CES 2012: One Laptop per Child -- but get a tablet too!
Subject: Mobile, Shows and Expos | January 9, 2012 - 01:19 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: tablet, OLPC, CES 2012, CES
While tablets are so CES 2011, that does not stop that segment of consumer products from having a large showing at CES this year. You might consider them be a year too slate to the party, but that would have too many layers of pun-laden irony. One Laptop per Child Association (OLPCA) and OLPC Foundation (OLPCF) are non-profit organizations responsible for the popular One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. OLPC is responsible for highly affordable laptops aimed at the education of youth with a particular focus on developing countries. OLPC’s XO-3 is the project’s latest announced product and their attempt at an educational tablet.
Just a touch of Sugar…
Photo Credit: The Verge
Joanna Stern from The Verge conducted an interview with Ed McNierney, CTO of OLPC, to examine the product. While the specific system internals is not precisely known apart from their use of an ARM-based processor backed with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of permanent storage, there are two noteworthy comments regarding their ports. Firstly, while the power adapter is apparently a custom design, it is done in such a way that permits voltages between 10 and 25 volts; specifically, the OLPC is very apathetic when it comes to the purity of the inbound power and can even be charged by OLPC’s hand-crank generator. The other point-of-note for the XO-3 regards its audio jack: it is designed to be extensible to various non-auditory input devices such as a thermometer. This is not a tablet that you should be expecting under your tree both because it is not your typical consumer tablet as well as it not having a set release date -- and why do you still have gifts under your tree in January anyway? When the tablet does launch, it is expected to come along with a price-tag below $100.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Hybrid Demonstration Video
Subject: Mobile, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2012 - 10:07 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: Thinkpad, Lenovo, hybrid, CES
Earlier in the weekend we heard about Lenovo's new ThinkPad X1 Hybrid notebook that combines standard Intel x86 hardware with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running an open-source Linux OS. While you will not be able to run both pieces of hardware at the same time the Media Mode allows you to put the Windows OS and hardware to sleep and run the light-weight OS with about double the battery life.
Lenovo was on hand at CES Unveiled to give us a walk through of how the feature really works. Take a look!
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
Acer Launches New "AcerCloud" Cloud Service
Subject: General Tech | January 8, 2012 - 09:42 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sync, streaming, cloud, CES, acer
Last summer Acer purchased a cloud-service company for $325 million, and now that we are at CES the reason for the acquisition is apparent. According to Cnet, Acer is launching a new cloud service. Dubbed the "AcerCloud," the new service allows users to stream and sync files between Windows computers and Android mobile devices. Acer Chairman J. T. Wang stated that the company is "determined to make it very successful and sustainable."
The new cloud service will launch with three applications to facilitate streaming and syncing photos, music, videos, and documents. These apps are named Clear.fi Photo, Clear.fi Media, and AcerCloud Docs. The company is going to integrate the cloud streaming service with their ultrabook lineup. AcerCloud is only the first of many cloud streaming services to emerge recently. Amazon Cloud Drive Service, Google Music, and Apple's iCloud are just a few of the popular streaming services that Acer has to compete with. That's before taking into account syncing services like Dropbox, Sugar Sync, and SpiderOak among others. Needless to say, the AcerCloud is going to have quite a bit of competition to contend with. Whether their proprietary cloud can carve a niche into the market filled with platform agnostic alternatives remains to be seen; however, competition is a good thing and Acer is likely not (going to be) the last company to launch a cloud service of its own this year.
Do you use any of the streaming and/or syncing services? What would it take to give Acer's solution a try?
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
New Lenovo IdeaPad and IdeaCentre Products Hit CES
Subject: Systems, Mobile | January 8, 2012 - 08:59 PM | Matt Smith
Tagged: Lenovo, Ideapad, ideacentre, CES
As reported earlier, Lenovo has announced a number of new ThinkPad products for the upcoming year. But that is only a drop in the bucket compared to the tsunami of IdeaPad and IdeaCenter consumer PCs on the way from the company.
Let’s start with the most premium, the Lenovo U series. It will be updated by the U310 and U410 models with Intel Core processors and optional SSD storage. The larger U410 will include GeForce 610M discrete graphics, as well. The smaller U310 weighs just 3.74 pounds and measures .7 inches thick, while the U410 is a slightly chunkier 4.18 pounds and .83 inches thick. Price start at a surprisingly low $699.
On the opposite side of pricing we have the new S200 and S206, two netbooks – er, I mean, “mini-laptops.” They feature the now popular 11.6” display size, are only .81 inches thick and weight 2.8 pounds. You’ll have your pick of Intel Atom or AMD Fusion processors, as well as your pick of color options like Cotton-Candy Pink, Crimson Red, and Electric Blue. You’ll have to shell out only $349 to grab a basic model.
Also updated is the vastness of Lenovo’s mainstream laptop offerings. The Z580/480/380 has been re-designed to accommodate newer hardware, such as optional GT640M graphics. The Y480/Y580 also have been updated to include support for new optional GTX 660M graphics and luxury features like a backlit keyboard (on the Y580). Last – and most certainly least – Lenovo is expanding the G series to include the G480/580/780. These are “essential” laptops, which means “budget” in Lenovo’s vocabulary. The Z series starts at $599, the Y series at $899, and the G series at $399.
If you’re interested in All-in-One computers, Lenovo has plenty that may be of interest you this CES. The company has unveiled updates to its high-performance AIOs in the form of the B540 and B340, which have 23” and 21.5” touchscreens respectively. Both of these have built-in TV tuners and now, unlike with previous models, it’s possible to watch TV through these systems without turning on the PC itself. Both have Intel processors, full HD displays, and the B540 will feature optional GT 650M graphics. These high-end AIOs start at $699.
