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Lenovo refreshes its IdeaPad laptops with Haswell and touch, designs unchanged
No, there's no new Yoga. You'll have to keep waiting on that. For now, Lenovo is undertaking a much more modest project: refreshing its existing notebooks with Haswell. First off, the current IdeaPad U310 Touch and U410 Touch are now the U330 and U430 Touch. Other than the difference in screen size (13 inches vs. 14), both will be configurable with up to Core i7 fourth-generation Core processors, along with optional SSDs and a max of 8GB of RAM. While the U330 will be offered with either 1,366 x 768 or 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, the U430 comes with a 1,600 x 900 screen (you can upgrade to 1080p there, too). Oh, and the 14-incher can be had with a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 730M GPU. Both will be available in the third quarter, with the U330 priced at $799 and up and the U430 going for $899. Moving on, the Y410p is the new, 14-inch companion to the Y510, with up to a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and dual 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 750M GPUs arranged in an SLI configuration. Screen resolution is limited to either 1,366 x 768 or 1,600 x 900, however. That's available now on Lenovo.com starting at $799. Finishing up with the entry-level S series, we've got the 11.6-inch S210 Touch, the 14-inch S400 Touch and the 15.6-inch S500 Touch. One thing to keep in mind is that both of these have Ivy Bridge processors instead of Haswell, as it was an easy way for Lenovo to keep the cost down. Other than that, you're looking at Core i3 or i5 processors, up to 8GB of RAM, touchscreens with 1,366 x 768 resolution and hopefully some decent battery life (the batteries are so big here they create a hump around the hinge area). Additionally, the S400 and S500 will have optional discrete graphics, with AMD in the S400 and NVIDIA in the S500. Look for those in Q3, with pricing as follows: $429 for the S220, $449 for the S400 and $579 for the S500. Anyhow, since the designs here haven't changed, we didn't give these laptops the full hands-on treatment, but we did include some spec summaries in the gallery below, if you're partial to bulleted lists.
Samsung ATIV Tab 3 hands-on (video)
Well, we're no closer to finding out whether or not this is indeed the world's thinnest Windows 8 tablet, but we can confirm that the ATIV Tab 3 is stunningly thin. In fact, it's as svelte as its iOS and Android competitors, hitting an astounding 8.22mm. Samsung's following the design lines of its Galaxy range -- aside from the Windows button beneath the screen, obviously. At a distance you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the ATIV Tab 3 and recent Galaxy Tabs. We like the unified approach here -- it should make it much easier to identify a Samsung device at first glance. Of course, that uniformity also means that the devices all feel similar too. That is to say, cheap and plasticky. With an Intel Atom processor inside along with 2GB of RAM, It feels light and responsive. Apps launched pretty quickly, but we weren't able to really punish the CPU and unreliable WiFi made testing the browser impossible. The 1,366 x 768, 10.1-inch screen pairs with an S-Pen that's housed in the bottom right corner, which isn't quite as useful as it is on the Note range... at least not yet. The don't-call-it-a-stylus comes with dedicated software, including improved handwriting-to-text, Easy Clipping and Air View all now working within Windows 8, not to mention S Note. The ATIV Tab 3 will be shipping in early August for $699, with a keyboard cover included. For now, we've got more impressions after the break.
Samsung ATIV Q: hands-on with the company's new Windows-Android slider (video)
The products keep coming. The latest announcement from Samsung is a new addition to its ATIV range and it's a hybrid in more ways than one. Similar to the ASUS Transformer Book Trio, announced earlier this month at Computex, Samsung just introduced its own dual-OS portable. It's called the ATIV Q, and it combines Android 4.2 and Windows 8. Under the hood, the device is powered by a Haswell-series Intel Core i5 processor and manages to fit a 13.3-inch, 3,200 x 1,800 touchscreen into a 1.29kg package that measures just 13.9mm thick. Other notable specs include an S Pen with 1,024 degrees of sensitivity. There's space for the stylus to be stored in the bottom corner of the device. Hardware considerations have also been folded into the design, with the processor housed inside the ATIV Q's hinge. Samsung says that this ensures that heat dissipates from the back of the device. A software highlight from this particular Windows 8-Android team-up is the ability to share files (photos, documents... seemingly anything that can be opened with programs on the other OS) and share folders across the operating system divide. We can certainly see the usefulness in this approach -- sharing images to your favorite Android social app and generally unifying how you use the hybrid, regardless of OS. The ATIV Q will launch globally in Q3, and we've been told "in time for the back-to-school season", which sounds like sooner rather than later. We've managed to spend a bit of time with the new multi-talented slider: check out some first impressions after the break. Update: We just added some video.%Gallery-191831%
Samsung ATIV One 5 Style AIO hands-on (video)
Welcome Samsung's new (but kind of familiar-looking) all-in-one PC. The ATIV One 5 Style is a white, metallic 21.5-inch desktop that, naturally, looks huge next to Samsung's more portable range. With some familiar curved corners and the glossy finish of a Galaxy device, Samsung has knowingly transferred the styling of its very successful smartphones to this new PC -- like it's also done with the new ATIV Tab 3. The 1080p display is suitably bright, and the viewing angles suggest it could double up as a respectable media hub. Storage options will go up to 1TB, and it'll ship with 4GB of RAM. There are also plenty of ports for connecting removable media or games consoles. Dotted around both the left and right edges and the stand are two USB 3.0 connections, two USB 2.0 sockets and HDMI in and out, as well as a 3-in-1 card reader. The adjustable hinge was satisfyingly rigid as we tapped through Windows' Modern UI, while the wireless keyboard (included in the box) didn't distract us much as we typed away. It's a simple chiclet affair, but one we're used to. It's also one of the rare new ATIV products to arrive without a stylus, but it will come with a mouse when it ships later this year.%Gallery-191833%
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus and ATIV Book 9 Lite hands-on (video)
Samsung's long since decided to rebrand its Series 9 series as ATIV Book 9, but it's only now that it's got some new Ultrabooks to show off. While the ATIV Book 7 unfortunately jumped the Haswell gun, the higher-end ATIV Book 9 Plus is happy to benefit from those impressive battery savings we've already seen from Intel's next-generation chips. In fact, Samsung is promising 12 hours of usage -- and that's despite the Plus model arriving with an eye-watering 13.3-inch, 3,200 x 1,800 QHD+ display. In addition, there's up to 256GB SSD storage and 8GB of RAM, two USB 3.0 ports and mini-VGA and micro-HDMI sockets. The screen is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass and, alongside adding touch functionality since the previous Series 9 Ultrabook, Samsung has crafted a new hinge for its latest flagship, offering two stop-points. Moving the screen through to a standard 105- to 110-degree pitch, the screen strongly resists. Better still, there's really not that much give as we tapped our way through Windows 8. However, give it more of a sustained push, and the screen bends down to a flat 180-degree position, making it easier to show the screen around a table. It's joined by the humbler Book 9 Lite, with a lower (though unspecified) price. Powered by an unnamed 1.4GHz quad-core processor and housing up to a 256GB SSD drive, it promises a cold-boot time of eight seconds, or two seconds from sleep. It's the same size screen (13.3 inches) as the Plus model, but resolution drops down to 1,366 x 768 -- a noticeable difference when you observe the two side by side. Turn them off, however, and the interiors of the two machines are so similar that even the most hardened Samsung exec might be fooled (excepting for that Intel sticker on the high-end model). On the outside, though, the systems remain noticeably different. The Book 9 Plus gets a moody, matte finish to its aluminum unibody, while the Book 9 Lite has a glossy plastic surface. The cheaper Lite model reminds us of the finish on Samsung's Galaxy smartphone series, but it'd be great to see Samsung bring this other, cooler finish to more products. Both Ultrabooks are expected to land in the US (and elsewhere) in time for back-to-school season. Check out the gallery below, and follow past the break for more impressions. %Gallery-191827%
Samsung announces ATIV Tab 3: an 8.2mm thin Windows 8 slate with Galaxy DNA
