Remember the ASUS NX500 , that super-thin, MacBook Pro-inspired laptop we saw yesterday? (Now you do.) Well, then: This right here is its macho, gaming-obsessed cousin, the GX500. Like the NX500, it’s a 15.6-inch notebook coming in at just 19mm (0.75 inch) thick and 2.2kg (4.85 pounds). Spec-wise, too, it packs a Core i7 processor and a 3, 840 x 2, 160 display that covers 100 percent of the NTSC color gamut. The difference? It purrs along with heavier-duty NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics. Oh, and the chassis is black with industrial red accents, making it less of a MacBook clone. No word yet on how much it will cost or when it will be available, but it seems to us this should make for a compelling Razer Blade competitor. Hopefully we can review one soon enough and decide for ourselves. Filed under: Gaming , Laptops , ASUS Comments

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ASUS’ GX500 gaming laptop has a 4K screen and is just 19mm thick

As part of OS X Yosemite’s focus on creating a more seamless experience between your Mac and iOS devices, Apple’s updating iMessage to keep conversations going. Now it’s not just instant messages from other Apple devices that show up on the desktop app, but texts and multimedia that’ve been sent from other platforms, too (texts from your friends’ Android devices, for example). Oh, and you can now make and take regular phone calls from your Mac when your iPhone is in range. Part of the new “hand-off feature” that means your computer and iDevice know exactly what the other is doing, if someone calls your phone, you’ll see a pop-up asking if you want to answer right from your computer. It works the other way, as well, so you can make calls without touching your phone. And, what better way to show off the new feature than to call Dre live on stage. Show-offs. Messaging has received some TLC in the upcoming iOS 8 update, too. Word predictions across iMessage, Mail, etc. will take the person you’re talking to into account — expecting your vocabulary will be more formal with your boss than with your buddies. All the data that goes along with smart predictions will be stored locally, by the way. Group threads are a bit more malleable, allowing you to add or remove people from the conversation, yourself included. You can also share your current location to a message group. A spirited back and forth annoying you while you’re trying to work? Well, turning Do Not Disturb on for that individual thread means you can stop notifications from that conversation, but allow everything else to get through. Probably the most important new feature is the addition of voice and video messaging. And, to respond to a voice message with one of your own, you simply raise the iPhone to your ear and start talking. To stop threads full of audio and video hogging all your internal memory, these kind of messages will self-destruct, Snapchat-style. Unless you specifically choose to save them, that is. Filed under: Cellphones , Desktops , Laptops , Mobile , Apple Comments

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OS X Yosemite will let you answer calls to your iPhone from your Mac

Apple’s iPhone is going from part-time health stat monitor to full-time mobile monitoring unit. HealthKit is a new service coming to the iPhone that tracks, records and analyzes your fitness level across a variety of metrics (sleep, movement, etc.). The way you use it on iOS 8 is through a new app called, simply, “Health.” The initiative works with companies like Nike to bring all your health information into one place, under the Health app in the next update to iOS. It looks a lot like Passbook, using cards to identify various stats. Thusly, it enables customization of the stats you want tracked and how you want it presented. Apple says Health will work with more than just Nike, though other big players weren’t given the same shoutout. Beyond exercise applications, HealthKit is working with healthcare providers to provide up-to-date information on patient vitals in real-time. Filed under: Cellphones , Misc , Household , Software , Apple Comments

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Apple’s Health app for iOS 8 collects your vitals from Nike and more

With the arrival of iOS 8 , sharing amongst the family is about to get a lot easier. Once you set up all the members of your household (up to six total), you can automatically share photos, calendars, reminders and more. But that’s not all. You know that catchy tune your son bought last week? Well, you’ll be able spin it on your iPhone too. Sharing books, movies, apps and songs is also thrown in, and it can all be tied to a single credit card. Don’t worry parents: you’ll get a notification when your kids want to make a purchase. Filed under: Portable Audio/Video , Software , Apple Comments

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Family Sharing on iOS spreads photos, purchases and more amongst relatives