| AsusPro BU201 is a Rugged Ultrabook Aimed at Business Users Posted: 28 Sep 2014 08:37 PM PDT 
Built to meet U.S. military-standard 810G requirements Asus is all set to welcome a new Windows 8.1 ultrabook to its AsusPro B Advanced line of business notebooks, a range made up mostly of 14- and 15.6-inch models. The incoming AsusPro Advanced BU201 will be a tad different, though. With a screen size of 12.5-inch, it will be the joint smallest model in the lineup when it goes up for sale. Asus is promising "military-grade reliability" with the BU201, which it says has been tested to exceed the U.S. military's MIL-STD-810G standard for toughness. This is what the official product page has to say about its sturdiness: "Through the use of UD carbon fiber materials, the ASUSPRO BU201 Ultrabook easily withstands the rigors of business travel. The LCD cover gives 20% higher panel pressure resistance compared to standard notebooks, offering better damage protection while remaining light. US military-standard quality testing includes enhanced drop testing at more than double the height and extra-strict hinge testing." The BU201 packs a full HD LCD display, 4th generation Core i7/i5 processor, 4GB RAM (expandable up to 12GB), up to 1TB storage, integrated Intel graphics, HD webcam, 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11 a/b/g/n or 802.11ac (WiDi), 4G LTE, and Bluetooth 4.0. Other specs include three USB 3.0 ports, Smart Card reader, RJ45 LAN, VGA port, mini DisplayPort and a docking connector to hook in the AsusPro Ultra Docking Station. For good measure, its spill-resistant, backlit keyboard has a "SensePoint" pointing stick to go along with the standard touchpad just below it. There's no word on price and availability yet. Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
| Microsoft Exec: Windows 9 to be Free for Windows 8 Users Posted: 28 Sep 2014 06:26 PM PDT 
'Threshold' will be officially unveiled on September 30, 2014 Microsoft has scheduled a special invite-only event for Tuesday, September 30, 2014, where it is widely expected to introduce the next version of its popular desktop operating system (codenamed "Threshold" but popularly referred to as Windows 9). As is usually the case, the event's imminence hasn't resulted in a moratorium on Windows 9 rumors and speculation, but instead caused the tech rumor mill to kick into high gear, with the latest juicy Windows 9-related tidbit coming to us all the way from Indonesia — and apparently straight from the horse's mouth. According to Indonesian news portal Detik, existing Windows 8 users will be able to upgrade to Microsoft's next operating system absolutely free of cost. And how exactly do they know this, you ask? Well, Microsoft Indonesia president Andreas Diantoro said so in Jakarta Thursday. Actually, rumors to this effect have been doing the rounds for sometime now but this is the first time that someone from Microsoft — someone as powerful as Diantoro at that — has commented on the subject, let alone outright confirmed the rumor. Although this particular report is silent on the upcoming operating system's likely cost for those who don't own a Windows 8 copy, Russian Microsoft leaker WZOR last month claimed that Microsoft was readying an "awesome' upgrade offer for Windows XP users. Follow Pulkit on Google+ |