This is the ATIV Tab 3. A Windows 8 tablet that Mr. DJ Lee just briefly mentioned on stage. Thankfully, roughly 40 minutes later, the slate was trotted back out and detailed more fully. For one, the Tab 3 borrows heavily from its Android-powered cousins in the Galaxy family. But, unlike its sibling the Q, there isn't an option to quickly fire up Google's mobile OS. It does, however, share the same extremely thin body and design language while running Windows 8 proper (none of this crippled RT nonsense). While we can't actually confirm that its 8.2mm thick frame is, in fact, the thinnest in the world, it's got to be pretty close. That the manufacturer has crammed a Z2760 Atom inside along with 2GB of RAM is darn impressive. The entire thing weighs just 550g, or about 19 ounces. Despite its lithe body, Samsung claims it can last up to 8.5 hours on the battery inside, which is actually quite a bit better than we would have anticipated from an x86 tablet with a 10.1-inch, 1,366 x 768 display. The Galaxy DNA goes beyond just appearances though, the ATIV Tab 3 also includes an S Pen and S Note software. Plus, you get a free copy of Office Home & Student. As for pricing and availability, expect to see it on shelves by August for $699, keyboard cover included. %Gallery-191947% %Gallery-191955%
Samsung unveils the ATIV One 5 Style, a Windows 8 AIO with Galaxy design
Portables aren't the only ATIV devices Samsung has in store today: Samsung's DJ Lee unveiled the ATIV One 5 Style this afternoon, an all-in-one PC with a slim 4.5mm metal frame and a Galaxy-style white bezel. From what we've seen so far, it's clearly a Windows 8 PC, and it's all screen (of the touch variety). Samsung European PC business director Patrick Povel calls it, "The perfect home entertainment device." But you've already seen the ATIV One 5, you wanna know what's inside it -- we've just learned a load more about its specs. The ATIV One 5 features an AMD A6 quad-core processor (which also handles graphics duties), and has 4GB of RAM. The 21.5-inch display has a 1920 x 1080 resolution -- we're still not sure what type of screen that is, sadly, but we've asked. The ATIV One 5 Style arrives in the UK "later this year" for an unknown price. %Gallery-191947%
Vevo music video app comes to Windows 8
Although Vevo has a presence on seemingly every platform, it hasn't done much of anything special on the desktop: so far, it's been either the web or nothing. That's changing -- the company has just launched a native app for Windows 8 and RT devices. The software puts all of Vevo's core music video features into a touch-friendly format, including Vevo TV, live concerts and playlists. While we suspect that many will still be content with the web interface, those who just have to watch Selena Gomez on a Surface can grab the Vevo app for free at the source link.
Microsoft updates Blink for Windows Phone 8 with GIF-like clip creation (video)
If Vine still leaves you pining for the choppiness of GIFs, Microsoft's got you covered -- on Windows Phone 8, at least. Redmond's Blink app, which helps smartphone photographers capture bursts of images, has hit version 2.0 and scored the ability to create short animated clips, aptly dubbed Blinks. In addition to the bite-sized videos, the latest update bakes in camera settings in capture mode, sharing to social networks and web galleries for shared creations. Microsoft Research also released Blink Cliplets for Windows 8 and RT, which allows users to layer static and dynamic elements atop footage. Hit the break to check out the new release of Blink in action, or jab the first source link for the download.
Lenovo unveils 15-inch ThinkPad S531 Ultrabook
As quick as Lenovo has been to hop on the Ultrabook bandwagon, it hasn't been so eager to launch big-screened models. Its new ThinkPad S531 explores that territory at last: the Windows 8 PC mates a slim profile with both a 15.6-inch, lay-flat LCD and a large keyboard. The experience will otherwise be familiar to those who've seen the S431, as it shares the same basic design language, the OneLink dock connector and a nine-hour battery. Unfortunately, the similarity also extends to the Ivy Bridge-era Intel processor -- there's no Haswell inside, at least for now. Still, the £575 ($900) UK price is within reach of many buyers, and there's a 1080p display option coming in July. Lenovo hasn't said if or when the S531 will reach the US, although we hope it gets a processor upgrade if and when it crosses the Atlantic.
Microsoft offering Surface RT tablets for $199 to educational institutions
If you thought Microsoft's effort to push Surface RT tablets into classrooms would stop with a 10,000-unit giveaway, you'd be mistaken. Ryan Lowdermilk, a technology evangelist for the company, revealed that it's offering 32GB Surface RT slates to K-12 and higher education institutions in 25 countries for $199, more than 50 percent off the $499 retail sticker price. Dropping $249 for each unit will snag organizations keyboard-infused Touch Covers, while bumping the cost to $289 will add Type Covers to the package. Education outfits can take advantage of the deal until August 31st (or while supplies last), but individual students won't be able to snag a Surface at such a deep discount on their own. The post announcing the program has gone offline since its unveiling, but we've reached out to Lowdermilk to confirm that the offer is still valid. In the meantime, you can hit the second source link to snatch an order form for school administrators. Update: It appears the order form has been pulled, so we've replaced the second source link with a mirror of the document. [Thanks, Suraj-Sun]
Skype video messaging officially launches on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android -- but not Windows Phone
Out of beta and free, Skype today launches its video messaging service across all its major platforms. Previously, video missives were limited to 20 free attempts during early testing, but free on premium subscriptions. You can now send unlimited video messages to your Skype contacts on Windows 8, Windows desktop or Mac, while mobile options encompass iOS, Android and BlackBerry. A Windows Phone version is, however, conspicuously MIA. To remind yourself how it all works, check out our early hands-on here.
