The screens had a resolution of 2880 x 1620. Asus has now stepped up with a notebook that we haven’t heard about until now called the ZenBook UX51VZ-DB115H. This notebook has a 15.6-inch screen carrying a resolution of 2880 x 1620. Asus didn’t bother offering up an official press release or announcing the product, this new computer packing its high-resolution screen has simply turned up on the German Amazon.com website for pre-order.

The pixel density for the high-resolution screen is 221 ppi. Other hardware available on the machine includes an Intel Core i7-3632QM processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD, and graphics by a Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU. The notebook also features an aluminum chassis, and integrated DVD burner, and an HD resolution camera.

Connectivity includes three USB 3.0 ports and the machine runs Windows 8 for the operating system. The notebook measures 380 x 255 x 19.7 mm and weighs 2.06 kg. Power comes from an internal eight-cell battery with 90Wh of power inside.

The notebook can be pre-ordered starting at €1700 for the version featuring a 256 GB SSD. If you opt for the 512 GB SSD the machine starts at €1999. This machine certainly isn’t cheap, but if you’re looking for a Windows 8 notebook with a very high resolution display this could make for a very nice option.

SOURCE: Notebookitalia

It’s not the only time D-Wave has offered quantum technology, though that’s not to say Google’s shared machine will be one of many such installations. D-Wave sold the first quantum supercomputer to Lockheed Martin in 2010, following it up with a commercial version back in 2011.

D-Wave’s system differs considerably from the traditional path to producing a supercomputer. Usually, manufacturers piece together thousands of regular x86 chips and use complex software and hardware to get them all working together on the same problems; more recently, we’ve seen an increase in the role of more flexible GPU-based processing alongside normal CPUs.

In D-Wave’s quantum computing approach, however, a whole new chip architecture is introduced. The company calls them “Qubits” and each chip has up to 512 of them; they’re responsible for simultaneously encoding information at the quantum level as either 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 at the same time. The Qubits are hooked up using Couplers, which push a pair of Qubits to either matching or opposite states, and then programmable magnetic memory is used to guide the path of the processing.

D-Wave Qubit processing:

It’s that duality of state which helps quantum computing to be so fast, D-Wave claims. By examining all of the combinations simultaneously, the final computation comes far quicker than from a traditional processor, making it particularly suited to the sort of mass-crunching Google has a tendency to perform.

“In the D-Wave processor, the qubits can slowly be tuned (annealed) from their superposition state (where they are 0 and 1 at the same time) into to a classical state (where they are either 0 or 1). When this is done in the presence of the programmed memory elements on the processor, the 0 and 1 states that the qubits end up settling into gives the answer to a user-defined problem. All circuitry on the D-Wave processors is made from a material known as a superconductor, which is cooled to 20mK, (near absolute zero) in order for the quantum effects to manifest in the material” D-Wave

Specifically, Google apparently intends to harness quantum computing for advanced machine learning – or at least attempt to – and accurately model the real world. That could be used for more intuitive search, along with combining data from multiple services and making engaging inferences, such as Google is already attempting with Google Now. “We hope it helps researchers construct more efficient, effective models for everything from speech recognition, to web search, to protein folding” a spokesperson told Forbes.

For NASA, meanwhile, the Ames team will use the D-Wave hardware to explore robotics, space mission planning, and air-traffic control. Its potential for crunching data on possible habitable planets elsewhere in the universe will also be examined; the Ames team is also responsible for the Kepler project which is hunting space for exoplanets.

20-percent of the quantum computer’s usage time will also be opened up to research projects, with teams encouraged to submit proposals for what they might do with the unusual processing power. Those selected will get free access to the supercomputer.

VIA: WSJ

One of the biggest causes of repetitive motion injuries for computer users is the mouse. Moving your wrist back and forth for hours each day, day in day out can cause pain for many people. One way to treat this problem is with an ergonomic mouse that helps reduce those repetitive stresses. One of the more unique mice available out there promising ergonomics is from a company called Penclic.

Penclic has announced a new ergonomic mouse called the Bluetooth B2 Mouse. It looks rather like someone stabbed a pen into the top of a small mouse designed for portability. The mouse base has a little scroll wheel and the pen has multiple buttons. This particular mouse from Penclic eliminates the need to use a wire or take up a USB port with a wireless adapter by supporting Bluetooth.

If your notebook or desktop computer has integrated Bluetooth, you don’t need anything else to pair this mouse to your computer. The mouse will work with both Mac and Windows machines. The pen-style is designed to provide users with an intuitive user experience and the mouse is designed to work without a mouse pad.

The mouse feels and acts like a pen in your hand and uses a laser sensor to move the cursor with accuracy over most surfaces. The mouse has a total of five buttons and an integrated scroll wheel. The mouse is powered by an internal rechargeable battery good for up to two months of use on a single charge. The wireless range is up to 10 m and the mouse comes in white only. You can purchase the B2 Bluetooth Mouse now.

SOURCE: Penclic

As I write this, I’m working on a Mac Pro that I bought several years ago. At the time, the computer was state-of-the-art and capable of handling all kinds of tasks. For me, it was a perfect solution: it offered me the flexibility to run three monitors, had the power to handle some video editing, and was running OS X – an operating system, I believe, is superior to Windows.

But now years later, I’m lamenting my purchase of the Mac Pro. Although it’s still chugging along, it’s not working as well as it once did. And despite my best attempts to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of this supposedly high-end computer, it’s falling short on several fronts.

While all this has been going on, Apple has been launching new Macs at a torrid pace. Since my Mac Pro purchase, the company has launched two new Mac designs – the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display – and continued to update the iMac with outstanding design ideas. But it’s the Mac Pro that, save for a slight upgrade, has been ignored by Apple.

