When Intel announced the new 14nm Core M (Broadwell) processor to enable thinner, fanless convertible devices, I knew the “Llama Mountain” reference design would be impressively svelte. But hearing a spec is different than seeing it; this laptop-tablet hybrid is insanely skinny. At 7.2mm (0.28 inch), the slate is thinner than the iPad Air (7.5mm), and it’s also significantly lighter than two-in-one devices already on the market; it’s a notebook-class PC running Windows 8.1 Pro, yet it weighs just 1.47 pounds, compared to 1.76 pounds for the Surface Pro 3 . The prototype’s light and slim footprint is made possible the Core M’s efficiency and low heat production — the chip allows for a fanless design. Despite its slimness, the slate can fit a 32Wh battery, which should get you at least eight hours of regular use on a full charge. Of course, different OEMs may opt to use a different-sized fuel pack, so once devices running the Core M come to market we could see even longer run times. ASUS announced its own similar computer at Computex yesterday — the Transformer Book T300 Chi — which you’ll actually be able to pick up in stores, unlike Intel’s reference design, which won’t ship to consumers. The ASUS slate, which is only a hair thicker at 7.3 millimeters, also includes a 12.5-inch touchscreen. The Chi’s display features a 2, 560 x 1, 440 display, and while Intel reps were unable to confirm the Llama Mountain reference design’s resolution, it’s not unreasonable to expect a similar pixel density from other manufacturers. Since we’re talking about a device category that’s part-work, part-play, it’s only natural that Intel’s reference design includes a separate media dock. To that end, the base of the device — the only edge that isn’t hair-thin — is just barely thick enough to accommodate the requisite dock connector, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB 3.0 post. It’s kind of hard to imagine tablets getting even skinnier, but with Intel’s ever-evolving technology, they probably will. For now, though, we can all look forward to carrying a tablet (and keyboard base) that’s shockingly thin. Zach Honig contributed to this report. Filed under: Laptops , Tablets , Intel Comments

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Intel’s Windows 8.1 Pro Broadwell tablet is thinner than the iPad Air

At Intel’s keynote presentation here at Computex, president Renee James is set to show off Intel’s mobile future: a 2-in-1 reference PC powered by the company’s new 14nm Intel Core M processor. 14nm processors means less energy use and, when the buck stops, longer battery life — something we can never get enough of. We’re still waiting to see what that design will look like exactly, but we do know it’ll be a hybrid tablet-laptop, measuring in at 7.2mm thick (keyboard detached), while a companion media dock will apparently offer extra cooling (and a performance burst). Update: As teased, in the flesh it’s a very thin tablet, with no fans to see. Intel’s president also teased the companion docks, although we only saw a glance of the keyboard add-on. Thankfully, it looked at thick enough to handle a bit of typing. It’s not the first appearance of Intel’s new Broadwell chips: Intel boss Brian Krzanich showed off a more vanilla laptop running on the chips late last year . Regardless, Intel says the series is set to be its most energy-efficient Core processor yet, and that the majority of the hardware running on the chip will be fanless, as well packing hybrid functionality — which explains why the reference design took the shape it did. As you can see above, Intel’s Core M family will offer around a 20 to 40 percent performance improvement, while SOC power could be up to 45% less, while producing 60 percent less heat — thus the fanless design. The new processor will also take up around 50 percent less space inside devices, whether that’s a tablet, a laptop or both. Filed under: Desktops , Laptops , Tablets , Intel Comments

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​Intel launches Core M processors for even thinner 2-in-1 PCs

The FBI, UK’s National Crime Agency and Europol hope to squash the insidious Gameover Zeus botnet to bits under a joint project called Operation Tovar. According to US Deputy Attorney General Cole, the three agencies (with help from various security firms) have successfully disabled not only the botnet itself, but also associated malware Cryptolocker. Authorities have apparently taken control of the Gameover bots and seized its command servers over the weekend, effectively freeing 300, 000 of the 500, 000 to 1 million infected Windows computers. Even better, they’ve found the crime ring behind the botnet and have charged alleged Russian mastermind Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev with hacking, different types of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. Gameover Zeus, for those who’ve never heard of it in the past, is a P2P malware that pilfers banking information and initiates wire transfers to overseas bank accounts. It’s typically propagated through spam emails disguised as bills or invoices embedded with malicious links — the kind you tell your grandparents to never click. Once Gameover worms its way into a system, that computer becomes part of the extortion ring’s global network of infected machines, which funnel ill-gotten info back to the criminals. The perpetrators would sometimes also install compromised PCs with Cryptolocker, a “ransomware” that takes users’ files hostage until they pay up. According to the FBI’s estimates, the criminals have stolen over $100 million using both Gameover and Cryptolocker. But whether that’s enough for Bogachev to stand trial in the US (home to 25 percent of the affected machines) remains to be seen, as Russia does not extradite accused criminals. For now, all the authorities can do is spread word about the botnet and help people remove it from their computers. Comments Via: Reuters Source: The United States Department of Justice , US-CERT , FBI

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Multinational operation busts Windows botnet that infected half a million PCs

Lately, Toshiba’s all about multitasking laptops — at CES the company showed off a “5-in-1” laptop concept with a detachable keyboard, and here at Computex we’re getting a look at the “7-in-1” Kirabook L93. Like Toshiba’s Satellite Click , the L93 includes a detachable keyboard base, so it works in standard laptop and tablet modes. The L93’s flexible hinge also lets you use the device in display mode, with the base either attached or separated. While it’s arguably another iteration of Toshiba’s Lenovo Yoga-style devices, you do have more modes than ever to flip through. Even with a perfectly made laptop, the ability to fold it in so many ways is part-gimmick, part-useful (how important is it to use the display propped up without the keyboard attached, really?), and the Kirabook L93’s design is a tad too complicated to be convenient. Re-attaching the keyboard base required the help of two Intel spokespeople in the booth, and in the process one rep’s shirt got caught in the latch mechanism. It’s definitely the sort of thing that would get easier the more you use the device, though, so that design quirk isn’t reason enough to write the product off. There are a few other strange features, though: there’s a somewhat sticky pointing stick in place of a trackpad, so you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the 13-inch touchscreen. Below the keyboard, there are small right- and left-click buttons, which felt a little stiff when clicking around Windows 8.1. Hey, at least it has a full chiclet-style layout instead of shallow keys with no travel. The L93 is very thin, and the 2, 560 x 1, 440, 13.3-inch display looks crisp, though even the maximum brightness seemed a bit dark on the bright showroom floor. Specs aren’t particularly high-end, but they’re enough to get some work done: there’s a 128GB SSD, 8 gigs of RAM and a Core i5 Haswell processor. Overall, the L93 is an interesting take on the convertible laptop, and those looking for a versatile machine might want to give it a once-over. That said, it’s priced at €1, 900 (about $2, 600), and so far availability has only been announced for Japan. For now, take a look at our hands-on gallery to get a closer look at the laptop’s many modes. Filed under: Laptops Comments

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With seven different use modes, Toshiba’s Kirabook is a Lenovo Yoga on steroids

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