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Gigabyte launches Aivia Xenon dual-mode touchpad mouse
When our eyes first landed upon the device from Gigabyte you see above, it took them a few seconds to work out exactly what they were looking at. There's a reason for that, though, as the Aivia Xenon -- as it is known -- lives a double life. By day, it's an ordinary PC mouse, with support for multi-touch gestures. By night (well, and day too, if you choose) it's a portable touchpad. The hybrid device offers 1000DPI resolution, can be used up to 10 meters away (for presentations etc.) and comes with software that lets you create custom gestures. If you have two birds, but only space for one stone, head down to the source link for more info.
MediaTek MT6577 helps push dual-core Android 4.0 smartphones under $200 contract-free
It isn't hard to get an Android 4.0 phone under $200 if you're willing to sign your life away with a contract. Getting one that's worthwhile at that same figure contract-free, however, requires some jumping through hoops. MediaTek must be an acrobat, as it just released the MT6577, a chip design for the most entry level of smartphones. The part's frugal focus doesn't keep it from stuffing in a dual-core, 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, a PowerVR SGX series 5 for graphics and an HSPA modem for 3G. Those specifications would only have been cutting-edge in 2011, but they're very speedy for a starter device in 2012 -- fast enough to drive Google's OS on a 720p screen while supporting 1080p video. The MT6577 is a drop-in replacement for its MT6575 ancestor, and it's accordingly going to be used very quickly by "leading global customers" this summer. Knowing MediaTek's most recent clients, that could soon lead to a sea of very affordable phones from Gigabyte, ZTE and others that have no problems eating an Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012
It was last year that Intel chose Computex, a computer tradeshow in Taiwan, to introduce its Ultrabook concept to the world. Twelve months later, 110-plus models are in the pipeline, which meant the Taipei Convention Center was overrun by skinny, lightweight laptops. Make that skinny, touch-enabled laptops. Between those new Ivy Bridge chips and Microsoft putting the finishing touches on Windows 8, this week's show was nothing if not a five-day-long wedding between two tech giants: almost every device on display here was a vehicle for showing off Microsoft's glossy new OS. At every turn, a celebration of touchscreen notebooks. With more than 30 hands-on posts this week, we can see where one Core i5 laptop might look like the next, or how you might have failed to keep up with Jonney Shih's rapid-fire product announcements. Now that we're wrapping up here in Taiwan, though, we're ready to take a step back and think about what it is we just saw. Whether you felt overwhelmed by our wall-to-wall coverage or just need to catch up, we suggest you meet us past the break for a quick recap of all the new Ultrabooks. Oh, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, you can check your trigger-happy finger at the door. With few exceptions, we're not expecting these to go on sale until the fall, when Windows 8 is expected to start shipping.
Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)
Want a dual-SIM phone running Ice Cream Sandwich? You've come to the right place. Here at Computex in Taipei we uncovered three of the handsets Gigabyte announced yesterday -- the GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 -- and took two of them for a spin. First up is the G1362 which sports a 4.3-inch FWVGA (854x480) display, 5 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, 512MB or RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Next is the G1242, featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA (480x320) LCD, 5 MP autofocus camera with flash, 800MHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and a lowly 1GB of built-in flash. The M1320 M1348 was non-functional and hidden in a display case. It's expected to match the G1342 in specs but uses a 1GHz MediaTek CPU and offers 4GB of built-in storage. As previously mentioned, all three phones include two SIM slots (one of them HSPA 7.2Mbps-capable) and run Android 4.0.4. Despite packing a Snapdragon S4, the G1362 looks and feels like a mid-range handset, with a less-than-stellar display (poor brightness and viewing angles). The UI was reasonably responsive, however, which is pretty much what you'd expect from a phone with such a powerful processor. As for the G1362, it's basically your standard fare low-end Android handset albeit with dual-SIM support and ICS. Build quality was in line with other prototypes we've handled -- that is to say a little rough around the edges. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that we played with pre-production units running non-final software. The G1362 should be available in July for less than $300 unsubsidized, the G1342 is shipping this month (June) for under $200 and the M1348 is expected later this summer at a sub $150 price point. Want to know more? There's a gallery below and a pair of hands-on videos after the break.