Now, I know that I’m not alone in wondering what is happening in Cupertino. Over the last few years, we’ve all been watching with baited breath as Apple hits the stage to unveil new Macs, hoping that a Mac Pro will be one of them. But each time, we’ve been disappointed. Apple’s customers have even e-mailed CEO Tim Cook to ask what in the world is going on. His response? Be patient.

Still, it’s hard for us to be patient. We’re watching our friends running Windows doing far more than we can with the Mac Pro. And it’s making us think twice about making the leap to a custom-built Windows desktop that, while not ideal, could actually deliver the enhanced power we need.

I’ve been holding off taking that plunge because I believe Apple has something up its sleeve for the Mac Pro. The trouble is, I just don’t know how much longer I can hang on. Yes, my Mac Pro is still doing its job, but it’s getting harder and harder to complete tasks. And I’m becoming more frustrated by the computer by the day.

So, I need to ask, Apple: where in the world is my new Mac Pro? If you’re not going to launch a new one, just put us out of our misery and tell us. If you are, make it quick; we’re losing faith that you’re actually going to launch a replacement. And the sooner we lose faith, the sooner you lose us to a Windows PC.

I never thought I’d say it, but it’s possible that I might just have to ditch my Mac Pro for a custom-built PC. Don’t make me do it, Apple. Don’t. Make. Me. Do. It.

Sensoria Fitness and their new Sensoria Socks is a patent-pending wearing technology that aims to do exactly that. Bring an entire new level to our fitness and daily lives, as well as help with sports athletes and injuries. Products on the market like the Nike FuelBand, FitBit, Jawbone UP and more all track steps, speed, calories, and more, but imagine a product that can track weight distribution on the foot as you stand, walk, and run. Sensoria Socks rely on sensor-equipped textile materials, as well as the accompanying band pictured below.

With more than 25 million runners in the US alone, more than half are prone to some sort of running related injury or pain, and this isn’t even counting other athletes. Instead of dealing with injury we should be looking at ways to prevent it before it happens. This is where Heapsylon come into play. Sensoria Socks can identify poor running types, then using a custom designed app to coach the runner to reduce those tendencies, thus reducing the risk of injury. Then like any other fitness apps runners can benchmark and analyze performance, limits, distance and more.

According to Heapsylon and their demo when an injury or issue does happen, Sensoria can also track patient adherence, progress and much more. The accompanying application will sync the data over Bluetooth to your smartphone, letting users track anything and everything with this new technology. The app as mentioned above will show poor running techniques, but everything else will be available too.

Their anklet tracks activity type and level, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, then relays this to the app dashboard to show how far, how fast you run, calories burnt and more. Even those with good technique can study and learn better habits, reach higher goals, and train harder without strain.

The idea behind wearable computing for more than just fun (read: Google Glass) and really opens the door for many different things such as Sensoria Socks. We’re hearing they’ll be available later this year and will help runners and athletes dodge and prevent injuries, and up their game at the same time.

Newer Technology is now announced a new option for people who don’t want that blue Ray drive with the miniStack Max now available in a version packing a DVD/CD burner rather than the more expensive Blu-ray drive. The manufacturer says that this is the only four and one external hard drive entering an optical drive, SD memory card reader, and a powered USB hub.

The storage solution is designed specifically to be stacked with the Mac mini and it matches that little computer’s size and style perfectly. However, Newer Tech says that the miniStack Max will work with any computer out there. The external storage devices compatible with both Mac and Windows computers and features multiple interfaces.

It can connect to your computer using USB 3.0, USB 2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, or an eSATA port. The external storage solution is available in multiple storage capacities all the way up to 4 TB. The hard drive inside the enclosure is a 7200 RPM unit making for fast data access. The integrated SD memory card reader also reads SDXC format and everything in between. Prices start at $219.99 for the enclosure with no storage inside. The 4 TB version sells for $529.99.

[via NewerTech]

At approximately midnight Pacific time here on the 8th of May, 2013, the servers for Diablo III were kept in good standing where a consideration was cut: administrators decided not to roll back the entire game. Where administrators were forced to consider rolling the game back to an earlier point in time this week, they’ve instead made a move to find the creators of the bug and destroy them. Or boot them from the game, that is.

This mess began late last night when a gold duplication bug was identified by Battle.net. It was then that they began cutting all gold trades across the game’s online servers from top to bottom, keeping then normal trades of items where no gold was involved. As maintenance concluded less than an hour later, administrators suggested a fix was in the works that’d be implemented soon after.

“At this time (and after careful consideration), we’ve decided to not move forward with rolling back the servers. We feel that this is the best course of action given the nature of the dupe, how relatively few players used it, and the fact that its effects were fairly limited within the region. We’ve been able to successfully identify players who duplicated gold by using this specific bug, and are focusing on these accounts to make corrections.

While this is a time-consuming and very detailed process, we believe it’s the most appropriate choice given the circumstances. We know that some of you may disagree, but we feel that performing a full roll back would impact the community in an even greater way, as it would require significant downtime as well as revert the progress legitimate players have made since patch 1.0.8 was released this morning.” – Administrator Lylirra for Battle.net

So no worries for those of you out there worrying about the awesome number of levels you’ve jumped since yesterday: you’re good to go. Meanwhile Battle.net will be hunting down the culprits of this terrible economy-wrecking madness non-stop until they are found. This auction house has been under fire since the beginning of the game, having most recently been the subject of scrutiny via former Diablo III director Jay Wilson who made it clear: if they could pull the plug on the real-money part of the auction house, they would.

Compared to the multimillion-dollar supercomputers out there, the XC30 is a bargain at a $500,000 starting price. The machines can go all the way up to $3 million depending on configuration. Cray says that its new budget supercomputer uses many the same components and software elements as the company’s liquid cooled behemoths costing anywhere up to $20 million.

