That boosted tracking means developers can now pick out which user they want to track with the sensor, and works with the Kinect Explorer features: more precise audio beam and sound source angle measurement, tweaked color and depth modes, and motor controls. The whole package is said to be more stable, with various runtime and audio fixes, and there’s a “commercial-ready installer” to streamline integrating Kinect for Windows hardware into an end-application.

Some of the other changes would seemingly feed in to suggestions that Microsoft is looking to integrate Kinect into Windows 8 notebooks. There’s a new “Near Mode” that allows the depth camera to track objects as close as 40cm from the sensor-bar, which should make for better observation of users sat in front of their notebook. Meanwhile, there’s the v.11 Microsoft Speech components baked into the SDK and runtime installer, potentially enabling the “log me in” speech and face recognition tipped in the latest leak.

Those at a distance aren’t forgotten either, with a better ”far-talk” acoustic model to improve on speech recognition accuracy. The Kinect for Windows team says to expect SDK and runtime updates 2-3 times per year moving forward.

The Kinect for Windows sensor is available to order now, priced at $249.99.

This laptop has up to 750GB of hard drive space, support for up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and will connect along 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course there’s also a single USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a USB/eSATA combo port. Inside you’ll find such business oriented gems as LoJack, BIOS password protection, and a fingerprint reader. The whole package comes with a magnesium alloy case and the contents are protected with an anti-shock hard drive.

So what we’ve got here is a 12-inch by 8.1-inch laptop that’s just 1.1-inch thick and made for your everyday consumer. It’s not flashy, and will certainly get the job done for masses of users across the nation and the world, and will be running Windows 7 Home, Professional, or Ultimate operating systems, your choice. The version with Windows 7 Home Premium and an Intel Core i7 processor will cost you between $922 and $999 USD, and you’ll be able to buy one starting immediately wherever fine computers are sold!

[via eeeepc.it]

Several odd bits hold this device back from any kind of potential winning it was going to do in this market: first of all, it was launched much, much before Windows 8 came around. With Windows 8 touch-friendly interface right around the corner, tablet makers are taking care to make sure their devices work with this brand new system. This Acer device does have a hearty construction, but the second big folly is that it’s got three features in direct opposition to the features most people love about the Transformer Prime: the Tab does not fold down into a laptop, it does not have a trackpad (relying instead on a Lenovo-esque nubbin,) and it’s running an operating system that was never meant to be working with a touchscreen.

This device is already out on the market in several sectors for the absolutely ludicrous price of $848 with the keyboard dock included, though you can certainly find it cheaper if you look hard enough. Check out our hands-on video courtesy of Acer, and make sure you note their much more updated line of devices that will, indeed, be sticking with the times as far as working with a more mobile-friendly set of hardware and software. Check out the Acer Iconia Tab 2012 refresh on the Android side of things to see the ideal setup before Windows 8 comes to the consumer market in bulk.

The 10pi is targeted at mobile professionals, and ViewSonic has loaded a custom ViewScene UI on top to help make Windows 7 more finger-friendly. It’s expected to go on sale in late January, priced at $849, though we can’t help but be disappointed that it’s running a smartphone OS rather than Honeycomb or ICS. That’s likely a limitation of the Android on x86 build status, but it’s going to be all the more poorly suited when you consider the 10-inch panel size.

As for the ViewSonic ViewPad 10e, that focuses solely on Android – again, disappointingly, v2.3 Gingerbread – running on a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor. Over 200hrs of standby time is promised – though ViewSonic hasn’t said how much active use you should get out of it – though the 9.1mm thickness is a neat touch and the IPS display should hopefully avoid the common crap tablet flaw of an unusable screen. Unfortunately there’s no Android Market, so you’re stuck using third-party app stores. It will go on sale in late January, priced at $299.

Finally, the ViewSonic ViewPhone 3 is a dual-SIM handset running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and set to drop late this quarter for $279 unlocked. Two SIMs allow for both business and work use on the same device, and there’s HSDPA connectivity along with WiFi and Bluetooth. The screen is a 3.5-inch panel, while Gingerbread runs on a conservative 800MHz processor. Again, unlikely to set the world alight.

What you’ll have to do is head over to here: [Security Bulletin List] and see if your software is amongst those affected. If you never access the internet, you’ve probably got nothing to worry about – but since you’re here now, probably you should check. This attack works through a certain type of HTTP request that consumes 100% of the processes of one CPU core. Several requests of course could cut a server down to it’s knees in no time. Microsoft has the following to say:

“Attacks targeting this type of vulnerability are generically known as hash collision attacks,” the company said, adding that the hole is not specific to Microsoft’s Web services as it affects PHP 5, Java, .NET, v8 and to some extent PHP 4, Ruby and Python. The folks behind those platforms are expected to issue similar updates in the near future, but the holidays will undoubtedly delay that process.” – Microsoft

Again this is an attack you likely wont feel hitting you if you’re an average citizen, but better safe than sorry. This update to security is currently rated Critical for the following systems: Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1, and Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on all supported editions of Microsoft Windows. Don’t freak out, but don’t hesitate to update.

Hardware

This machine is nowhere near as light as the MacBook Air, and is not nearly as unique looking as the Alienware M17x (or the smaller 15), but you’re not in this for Apple or for light-up keys and gaming prowess, are you? You want a Lenovo laptop, and because you’ve been more than satisfied with the U260 IdeaPad you purchased at the start of 2011, you assume that this new much more powerful device will bump you up in every way. What you might want to consider though, in that case, is that the casing on this device isn’t the same super soft rubbery-like plastic you got with the U260 series, instead its a cold, smooth, silvery aluminum that’ll stick to your tongue if you’ve just gotten it in from the UPS truck – that’s a true story right there – believe it!

You will notice though that the same styling is essentially here, what with the slightly extended top and bottom around the sides toting a couple of USB 2.0 ports, one 3.0 port, DVD drive, HDMI, headphone jack, OneKey Recovery button, ethernet port, and power port. In this way, the whole notebook looks like a real paper and pages notebook, if you’ve never seen a modern Lenovo laptop before, and the feel of holding said computer is ever-so-slightly unique. As for the rest of the specifications, have a look at this readout and know the truth:

The full metal jacket on the outside and the in is a welcome change from the plastic interiors of past Lenovo notebooks, feeling much more like a high-end notebook than ever before. The “Intelligent” glass touchpad is both responsive and easy to use, and the keyboard is spaced in a way that allows typing at high speeds, especially if you’re used to using either an Apple notebook or another Lenovo. Like all keyboards both attached and detached from their computers, I suggest heading to your local Best Buy (or other store that might have this device out for demo use) to see how the unit feels as your fingers fly across it with the greatest of ease.

Software

You’re using Windows 7 Home Premium here out of the box, but with the Intel Core i5 chipset sitting on the inside of this beast, you’ll be fine running whatever system you like as well as whatever set of games you like, no troubles. Of course this isn’t the absolute top of the line machine when it comes to godly gaming (again, that’s the Alienware machine seen above), but it’ll have no qualms with running each of the big-name games announced throughout this holiday season we’re in here at the end of 2011. There’s a row of shortcut buttons that work with Windows 7 to do things like turn your microphone off and on and grab instant access to display options, each of these working just as well as the rest of the hardware, without a hitch.

Have a peek at this Geekbench benchmark and note how it racks up against the rest of the laptops we’ve reviewed recently – for example the Acer Timeline X AS5830TG-640 which has a Core i5 processor, a 15.6-inch display, and a $799.99 price tag. There’s also the Toshiba Satellite P745-S4250 14-inch display having Core i5 toting notebook for $779.99, complete with a big ‘ol TOSHIBA brand across the back. Don’t forget the 13-inch MacBook Air with a Core i5 processor and the thinnest profile on the market for a cool $999. And if you’re in the market for one Lenovo or the other, there’s also the IdeaPad Z370, a Core i5 processor toting 13.3-inch notebook for $622. Again remember the price on the 14-inch display toting Intel Core i5 chip equipped IdeaPad we’re looking at right this second runs in at $1,299.00 USD. Have a look at the Geekbench results from this big shooter:

Usability

After a full charge and some streaming video playing a bit before some everyday average gaming, this computer lasted somewhere around 4 hours without needing a boost, just like Lenovo quotes in their promotional material for this device. While this would seem a bit disappointing to those of you out there in super battery land on your MacBooks, it should be noted that the time is far expanded should you choose to do normal “student” activities such as word processing and web browsing – more than enough to get you through a class or two.