Gigabyte outs four dual-SIM Ice Cream Sandwich phones at Computex
While Gigabyte was grabbing headlines at Computex with its world's lightest Ultrabook, the Taiwanese firm was also sneaking out a gaggle of new phones. Four new models, in fact, all of them Android 4.0, all of them dual-SIM. The rest of the specifications are a mixed bag, with the Gigabyte GSmart M1420 winning the camera wars, with an 8-megapixel shooter, backed up with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 display and 1GHz MT6575 MediaTek processor. A lower specification M1320 was also announced which is more of the same, but with a smaller, 3.5-inch, display and weaker 3-megapixel snapper. The GSmart G1362 might be more interesting if 4.3 inches is a must, and Snapdragon's your thing (1GHz), but you'll lose 3 megapixels on the camera compared to the GSmart M1420 as a trade. Finally the GSmart G1342 which only packs in 800MHz (Qualcomm) and 3.5-inches of display. There's scant detail on price and availability at the moment, but have a sift through the source link if you want the blow-by-blow breakdown, and head to our Chinese site to get a hands-on with the G1342 and G1362.
Orange San Diego Medfield phone: a closer look at Computex 2012 (update: video)
Well what do we have here? Yes, it's the Orange San Diego we first saw at Mobile World Congress and it's going on sale in the UK today for £200. This isn't just yet another Android smartphone, but one of the first Medfield-based handsets on the market. We caught this pre-production unit chilling out at the Intel booth here at Computex 2012 and decided to go up close and personal. First impressions? It's thin, light and feels great in the hand thanks to a pleasant soft-touch back. The Gigabyte-made device packs a 4-inch glass-capacitive 1024x600-pixel LCD (that's 300dpi), an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. While the screen looks decent enough, it falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of viewing angles. The phone features Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) and runs most apps from the Google Play store directly via an emulation layer. Performance matched prior benchmarks and was on-par with current mid-range ARM-based Android handsets -- the experience was mostly smooth, but we noticed some lag when scrolling and zooming pages in the web browser. Battery life remains the major outstanding question when it comes to Medfield handsets, so expect more details once we have our very own review unit. In the meantime, check out the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.%Gallery-157275%
Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH motherboard provides a double dose of Thunderbolt ports
Has your daisy chain met the end of the line? Fear not, dear peripheral addict, because Gigabyte's latest Z77X-UP5 TH motherboard is equipped to feed your addiction with double the number of Thunderbolt ports as we've seen from other manufacturers. The company is taking to the floor of Computex to show off its latest creation, which features two Thunderbolt ports that are each capable of 10 Gbps throughput. Better yet, the implementation leaves the PCIe 3.0 lanes untouched, as the Thunderbolt controller is powered by an additional chip from PLX. Sadly, neither pricing nor release date has yet been let out of the bag. For additional views of this novel creation, be sure to hit up the source link below.
A closer look at the Gigabyte X11, the world's 'lightest' Ultrabook
Technically, Computex doesn't open its show floor until tomorrow, but if you ask Gigabyte, the show has been in full swing since last week. After a little tease, the company announced the X11, an 11-inch laptop that claims to be the world's lightest Ultrabook, at 975 grams, or 2.15 pounds. At the time, we brought you a few hands-on shots from our colleagues at Engadget Chinese, but we couldn't resist getting hands-on ourselves when we found it on display here in Taipei. Follow past the break for detailed impressions from Engadget's resident laptop reviewer or, if you've got a short attention span, check out our hands-on pics and walk-through video.
Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on video)
Well hello there again, Gigabyte X11. Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak, Gigabyte's just made its 11.6-inch X11 laptop (or is that an Ultrabook?) official. At 975g (2.15 pounds) it claims the title of "lightest notebook on earth" -- and weighs even less on Mars. Design-wise, you're looking at a 16.5mm (0.65 inches) to 3mm (0.19 inches) thin Macbook Air-like body made of real carbon fiber (!) with an aluminum hinge. Under the hood you'll find unspecified third generation Intel Core processors (read Ivy Bridge), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Intel HM77 Express chipset with Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 128GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. Ports include power, USB 2.0 and mini DisplayPort on the left side plus microSD, combo audio and USB 3.0 on the right. While the specs also mention gigabit Ethernet, there's no sign of it anywhere in the press shots. The display is a 1366x768-pixel LED-backlit affair dotted with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. A chiclet keyboard, buttonless trackpad and 4730mAh 7.4V Li-ion polymer battery (likely sealed) complete the package. There's no word on availability, but prices will range from $999 to $1299 with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional in tow. Expect more information when we get our hands on this sexy beast at Computex next week. Update: Our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese just got to spend some time with this svelte black slab. Take a look at the gallery below and hit the break for the hands-on video.%Gallery-156515% %Gallery-156511% In addition, Gigabyte's announcing two 14-inch laptops -- the U2442 and U2440 -- which feature third generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Unfortunately, we're still busy drooling all over the X11 gallery, so we'll direct you to the full PR after the break for the complete details. Andy Yang contributed to this report.
Press pics of Gigabyte's X11 lightweight laptop reportedly pop up online
Last week, Gigabyte teased us with the promise of a new bantam laptop, the X11, that would be the "lightest notebook on earth." Today, it appears the good folks at Pocket-lint have taken a bit of the wind out of the company's sails by posting a plethora of press pics of the new machine for all the world to see. Naturally, we can't say for sure that this is the forthcoming X11, but whatever it is, it's a slim little black beauty that looks to be right at home with the MacBook Airs and Ultrabooks of the world -- it's got a wedge-shaped silhouette and a modicum of external connectivity (one USB socket and one DisplayPort). Want to see more of it's ebony exterior in advance of tomorrow's official announcement? Head on down to the source link for the full spill.
Gigabyte to unveil X11 on May 31st as lightest laptop ever, spooks us with talk of 'sixth element'
Gigabyte is clearly hoping to carve out a name for itself in a very crowded ultraportable space; it sent us word of a media event for a new X11 laptop in its native Taipei on May 31st, just a few days ahead of Computex. The PC designer claims that the X11 will be the "lightest notebook on Earth," a pretty audacious claim considering the featherweight competition. Most of the braggadocio, we suspect, is rooted in the choice of material: Gigabyte is promising rather ominously to "conquer the 6th element," and unless it's financing the sequel to a Luc Besson movie, we're reasonably sure the firm means extra-light carbon fiber. Other details are scarce, including whether there's any relation to the U2442 Ultrabook due this summer. We'll know in just over a week.
Google raises Gmail to 10GB free, 10-times increase since launching in 2004
Eight years ago one gigabyte of online storage was a remarkable thing. One gigabyte of email? Preposterous, but that's exactly what Google offered back in 2004 with the launch of Gmail, and now that factor is increasing. Current Gmail users were floating at around 7.5GB of storage but, as part of all the Google Drive hoopla, that storage is now officially up to 10GB. That's a lot of spam and, for those of us who are already paying extra for more storage, it's even more room to grow before we upgrade to the next tier.
An early look at Ivy Bridge motherboards: or, the side order without the main
Ssshh. Ivy Bridge is officially still a mystery, remember? Nevertheless, through some quirk of chronology, the accompanying Z77 chipset for motherboards has already been announced. If there's a reason for this early entrance, it's probably because Z77 is backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge, which means that the latest crop of motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, Intel and MSI can be considered fully-fledged products in their own right. Well, kind of, anyway. In reality, some of the key selling points of Z77 won't get activated until you clamp on Ivy Bridge silicon -- including PCIe 3.0 support (hitherto only found on X79 big-momma-boards), so the real testing can't begin in earnest until the new kid arrives. With that caveat out of the way, read on for a quick review round-up.