Much of the savings offered by the new budget priced supercomputer is thanks to the fact that the XC30-AC is air-cooled, rather than liquid cooled, and doesn’t require optical networking cables. Cray says that the new machine is targeting manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and oil and gas firms.

The machine is also well-suited for small universities, research labs, and government agencies according to Cray. The new budget Cray supercomputer is available right now and runs a Linux-based operating system and software environment. The software in ROM includes a compiler and software tools for parallel code.

[via InformationWeek]

When you first encounter the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon, you’ll find yourself mystified at how such a device was ever put into production. It’s certainly not a traditional sort of PC. Such is the atmosphere we’re in here in 2013 with Windows 8, touchscreen hype, and Lenovo’s current freedom of creation.

In our past encounters with this machine you’ll find connections to accessories (that do, indeed, come in the box), up and down usability, and Windows apps galore. Today we’re having a look at BlueStacks specifically – down the line we’ll have a full review of this machine for you in SlashGear’s main review hub. It’s all about Android right this minute.

What we’ve done is to side-load the Google Play app store to download some games that certainly aren’t optimized for this device to show right along some that are. This means you’re going to see games that look nice as well as games that work, but just barely. You’ll quite likely find the native Windows apps – some optimized for this device specifically – much more engaging.

The back of the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon has a support bar stronger than any we’ve seen on a tablet or PC, able to hold the entire device up at a variety of angles. Push the device flat and Lenovo brings up a touch interface made for multiple users – more on this in our full review.

That said, it’s important to show the versatility of this device through BlueStacks, an app interface that just this February arrived for Windows 8 and just this May passed 10 million downloads. You’ll find BlueStacks on Mac with a wireless interface app on Android for your smartphones and tablets as well.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon is here with SlashGear for a full review aside from this BlueStacks peek, so make sure to let us know if you’ve got any questions on its inner workings before we get there! Stay tuned to SlashGear’s Lenovo tag portal for more information on this device as we reach that point!

In fact, the WD Black SSHD builds on Western Digital’s 2.5-inch UltraSlim drive, announced back in April, which is a mere 5mm thick. That’s paired with a 19nm SanDisk flash drive, for something that ends up half the volume of a traditional 2.5-inch notebook drive.

The goal is to get the SSHD into ultrabooks and the like, where the tiny form-factor will allow for smaller and lighter chassis. However, since it’s a standalone drive, upgrade potential will also be greater; existing embedded flash storage options generally leave the owner no room to boost internal capacity later on in the ultraportable’s life-cycle.

Upgrades will have to wait until WD and SanDisk start offering the Black SSHD to end-users, with OEMs the first to get the tiny sliver of storage. No word on how much it will cost at this stage.

The DS213j has some key hardware improvements to increase its performance significantly. It uses a 1.2 GHz processor that is floating-point enabled. By being floating-point enabled, the storage device can generate thumbnails for images faster. Faster thumbnail generation means that users can access their photographs quicker than before.

The device also promises significantly faster image previews. It is fitted with 512 MB RAM allowing it to operate more quickly when running multiple applications. The storage device promises read speeds of over 100 MB/sec and write speeds of over 70 MB/sec.

People concerned about power consumption and being green will appreciate the fact that the storage device consumes only 3.65 Watts power when the drives are in hibernation mode. When in full operation, it consumes no more than 20 W of power. The drive also supports wake on LAN and other power saving features. The DS213j is shipping globally right now.

[via Synology]

For instance, tap your phone or tablet against your notebook, and you can push a website address from your laptop, or vice-versa, Sony suggests. The NFC can also be used as a way to quickly pair two devices via WiFi or Bluetooth, much as Sony has already done with its NFC-enabled smart TV remote controls.

Meanwhile, there’s aluminum detailing on the Fit 14/15, an optional capacitive touchscreen, and Exmor R webcams. The Fit E-series models get plastic casings, with the Fit 14E and 15E having “big box” speakers, Sony says, while the 15E also gets a subwoofer.

The Fit 15/15E also accommodates a separate numeric keypad, though all the models have backlit ‘boards. NVIDIA GeForce graphics with up to 2GB of dedicated memory are optional, and there’s a choice of regular HDD, hybrid hard-drive, or SSD options. DVD and Blu-ray are also on offer.

Sony says the VAIO Fit 14 and 15 will hit shelves in mid-May, priced from $649 for the Fit 14 and $699 for the Fit 15, each available in black, pink, or silver. The Fit E 14E and Fit 15E will be offered in black, pink, or white, priced from around $549 and $579 respectively.

Shen believes that this can be a big year for Windows 8 tablets saying, “We’re very optimistic about sales of Windows 8 tablets this year.” Asus currently produces one of the cheapest Windows 8 tablets on the market with its VivoTab Smart tablet selling for $449.99 at some retailers.

Asus CEO Jerry Shen isn’t the only person in the technology world that is predicting prices of Windows 8 tablets will decrease significantly. A Microsoft spokesperson has previously stated that the company was working with partners on smaller and cheaper mobile devices. However, the Microsoft spokesperson didn’t specify prices.

Intel’s CEO also said last month that he believed pricing on Windows 8 devices could climb to as low as $200. Intel is positioned well to grasp pricing possibilities for Windows 8 tablets since it produces chips that are used in many of those devices. Shen said that with the price cuts this year, Windows 8 tablets could be available for only about $50 more than Android tablets.

[via Wall Street Journal]

The 1 GB of RAM integrated into the drive allows it to outperform other USB 3.0 hard drives according to Buffalo. Data transfer speeds promise to be up to 408 MB/s, which is 2.3 times faster than typical USB 3.0 hard drives according to Buffalo. The storage device works for both PC and Mac computers.