Lower on the totem pole we have the traditional desktop PCs. Lenovo is offering two new options in this aging market. One is the performance-oriented K430 (starting at $599), which includes Intel processors and can be upgraded with Nvidia SLI or ATI CrossFireX dual-graphics solutions for hardcore gamers. The other is the Lenovo H520s, a simple slim system designed for the average home user that is remarkable only because of its low price of $499.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
Acer Details Two New Ultrabooks Ahead of CES
Subject: Mobile | January 8, 2012 - 04:23 PM | Matt Smith
Tagged: CES
CES hasn’t officially started yet, but Acer has already leaked out details about two of its new ultrabooks. The Timeline Ultra and the Acer Aspire S5.
The Timeline Ultra will be the first available to consumers, with an expected release in Q1 2012. It will be just 20mm (.78 inches) thick and come in both 14-inch and 15-inch models.
Acer is claiming 8 hours of battery life. As you might expect, the Ultra will be powered by Intel Core processors and include HDMI, USB 3.0 and optinal solid state drives. More surprising is the inclusion of a slim optical drive and dedicated graphics. Unfortunately, the exact GPU available is not yet disclosed.
The Acer Aspire S5, planned for a later release in Q2 2012, is no more than 15mm (.59 inches) thick – making it the world’s thinnest ultrabook. Of course, this may only last as long as the next manufacturer’s press announcement, but you get the point. It’s really, really thin.
The laptop is available with a 13.3” display and will weigh in 1.35kg (about 3 pounds). Connectivity includes HDMI, Thunderbolt and USB 3.0. Internal hardware will include Intel Core low-voltage processors and solid state hard drives.
Both laptops use Acer Instant On, which should allow the laptop to start from sleep in under 2 seconds, and Acer Always Connect, which allows the laptop to wake from sleep based on a command from a remote device, such as a smartphone.
Images unfortunately are not yet available, but you can click through below to read the full press release on both laptops.
OCZ shows a new R4 - the Z-Drive R4 CloudServ, with 16 (!) SandForce 2200 SSD's!
Subject: Storage, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2012 - 04:10 PM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: z-drive, ssd, r4, pcie, ocz, CES
OCZ has a monster of a Z-Drive R4 on display at Storage Visions. We looked at the original 1.6TB R4 back in September. That one had 8 SF-2200 controllers on-board. This new R4 has 16!
This R4 has a beast of a VCA 2.0 controller. It's cooled by heat pipes, can handle up to 16 SATA links, address up to 16TB of storage, and pass up to 1.4 million IOPS across a PCIe bus at 6.5GB/sec (yes, GigaBytes). Note: this is not the R5, it's just a *really* fast R4.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012: OCZ Chiron is world's fastest and highest capacity SATA SSD
Subject: Storage, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2012 - 04:02 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: CES, ocz, chiron, sata, ssd
OCZ is taking the lid off of even more SSD products at CES 2012 and we have another pretty impressive piece of hardware called the Chiron to show. Basically a follow up to the OCZ Colossus drive we reviewed back in November of 2009, the Chiron claims to be the fastest and highest capacity SATA-based SSD.
The Chiron will be available in capacities of up to 4TB and will fit in the standard 3.5-in form factor of traditional hard drives. This would enable users to finally use SSDs for their mass storage though prices will likely be the limiting factor for some time to come. Server OEMs will be able to deploy up to 96TB of SSD-based storage in a standard 4U rackmount server.
Based on OCZ's upcoming Indilinx Everest II controller, the Chiron will have transfer rates as high as 560 MB/s and over 100,000 4k IOPS.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012: OCZ shows DDR based SATA 6Gb/sec aeonDrive
Subject: Storage, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2012 - 03:45 PM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: ssd, ocz, CES, aeondrive
Today at Storage Visions we saw OCZ displaying their new aeonDrive. This is a pure RAM based SSD meant for high end database applications where thousands of random writes per second take place continuously.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012: OCZ Shows Lightfoot, Thunderbolt External SATA Drive
Subject: Storage, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2012 - 03:01 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: thunderbolt, ssd, ocz, lightfoot, CES
Today at the Storage Visions conference before the start of CES 2012, OCZ was on hand to show off a few new items they have planned for the year. First up is the Lightfoot, a successor to the OCZ Enyo external USB 3.0 SSD that we reviewed and really enjoyed our time with.
As you can see it looks quite a bit bigger than the original Enyo and that is on account of the increased storage capacity. You can expect to see sizes as high as 1TB and it will also be available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
Here is the Thunderbolt connector that many a Mac user and, hopefully soon, PC users will be able to take advantage of for improved throughput with transfer rates as high as 750 MB/s quoted by OCZ.
OCZ claims that the one of the benefits of moving to the Thunderbolt interconnect is improved latency and highly accurate time synchronization that will allow for professional audio and video work to be done directly on the drive. We are pretty eager to see if this is the case...
The time frame for this device is still unknown but we'll see if we can get more information this week by asking the right people.
UPDATE: OCZ is telling us that Lightfoot will cost about $2/GB, so that 1TB model will run around $2000. For those a bit more frugal, you can get the 128GB option for something like $250.
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2012 Day 0 Podcast - 1/7/2012
Subject: Editorial, General Tech | January 8, 2012 - 02:20 AM | Ken Addison
Tagged: ultrabook, podcast, nvidia, Intel, CES, amd
PC Perspective CES 2012 Day 0 - 1/7/2012
Join us tonight as we talk about our CES predictions for this year, from Las Vegas!
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Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Josh Walrath, Matt Smith and Allyn Malventano
PC Perspective's CES 2012 coverage is sponsored by MSI Computer.
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