Category: Computers, Science & Technology

It is only weeks away at this point. Will it be the :next big thing” that Microsoft hopes it will be? Or, is it just too expensive?

Microsoft Here comes Microsoft Surface Pro, 64 bits and All

“Microsoft’s Windows 8 Pro version of the Surface will arrive soon, giving consumers probably one the highest performing tablets to date.

Microsoft is already dropping not-so-subtle hints that the device is coming ‘early in 2013.’ And now it appears to have made its debut at the FCC.

Let’s look at what else Microsoft is saying about the 2-pound tablet that sets it apart from the current Surface RT tablet.

• 64-bit computing in a tablet: Surface with Windows 8 Pro is “a 64-bit tablet PC.” That’s not a trivial point. You get all of the goodness of 64-bit computing via Intel’s power-efficient Core i5 Ivy Bridge processors. Surface RT, on the other hand, is 32-bit only.
• Security: Support for the same level of security you can expect with any corporate Windows laptop. And Microsoft includes sBitLocker, which encrypts your hard drive’s data.
• Pen: It includes a pen. That’s really a holdover from the Windows 7 slates but something that some business customers still want.
• Mini DisplayPort/display: This allows connection to large high-resolution displays (e.g., Apple Cinema Display). That said, the Surface Pro’s 10.6-inch (16:9) 1,920×1,080-pixel display is already the same resolution of some desktop displays. Other ports include a full-size USB 3.0, microSDXC card slot, headset jack, and Cover port.

And we may already be getting a sneak preview of the Surface Pro courtesy of CNET’s review of the Acer Iconia W700 tablet.

Like the Surface Pro, the W700 is a 2-pound Windows 8 tablet that packs an Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor and a 1,920×1,080 display.

Here’s what CNET said: ‘In our benchmark tests, the Iconia W700 performed similarly to other Core i5-3317U Windows 8 laptops and convertibles, or a little behind. It’s well-suited for everyday use, from HD video streaming to social media, to working on office tasks.'”

Kim DotCom has launched a new upload service with 50 gig of cloud storage FREE! Will it get taken down like the original?

Kim DotCom promises 50GB for free from Mega

Kim DotCom plans to launch his new site in two days, and users will get 50GB of storage for free, the infamous entrepreneur tweeted today.

DotCom also tweeted that his lawyers are working on giving former premium users their premium statuses on the new site but that the site ‘can’t at this time.’

50GB is a huge amount of free storage right off the bat. DotCom’s tweet comes a day after another cloud storage service, MediaFire, announced it would be offering 50GB of free storage. Other storage services may offer as much — or more — for free, but those accounts come with requirements.

DotCom’s tweets also indicate that more goodies are coming with the new service. After the year he’s had, he’ll need those incentives to get going again.

DotCom has spent the last year battling the U.S. government over his site MegaUpload, the highest-profile service to be accused of criminal copyright violations. He was arrested on allegations of criminal copyright violation, conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud. U.S. federal officials accused DotCom of pocketing millions of dollars in illegal profits from criminal file-sharing and downloading that has reportedly cost the film industry more than $600 million in damages.

While still fighting the government in court, DotCom decided to start a new site from New Zealand, where he now resides. He claimed that he was entrapped by the U.S. government because he complied with a federal search warrant targeting five file-sharing services using MegaUpload’s infrastructure in 2010, but the feds have called this claim ‘baseless.'”

The Chromebook, it seems, is really beginning to catch on! But isn’t it “just a web browser?” Well, if you can do all that you need to do over the Web, why not? I have heard that sales on Amazon of Chromebooks is out-pacing regular laptops! It fact, on Amazon, more Linux-based Chromebooks are selling than Windows-based laptops. Think of THAT! Coolness!

Lenovo shows its own Chromebook

“Lenovo has decided that it is just about the right time to join the Chromebook race with the likes of Samsung and Acer and it did do by announcing its own version, based on the familiar Thinkpad X131 design.

The Thinkpad X131e Chromebook, as Lenovo decided to call it, features pretty much all the same specs as the X131 so you are looking at 11.6-inch 1366×768 anti-glare screen, a yet to be specified Intel CPU, three USB ports, probably 2GB of RAM and a minimum amount of storage, most likely enough for the Chrome OS while the rest will be cloud-based. It also comes with WiFi connectivity as well as VGA and HDMI outputs.

The new Thinkpad X131e Chromebook also comes with a recognizable Thinkpad keyboard and touchpad as well as the Thinkpad “rugged features” since it is mainly aimed at schools. It simplifies software and security management for school administrators and provides students and teachers with quick access to thousands of apps, education resources and storage, according to Lenovo.

The battery life is rated at “an entire school day” and at less than four pounds it is surely portable.

The new ThinkPad X131e Chromebook will be available as of February 26th via special bid since it is aimed solely at schools and school programs so we guess that we will not see in retail/e-tail anytime soon.”

More on the Success of the Raspberry Pi…. apprarrently that last article was wrong, it isn’t 700,000, it is over 1,000,000! That really IS more than a thousand!

One Million Raspberry Pi Boards Have Been Sold Since Launch

“With all the hoopla around CES, we sadly missed this amazing milestone for one of the greatest little projects I’ve seen in a long time, Raspberry Pi. An estimated one million of these tiny computers have been sold so far, an amazing feat for a tiny $35 circuit board that can boot directly into a streamlined version of Linux.

The folks at element 14/Premier Farnell announced today that they alone have now made and sold more than half a million Raspberry Pis. They’re only one of two official distributors; we don’t have completely up-to-date figures from RS Components yet, but Farnell’s news suggests that we’re well on the way to having sold our millionth Raspberry Pi.
To celebrate the company released this cute info graphic, informing us that, if stacked end to end, a million Pis would be higher than 111 Empire State Buildings.

We detailed the unique manufacturing challenges associate with the Pi with 4,000 Raspberry Pis leaving a U.K. factory every day – or one every 7.5 seconds.

Raspberry Pis have ended up as the brains for a mini arcade cabinet and a DIY GSM base station. It also runs RISC OS and, more important, is a great way for kids to learn how to use computers without spending a fortune on hardware.”

I told you about the shear awesomeness of the Raspberry Pi! Turns out the creator was not fully prepared for how successful it was! Now, I have one on order. I’ll report further on it when it is delivered!

RASPBERRY PI CREATOR SAYS SEQUEL UNLIKELY IN 2013

“Raspberry Pi’s $35 Linux-based computer is a runaway success. Creator Eben Upton told ZDNet in a recent interview that his team thought they would sell 1,000 units when they were designing the mini PC, but sales have now topped 700,000. ‘We honestly did think we would sell about 1,000, maybe 10,000 in our wildest dreams,’ Upton said. ‘We thought we would make a small number and give them out to people who might want to come and read computer science at Cambridge.’ On a slightly disappointing note to those hoping for an upgraded model in 2013, Upton said in the interview that the company has no plans to launch a sequel to the latest Raspberry Pi ‘Model B’ this year.”

Too good to be true? Well, it IS only 500 meg per month for free, but still, free wireless Internet at 4G speeds is VERY cool!

FreedomPop – Free Internet at 4G Speeds!

You have a choice of three devices to choose from, from a pocketable up to 8 device hotspot, to a USB dongle for your laptop! Not to mention a device that turns an iPod Rouch into a 4G iPhone-like hybrid! Pretty amazing!

• 100% free high speed internet – any device, anywhere!
• Free Data – guaranteed 500MB FREE every month
• Fast Speeds – internet at 4G speeds (10x faster than 3G)
• No Gimmicks – no data caps or throttling speeds
• Take It With You – use at home, the office, or wherever you go
• No Contracts – cancel anytime without fees or commitment

Dewd! A ONE TB Thumbdrive! DEWD! Can haz??!

Hands-on with Kingston’s 1TB USB Stick

“While CES is known for bringing a storm of new gadgets, just a few products really stand out each year. On Monday, Kingston announced one such device. In Las Vegas this week, the company unveiled the world’s first 1TB USB stick.

Set to launch during the first quarter of this year, the drive carriers both the DataTraveler and HyperX brands. Officially named the DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0, we heard it affectionately referred to as ‘the brick’ on more than one occasion this evening. In fact, we had a hard time getting near Kingston’s booth at Pepcom’s Digital Experience tonight. Each time we tried to visit the company, we were put off by a crowd of people all eagerly craning their necks for a better look at the device (among other wares on show at the Kingston table).

We eventually got a hold of a tired Kingston rep who confirmed a Q12013 launch but couldn’t give any specifics on pricing. The DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 offers read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s, is SuperSpeed USB 3.0 certified and is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0. Kingston also has a 512 GB version in the market, which is priced at $1,750. We’ll keep you posted on a price for the 1TB version.

Feast your eyes on the images below in the mean time. Unsurprisingly, the company didn’t even really bring the device to CES. The ones you see in the photos are mock ups. When we asked if they were the real thing, a Kingston rep told us no, adding, “Do you think we’d have them out on the table if they were?” That, along with the price of the 512GB model, should give you an indication of just how expensive this thing will be.”