The drive is available in 2 TB or 3 TB capacities. The drive measures 1.8 x 5.0 x 8-inches and weighs 2.2 pounds. It gets power from an included AC adapter. The drive supports Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP in 32 or 64-bit flavors.

The DriveStation DDR is formatted in NTFS by default and requires reformatting to work with Mac computers. The 2 TB version of the drive is available for $139.99 with the 3 TB version available for $179.99. Both versions of the drive can be picked up online and in some retail stores right now.

[via Buffalotech.com]

Rubinstein has worked for some of the biggest companies in the technology industry, he was previously senior vice president and general manager of the Palm Global Business Unit. He acted as executive chairman for Palm in 2007 where he was involved with webOS. He also acted as CEO of Palm in June of 2009 until HP purchased it in 2010.

Perhaps the most famous position that Rubenstein held was at Apple where he ran the iPod division and is said to have been instrumental in creating the iPod and the iPod ecosystem. Rubinstein is also a member of the Amazon.com board.

Considering how webOS failed at every turn, Rubinstein doesn’t appear to have been tarnished by the failure. QUALCOMM CEO Paul E Jacobs says that the company is extremely pleased to welcome Jon as a board member.

[via QUALCOMM]

Dell’s acquisition of Enstratius is said to be made to compliment the company’s purchase of Gale Technologies. That particular exchange was made back in November of 2012, Gale Technologies having been folded into Dell’s Active System Manager and added to Dell’s Enterprise Systems and Services group therein.

Enstratius will help provide multi-cloud management from the get-go, adding application configuration capabilities to Dell’s services as well as management tools for multi-component applications across multi-cloud setups. Tom Kendra, vice president and general manager, systems management, Dell Software, spoke up on the acquisition earlier today.

“Dell, together with Enstratius, is uniquely positioned to deliver differentiated, complete cloud-management solutions to enterprise customers, large and small, empowering them with the efficiency and flexibility in the allocation and use of resources.” – Tom Kendra for Dell

This acquisition is one of several in the works with Dell, the most recent being an axed situation in which Blackstone stepped away from a deal back on the 19th of April. In that case it was a possible purchase of Dell, not a Dell purchase. It was also tipped then that Michael Dell wanted his job guaranteed if a Blackstone buyout were to be considered.

[via Dell]

That second Thunderbolt (the first hooking the dock up to your Mac or MacBook) means you can attach up to five more Thunderbolt devices to the same machine. As we’ve already seen, Thunderbolt’s hefty throughput – bidirectional 10Gbps, in fact – means you can have RAID arrays, Full HD displays, A/V interfaces, and more, all connected and operating simultaneously.

The dock also includes a single FireWire 800 port, handy if you’ve got legacy devices but a newer Mac which dropped the connection, and both audio-in and audio-out. In total, Belkin says, you can hook up eight devices with a single cable to your Mac.

It’s not exactly cheap for a dock, and we’re a little unimpressed that Belkin doesn’t even include the Thunderbolt cable you’ll need in order to use it. Still, if you want to make your MacBook Pro the hub of a desktop setup, it’s a straightforward way to do that without needing to hook up half a dozen cables every time you get home or into the office.

Another of these working machines is set to hit the auction block in Germany with Breker. This particular example is in working order and is expected to fetch somewhere between $260,000 and $400,000. This example appears to be missing its wooden case, but does include a monitor, keyboard, processor board, and the tape player. The auction will also have the Apple Lisa-1 computer from 1983.

This machine was the world’s first computer controlled using a mouse and was only produced in 1983. This particular machine is expected to bring somewhere around $20,000 and $40,000. The auction will also have a computer that’s even older than that original Apple I computer. This particular computer was built by Nat Wadsworth in 1973 and is called the Scelbi-8H. It was built around Intel’s first eight-bit microprocessor.

Only 200 of those devices were produced and only three have survived, it is expected to bring as much is $25,000. An Altair 8800 is also on the on the auction block and is expected to fetch as much as $5000. The auction will also have some older technology, much older in fact with the world’s first mechanical calculator with digital carryover on the auction block built by Blaise Pascal. This mechanical calculator is from 1642 and is known as the Pascaline. Only about 20 of those were constructed and 10 still exist. It’s expected to fetch as much as $260,000 at auction.

[via Breker]

Big Red II is a next-generation Cray XK supercomputer that operates on GPU-enabled nodes and standard CPU compute nodes. There are 344 CPU nodes which each use two 16-core AMD Abu Dhabi processors. It has 676 GPU nodes each using one 16-core AMD Interlagos and one NVIDIA Kepler K20. The supercomputer has 21,824 processor cores total, 43,648GB of RAM, and 180TB of storage.

Indiana University says that the new supercomputer will be used to “enable vital new research to be done and breakthroughs in fields” such as medicine, physics, fine arts, global climate research, astronomy, and much more. The supercomputer should also help the university attract big research grants and boost Indiana’s economy. Big Red I helped IU accumulate $253 million in grant funding, so Big Red II is expected to bring in much more.

What Indiana University means by Big Red II being a dedicated university resource is that it will only be used by the university, for the university. It will be used to benefit the university in many academic areas. It will also help fund the entire state, and will be “without any constraints from an outside funding agency.” Many professors, staff members and researchers are excited to use Big Red II. D. Craig Brater, the Dean of Indiana University’s School of Medicine, says,

“Having been involved in the evolution of IU’s advanced computing environment since 2000, I have seen how advanced computing has become more critical to medical research and innovation, and watched as the IU computational resources have been deployed in ways that are more and more valuable to IU medical research. Big Red II will be a critical and strategic aid to accelerating new medical breakthroughs and enabling research that will improve human health.”

[via Ars Technica]

The arrest made this week was made in response to the DDoS attack made in March and took place in Barcelona based on a warrant that covered what appears to be the entirety or Europe. The capture of the man who is at the moment remaining anonymous is a 35-year-old Dutchman and is expected to be transfered to the Netherlands relatively soon.

