| Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Wi-Fi Router is a Reincarnated (and Updated) WRT54G Posted: 05 Jan 2014 04:30 PM PST  This router packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor
Belkin has big plans for its Linksys acquisition, and it includes positioning the brand as an enthusiast name. More than just lip service, Linksys announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that it's bringing back one of the best selling routers of all time, the WRT54G, and giving it a makeover for the modern day Internet. Now known as the WRT1900AC, this dual-band wireless router wields a dual-core 1.2GHz ARM-based processor inside its familiar blue and black stackable chassis. It also sports four removable antennas, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports (one each), and an eSATA port. Why both connectivity options? Linksys tells Maximum PC that it decided to also include an eSATA port because it isn't as CPU intensive. Low power ARM processors tend to get overburdened by heavy USB 3.0 access, and the end result is that eSATA ends up being twice as fast as USB 3.0 (we wonder if this is also due to the host controller). Just like the popular WRT54G, the WRT1900AC will feature support for open-source firmware such as DD-WRT, Open WRT, and Tomato. It will also have 128MB of flash memory and 256GB of DDR3 RAM. "Our new Linksys WRT1900AC Wireless Router will be the most powerful router in its class on the market. We have spared no technology expense to make this router a prosumers' dream," said Mike Chen, vice president product management for Linksys. "The launch of the new WRT router is not only a celebration for the Linksys brand but for our customers too. We have brought back the WRT because our customers have asked for a router that had the reliability, functionality and open source capabilities but with today's AC wireless technology. The WRT1900AC is the result of all these requests." 
Indeed, Linksys has gone all out. As hinted by the model name, it supports speeds of up to 1.3Gbps on the 5GHz band and up to 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. You can't actually add them together for a super connection of sorts, but router makers like to market the combined speeds, hence 1900AC (1900Mbps total, 802.11ac). Look for the Linksys WRT1900AC to debut in the spring for $300 MSRP. Will it be worth it? You can bet we'll do our best to get our hands on one for a formal evaluation. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Quantenna QSR1000 MIMO Chipset Powers New Flagship RT-AC87U Router from Asus Posted: 05 Jan 2014 04:02 PM PST  802.11ac speed with wired-like reliability
If you haven't already, this will likely be the year you upgrade your home network to the 802.11ac spec. The market is quickly becoming littered with 802.11ac router options, including a new flagship model from Asus, the RT-AC87U. Asus jointly announced its new flagship part with Quantenna Communications, whose QSR1000 4x4 Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) powers what both companies claim is the world's fastest 802.11ac home router. Using Quantenna's QSR1000 chipset, Asus says its router can deliver up to 1.7Gbps on the 5GHz band (combined Wireless-AC and Wireless-N, no doubt). With Quantenna's "superior digital beamforming" technology, you can expect whole home coverage with wire-like reliability. "Our customers value high-performance Wi-Fi and know the impact a reliable wireless connection has on their ability to stream bandwidth-intensive data, including video content," said Tenlong Deng, associate vice president of Networking & Wireless Devices Business Unit for Asus. "As wireless devices in the home continue to increase and consumers' reliance on keeping connected at all times to live their daily lives is the norm, the importance people are putting on a great Wi-Fi experience is vastly elevated. That's why we are so pleased to create this latest flagship router product with Quantenna." Details are in short order, as are things like product images, pricing, and a release date, none of which Asus is willing to disclose at this time. However, we can speculate a little based on this being the company's new flagship router, a spot that was previously held by the RT-AC68U. That router offers up to 600Mbps in Wireless-N mode, has five GbE LAN ports, and dual USB ports (USB 2.0 and USB 3.0). We expect a similar feature-set out of the RT-AC87U. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Lenovo's CES Blitz Part 1: Android Desktop, Cloud Storage Device, and ThinkVision 28 Smart Display Posted: 05 Jan 2014 04:01 PM PST  Lenovo's bringing everything to CES but the kitchen sink
One thing that's immediately evident from the rush of emails we've been receiving is that Lenovo, now the world's largest PC maker in terms of shipments, isn't planning to rest on its laurels. It's not all mobile products like smartphones and tablets, either. Lenovo is announcing so many PC-related products at this year's CES that we decided to break it up into two posts. This one will focus on a pair of ThinkVision displays, an Android all-in-one, and the company's first personal cloud storage device. ThinkVision 28 and ThinkVision Pro2840m Kicking off the announcements is the ThinkVision 28, a premium 28-inch display with a 4K (3840x2160) resolution. Unlike every other 4K display on the market, the ThinkVision 28 supports 10-point multi-touch. It also has multiple USB ports, three HDMI ports, a microSD card slot, audio ports, a DisplayPort, and even an Ethernet port. This isn't just a display. With the press of a button, the ThinkVision 28 turns into an Nvidia Tegra-powered Android 4:3 enabled premium entertainment center. Inside sits 2GB of RM, 32GB of storage, and full wireless capability including Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC support, Lenovo says. This one will be available in July 2014 starting at $999. Next up is the ThinkVision Pro2840m. This also boasts a 4K resolution along with 10-bit color, 300 nit brightness, and a 5ms response time. It has a full function stand that allows tilt, swivel, and rotate, and features connectivity options consisting of a DisplayPort, mini DisplayPort, HDMI (with MHL), and several USB ports. Look for this to ship in April starting at $799. A740 All-in-One and Beacon Personal Cloud Storage 
