Watch Asus’ IFA press conference live stream
We’re at IFA 2015 in bustling Berlin, Germany, and the tech industry has already begun unveiling its latest offerings, in hope of wooing customers ahead of the all-important holiday season.
One of the companies holding special events today is Asus – the Taiwanese manufacturer has made big strides in transitioning towards a mobile-first company, and we’re looking forward to checking out their latest wares.
Asus is well known for its PCs and tablets, and we fully expect Chairman Jonney Shih to show off at least a few convertibles and slates at the press conference today. Buoyed by the success of the ZenFone line, we may also see some new additions to Asus’ ever expanding collection of attractively-priced smartphones.
The ZenWatch is due for a refresh – with Android Wear gaining support for iOS and cool new functionality bits, the platform has another shot at greatness. Will Asus repeat the solid performance from last year with another sleek ZenWatch? We should find out pretty soon.
Asus is live streaming its pre-IFA event today, and the show is worth watching for the adorkable performance Jonney Shih. Join us right here from 1PM Berlin time (12PM BST, 7AM EST, 4:30PM IST)!
Check out the Asus event live stream
(We’ll update this post with the embedded stream as soon as it goes live)
You can watch Acer’s press conference live here!
Although IFA is just two days away, it appears Acer can’t wait any longer as it’s hosting a conference today at 11 AM Berlin local time, which you can watch live right here.
Click here to view the embedded video.
As far as unveilings go, we should see a pair of new Liquid devices, which are rumored to be called the Z630 and Z530, together with a handful of new non-Android related technology, including some pretty neat additions to Acer’s PREDATOR gaming series.
If you’re watching live, be sure to let us know your thoughts on any new products upon introduction in the comments section below.
Come comment on this article: You can watch Acer’s press conference live here!
Lenovo’s AIO 700 is a beast of an all-in-one PC
Even if you’re a geek who’s steadfastly refused to consider all-in-one computers, Lenovo’s new Ideacentre AIO 700 might be worth a look. It sports a 24-inch or 27-inch display in up to a 4K resolution with multitouch, but most importantly it comes with a dedicated graphics card and it can also be easily opened up. That means it’ll actually be able to play some decent games, and you have room for upgrades down the line (which is pretty rare for all-in-one PCs). The AIO 700 can be configured with either an Intel or AMD CPU, and you can also add in an Intel RealSense camera (which will also speed up your Windows 10 logins). We only confronted it briefly at a press event today, but we were struck by its sheer immensity. The 27-inch AIO 700 starts at $1,099 while the 27-inch model starts at $1,899 — both will ship in October. Slideshow-316597
Tags: AIO700, allinones, lenovo
Intel’s Core M processors are being tested in phones
Intel’s fresh-faced sixth-generation processors improve on pretty much all the important fronts: more power efficiency, more graphical oomph and that’s especially true for its important Core M series that beats inside laptops and tablets. According to Kirk Skagen, Intel’s General Manager, it’s now making its way into even smaller devices, namely “phablets”. (He said it, not us.) While the line between tablets and phones couldn’t be blurrier these days, if Intel’s Core M family of chips make it into your next Android phone, it’d be powerful enough do to almost everything your laptop does.
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Desktops, Intel
Tags: corem, ifa, ifa2015, intel
Acer’s Revo Build is the Project Ara of PCs
Acer has announced the Revo Build M1-601, a super-small Windows 10 unit that can be expanded and customized with a series of stackable blocks. So, in the base unit you’ll find a super small form factor PC that only occupies 125 square millimeters on your table and comes with a low-power Intel Pentium or Celeron chip. Then, if you wanted to expand the machine’s 32GB storage, you can plonk on a 500GB external hard drive in a case that sits perfectly on top. Each block connects to the one below using magnetic coupling and pogo pins, and enabling you to create a PC that looks like a tower of single Duplo bricks the more powerful it becomes.
In one way, this hardware is a less exciting variant on Razer’s Project Christine, which made every component modular in the hope of ending the days of buying new desktops. This version, however, still relies upon a static base unit that, while upgradeable, would still require swapping out every few years. The company hasn’t gone too deep into how expandable this system is, but there have been references to the aforementioned external storage, an audio module and wireless charging plate — while a rogue spec makes mention of a supplementary graphics card block as well as a projector. There’s no word on pricing for these additional pieces, but presumably the company will have to make their version cheaper than just buying a USB hub and external HDD from Amazon, otherwise there’d be little point. We’ll probably find out plenty more closer to launch which is in October in EMEA and December in China, with prices starting at €199 and Y1,999, respectively. Slideshow-316624
Tags: Acer, Desktop, IFA2015, Modular, ModularPC, Module, PC, RevoBuild
Acer’s Nitro notebooks put gaming power into a regular case
Acer has revealed its latest Aspire V Nitro notebooks that are aimed at gamers without looking like gamer laptops. Dressed in basic-black, tapered cases, the 15- and 17-inch models still bring the latest Intel Skylake sixth-gen core i7 and i5 mobile chips and NVIDIA GTX960M graphics with up to 4GB of RAM. You also get up to 512GB of M.4 SSD storage (2GB if you opt for hard disks), 32GB max of DDR4 RAM, USB 3.1 Type-C ports and 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 on the top-end “Black Edition” models. All models can also be had with up to 4K screens. Slideshow-316654
While the Nitro models are less flashy than the Predator gaming notebooks, they’re not a whole lot more svelte. The 15-inch “Black Edition” model does hit 5.07 pounds, though, meaning you can at least slip it into a (strong) shoulder bag. The promised battery life is also pretty decent for a high-powered notebook, at up to 8 hours, but figure on much less for 4K gaming, obviously. The Nitro models start at $1,099 for the 17-inch model and $999 for the 15-incher, but we’d count on a lot more than that if you want to configure it with discreet graphics, extra RAM and an M.2 SSD. They’ll arrive in North America starting in October.