The attack in March has since been claimed by several companies that’d been previously flagged by Spamhaus in association with spam or otherwise unfriendly hacking activities. According to a source speaking with PC World, the arrest has been made on the top spokesperson for the group said to be responsible for the attacks, the Stophaus Movement, created to protest Spamhaus’ authority in Europe. At the time, this spokesperson said that his involvement in the project was non-existent, suggesting Stophaus members from China and Russia were to blame.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the attacks from earlier this year ans stay tuned to SlashGear as we follow the fallout through the future. And make sure you’re safe from all the spam and the hacks as well – they’re nothing to mess with.

In an effort to keep their ATIV devices unique in the PC environment, Samsung also mentioned they’ll be bringing a feature forward that’ll keep users in sync with their smartphones and tablets as well. This so-called “SideSync” feature will be embedded in all future ATIV PCs and will, as they say, make moving files, working, and communicating, seamless between devices.

SideSync will work with ATIV PC users and their smartphones to text, view maps, edit bits and pieces of their phone, and move multimedia. At the moment it seems that SideSync will only be working with Samsung ATIV PCs using Windows 8 and Samsung Android-based devices.

This renaming structure and push for further connectivity between mobile and desktop computers, Samsung has revealed a couple new notebooks, both of them coming with names that reflect Samsung’s new bid for simplicity. The Samsung ATIV Book 5 will bring Ultrabook power with 24GB of ExpressCache and a 14-inch touchscreen and 4.19 pounds of weight. The Samsung ATIV Book 6 brings an Intel Core i7 processor with a 15.6-inch full HD touchscreen and Samsung’s RAMAccelerator technology for accelerating its 8GB of RAM.

The Samsung ATIV Book 5 will be coming with an Intel Core i5 processor and is available today starting at $899.99 while the ATIV Book 6 will be bringing a 1TB HDD in its most basic form, starting at $1199.99 USD. The name-changes to Samsung’s lines such as Chronos, Ultra, Smart PC, and Series 9 will be henceforth re-named ATIV, a full chart showing their new names appearing below.

Sound like a nice set of naming changes to you? Will you be able to live with your Samsung Series 9 machine now tht it’s called an ATIV Book 9, or will you have to re-think your plans based on the name? Let us know!

With the update being offered this week, NVIDIA has delivered new support for a series of games most recent to the market. Support of what NVIDIA says is “up to 20% faster performance” is included for games like Dead Island: Riptide, Neverwinter, and the Star Trek title associated with the film Star Trek Into Darkness. Dead Island: Riptide is also included in the GeForce Experience instant optimization collection.

NVIDIA continues to make pushes in the gaming market both in the desktop and mobile gaming arenas. Earlier this year at CES, NVIDIA announced several cross-over projects that would have traditionally mobile platforms such as Android working with high-powered gaming PC graphics processing over wireless local networks. Have a peek at our coverage of NVIDIA’s Project Shield to see NVIDIA’s mobile gaming device hero that’ll be released later this year.

Have a peek at other recent updates to NVIDIA’s gaming environment and see for yourself how they’re aiming to keep their name in gamers minds through 2013. Let us know if you use NVIDIA’s GeForce GPUs and how you find the upgrade process as well, and if you’re a gamer who uses something other than a GeForce GPU, too!

When that particular developer board first turned up in 2011, it sold for $90 and had a 720 MHz processor. The new version gets updated specifications and a lower price tag. The new BeagleBone Black has a 1 GHz Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor from Texas Instruments.

The price for the new version of the developer board is $45 and it has an open hardware design. That means all of the chips and the design of the board are openly and freely available to the public allowing anyone with the capability to make their own version. The processor used on the BeagleBone Black also allows the board to run Ubuntu or other flavors of Linux.

When it comes to I/O capability, the BeagleBone Black falls somewhere between the Arduino Uno and Due. That is to say it has more I/O capability than the Uno, but not as much is the Due. BeagleBone currently has over 30 plug-in boards are compatible with the new Black version. Those plug-in boards allow the connection of all sorts of accessories and other components to the developer board including 3-D printers, lighting controllers, LCD touchscreens, and a lot more. Another nice feature of the new Black edition is a microHDMI port and it comes preinstalled with Linux.

[via ArsTechnica]

Since the display is LED backlit, it consumes less power than older technology displays requiring only 29 watts of power typically. The screen has an integrated ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the brightness depending on lighting conditions. NEC integrates a wide range of connectivity options into the display including HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and DVI-D.

The screen is also equipped with a USB DisplaySync Pro KVM feature that allows you to operate two computers using only one mouse and keyboard. The screen also has hardware color calibration features using the NEC SpectraView color calibration solution. The native resolution for the display is 1920 x 1200.

The display panel covers 99.6% of the sRGB color gamut and 75.2% of the NTSC color gamut. The integrated USB 2.0 hub has two upstream ports and three downstream ports. NEC also equips the display with an internal 14-bit 3-D programmable lookup table. The display has a four-way economic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. Users can also turn the screen to portrait mode. The difference between the two models is that the SV comes with the hardware color calibration system. Both versions will be available in May with the standard version selling for $749 and the SV version selling for $999.

[via NEC]

A company called Edimax has an interesting new solution to providing you with more bandwidth for your wireless network called the AC1200 Router + AC 1200 USB 3.0 Adapter Dual Pack. This system comes with an 802.11ac wireless router and an USB 3.0 802.11ac USB 3.0 adapter for your computer. 802.11ac protocol wireless networking promises as much is three times the speed of 802.11n wireless networks.