The “official” Windows 8 app is out for DropBox. It is a bit “under-whelming” right now, but I am sure it will improve over time. It does provide a screen to access your DropBox files.

Blame it on the hardware. Or, you can blame Microsoft for making it so that you either have to install ClassicShell, or, buy a touch screen to use their new OS. (I got ClassicShell, it’s free!)

Windows 8 slow sales: Yes it’s the hardware

“You may have seen stories online that detail the slow adoption of Microsoft’s latest OS, Windows 8. Blame for the slump is cast far and wide with some claiming that Microsoft’s competing with partners for the first time with its own PC hardware is rocking the Windows 8 boat.

That push by Microsoft with the Surface tablet is indeed making partners nervous and the result is a rash of tablets and hybrid notebooks aimed at exciting mainstream consumers. The problem is the buying public has never demanded radical hardware changes.

ZDNet’s Larry Dignan has a reasoned look at why Windows 8 PCs are not flying off the shelf. He believes that Windows 8 is not polished enough to excite buyers (version 1.0 quality), plus the new PC hardware doesn’t excite buyers.

I believe Larry is right to a certain degree but there is a simpler reason for the lackluster reception to this new Windows 8 hardware. Mainstream consumers, the ones I believe Windows 8 is designed to excite, have never asked for radical changes in PC hardware.

There are quite a few thin hybrid PCs aimed at bridging the gap between the popular tablet form and the laptop. These are intended to excite the buying public while providing full advantage of the touch capabilities of Windows 8. The problem is that is hard to do properly, perhaps even impossible.

I’ve tried a number of these hybrids and they don’t make good tablets. They are too heavy and bulky and don’t properly bridge the intended tablet/laptop gap. There is nothing there to excite consumers even if they had demanded such capability. More importantly, consumers have never demanded the feature, so there is no reason to believe these hybrid PCs will fly off the shelf even if they handled tablet functions well. Which they don’t.

Microsoft is obviously aiming Windows 8 at the mainstream market. That’s the only market segment large enough to justify gambling on a total redesign of Windows 8. The enterprise market and tech-savvy segment were already entrenched in the Windows world so this redesign doesn’t get Microsoft new customers in these groups. They would update to Windows 8 no matter what it looked like.

I agree with Larry that the hardware is playing a big role in the slow adoption of Windows 8, but not because it’s too new and unpolished. I don’t think the consumer on the street wants these innovative hardware designs. I think Microsoft has tried to do too much with Windows 8 in an attempt to reach new customers.

Existing Windows users will continue to buy Windows 8 products. It doesn’t require radical new hardware to accomplish that goal. The attempt to grab new customers due to this new Windows 8 hardware will fail. Nobody has asked for this hardware so it solves no problem. That makes for a sticky situation for Microsoft and its partners with Windows 8 no matter how quickly the OS gets polished.”

This is an article from May of 2012, so it is kinda old news, but it is the first I have seen of it. This looks like it would really be fun and geeky to play with!

VIA launches Neo-ITX with $49 APC Android PC

“VIA today announced the APC 8750 Android PC system, a small footprint low power consumption motherboard with a $49 price point.

Comparisons will inevitably be made with the Raspberry Pi.

However the APC 8750 looks to have a less painful out of the box experience, with Android OS and applications pre-loaded on NAND Flash, a form-factor compatible with PC cases and a wider selection of ports fitted to just one side of the motherboard.

The APC 8750 runs a custom build of Android 2.3 with a selection of pre-installed apps including a browser, all pre-loaded on 2GB of NAND Flash memory. A microSD Slot allows further expansion.

The Neo-ITX Form Factor used by the APC measures 170 x 85mm and is exactly 1/2 the area of the 170 x 170mm Mini-ITX form factor. Neo-ITX boards will fit into any Mini-ITX chassis (perhaps with the addition of a couple of plastic standoffs at the rear for stability).

The APC 8750 is powered by a Wondermedia WM8750 SoC running at 800MHz which supports H264 decoding for 720p video playback. Power consumption is just 4W idle and 13.5W under peak load.

Full Specifications of the APC 8750: Operating System: Android 2.3; Processor: VIA 800MHz Processor (Wondermedia WM8750); Memory: 512MB DDR3 RAM, 2GB NAND Flash; Graphics: Built-in 2D/3D, resolution up to 720p; Ports: HDMI, VGA, 4x USB 2.0, 3.5mm Mic In, 3.5mm Audio Out, microSD slot, 10/100 Ethernet; Power: 15W AC Adapter; Size: 170mm x 85mm (Neo-ITX form factor).”