General Gaming Article |
- Intel Plans to Push Atom Prices Down Further to Compete With Arm
- New Windows 8 Blue Leak Confirms Additional Features
- Inhon Unveils the Worlds Thinnest and Lightest Ultrabook
| Intel Plans to Push Atom Prices Down Further to Compete With Arm Posted: 21 Apr 2013 07:46 PM PDT
Intel refuses to surrender the lower-end of the market.Years ago AMD was putting pressure on Intel to continue innovating on the high end, but fast forwarded to 2013 and Intel is the last man standing. The new war is in ultra-low powered chips, and the company is years behind. Intel's response to ARM was the ATOM series of processors, but they were stuck trying to power a heavy and bloated Microsoft OS, while ARM had custom designed operating systems that extended battery life, and created an entirely new market. This year the two companies are destined to meet in the middle, and it will be a pivotal moment in the history of computing. Intel has announced its plans to compete with the current crop of dirt cheap ARM based devices, and to the winner goes the spoils. Intel's decision to take on the low end market isn't without precedent, but it's also a moving target. The price point for computing has been falling faster than industry costs, and now the company finds itself scrapping with the competition for a low margin market they aren't even sure they want. Outgoing CEO Paul Otellini understands the value of winning against ARM, but it remains to be seen if his successor shares his passion. Microsoft announced last Thursday that small inexpensive form factor PC's are part of its strategy, so it's likely Intel is just embracing the ever shifting winds of technological change. "We are...working closely with [PC makers] on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows. These devices will have competitive price points, partly enabled by our latest OEM offerings designed specifically for these smaller devices, and will be available in the coming months," Microsoft's chief financial officer, Peter Klein, said during the company's earnings call. Either way it sounds like $200 Android powered Intel tablets are a strong possibility this year, with $250/$300 Windows 8 based versions not far behind. Will they be a fad like Netbooks? Or are these the devices everyone has been waiting for? |
| New Windows 8 Blue Leak Confirms Additional Features Posted: 21 Apr 2013 03:05 PM PDT
Microsoft just can't seem to keep a secret these days.Microsoft has a security problem, and as a website devoted to PC technology we have absolutely no problem with that. Two new leaked builds of Windows 8.1 (Blue) have emerged online, and we've had a chance to check out what's changed. Experts with inside sources at Microsoft have confirmed that these leaks are still not feature complete, but with a public preview expected sometime in June, we won't have to wait much longer. So what's new? Kiosk ModeAnyone who has visited a Best Buy to check out new PC's will know exactly why this feature is needed. Half the time floor models are either locked up, blue screened, or barely functional. The other fifty percent of the time they are shut down and unplugged. Windows 8.1 Kiosk mode will present potential customers with a "single immersive app experience", allowing them to swipe around the interface without getting into trouble. All AppsLooking for an application installed on your machine, but can't remember what its called? All apps will add an option to the start screen to see everything installed on your PC, and sort by date installed, most used, size, etc. You can bring up a list of all apps now by selecting search from the charms bar, but you can only see an alphabetical list currently. Modern UI SynchronizationSettings already synced across PC's in Windows 8 if you're logged in using your Microsoft account, but now your start screen moves across as well. Log in from any PC, and feel right at home. This makes perfect sense, and we were sort of surprised this functionality wasn't available at launch. Rumor: Start Button and Boot to DesktopNeither of these features are in the leaked build, but we have it on good authority that the start button and boot to desktop are both returning to Windows 8 Blue. The start button won't bring back the start menu, and boot to desktop is easy to accomplished with third party tools, but these small concessions make a huge difference when you look at enterprise customers. |
| Inhon Unveils the Worlds Thinnest and Lightest Ultrabook Posted: 21 Apr 2013 11:13 AM PDT
Never Heard of Inhon? Don't be embarrassed, neither had we.Inhon might not be a household name when it comes to Notebooks, but they sure have pulled off something impressive. This small Taiwanese based computer maker is officially announcing the Blade 13 Carbon laptop, and its form factor propels Apple Macbook Air well into the chubby category. The even better news? It does it all at a similar price point, and with more impressive internal components. This 13-inch Windows 8 Ultrabook is just 12.88mm thick, or if you like to nitpick, 2mm smaller than its closes competitor. The reduced mass also helps keep the weight down, allowing it to tip the scales at just 1.9lbs. That's a full pound less than the Macbook Air. The Carbon 13 ships standard with a 1080p HD display, an Intel i5 or i7 processor, up to 256GB of SSD storage, and 4GB of RAM. Availability in the USA hasn't yet been announced, however Engadget is reporting it will officially go on-sale overseas in June for around $1,350. A less expensive Fiberglass version with a 1,600 x 900 display will offer a sub $1,000 option, but it increases the weight, and ultimately makes it a much less interesting device. It's amazing to see how quickly OEM's are shaving down Ultrabook form factors, but we also fear it will inevitably come at the expense of reparability. Image Credit (Engadget.com) |
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