Thunderbolt Mobo

 The Asus P8Z77-V Premium

 I remember the old days when I used to tweak the desktop pc, upgrading it with a new processor or gfx card and how I also used to overclock them, sometimes with the risk of a guarantee void... Today I prefer the extra mobility so the desktop pc's are not my weapon of choice anymore but from time to time there's innovation and that's something I can't ignore.

 Let's see what's this baby capable of: ATX motherboard with Intel Z77 chipset - supports LGA1155 processors and features four DDR3 DIMM memory slots to up to 32GB of RAM, four PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slot, WiFi and Bluetooth V4.0. Connectivity-wise, it has six SATA 6.0 Gbps, three SATA 3.0 Gbps, one mini-SATA 3.0 Gbps with onboard 32GB SSD, two Gigabit Ethernet, six USB 3.0, six USB 2.0, one display port, HDMI and one Thunderbolt port.

 Intel's high-speed I/O Thunderbolt technology was released on the Apple MacBook Pro and it has recently been integrated in notebooks like the Asus G75VW, but we were yet to see it on desktop PC's.

 There's no word on pricing yet but if you're a desktop PC enthusiast this one's for you.

 Links: Asus P8Z77-V Premium
            Thunderbolt explained

           

Gingerbread on Atom

 Xolo X900

 And here we are ladies and gents, we’ll be witnessing yet another milestone in the mobile industry. Lava (an Indian mobile phones company) is preparing to launch the Xolo smartphone which, hardware wise, runs on an Atom platform. As the OS is concerned the weapon of choice would be Android Gingerbread at launch with an update to ICS following up shortly.

 I know y’all geeks are eager for some specs so here they are: 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2460 processor, 1 GB of ram, 16GB of internal memory, screen size of 4.3”@1024x600 pixels resolution, 8MP main camera with Flash, a front camera of 1.3MP, micro HDMI out. The handset is also NFC (near field comm.) ready. All those goodies are packed in a form factor that measures a mere 123x63x10.99 mm.

 At first glance the specs are on par with the last year’s high end devices but do keep in mind that this is an Atom processor on which a PC version of Windows might work just fine. 

 From now on we should get used to see the “intel inside” logo on smartphones as well. But how soon is now and how’s that Xolo for a change? See ya!  

 Links: Xolo X900
            Lava Mobile Phones

Acer's "Ethos" - Aristotle was no "gamer"...

  Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G

 What's up? Still using your PC in ancient "desktop" setup? If the answer's "yes" then you should definitely check the "desktop replacement" class of notebooks. The processing power is on par with the bulky desktops so no matter what task you're up to - these notebooks can deliver. The first thing that sets Acer's "Ethos" apart from the crowd is the marketing gimmick they came up with - a detachable touchpad that can be used as a remote control for the system. As the savvy users that you are, I'm sure this novelty won't be the selling point for the system but rather its hardware configuration so let's roundup the specs:

 Processor:

 Intel's 2nd Gen Core i7 (Quad-Core Technology) 2630QM (6M L3 Cache) @ 2 GHz with max speed @ 2.9 GHz

 Chipset:
 Mobile Intel HM65 Express

 Ram:
 8 GB DDR3 PC3-8500 @ 1066 MHz (up to 16 GB max)

 Storage:
 HDD 750 GB @ 5400 rpm - Serial ATA-300

 Optical drive:
 DVD±RW (±R DL) / BD-ROM (Blu ray player)

 Display:
 18 inch TFT active matrix LCD Backlight Technology with LED backlight
 Max Resolution 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 16:9 Image Aspect Ratio
 Features: HDCP, CineCrystal

 Video:
 NVIDIA GeForce 555M GT with 2 GB DDR3 VRAM

 Audio:
 5.1 complies with Dolby Home Theater standards

 Networking:
 WLAN 802.11b,g,n
 Bluetooth 3.0
 Gigabit Ethernet

 Interfaces:
 1 x USB 3.0
 2 x USB 2.0
 1 x HDMI
 1 x VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T RJ-45
 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
 1 x eSATA

 Battery:
 8 cell Lithium ion - 6000 mAh (up to 5.5 hrs)

 Power:
 External AC adapter 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)

 Down to Earth now, I guess all the geeks out there are drooling over these tech. specs and the lack of a SSD drive it's not a setback given that the "Ethos" should replace a desktop PC. Gaming should be a pleasant experience along with watching HD video content.
 How about you "happy power users" - would you replace your bulky desktop PC with one of these?

