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Posts Tagged ‘laptop’

SmithsonMartin Emulator DVS DJ System

DJs are pretty boring to watch. (Editor’s note: Reviewer is a DJ, so back off, trolls.) The Emulator DVS changes that. Looking like something lifted from the nightclub in Tron: Legacy, it’s a giant dashboard for selecting and mixing tracks. Position the included 2,300-lumen projector on the shelf beneath the 42-inch infrared touchscreen and hook up a laptop: The glass bursts to life with throbbing neon buttons, sliders, and knobs. And because the screen is transparent, the audience can watch as you swipe, twist, and tap to keep the beats bumping.… [Read More...]

Whether you just built or bought a new PC, it pays to optimize your setup from the start

Nothing holds more promise than a brand-new PC. The hardware is fresh and full of potential, the OS is clean and clutter-free, and you have nothing but pure, unadulterated storage space awaiting your precious data. It’s an exciting time, indeed. But before you start dumping old files onto your new rig willy-nilly, and downloading every shiny bauble of an app that catches your eye, take some time to consider a more measured approach to moving in. After all, you only have this … [Read More...]

The jury is still out on Windows 7 tablets — and, at this point, it looks like it may never come in — but with the Series 7 Slate, Samsung at least gives this difficult niche the old college try.

Our last encounter with a Windows tablet dates back to March’s Viewsonic ViewPad 10, which disastrously attempted to combine Windows and Android in one device, dramatically failing at both. Here, Samsung is at least wise enough to pick … [Read More...]

I’ve been waiting for the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s to come to market since early September when I first saw it during Fashion’s Night Out. To be honest, I have a rather intense love affair with the previous released version of this PC. So, I was excited to see an updated model. Upon first sight on pretty white pedestals in Saks, this new line of PC won my heart. It’s light, with long battery life and colorful. So, I was thrilled when Lenovo let me test one out.

Here are some highlights:

• Rapid charge battery – huge for me as I

… [Read More...]

Microsoft Hardware is announcing today the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000. This is like the “little brother” to the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 – but without the separate number pad. The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 is a full-size keyboard and is light-weight with a very slim design. It features the approved design by Microsoft’s resident Ergonomist Dr. Dan Odell. Specifically, the design has a 6-degree curve that allows the keys to stay in a contiguous arc for a more natural wrist posture.

This keyboard is perfect for new ultra-portable PCs like the ASUS ZENBOOK. I’ve been using the ASUS ZENBOOK … [Read More...]

Car nuts race their rides to see whose machine is the fastest. Fitness fanatics run marathons to test their physical limitations and endurance against that of their fellows. Geeks and gearheads? Our battles are fought and won on the basis of how capable our hardware is. While our desktops and laptops might be a thing of wonder to behold, carrying them around with us for the sake of collecting the accolades we deserve isn’t always convenient. Carrying around a smartphone or tablet, however, is. Benchmarking also provides the added benefit of telling you how well your phone manages the current … [Read More...]

Stylish, screaming fast, and slim

Samsung is kind of a big deal. In addition to manufacturing everything from tablets to televisions to turbines, the Korean giant is one of the world’s largest producers of DRAM and NAND flash memory, and it has long provided SSDs to OEMs and systems integrators. Samsung entered the retail SSD market in late 2010, with its 470 Series SSD delivering performance on par with the first-gen SandForce drives that owned the top end of the market. It’s now late 2011, and the goalposts have shifted. Samsung’s Series 830 drive boasts a slimmer look, a refreshed … [Read More...]

A glasses-free 3D laptop

We have a term for technology like Toshiba’s Qosmio F755 laptop. It’s “demo cool.” It wows you in a demo, but after some serious testing, you’re not quite sure you’d want to use it day in and day out. Though we’re impressed by the technical achievement of Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D technology, it’s just not developed enough to earn our recommendation.

Unlike most stereoscopic 3D displays, which require you to wear a pair of 3D glasses, Toshiba’s lenticular display creates a stereoscopic 3D illusion with the naked eye. That illusion did impress us. Watching a 3D Blu-ray … [Read More...]

Toshiba’s recently announced Portégé Z830 Series Ultrabooks are now available starting $799.99 at Best Buy and on ToshibaDirect.com, starting at $829.99. Back in September, Toshiba revealed the Portégé Z830 Series, which is their first PC in the category of stylish and thin PCs called Ultrabooks introduced by Intel. The Portégé Z830 Series is powered by Intel’s second-generation Core processors, weighs less than 2.5 pounds, has a 0.63-inch profile and a full-size LED backlit and spill-resistant keyboard!

