Although Google’s Chrome OS continues to command a small fraction of the world’s PC market, it still attracts a lot of attention from PC makers who hope to improve their sales with the help of non-Windows-based personal computers. At present Chromebooks – notebooks that run Chrome OS – are offered …
Read More »Sales of Microsoft’s Lumia smartphones set all-time record
Sales of Microsoft Corp.’s Lumia smartphones in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 (ended on the 30th of September, 2014) set up a new all-time record for the brand. Unfortunately, shipments of Windows Phone-based Lumia are still well below not only direct rivals, but Nokia’s own smartphones several years ago. …
Read More »Google to create Play-like hardware store for Project Ara smartphones
Google plans to build a special online store that will sell components for modular smartphones that belong to the Project Ara initiative. The intention means that Google will certify modules for smartphones and ensure their quality, which is a rather hard task. Besides, small-volume manufacturing of custom modules will mean …
Read More »First images of Microsoft Lumia smartphones’ elements published
Microsoft Corp. on Friday published the first images of Lumia smartphones that lack Nokia brand. As it appears, the future handsets from the world’s largest software developer will carry Microsoft trademark. The company also said Friday that the first Microsoft Lumia smartphones will be released shortly. Microsoft does not plan …
Read More »Asus begins to sell Windows 8.1 tablet that weighs 330 grams
Asustek Computer has quietly begun to sell the world’s lightest tablet that runs Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 8.1 operating system. Asus VivoTab 8, which weighs only 330 grams, is now available in Japan, but shortly it will make to other markets as well. Surprisingly, the slate is not very expensive. Asus …
Read More »MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE Review (Gold w/ GTX970m)
If you are looking for a gaming laptop with Nvidia's latest Maxwell architecture then our review today of the new MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE will interest you. This machine features the GTX970m mobile GPU, alongside Raid SSD's, an Intel Core i7 quad core processor, 3K screen, 16GB of …
Read More »Samsung rolls-out eight-core Exynos 7 Octa application processor
Samsung Electronics on Thursday unveiled its all-new Exynos 7 application processor for mobile and consumer electronics devices. The features eight processing cores, high-end graphics engine, 4K ultra-high-definition video output and a number of other innovations. The chip is made using Samsung’s latest process technology and will power numerous future devices …
Read More »Intel begins to sample Skylake microprocessors
Intel Corp. has quietly started to sample its next-generation code-named “Skylake” microprocessors. Availability of samples of upcoming chips means that the company should be on-track with its second-generation offerings made using 14nm process technology and products on their base will arrive on time. According to Zauba.com database, which monitors imports …
Read More »London commuters suffer with poor mobile connectivity
While there are plenty of places we can all agree using your phone isn't acceptable, the train isn't one of them. Granted an obnoxious voice call might get a few people riled up, but checking your texts and the latest news headlines should be possible. That goes doubly so for when you're …
Read More »Microsoft to dump ARM-based Surface media tablets – report
While Microsoft Corp. will continue to offer its Surface Pro line of tablets designed for creative professionals and corporate users, the company is currently reconsidering the future of its Surface media tablets, at least, in their current form. According to a report, Microsoft may dump ARM-based Surface tablets and offer only …
Read More »Microsoft reaffirms commitment to Surface Pro, preps next-gen models
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to its Surface Pro business tablets and said that its next-generation solutions of the kind, which are in development today, will be compatible with existing peripherals. The claim was made in order to persuade IT managers and CIO to consider Surface Pro as …
Read More »Weaker PC makers may have to leave the market, analysts claim
Global PC shipments will decline by several percent points this year, but will still total over 303 million units, according to Gartner. Therefore, many PC makers will enjoy great sales of personal computers this year and going forward. Unfortunately, profit margins of loads of smaller PC makers will decline so …
Read More »Up close and personal with the MSI GT72 Gaming Laptop
Without doubt, the MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro was one of the best received laptops we have ever seen in the KitGuru Lab. But still pictures can only take you so far. We were lucky enough to get MSI Laptop Guru Kian into the studios for an on-camera walk through …
Read More »Google’s project Ara smartphones to have hot-swappable components
At a recent developer event Google re-emphasized plans to show a fully-functional prototype of its modular Ara smartphone platform in late 2014 and revealed some additional details about the project. Apparently, Google’s plan is to keep everything simple and therefore the majority of modules of Ara handsets will be hot-swappable. …
Read More »Laptop makers cease to develop notebooks with touch-screens
After offering notebooks with touchscreen displays that have not become popular for several years, laptop vendors are reportedly pulling the plug and will cease development of such machines. Several years ago when demand for laptops started to get lower, whereas sales of media tablets increased quickly, Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp. …
Read More »Intel acquires 20% stake in Chinese mobile SoC developer
