HP rolls new EliteBooks with record-setting 32-hour battery

HP on Wednesday brought out a major revamp of its EliteBook pro notebooks. The 14-inch 8460p and 15.6-inch 8560p make the expected upgrade to Intel's new-generation Core chips but wield this with a new extra-high capacity battery. Picking the optional pack on the 8460p along with Intel video, a 160GB SSD and the HD display can get up to 32 hours of battery life on a single charge, or enough for a return intercontinental flight without having to ever plug in.

Either system has a new magnesium-aluminum chassis design, nicknamed Forge, that promises both a stronger overall construction as well as better rubber sealing and shock resistance. HP has now added a battery lock that prevents the pack from ejecting in an impact.


The pair have choices of Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors along with as much as 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive instead of the 160GB SSD. Both systems can be outfitted with AMD's Radeon HD 6470M for much faster video and have the option of a new HSPA+ 3G modem for very fast access on networks like AT&T and most Canadian cell carriers.

HP ships the two EliteBooks on March 15 and is keeping a narrow pricing spread, starting at $999 for an 8460p in base form and moving up just $100 more for the larger 8560p.

by electronista

AOC ships three thin Aire Black LED monitors

 Computer monitor maker AOC on Wednesday announced the release of three new displays as part of the Aire Black series. The LED screens are just half an inch thick and sport a Screen+ Feature, or the ability to divide the screen into four self-contained work areas. The Aire Black LEDs are available in the 20-inch e2043Fk, 22-inch e2243Fwk and 23-inch e2343Fk.

All three also have DVI-D inputs with HDCP encryption along with a 50,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 5ms pixel response time. To keep prices down, they use TN panels instead of more color-rich PVA or IPS technology. They are also EPEAT Gold Certified and consumer just 15W of energy on average. In standby, power usage is reduced to 0.1W. VESA wall and arm mounts are built in.


The three are now shipping, with the 20-inch version priced at $129, the 22-inch model at $149 and the 23-inch edition at $179.

by electronista

Microsoft halts Windows Phone 7 update for Samsung phones

The first, minor Windows Phone 7 update that's bricking some Samsung Omnia 7 handsets has now been pulled, as Microsoft has found a technical issue with it. The software giant wrote back to WinRumors, informing it that the problem applies only to a small number of Samsung phones. As a result, the update was temporarily pulled and the update is being fixed before Microsoft releases it again.

The update was a minor one to ready handsets for the larger NoDo update due for early March. This will bring with it copy and paste functionality along with a number of performance improvements.


Users were reporting that some Samsung Focus phones, not just the Omnia 7, were bricked during the software update process. Pulling the batteries or hard resetting the devices wouldn't help. Microsoft has gone to the point of telling users to bring in their broken devices to the store.

by alectronista

New Mini iPhone to be Half Size and Half Price?

Folk, Apple rumors won�t rest for even a little while even there are many devices at are being announced at Mobile World Congress 2011.

According to The Wall Street Journal, their source claimed that a new mini iPhone which is half size and it is supposed to be available for half price also. What do you think about this rumor? Will you buy this small iPhone if it is real?

To what I have known about Apple, they may not want to produce a very cheap phone since they are trying to focus on the top high end tech in their related industry which mean that they have to do the great job with great material to come up with good final products. So their products won�t be cheap too.

Let�s wait to see what it will be? Any reaction from Apple will be reported.

source

Apple said making four-inch iPhone, farming chips to TSMC

Apple is looking at expanding the iPhone's screen size to four inches in what could be a battle with Android phones, component makers said Tuesday. Test production runs have reportedly gone to the larger screen area. The move as explained by Digitimes would help bridge the gap between the iPhone and the iPad.

The production schedule hasn't been outlined, but Apple usually starts making iPhones in earnest two to three months before they ship to stores, to build up stock.

Moving to four inches isn't certain for Apple. It has usually been hesitant to change the form factor of a device in a way that breaks compatibility with either accessories or apps, the former of which would be likely. The 960x640 resolution also wouldn't work as effectively on a four inch screen since it would be relatively wide, although not necessarily any bigger than a 4.3-inch phone using a narrower aspect ratio.

Pressure could still exist to move to the larger screen area to appeal to possible Android converts. Thanks largely to the Samsung Galaxy S, many high-end phones on Google's OS now use four-inch or larger screens. All of Verizon's new 4G Android devices, such as the HTC Thunderbolt, have four-inch or larger displays. Some are stretching the definitions of portable, such as the 4.5-inch Samsung Infuse 4G and the 4.8-inch Acer Iconia Smart.

Multiple rumors of a smaller, cheaper iPhone could be supported by a four-inch version, since it would more clearly separate the high- and low-end models.

Simultaneously, the company may be backing away from having Samsung manufacture iPhone and iPad chips. A second claim would instead have the A4 and future A5 made by TSMC, a Taiwan contractor best known for making NVIDIA graphics hardware. It had already been supplying A4s when Samsung couldn't handle demand, part builders said, and may have been used during the period to test its output volume.

The move would be meant to keep rivals from getting access to Apple's design secrets, which are more important now that it custom-designs part of the chip architecture. Samsung would be the most conspicuous concern, but it has respected others while smaller firms might be tempted to copy Apple technology being made at the same factories.

Although unconfirmed by any other source, the next iPad was said to be using just an upgraded A4 where the iPhone 5 would get a full dual-core, ARM Cortex-A9 based A5. Most have had the A5 or a chip like it shipping from the start.

by electronista.com

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi � New Android PMP

It is one more step to get closer to Apple products. Samsung has Galaxy smartphone to compete with iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab for iPad and now Galaxy S WiFi for iPod which was announced at Mobile World Congress 2011.

What do you think about purchasing the Galaxy S without contract and sim free? That is not impossible when you see this one, Samsung Galaxy S WiFi. It is powered by Android OS with 4- and 5-inch screen with front-facing camera, HDMI port and microSD card slot.

However release date and pricing are still not yet announced.

source

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Full Specifications

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo full specifications:

• Operating system: Google� Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon� MSM8255
• Phone memory: Up to 320 MB
• Memory card support: microSD�, up to 32 GB
• Memory card included: 8GB microSD�
• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 6 hrs 55 min
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 430 hrs
• Size: 116 x 57 x 13 mm
• Weight: 126 grams
• Talk time UMTS: Up to 7 hrs
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 400 hrs
• Music listening time: Up to 31 hrs
• Video playback time: Up to 7 hrs 25 min
• UMTS HSPA 900, 2100 GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• UMTS HSPA 800, 1900, 2100 GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

According to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique. Battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and phone usage. Networks

source

Hands on: Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung's Mobile World Congress event primarily focused on the new Galaxy S II smartphone, but the company pulled the curtains back open to spend a few minutes talking about its second-generation tablet. Electronista took advantage of an opportunity to try out the new gadget, which is among the first to be based on Google's tablet-optimized Android 3.0 OS.

The Tab 10.1 is built around a larger screen than its predecessor, stretching from a seven-inch panel to a 10.1-inch spread that inspires the name. The shift essentially brings the device into direct competition with the iPad; the first-generation Tab arguably fell into a separate category for mid-size devices. Our experience with the original Tab felt closer to a smartphone than a tablet, but the larger model overcomes those objections.

Our first impression with the first Galaxy Tab was partially influenced by the OS; Samsung jumped into the Android tablet market before the OS was truly optimized for the larger screen. Android 3.0 Honeycomb solidifies the tablet experience on the Tab 10.1, however, helping to eliminate issues that emerged when using a scaled-up smartphone OS. We also agreed with Samsung's choice to leave the stock OS alone. UI tweaks helped overall usability with Froyo on a seven-inch layout, but it does not seem to be necessary with Honeycomb.

From the front and sides, the Tab 10.1 and iPad both share a similar appearance with black bezels held by an aluminum frame. Samsung takes from the Galaxy S design for the back panel, which is textured and slightly contoured for hand grip. The tablet felt solid in our hands, while the weight seemed lighter than the iPad.

Under the hood, the Tab 10.1 packs the same dual-core Tegra processor as Motorola's Android 3.0-based Xoom tablet. The OS and apps seemed to be snappy and responsive while we flicked through the UI and tried out a few apps.

We liked the Tab 10.1, but the device did not have any spectacular features to set it apart from the rest of the crowd. Users can generally expect quite a few tablets to arrive this year with the same OS and similar screen sizes, screen resolutions and camera configurations. A few of the current unknowns -- price, battery life and launch timing -- may be the factors that make or break the Tab 10.1.

by electronista.com

Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung organized one of the largest events this week at Mobile World Congress to showcase its latest smartphone, the Galaxy S II. Electronista stayed around the venue after the formal unveiling to take a closer look at the new device, which could prove to be one of the most attractive Android offerings to launch this year.

The company took time to highlight the Galaxy S II's 4.3-inch touchscreen, dual-core processor, HSPA+ and TouchWiz 4.0 interface as several of the most significant features. All of the new hardware is packed into a smaller and lighter package, measuring less than 8.5mm thick.

We like the revamped form, though the device is so light that it easily can be perceived as feeble compared to a heftier competitor such as the iPhone 4. Considering the much larger screen, however, the lightness and thinness help make the new Galaxy S more pocketable than many of the other big-screen Android devices.

