Laptop - Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Optimized for Windows 8

Lenovo  announced the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, optimized for Windows 8 adding a touch experience to the industry’s leading business class Ultra-book. The X1 Carbon and X1 Carbon Touch are developed from superior grade, lightweight carbon fiber  and deliver legendary durability and the highest levels of performance. The new X1 Carbon Touch paves the way for mobile professionals who demand the best in mobility and entertainment and want to experience the simplicity of touch gesture control.

 

“Bringing touch gesture control to our best ThinkPad ever is a natural evolution of the portfolio and a big step towards fulfilling our promise to bring computers into a new PC Plus era,” said Peter Hortensius, president, Lenovo Product Group. “We are excited to be able to offer customers the best experience in a thin and light business class Ultra-book.  The X1 Carbon Touch is the Ultra-book to beat.”  

 

 

The X1 Carbon Touch – The World’s Lightest 14” Touch Notebook

Weighing in at a svelte 3.4 pounds and just 20.8mm thin, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is constructed with carbon fiber material that provides strength and durability beyond traditional notebook materials. Users can interact naturally with smooth 10-finger touch on the vibrant 14-inch HD+ display and further enrich their Windows 8 experience using the large multi-gesture glass touchpad.

 

 

 

Even with its thin and light design, the X1 Carbon Touch packs a punch. Powered by Intel Core i5 and i7 processors the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch invites users to enjoy multimedia content with Dolby Home Theater v4. Certified as the first Ultrabook optimized for Microsoft Lync, the HD face-tracking camera and dual array microphones ensure high quality video and voice track capability without the need for USB peripherals.

 

 

For the true mobile warrior, a new optional slim 65W AC adapter is now offered as the perfect companion for the new X1 Carbon Touch. At just 17mm thin and weighing 53 percent less (235g) than the standard AC adapter, it fits neatly into even a small bag and offers maximum portability for travelers with the world’s lightest 14” Ultrabook.  

 

 

For the business user, the X1 Carbon Touch provides peace of mind for any situation with state of the art security and manageability including vPro, Integrated Fingerprint Reader, Trusted Platform Module and BIOS encryption.  Lenovo’s RapidCharge technology provides the industry’s fastest charge times while the eight hours of battery life and optional 3G connectivity ensures maximum productivity virtually anywhere.  

Pricing and Availability

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is available now at www.lenovo.com or through Lenovo business partners. Prices start at $1,499.

MultiMedia - Peripherals and Accessories - Xiaomi Box Android Streaming Box supports AirPlay, DLNA and Miracast

The Apple TV may not be officially available in China, but there are already plenty of cheap Android TV dongles and set-top boxes over there to keep the folks occupied. That said, many of them don't offer a satisfying multimedia experience, so even for a latecomer like Xiaomi, there's still space for competition.

Having just launched the much anticipated Xiaomi Phone 2, the Chinese startup recently announced that it had acquired digital content provider Duokan for some time, and the first fruit is this conveniently named Xiaomi Box. Even with the bundled one-meter HDMI cable, the pebble's priced at a competitive ¥399 (about $64) and we've been told it'll be available in mid-December. Better yet, it claims to be compatible with AirPlay right out of the box! Read on to see if that's the case with our pre-production unit.

We were lucky enough to have an Apple TV at the launch event for a quick size comparison, and it turned out the Xiaomi Box is basically a flatter but more rounded version of Apple's counterpart. Just a warning: we actually became rather fond of stroking the Xiaomi Box's smooth curved top. As for the hardware inside the nicely crafted polycarbonate shell, it's a pretty neat bundle for the price: a Cortex-A9 800MHz processor, 1GB RAM, HDMI output, RJ-45 socket, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a micro-USB port for OTG host. The spec sheet lists 720p or 1080p video output (the former by default), along with playback compatibility for a range of video codecs: H.264, VC-1, WMV-HD, MPEG 1/2/4 (up to 1080p at 30 fps) and Real7/8/9 (up to 720p at 30 fps). It can also handle audio as well: MP3 (64kbps to 320kbps), WMA (64kbps to 320kbps) and APE / FLAC (no more than 1,500Kbps).

As teased earlier, the interesting thing is that in addition to DLNA and Miracast, the Xiaomi Box is also compatible with Apple's AirPlay. Xiaomi packages this trio of protocols as "MiLink." But just as expected, we could only stream non-protected content from iTunes to our Xiaomi Box during our test, but that's still rather fun and handy, nonetheless. As for our Miracast-enabled Xiaomi Phone 2 (any Xiaomi Phone with MIUI v2.9.29 and above will do), once connected to the same network as the Xiaomi Box, we could then stream our photos and supported videos to it -- it's just a matter of tapping the extra icon in the native gallery app or video player.

Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about the Xiaomi Box's native UI and content. As you can see, the menu's grid layout is rather elegant and easy to navigate with the slim remote control. The software was non-final at the time of our hands-on, but the general framework was already there: you can browse content under recommended highlights, categories, charts or your subscribed shows and stored favorites. There's also a dedicated page for apps, but so far it only shows various video and audio portals (such as PPTV, Sohu, Tencent and Phoenix), as well as a PopCap section with only a few games so far. Given that this device is made solely for the Chinese market (hence the lack of English interface right now), it's certain that Google's Play Store won't make a presence here; and since there was no obvious way for us to install other regular Android apps, this means Xiaomi will likely have total control over what can be loaded onto the box. But the good news is that the selection of multimedia content -- both local and foreign -- is rather decent. Even Dexter, The Big Bang Theory and Mad Men are available in 720p quality for free, courtesy of Sohu (and presumably under a legit deal behind the scenes).

Obviously, it's still too early to see what Xiaomi will get out of its little box, but being able to tie in some of China's best content providers while also offering three types of local network streaming capabilities, as well as its famed weekly software updates, the $64 Xiaomi Box easily gives the competition a run for their money. Perhaps one day we'll even see the same business model reach to other regions, but for now, we can only dream.

NEC VE281 and VE281X Multimedia Projectors

NEC Display Solutions of America, a leading provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today its VE281 and VE281X mobile projectors, designed for small-to-medium-sized businesses, education environments, corporate conference rooms and mobility applications where heavy ambient light is present but the space requires a small projector.

These 2800-lumen lightweight models are affordable with essential features, including 3D Ready technology, high-contrast images and a powerful 7W speaker. The automated technologies, including Auto Power On and quick startup/shutdown, make VE Series projectors an eco-friendly choice. ECO Mode™ technology, a carbon savings meter, extended filter life, and energy-saving features also are key elements. Intelligent Driving Scheme (IDS2) technology has been adopted to extend the lamp life of the projector up to 6000 hours in ECO Mode and 4000 hours in normal use.

“NEC’s new VE Series brings a new mobile family to our multimedia projector lineup with the intention of providing high brightness to small areas with heavy ambient lighting,” said Rich McPherson, Senior Product Manager for Projectors at NEC Display Solutions. “Its automated technologies and lightweight design make it ideal for mobility applications where the projector is frequently moved between locations.”

NEC’s VE281 and VE281X include the following features:

• SVGA and XGA resolutions
• 2800 lumens of brightness
• 3000:1 high contrast ratio from the latest Texas Instruments DLP® engine
• BrilliantColor™ technology provides accurate color reproduction
• Intelligent Driving Scheme (IDS2) enables increased lamp life and contrast ratio
• HDMI input connects you to high-definition sources
• Compact size and lightweight design simplify transport
• Automatic Power ON via RGB (15-pin) input
• Quick startup/cooling/shutdown minimizes projector setup and teardown between meetings
• ECO Mode technology helps extend lamp life and lowers power consumption
• Lamp life up to 4000 hours normal and up to 6000 hours in ECO Mode
• Carbon savings meter calculates the positive effects of operating the projector in ECO Mode
• Intuitive remote control provides one-touch source changes

The VE281 and VE281X will be available in January 2013 at an estimated street price of $369 and $449, respectively. Each projector ships with a 2 year limited parts and labor warranty. The lamp is covered for one year or 500 hours, whichever comes first. Education customers receive an additional year, and registered Star Student customers receive an additional 2 years on their warranty.

About NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc.
 
Headquartered in Itasca, Ill., NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., is a leading designer and provider of innovative desktop LCD monitors, commercial- and professional-grade large-screen LCD displays, a diverse line of multimedia and digital cinema projectors, and integrated display solutions. NEC Display Solutions develops leading-edge visual technology and customer-focused solutions for a wide variety of markets, including enterprise, healthcare, education and digital signage. For additional information about NEC Display Solutions of America products, call (866)

Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II heading to Verizon in the 'coming weeks' for $130

Verizon Wireless today announced the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II with a full QWERTY keyboard, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 4G LTE and Android 4.0, aims to balance business and a rich multimedia experience. Here's more info on this upcoming QWERTY Android phone:

The Stratosphere II offers a number of entertainment features. Users can rent or purchase movies from the Samsung Media Hub that they then can watch right on the Stratosphere II's 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display for high quality video entertainment. S Beam uses near-field communications (NFC) to easily share photos and videos with other compatible devices.

