Mobilityfeeds

Apple sees its future in mobiles

Almost exactly 2 years ago, Steve Jobs outlined his view of personal computing.

We used to be an agrarian nation, he explained, and as a result our vehicles were largely trucks. As the USA became more urban and suburban, we moved to an era where the highways were dominated by cars, not their lumbering counterparts.

The same thing was happening in the technology world — and, with the iPhone and the iPad, the movement was accelerating.

"PCs are going be like trucks," Jobs said at the 2010 All Things D Conference. "They are still going to be around, but only one out of x people will need them."

Clearly, he didn't expect x to be a big number.

Apple updates MacBook Air line at WWDC 2012

Apple has announced a new iteration of its MacBook Air notebook computer.

Phil Schiller, Senior VP of worldwide marketing, unveiled the machine in 11 and 13" models during the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2012) in San Francisco, California, yesterday.

The 11" MacBook Air features a 1.7 GHz processor, 4GB of memory and is available with 64GB of flash storage starting at €1,050, and 128GB of flash storage starting at €1,150. 

Its 13" counterpart comes with a 1.8 GHz processor, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at €1,238, and 256GB of flash storage starting at €1,548. 

Apple launches the MacBook Pro with Retina Display at WWDC 2012

Apple's Marketing executive Phil Schiller unveiled the MacBook Pro during the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2012) in San Francisco, where it was confirmed that the new 15.4" model will feature the company's patented Retina Display.

The new MacBook Pro is being touted as the "world's thinnest" high definition notebook at 1.8cm, making it one quarter thinner than the current models.

Apple's next generation MacBook Pro measures in at 15.4" across, but features a pixel resolution of 2880 x 1800, boasting a record 220 pixels per inch (ppi).
First-party applications have been given a visual overhaul to take advantage of the new display.

Linux might not be able to run on Windows 8

All Microsoft's Windows 8 licensed hardware will be shipping with secure boot enabled by default in their replacement for the BIOS, Unfied Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).

So far, so good, who doesn’t want more security?

The fly in the soup is that by default only Windows 8 will run on these systems, so no Linux, no BSD, heck, no Windows XP for that matter. 
Fedora Linux, Red Hat’s community distribution, has found a way:
Sign up with Microsoft, via Verisign to make their own Windows 8 system compatible UEFI secure boot key. A lot of Linux people hate this compromise. Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, has another take:

“I’m certainly not a huge UEFI fan, but at the same time I see why you might want to have signed bootup etc. And if it’s only US$99 [€78] to get a key for Fedora, I don’t see what the huge deal is.”

At Computex 2012 the frontier between ultrabooks, notebooks and tablets is blurred

Slide it, flip it or snap it on and off.

The way keyboards are connected to touch screens on the latest generation of computing devices is making it tough to differentiate a tablet from notebook or an ultrabook.

Microsoft, which has long been the dominant force in PCs but has fallen far behind in the tablet race, is set to unveil its Windows 8 Operating System (OS) later this year, designed to run on super-thin laptops called ultrabooks and tablets powered by Intel's chips.

The impending launch has prompted PC vendors to come up with a rash of hybrid designs, featuring touch screens and myriad configurations of moving or detachable keyboards.

Computex 2012 shows that the future of tablets is the hybrid PC

Hybrid PCs, machines that can transform from a traditional clamshell notebook into a tablet, aren't a new idea but the concept seems to be gaining a lot of traction, as evidenced by dozens of examples on display at this year's Computex show.

Microsoft introduced its "Tablet PC" concept a decade ago, and for years, we carried a convertible notebook. 
Indeed, companies like Lenovo and Fujitsu have been making and selling such machines all along, through primarily in niche markets. 

The Apple's iPad changed all that of course, making tablets into a real consumer product for the first time.

Windows 8 has a lot to worry Apple

Apple maker of the iconic iPad, was absent -- as usual -- from the Computex 2012 computer show this week, but despite that the company's influence was everywhere.

Showcasing this year at the show, one of the industry biggest annual trade gatherings, were tablets and personal computers powered by Microsoft's next-generation Windows 8 Operating System (OS).

Windows 8 is due for release later this year and considered in many ways the PC industry's response to Apple, which upended the traditional market with its mold-breaking tablet iPad and mobile software iOS.

Samsung shows off the Series 5 Hybrid Windows 8 PC; perfect reminder of Asus Transformer

Samsung has launched its Series 5 Hybrid tablet/notebook PC at the Computex 2012 conference in Taipei.