Intel Corp. has quietly acquired a 20 per cent stake in a Chinese holding company that controls developers of system-on-chips for smartphones and other mobile devices, according to two media reports. It is expected that the chip designers will develop application processors for mobiles powered by Intel’s x86 cores, which will …
Read More »ARM unveils Cortex-M7 for smart devices, industrial equipment
ARM Holdings this week introduced its new Cortex-M7 processor that promises to double the compute and digital signal processing (DSP) capability for high-end embedded applications used in next generation vehicles, connected devices (including the so-called Internet-of-things devices), and smart homes and factories. The ARM Cortex-M7 core is based on the …
Read More »Samsung to stop selling notebooks in Europe
Even though Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest maker of smartphones and is among the leading suppliers of media tablets, sales of the company’s personal computers are not really high. Apparently, due to low demand for its notebooks in Europe the company plans to discontinue PC business in the region …
Read More »Toshiba to reorg PC business: to leave certain markets, focus on business PCs
Personal computer business nowadays is a tough thing that does not bring really healthy profit margins as back in the days. Therefore, it is not surprising that some of the players decide to leave the market or reorg their PC business units to ensure positive financial results. Earlier this year …
Read More »Intel: Hundreds of thousands of wireless recharge stations to be deployed
Earlier this year Intel Corp. announced that reference designs of mobile systems based on its next-generation code-named “Skylake” microprocessors will features Rezence wireless charging technology as well as WiGig ultra-fast wireless interconnection technology. Apparently, the company plans to ensure that not only mobile gadgets feature the new tech, but there …
Read More »TAG Heuer plans to release its own smartwatch
Earlier this year Jean-Claude Biver, a high-ranking executive from LVMH, admitted that the launch of Apple Watch could threat Swiss watch brands as many people may prefer smart watches to traditional mechanical watches. Apparently, the watchmakers from LVMH have not been standing still and plan to make their own smartwatches …
Read More »MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro (072UK) Review
If you are in the market for the ‘ultimate no expense spared desktop replacement laptop' then today's review will certainly interest you. The new MSI GT72 2PE Dominator Pro ships with the latest high end mobile hardware. How does this checklist sound? 32GB of DDR3 memory, 8GB Nvidia GTX880M graphics, …
Read More »Intel reveals detailed specifications of Core M ‘Broadwell’ chips
Intel Corp. has revealed detailed specifications of the first Core M microprocessors based on the “Broadwell” architecture. While the new processors will clearly not be performance champions, they will consume significantly lower amount of energy compared to existing chips and will enable extremely thin tablets, 2-in-1s and laptops. “We've been …
Read More »Intel introduces ‘world’s smallest’ 3G modem
Intel Corp. has introduced what it claims to be the world’s smallest 3G modem. The Intel XMM 6255 is designed for wearables, security devices and industrial equipment as well as the upcoming devices that belong to the Internet-of-Things market. The new modem from Intel supports dual band HSPA with 7.2Mb/s …
Read More »JEDEC finalizes LPDDR4 standard, promises up to 4266MT/s data-rates
JEDEC, an organization that defines standards for computer memory, on Monday announced that it had finalized the LPDDR4, a next-generation standard for mobile DRAM [dynamic random access memory]. The new technology will enable data rates of up to 4266MT/s and will significantly boost performance of mobile devices, such as smartphones …
Read More »Intel could buy an ARM SoC vendor, MediaTek is a target – analyst
In a bid to finally become successful on the market of mobile devices, Intel Corp. needs to buy an existing developer of ARM-based system-on-chips (SoCs) for smartphones and tablets, a market analyst said. It is believed that MediaTek is a potential target for acquisition. It is not a secret that application …
Read More »HP: The effect of Windows XP’s end-of-life its nearing its end
A number of executives of high-tech companies and some market observers have said that the effect of Windows XP’s end-of-life and increased sales of PCs will last for several quarters. However, Meg Whitman, chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, believes that the effect is about to end. However, a good news …
Read More »BlackBerry forms new unit to focus on patents and technologies
BlackBerry this week formed a new business unit that will concentrate on patents, technologies and software. The new unit will help the company to get new revenue streams without selling smartphones, but by licensing its intellectual property, software or technologies. BlackBerry Technology Solutions, or BTS, includes BlackBerry’s technology assets, such …
Read More »Khronos wants to make OpenGL a low-level API, AMD wants to help
Khronos Group, the organization responsible for multiple open-standard application programming interfaces (APIs), such as OpenCL, OpenGL and WebGL, this week announced intention to rebuild the OpenGL API from scratch. The purpose of this is to be able to compete against Microsoft’s DirectX 12, AMD’s Mantle and other possible APIs (e.g., …
Read More »The USB 3.0 type-C reversible connector ready for production
The USB 3.0 promoter group this week announced the completion of the USB type-C specification that defines the next generation USB connector. The new plug is reversible and is considerably thinner than existing ones. Moreover, it will support up to 10Gb/s transfer rates as well as up to 100W power delivery. …
Read More »