Because the build, look, and feel of this and a wide variety of notebook computers on the market right this moment largely run right alongside one another, it’ll really come down to your preference in details such as key shape, materials in the case, and weight in this unit. While you won’t find just one whole heck of a lot of difference between this and the rest of the so-called “ultraportable” classification of computers on the market today, I will let you know that this isn’t the least likely notebook I’d think about bringing with me to a coffee shop, classroom, or a press event where I’d have to rely on it to move quickly and act no less than perfectly responsibly.

Wrap-Up

For those of you with a specific use-case in mind, be sure to comment below and I’ll let you know if I think this computer is the one for you or not. For me, it’s simply not the perfect combination of thin, light, and powerful. While it does have the awesome power of the Intel Core i5 chipset, it’s not going to beat an Alienware notebook at home for gaming for a rather comparable price. For heading out of the house to publish some stories or work with video, I can’t imagine replacing me MacBook Pro with this – even though the 15-inch Pro I’m working with weighs more and has more bulk in it in the end.

If you’re looking to upgrade from another Lenovo notebook, this is your winner. Like I said earlier in this review, if you’re coming off of one of Lenovo’s rubbery-topped models like the U260, you might find yourself wishing you still had that grip on the outside – but inside you’ll be glad you’ve now got the class that comes with metal. This computer is by no means less than classy when it comes to the whole package, exterior aesthetics and all, and with results in benchmarks that top the whole first half of 2011′s collection of notebooks made by all manner of manufacturers, this notebook certainly isn’t a bad buy. For the $1k+ cash I’d drop on this machine though, I’d rather just have another Apple.

Windows 8 is expected to arrive sometime in 2012, likely launching in August on a new batch of PCs and tablets. The next-gen operating system offers the touch-friendly Metro UI for the tablet interface. New tablet owners will thus have Windows 8, but IDC predicts that there will be nearly no upgrades from existing Windows 7 desktop users.

“Windows 8 will be largely irrelevant to the users of traditional PCs, and we expect effectively no upgrade activity from Windows 7 to Windows 8 in that form factor.”

Upgrades will especially be avoided in enterprise usage, where companies will stay away from any compatibility problems that the new Metro UI might cause to their existing work flows. The Windows 8 developer preview has so far not shown any significant improvements to the desktop interface that would be compelling enough to upgrade and bare new licensing and support costs.

But even with Windows 8 shipping out on tablets, IDC still casts doubt on the platforms overall success, believing that Windows 8 tablet sales will be disappointing.

[via ZDNet]

Hardware

You’ll immediately have a bit of a smile on your face with a status identifying colored set of lights around the power/sleep button in the center bottom front of the unit. This button is able to put your whole machine asleep, turn it off and on, and will let you know what mode your machine is in at any given time. The entire machine is ready to go out of the box on the hardware side, but will require that you click through a set of yes, ok, ok, yes updates once you turn it on for the first time. Once you’ve got the whole thing set up, you’ve really got the whole machine here in one, and if you’re not the kind of person who minds the most basic set of controllers (mouse and keyboard) on earth, you won’t even need those as they’re contained in the box as well.

That said, the keyboard and mouse are the most basic of the basic, clunky keys and lightest plastic available contained within. These should be assumed to be only for the setup of the machine unless this is your first personal computer, in which case you’ll have a great time upgrading when the time is right. The display does not leave one wanting, brightness and viewing angles superb and top of the line, and the built-in speakers are certainly enough to tide over a single person using the machine for movies, music, and other media on their own. You’ll need some 3rd party speakers if you want to use this device as a media center for parties and movie showings, if you know what I mean. That said, the entire unit works perfectly with the Warpia StreamHD unit we also received this week, an few clicks in a couple of setup screens and we had 720p video feeding into the HDTV without trouble. Read more about this situation in our full review of the StreamHD.

This computer certainly is not the king of gaming, but it’ll play all your favorites with basically no hitches in the least. The only drawback here is that you’ll have to use regular old 15-pin cable connector if you want to go up to a larger display — but again why would you want to when this computer will roll out with as much high definition on its own lovely display anyway?

Above take a peek at what we’re working with, then head down to the benchmark score chart from Geekbench and get your comparison on.

Software

You’ll be running whichever version of Windows (or Linux, or whatever other oddball OS you’ve got in mind) with total success, and as this machine does come with Windows 7 pre-loaded, you’ll be off and running right out of the box. Inside the set of applications you receive will be sufficient for word processing and any and all of your homework or basic office needs, and as this computer runs a perfectly sufficient set of hardware bits behind the scenes, you’ll be able to run whatever other 3rd party applications you need without trouble as well. For you gamers out there, NVIDIA is under the hood, so you know good and well that you’ll be able to roll out with any of the top games in the market right now with a top of the line graphics experience.

The interface is swift, never once have I had to force an application to close, and running multiple monitors with the methods we’ve got available here has been perfectly successful.

Versatility

For those of you that are wondering, I’ve not been working on a desktop computer now for several years. It’s a testament to the quality that Acer has cultivated here that I say that this all-in-one PC could easily continue to sit at the end of my desk and see daily use, even though I use my 15-inch notebook computer for most of my everyday work. The computer is by no means light, and certainly isn’t mean to be carried around with one to and from the office on the daily, but as the back bracket does fold down and the entire unit can be carried with two hands (cords and all), this isn’t the least transportable desktop computer on the block.

It’s an impressively designed computer that attains cleanliness and an overall nice look without the display even being on that attains such accolades without falling into the same trap many manufacturers often do these days: ripping off Apple. Instead Acer continues to keep their PC heads high making a modern machine which will impress even the most steadfast desires to look as good on the outside as it does on the in. That said, the inside does, again, work quick and nice, so no worries on that front.

Wrap-Up

This computer was out of the box and up and running inside 30 minutes, and I’m no brilliant mastermind when it comes to non-Macs. I use a MacBook Pro for my daily activities because it does exactly what I need it to do and I’ve been using OS X for coming on 10 years in a row now — but Acer, what have you done? You’ve played a part in convincing me that Windows machines, the ones that turned me off of the idea that owning a desktop computer was a good idea for what I thought was forever, have now come to a point where I don’t even really care what operating system I’m running, the hardware being enough to leave a good impression on its own.

While I’ll be waiting until Windows 8 until I can really give the whole Microsoft world another shot as a day-to-day primary OS, this machine is already at the forefront of my mind as far as how I’ll be running with the devil when the time comes. It’s too bad this computer doesn’t have a touch screen or I’d never give it back — Acer, can you outfit it? Windows 8 on the horizon!

Optimizing the Kinect hardware for PC usage will involve several adjustments, such as shortening the USB cable to ensure a reliable connection for all kinds of computers as well as including a small dongle to make the device connect more easily with other USB devices.

Software-wise, the Kinect for Windows will have to be tweaked to enable the depth camera to perceive objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device, or about 1.5 feet. This so called “Near Mode” could enable a whole new category of up-close apps to be developed.

The Kinect for Windows hardware should launch commercially in early 2012. Microsoft had released a Kinect for Windows SDK beta version for testing and academic use back in June and launched a Kinect Accelerator program last week that will pick ten finalists to receive $20,000 in funding to advance the development of Kinect.

[via WinRumors]

The Vivtar DVR 790HD takes on a camcorder form factor for ergonomic handheld shooting and sports a 5.1-megapixel sensor. It offers 4X digital zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD viewing screen that can display 3D images as well as support 3D video playback.

The ViviCam VT135 packs a 12.1-megapixel 3D-capable camera into a point-and-shoot form factor. It offers 5X digital zoom as well as a 2.7-inch 3D-capable LCD viewing screen. Both cameras will sell for just $99 and will be available at Target.

[via ChipChick]

TechCrunch has confirmed the client’s limited beta launch with Facebook, and has stated that the fraction of the entire Facebook user base chosen to participate randomly to join the test group are being prompted via a homepage notification on Facebook itself. There is also “no public download link, and the client is only compatible with Windows 7, though it was developed entirely by Facebook and does not constitute a new partnership with Microsoft.” Facebook is working on getting more users using its Chat service, as this summer it pushed out its standalone Messenger app for the iOS, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.

