Will your smartphone become the brains of your home PC?
06.09.11
Era? Sort of, but not really. The PC as we know it is about to dramatically change. Laptops are going to be upstaged by smaller, lighter ultrabooks, and mobile devices like tablets and smartphones have enough power for millions of average users to get by without ever owning another PC.
Through all of this rapid and unexpected transformation, the lines are becoming blurred. And the giant brains of engineers at corporations like Motorola, ASUS and various others scattered about the mobile market that you may not even know exist have begun noticing potential in hybrid devices that straddle the line between two drastically different technologies. The first evidence of this – though they completely missed the mark on marketing and price point – was Motorola's laptop dock for the Atrix 4G. Simply pop your Atrix into the dock and you have a fairly powerful machine in your possession. The same can be said of the pending Padfone from ASUS. This is a smartphone/tablet hybrid that harnesses the power and added functionality of a larger display, but doesn't sacrifice pocketability when you need to take work with you on the go.
Source: PhoneDog
Asus Eee Pad Slider Tipped for September Release
18.05.98
If it seems like a long time ago since we first saw the Eee Pad Slider, that's because it was way back at CES when Asus first let us get our hands on the 10.1-inch Android tablet with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The Slider was originally supposed to come out in May, though later Asus reportedly pushed that date to August. Now some reports are saying that the latest tablet from Asus will hit retail shelves in September.
Why believe the hype this time around? Well, Asus has posted some specs for the Eee Pad Slider SL101 on its website, for one. And an Asus Italy rep has apparently told Notebook Italia that the delayed tablet is arriving in that country next month.
As with all of the assorted product release rumors out there, we'll believe it when it's officially confirmed by Asus that the Slider has an official release date. For now, it's still useful to look at the specs Asus posted this week, if only to refresh your memory as to what you'll be getting with this tablet.
Source: PC Magazine
Laptop Makers Taking a Timid Approach with Ultrabooks
06.09.11
Intel in May announced plans to recharge the PC market with a brand new laptop category called ultrabooks featuring longer battery life, ultrathin profiles of 0.8 inches or smaller and priced at less than $1000. The new ultraportable laptops are supposed to merge the performance capabilities of laptops with "tablet-like features such as instant-on functionality," Intel said. The first wave of ultrabooks are due out this fall, with more advanced devices coming in 2012 and 2013.
About six months before Intel announced the ultrabook category, Apple was making waves with its overhauled MacBook Air. The new Apple laptop line is similar to what Intel wants to see in ultrabooks such as solid-state hard drives, instant-on functionality, full-size keyboards, and at least one model priced below $1000. The latest MacBook Air refresh in July featured Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors, more RAM (except the base model), and Thunderbolt I/O ports.
Source: PCWorld