Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, June 04, 2012

Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/sonys-vaio-t13-ultrabook-coming-to-the-us-this-month-with-ivy-b/

After Sony teased its first Ultrabook at CES, what happened next was a bit anti-climactic: it was announced for the European market... with last-gen, Sandy Bridge processors. Now, though, the company is back with two pieces of good news: the 13-inch VAIO T13 is headed to the US as well, and will pack Intel's latest Ivy Bridge CPUs after all. (If you were expecting the 11-inch T11, it looks like it's not being sold in the states.) As a refresher, the T13 is fashioned out of brushed silver aluminum, has a 13-inch (1366 x 768) display and weighs approximately 3.5 pounds -- a tad heavy for a 13-inch Ultrabook. On the bright side, that .71-inch-thick chassis makes room for a healthy selection of ports, including USB 3.0 and 2.0, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA and an SD slot. The one amenity you won't find? A backlit keyboard.

Even more interesting is the cost: if you think Sony products rest too heavily on brand cache, the T series starts at $800, about as low as Ultrabook prices have fallen so far. At the entry level, it comes with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive combined with a 32GB solid-state drive for faster boot-ups -- pretty typical specs for the money. Willing to spend more? You can max out with a Core i7 CPU and 256GB SSD. Expect it to hit shelves sometime this month, and for now feel free to peruse those glossy press shots below.

Gallery: Sony VAIO T13

Continue reading Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800

Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corning unveils slim, flexible Willow Glass (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/corning-unveils-slim-flexible-willow-glass-video/

That is not plastic in the image above, it's glass. In particular it's a sheet of Corning's new 100-micron-thick Willow Glass, a new ultra-thin and flexible substrate for LCDs and OLEDs. The extreme thinness of the glass should lead to lighter, svelter devices, but it also means that shape is no longer a barrier for design. In fact, Corning expects Willow Glass will eventually lead substrates to be manufactured "roll-to-roll" instead of "sheet-to-sheet" -- similar to how newspapers are printed. Even though the glass as thin as paper (literally) it doesn't give up its patented Corning toughness. Though, we wouldn't subject this to the same sort of abuse that the more brolic Gorilla Glass is built to withstand. Willow will start showing up in smartphones first, but the company is already looking into additional applications, such as solar cells and lighting. For more, check out the video and PR after the break.

Continue reading Corning unveils slim, flexible Willow Glass (video)

Corning unveils slim, flexible Willow Glass (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-s-iii/

T-Mobile US isn't letting Verizon bask in the spotlight for too long, as it just announced that June 21st will be the magic date it begins offering the Samsung Galaxy S III in stores. From what we can tell, this particular flavor of the device has seemed to escape a good chunk of carrier influence, with the traditional home button model staying intact. As we've been expecting, the GSIII will come in 16 and 32GB models (price is still an unknown at the moment, though $200 and $250 respectively seems to be the popular choice so far), run on a Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and offer an impressive 2GB RAM. It doesn't appear that T-Mo will be allowing pre-orders through official retail channels, but you can sign up for a reminder by going to the link below. But don't worry if you forget to do that -- we'll keep you posted on all the updates no matter what.

Continue reading T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st

T-Mobile brings Samsung Galaxy S III to stores on June 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marvell unveils all-in-one 802.11ac WiFi chip for mobile devices: throws in Bluetooth and NFC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/marvell-unveils-all-in-one-802-11ac-wifi-chip-for-mobile-devices/

Marvell unveils all-in-one 802.11ac WiFi chip for mobile devices: throws in Bluetooth and NFC Less is more, right? Marvell has announced a new 802.11ac-enabled chip that includes NFC and Bluetooth, all in one. The Avastar 88W8897 is geared at mobile devices and aims to compete with Broadcom's own chipsets, wich are already being sold inside "5G Wi-Fi" routers. Marvell's attempts to cram in those extra connectivity options does, however, make it a more attractive option for phone manufacturers. The dual-stream config will mean its bandwidth peaks at around 900Mbps -- Broadcom's offerings can reach up to 1.3Gps. Marvell humbly suggests that its own chip would also be at home in larger devices, including ultrabooks and tablets. The company also claims that it's up 50 percent smaller than rival chip combinations that offer similar functionality and -- perhaps crucially -- costs 75 percent less. The chip also throws in Location Engine, a WiFi-based feature that works to augment indoor positioning. Consumer products are promised to arrive sometime next year, which should mean plenty of time to map out your home and office in preparation.