Combining Chat and the Ticket feed into once service is a first for Facebook, and by doing that, the social networking company can potentially get users “on its communication system that produces huge volumes of sustained attention, and then get them frequently returning to the site by clicking through Ticker and notification links”. This looks like a very smart move, since by stripping Facebook down to just its bare minimum but real-time elements, users can choose to leave on Messenger for Windows throughout the entire day. The plans seems to be that if the Windows 7 version gains mucho traction, Mac OS X and other operating systems clients could very well be on the way in development and release.

[via TechCrunch]

Externally there’s not a lot of difference in the Slate 2. You’ve still got a netbook-grade 1024 x 600 display panel at 8.9 inches, and Windows 7 is still chugging along. The processor is upgraded to an Atom Oak Trail Z670, though that still may not be enough to give Windows 7 the power it needs, even with a faster 64GB solid-state drive. Enhancements include a new included stylus and a Swype-enabled virtual keyboard – a novelty on a Windows device, to be sure. Minor cosmetic updates and a sold-separately Bluetooth speaker dock round out the package.

The HP Slate 2 will be available for purchase on an unspecified date in November, starting at $699.

One question springs to mind: why? With Windows 8 due next year and HP poised to exploit it, why would they release an interim device like this so soon after the ignominious demise of the TouchPad? Speaking of which, why isn’t the Slate taking advantage of WebOS, if only as a touch-friendly pre-boot environment? Was the response to the original Slate so impressive that it demanded a second attempt? (Hint: it wasn’t.) If this is HP’s glorious quasi-return to hardware sales, it’s a whisper, not a shout, and certainly no longer a unique one with Asus’ high-end Eee Slate EP121 already available and Dell’s Latitude ST coming soon.

Here’s hoping that the second-generation Slate will be able to run Windows 8 when it goes gold, or even before then. In the meantime, I’ll keep an extra $99 handy for about 49 days.

[via The Verge]

Resolution is a roomy 1366 x 768 on the small screen, and the tablet runs on a1.5GHz Atom Z670: economical, if not particularly brawny. 2GB of DDR2 RAM is about the minimum needed to run Windows 7 effectively, but an SSD that maxes out at 128 gigabytes should make for some speedy boot-ups and load times. WiFi comes standard, and Dell says that they’ll release a 3G version at some point. Dell is claiming 8 hours of battery life, and the tablet has dual front and rear cameras. Dock and keyboard accessories will launch with the tablet, and expandability comes in the form of USB, SD and HDMI ports. An upgrade to the tablet-friendly Windows 8 isn’t currently in the cards, though the company says that it will release Windows 8 tablets at some point.

Business users are the target market here, and while the ST will be made available to consumers, it comes pre-loaded with software to put a twinkle in the eye of your friendly neighborhood IT manager. Compatibility with VMware and Citrix virtualization is included, as is remote management software. The Latitude ST goes on sale November 1st. Dell didn’t mention a price, but considering HP’s Slate 500 tablet competes in the same (small) market, expect an MSRP below $1000.

For an official look at the ST in action, check out Dell’s video below:

[via PC World]

That docking station shoots the video out to a larger screen to make working more comfortable. The docking station also appears to support a keyboard and mouse. The tablet has a USB port for accessories and a memory card reader. The video also touts the tablets ability to connect to projectors and wireless networks. The tablet also has front and rear cameras.

Another part of the video shows the tablet in an education environment where kids are able to draw on the tablet with a finger or a stylus. The tablet has security features like remote hard drive wipe, and it supports Microsoft Bitlocker and is Kensington Lock compatible. The Latitude ST is also aimed at the medical realm with data protection for sensitive patient data. The tablet also packs in a HDMI output. The pricing and availability details are not available at this time.

[via Netbooknews]

BlueStacks released an alpha of its Player software for Windows earlier this month, allowing Windows users to load Android apps and run them with no modifications involved. Apps can be loaded from the regular .APK file, and played in either full-screen or windowed. A Mac version is in the pipeline, and the company confirmed it was in further talks with PC manufacturers regarding preloading BlueStacks onto new computers and tablets.

AMD says it expects to use the BlueStacks investment to leverage tablets and computers running on AMD processors, while Citrix is eyeing the software’s potential in enterprise settings. AMD has previously admitted that it was slow to broach the mobile computing market, only recently launching chips suitable for tablets and still ignoring smartphones.

Like Intel, AMD has struggled to gain traction among slates, seeing rival ARM picked for the majority of tablets for its chipsets’ low power consumption and solid multimedia potential. So far Windows-based models have been the exception, but Microsoft has confirmed it is working on Windows 8 on ARM builds for 2012.

Having cross-platform Android app compatibility could certainly work in AMD’s favor, and help the company differentiate between its chips and those of rival Intel. Reports out of Taipei have suggested AMD’s bargain pricing is already biting into Intel’s Atom sales.

[via GigaOm]

If the touchscreen sounds bigger than what OCOSMOS were hawking back at the OSC9′s debut at CES 2011 earlier this year, you’re not wrong. Then, the slate had a 9-inch panel running at 1024 x 768, but OCOSMOS has obviously followed fashion – and, we dare say, panel supplies – and increased both size and resolution.

Still present, however, is the Smart O-Bar Multi-controller, a compact remote that offers a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 LCD display, WiFi b/g/n, gyroscope and accelerometer, and can act as anything from a wireless keyboard/mouse for the OSC9, as a simple game controller, or as a VoIP phone handset. Alternatively, owners can stream multimedia content from the OSC9 to the Smart O-Bar.

Finally there’s an HDMI docking station, with ethernet and a pair of USB ports. The OSC9 measures in at 267 x 173 x 11.9mm and has a battery good for up to 6hrs runtime, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. We have to say we’d be more excited to see Windows 8 on the slate, but there’s always upgrading next year. The OSC9 is priced at $649, while the HDMI dock is $69.99, the Smart O-Bar controller $139.99, and a keyboard dock $69.99.

What you can see so far in the [HP Elite portal] we’ve got are some product hands-on videos. What we’ve got for you here below is the full collection of testing walk-throughs. Lots of talking, lots of explaining, lots of looking around at what HP does to test their machines before they’re allowed on the market. Watch them all and find yourself using up the time between lunch and dinner – so of course remember to bring a snack!

Without further ado:

Pretty interesting? Have you had an awesome time going through the Houston campus at HP? How about Elite, feeling more confident about your HP Elite line of PCs purchase? We sure hope so, those robots aren’t messing around. This weekend we’ll also be continuing to mine our b-roll footage for any additional interesting bits from the HP Making of Elite 2011 tour, so if you’re in the HP mood, check it out!

As for Cloud Connect, that’s the glue that links the Android and Windows sides of the equation. After installing a free app on your Android phone, third-party apps can be pushed from the handset to the computer. It’s also possible to see which apps are currently loaded on your PC from an Apps Channels pane on your phone.

The BlueStacks App Player alpha comes with 10 apps preloaded, and supports up to 26 further titles of your choice. A promised BlueStacks App Player Pro version will remove that limit, as well as supporting paid apps. Meanwhile the company says an OS X version for Mac is in the pipeline too, as well as conversations with manufacturers – such as ViewSonic - about preinstalling the tech on their Windows machines.

Connectivity includes micro HDMI, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, three USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, and a SIM slot for optional 3G. There’s a scroll wheel for quickly navigating long documents or webpages, a microphone, stereo speakers, an accelerometer, 1.3-megapixel webcam and a battery good, eviGroup reckons, for up to 5hrs of use. The whole thing is 14.6mm thick.

That may pale in comparison to what Honeycomb slates or the iPad 2 can deliver, but the upside is that with the SmartPaddle you’re getting a full Windows PC that can run all your regular Office and enterprise apps. Not so much of a draw for every home user, perhaps, but businesses – and those expecting their slate to do both work and play – could certainly be interested.

The eviGroup SmartPaddle will go on sale from €551 ($752). Its existing, bigger sibling, with a 12-inch touchscreen, will remain on sale as the SmartPaddle Pro. No word on what happens when Windows 8 arrives, but we’re guessing the SmartPaddle will play nicely with Microsoft’s tablet-tailored update too.