The Super AMOLED Plus display is one of our favorite features, even though it is not a completely new technology for the company. One of our primary complaints regarding typical AMOLED displays is the pixel appearance, which makes edges appear fuzzy compared to standard LCDs. The Super AMOLED Plus panel overcomes this limitation, with "Real-Stripe" pixel technology that appears to match the quality of a typical LCD. Users no longer have to sacrifice sharpness to take advantage of the vibrant colors and extreme contrast ratio of AMOLED.

The Galaxy S II is now part of a small group of handsets that utilizes a dual-core processor. We were surprised that Samsung has remained quiet regarding the brand or type of processor, as most other companies boast of the chipset specifics. Nonetheless, the hardware seemed to show a noticeable improvement when playing games with complex graphics. The CPU/GPU pairing makes for extremely fast frame rates. When attempting to load games and switch between tasks, however, the Galaxy S II did not appear to be much faster than other smartphones with single-core 1GHz processors.

We took a bit of time to navigate through Samsung's latest TouchWiz overlay. Aesthetically, it seems like an improvement over the earlier versions. The UI will probably receive praise from users who appreciate a unified approach to social networking, while Android purists and those who focus on absolute simplicity may be turned off by the custom interface.

Most of the Galaxy S II shipments are likely to arrive for consumers, but Samsung has also made an effort to make the device much more attractive to enterprise users. The company has collaborated with Sybase to bring support for Afaria, enabling businesses to manage the camera, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, or configure encryption for data protection. The Sybase capabilities, along with other features borne of collaboration with Cisco, may make the handset much easier to deploy in enterprise environments.

We were impressed with another security feature that can be helpful to consumers or business users who lose their phone or become victims of thieves. Many handsets can be set up to lock or erase data when taken, but the new Galaxy S can quietly send an SMS message after a thief swaps the SIM cards. The information could be useful when attempting to actually recover the phone, rather than simply protect stored information.

As the smartphone market continues to expand with a deluge of new devices, many new products are quickly lost in a crowd of devices with similar processors, screens and external forms. That said, Samsung's latest AMOLED tech gives the company an edge that may prove difficult for competitors to beat. For potential customers looking for one of the most vibrant and large displays on a smartphone, the Galaxy S II fits the bill.

by electronista.com

Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pro

Sony Ericsson had two phones besides the Xperia Play to show off at its event, headlined by the Xperia Pro. The device is a messaging-first phone intended for both frequent texters and workers with a sliding QWERTY keyboard that works intelligently. Popping open the keyboard will automatically queue up key events, such as replying to an e-mail message or typing out a message to a friend, Facebook or elsewhere at a new home screen widget.

Some apps themselves have been heavily customized to take advantage of the wider screen. E-mail now behaves much like it does on Android 3.0 or even an iPad with a customizable split view to show both the message list and the current message. Calendaring works the same way and shows both an overview of the month as well as the most upcoming events.

The phone has many of the same features as the Xperia Arc and Play, including a 480x854 screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.3 customized with the new Timescape UI. It borrows Sony's back-illuminated, CMOS based Exmor R sensor to better handle shooting photos in low light. HDMI output lets it show HD video and photos at closer to full detail.

Sony Ericsson is planning to launch the Xperia Pro in late spring and is planning a worldwide release, although it didn't name any carriers. Every version will come with an office suite to get business users started.

We tried the Xperia Pro ourselves in Barcelona and came back impressed with it as arguably Sony Ericsson's best phone so far for those who don't care about gaming. While the specifications are much the same as for other phones in the lineup, the keyboard was impressive both in feel and speed. We usually prefer good on-screen keyboards for speed, but we could type virtually as quickly here. The keys have a short but tactile feel and are well-spaced; unlike some phones, the top key row isn't blocked by the screen area and lets you treat all keys equally.

The smart keyboard is a definite seller if you message often. There's not much mystery to it, but as long as you remember that it exists, it can dramatically speed up how quickly you respond to an e-mail or text. We didn't have an opportunity to try the split views on mail and calendaring first hand, but we did get a much better video demo that showed what you'd hope for. Those who work in landscape mode will like the multitasking. There's not much of the mail list or message visible, however, so it's not for those who need to rapidly delete a large volume of mail.

As with the Xperia Play, our issues aren't major, but they do focus on software. Timescape can bog down in the pinch on the home screen, for example, and occasionally in some widgets. The contact carousel also still feels like a visual gimmick rather than a permanent addition. Even so, we're inclined at this early stage to recommend it as a text hound's first pick.

by electronista.com