Whereas the data throughput of 802.11n wireless network tops out at about 300 Mbps, the802.11ac wireless protocol allows for speeds of up to 867 Mbps, at least those speeds are available theoretically. The router and USB 3.0 adapter support dual concurrent bandwidths of 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The higher 5 GHz bandwidth is used for interference free streaming of video games and high-definition movies.

The 2.4 GHz connectivity is used for services that don’t require as much bandwidth such as chatting, surfing the web, or downloading small files. According to the manufacturer, using the USB 3.0 port for the wireless adapter is required to get the full bandwidth. Bandwidth on the USB 2.0 port tops out at 480 Mbps, whereas the USB 3.0 port is good for up to 5 Gbps. In real world use Edimax says that its router and adapter combo is good for speeds of up to 360 Mbps. The router and USB 3.0 adapter combination pack are available online for $149.99.

[via Edimax]

This integration of Google Earth exploration abilities has spawned a YouTube collective of videos being submitted this week as well. If you have a peek at the demonstration video below, you’ll see Leap Motion’s take on Google Earth with their basic device. This demonstration takes a look at San Francisco, Paris, New York City, and the Grand Canyon in short clips.

This update to Google Earth also adds several new features to the environment, including Map-Making, Viewshed, and a set of Google Earth Pro boosts as well. The downloadable version of Google Earth is the one being used here today – this demonstration shows the app on a desktop computer, while mobile apps are also up for your smartphone or tablet.

Google Earth Pro is a system where you’ll need to pay a license fee and gain added features not available to normal users. Leap Motion integration has been added this week to the free and Pro versions of the software. Have a peek at the Leap Motion timeline below to see what else the 3D motion control device has been up to lately!

The setup for the release at hand has had its stage set by a series of three devices from Acer, each of them appearing in the home for this campaign: Explore Beyond Limits (dot com). This site has several wallpapers with a Star Trek theme and also shows the Acer Iconia W510, Aspire S7, and Aspire V5 Touch. With these three devices in mind, the trailer for Star Trek (with Acer device inside) should have you wondering what the future holds.

The notebook in the trailer above will once again be taking the touch-friendly interface created by Microsoft’s Windows 8 to an ever-so-slightly different place than Acer has gone before. From what we’re seeing here, this notebook will be coming with extended drag fins (or bumpers below the back of the bottom of the base), as well as a display that lifts up beyond the average limit of a notebook’s face.

It would appear that this machine’s touchscreen display and top hood lift up and turn back on a second hinge, allowing the entire notebook to become something that looks similar to the hero spaceship in the Star Trek movies and original Star Trek television show. This machine will have the capabilities of a tablet, a notebook, and some sort of in-between oddity, without a doubt.

This video also adds an interesting twist to the release schedule for Star Trek Into Darkness – let us know if you’re finding this particular push pleasing to your science fiction-loving mind, or if you prefer the regular plain-old trailer set instead?

It’s not often that we see a major company like Apple losing employees in the first place, much less to a company where they’d hired them from in the first place. But there it is: Raja Koduri has re-joined AMD as Corporate Vice President of Visual Computing. This title also lets us know that AMD is entering a new era: this is the first time they’ve combined GPU hardware and software under a single title.

Last year AMD also re-hired (read: snatched back) a former employee of theirs from Apple in CPU man Jim Keller. If you have a peek back at SlashGear’s original report on Jim Keller, you’ll see that such a switch is always a news bit in and of itself. Both Keller and Koduri working for AMD once again doesn’t necessarily spell anything really negative for Apple, but for AMD things are certainly looking up.

Speaking with Anand Lal Shimpi this week on his return, Koduri made it clear that he sees AMD as having challenges in the near future, but not challenges that will be insurmountable. It’s likely that some real System-on-chip results will be coming out of this new appointment.

Have a peek at our AMD tag portal to see how AMD is rolling in to 2013 with some real power in both the GPU and CPU universes, and expect some strong moves from the company in the next few years as well!

Blackstone has now changed its mind and announced that it is ending its pursuit of purchasing Dell. The Wall Street Journal reports that Blackstone has issued a letter to the special board committee that it had been working with during the negotiations notifying them of their discontinued interest in the purchase. Reports indicate that Blackstone cited declining personal computer sales across the industry is a factor in its decision.

Other factors that Blackstone cited included concerns about Dell’s declining operating income, according to a source claiming to be familiar with negotiations. No official comments offered by Dell or Blackstone. Reports indicate that Blackstone had a team at Dell HQ in Texas working on due diligence for the potential purchase. That due diligence raised doubts for Blackstone about the future of the Dell PC business according to people familiar with the situation.

With Blackstone out of the picture, it leaves Michael Dell and his backers as well as investor Carl Icahn in the running to purchase the company. The potential offers on the table from Blackstone and Icahn were viewed by some members of the special Dell board committee as superior to the offering by company founder Michael Dell and Silver Lake. Whether or not an official offer is made by Icahn remains to be seen.

[via Wall Street Journal]

Computer peripheral maker Gigabyte has now announced what it claims to be the world’s first USB 3.0 speakers. The speakers are called the Gigabyte GP-S3000. The speakers get the connectivity they need to play music and audio from your computer via USB 3.0 port, and they also get power from the USB port as well.

One of the biggest benefits to plugging a pair speakers into a USB 3.0 port compared to a USB 2.0 port is the amount of power available. The USB 3.0 port offers up to 900mA of power, which means speakers with bigger amplifiers for bigger sound can be connected and draw power from the USB 3.0 port. The speakers aren’t officially available yet, so Gigabyte is withholding some the specifications.

The speakers are expected to be high-end offerings and they do have all the controls needed on one speaker housing. The speakers will come with a black housing or white housing. Other key details we don’t know at this point are when the speakers will be released and how much they will cost.