Below the 16mm thin 23-inch monitor, you’ve got a base that encloses all the key components and features of the PC, while your wireless keyboard and super sophisticated simplistic mouse all take up a minimal amount of space and make you look like you’re the super classy home-working pro that you really are. This PC’s full flat design allows for the display to lay all the way down, this giving you a full horizontal touch interface you’ll be able to put to good use when you load Windows 8.

The display uses Samsung’s advanced TV technology, video “coming alive” in full HD on this LED backlit screen. You get Harman Speakers and Harman-optimized audio features, as well as full surround sound with a SoundAlive sound enhancer. Integrated HD webcam and DVD player come standard as well.

Samsung has prepared you for the touch future with a lovely “Samsung Touch Launcher” that’ll grab you the most out of your touch experience (again, until Windows 8, that is, where you’re sure to use the Windows 8 launcher,) this launcher allowing you quick access to all of your favorite applications from the desktop. Easy Settings allow you quick and easy access to wireless networks, projectors, and more, and Samsung Easy Migration allows you quick and easy transferring of files to and from other computers – launching Easy Migration doing this automatically if you let it.

This computer series is set to launch on October 10, 2011, and ranges from $999 to $1,199, depending on the model you choose. All Samsung PC products are available through your local Samsung reseller or distribution channel, visiting Samsung.com will reveal that list to you.

Click the thumbnails in the gallery below to see specs up close and personal as well as larger versions of the photos in this post.

What we get to see here is the slickness in the design of these two new titans, both of them designed to look good and act as an aesthetically pleasing companion for the worker, student, or player on the go. Open up one of these bad boys in your local sandwich shop and look at all the eyes upon you – they want to know where you got your new, wait, what is that? It’s a Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS Notebook, announced at IFA 2011 and already finding its way to NYC in time for this Pepcom event. You can just FEEL the excitement surround you.

What the big deal we’re looking at here is sits inside a chassis built for a tinier news bit – that’s right, for each of these notebooks, the hardware is built to house a bigger display. The bezel size in particular is greatly reduced on both models, with a 15-inch display fitting now inside a 14-inch profile and a 15.6-inch display embedding real snug inside the 15-inch model. You’ll find that we’re only seeing one of the two models powered up, but the display tech is quite apparent. Each Series 7 CHRONOS Notebook have SuperBright 300nit brightness, anti-reflective glass, and 16 million colors blasting forth from the inner workings of the Samsung CPU mind.

At the very bottom of this post you can also see an interview conducted with Won Park, Vice President of Samsung Electronics IT Solutions Business Marketing Group who, also just a bit ago still inside September, explained the Samsung Notebook Series 7 CHRONOS in a bit more detail. This all look like a winning set of combinations to you?

You can see more Samsung technology alongside all sorts of other gadgets and gizmos we’ve gotten hands-on time with over the past week or so by hitting the [Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal], your doorway to a neat variety of futuristic bits in conveniently formatted video and photo form. Try em all on for size!

Back at CES 2011, we got a very brief look at this Central Station device as it existed pre-final shipped edition. Now we see that the display, available in both 23 and 27-inch versions, is ready and out on the market, working with essentially any device that’s able to have a full-sized USB dongle plugged into it. What the Samsung Central Station offers you is more than just a mirroring-capable monitor right out of the box, it allows you to do so with as little hassle on your part as physically possible. Just plug the USB bit in your device, activate it once, and have the display instantly pick up your host device’s presence whenever its near.

It’s magic! Have a look at the video here:

Now this monitor is out on the market right this second wherever fine electronics are sold, but the futuristic Windows 8 is not yet implemented on the tablet as you might expect following the massive amount of coverage that OS / device combo has received over the past week specifically. What we’ve learned, on the other hand, is that because of the versatility of both the monitor and Windows 8′s ability to run every bit of software that Windows 7 was able to, you’ll have no problem in the future with your various Windows 8- laden bits of hardware. Go for it instantly.

ALSO note that you can check out the rest of our hands-on videos from the event in our Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal!

You can check out our ViewSonic ViewPad 7x Android Tablet Hands-on [Video] and our ViewSonic ViewPad 7e Android Tablet Hands-On [Video] as well. This trio, as presented in NYC at Pepcom’s Holiday Spectacular 2011, very much signifies ViewSonic’s intent on getting into the tablet business with a bang, each of these tablets competitively priced and sized to take a potential grab at several nearly untapped market categories. The 10pro, again, we’ve been following for the longest, our most recent meeting being a full details post from just weeks ago.

It was all the way back in October of 2010 when the original ViewSonic ViewPad 10 was launched, just that November being the release announcement for the US market, its good buddy the original ViewPad 7 right alongside. It was also back then that the VP of ViewSonic said he thought that Steve Jobs was afraid of 7-inch tablets. Was it true? We’re thinking no. Are these 7-inch tablets shaping up to be relatively interesting? That much is certainly true.

Back in February of 2011 at Mobile World Congress 2011, we first saw the ViewPad 10pro, what was then mistaken by many as a dual-booting tablet running both Android and Windows. What we know now, due to the May 30th official announcement as well as the May 30th Bluestacks announcement that the 10pro is running Android on top of Windows 7. BlueStacks is explained by SlashGear earlier this year back when it was formally introduced – you’ll be seeing more of it in the future, I guarantee.

What you’re going to see in the video above is a bit more information on the 10pro as well as the most updated information on the other two tablets coming out in the USA soon. You’ll also hear yours truly speaking about SPB Shell 3D, an awesome homescreen replacement app made by the same people that have worked with ViewSonic to create the unique interface you seen on the 7e and the 7x!

ALSO feel free to see the rest of our hands-on videos from the event in our Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal!

Before getting to the mobile monitor, it made sense to take a glance at a couple other products in the Lenovo line that will appeal to those wanting to make good use of their new ThinkVision LT1421. First we are quickly re-introduced to the Lenovo ThinkPad T420S 14-inch mainstream laptop. Next we get to see a member of the X series of laptops from Lenovo, a series we got to see in the ThinkPad X1 back in May and more recently had a peek at in the Lenovo X121e 11.60-inch notebook, both of them being ultraportable laptops. Then it was time for some mobile monitor action.

This monitor is 14-inches large, weighs less than 2 pounds, and is less than one centimeter at its thinnest point. Its intended uses include flipping around just your extra display for viewing by coworkers, making presentations to small groups in schools, and just plain having fun or gaining some extra effective extra space for your ThinkPad notebook computer.

All you’ve got to do once you’ve got it out of the box is connect it to your laptop via USB, prop it up with its built-in photo frame stand, and you’re good to go! Of course you’ll also want to consider tilting the unit up or down, this made possible by its back-facing adjustable bar and slot-catching tray. This display matches the ThinkPad series of notebooks and its tray doubles as a screen cover for travel.

Have a look at Miller’s hands-on demonstration of this mobile monitor as well as a couple of well-working ThinkPad notebooks and let us know what you think! Then also have a peek at the rest of our hands-on videos from the event in our Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal!

The Logitech Wireless Touchpad must be used with a special driver for multi-touch gesture functionality, which Windows doesn’t normally support. These include two-finger scrolling, three-finger page flipping, and four-finger app switching, all on a nice big 5-inch surface.

The wireless connection uses RF instead of Bluetooth, which allows for longer battery life than what’s offered on Apple’s Magic Trackpad. Two AA batteries can last for roughly four months under regular use. Additionally, it features a USB adapter that lets other Logitech devices, such as a keyboard, share its wireless receiver.

The Wireless Touchpad only works with Windows 7 at the moment and will ship before the end of this month. It is priced at $49.

[via Logitech]

Today Microsoft has announced that starting tonight, users will be able to download the official developers preview right from Microsoft. The downloads will all kick off live tonight at 8:00 PM PDT and will come in both 32bit(x86) 64 bit(x64) versions without developer tools and also a 64bit version with developer tools. Being able to get access to versions both with and without developer tools is much appreciated and I’m sure many will be happy to hear that.

For all of you who patiently waited and passed on those leaked builds the wait is almost over and like mentioned above they’ll be available starting at 8 PM tonight. The preview builds will be in ISO form and you can download them at http://dev.windows.com. Microsoft also made clear the builds will come with a variety of sample applications that are merely for fun and illustration purposes and not what we will see on final shipping versions of Windows 8.

