CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup

CES is done for another year, but before we can drop the microphone, we need to put together a reminisci-package to summarize the week in notebook computing. This year’s show was chock-full with Ultrabooks, leading many to believe that full-fat notebooks are going the way of the Dodo. However, Intel’s Kirk Skaugen feels that rumors of the laptop’s demise at the hands of the Ultrabook are greatly exaggerated — seeing the latter as merely a subset of the overall mobile PC firmament. Intel announced its power-sipping Haswell architecture and revealed its highly desirable North Cape reference design, which offered us a tantalizing glimpse of what future hardware could be like. However, before we get to that, we need to deal with the hardware hitting stores this year, so if you’d like to know more, follow us after the break. Continue reading CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup Filed under: Laptops , Samsung , HP , Lenovo Comments

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CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup

Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

Wysips popped by our trailer at the show this year to celebrate the 90% transparency of its photovoltaic display overlay achievement with us — and therefore with you. Last time we had a chance to peek through Wysips’ solar cell the transparency was sitting at 70% which was way short of today’s level and manufacturer requirements if this thing is ever to see the light of day. The current setup will not generate enough power to negate the need for a charger, not even close but what it could do is power all your music playback, for example while your phone is exposed to the sun. Wysips’ goal for 2014 is to reach a power return of 10 mWc per cm² as of today the output is closer to 3, though seeing as most of the effort has been focused on reaching this production-ready transparency, they’ve hope this will be attainable. Sampling should begin in march this year with potential for a product in the marketplace in September this year. Honestly, the demo sets available were pretty worn out looking, though the overlay spoke for itself in that it was still visible at extreme angles but barely when viewing straight on. Part of our demo was plugging an LED into the array that had been retrofit into an iPhone and seeing the LED light come on when the solar cell is exposed and go out when covered. Here’s hoping we get a proper working demo in the coming months though for the here and now, consider us guardedly impressed. A few pics comparing overlay versus no overlay are in the gallery below. Gallery: Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on Filed under: Cellphones , Peripherals , Science Comments

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Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on

Luci is Mpowerd’s “little solar lantern with a big impact” and for the price and light produced — 1200 lumens — it does seem to fit the bill. But what really makes this lantern so fantastic, is that Luci is aimed to provide “solar justice” for those off the grid or perhaps suffering through some type of natural disaster and it is done on the cheap. Luci is a solar -powered LED lantern that will juice up in the sun in six hours and then produce six to 12 hours of light from that charge. The light runs in three different modes, low, high, or a distress mode where it flashes, costs only $15.99, is collapsible, lightweight and has a one-year lifespan. Well done Mpowerd, Luci seems a great tech and design innovation in that it solves a problem in a very elegant and simple way. Gallery: Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on Filed under: Peripherals Comments

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Mpowerd’s Luci solar lantern hands-on

E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video)

We just got a glimpse of the CST-01 E Ink watch, the result of a partnership between Central Standard Timing and E Ink itself. The product has been in the prototype phase for a year, but it just went live on Kickstarter, with a funding goal of $200,000 and pre-orders available for $129 each. The real standout feature here is the 0.8mm design, which is apparently thinner than a credit card. In any case, the stainless steel design is super svelte. The whole package consists of several flexible components that are laminated into a 0.5mm unit, which is then photochemically etched into a piece of flexible stainless steel. This is a digital watch, of course, but its form factor is more along the lines of a bangle than a Casio-style timepiece. An embedded Thinergy micro-energy cell charges the device in 10 minutes via an external dock. The external dock is also used for setting the time (military or 12-hour), as there are no controls on the watch itself. Battery life is rated for a month. When we tried it out here at CES , the watch felt extremely light, though the edges were a bit jagged. This, of course, is because it’s not yet a final product — you can expect a much smoother finish on the final product. You can check out the CST-01 prototype in our hands-on gallery below, along with the video embedded after the break. Gallery: E Ink Watch eyes-on Continue reading E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video) Filed under: Wearables Comments Source: CST-01: The world’s thinnest watch (Kickstarter)

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E Ink demos CST-01, the ‘world’s thinnest watch’ (hands-on video)

Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds

While Mushkin tipped its hand early regarding details of its “world’s first” 480GB mSATA SSD , it did keep one thing back for CES . It’s launching what it promises is a SandForce-packing, “next generation” USB 3.0 drive that will have read and write speeds of over 300 MB per second. The company is keeping the specifics about its performance, its pricing, availability and even its casing a secret for now, but we’ve gotten in touch and will update this when we learn more. Continue reading Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds Filed under: Storage Comments

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Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds

MakerBot showing off Replicator 2X 3D printer later today

The year of 3D printers? It’s sure looking like it from where we’re sitting. There are more companies at CES 2013 promoting consumer versions of the technology than ever before. Of course, MakerBot’s not going to sit idly by and watch this all go down. The Brooklyn-based company is set to show off its Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer — the dual-extruding “big brother” to its recently released second-gen printer — at a press conference tomorrow. Hopefully pricing and available will be arriving on with it. Filed under: Misc Comments

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MakerBot showing off Replicator 2X 3D printer later today

Hands-on with Xi3’s ‘Piston’ modular PC at CES

Remember when Xi3 announced a Kickstarter project for its modular computers late last year? Well, those machines are here today at CES, thanks in no small part to some lofty backing from Valve . We got a first look at its latest mini-PC, code-named Piston, tonight — and though a more comprehensive demo is to come, we walked away with some impressions nonetheless. Of course, Valve wouldn’t back this system if it didn’t have some serious graphics chops. It’s optimized to run Valve’s Steam platform — and specifically big-picture mode — and to that end it packs a quad-core chip. Most specs remain vague, though the Piston apparently offers up to 1TB of storage. The package is tiny yet rugged, with an aluminum chassis that’s made to resist heat (and that will certainly come in handy during gaming sessions). Xi3 is also touting the system’s low energy consumption; it runs on just 40W. And it’s somewhat future-proof, too, with a modular motherboard that lets you swap out components when newer tech becomes available. Our hands-on gallery will have to tide you over till we get a full walkthrough at Xi3’s booth tomorrow. Gallery: Xi3 Piston Modular Computer hands-on Joseph Volpe contributed to this report. Filed under: Desktops , Gaming Comments

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Hands-on with Xi3’s ‘Piston’ modular PC at CES

ASUS announces ROG Ares II video card, dual Radeon HD 7970 GPUs, 1050MHz clock speed

The original ROG ARES graphics card was a head spinner, and the just announced sequel seems to follow suit. ASUS’ ARES II features two AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs, and has a slimline two-slot design. The manufacturer claims it’s the fastest graphics card available, outperforming the GeForce GTX 690 reference card by some 13 percent. There’s 6GB of video memory, 1,100MHz boost clock, 1,050MHz base clock and 2 x 384-bit memory interface. If this sounds like something you just gotta have, then you’d better keep them eyes peeled, as upon release (no exact details on this just yet) it’ll be a limited edition. Also limited are the details on price. Spin up the source for more info. Filed under: Gaming , Peripherals , ASUS Comments Source: Anandtech

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ASUS announces ROG Ares II video card, dual Radeon HD 7970 GPUs, 1050MHz clock speed

Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on

Phillips isn’t showing off anything too groundbreaking at CES in the in the audio department, but it looks to be a solid offering all-around nonetheless. Whether you’re eyeing the likes of a new soundbar for your home theater system or portable wireless speaker, the company should have you covered with latest Fidelio offerings — and of course that’s not all. We’ve got a quick breakdown of all the goods being shown off after the break, along with an eyes-on galleries so you can get up-close look for yourself. As always, you’ll find the full press releases below it all for more info. Continue reading Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on Filed under: Home Entertainment , Portable Audio/Video , HD Comments

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Philips showcases its 2013 Fiedelio audio lineup at CES, we go eyes-on

Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive

A 1TB flash drive? Frankly, we’re incredulous, but that’s what Kingston is claiming it’ll begin selling later in Q1. The DataTraveler HyperX predator 3.0 promises read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s respectively and will sell you a 512GB version right now. At the same time, it’s launching 32GB and 64GB versions in the same line that offer read/write speeds of 150MB/s and 70MB/s. If you’re interested in snagging one of the top two units, be advised that the price of the 512GB edition is a staggering $1,750.00 — so you’d better get working on impressing that MLB scout next time they’re passing by. Continue reading Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive Comments

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Kingston’s DataTraveler HyperX Predator: a 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive