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Monday, June 3, 2013

E Ink launches Mobius flexible display for your next smartwatch

E Ink launches Mobius flexible display for your next smartwatch:
E Ink launches Moebius flexible display for your next smartwatch

Although smartwatch makers have had access to e-paper for a while, there have been few such displays tailor-made for our wrists. E Ink is more than willing to fill that void with a new, watch-oriented version of its Mobius screen. The flexible, 1.73-inch panel won't floor anyone with its 320 x 240 grayscale picture, but it can be cut into timepiece-friendly shapes that take more abuse than a typical e-reader. More importantly for us end users, E Ink already has at least one hardware partner lined up: Sonostar is using the tiny Mobius for a smartwatch this summer, and the odds are that the company won't be alone.
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Source: Sonostar, E Ink

Toshiba intros three Android tablets, two with Tegra 4 and a 2,560 x 1,600 screen

Toshiba intros three Android tablets, two with Tegra 4 and a 2,560 x 1,600 screen:
Toshiba intros three Android tablets, two with Tegra 4 and a 2,560 x 1,600 screen

Could three times be a charm for Toshiba? After striking out with its "Thrive" Android tablets and then coming up a bit short with the "Excite" line, the company is completely scrapping its tablet lineup and replacing it with three new models. These include the Excite Pure, Excite Pro and Excite Write, and while they share the same plastic design, 10-inch form factor, ports and Android 4.2 OS, they each offer something a little different on the inside. Starting with the Pure, it's a $300 tablet running with last year's specs -- namely, a Tegra 3 SoC, a 1,280 x 800 screen with Gorilla Glass 1 and no rear camera. Storage is capped at 16GB, but since all of these have a microSD slot, 16GB or 32GB isn't really a hard limit. Moving up the line, the Excite Pro steps up to a Tegra 4 chip, 32GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera, Harman Kardon sound and a 2,560 x 1,600, 300-ppi Gorilla Glass 2 screen to match the Nexus 10.

As you can see in our hands-on shots, it was meant to be used with an optional keyboard case, though you can technically use that dock with any of these tablets, since they all share the same hardware. That will arrive in early July for $500, putting it in line with the iPad and other premium tablets like the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. Finally, the Excite Write is exactly what it sounds like: a tablet with pen support. Specifically, it has a Wacom digitizer with support for 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Accordingly, Toshiba is also pre-loading its own TruNote and TruCapture apps to assist with note-taking. That digitizer aside, the Write shares all the same specs as the Excite Pro: Tegra 4, 32GB of storage, an 8-megapixel camera and a 10.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 display. This, too, will be available next month, with an MSRP of $600. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos after the break.
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NVIDIA CEO demos new stylus touchscreen tech, uses Tegra 4 image processing to reduce battery drain

NVIDIA CEO demos new stylus touchscreen tech, uses Tegra 4 image processing to reduce battery drain:
NVIDIA CEO demos new stylus touchscreen tech, uses image processing to reduce battery drain

Elaborating from the battery-saving PRISM screen tech that we saw on Tegra 3 devices, the NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showed off a new software-based touchscreen technology that allows you to use a simple capacitive stylus with a degree of pressure-based input. Showing of his writing skills at Computex on an experimental 7-inch tablet, he used a simple (ie. non-digitizer) stylus to write at several different thicknesses, utilizing a flat surface at the other end of the pen to erase any mistakes -- there's sensitivity to the millimeter, apparently. NVIDIA reckons this will improve battery life while using the stylus and offers a high detection rate (thanks to the software-based processes) for slick, curved lines. The primary hardware necessary? No less than NVIDIA's new Tegra 4 chip, of course, and DirectTouch. Check out the gallery of the stylus in action below, and we can expect the company to elaborate on which devices will house the feature in the near-future.