There has been tons of excitement over Windows 8 and we are live at BUILD and even have some hands-on with the Windows 8 Tablet — here is the video below. While this isn’t exactly what you’ll be seeing in the preview it’s worth a watch either way. Don’t forget to also check out our Windows 8 Complete Guide.

Windows 8 Tablet hands-on:

You can now check out the downloads as they exist here at the beginning of Windows 8:

Windows Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit (x64)
DOWNLOAD (4.8 GB)
Sha 1 hash – 6FE9352FB59F6D0789AF35D1001BD4E4E81E42AF
All of the following come on a disk image file (.iso).
64-bit Windows Developer Preview
Windows SDK for Metro style apps
Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express for Windows Developer Preview
Microsoft Expression Blend 5 Developer Preview
28 Metro style apps including the BUILD Conference app

Windows Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)
DOWNLOAD (3.6 GB)
Sha 1 hash – 79DBF235FD49F5C1C8F8C04E24BDE6E1D04DA1E9
Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 64-bit PC.

Windows Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)
DOWNLOAD (2.8 GB)
Sha 1 hash – 4E0698BBABE01ED27582C9FC16AD21C4422913CC
Includes a disk image file (.iso) to install the Windows Developer Preview and Metro style apps on a 32-bit PC.

If you’re unaware of how to work with these files head back to Microsoft for full instructions. You can get all the support you need from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/

What you’re going to notice about Windows 8 the first time you use it is its willingness to work with whatever you throw at it. Applications are able to communicate with one another for activities like, for example, sharing, in a way that certainly hasn’t yet been perfected in any other system, a few mobile operating systems coming in close seconds. Creating an operating system that works with every bit of software your previous software was able to work with; that’s just smart business.

Right out of the box you’ll be able to work with pen styluses, keyboards, and mice without trouble, this of course referring then specifically to the tablet-based implementation of the software. Of course it’s time and time again that it must be reminded that Windows 8 does not have different versions for Tablet and PC, instead its running on what’s essentially the exact same user interface wherever you’ve got it running. One UI to rule them all should Microsoft be saying, now it’s got us wondering if Windows Phone 8 (only on 7.5 at the moment) will be the great connector of systems, mobile and non-mobile, as Microsoft does very much appear to be pointing towards this week at their developer conference BUILD 2011.

Moving, adjustable, and customizable panels make up your screens, each of them able to be made from a smaller bit of the other or made to represent an app that’s large and in charge. For example, you can make a panel that only connects to a single webpage, and if that webpage has an RSS feed, your panel will have a pretty good chance of showing you the feed as its updated on your Start Screen where it sits. Its pretty wild, to say the least.

This entire Reimagining of Windows will be positive for Microsoft. Windows has been an operating system that’s had no significant changes made to it that the public made any sort of recognizable ruckus about for too many years now – it’s time for a change, and it’s exciting to see that this is it. While there’s always room for requests on improvements and real improvements as the system progresses, remember the following factoid: as of this week, 1,502 product changes have been made to Windows XP since Microsoft released it to manufacturing. This number comes from Microsoft tracking said number with its update service showing the wild, wild truth.

We can expect what appears to be quite a hearty effort coming from Microsoft here, along with some rather large hints that integration changes will continue to occur until Microsoft is a singularity.

NOTE: We’ve got a Microsoft Windows 8 Complete Guide up for you as well as a Windows 8 Tablet Hands-on which you can see the video of here:

Windows 8 Tablet hands-on:

Three years ago was when Windows 7 launched, since then 450 million copies have sold. Inside September 2011, the amount of users using Windows 7 has finally trumped the amount of users using Windows XP on the consumer market. Microsoft tells us they know this because they’re working with the numbers coming from machines hitting the Windows Update Service. As with any update to a new version of a major operating system, one must ask a similar question as – and you’ll have to allow me to nerd out for a moment here – Alan Bradley from TRON when he asked what changes had REALLY been made to the system that Microsoft would find it necessary to give it a whole new number.

Turns out 1,502 product changes have been made to Windows XP since Microsoft released it to manufacturing, these all being non-security updates. Improvements galore! Now what does this mean for Windows 8? Does it mean that the software will be continuously updated as the folks at Microsoft see ways to improve it? Of course, that’s a given. How many changes have been made between the Windows XP and Windows 7 we’ve known between their inception date and this end-of-summer 2011 timeframe where Windows 8 is released? That’s a number we’ll have to figure out on our own.

Reimagining Windows

Microsoft brings you Windows 8 as a operating system that is said to improve everything they brought forth in Windows 7, and what’s more, every bit of software that runs currently on Windows 7 will be able to run on Windows 8 without a problem.

Chipsets

ARM chips equal integrated engineering. Where X86, Microsoft says, was the same for every system, ARM chips are optimized for unique situations. Like what Microsoft says about software made for working on Windows 7 now also working on Windows 8, so too does everything they present here work on ARM chips.

Boldness

What’s so bold about Windows 8 is that they’re envisioning an operating system that scales from small form factors, keyboardless tablets, all the way up to gigantic servers running hundreds of processors.

Julie Larson Green, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Experience at Microsoft noted during the week of the reveal of Windows 8 that they had started planning Windows 8 in June of 2009, before they even shipped Windows 7 out the door. Of course changes in both industry and technology spark change, and in this mobile landscape and move by many from one platform to another and/or the adoption of several platforms happening by the public, Microsoft planned accordingly. Microsoft wanted to top the release of Windows 7, but they did not want to do it in a way that was either linear or reactive – this being an interesting goal of course at that time as the idea of a tablet computer simply wasn’t a reality at the time – so what is there to react to?

In Windows 7 there were studies on form factor, user action models, and best of all touch. Microsoft has noted that they were the first group to add touch to a major operating system. As you know well, since that time, touch has all but consumed the mobile market, and recent developments in non-mobile computing have trended toward touch as well to a degree. With this, the demand for developers to create apps for every single little function, one by one, this showing itself prevalently again on mobile, but non-mobile beginning to take back what is theirs in the recent past as well with on-device app stores on all machines. These are only two of a whole slew of points Microsoft touched on during the BUILD conference showing off the first real look at Windows 8 in September of 2011.

Tablets and PCs

You begin with a lockscreen (seen at the top of this post). This screen doesn’t look unlike what you’re used to with Windows Phone devices, giving you pre-opening updates about time, date, updates, and of course its all displayed with a background of your choice. One of the new ideas Microsoft has to make this experience unique is “Picture Password”.

What Picture Password consists of is a specific photo or digital image that, when you see it, you’ll know to draw a certain combination of shapes and lines on your display. If you draw the correct combination, you will be logged in. Circles and lines are what’s at play here – perhaps drawing a hat on a squirrel will be your password combo?

Then there’s a Start Screen. This is the place where you’ll return all the time before and after moving to other screens and apps. You’ll again recognize the look of this space as being a rather Windows Phone experience, and as each app is represented by what Microsoft calls a “tile”, you’ll certainly feel at home if you’re an avid Windows Phone user. Each tile has the ability to show off different actions before its activated to reveal the app inside, movement and, for example, feeds showing social networking news. The “serendipity of the web” has here been brought into Windows.

Tiles can express essentially anything you want and are themselves resizable and customizable. Tiles can open up to apps or they can sit by themselves and work. There are “groups” that can hold tiles “like folders” as they say, and there’s a new feature called “Semantic Zoom.” What this Semantic Zoom does is to pull you back from your interface in a way that you’ve never been able to do on a Windows device before. Fast and fluid touch language throughout, allowing you access to all of your media, all of your content, all of your apps at once.

We got hands-on with the first Windows 8 tablet at BUILD 2011 as well, see the video unboxing and hands-on here:

Metro-Style Apps

There is a new kind of app called Metro-Style Apps. The first thing that makes a Metro-Style app what it is full immersion. What Windows has done here is to change what they’ve done in the past, that is adding widgets and “doodads” all around the majority of apps and is now being a bit more humble, letting the app take the show.

Any app on Windows Phone 8 can be turned into a Secondary Tile. You can, for instance, “pin” a webpage to your Start Screen – in this case you’ll have all the same features your original app had, here because this is a webpage and your original app was a web-based app, you’re able to see a changing feed straight from your desktop.

