Lenovo wants you to decide if it should build this retro ThinkPad
IBM’s original boxy, black ThinkPads, exemplified by the seminal 1994 700c model, are beloved by laptop design aficionados. But would such a style (in a much thinner package, of course) fly in today’s market? Lenovo’s VP of design, David Hill wants to find out, so he showed off a “Time Machine” render with the original multicolored ThinkPad logo, a blue enter key, a seven-row keyboard and a 16:10 aspect screen. It would, of course, be equipped with the latest technology and an 18mm thin case. The idea is to see if a computer based on a classic design would be as popular as retro-tinged cars like the “new” Mini Cooper or Ford Mustang.
However, “actually bringing a retro inspired ThinkPad to market would require significant sales volumes to justify the development effort and tooling expense,” he said. As such, he wants to know “if you think Lenovo should make the retro inspired ThinkPad, or have suggestions on how to make it better, please post your comments.” You can head to his blog now to give your thoughts, but judging by the 900-plus comments, almost all positive, we’d say he’s definitely on to something.
Source: Lenovo
HP’s $199 Windows laptop arrives alongside a pair of tablets
Contrary to earlier rumors, HP’s Chromebook-like Stream 14 turned out to be more expensive than people had hoped for when it was announced a few weeks ago. Having said that, today HP is finally introducing its $199 laptop with Windows, staying in line with what a company representative had told us before in regards to the Stream line expanding beyond the 14-inch machine. But there’s more, since HP’s new, budget-friendly, 11.6-inch laptop isn’t the only fresh announcement. There’s a 13.3-inch model as well, priced at $230, which, along with the $199 Stream, features an Intel Celeron processor and 32GB of flash storage. In addition to this pair of notebooks, HP is also introducing two Windows 8.1 tablets: the HP Stream 7 and HP Stream 8. If the moniker for each didn’t give it away, they are 7- and 8-inch slates, respectively, with the former costing a mere $99 and the latter going for $149.
Unfortunately, HP isn’t sharing many more details (like other specs) at the moment. We do know, however, that the company hopes to lure in customers by including a bit of free mobile data every month and access to Microsoft’s Office 365 Personal productivity suite, which is definitely a nice bonus. All devices announced are expected to be available in the US by the beginning of November. In the meantime, stay tuned — we’ll be adding hands-on photos and additional info shortly.
Update: We are at a media event in NYC and managed to play with the new members of the Stream lineup, save for the 7-inch tablet, which HP wasn’t showing off. What’s more, HP let us in on a few extra details. The notebooks, for one, are also sporting 2GB of RAM (with the aforementioned Celeron N2840 CPU), Intel HD Graphics and can last up to 8.5 hours on a charge. Meanwhile, the Stream tablets are packing an Intel Atom Z3735G quad-core processor, 32GB of onboard storage (expandable via microSD), 1GB RAM and Bluetooth 4.0. Overall, the list of specs isn’t too shabby, especially when you consider the relatively low price points HP has attached to these devices.
Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, HP
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Toshiba’s shift away from consumer PCs means 900 lost jobs
Toshiba has been slinging Satellites and Qosmios and Kirabooks for basically ages now, but its days a purveyor of consumer computers may be winding down in a market near you. According to a statement the company issued last night, it’s shifting its focus a bit — the big priority is now crafting PCs to woo business customers, and Toshiba’s going to cut about 900 jobs as part of the transition. Don’t fret too much, though: Toshiba might be looking to streamline its consumer computer operations, but it’s not going to give up entirely. To hear them tell it, the new Toshiba will “withdraw from unprofitable markets” and continue bringing those consumer-friendly PCs to developed countries, though we’re still not sure how its mix of gadgets will wax and wane ’round those parts. The move will be a somber one in some places (especially for anyone who’ll soon be out of a job) but there’s not much else to be done — the global PC market may not be shrinking as fast as some thought it would, but the seas are still rough for companies trying to plot a course to PC profitability.
Via: ZDNet
Source: Toshiba
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Apple’s Ultra-Slim 12-Inch Notebook Coming in Mid-2015 With Silver, Gold, and Space Gray Options?
With Apple’s Mac notebooks continuing to prove popular with consumers, the company has been rumored for some time to be working on a 12-inch notebook that could feature an ultra-slim form factor, Retina display, a new buttonless trackpad, and a fanless design. Rumors of such a machine have surfaced from several sources over the course of the past year, suggesting Apple has indeed been working on the device.
While such a machine has yet to debut despite early rumors of a mid-2014 launch, perhaps due to continued delays with Intel’s next-generation Broadwell chips, a new report from Jack March of A Tech Website claims the machine remains in the works. According to the report, Apple appears to be targeting a mid-2015 launch for the machine and, most interestingly, the company is said be planning to offer it in the same silver, gold, and space gray colors used on its iPhone lineup.
The most fascinating part of this report is that Apple is also planning to change the colours for the first time with an Aluminium MacBook, the source says that Apple is planning to add Space Grey and Gold colours to their MacBook lineup, which would be consistent with the colours on the iPhone 6.
While the claim of multiple color options for this new notebook appears outlandish, MacRumors has reason to believe this information is correct and that Apple has at least considered launching the 12″ notebook with several different “special edition” color options.
The report notes that timing for release of the new notebook has shifted several times as Apple has continued development, with that uncertainty also reflected in a recent report from Digitimes pegging the timeframe at a wide open “end of 2014 or in 2015.”
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Evernote’s Penultimate for iPad now behaves more like a real notebook
Penultimate is supposed to mimic a notebook on your iPad, so it only makes sense that the app’s interface should mirror the pen-and-paper experience as much as possible. Right? Evernote thinks so, as it has released a Penultimate update that gets closer to the real thing. You can swipe from off-screen to turn pages, and you can set a color for every pen width; effectively, you now have a collection of favorite pens. Not all of the updates are meant to simulate analog drawing. Penultimate notes look much nicer when seen from Evernote, and there are improvements to ink rendering, palm recognition and connections with Jot Script pens. The upgraded app still won’t replicate the feel of actual notebooks, but you might not miss them quite so much.
Filed under: Tablets
Via: The Next Web
Source: App Store, Evernote Blog
ASUS outs UX21 ultrathin laptop with up to Core i7 CPU (video)
The thickest part of this new laptop is 17mm, its entire body is built from an aluminum alloy, and the CPUs can be specced as high as Core i7. Anything else you need to know before drooling all over yourself? ASUS projects the launch of its shiny new UX21 in September.
via ASUS outs UX21 ultrathin laptop with up to Core i7 CPU video hands-on! — Engadget.
AIVAnet 