A look at Samsung's Series 5 550 Chromebook

Indeed, the name "Chromebook" comes from the fact that the laptop is running the so-called Chrome OS - basically an embedded version of Google's Chrome Web browser. If you've used the Chrome browser on Windows or Mac, you know that it asks you to log in, and then it syncs your bookmarks, Google identity, Google Docs, and Google Drive files. The Chromebook works the same way, except there's no way out of that browser. Apps can run on a Chromebook, but they're Web apps; they load through the browser.

That's not to say the Chromebook can't do anything offline: it can read files and play movies and music anytime. And Chrome OS has gotten better at file compatibility PowerPoint, Word docs, Excel files, ZIP files, and PDFs all load well and look great. You can't edit documents without first uploading to Google Docs, though. Photos can be viewed and even lightly edited with brightness and contrast adjustments, rotation, and cropping. The files can be resaved or uploaded to Picasa.

Our experience with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook last year left us underwhelmed: it had smoothly running hardware and a clean operating system, but with such a limited set of uses compared with Windows, a high sticker price of over $400, and the requirement of being online to use most apps like Google Docs, the Chromebook didn't add up to a logical choice for anyone other than a Google cloud devotee. A year later, the new Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 has slightly improved hardware and improved Chrome OS software, but its price - a whopping $449, or $549 with a Verizon 3G wireless antenna - is flat-out crazy.

Here's the biggest problem with the Chromebook: the hardware's fine, and the simplified Web-based OS is clever, and even versatile if you don't mind its limitations. Still, it's a radically reduced subset of what you can get on a Windows or Mac laptop...or even an iPad or Android tablet, for that matter. Yet, it costs more than a new iPad 2, a thinner, keyboard-enabled Android tablet like the Asus Transformer Pad, or a fully featured 11-inch ultraportable laptop like the AMD-powered HP dm1z. If the Chromebook were $99, this could have been a revolutionary product. As it currently stands, it's merely an invitation to pay a lot of money to be part of a Google experiment.

Google New Chrome Box hurdles Apple Mac Mini

Google Chromebox challenges Apple Mac Mini. Google has launched a New Chromebook laptop and a new, Mac Mini-style Chromebox that it hopes will boost its Chrome OS operating system.  The devices both use the latest version of Chrome OS, the expanded version of Google's popular web browser that can power an entire new model of computer.

Chrome OS has proved popular with some educational establishments and some businesses because it is automatically upgraded to the latest version and reduces the need for IT departments to manage anti-virus systems. Despite this, the existing laptops, made by Samsung and Acer, have failed to capture the consumer imagination, and overall sales have been low.

300,000 Chromebooks offer will be sold this year, accounting for less than 1 per cent of the laptop market. The two new devices include an improved, faster laptop, the Series 5, and a smaller box that will plug into existing monitors or televisions to provide access to the latest Chrome OS on a new platform. Google's Linus Upson said the Chromebox had been developed by engineers who "wanted something to plug in to their TVs and play media through", but denied that it challenged Google's existing Google TV products.

Many users have bought Mac Mini computers as media PCs. Chrome OS currently relies heavily on a network connection, and until recently had neither a Windows-style desktop nor a file management system. Incremental upgrades have made offline access to Gmail possible, and offline access to documents is also launching soon.

A beta version is already available. Within the next two months, Google will also integrate Chrome OS with Google Drive, which it says will automatically back up all file whenever the machines can connect to the web. It has also recently added the ability to pin apps to the taskbar and to resize windows. A growing number of Chrome apps are available and Google says it is committed to reducing the limitations on what Chrome OS can do when it does not have access to the web.

The new Chromebook runs 2.5x faster than existing models, and the Chromebox runs 3.5x faster. Both models use an Intel Core processor and contain 16gb of flash memory. They will cost £379 and £279 respectively. Models from other manufacturers are also expected to be released soon. Google said Chrome OS could now open more file types than ever before, including Microsoft Office documents and PDFs, and added that the bid to sell Chromebooks would include a new push to introduce so-called 'Chromezones' in Best Buy shops across America. London's flagship brand of PC World featured Google's first retail store.

The new models will be for sale online and in store. Prices for the New Chromebook, called the Samsung Series 5 550, are similar to those for existing models. A range of analysts has suggested that Chrome could take off as a PC for those who are unfamiliar with computers, or people needing a cheap basic laptop, but stressed that the new, second generation models were still a new concept.

What's in the Dell XPS One 2710?

Dell XPS One 2710

There are more 27-inch all-in-one personal computers in the marketplace these days, but very few are value big dollars. Some are unsuccessful on the design, while others are unsuccessful on the audio. The Dell XPS One 2710 ($1,999 direct) controls to put almost every technological innovation and function we're looking for in a lightweight and fashionable case. And it has fantastic efficiency, thanks to its new Primary i7 (Ivy Bridge) brand and Nvidia GeForce (Kepler) design. If you're a press fanatic, this is the pc you're looking for. It's our new Editors' Option for high-end all-in-one pc PCs.