Filed under:
Gaming, Laptops, Acer
Tags: 15-inch, 17-inch, 4K, acer, AspireVNitro, BlackEdition, GTX960M, NVIDIA, Skylake, UltraHD
Acer’s latest Chromebook gets a flip-around screen
Acer has announced the Chromebook R11, the company’s first Chrome OS-running device that comes with a 360-degree rotating hinge, as made famous by Lenovo’s Yoga. Your eyes will be staring into an 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 touchscreen, while below the keyboard you’ll find an Intel Celeron processor paired with 4GB memory and up to 32GB of flash storage. Connectivity-wise, there’s dual-band MIMO 802.11ac WiFi as well as a single ultra-fast USB 3.0 port. The headline feature, really, is the ability to turn that screen whichever way you choose, enabling one of four modes: laptop, tablet, tent or display… much like the ASUS Chromebook Flip. The R11 launches in North America this October with a starting price of $299, with those in Europe, Middle East and Africa getting hold of the gear in November — as long as you’ve got €299 in your back pocket. Slideshow-316637
Filed under:
Laptops, Google, Acer
Tags: 360Hinge, acer, Chromebook, ChromebookR11, Flip, google, R11
Acer adds two laptops and a tablet to its Predator gaming line
Acer revealed an aggressive new design for its duo of Predator gaming desktops earlier this month, but at IFA today, the company’s focusing on powerful portability. Acer’s been pretty open about its plan to introduce Predator laptops and a gaming-centric tablet, but until now, details have been sparse. Now, we’ve got the full skinny, starting with the new Predator 15 and Predator 17 notebooks. If you hadn’t guessed already, the main difference between the two is their screen sizes. The Predator 17 sports a 17.3-inch 1080p display, while the smaller model’s 15.6-inch screen comes in full HD and 4K options. Slideshow-316636
Both laptops share Intel’s latest Core i7 processor (i7-6700HQ), up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX980 graphics, up to 32 gigs of RAM and up to 512GB SSDs. The Windows 10 notebooks also feature keyboards will all the backlighting and programmable keys you’d expect from a gaming rig. The laptops will go on sale in North America and Europe in November, starting at $1,500/€1,599 for the Predator 15, and $1,600/€1,799 for the Predator 17.Slideshow-316635
Joining the new laptops today is the Predator 8 tablet (boring name: GT-810), a gaming-focused slate Acer’s shown off a number of times before. While its quirky design with four front-facing speakers that are said to create “virtual surround sound” might not be new, the company’s ready to share a few more details. The Predator 8 runs on an Intel Atom x7 processor, includes 32GB of on-board storage, and has you looking at an 8-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 display. The gaming tab will be launching on November 6th in the US for $300, and in Europe sometime in October for €349.
Filed under:
Gaming, Laptops, Tablets, Acer
Tags: acer, ifa2015, predator15, predator17, predator8
Acer’s all-in-one has Intel’s latest chips and depth camera
Laptops are the biggest winners with Intel’s less power-hungry Skylake chips, but desktop computers do get some perks. Acer has just launched the U5-710, a new all-in-one (AIO), that uses the new CPUs along with Intel RealSense cameras. The high-end Aspire U (U5-710) model gets the latest Core i5 or i7 6th-generation desktop chips, most of which have four cores and a modest performance bump over the last-gen Haswell models. They do use slightly less juice, however, and support up to 16GB of faster (and pricier) DDR4 RAM. Slideshow-316657
The Intel RealSense camera, meanwhile, will let you scan 3D objects or log in to Windows 10 using facial recognition, rather than typing a sketchy password. Other features include a 23.8-inch 1080p IPS monitor with 10-point touch, USB 3.0 and up to 256GB of SSD storage (2TB with regular hard drives). You can also get discreet NVIDIA 940M graphics or stick with Intel Iris 530, but either is a big improvement over the last-gen models. It’s arriving in Europe for €999 (no word yet of US availability), which might be a hard sell unless you really need to update your existing desktop.
Tags: acer, AIO, all-in-one, Intel, PC, realsense, sixth-gen, Skylake
Acer has a gnarly gaming phone with a deca-core processor
Acer’s at IFA in force this year, showing off a wide array of gaming PCs, laptops, tablets, and now, a phone. The Predator 6 looks a lot like the company’s new gaming tablet, with some super-gnarly black-and-red styling and four front-facing speakers. Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but inside is an unspecificied MediaTek deca-core processor with 4GB of RAM and dual haptic feedback motors for rumbles. It has a 6-inch HD display, it runs Android, and around the back there’s a 21-megapixel camera. We don’t have pricing or release date on this just yet, but rest assured we’ll keep on poking Acer until someone gives us more info.
Filed under:
Gaming, Mobile, Acer
Tags: acer, android, gnarly, mobilepostcross, predator, predator6, xtreme
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