Tablet with an attitude

 Dell Latitude 10

 Windows 8 is just around the corner and many of us are wondering about its hardware requirements from a more portable point of view...
 Here's where Dell comes in with its Latitude 10: dual core Atom processor, 2 GB of ram, 128 GB SSD, Intel integrated graphics, 10.1 inch screen with 1366x768 resolution and a fingerprint reader.
 As for the battery life, it should be able to last up to 8 to 12 hours depending on the usage and the system's configuration.

 iOS and Android are tough contenders for Microsoft in the mobile segment. The user's preferences, hardware performance, price, availability and more - will determine the next step in the mobile world evolution and we'll get the chance to witness it.

 Link: Dell

                                                     
                                             Image courtesy of neowin.net

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

           

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