Gigabyte U2442 Ultrabook hands-on (video)
First they announce, then we touch. Such is the way of the technology trade show. In our eager paws this time is the U2442 Ultrabook from Gigabyte. Strangely, it was running Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which is all good and well, but the 1600 x 900 pixel display wasn't being shown to its full potential. A shame, as it would have been nice to see how the latest Microsoft OS might actually look in real use. The device itself is a mix of aluminum and plastic, which gives it a mixed-quality feel, and there's definitely some weight to the Ultrabook, although it's nowhere near the heaviest laptop we saw today.Despite being an Ultrabook, the U2442 has dedicated GeForce GT 640M graphics, which will certainly please those who aren't fans of the whole SoC thing. Also, unlike many other devices it competes with, the Gigabyte also touts a full-size Ethernet port along with those USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports we learned about this morning -- no nasty dongles to carry around and lose with this guy. All we know on release is that it's slated for sometime this summer, with pricing expected to be in the $1,000 range. Shimmy on over the break for the hands-on video, or take a peek at the gallery below to see the Ultrabook in all its full-size-port glory.%Gallery-149742%
Gigabyte unveils U2442 ultrabooks and P2542G gaming laptop at CeBIT
You didn't think a company like Gigabyte would roll into CeBIT empty-handed, did you? The Taiwanese company knows how to rock a trade show properly and came packin' a whole bevy of goodies. Getting top billing are the brand new U2442 ultrabooks and the P2542G gaming laptop. The slim and light model comes in two versions. The U2442N comes rocking an Ivy Bridge class Core i5 or i7 in a shell that's 18.5mm thick at its narrowest point and starts at 1.49Kg (3.3lbs). The U2442V trades in the standard voltage CPUs for ULV ones, while keeping the same 14-inch 1600 x 900 display. They both also offer a GeForce GT 640M GPU with 2GB of memory, up to a 750GB hard drive as well as USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and Thunderbolt connections.The 15.6-inch P2542G sacrifices portability, but comes packing high-end components like an Ivy Bridge Core i7, a 2GB GTX 660, a Blu-ray drive, a THX certified, dual-woofer sound system, a 1920 x 1080 display, oh, and an HDMI out jack in addition to the usual assortment of USB ports. For more check out the gallery below and PR after the break.%Gallery-149563%
Gigabyte GSmart G1355 leaked ahead of MWC, offers dual-SIM goodness for small wallets
Gigabyte doesn't crank out handsets with the same frequency as, say, Samsung or HTC, so it's a momentous occasion to see a new addition to its lineup getting dressed up and ready to go. The outfit's latest model, the GSmart G1355, is getting some unofficial face time before Mobile World Congress and appears to keep things simple: it's said to bring dual-SIM capability to the table as well as a lightly-skinned version of Android 2.3, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227T CPU with 512MB of RAM and Adreno 200 GPU. The 11.5mm-thick device also sports a 4.3-inch WVGA display, which is par for the course in today's smartphone market but a behemoth when compared to the rest of Gigabyte's offerings. Since it hasn't officially been announced, we also are unsure about the pricing and availability, but the specs certainly indicate that it's aiming for entry-level status. The G1355 is expected to make its official debut in Barcelona, and we'll be there to get some quality one-on-one time with the new handset.
Dropbox offers up to 5GB of free space to anyone willing to go beta
Here's some good news for all you Dropboxers out there: the company is offering a bundle of free storage space to anyone who tries the beta version of its new Experimental software. It's really quite simple: just download the test program, upload a photo, and instantly get 500MB of free storage. Upload another photo or video, and an additional 500MB will magically appear at your doorstep. The idea is to test out the beta software's new photo and video uploader, which automatically pulls media from any camera, smartphone or SD card and drops it in the cloud. Free space is limited to 5GB per user, and there's an inherent risk to testing any unfinished product, but those willing to make the leap can find all the requisite materials and information at the source link, below.