Charms

Charms are next – what this feature, activated by a swipe across your screen, is comprised of several icons, these depending on the app or location inside your system you are at. This may seem intuitive to those of you who’ve been using computers for years and years now, but as software engineers make the transition between mobile and stationary OS being separate to being one in the same, it’s little points like this that make all the difference.

What Microsoft is showing us here in Windows 8 is their next step towards a singularity in operating systems. Moving in and out of apps, shutting them down and opening them up, and even having more than one application open and working at once on the same page. This again is something that desktop mobile operating systems have been able to do for many years now, but as mobile moves into the fold, this is a big step taken.

Windows Key

There’s a button, be it physical or on the screen, wherever, that will always bring you back to your Start Screen. This is your Windows Key. If you’re using a Windows 8 tablet, you’ll likely have a physical or haptic-feedback-filled Windows Key. If you’re using a device with no physical keys, the Windows Key will be in some sneaky places for you to access.

Windows Store

For developers (who will be mentioned many more times before this guide is through), it’s the newly minted Windows Store that should be paid attention to. Windows users will be able to access this store for apps anywhere Windows is sold worldwide. Go wild!

Apps

Microsoft feels that all apps should be able to work together, all of this without any extra work done by the developers of the apps in question. One of the most obvious “contracts” this connectedness will be working on is sharing. Have a bit of content you’d like to share? Grab your Charms, hit the Share Charm, and share it through, for example, “Friend Share.” Here you’re able to contact your contacts through a huge variety of ways – share and go! The data package is taken by one app and sent to another app, all of this possible with any set of apps that have sharing activated.

Sharing can happen from any app in Windows.

Search is next, it being one the most essential bits in any successful computer system, operating systems a must. The Search Charm is present in quite a few apps and in the system to search files. You expect Windows to know how to search files, but here we’ve got a few new options, one of them being autocomplete of options if you like. You search your term and you get results PLUS you get a list of apps that are able to also search themselves. Search a term and find results on your own computer, then search through your web app, search a social networking site, search anything that supports search.

A hypothetical situation for this ability to search and select content from a variety of apps and services is if you’re creating an album of photos on a website. You can search from your local device, your app which seeks photos you’ve got on a cloud on the internet, and an app that seeks photos on your local network. Grab em all without having to launch every single app, all at once with search only. The selling point, if I may be so bold here, is that the apps are what makes up the system. Just like console video game systems, inkjet printers, and… well… every home computer in history, essentially, this system relies on the apps that it runs to run. That’s the promotion in part.

Spellcheck, auto-correct, “squiggle” underlining of words to show you they’re not necessarily understood by the system as English (or whatever language(s) you’ve got running). All of this is what you remember it as being from your current and past tens of years on your Windows machine – all of it’s intact here and is available free as part of Microsoft’s dealings with third party app developers. The same is true of the on-screen touch keyboard keyboard.

Measuring Style Device App / Connections

As you may well know by now, computers of all types, most recently mobile devices like tablets are able to connect to a plethora of other devices via Bluetooth, HDMI cable, USB, and a bunch of other slightly less popular means right this moment. In Windows 8, these connections will be handled by your Charms. Much in the same way that selecting File-Print works in most Windows systems now (though I’m sure some developers would disagree), you’re able to hit a charm, hit print, and if you like, work with a selection of settings. This interface has another name: Measuring Style Device App.

What a Measuring Style Device App does is represent a device in the system. This could be compared, if you wish, to drivers provided by manufacturers for specific devices, instead here it’s a whole new entity called a MSDA (for short) and has the ability to bring you a large set of options in, for example, a Charm.

Internet Explorer 10

The newest version of IE aka Internet Explorer will be available as a metro-style app. Full screen action for you lovers of your monitors with all of the same hardware acceleration (even more than IE 9 does), same performance and better, same compliance and standards as IS and better, same security and same privacy as IE 9. But it’s better, better I tell you! Here you’ve got a totally immersive mode like with the other metro-style apps, and you’ve got four big gestures that, like with a lot of the rest of your system here, do the following:

Top to Bottom: Use the User Interface, in this case see your controls for webpages.
Right Side: Charms.
Left Side: Go back.

Of course you can create new tabs including the forever helpful “private” tab, you can travel to webpages, go back and forth, and use the internet in the same sort of hands-off way that all great web browsers work with. Internet Explorer 10 is able to go full screen and will, with gestures, be able to access the same lovely menus many other Windows 8 optimized apps will be able to as well.

Whispers of Photoshop

Adobe’s photo editing app has become so well known and used that an edited photo in our modern world is better known as having been “Photoshopped” than it is as having been “modified” or “photo manipulated”. We know this week at BUILD 2011 that Windows 8 will work with Photoshop on a touch platform. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Adobe bring a Photoshop branded app to a mobile platform, but it is the first time we’ve seen what appears very much to be a full-fledged Photoshop app that, as you know from above, will be able to work with keyboard and mouse, but will here be able to work with touch in a way that’s only been available through third party touchscreen displays and drawing pads. What we can hope for is a much more optimized experience in the near future.

Pen (Stylus)

Handwriting, drafting, and graphic arts are promoted in Windows 8 by a new optimization and integration of the pen, or the stylus as you may call it. You may use pen with touch at the same time and you may navigate the whole system with pen as well. Much in the same way that the on-screen keyboard, the physical mouse, and the physical keyboard are all supported for 3rd party developers by Microsoft, so too is the Pen. Get your drawing hand out and try to remember what it was like to use a pencil!

Cloud Connections

Windows 8 will have the ability to work with online clouds of information, developers at Microsoft keeping in mind that this new operating system is most certainly going to be used to access the connected web on many levels and with many different devices and types of devices. Microsoft gives one of the most obvious reasons for this: what if you reach an awesome level on your favorite game, then you’ve got to switch to a new device? You’d have to start over if it wasn’t for the idea of cloud computing – all that information can be stored for access by multiple computers without a hassle, and Windows 8 is built with this idea deep in its heart. Settings down to the state you last left your app in can be saved to the cloud with this system. One you, one system, any number of multiple machines to work with.

Mail and Calendar

Improvements have been made to your basic Mail app on Windows 8. You’ve now got the simple addition of Folders to your Mail app, this right next to Inbox and Content. Organization is key, and the ability to place pieces of content in folders has been a tried and true way to make this happen. As far as Calendar goes, you’re now able to view more than one person’s Calendar at once. For instance if you need to see your wife’s calendar at the same time as your own to plan an event, this dual display mode can come in extremely handy.

People

There’s an app called People which organizes all the humans you know, each of the people displayed with connections to their Facebook, Linkedin, phone number, email(s), and more. This app People acts as an all-encompassing social network hub as you’re not only able to connect to People’s different profile pages on social networks, you can instant messenge them through what appears to be every single instant messenger network in existence, threads of conversation set up, organization abound. The networks take a back seat, Microsoft hopes here, to your connection to the person.

Photos

Your Photos library app connects you to your local photos as well as photos (and other types of images) you’ve got on a large number of photo hosting services and apps. This app, like the rest of the content browsing and interaction apps, appears to be working quite quickly and efficiently on every platform Microsoft is using to show off Windows 8 at BUILD 2011. This Photos app brings your photos together in a way that Microsoft hopes is easy to manifest and understand. Select photos, place them in your digital basket, and share them, only a few gestures from start to finish.

Skydrive

Connected applications is at the heart of Windows 8. Using Windows Phone, you likely know about Skydrive which allows you to place media for later editing and access from the cloud. Your Skydrive Camera Roll on Windows Phone automatically collects photos you’ve taken and uploads them to the cloud. When you’re emailing photos from your Photos app, you’ll automatically be doing so using Skydrive, this allowing you to have these photos hosted by Skydrive instead of having to pack them into the email. You’ve got the option of attaching to the email in a traditional way as well, but Skydrive gives you the ability to, in many cases, send a whole lot quicker.

Heading online to Windows Live and Skydrive will also be optimized to work with Windows 8 to give you access to any of your connected computers. For example if you’re out in the park and you meet Auntie Sue and you want to show her a picture of your half-uncle Fred but all your Fred photos are at your PC at home, you can connect to your PC at home with your mobile device by accessing Windows Live in a web browser and check your Skydrive, there’s your content.

