Wednesday, June 5, 2013

ASUS' Jerry Shen flaunts unannounced MeMo Pad FHD 10 LTE, due Q3 with Snapdragon

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Even after its press events earlier this week, ASUS still had something up its sleeve for Computex. At a Qualcomm keynote just now, ASUS CEO Jerry Shen took the opportunity to tease an unannounced Android tablet, which is due Q3 this year. Given that it was a Qualcomm event, it was no surprise that the exec confirmed the presence of a Snapdragon chip along with LTE radio on this mysterious slate.
Shen also mentioned a full HD display, and given the similar appearance but with a different port layout, we are led to believe that this device will simply be an LTE variant of the new MeMo Pad FHD 10 sans Intel Atom. This could even turn out to be the K005 that we saw in the FCC database, as the MeMo Pad FHD 10 carries the K00A model number. Anyhow, here's Shen's full speech about the tablet:
"In Q3 of this year, we will raise the bar of mobile devices by launching an incredible LTE tablet, which will have Qualcomm Snapdragon, full HD display and ASUS SonicMaster to bring our consumers the most superior and seamless mobile experience. I will save the rest for our launch event in the fall."

AMD rolls out Elite desktop APUs with Splashtop game streaming

AMD rolls out Elite desktop APUs with Splashtop game streaming
AMD has already shown what its mobile Richland APUs can do, and it's now ready to reveal their desktop equivalents' potential. The company's new, full-power A6, A8 and A10 Elite processors are more evolutionary bumps than overhauls, but they still have a few clear advantages over last year's Trinity chips. Along with a bump in Turbo Boosted frequencies to between 4.1GHz and 4.4GHz (3.5GHz to 4.1GHz normally), the updates ship with Radeon HD 8000 video and can handle speedier DDR3-2133 memory (on the A10). Wireless is just as important as it is with the firm's newest mobile processors: the desktop Elites improve streaming games to other devices using Splashtop, with relatively little lag when modern AMD processors are on both ends.
As for performance? AMD didn't have the luxury of comparing against Intel'sHaswell chips at the time it gave us benchmarks, but it did claim big gains over Ivy Bridge in both general-purpose computing and gaming. A 4.1GHz A10-6800K is up to 3.3 times faster in OpenCL than a 3.2GHz Core i5-3470, and games likeBioshock Infinite are playable at 1080p (if barely) where they're unusable with the HD 3000 graphics of Intel's CPU. Performance boosts over Trinity are a more modest eight to 21 percent, however. If you want to know how well the Elite line fares in the real world, it won't take much effort to find out. AMD is shipping its processors this month, at very frugal prices that range from $69 to $142.

Sony VAIO Pro 11 review: finally, a new flagship ultraportable to replace the Z

Sony VAIO Pro 11 review: finally, a new flagship ultraportable to replace the Z
If you've ever read the comments section here at Engadget, you know it's possible to develop a fanatical attachment to a brand. To a specific product, though? And a laptop, of all things? That's fairly rare. But the VAIO Z wasn't a common notebook. For years, it was Sony's flagship ultraportable, with a featherweight design, top-of-the-line specs and a delicious carbon fiber weave. It was the sort of laptop for which techies happily spent $2,000 -- and they were ready to plunk down even more money when a new version came out. Then it was discontinued, only to be replaced by mid-range models with lesser specs. There was a clear hole in Sony's lineup, and diehards were left disappointed, with no clear upgrade path once it came time to retire the ol' Z.
In a sense, the Z is still dead: to this day, there is no Z series in Sony's lineup. But there is the new Pro line, and it more or less picks up where the Z left off. (It takes after the business-friendly S series, too.) Starting at $1,150 and available in 11- and 13-inch sizes, these machines use carbon fiber to achieve an even lighter design (under two pounds for the 11-inch model). Both pack fresh Haswell processors, with 1080p screens, NFC and backlit keyboards all standard. As it happens, we've been testing the smaller Pro 11 for almost two weeks, so although Sony just announced these machines to the public, we already have a full suite of impressions, benchmarks and hands-on photos ready to go. Join us after the break to see if this is the Z replacement you've been waiting for.

Sony VAIO Duo 13 review: a much-improved take on the Windows 8 slider

DNP EMBARGO  Sony VAIO Duo 13 review a muchimproved take on the Windows 8 slider
When Sony's VAIO Duo 11 slider debuted late last year, its strong performance and crisp HD display weren't enough for us to overlook a flawed design and unimpressive battery life. The Duo 13, just announced at Computex, looks to be a formidable second attempt. A lot has changed here, from a revamped hinge and a beefier power pack to a higher price: $1,400 up from $1,200. Oh, and it offers a more spacious keyboard and a proper touchpad, too. Is Sony's second try a success, especially considering the $200 premium? Skip past the break to find out.

Sony VAIO Duo 13 review