Sony VAIO Fit 15 review (2013): Sony's mainstream notebooks go 1080P all glass

Sony VAIO Fit 15 review (2013): Sony's mainstream notebooks get a makeover:

And it begins: back-to-school season. Even though some students are still embroiled in finals, and even though Intel has yet to formally launch Haswell, the next few weeks will see multiple PC makers unveiling their summer lineups. First up: Sony. The company just introduced some new mainstream notebooks, dubbed the "Fit" family. These laptops, which replace the current E series and most of the T line, include the lower-end Fit 14E / Fit 15E, which are made of plastic, and the Fit 14 / Fit 15, which step up to a thinner aluminum chassis and optional SSDs. Either way, Sony is standardizing on certain specs across its entire summer lineup, including 1080p displays, backlit keyboards, NFC and Exmor R webcams for better low-light images. We've just spent a week testing the Fit 15, which will be available later this month for $700 and up. (The rest of the Fit line starts as low as $550.) Head past the break to see if it's worth a closer look once it hits store shelves.

Gallery: Sony VAIO Fit 15 review

Filed under: Laptops, Sony
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White House taps former Twitter lawyer as first Chief Privacy Officer

White House taps former Twitter lawyer as first Chief Privacy Officer:

Two months after appointing Todd Park as Chief Technology Officer, the White House has picked Nicole Wong for the newly created position of Chief Privacy Officer. Details about the job are still MIA, but she'll likely be working closely with Park. One thing's for sure, though: Wong brings some serious Silicon Valley cred to the table, having worked on product copyright and privacy issues at Google for eight years and, more recently, serving as Twitter's legal director. If you recall, the EFF gave that social network high marks when it released its annual report last week -- an auspicious sign if we've ever seen one.
Filed under: Internet
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Via: CNet

Microsoft Office Web Apps to receive real-time collaboration, Android support

Microsoft Office Web Apps to receive real-time collaboration, Android support:

Ballmer and Co. have just laid out what changes Office Web Apps will see over the next year and beyond, and it's honing in on social features and more. Sure, the productivity suite already has collaborative document editing, but Microsoft is vowing to include real-time collaboration á la Google Drive, where users can see who's currently working on a document while changes appear on the fly. The PowerPoint Web App is already packing the revamped experience, and the Office team promises that the real-time co-authoring will become faster as time goes on.

The OS titan also says it'll incorporate a range of other improvements, including simplified file management, shortening launch times and even a find and replace feature for the Word Web App. In addition to the tweaks, Microsoft revealed that Android tablets will finally be able to access its online suite of tools, as it'll begin supporting the mobile Chrome browser. The firm's given itself the loose timetable of "over the next year and beyond" for the feature rollout, so avid users should sit tight for now.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
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Source: Office 365 Blog (Microsoft)

PSA: BlackBerry Q10 on sale in Canada, but only in Toronto (update: other cities too)

PSA: BlackBerry Q10 on sale in Canada, but only in Toronto (update: other cities too):

Today marks one of the symbolically more important launches in the BlackBerry universe: the Q10, the first keyboard-equipped BB10 phone, is at last available on the company's Canadian home turf. As promised, customers with Bell, Rogers and Telus (as well as their Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo sub-brands) can snap up what's arguably the true Waterloo flagship for about $199 on a 3-year contract, or between $625 to $700 contract-free. Shoppers are largely buying the same phone no matter the carrier, although Rogers is hoping to lure the undecided with both LTE on an extra frequency as well as access to the white model. Just be prepared for a slightly longer wait if you plan to buy one in person -- BlackBerry warns that it's limiting Q10 supply to the Greater Toronto Area for the first day or two to accommodate demand high demand in Canada's financial capital.

Update: Although BlackBerry was emphasizing Toronto, readers in other cities have mentioned getting early access. We'd still call ahead if you're set on grabbing a Q10 at retail, however.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

Toshiba reveals WT310 business tablet: Windows 8 Pro, 11.6-inch display and digitizer pen

Toshiba reveals WT310 business tablet: Windows 8 Pro, 11.6-inch display and digitizer pen:

Toshiba's got an Ultrabook hybrid on the way for general consumption, and now it's targeting the business-savvy Windows 8 user with its WT310 tablet (a product code borrowed from an old Windows 7 model). Running Windows 8 Pro, the 11.6-inch 1080p slate packs an unnamed Intel Core processor, SSD drive, and comes bundled with a DigitizerPen for quick note scrawling. Around the edges, you're looking at an HDMI-out port, an SD card slot and USB 3.0 port, with standard WiFi (Intel WiDi supported), Bluetooth 4.0 and optional HSPA+ / LTE radios for connectivity. A dock that offers additional ports will also be available.

As the tablet "means business," it comes with a bunch of pre-installed utilities for those that need a slate for more than browsing and media, including the Trusted Platform Module, as well as Intel's Active Management Technology and Anti-Theft software. It measures 229 x 189 x 12.4mm (roughly 9 x 7.5 x 0.5 inch) and weighs in at 825g (29 ounces), with the only choice of color being "steel grey metallic." We should find out some of the finer details, like specific CPU, RAM size and SSD capacity, closer to the UK release window of Q2 2013, which we assume will coincide with a US launch. We're also in the dark about price, but given it's aimed at business users, it probably won't be cheap.
Filed under: Tablets
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Camera inspired by insect eyes can see 180 degrees, has almost infinite depth of field

Camera inspired by insect eyes can see 180 degrees, has almost infinite depth of field:

Technologists have been drawing inspiration from the insect world for a long time. And folks working on robotics really seem to love their creepy-crawlies and buzzing arthropods. Researchers at the University of Illinois are looking to our eight-legged planet mates, not for mobility lessons, but as a reference for a new camera design. The system mimics the vision of bees and mantises by combining multiple lenses on a half hemisphere to provide a 180-degree view with a nearly infinite depth of field. The optics themselves are described as "soft, rubbery" and each individual microlens is paired with its own photodiode. The work gets us a heck of a lot closer to the dream of a digital fly eye than previous efforts, though we're likely still quite a while from seeing applications outside of the lab. DARPA funding suggests the artificial compound eyes may have a future in surveillance, though the researchers also see uses for it in medicine.
Filed under: Cameras
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Via: The Verge
Source: University of Illinois

HTC looks to boost One sales with new weekend promo, offers $100 to $375 for trade-ins

HTC looks to boost One sales with new weekend promo, offers $100 to $375 for trade-ins:

HTC has already gone the trade-in route to offer folks a discount on its new One smartphone, but it's now giving it another go this weekend with an expanded promo in the US and Canada. This new one is open to anyone that buys an HTC One between today and Sunday, May 5th (the previous promotion required folks to pre-register), and it now offers up to $375 for smartphones that you trade in. Unless you're looking to unload your brand new smartphone in a hurry, though, you may want to check around for the going rates first. The slightly better option is for folks who've been sticking with an aging phone; as before, HTC is guaranteeing at least $100 for your trade-in, so you may well get more from it than you would on the open market (assuming you want to buy a One, of course). Those interested can find all the fine print and check the value of their phone at the source link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
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Source: HTC