The South Korean electronics giant touts its new tablet with slots for a keyboard dock similar to that of the Asus Transformer series of tablet-notebook hybrids, and it will run on the full version of Microsoft's Windows 8 x86 based architecture devices out of the box.

The most noteworthy hardware specification of both the tablet and dock are its magnetic connection, rather than the standard – and usually clunky – latch mechanism.

AMD looks at developing its own ultra-thin laptops

AMD has been a bit overshadowed at Computex this year by the onslaught of Intel-based ultrabooks.

But the company made some news of its own announcing its latest line of APUs, or Accelerated Processing Units.
In a press conference AMD executives pitched the company’s second-generation APUs as a better solution for affordable ultra-thin laptops.

The new E-Series APUs, code-named Brazos 2.0, are designed for budget notebooks and desktops.

There are two E-Series dual-core chips, the 1.4GHz E1-1200 and the 1.7GHz E2-1800.
The E2-1800 also has faster Radeon graphics.

Toshiba announces the high-end U840W ultrabook

Ultrabooks are soon starting to look like clones of one another.

The trouble is that since they all have to adhere to Intel’s strict rules of what constitutes an ultrabook, there’s little room to experiment.

Toshiba, on the other hand have just announced a one of a kind ultrabook, called the U840W, which sports an odd 14.4" screen lending it a 21:9 aspect ratio.

The last time we saw this resolution was on Philips 21:9 LCD TV and we know how well that did.
Due to this elongated shape, the resolution is also different, which is 1792 x 768.

MSI Slider S20 Windows 8 tablet / ultrabook quick preview

The thing that makes tablets so terrific for some people and so terrible for others is, unfortunately, what makes a tablet a tablet:
Its lack of a truly convenient keyboard.

At Computex 2012, MSI is demonstrating that those days may be gone for good.
The Slider S20 is a tablet with, as you may have guessed, a built-in keyboard that slides beneath it.

Cheating you say?
Maybe, at least according to the standards of Asus, which demonstrated its Transformer Book (with a removable tablet) before Computex even started.

But don't be too quick to judge:
According to MSI, the Slider S20 meets all of Intel's requirements for an ultrabook and has even been certified as such.
It's driven by a third-generation Core (aka "Ivy Bridge") processor, is based on the Chief River platform, and offers a multitouch 11.6" (1,366-by-768) display.

AMD teams up with Compal to present a Windows 8 tablet / ultrabook

We've seen Intel's vision for Microsoft's Windows 8 already, but don't count out AMD.

The company is showing off a Windows 8 tablet from Compal at Computex 2012 Taipei, and it's in the hot form factor of the moment — the detachable keyboard dock.

We spent some time with the 11.6" device, and while it's not the most attractive or thinnest (at "under 20mm") Windows 8 machine we've seen this week, we didn't have any complaints about the unspecified AMD chip's performance.
AMD also says that the tablet will have upgraded performance and thermal capability when in docked mode.

Gigabyte unveils the X11 high-end carbon fiber ultrabook

Taiwan's Gigabyte Technologies is showing what it claims is the "world's lightest" laptop at the Computex 2012 trade show in Taipei this week.

The Gigabyte X11 is made from a durable, lightweight carbon fiber material similar to that used to build Formula One race cars, according to the company.
It has an 11.6" screen and weighs 975 grams, a shade lighter than Apple's MacBook Air.

It's also shaped a bit like the Air, although the X11 comes with a glossy black finish.
It's 16.5 millimeters high at the back and 3mm high along the front. It will be offered initially with Microsoft's Windows 7 and Intel's new "Ivy Bridge" Core i5 and i7 processors.

At Computex 2012, Intel gives a new life to the ultrabook concept

Intel Senior Vice-president Tom Kilroy gave a Computex 2012 keynote speech surrounded by 50 new ultrabooks.

Intel first introduced the ultrabook concept at Computex exactly one year ago.
Since then it has been working with partners to improve ultrabooks and make them more affordable. The result is a flood of new ultrabooks at this year’s show, based on new 3rd Generation Core processors, that Intel hopes will reinvigorate PC sales.

Intel isn’t ignoring smartphones and tablets.
In his keynote address, Intel Senior Vice-president Tom Kilroy briefly noted the company’s progress on smartphones with recent launches from Lava in India, Lenovo in China and most recently Orange in Europe. For tablets, Intel supports Google's Android, but Kilroy said it is primarily focused on Microsoft's Windows 8 with more than 20 new tablets in the works using a new version of the Atom processor code-name Clover Trail.

