Samsung’s dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on
See that? It's not your daddy's flip hybrid tablet -- it's the new dual-display laptop prototype from the fine people at Samsung. The body of the notebook is certainly in the vein of a MacBook Air or ultrabook, with slim metal slides that taper off into a point. The palm rests, meanwhile, are a brushed metal, with black chiclet-style keys above. On the bezel above the screen is a camera.
The magic, however, doesn't happen until you close the thing, turning on a display on the hood. Yep, it's yet another attempt to capitalize on Windows 8's dual-nature. Inside, you've got a fully functioning laptop and outside you've a touchscreen tablet that, yes, utilizes everyone's favorite proprietary stylus, the S-pen, and there's also a rear facing camera on the outside. Perhaps it's all that functionality packed inside, but this prototype is certainly heavier than your standard ultrabook, and unlike most systems, a lot of that weight is located in the display -- we're sure there's a fair amount of internals located up there.
This being a prototype, the Samsung rep we spoke with had no clue on what such a device might cost or when it might come to market -- or even if this thing will ever see the light of day, so don't get your dual-hopes up just yet. The hybrid was sitting right next to the 2,560 x 1,440 Series 9 prototype we recently scoped out and in front of a wall of concepts that explore the brave new world of elastic form factors to their fullest. Check out a video and some notes on the other devices after the jump.
- Slide: A sliding hinge here that adds the benefit of adjusting the angle of your display.
- Binder: This one screams "typewriter," with a sliding mechanism for "various usage."
- Memo PC: Yet another destination for the S-Pen, here's a small slate form factor.
- Swivel Design: A thin and rugged Windows 8 laptop with a large swiveling metal hinge
Sharif Sakr contributed to this report.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/samsung-prototype-pcs/
Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 3pm ET!
A giant man is burning somewhere in the desert, and Myriam is currently gazing upon him. In her absence, Brad will be joined by fellow Engadgeteers Dana Wollman and Jon Fingas to discuss the latest happenings at IFA (as well as the rest of the world). We've got a lot to discuss in a very short period of time, so the ratio of mobile geekery / minute is going to be pretty dang high. Join us at 3pm!
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/engadget-mobile-podcast/
LG E970 Eclipse for AT&T cruises through FCC approval
The Eclipse, LG's rumored "superphone" heading to ATT, has just made it through the FCC approval process and is one step closer to seeing availability in time for the holiday season. Known also as the E970, the device unsurprisingly offers the usual ATT LTE radios (band 4 and 17) but much like we've seen in other FCC applications recently, it also tacks on an additional two next-gen radios (bands 2 and 5), likely to get ready for an impending spectrum refarm attempt. From the docs we also learn that the Eclipse will have NFC along with the expected HSPA+ / UMTS / EDGE connectivity. As a recap, the device is rumored to offer a quad-core Krait APQ8064 and a 4.67-inch display with 1,280 x 768 resolution. So it looks like this particular handset is still on course for a Halloween launch, and we'll keep our eyes peeled for additional information.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/lg-e970-eclipse-att-lte-fcc/
Gmail advanced search gets autocomplete in ‘from’ and ‘to’ fields, three lab features become standard
Coming on the heels of Google announcing additional languages for Gmail search, the dev team out in Mountain View is rolling out a few more tweaks. For starters, when you use advanced search, you'll now see autocomplete predictions in the "from" and "to" fields. Google is also "graduating" three labs: Refresh POP accounts, Filter import / export and Navbar drag and drop. Starting with that POP feature, you'll be able to click the refresh link at the top of the inbox to populate your inbox with new messages, and also fetch messages from any other POP address you've got set up. Moving on, that filter import / export feature should come in handy if you want to share filters with friends or feel the need to back them up. Wrapping things up, the ability to drag and drop gadgets on the left-hand pane is good for, well, you get the idea.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/gmail-advanced-search-gets-autocomplete-to-from-and-to-field/
Kyocera Rise arrives on Virgin Mobile with ICS, 3.5-inch display and slide-out QWERTY keys
Just as we'd heard, today's the day that budget-minded (and not-so-shy) Kyocera Rise hits the Virgin Mobile USA shelves. Available now for a mere $100 -- without any contracts, of course -- this 3.5-inch, Ice Cream Sandwich device boasts some pretty run-of-the-mill features, including an HVGA, 480 x 320 LCD, a single-core, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 2GB of built-in storage which can be expanded to 32GB via microSD and, as you can see above, a full-on, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Naturally, Virgin Mobile's betting on folks to bundle the cheap handset with one of its unlimited data plans -- not to mention Kyocera's handset is yet another addition to the prepaid carrier's rising smartphone lineup. Those interested can give the Rise a better look down below, where a nice gallery filled with charming press shots awaits.