Design and Features
The latest XPS One gives up the past two-peg leg and easel style in support of a cleanser platform and lightweight arm style. The pc's inner elements are designed into the display case, linked with the platform via that lightweight arm. The depend gives the individual a respectable amount of point, flexible most placed and status roles. The platform doesn't rotating, and there's no size modification, so it's not actually ideal, but you will get identical watching perspectives as the HP Omni 27 ($1,249 immediate, 4 stars) and Apple company iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,999 record, 4 stars). The display itself is sharp and shiny with reasonable watching perspectives and 2,560 by 1,440 quality. The display is huge enough to perform as a mid-sized HDTV as well as a huge display all-in-one pc PC.

There's an aerial port on the returning and built-in TV Receiver for over-the-air programming. The HDMI-in position performs with settop bins from your wire company, and the program comes with an IR blaster to management those settop bins. The top side section has a touch-sensitive and backlit row of smooth important factors. The smooth important factors management on-screen functions like lighting, comparison, etc. The top-mounted HD web camera can be moved off with a actual change, useful for the privacy-obsessed. You can also use the web camera for signing into the program, once the experience identification application understands your experience. Like other all-in-ones with displays that flow above the platform, you can shop the laptop key pad under the display when you're not using it.

Feature-wise, the XPS One 2710 has made quite a few brilliant alternatives. For one, Dell has jettisoned USB 2.0 slots entirely. Instead, this program has six USB 3.0 slots. This allows remove end individual misunderstandings, as there is no "wrong" position for your quick exterior USB 3.0 disk generate (remember: USB 3.0 slots are still backward-compatible to USB 2.0 devices). One of the two side-mounted USB slots is a "Sleep Charge" position which will stay dynamic even though the program is off. That way, you can cost your product or phone.

About the only nits I could find are that the USB 3.0 slots aren't shaded red as they are on many USB 3.0 difficult disks. It's a slight nit, since all of the USB slots are USB 3.0, but the exercise still dollars present fantastic styles. The HDMI-in position allows increase the life of the observe even after the inner CPU is outdated, and the program also comes with HDMI-out, which allows you increase the useful workplace in Ms windows with a second observe.

The program comes with an inner energy, so there's no energy stone filling up your ground. Our evaluation device came with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, so you can use the less populated 5GHz artists for better efficiency (though you need a wireless router is also 5GHz able to use if you want to use the 5GHz bands). There's an IR distant for the built-in TV tuner, and the slot-loading visual generate is a Blu-ray gamer, so you're protected for pleasure alternatives. Discussing of pleasure, the XPS One eschews the pattern of thin speakers and low-volume level found on some all-in-one personal computers like the Asus ET2700INKS-B062C ($1,499 record, 3.5 stars). The audio arriving from the XPS One 2710 was dynamic and distortion-free. Dell uses Surf MaxxAudio 4 audio improvement (think Surpasses without Dre) technological innovation, and it's very effective.

The program comes with no bloatware symbols on the pc when you first start it up. This is good because you want less mess, not more. The involved 2TB disk generate is a lot for the normal family individual, and you can add more with the USB 3.0 slots (with an exterior difficult drive). The 32GB mSATA SSD is a MiniPCIe-sized panel that performs with Intel's Sensible Reaction Technology (SRT) to start the program easily, fill applications easily, and come returning from rest easily. Basically, the 32GB SSD functions like a multiple generate with the 2TB main generate. You can't see the SSD in Ms windows as a individual generate, but you will feel the extra efficiency when in comparison to a identical program without SRT. The XPS One 2710 comes with a conventional one-year assurance.

Performance
The new quad-core Primary i7-3770s brand in the XPS One and the SRT-optimized generate installation achieve great ratings on the conventional assessments. The XPS One results in mature techniques like the Apple company iMac, HP Omni 27, and HP TouchSmart 620-1080 3D ($1,899 immediate, 4 stars) in the dirt on the PCMark 7 conventional, which actions whole-system efficiency. Furthermore, the new Nvidia GeForce GT 640M GPU allows the XPS One obtain useful ratings on Crysis (70 fps) and Missing World 2 (46 fps) at method configurations. While the XPS One does well at the 3D assessments, the AMD Radeon HD 6970 in the iMac allows it stay on top at 3D assessments. The Dell XPS One competitors the iMac on media projects, however. The Dell's 1:09 time on our Handbrake movie encoder analyze and 2:53 on the Photoshop CS5 analyze are faster than the iMac and HP Omni 27. Adequate to say the XPS One is one quick pc PC.

The last Editors' Option for high-end all-in-one personal computers is the HP TouchSmart 610-1065qd ($1,789.99 record, 5 stars). Though that program has a touchscreen display screen and modern point procedure, both technological innovation aren't really necessary for the type of individual that wants the best media pleasure pc in the marketplace, which is what the Dell XPS One 2710 symbolizes. The XPS One 2710 gives the pleasure fanatic great audio, glowing movie, a variety of press resources (Internet running, Blu-ray, downloading, OTA TV tuner), an eye-catching case, plus the energy to make her own press articles. The focus on point changes every once in awhile, but for now, the high-end all-in-one pc to defeat is our new Editors' Option, the Dell XPS One 2710.