Asus unveils the younger brother of popular Transformer Prime, the Windows 8 Transformer Book

In Taipei, the annual Computex is just beginning and Asus has wasted no time introducing numerous new computer designs for Microsoft Windows 8.

The range of products covers laptops, desktops, Ultrabooks and more.
Each offers some new unique twists and turns – including one ultrabook laptop with two screens — but perhaps the smartest move by Asus is to re-use the popular design from its Google's Android tablet and dock, the Transformer Prime.
This fall, Asus will offer a similar device running Windows 8 called the Transformer Book.

You can see all of the new products at Techinstyle.TV, an Asus-backed blog and video portal, but if you’ve seen the Transformer Prime, you’ve essentially already seen the Book.
The tablet houses all the computing guts, which includes an Intel processor, not an ARM-based chip, to power Windows 8.
Asus says the slate will be available in multiple sizes:  11.6”, 13” or 14”.
You can use the tablet in the dock where it acts like a laptop or simply lift off the screen and use the device as a slate.

Asus presents the Zenbook UX31 ultra-slim ultrabook

The next generation Asus Zenbook Prime UX31 ultrabook with a Full High Definition 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS 13.3" display screen, will claim the title for the ultrabook with the highest resolution screen available in the market.

The Zenbook series, with the 11.6" Zenbook UX21 had previously set the bar for the slimmest form factor amongst ultrabooks, a body that starts at just 9mm at its rear, tapering down to a mere 3mm at its front.
The Zenbook Prime UX31 shares the UX21's slim dimensions while expanding the screen size on offer.

"Aesthetically, we've retained the much-loved stylistic elements and build quality of the iconic Zenbook. On the technical front the new Zenbook Prime UX31 redefines the boundaries of the Ultrabook category with Intel's latest processors for enhanced performance," says Regional MD for Asus, Leon Yu. 

Asus innovates again with unveiled Taichi dual-screen Windows 8 ultrabook

Asus has just announced Taichi, its revolutionary dual-screen Ultrabook, and we have been able to spend some hands-on time with the product ahead of its launch later this year.

Available in both 11.6” and 13.3” form factors, Taichi combines the power of an Ultrabook with the flexibility and mobility of a tablet.
We spent some time with an engineering sample 11.6” model to get an idea of what opportunities Taichi opens up with the launch of Microsoft's Windows 8 later this year.

We were surprised just how light the Taichi is – it weighs virtually the same as the 11.6” Zenbook Prime.
Its dimensions are also very similar to the 11.6” Zenbook Prime UX21A, but we’re hearing that it might end up being thinner than the UX21A when the hardware is finalised.

Asus allows you to run Android apps on your Windows computer with BlueStacks

Asus has revealed a new partnership at Computex today to make its computers more Android-friendly.

By teaming with BlueStacks, which makes an "app player" for running Google's Android apps on Microsoft's Windows, the company will make Android apps available on 30 million Windows computers around the world.

"Asus has always been an innovator, and this is a big move for the space," BlueStacks' Chief Executive Officer Rosen Sharma wrote in an Email. "Thirty million computers running mobile apps is a lot, but it's just the beginning."

Google comes back with a Samsung Chromebox and Chromebook

Google and Samsung have announced a desktop PC sporting an overhauled Chrome Operating System (OS), with the Chromebox joining a brand new Chromebook laptop.

With Chrome OS reshaped entirely to much closer resemble familiar Operating Systems like Apple's Mac OS and Microsoft Windows the new products are hoping to capture a share of the low-cost market.

With Chrome OS trying to take advantage of the move to cloud computing, both Chromebook and Chromebox are all about connectivity and the Chrome browser remains front and centre in the Operating System.

The 2012 edition of Computex Taipei should be all about Ultrabooks running Windows 8

Company representatives from around the world will be able to put their hands on ultra-thin laptops running on Microsoft's highly anticipated Operating System (OS) at Computex Taipei in June 2012, according to one of the organizers. 

This year at Computex, visitors will see a preview on Windows 8-based ultrabooks, said Enoch Du, secretary-general of the Taipei Computer Association, which co-organizes the world's second largest tech trade fair.

"Although Microsoft is very cautious about the launch, vendors in fact are ready to offer the Windows 8 devices, including ultrabooks, tablet computers and smart handheld devices," he told CNA in an interview recently. 

"You can put your hands on the models and directly use them," Du added. "With the release of the Windows 8, there will be a 'big jump' in ultrabook (sales) volumes."