[via EverythingUSB]

This particular SoC is notable because Allwinner says that is the world’s first dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 SoC. The SoC features a dual-core core Cortex-A7 CPU along with a dual-core Mali400MP2 GPU. The SoC supports H.264 2160p video playback and 1080p video playback at 30 frames per second. It also supports 720p 60 frame per second video capture.

The A20 also features an integrated HDMI transmitter, LVDS interface, and integrated TV decoder. It supports dual camera sensors and is Google CTS approved and GMS ready. The SoC supports Android 4.2.2. The manufacturer says that the architecture promises five times the energy efficiency and 50% greater performance than previous generation Cortex-A8 architecture SoCs.

This processor is also likely that land in some existing products as an upgrade. The A20 is pin to pin compatible with Allwinners A10 chipset. The company doesn’t offer any details on specific products coming to market using the new SoC, but this will likely be a very popular product with Chinese gadget makers.

[via Allwinner]

Is this monster worth the monstrous price it comes attached with? The device itself is one massive display that you can mount on your wall or sit flat on a table – or on a carpeted floor if you’re all about the cross-legged way of going about things. When you’ve got it all set up (when you’ve got it turned on, that is), you’ll be playing a collection of uniquely tuned games made specifically for this interface.

You’ll find Monopoly – the real deal! – Draw Race 2, Raiding Company, Air Hockey, and a whole heck of a lot more! Each of these games are either built-in to the PC or will be available for download in their full form for free. Not that you’ll be worrying about the cost of a piece of software after you’ve dropped the $1,700 USD you’re spending on this device, but it’s nice to know how simple it’ll all be.

Inside you’ve got a 27-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD display optimized for not just 10-finger touch, but a collection of accessories that come with the machine as well. Paddles for air hockey, game pieces for board games, and a unique 6-sided die that the computer can read with ease!

The most basic model you’ll be working with has a 3rd-gen Intel Core i5 processor with NVIDIA GeForce GT620M graphics and 2GB of memory. Along with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, you’ll be blowing up the finest of next-generation touch-friendly games. You’ll be given a stand to set the Horizon up if you wish, and higher-powered versions of the machine are in the pipeline – stay tuned for more!

The machine features an anodized aluminum lid behind the display for good looks and a solid feel. The machine is 21 mm thick and weighs in at 3.43 pounds making it easy to carry from class to class and between office and home. Swappable battery options promise 10 hours of battery life for all day use.

The machine is also Energy Star 5.2 compliant and EPEAT registered. Dell says that the new machine builds on its previous success with the Latitude 2120 notebook computer. The 3330 notebook is available with a variety of processors including Core i3, i5, and Celeron parts.

The notebook has a 13.3-inch anti-glare LCD with the native resolution of 1366 x 768. The notebook also has an integrated microphone and HD resolution web cam. Storage options for the machine vary, but Dell says that storage will be in the form of high-performance SSHDs offering large storage capacity and fast boot time. Connectivity options include VGA output, HDMI, dual USB 3.0 ports, and an optional USB dock is available. The 3330 will launch in late April starting at $419.

[via Dell]

The mouse promises a battery life of up to 70 hours on a pair of AA batteries. These aren’t old-fashioned throwaway AA batteries, though presumably you could use those throwaway batteries in a pinch. This mouse uses a pair of rechargeable AA batteries that are charged by plugging the mouse into the included Ghost Macro Station that doubles as the wireless receiver.

That Ghost Macro Station also has a very interesting OLED monochrome screen integrated into the front. That screen gives the gamer details such as how the battery charging is going, the DPI setting for the mouse, and the current wireless frequency. The screen can also be used for customizing macros on the mouse.

One of the most important aspects of any gaming mouse is the sensitivity. That’s where things get a bit murky, so far we don’t know the exact sensitivity but odds are we’re looking at 5600 at least dpi. The mouse is also expected to feature 10 programmable buttons and multiple onboard profiles. The LED lighting system the mouse will also be color adjustable. The mouse is expected to launch in June with pricing unannounced. I’d wager we’re looking at over $100.

[via EverythingUSB]

Hardware

Lenovo has these built out with a 23-inch display at 1920 x 1080, running Windows 8 and powered by an Intel Pentium G2020 processor. The model we tested had the processor clocked at 2.9GHz and with Intel HD Graphics 2500, 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Hardware specs aside, the system itself has a decent overall look, albeit with a bezel that is a bit on the shiny side. Basically, that is just to say that you can expect to see dust, fingerprints and other smudges. Certainly not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of.

The setup itself is straight forward and easy. Aside from the 23-inch display, the C540 has a webcam sitting front and center on the top along with the power button towards the bottom on the left side of the system. In total there are six USB 2.0 ports — four on the back and two on the left hand side of the system. Also on the left side (above the power button) you will find the headphone and microphone jacks as well as a memory card reader. Rounding out the ports on the back and you have the power jack, HDMI and Ethernet. The system also has Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity.

Basically, just what you need and all in easy to access locations. The system itself is on the thin side and looking from the front, would appear to be nothing more than a regular monitor. The good part here is that as the C540 is an all-in-one — there is no tower needed. Another item worth noting is a DVD drive which can be found on the right-hand side. Otherwise, Lenovo ships the C540 with a USB keyboard and mouse and has the system sitting on a stand that swivels allowing you to adjust the viewing angle a bit.

Software

The Lenovo C540 is running a 64-bit edition of Windows 8, which means it will bring an experience that will be familiar to many. The basics are all included which means when you first get up and running you will find tiles for goodies such as your mail and calendar as well as people, photos and more. There is also a live tile for the weather as well as tiles for SkyDrive, Games, Camera, Music and Video.

Aside from the basics that you will find on just about an Windows 8 system, Lenovo has also added a few goodies of their own. We will leave the bloatware argument aside and instead simply note how these include some Lenovo specifics such as PowerDVD 10 and the slightly more important items such as the Lenovo System Recovery. Rounding out the software are some third party apps such as an Amazon app as well as a Kindle, Evernote and cloud storage app. The cloud storage app is SugarSync and it gets you started with 5GB for free.

