Haswell Core i3, Core i5 and i7 CPUs. At the high end (somewhere in the $1,300 range) you can trick it out with up to 1TB of HDD storage, 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive. A Toshiba rep also told us it will also be available with optional discrete graphics -- specifically, the NVIDIA GeForce 740M. Either way, you get a 23-inch 1080p touchscreen (no IPS), four Harman Kardon speakers and a mix of Sleep-and-Charge and Sleep-and-Music ports. Interestingly, Toshiba says the target market for its all-in-ones skews more female, so it deliberately tailored the mouse for smaller hands (Ed. note: fits like a glove.) The keyboard, however, is cushy enough that even men should be able to use it comfortably. Look for the whole package to ship this month, starting at $1,030.%Gallery-189974%
Toshiba intros three Android tablets, two with Tegra 4 and a 2,560 x 1,600 screen (update: hands-on video)
Could three times be a charm for Toshiba? After striking out with its "Thrive" Android tablets and then coming up a bit short with the "Excite" line, the company is completely scrapping its tablet lineup and replacing it with three new models. These include the Excite Pure, Excite Pro and Excite Write, and while they share the same plastic design, 10-inch form factor, ports and Android 4.2 OS, they each offer something a little different on the inside. Starting with the Pure, it's a $300 tablet running with last year's specs -- namely, a Tegra 3 SoC, a 1,280 x 800 screen with Gorilla Glass 1 and no rear camera. Storage is capped at 16GB, but since all of these have a microSD slot, 16GB or 32GB isn't really a hard limit. Moving up the line, the Excite Pro steps up to a Tegra 4 chip, 32GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera, Harman Kardon sound and a 2,560 x 1,600, 300-ppi Gorilla Glass 2 screen to match the Nexus 10. As you can see in our hands-on shots, it was meant to be used with an optional keyboard case, though you can technically use that dock with any of these tablets, since they all share the same hardware. That will arrive in early July for $500, putting it in line with the iPad and other premium tablets like the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. Finally, the Excite Write is exactly what it sounds like: a tablet with pen support. Specifically, it has a Wacom digitizer with support for 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Accordingly, Toshiba is also pre-loading its own TruNote and TruCapture apps to assist with note-taking. That digitizer aside, the Write shares all the same specs as the Excite Pro: Tegra 4, 32GB of storage, an 8-megapixel camera and a 10.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 display. This, too, will be available next month, with an MSRP of $600. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos after the break.
Toshiba refreshes its PC lineup with new mainstream notebooks, a gaming laptop
If you're going to unveil a completely refreshed PC lineup, you may as well do it the week Intel launches some new processors (and, you know, the week a big computer show is going on). Toshiba just announced a slew of new models, including an all-in-one, a redesigned gaming notebook and mainstream laptops in various sizes. It'd be silly to overwhelm you with details right here, since everything from the designs to the GPUs have changed, but if you follow us past the break we've got a neat summary of everything Toshiba introduced today, complete with pricing, specs and a few hands-on photos too.