Windows Phone

Along these same lines, syncing and cloud connectedness flows freely through Windows Phone which, at the time Windows 8 is revealed at BUILD 2011, is currently at Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. On Windows Phone here you have only to log in once and you’ve got all of your connections to your various services you’d normally have access to from your PC, all of them synced up. There’s mail, however many mailboxes, calendar (two calendars if you like, for the reasons listed above), photos, and all of it connected to Skydrive and your Skyedrive Camera Roll. Your Windows Skydrive ID connects you to the same content from whatever device you’re working with.

The Same UI

Microsoft is here in Windows 8 pushing the idea that there only needs to be a single UI for all computers, not a new face for each device. Should you desire to use your tablet as a laptop, plugging a keyboard and mouse in for some classic notebook action, your user interface will not change. Windows 8 is designed to work with these instruments just as casually as it does with your fingers. Have you ever used a tablet for about an hour, then went back to a laptop or a desktop PC and found yourself wondering why it has so many fingerprints on the screen? You’re getting used to being able to work with your content with your hands as well as with a cursor interchangeably. This is what Microsoft has either seen or decided on the future being for its entire personal computer-toting population.

Some changes do technically occur, if you want to be a nitpicker, that is, when you plug your mouse in, that being your ability to bring up your charms by moving your mouse down into the lower left-hand corner of your screen, right-clicking a variety of items, most of them options based on the item you’ve clicked, very similar to what you’re used to in Windows systems currently released now. Right-click your Start Screen and you’ll get a little search bar next to your cursor that’ll allow you to look for an app and launch it right from there. No more app drawers needed, is what this means. Those of you that have many wonderful alternate means of launching apps with key combinations will take comfort in knowing that those key combinations will continue to be able to function in Windows 8 just as well as they worked in previous versions of Windows.

Wrap-Up

Windows 8 is about connectedness between devices, syncing, and single log-ins to attain all this. You should be able to grab any Windows 8 device, plug in your ID and password, and have access to all of your files as they sit soundly on the cloud. Skydrive helps with this, allowing instant background uploads of media, all of this importantly able to be shared across the interconnected web of Metro-Style apps you’ve not got on your system.

All of this is made possible and made to be successful in the future is the stance Microsoft is taking with Windows 8, that being that developers who want to create Metro-Style applications for Windows 8 should have access to the tools they need to make it happen – and Windows takes care of all of the connectedness and syncing for you through the live service. It’s no mistake that the first big reveal of Windows 8 took place during BUILD 2011, a convention for developers specifically.

We look forward to the future of Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform and will be covering it in depth here on SlashGear through the future!

The B121 features a 12.1-inch 1280×800 multitouch display covered by Gorilla Glass with 178 degree wide viewing angles and works with a Wacom Digitizer stylus. Inside it runs on Intel’s Core i5-479UM processor with 4GB of RAM along and a 64GB SSD. It has a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video conferencing, two full USB 2.0 ports, a mini-HDMI port, and a built-in memory card reader. It’s also bundled with a Bluetooth keyboard.

And catering to enterprise, the tablet features multiple levels of security, including a Computrace LoJack support that helps locate the device if its stolen and also can remotely lock and delete data on the device. It also features a trusted platform module that work with Windows BitLocker for better data encryption of data to protect against software attacks and physical theft.

For all this, however, the B121 is priced at $1499. So you had better have some good business use for it. Availability for the device has not been announced, but you can check out more information from ASUS.

[via Engadget]

Of course, Samsung has no need of a Windows-based iPad alternative, because it already has its Android-powered Galaxy Tab series. The business customer, then, gets a solid slate computer with a decent 11.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display, bright and with broad viewing angles, served up in a reasonably slimline casing with HDMI, microSD and USB connectivity.

If you want more ports, the docking station has a full-sized HDMI (versus the mini port on the Slate PC itself) as well as a USB, headphone socket, ethernet and power. Unfortunately it’s not adjustable for angle, though you could easily leave a bigger display permanently attached for when you’re back at your desk. The Bluetooth keyboard is much like we saw on the Series 9 Chronos laptops, but because this is a full Windows PC you can of course plug in any USB peripheral you want.

Best of all, Samsung has already confirmed that it intends to upgrade the Series 7 Slate PC to Windows 8 when the new OS is launched, which adds in a degree of future-proofing that enterprise clients will enjoy. At that point, it might also win some fans among mainstream consumers, though we’ll have to wait and see how well, exactly, Microsoft’s next-gen OS lives up to its tablet promise.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Here’s where the real fire came into play, with Samsung revealing two outstanding Android devices that are sure to set the tablet world on fire – only the second and most superstar-classification-worthy of which Samsung doesn’t define as a tablet at all. We’ll get to that in a moment, but first there’s the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the next in a line of successful Samsung Android tablets to feature Android 3.x Honeycomb with TouchWiz UX, a custom tablet interface for Android devices, working on top of it. What’s perhaps most impressive about this tablet (beyond the fact that it’s got a wholly metal chassis) is the fact that it’s got the largest (7.7-inch) Super AMOLED Plus display on an Android device thus far on Earth. Brightness! Check out our [original announcement thread] or head straight to our [Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on post] for a video exploration of the tablet in full brilliance.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 hands-on:

Also take a look at the already massively popular post by the name of [Will carriers kill the Galaxy Tab 7.7?] for all your discussion needs.

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung this week announced what they’re calling a whole new category in the mobile environment, that being what they’ve found to be the perfect blend of large screen size and small portability, all with a brand new “HD Super AMOLED” display for the brightest and sharpest look at Android yet. If there’s one device Samsung has chosen this week to be its hero device, this is it.

Check out our [original announcement post] or head straight to our [Galaxy Note hands-on] post complete with, again, brilliant video with hands-on pro Chris Davies.

Samsung Galaxy Note hands-on:

Cameras

Samsung has introduced several cameras this week, the first of which being the NX200, a single 20.3 megapixel camera with the ability to shoot continuous photos at 7 frames per second, an APS-C CMOS sensor, and 100ms Advanced auto focus. This device also has a gigantic amount of interchangeable lenses to go with it, looking like an explorer in the lens jungle in its first press shots. [announcement post]

Next there’s the Samsung WB750, a ultra-zoom capable Schneider Kreuznach device with 18x optical zoom and 24x Smart Zoom inside. This device is also capable of shooting 10 megapixel photos at the same time it’s recording 1080p video, and 12.5 megapixel resolution photos at 10 frames per second in high-speed continuous mode. [announcement post]

Finally there’s the Samsung MV800, a point-and-shoot camera with a giant flip-out and swivel LCD display so that you’ll be able to snap photos with preview in any way shape or form. This camera is rated at 16.2 megapixels, the LCD flip-out display is a 3-inch LCD, and a slew of special effects in-camera for all your odd editing needs. [announcement post]

Notebooks

There’s a single notebook to be had this week from Samsung as far as the IFA Unpacked event went, that being the Samsung Series 7 CHRONOS, a device which we spoke about earlier this week then were treated to a slight more formal look at later in the week.

Smart TV

As far as new announcements on the Samsung front this week, one news bit stood out from the rest: Samsung’s YouTube 3D partnership. How apt would you be to purchase a Samsung Smart TV with 3D capabilities if you had an infinite free library of content on your hands as opposed to the scant selection of 3D Blu-ray disks out there today? [original announcement post]

Wave Smartphones

Samsung brought some fire to their very own mobile operating system with three new bada 2.0-based devices, the first and most impressive of which was the Wave 3, a lovely 4-inch display having 1.4GHz toting smartphone with all your favorite bada amenities. The other two bada 2.0 devices announced this week were the Wave Y and the Wave M, all three of these devices set to be released soon. [original announcement post]

We were also given the opportunity land a hands-on with the Wave 3, this being an experience you can share with us in our Samsung Wave 3 hands-on post featuring Chris Davies on the handling, complete with video. Look like a winner compared to Samsung’s Android offerings?

Samsung Wave 3 hands-on:

Windows Tablets

If there’s one thing we did NOT expect to come out of the Samsung labs this week, it was the Samsung Series 7 Slate, a tablet PC running Windows 7. Luckily it won’t be stuck on the near-dead Windows 7 platform for long, as it comes ready to update to Windows 8 nearly right out of the gate. [original announcement post]

Amazing offering this week Samsung, keep it up!