Performance

Speaking in terms of performance, the system was able to handle our day to day needs with ease. Granted, quite a bit of that involved little more than a web browser, text editor and some basic image work. Of course, the key here is who the Lenovo C540 is aimed at — the average home user. In that respect, we have to say the C540 should be able to live up to your needs.

Taking this a step further and the play time experience was just as solid. That is to say we found no issues with some light gaming along with music and video streaming. Shifting over to the technical side, lets get into what the benchmarks look like for the Lenovo C540. These were done using Geekbench and the results are sitting below.

Wrap-Up

Bottom line here, the Lenovo C540 all-in-one seems to be well suited for the intended audience. That is to say the average home user that wants something powerful enough for day to day use. Of course, the good looks and relatively slim design only go to further that thought. The model as configured is priced from $500 and can be found with a variety of online retailers with prices through the $500 range. Also, as one would expect with desktop computers there is always the option to upgrade. In this case, Lenovo has options for faster processors, more RAM and even additional storage. Needless to say, based on what we have tested — we think this ‘as tested’ model will be just fine for the majority of users.

You’ll find that with Leap Motion aboard, HP will become one of the most unique options for PCs in the near future. The models HP and Leap Motion are speaking about thus far will come with Airspace right out of the box. Airspace is Leap Motion’s application store where a wide range of bits and pieces can be found – gaming, education, art, music, productivity, and a whole lot more!

At the moment, HP and Leap Motion have shown their intent to include the Leap Motion Controller itself in a range of products, but have not named any specific desktops or notebooks (or anything in-between) that will be working with this deal. We’re expecting specific models to be named in the near future. Stay tuned to the HP tag portal and click out a search for Leap Motion to see which hardware comes up first!

Outside of this HP deal, you’ll be seeing the Leap Motion Controller available for $79.99 USD very, very soon. This piece of hardware is available for pre-order now for that same price and we’ll be taking additional peeks at it soon! Take a peek at the timeline below for more information on Leap Motion!

Sony recently launched its Sony Store in the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto California. Sony will be reopening the doors to three additional concept stores located in Miami, San Diego, and Orlando using the same style and experience offered in Palo Alto. Sony says that with its three remodeled stores reopening that it now has eight Sony Stores in the United States.

Rather than opening new retail stores in multiple areas, Sony is also going to be launching freestanding Sony Galleries. The Sony Gallery will show off a curated assortment of Sony’s best products in a smaller store footprint. The first Sony Gallery is opening this week in San Diego at the Westfield UTC Mall.

The Sony Gallery appears to be a curtained tent-style display in the center court area of the mall. Additional Sony Galleries will be coming next month and will be located in New Jersey and San Francisco. Sony plans to place additional galleries and other shopping centers around the country. The galleries will include TVs, cameras, computers, and audio products.

[via Sony]

What you’re seeing here is none other than Murphy himself taking a whopping 16+ minutes to not only explain the entire concept of both LearnFun and PlayFun, but a cool Mario Bros demonstration as well. Just the first level of Super Mario Bros, one of the most played video games of all time due to its in-box inclusion with the original Nintendo Entertainment System, is included for demonstration. You’ll see Murphy beat the first level, the machine learn from him, and the machine play.

This video shows how not just Mario Bros, but a wide variety of video games could technically be learned and beaten with the computer and by the computer. As the original NES system is just a miniature computer – ancient by today’s standards – it’s really only a matter of reading the button presses and pressing them at the right time. It’s not only limited to those one-possibility games either, this system could be expanded even to the randomly-generated worlds of today.

Now we’ve just got to amp up the power a bit and let this beast loose in the online worlds of WoW and whatnot. I know good and well I’ve sniped my own fair share of robots in Team Fortress 2 already. Bring on the Nintendo bots! PlayFun, you’re mine!

[via TechRadar]

The Stealth part of the name comes in the fact that the keys have no letters and numbers printed on the key tops themselves. The letters, numbers, and symbols are printed on the front of the keys are you can see them from an angle but not directly from the top. The keyboard uses CherryMX switches and features a compact 10-key design.

The keyboard uses four different CherryMX mechanical switches including red, blue, brown, and green. The green version of the switches are exclusive to the CM Storm and each color switch offers a different tactile feel. All of the mechanical key switches rated for 50 million keystrokes. By printing the letters and other symbols on the front edge of the key tops rather than on the top flat surface, the symbols should never wear off.

The keyboard connects to a computer using USB and features adjustable repeat rate shortcuts allowing for more efficient typing and faster game commands. The keyboard features a two-year warranty and is available online now. The keyboard sells for $94.99 directly from Cooler Master.

[via Cooler Master]

These glasses promise all the features of the company’s Star 1200XL Wide Field of View See-Through Augmented Reality Video Eye Wear with some notable enhancements. The new 1200XLD has a new HDMI interface and supports content featuring DRM. The new glasses also support 3-D video sources.

The augmented reality features of the new glasses include 3DOF motion tracking sensors and an integrated full HD resolution camera for tracking and recognizing real world objects. That camera allows 3-D computer-generated content to be locked in place and overlay on top of the users direct view of the real world. The glasses also feature a USB interface and are described as a see-through AR-enabled an ocular video eyewear with a 35-degree field of view.

The displays used for the glasses have a 16:9 aspect ratio, support full color, and have native resolution of 852 x 480. The glasses simulate a 75-inch display as seen from 10 feet away. The glasses are also adjustable with customizable eye-separation and AccuTilt for visual clarity and display quality. They sound really cool until you get to the end and realize the retail price is $4999 putting them out of the reach of pretty much everyone.

[via Vuzix]