Stratosphere II is Global Ready with the ability to call and email from over 200 countries, has built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity when on the road, and supports multi-vendor Mobile Device Management (MDM). With numerous security features like Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and on-device AES 256-bit encryption, the Stratosphere II aims to protect personal and professional information.

The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II will be available online and in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores in the coming weeks for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. 

Sony Xperia P Limited 24K Gold Edition

Sony Mobile Sweden shows a picture of a limited 24K gold edition of the Xperia P smartphone. The gold handset is the prize of Sony’s give-away competition in Nordic countries. Not sure if Sony will release this limited edition to general consumers.

In case you don’t remember, the Xperia P is a mid-range phone boosted by NOVATHOR U8500 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It sports a 4.3-inch 960X540 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA and WhiteMagic technology, and a 8 Megapixel camera with Exmor R mobile CMOS sensor, LED flash, Full HD video recording. There is also VGA front-facing camera.

Acer Introduces C7 Chromebook for $199 with Celeron Inside.

Acer Group this week introduced the world’s most affordable laptop, the C7 Chromebook. Unlike competing offerings, Acer’s Chromebook that runs Google Chrome operating system is based on Intel Corp.’s Celeron chip featuring Sandy Bridge micro-architecture. The product is designed as additional notebook for fast, easy and secure way to get online to do computing in the cloud, such as using Gmail, social networks, shopping, and paying bills.

Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2847) is powered by Intel Celeron 847 processor (1.10GHz, 2MB L3 cache), 2GB of DDR3 memory and 320GB hard disk drive (+100GB cloud storage). The laptop features 11.6” LED-backlit LCD, 1.3MP webcam with LED indicator and microphone, three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, SD/MMC card reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi controller and so on. Even though the Acer C7 Chromebook is supposed to be ultra-thin and light, it weighs 3.05 pounds (1.38 kg) and is about one inch thick (~2.5cm).

“The core of Google’s Chromebook vision is creating a better, more simple computing experience and making it available to everyone. We are excited about the Acer C7 Chromebook, the newest addition to the Chromebook family. The Acer C7 delivers a hassle-free computing experience with the speed, security and simplicity that users expect of Chromebooks built in,” said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and apps at Google.

Acer C7 it boots up in less than 18 seconds and resumes nearly instantly from sleep mode. The Acer C7 Chromebook also has automatically updated security features built in to defend against malware and viruses.

“Today’s computer users are doing more online heightening the need for enhanced security, quicker online access and an easy-to-use interface. The Acer C7 Chromebook provides all this at an affordable price, making it the right choice for families and students on a budget as well as anyone who wants a new or second mobile PC for web-based computing,” said Jim Wong, corporate president of Acer.

The Acer C710-2847 will be available starting this week on the Google Play store, at Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com for customers in the United States for $199.

MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook packs AMD Trinity A10 amd Radeon HD7970M

Back in September, we told you about the MSI GX60, an upcoming 15.6-inch gaming notebook built around AMD’s quad-core A10 series APU and Radeon HD 7970M GPU. Although MSI had revealed pretty much everything worth revealing about the machine back then, it let the laptop’s price and release date remain a secret, leaving those interested in acquiring the GX60 on tenterhooks. The wait is now over as MSI has begun shipping the Trinity-powered laptop.

Claimed to be the “only high-end gaming laptop in the world to support three-monitor output” and touted as having “the best performance-to-cost ratio of any high-end gaming NB”, the GX60 starts at just $1,299.99.

“MSI spared no bells and whistles in creating the GX60, packing it with cutting-edge components including the latest AMD processor,” said Andy Tung, vice president of sales at MSI US, in a press release last week. “MSI is committed to the gaming community and we believe that exceptional performance leads to unparalleled gaming experience.”

The 8.6-lb GX60 1AC-021US sports a 15.6" Full HD anti-reflective display. Inside, you will find an AMD Trinity A10 quad-core processor (2.3 ~ 3.2 GHz), AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU with GDDR5 2GB VRAM, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB (7200 RPM) HDD, Blu-ray reader, SteelSeries keyboard, Killer E2200 LAN, 802.11b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, 720p camera, three USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, HDMI output, 2.1 speakers with THX TruStudio PRO sound, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and  a 9-cell battery. Lastly, the GX60 comes preloaded with Windows 8.