The ViewPad 7x has a 7-inch 1024×600 multitouch capacitive display powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor. It has both front- and rear-facing cameras, although the image quality hasn’t been revealed, 8GB of internal storage, and integrated GPS. It will run ViewSonic’s customized ViewScene 3D user interface and utilizes a special injection molding technique that’s said to deliver a lightweight yet durable casing. It’s set to be available in late September for €349 ($499).

The ViewPad 10pro offers a 10-inch multitouch display and can dual-boot either Windows 7 Professional or Android 2.3 Gingerbread allowing for the best of both work and play. Not too much has been provided in the way of details, but it seems like the tablet will offer the ability to quickly switch between the two operating systems without much hassle. A WiFi-only version is expected to ship on September 5 for €499 ($714).

And lastly is the ViewPad 7e, which is only revealed to have a 4:3 ratio multitouch display with Amazon Kindle software pre-installed. No size was listed, but it’s most likely a typical e-reader size. Plus, it supports web browsing and multimedia and includes wireless, Bluetooth, and HDMI-out. Availability is set for late Q4 for €169 ($242).

None of these have been listed with a US release date yet, but we’ll keep you posted should those details turn up. Make sure to keep it here on SlashGear for more IFA 2011 developments.

The Samsung Series 7 Slate features a 11.6-inch Gorilla Glass covered display that doubles as a Wacom tablet with the use of a pressure sensitive stylus. Inside, it sports either an i3 or i5 processor with 4GB of RAM. It also offers both a rear- and front-facing camera as well as support for both WiMAX and HSPA+ network connections.

The tablet also sports what appears to be a home screen button with the Windows icon. It’s not clear whether this is Samsung’s own decision or a standard we’ll be seeing in all future Windows 8 tablets. A more detailed preview of Windows 8 is set to take place at the Build developer conference in September with rumors of a public beta to be released at CES and a final version to land later in 2012.

Samsung plans to partner with Microsoft for the Windows 8 upgrade offering for the Series 7 Slate. The tablet will ship in October for $1,099. Below are some of the hands-on images for the tablet from Thisismynext and PC Magazine.

Both of the machines run the same Atom N435 processor and sport 10.1-inch displays. The price for the N100 has been reported at about $200 here in the US by Russian and Indian websites. The official price for Europe or the US hasn’t been offered. The N435 processor operates at 1.33GHz. The screen for the machines is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resolution offering.

It has anti-glare coating, which is a very nice thing to have if you work in a room with lights on or outdoors. Graphics for both machines is via Intel GMA integrated. Storage is to a 250GB 5400 rpm HDD. Other features include a 3-cell battery, 1GB of RAM, and a memory card reader, VGA out, and USB ports. The price for the N102 is thought to be $299.

[via Notebookitalia]

Intel has reportedly hit a snag with the Cedar Trail platform and has been forced to push the launch of the platform from September to November. The reason for the delay is said to be issues with the graphics driver that resulted in the platform failing its Windows 7 certification. Cedar Trail processors are built on 32nm manufacturing process and will be the first netbook platform to use the 32nm tech.

Cedar Trail is a unified architecture platform. That means it has the processing cores and the GPU on the same die. Cedar Trail graphics are supposed to support DirectX 10.1 and have hardware decoding capabilities for HD content. The best guess on the specific problem is that the platform failed at media encoding. Submitting the drivers for recertification will take time, hence the delay of roughly a month for the launch schedule.

[via Physorg]

It has a bunch of other features that the FCC outted as well like WiFi, Bluetooth, a SD card slot, 16GB SSD for storage, a USB port, and a speaker and mic built-in. Like most Windows 7 tablets, the machine is hardly a lightweight tipping the scales at 2.3 pounds. It uses an Intel Atom processor at 1.6GHz according to the manual.

The tablet is complete to the point that samples are floating around according to reports. At this point, the exact launch date and the price for the tablet are unknown. If samples are already out the tablet would be close to launching I imagine. A demo video has also surfaced that you can check out below.

[via The-digital-reader]

This tablet will have a 10.1-inch display at 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, is capable of playing Full HD 1080p video, and has 2GB of integrated memory. Additionally this tablet will have built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and HDMI-out. This tablet has a single front-facing camera at 1.3 megapixels, a battery that they’re saying will give you up to 8 hours of battery life (big compared to the Acer A100, but small compared to most other 10.1-inch tablets. Strange considering they’re pushing for a rich “long battery life” in this particular tablet. Maybe real-world use will yield a longer life.

The microSD card slot this device has is able to take up to 32GB, and you’ve got two options for how you’re going to work with the device. Two different tablets here, essentially, are available, one of them with Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) and Android 2.3 for an ESP of $699, or with Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) and Android 2.3 for an ESP of $599. You can also pick up a custom docking station accessory for ESP $59. Both of these tablets are available now in limited quantities, with a wide release coming late August.

Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Hyper Threading Technology are just two features offered with the Intel® Xeon® processors packed inside the workstations for the most power and efficiency in the land. Next 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processors sit in the system taking multiple demanding programs and applications and run them with ease. With these workstations packed the way they are, make no mistake, you won’t be slowing down any time soon.

Then there’s the greatness inside the Professional Series’ NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics cards coming standard in each of these excellent workstations. NVIDIA’s Quadro graphics cards bring you “up to 5x faster 3D performance and 8x faster computational simulation” so that you are able to use applications from Adobe, Autodesk, RTT, Dassault Systems, and Bunkspeed with ease. Each of these workstations start at $1,069, a rather inexpensive bill for such a high-class machine, straight from iBUYPOWER.com and available now. Let’s have a taste of one build, shall we?

One example of these powerful amalgamations is the Professional Series X58, a Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit running machine with an Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Mid Tower Case, 24x Dual Format DVD+/-RW Combo Drive, 12GB DDR3-1333 Memory, and a fat 750 Watt Corsair Power Supply. Included is a 120 GB Intel 510 SATA-III 6GB/s SSD and 2 x 1TB SATA-III 6GB/s Hard Drive RAID 1. Finally, of course, you get the ASUS Sabertooth X58 Motherboard, the Intel Core Processor i7-960, and the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 1GB DDR5 Graphics Card. You’ll be cracking the whip for a cool price of $1999 – and this whole experience is again, customizable.

Fujitsu is still mum on the pricing for the smartphone though so you will need to check tomorrow to see what the phone sells for. The F-07C still has some interesting features like the ability to run Windows 7 and Symbian on the same device. Fujitsu is calling the smartphone the world’s smallest PC. The smartphone uses an Intel Atom processor and has the full version of IE 9 browser installed.

The smartphone also ships with a 2-year license for Office Personal 2010. The QWERTY keyboard on the smartphone will let you thumb type away. The screen is a 4-inch unit with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The phone also has security features that allow it to be remotely locked if lost. The processor is an Atom Z600 running at 1.2GHz. The front camera is 0.32MP and the rear is a 5.1MP resolution camera. Main memory is 1GB and it stores to a 32GB eMMC SSD.

Android’s rise from Q2 2010 is significant, with the Google platform on just 2.9-percent of the tablets a year ago and seeing shipping numbers of just 100,000 units. The analysts now believe that 4.6m Android tablets were sold in Q2, not least because of the dedicated tablet version of the OS, 3.x Honeycomb, which was designed specifically to suit larger-screen devices.

Despite generally negative reviews, Windows 7 holds third place, with a reported 4.6-percent of the marketshare. That puts it ahead of QNX, the platform RIM has used for the BlackBerry PlayBook, which lags in fourth place with 3.3-percent. Strategy Analytics blame the absence of key apps like a native email client on the PlayBook for its placement

Since the figures detail Q2 2011 – April through June inclusive – newer slates like the HP TouchPad don’t get a look in. Looking forward, the Android tablet segment is open to a single, dominant vendor, and there are suggestions that it could well be Amazon. “If Amazon decides to enter the Android tablet category later this year, that will bring fresh excitement and buzz to the Android community” Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics suggests, ”but Amazon will need to deliver a truly standout offering if it really wants to make headway against the popular iPad.”