Gigabyte's CES 2012 lineup: tablets, laptops and netvertibles, oh my!
Gigabyte's CES suite is something of an alternate universe. It's a place where Ultrabooks and ICS tablets don't exist, and Windows 7 slates, netvertibles and dockable systems are the norm. On display, of course, you'll find the S1081 Windows 7 tablet ($649), a refresh of the S1080 that steps up to a Cedar Trail CPU and adds an HDMI port in the process, but otherwise has the same specs and design. That'll land sometime this quarter. That netvertible of the nostalgic '90s variety would be the 10-inch T1006M ($559), which has Cedar Trail innards, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB or 500GB HDD and is "3.5G-ready." Availability details are hazy, as Gigabyte can't specify timing until Intel reveals when Cedar Trail will ship. Suffice to say, Gigabyte expects it to hit the US this quarter. Other than that, the fare on display includes previously announced models just making their way to the states. These include the Booktop M2432 ($1,049 and up), a 14-inch, Core i5-powered laptop that can be plugged into a dock loaded with NVIDIA's desktop-grade GT 440 GPU. The M2432, meanwhile, is a more imposing sort of machine, with a 15.6-inch, 1080p display, Blu-ray drive, 750GB 7,200RPM HDD and Core i7 CPU paired with a 2GB GeForce GT555M card. Lastly, there's the dockable T1132N tablet ($1,169), which looks awfully familiar. All told, we found ourselves primarily gravitating toward the Booktop, whose GPU-in-a-dock reminds us of the Sony VAIO Z, only with desktop-caliber graphics, and without the skinny laptop to go with it. We also looked twice at the T1132N, just because convertibles seem to be having their moment, though if you've seen the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga's 1600 x 900 IPS display, Gigabyte's entry seems common. Other than that, we were too busy taking photos of all the gear. Obviously.
Gigabyte intros S1081 Windows slate and T1006M netvertible, both packing Cedar Trail
Intel told us to expect next-gen netbooks from a throng of manufacturers, but for some reason it forgot to mention little ol' Gigabyte. Perhaps that's why the Taiwanese manufacturer is being slightly standoffish when it comes to detailing its two new 10-inch slates, which both run on unspecified variants of Cedar Trail and have equally unknown launch dates and prices. What we do know is that the T1006M is a convertible tablet that sports 1366 x 768 densely packed pixels, a USB 3.0 port and what appears to be an optional 3.5G modem -- specs that are already familiar from our recent encounter at the FCC. Next comes the S1081, which is a straightforward Windows 7 business slate like its $680 predecessor and comes with a choice of HDD or SSD storage, an optical trackpad for extra "precision," USB 3.0, VGA and HDMI outputs, plus the same optional multimedia dock. Rest assured that we'll track these newcomers down on the CES floor to fill in the blanks and judge how well they stand out, now that the quiet trail has become a highway. Until then, feel free to read on for the press release -- which also reveals that the Booktop T1132, Booktop M2432 and P2532 gaming notebook are all heading to the US market.
Core i7 gets pushed to new heights, overclocked to 5.6GHz (video)
Sure, it's not quite the 8.58GHz achieved by a liquid nitrogen-cooled Bulldozer, but professional overclocker Hicookie did manage to set a new record for a Core i7 3930K by reaching 5.6GHz -- with the help of the aforementioned Dippin' Dots refrigerant, of course. Hicookie unlocked the insane overclocker achievement with the help of an X79 motherboard from Gigabyte, which also gets some recognition for being the first such board to reach a multiplier of 57. For a rather long and dull video of the super-speedy i7 getting pushed to the brink of destruction, head on after the break.
