Google to launch own-brand tablet

Google is set to reveal a co-branded tablet at its developer conference, according to Bloomberg.

Citing two sources close to the matter, Bloomberg claimed the $199 7in tablet would be co-branded with Asus.

The move echoes Google's earlier smartphones, including the Nexus handsets built by Samsung, and will be powered by an Nvidia processor.

The move comes a week after Microsoft revealed a Windows-branded tablet, with the company today telling TechEd conference attendees that tablet sales will surpass PCs next year.

When you look at the tablet market, you have iPad - and others

According to the sources, the 7in tablet would show off new features in the upcoming Jellybean version of Android, 4.1, with Google trying to make up lost ground in the slate market, where Apple continues to dominate.

The move would pit Google against other manufacturers – such as Samsung and Google’s own Motorola – in a strand of the tablet market that has seen manufacturers struggle for differentiation.

“When you look at the tablet market, you have iPad - and others,” Bloomberg quoted Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at industry researcher IHS iSuppli, as saying. “Everybody is trying to figure out how to compete against the iPad. And I just see it as just one more experiment going down that road.”

Source: Report: Google to launch own-brand tablet | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/375517/report-google-to-launch-own-brand-tablet#ixzz1z024b43D

Microsoft: tablets will outsell desktop PCs in 2013 Read more: Microsoft: tablets will outsell desktop PCs in 2013 | Enterprise | News | PC Pro http:

Sales of tablets will surpass traditional desktop PCs next year, according to Microsoft.

Speaking at TechEd Europe in Amsterdam, Microsoft’s vice president for Windows Web Services, Antoine Leblond, reiterated Microsoft’s philosophy that touch will become the dominant interface over the next couple of years.

“Next year, tablets will outsell desktop PCs,” said Leblond. “Touch is coming to PCs and that’s going to change the way UIs are designed very dramatically, just like the mouse did.”

Touch is coming to PCs and that’s going to change the way UIs are designed very dramatically, just like the mouse did

Speaking a week after Microsoft revealed its own-brand Surface tablet, Leblond was naturally keen to emphasise the benefits of the touchscreen Metro interface, he also stressed that Microsoft wasn’t turning its back on laptop and desktop users. “It [Metro] works equally well on a desktop or a tablet,” he insisted, with colleagues demonstrating a variety of keyboard shortcuts to navigate the Metro Start menu.

However, the demonstration faltered when Leblond’s colleague attempted to demonstrate touchpad gestures such as double-fingered scrolling, with the demo laptop repeatedly refusing to recognise the gesture controls.

Business friendly

Leblond was also at pains to stress Windows 8’s business credentials, emphasising the ability to switch between the Metro style apps and traditional x86 software. “You don’t have to choose between a small, thin and light tablet and the apps you rely on,” he said. “You don’t have to choose between the device you want and the device you’re allowed to use at work.”

The section of Leblond’s keynote speech that drew the biggest response from the hundreds of developers in the audience was also a business-related feature: Windows To Go.

He demonstrated how employees could run a locked-down installation of Windows 8 on a Windows 7 PC, simply by plugging in a USB drive, allowing companies to give employees access to corporate applications without the security risks of running it on their own hardware.
Source: Microsoft: tablets will outsell desktop PCs in 2013 | Enterprise | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/enterprise/375526/microsoft-tablets-will-outsell-desktop-pcs-in-2013#ixzz1z01uAnQU

Dell XPS 14 and 15 laptops get long-awaited design refresh, Ivy Bridge processors

After refreshing its Inspiron laptops and even its Vostro portables, Dell has finally gotten around to sprucing up its XPS 14 and XPS 15 high-end notebooks. In addition to including the inevitable upgrade to Intel’s new Ivy Bridge CPUs, the laptops have received a bit of a facelift to compete with the new designs from competitors.

The new XPS systems now feature anodized machined aluminum backing, Corning Gorilla Glass for the edge-to-edge displays, and magnesium alloy for the palm rests. The XPS 14 has been reduced to just 0.81 inches thick (and 4.6 pounds), while its bigger sibling is one tenth of an inch thicker and weighs 5.79 pounds. If you get an XPS 14 with a solid-state drive instead of a hard drive, it is considered an Ultrabook.

The XPS 14 (pictured above) offers either Intel Core i5-3317U or i7-3517U Ivy Bridge processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and integrated Intel graphics or an Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card. Storage options include the aforementioned 512GB SSD, 500GB hard drive, or the hard drive with a 32GB SSD with Intel Rapid Start Technology. It comes with an LED-backlit, 1,600×900 screen with a brightness of 400 nits. Dell claims a whopping battery life of over 11 hours for the beefier Core i7 and Nvidia graphics configuration, though that figure may be lower in independent lab testing.

For the XPS 15, Dell selected more powerful Ivy Bridge options: either the Core i5-3210M or i7-3612QM. You also get the GeForce GT 630M graphics standard, or you can upgrade to the GeForce GT 640M card. It comes with 6GB of RAM in the base configuration, but you can add up to 16GB if you choose. Storage options include the 500GB hard drive and 32GB SSD combination, a 750GB hard drive and 32GB SSD combination, or a 1TB hard drive with 128GB SSD. The 15.6-inch LED display packs full HD (1,920×1,080) resolution. While the XPS 14 eschews an optical drive, its big brother can be equipped with either a traditional DVD burner or Blu-ray drive.

Both models include the usual connectivity choices — built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0 ports, and mini DisplayPort and HDMI connections — but only the XPS 14 appears to offer mobile broadband options. Other upgrades include Dell ProSupport and Accidental Damage Service or Windows Trusted Platform Module with BitLocker Data Encryption.

Both systems will be available starting today, with the XPS 14 starting at $1,099 and the XPS 15 priced from $1,299.

Source:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/computers/dell-xps-14-and-15-laptops-get-long-awaited-design-refresh-ivy-bridge-processors/8375