The Kyocera Rise with a full QWERTY keyboard. Now on Virgin Mobile USA without a contract and with our unlimited data and messaging Beyond Talk plans starting at $35/month.
The Rise is available right now – just in time for back to school – for $99.99 online, at select dealers and Virgin Mobile's own branded stores. It will roll out across national retail outlets starting in late September.
Awesome features include:
Touch Slider with QWERTY Keyboard and a 3.5" HVGA LCD Touchscreen [we think of it as quite the "texty beast!"]
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
Google Play for access to over 600,000 apps
3.2MP Camera, LED Flash and Video Capture
microSD Card Slot – supports up to 32GB
Swype for rapid text entry
Eco Mode for better battery management
Stereo Bluetooth
This is a great choice for first-time Android users, including parents looking for that great first smartphone for teens and tweens, or seniors. Customers get to move into touchscreen smartphone territory while still keeping the ease and familiarity of a keyboard, and at an affordable price.
Join the no-contract wave on Virgin Mobile USA. We answer to A Higher Calling
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/kyocera-rise-arrives-on-virgin-mobile/
Intel opens up about its ‘Knights Corner’ supercomputer co-processor
HotChips is the show where chip makers come to show off their latest slices of silicon, and Knights Corner architect George Chrysos spilled the beans on Santa Clara's Xeon Phi co-processor. The unit's designed to bolt onto Xeon chips to help supercomputers crunch the numbers faster, by handling the "highly parallel" grunt work necessary for genetic and climate modeling, among other things. Chrysos has lofty goals for the hardware, hoping that it'll contribute to "scientific and technical progress," while we're just excited to see if it can help the company reclaim its Top 500 crown from IBM.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/xeon-phi-details/
Google Play’s End of Summer Sale outed by discounted apps, lets the Lorax speak for the savings
It looks like a handful of select apps have outed Mountain View's Labor day plans: Google Play's End of Summer Sale. SwiftKey 3, The Lorax -- Dr. Seuss, Square Enix's Crystal Defenders, and other apps are now brandishing deep discounts, almost uniformly attributing the savings to the End of Summer Sale. Not every title on discount claims to be part of the unannounced event, however -- Max Payne Mobile slashed its price by 67 percent without so much as a hint at the alleged festivities. Google hasn't made the event official just yet, but we'd be willing to wager the deals will run through the holiday weekend. Check out the source link below to start making the most of your Google gift cards.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/google-plays-end-of-summer-sale-outed-by-discounted-apps/
YouTube live streaming this year’s London Paralympics in the US and Canada
Now that the Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps show in London is well behind us, it's time for this summer's Paralympics to get started -- in fact, they've been underway since this past Wednesday, August 29th. But in case you've been missing out on all the action due to shortage of viewing options, YouTube just announced it'll be streaming over 500 hours of live competitions to folks in the US of A and Canada. The real-time streams are being brought to you via the ParalympicSportsTV channel, which will also offer more than 1000 hours of on-demand content, such as daily highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and athlete interviews. The only thing left to do now is grab some popcorn and hope your country of choice leads that glorious medal count -- so far, it's China with the celebrated number one spot.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/youtube-live-streaming-london-2012-paralympics/
WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet
If you can't quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon's already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you'll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/wsj-amazon-is-building-an-ad-supported-tablet/
RIM details BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10: IT guys get a single web console for their various tools
We already knew that RIM was readying a new version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server to ship alongside the first BB10 devices in early 2013. Today, the company detailed the package, formally known as BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. The big story here is that already-existing IT tools like BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, BlackBerry Device Service and Universal Device Service will be accessible from a single web console. The company also clarified that BlackBerry Device Service and Universal Device Service can run off separate servers, or just one. Take note, though, that the older BES 5+ will still need its own server for the time being. As we previously reported, too, the newest version of BES will offer legacy support to older devices -- specifically, it can support PlayBook tablets, phones running BlackBerry 7 OS or higher as well as iOS and Android devices.
Article source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/31/rim-details-blackberry-enterprise-service-10/