For more on Toshiba’s Portégé Z830 Series, click here to visit their website.

This article was written by Windows Experience (Source)

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The Portégé puts the third accent on battery life

There was a time when Toshiba’s line of Portégé business ultraportables was the epitome of sleek utility, particularly in the days of the R500 and R600. Samsung stole some of that show when it released the Series 9 (reviewed here)—the closest a PC has come to a MacBook Air to date. But while the Portégé R830, much like the R700 before it, won’t win any design contests, it offers many useful amenities in a very-portable package.

Costing exactly the same as the Series 9, the 13.3-inch R830 trumps that fancy lad … [Read More...]

It really is the Sony Way. Take a product that’s been around for a while, soup it up, throw in every possible feature imaginable, and make it smaller and lighter than everyone else’s machine.

Then double the price.

Such is the state of Sony’s entry into the suddenly white-hot ultrabook space, a market experiencing a full-scale pile-on as a half dozen competitors all attempt to outdo the nearly three-year-old Apple MacBook Air.

If anyone’s going to best Apple at its own game, it’s probably going to be Sony, and for one reason: If you’re looking at sheer specs, Sony has … [Read More...]

Microsoft Hardware is launching a new digital art project today called The Art of Touch. The campaign is inspired by Microsoft’s Touch Mouse family of mice. And it’s pretty cool.

By visiting the website, people can sign-in to create a piece of digital art on a canvas with a series of tools which include 3 types of brushes (ribbon, smoke or streak), and 5 different effects (like starbursts, trees, ribbons and splats). The artwork can be created using a click, swipe, or flick of a mouse!

Once a person has created a piece of artwork (people can create multiple pieces … [Read More...]

Creative hedges its bets

Is Creative buying into the notion of the post-PC world? The Sound Blaster Recon3D is a powerful USB audio device based on Creative’s all-new Sound Core3D chip. But you can also connect the Recon3D to an Xbox 360, PS3, or even an Intel-based Mac. Creative tells us the Sound Core3D doesn’t boast the naked power of the company’s previous-generation audio processor, but that it is extremely efficient—it draws all the power it needs from a single USB port.

The Recon3D has an optical S/PDIF input, a 1/8-inch audio output to drive a pair of speakers or … [Read More...]

In September, we partnered with blogger Jared O’Toole from Under30CEO to host a Young Entrepreneur contest. To enter, current students and recent graduates were asked to make a video telling us about their big entrepreneurial idea to become eligible for a chance to win one of four new Windows PCs running Windows 7 Professional to help start a new business.

Today, we are happy to announce that the contest has concluded and the winners have been selected. We want to thank everyone who participated in the contest and offer a huge congratulation to the four lucky recipients of new Windows … [Read More...]

Let’s cut to the chase here. If you’re pondering buying the Acer Aspire S3, it’s because you desperately want an Apple MacBook Air but are too freaking cheap to pony up the $1,300 (minimum) for the 13-inch model.

The Aspire S3 is a glorious knock-off of the Air — stripped down to the basics and slashed to just $900. Is a 30 percent price cut a compelling enough reason to buy it over its inspiration? That’s debatable, but it’s at least worth a look.

The tale of the tape tells the story the best: The Acer Aspire S3 is almost … [Read More...]

Last week in New York, ASUS unveiled the ZENBOOK ultra-portable PC. The ZENBOOK represents collaboration between ASUS and Intel on a category of stylish and thin PCs called Ultrabooks introduced by Intel.

The ASUS ZENBOOK features a super-thin design at a thickness of only 0.11” at the front and 0.67” at the back. The top-side of the ZENBOOK has a silver panel with a “concentric” circle design (see below shot) that is designed to refract a halo of light.

The ZENBOOK also packs quite the performance. It comes packing a 2^nd generation Intel Core processor, a SATA 3 SSD … [Read More...]

Civil liberties groups are up in arms today with the news that California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed legislation that would have forced police to obtain a search warrant before searching the mobile phones of suspects upon their arrest. The veto means that for the time being, anyone arrested in California can be forced to submit to a search of their phone. These days, that essentially means handing over your entire life to officers.

Brown’s veto message says that due to the complicated issues involved, and the contradictory court decisions, he did not feel comfortable making a decision. Some have pointed to … [Read More...]