 Link: Acer Aspire Ethos

Project Switchblade: by gamers for gamers

 The Razer Switchblade

 How y'all gamers doin'? Good news for you: Razer has unveiled a concept design for the most portable pc gaming machine yet. The path of innovation is a neverending journey filled with bright ideas and heavy R&D :)
 They say it's a "revolution in pc gaming", I'd say it's evolution. Besides its size and portability the "Switchblade" will feature a dynamic tactile keyboard that can be customized with control schemes for all the games that would be played on it. It will feature a Windows 7 OS powered by an Intel mobile processor. Other features will include: a mini HDMI port, USB 3.0, WiFi and 3G. A quick glance at the specs and the next things comin' to my mind besides gaming are: productivity on the go with the help of an Office Suite and HDTV connectivity - which will add further value and interest for the system.

 Smartphones and tablets are getting better by the day so the competition will be swift and stiff. In the end, the sales numbers will tell the difference. So, gamers (hardcore and casual) this one's for you, are you interested? See ya!

 Link: Switchblade

Go turn every screen into a computer!

The Asus EeeKeyboard PC EK1542

 That's right guys - The Asus EeeKeyboard PC EK1542 is a fully fledged PC in a keyboard form factor. It's got its uses mainly at home if you wanna surf the net from the comfort of your sofa or bed, or just use it as a personal media center. Hardware wise it's based on EeePC architecture: powered by an  Intel® Atom™ N270 cpu, 1GB of ram DDR2, Video Decoder Broadcom 70010/ 70012 Solution, 16GB or 32GB SSD, Bluetooth ver.2.1, WLAN B/G/N connectivity and wheighs about 1kg. It also features touch controls on a 5" touchscreen.
 Overall this is a great addition for the in-home computing. As usual you're more than welcomed to post personal opinions.

Link: The EeeKeyboard PC EK1542

Smartbooks - to be ola or not to be ola *(ola - online always)

 So, here we are ladies and gents almost mid 2011. The tablet-hype reached it's peak. Nowadays even grandma wants to read the news online or check the e-mail  - most of which could be spam anyway. You can find touchscreen tablets everywhere, ranging from dirt cheap to the full price of a Core i5 powered Notebook. I won't get into much details cause stirring up an Apple fanboys rebellion it's not my cup of tea, at least not today.
 So let's take a look at the big picture: Smartphones, Netbooks, Touchscreen Tablets - they all fit in the MID (mobile internet devices) bucket. What about smartbooks? First time I heard about 'em I was like wtf? A mobile OS designed for touchscreen usability transferred to a netbook form factor? As I got the chance to experience Android 2.2 on a Asus Eee PC 900 (fresh OS install by me) I had a sudden change of heart. Everything fell on place just like a 3 year old puzzle. Using keyboard and mouse with the Android OS it's not a bad user experience after all.
 Nowadays I'm eager to get my hands on a Toshiba AC100 Smartbook. It's powered by a nVidia SOC (system on a chip) Tegra 250 with dual core cpu, full HD capabilities and it runs Android 2.2 Froyo. Don't know if an update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb would be available but still, hardware wise it's more than a match for most Netbooks out there powered by Intel's Atom cpu's. So I'd like to hear from you, don't be shy and post your own opinions/comments on the matter. To be continued...

Links you might be interested in:

Porting Android OS to x86
Smartbook - Wikipedia
Toshiba AC100 Smartbook