The Weekly Roundup for 06.03.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 06.06.2013
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.
Bing Translator app comes to Windows 8 with offline support
The Bing Translator app has been available on Windows Phone for some time, but today it's heading over to Windows 8. According to a post on the browser's Search Blog, the program was built "from the ground up" for Windows devices, and it utilizes the Share Charm to let you translate text from within any Windows 8 app. Otherwise, it works much the same as on other platforms: by using your gadget's camera to parse more than 40 languages (of course, you can type text to translate as well). The Translator app also includes offline support, so you can download language packs for use without a WiFi connection. Check it out for yourself by heading to the download page in the Windows Store.
Microsoft previews Windows 8.1 on camera, forgets the Start button (video)
While it's not exactly our "first look" at Windows 8.1, Microsoft's put together an official preview video showing off several features of the OS update. If you caught our overview of what's coming in the next version, there isn't anything in the clip you won't know already -- in fact, the (sort of) return of the Start button isn't discussed at all, although it does briefly pop up on the screen of the Surface Pro used in the demo. You've been reading about it and inspecting screengrabs, but if an official video talkthrough is what you've been hankering for, there's four and a half minutes of just that waiting for you after the break.
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to ship free with x86 Windows 8 tablets (update: only with those smaller than 10 inches)
During today's Computex keynote, Microsoft Windows chief Tami Reller just announced that new x86 Windows 8 tablets will ship with Office in the box. The executive didn't detail the software offering, beyond mentioning that Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will all be included. Windows RT devices, for their part, will now also include pre-installed Outlook, beginning with the Windows 8.1 update, which is due to arrive as a preview version later this month. Update: Microsoft just put up a blog post saying that these free Office applications will come with "small screen tablets" -- in other words, not necessarily all Windows 8 tablets. Tami Reller didn't specify screen sizes during her presentation, and we don't know if small necessarily means the Iconia W3 degree of small (i.e. eight inches), but we're seeking clarification. Update #2: We tracked down a rep at Computex who said that the bundled software will only come with Windows 8 tablets under 10 inches, which will evidently rule out a lot of devices.
Windows RT to come with Outlook app starting with Windows 8.1 update
We weren't expecting Microsoft to make too many announcements here at Computex -- it's got Build coming up, after all -- but it did drop a little bit of news. The company just confirmed that Windows RT tablets will come with an Outlook app pre-installed starting with the Windows 8.1 update. Not much more to share today -- we already knew Windows 8.1 would arrive in preview on June 26th -- but hopefully we'll learn more at the Build developer conference in a few weeks. After all, as much as Microsoft has already revealed about Windows 8.1, it's said very little about RT, specifically. Update: The official Surface blog does have a bit more information to share, mentioning that an update is coming "in about a week" to improve the Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboard accessories. Once that update arrives, there will be a few function key combos to trigger things like brightness (Fn + Del / Backspace), page navigation or toggle the function keys to charms, volume, etc (Fn + Caps). Check the post for a full list of commands.
Fujitsu intros Lifebook UH90 with Haswell and a 3,200 x 1,800 IGZO touchscreen
Fujitsu burst on to the Ultrabook scene in earnest with the Lifebook UH75 last fall, and it's clearly bent on keeping our attention: it just launched an early sequel, the Lifebook UH90. The 14-inch portable is ever-so-slightly thinner than its ancestor at 15.5mm (0.61 inches) thick, but upgrades to an extra-dense 3,200 x 1,800, IGZO-based touchscreen. The improvements are more than just skin-deep, of course. A Haswell-based, 1.6GHz Core i5 helps feed that monster display, and a 500GB hybrid hard drive strikes a balance between speed and storage. Japanese buyers will get a crack at the UH90 on June 28th under the country's customary open pricing system. There's no word yet on a possible US release, but we hope one is on the cards. In case the UH90 is too pricey, Fujitsu also has a trio of more modest PCs on tap. The Esprimo FH78 all-in-one (shown after the break) runs on a Haswell-era, 2.4GHz Core i7 and stuffs a 30W, 2.1-channel Pioneer speaker system underneath its 23-inch display. The PC builder's 15.6-inch Lifebook AH models have also been given a slight bump: the AH45's battery life has doubled to 6.4 hours, and the AH42 has upgraded to a 2.4GHz Pentium while lasting for 7.9 hours on a charge. We're not expecting the Esprimo to reach the US, although the starter Lifebooks may cross the Pacific.
The Daily Roundup for 06.04.2013
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.