Lenovo is bringing to market its first personal cloud storage device called Beacon. The OEM says Beacon is intended for families or those who want to access their media library on the go. It lets users store and play back media from anywhere using their smartphone, PC, tablet, or TV. You can also upload files wirelessly or by using the built-in USB port. One of the main selling points here is that it's supposed to be easier than a NAS-storage type device, while still offering up to 6TB of storage. Beacon will be available in April starting at $199. Moving along, Lenovo announced the A740 all-in-one (AIO) with a 4mm thin display. It's supposedly the thinnest AIO in its 27-inch class, and unlike some other big-screen displays we've seen, the resolution isn't gimped down to Full HD -- this one wields a WQHD 2560x1440 resolution. It also has GeForce graphics, JBL speakers, 10-point touch support, NFC, up to 1TB of hard drive space, optional TV tuner, HDMI, and a few other odds and ends. This will ship in June starting at $1,499. Horizon 2 Table PC and N308 AIO 
While on the topic of AIOs, Lenovo's N308 is an affordable AIO starting at $450. It has a 19.5-inch display with a 1600x900 resolution, touchscreen support, 500GB hard drive, 720p webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an Nvidia Tegra quad-core processor. As such, it runs Android. The N308 will be available in February. Finally, Lenovo's hitting up the table PC category by launching the Horizon 2. This is a 27-inch system that measures just 19.5mm and has up to a 4th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, 10-finger touch support, and a few other goodies. When laid flat, the Horizon 2 loads up the Aura interface. It will be available in June starting at $1,499. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Lenovo's CES Blitz Part 2: Y and Z Series Laptops, MIIX 2, and Refreshed ThinkPad X1 Carbon Posted: 05 Jan 2014 04:01 PM PST  Don't expect Lenovo to lay dormant in 2014
This is the second of two posts outlining PC-related products Lenovo intends to show off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week (if you haven't already, check out Part 1). Lenovo is headed to the convention with guns-a-blazing, and in addition to everything that's been unveiled so far, the OEM will demo a new X1 Carbon ultrabook, a ThinkPad 8 tablet for professionals, some new laptops, and more. Yoga 2, MIIX 2, and Flex 14D/15D 
Starting with the laptops, Lenovo is bringing the Yoga back for a second act. The Yoga 2 gets smaller at 11 inches and 0.67 inches thin, wields more apps, and features up to a quad-core Intel Pentium processor. A 500GB hard drive comes standard. If you want something a little bigger, it will also be offered in a 13-inch model with Haswell processor options and a Full HD 1080p display. The 11-inch model will be available in January starting at $529 and the 13-inch in February starting at $999. Lenovo will launch a pair of convertible laptops, including the Flex 14D and 15D. Both will have up to an AMD A6 quad-core processor with Radeon graphics, and both can flip 180 degrees. These will be available in December starting at $499. Rounding out the convertible line are two MIIX 2 laptops, an 11-inch model and a 10-inch SKU. These have detachable designs and a flexible base that supports three different viewing modes. Both sizes come with a Full HD 1080p (1920x1200) display, the larger model featuring an IPS panel. The 10-inch model will be available in March starting at $499 and the 11-inch model in April starting at $699. ThinkPad X1 Carbon and ThinkPad 8 
Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon emerged as a fan favorite in the ultrabook category, and the refreshed model is being billed as the lightest 14-inch notebook in the world at just 2.8 pounds. It has better viewing angles than the original, an Adaptive Keyboard, Rapid Charge technology, and up to 9 hours of battery life. It's available now starting at $1,299. On the tablet side, Lenovo's ThinkPad 8 is a professionally-ready tablet with three modes: Use it as a tablet, connect to an optional keyboard base for Desktop Mode, or flip its optional Quickshot Cover to convert it into Tent Mode, Lenovo says. As for specs, it has an 8.3-inch Full HD 1080p display (1920x1200), Intel Bay Trial quad-core processor, up to 128GB of storage, micro USB 3.0 port, LTE connectivity, 8MP camera, and Windows 8 Pro. It will ship in late January for $449. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Lacie's Little Big Disk Combines SSD Storage with Thunderbolt 2 Connectivity Posted: 05 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST  Fastest portable storage around
Lacie has a lineup of products it plans to demo at CES in Las Vegas this week, and among them is the Little Big Disk, one of the first storage solutions enabled by Thunderbolt 2. According to Lacie, it's the fastest portable storage solution on the market. By stuffing high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) inside, the Little Big Disk delivers speeds up to 1375MB/s over Thunderbolt 2. That's several times faster than even the fastest mobile USB 3.0 solutions, made possible by combining a set of 500GB PCI-E Gen 2 SSDs in RAID 0. With all the speed, Lacie says users can stream and edit 4K or 3D video while in the field. No word yet on price, though Lacie says it will be available in the first quarter of 2014 and will come with a Thunderbolt cable. Lacie also announced Fuel, a portable and wireless hard drive for iPad, iPhone, and Mac. It doesn't do Windows users any good, but if you own an iOS device, the Fuel adds 1TB of external storage that you can access wireless from your mobile gadget. That's enough storage to hold up to 500 movies, 160,000 songs, or 190,000 photos, Lacie says. It's also AirPlay compatible and has 10 hours of battery life. Fuel will be available soon for $199 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