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ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity launches: 2,560 x 1,600 display, capable of 4K output (hands-on)

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity launches: 2,560 x 1,600 display, capable of 4K output (hands-on):
ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity launches 2,560 x 1,600 display, capable of 4K output handson

Promising to transform our devices and our lives, Jonny Shih revealed the Transformer Pad Infinity to a packed press room here at Computex 2013. Its 10.1-inch screen packs a potent 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, alongside a quad-core Tegra 4 chip clocked at 1.9GHz, USB 3.0 port, Bluetooth 3.0 and, whoa, 4K output via HDMI. There's 32GB of internal storage, residing inside a spun metallic-finished that's very similar to the current Zenbook series and last-generation Infinity tablets, while you'll get an SD slot through its companion dock too. We're waiting on more specifics (namely something closer to a date and pricing) and we'll let you know here when we hear 'em. For now, a quick hands-on video and some impressions are right after the break.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8- and 10.1-inch versions to launch worldwide early June

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8- and 10.1-inch versions to launch worldwide early June:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8- and 10.1-inch versions to launch worldwide early June

In addition to the Galaxy Tab 3 with a 7-inch display we've known about for a while, Samsung's announced the slate will come in 8- and 10.1-inch varieties, too -- something rumors and FCC filings have long suggested. The 8-inch model has a TFT display sporting a 1,280 x 800 (WXGA) resolution (189 ppi), a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter. It's got vaguely respectable internals: a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (no word on the manufacturer), 1.5GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB storage configurations. A microSD slot is present, supporting up to 64GB cards, and a 4,450mAh battery provides the necessary juice. Android 4.2 is OS of choice -- no surprise there -- and when it arrives, you'll have the choice of WiFi-only (dual-band, a/b/g/n), 3G (HSPA+) and LTE variants.

The 10.1-inch version stretches that same WXGA resolution across its display (149 ppi), and carries a smaller 3-megapixel rear camera and the same 1.3-megapixel front-facer. According to Reuters, the 1.6GHz dual-core CPU in this larger slate is provided by Intel, confirming a previous rumor. Unfortunately, it's saddled with only one gig of RAM, and the storage options are the same as the 8-inch model, with a microSD slot also supporting up to 64GB cards. Also running Android 4.2, the 10.1-inch Tab 3 packs a 6,800mAh battery, and comes in WiFi-only, 3G and LTE variants. Both tablets will be available worldwide at the "beginning of June."

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Source: Samsung, Reuters

Hands-on with the Dell XPS 11: meet Dell's answer to the Lenovo Yoga (video)

Hands-on with the Dell XPS 11: meet Dell's answer to the Lenovo Yoga (video):

Just a short while ago we brought word that Dell had quietly announced the Dell XPS 11, an 11.6-inch Ultrabook with a hinge that folds all the way back into tablet mode, with the keyboard disabled after it passes 180 degrees. Yep, it is what it sounds like: a direct strike at Lenovo's Yoga convertibles. As we said in our earlier report, it won't actually be available until the holiday season, but fortunately we just had a chance to get hands-on with a prototype unit here at Computex. So, we're prepared to share a few first impressions, even though certain minor details like price and specs have yet to be finalized. Meet us past the break for the full preview.

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Kantar: Windows Phone still growing in the US, now has 5.6 percent share

Kantar: Windows Phone still growing in the US, now has 5.6 percent share:
Kantar Windows Phone still growing in the US, now has 56 percent share

Now that it's collecting cash from Nokia for WP8, Microsoft might want to considering buying it flowers, as the mobile OS has picked up market share considerably over last quarter in the US -- apparently at the expense of Apple's iOS. According to numbers from Kantar (which only tracked phone, not tablet OS's), WP jumped from 4.1 percent the previous quarter to 5.6 percent in Q2 2013, a period in which Nokia released the Lumia 620 and began shipping its Lumia 820 and 920 in volume. BlackBerry held its tiny share of 0.7 percent stateside over Q1 despite the availability of the Z10, while Android saw a half-point bump to 51.7 percent -- though if Samsung and HTC's lofty sales estimates for the GS 4 and One hold, that might change considerably next time. Meanwhile, Apple fell from a 43.5 percent share last quarter to 41.4 percent, perhaps because its flagship iPhone 5 is due for a refresh -- something we might see soon.
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Source: kantar