Marvell unveils all-in-one 802.11ac WiFi chip for mobile devices: throws in Bluetooth and NFC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo U310 and U410 Ultrabooks now available worldwide starting at $749

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/lenovo-u310-and-u410-ultrabooks-available/

We're no strangers to Lenovo's new IdeaPads, having seen them at CES, but now the relatively cheap (and chunky) Ultrabooks are available to purchase. The starting price seems to have inflated slightly since January, with the 13.3-inch U310 base model going for $749 and the 14-inch U410 starting at $799. If size and weight are your prime concerns, be advised that even the smaller U310 comes in at 1.7kg (3.74 pounds) and 18mm (0.7 inches) thick. The 14-incher takes the Ultrabook definition to its limit at 1.9kg (4.18 pounds) and 21mm (0.83 inches) thick. Both are available with Ivy Bridge processors up to Core i7, as much as 1TB of storage, plus optional 32GB SSD cache drives and NVIDIA discrete graphics. Look to buy them starting today at retailers in the US and UK as well as direct from Lenovo's website at the source link.

Continue reading Lenovo U310 and U410 Ultrabooks now available worldwide starting at $749

Lenovo U310 and U410 Ultrabooks now available worldwide starting at $749 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Galaxy S III arrives with Google Wallet on June 21

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/sprint-galaxy-s-iii-arrives-with-google-wallet-on-june-21/

The hubbub of carriers eager to sell Samsung's quad-core beauty ain't stopping. This time, it's Sprint's turn, announcing that its version of the NFC-capable, 4G-connectable Galaxy S III will arrive Google Wallet-friendly and ready for your retail therapy starting June 21st. Two-year contracts are priced at $200 for the 16GB version and $250 for the 32GB option, although the latter will be web-exclusive. Pre-orders will start from June 5th -- in both Pebble Blue and Marble White options. Sprint gives you the hard sell right after the break.

Continue reading Sprint Galaxy S III arrives with Google Wallet on June 21

Sprint Galaxy S III arrives with Google Wallet on June 21 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI unwraps Slider S20 hybrid tablet with Windows 8 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/04/msi-unwraps-slider-s20-hybrid-tablet-with-windows-8-hands-on/

MSI is well-known for showing tablets at Computex -- it even showed what amounts to the same tablets at two different shows. It's certainly shaking things up this year, however, with the Slider S20. We've seen hybrid tablet PCs before, but the Windows 8-toting S20 has a fairly slick tilting mechanism that locks the 11.6-inch touchscreen at an angle, turning the slate into a pseudo-laptop right on the spot. MSI is only willing at this early stage to mention a few key details, but it's promising at least one Slider S20 variant with a properly speedy low-voltage Ivy Bridge chip as well as 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and USB 3.0. Our friends at Engadget Spanish got an early look and found the tablet a bit chunky with a so-so display, but also thought that it looked like a "robust" design. Check our overseas companions' first impressions for more, and know that the Slider S20 is expected to reach Europe in September at €899 ($1,121) in its full Ivy Bridge glory along with a lower-powered model at €799 ($996).

MSI unwraps Slider S20 hybrid tablet with Windows 8 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, June 03, 2012

LG launches 13.3-inch X Note Z350 laptop with third-gen Intel Core power, WiDi and an SSD

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/02/lg-launches-13-inch-x-note-z350-ultrabook-laptop-intel-core-i7/

Evidently, "Ultrabook" isn't a "thing" in South Korea. Or, at least not in the translated press release we've just gotten our mitts on. LG is getting the weekend started right with a proper successor to the Z330, and the X Note Z350 is absolutely a looker. It's a 13.3-incher that does its best to appear just like every other Ultrabook currently on the market, boasting a typical silver motif with black chiclet keys and a glossy LCD. A smattering of palm rest stickers work to further mar things, but the third-gen Intel Core i5 / i7 within makes up for most of that. We aren't told what kind of GPU is under the hood (we're putting our bucks on Kepler, for the record), but there's room for an SSD and a built-in Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) module to beam out 1080p content sans cabling. Pricing, battery life and most other particulars are being kept under wraps for now, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more.

LG launches 13.3-inch X Note Z350 laptop with third-gen Intel Core power, WiDi and an SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Agility 4 SSD from OCZ announced, already in stock at $150

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/03/agility-4-ssd-ocz-announced-in-stock-at-150/

SSD makers often try to wow us with raw MB/S, but OCZ is talking up "enterprise-level" reliability, ops per second, and throughput equally with its new SATA III 6Gbps Agility 4. The 64GB / 128GB / 256GB / 512GB drives -- with Marvell-built Indilinx Everest 2 controllers -- have middling max read/write throughput of 400 MB/s and 48,000 IOPS / 85,000 IOPS, respectively. But with Indilinx Ndurance 2.0 technology and no data compression, they claim that the NAND memory will last "well beyond" the manufacturer's specs -- without backing that up with actual figures. Prices seem steep at Amazon next to the competition, but could drop when they hit the streets in volume. So, if you're after an all-rounder instead of a sprinter, check the PR after the break.

Continue reading Agility 4 SSD from OCZ announced, already in stock at $150

Agility 4 SSD from OCZ announced, already in stock at $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, June 02, 2012

ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/itu-ultra-hdtv-3d-tv-standards/

The ITU has stayed busy, as we mentioned earlier it met to hammer out standards for UHDTV (Ultra High Definition TV), and also recently announced a new set of recommendations for 3DTV. On the 3D front it focused on standardization for delivering video in both 720 and 1080 line formats, digital interfaces used for studio production and methods to evaluate quality based on picture quality, depth and comfort levels. As far as UHDTV which is still quite a bit further off, the group has decided the term will cover both 4K and 8K (aka Super Hi-Vision) resolution video, as multiples of the existing 1080p standard. That means Quad Full HD (QFHD, or 3840x2160 resolution) and Digital Cinema 4K resolution (4096x2160) both fall under the umbrella of 4K (check the aspect ratios to see where the "missing" pixels went, or have a listen to this week's podcast. After the break we've got a video with Study Group Chairman Christoph Dosch discussing the future possibilities of both 3DTV and UHDTV, as well as press releases with a few extra details.

Continue reading ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video)

ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video) originally appeared! on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ComScore: Android's US share dips ever so slightly, iPhone slowly marching up

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/comscore-android-us-share-dips-ever-so-slightly-in-april/

Here's a minor surprise: Android slipping at all in US market share. Although it saw just a tiny drop of two tenths of a point from where it was in March, and still saw a gain over January, Google's platform was down to 50.8 percent in April. Nothing dramatic enough to make Mountain View worry, as such, but definitely a sharp break from the rapid growth of last year. Apple could meanwhile claim a small victory for the month as a result by continuing to grow -- even if we wouldn't call its 31.4 percent iPhone share a revolution. Of the other platforms, only Microsoft had anything to crow about, as the Lumia 900 launch brought Windows Phone back just over the four percent mark.

The positions among individual cellphone makers as a whole didn't budge in April, and whatever losses came to Android's partners in that area were spread evenly across top-dog Samsung as well as LG and Motorola. Perhaps the biggest twist was HTC holding its ground at a steady six percent, which hints that the HTC One S' arrival at T-Mobile might have been just the ticket to keeping Taiwan in the fight.

ComScore: Android's US share dips ever so slightly, iPhone slowly mar! ching up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chipworks, iFixit tear down the Galaxy S III for all to see, spot iPhone 4S' camera sensor hanging around

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/chipworks-ifixit-tear-down-samsung-galaxy-s-iii/

You've picked up the Galaxy S III. You've grabbed the source code. But you probably like the quad-core monster too much to tear it down, which is why Chipworks and iFixit have taken to disassembling the phone for themselves to look fro any surprises. We certainly knew to expect the Exynos 4 Quad and 2,100mAh battery, but we now know how Samsung is claiming a boost to speed and image quality for the 8-megapixel camera: it's using the same Sony-made, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that we've seen since the Xperia Arc and made its biggest splash in the iPhone 4S. Just don't anticipate replacing many components yourself. That 4.8-inch screen is not only permanently attached to the glass, but to the phone frame, leaving any face-first accidents a dicey fix. We're expecting a few more discoveries once iFixit gives the Galaxy S III a second scan, but the source will give you everything there is to know right now.

Chipworks, iFixit tear down the Galaxy S III for all to see, spot iPhone 4S' camera sensor hanging around orig inally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair Force GT SSDs put through their paces, have graphs to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/02/corsair-force-gt-SSD-family-benchmarks/

Instead of singling out one of Corsair's latest SandForce-equipped SSDs, the folks at StorageReview sussed out performance differences by putting each drive through the wringer. Though read / write specs are relatively uniform across the line, barring some slight dips in speed, they dug up a few juicy morsels of info that could benefit both frugal and performance-minded shoppers. In a read intensive gaming test, the 60GB entry drive performed similarly to the 480GB behemoth. Another notable result was a 60% jump in throughput between the 120GB and 180GB models. Keen on eking out the most performance-bang for your buck? Hop over to the source for the full skinny and a bevy of charts.

Corsair Force GT SSDs put through their paces, have graphs to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, June 01, 2012

RT @marketingcharts Daily Twitter Users Double in Less Than A Year: While the overall proportion of online adult... http://t.co/ELVA3V4A

Source: http://twitter.com/acfou/statuses/208600978247794690

RT @marketingcharts Daily Twitter Users Double in Less Than A Year: While the overall proportion of online adult... http://t.co/ELVA3V4A

Confirmed: Vizio's Beautiful Computers Arrive This Month [PCs]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5914844/confirmed-vizios-beautiful-computers-arrive-this-month

Yesterday we got a tip that a couple of Vizio's gorgeous computers would land on Walmart shelves by the middle of this month. Now we've heard back from Vizio, and the company confirmed that the computers are coming. Sweet!

Here's the comment fresh from Vizio:

We are excited about the official VIZIO PC launch this month. We will be withholding any comments regarding previously unannounced product specs and retail channels until our official launch. At that time, we will be announcing all of the exciting details around these highly anticipated PCs.

Another tipster familiar with the inner workings of the upcoming Walmart/Vizio launch confirmed that an all-in-one PC and a notebook were on their way to the retailer. Based on the official comment, it looks like we should have more details soon.

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