Apple can handle the flow rapidly than the MacBook

Apple can handle the flow rapidly than the MacBook. Apple is bumping into supply chain issues for its upcoming MacBooks, according to the folks at DigiTimes. Citing the usual "sources from the upstream supply chain," DigiTimes says that suppliers don't have enough workers to handle the stream of orders from Apple for the new MacBooks.

As such, some are even outsourcing their orders in order to meet Apple's demand for components. Factories in eastern China have already been hit by a shortage of workers, according to Taiwan-based DigiTimes. And even though May and June are traditionally slow times, Apple's need for components for the upcoming MacBooks has left suppliers in the lurch.

Despite the shortage, shipments started last month and are expected to increase in June. The new MacBooks could debut as early as July, DigiTimes noted. That timeframe ties in with a forecast from Deutsche Bank's Chris Whitmore, who expects Apple to launch a new Lion-equipped MacBook Air the same month. 16.240.000-19.200.000 unit number of MacBook shipments could reach anywhere this year, soaring 30 percent to 50 percent from a year ago, according to DigiTimes sources.

Asus Promotion with Teases Transformer Video Technology

Asus Teases Transformer Technology in Video for Computex 2012. Computer maker Asus has released a YouTube teaser video for its Transformer family of products, though the video offers few hints at to what sort of Transformer offerings it is preparing us for, save for a vague refererence to “the shape of the cloud”, which the video describes as “ever-changing beyond time and boundaries. This has led to some speculation that the company is preparing to launch a cloud-based storage or file synching service during the Computex 2012 conference in Taipei.

The video may also be related to new hardware in the company’s Transformers line of Android-based tablets, or perhaps a Transformer tablet running Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system. At the end of the video, which half-mimics the music and visuals of a Hollywood blockbuster’s teaser trailer (complete with gravelly-voiced narrator) Asus suggests further announcements will be made on May 31, in advance of the conference, which runs from June 5 to June 9. Three additional videos are in the works, judging by a landing page for the video on Techinstyle.tv.

While the company is playing coy at the moment, Asus has yet to reveal release dates for its Eee Pad Transformer Infinity, first shown back in February at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) convention in Barcelona, or the PadFone, an Android device that snaps inside a PadFone Station tablet, also first shown at MWC. The next three videos may give viewers a bigger clue as to what Asus is up to.

The PadFone features a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing camera and a quarter-high-definition (qHD) 960 by 540 Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) display with a capacitive multi-touch panel and Gorilla Glass. The PadFone was expected to begin shipping in April, but pricing and other details have not yet been revealed. The Infinity is a cross-platform combination of tablet and notebook, which features full QWERTY keyboard dock and a high-definition touchscreen tablet component.

As it focuses more attention and resources on tablet devices, Asus is reportedly planning to streamline its family of notebooks and netbooks in 2012, consolidating the number of computer models it offers (Asus has around 50 notebook designs), such as the Eee PC line, which will be cut down to five models from 10 models. Meanwhile, a report last week from Taiwanese tech news publication DigiTimes sent the rumor mill into high gear with news that Google and Asus are working on a 7-inch tablet for release in July, with an initial shipment of 600,000 units starting in June, according to unnamed sources “in the supply chain”. The tablet would certainly run on the latest version of Google’s open-source Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, or the upcoming operating system, "Jelly Bean."

New Netbook: Lenovo Ideapad S205s

New Lenovo IdeaPad S205s netbook with up to date 4G wireless technology and you aren’t too concerned with a 2-year contract stipulation, Sprint has got the deal that you want. The deal is for the Lenovo IdeaPad S205s.

Lenovo IdeaPad S205s has 3G and 4G WiMAX potential and costs just around $200 if you sign-up for the 2-year service plan. That is an incredible deal whatever way you slice it, and even with paying for the data plan you’re still getting a great deal on the netbook.

Full specs for the S205s include an 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.33 GHz Intel Pentium dual core U5600 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and a 250GB hard drive. Software-wise, it comes with Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. Fully charged, it holds  about five hours of battery life, so that’s plenty of time for many of your non-plugged in tasks.

And for those of you concerned about weight, it slides in at an easy 3.3 lbs. The S205 line came out in 2011 for $500 from Lenovo, but the new Sprint version has a slightly different makeup as it has an Intel processor and mobile broadband connectivity.

You should always consider data plan costs when purchasing a laptop/wireless combo, and this situation is no different. The cheapest data plan you can buy to get this deal is $49.99/month, so the full price tag for the whole two years is around $1,400. Maybe just a $299 netbook with wifi and 3G tethering will suffice.

All-In-One Dell Inspiron One 2320 with Optional Touch Screen

All-In-One Dell Inspiron One 2320 with Optional Touch Screen. 23" HD display with HD webcam and speed with 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Also includes wireless keyboard and mouse and 90 days of getting started Premium Phone Support.

Design is everything
The streamlined and uncluttered all-in-one design brings simplicity and sleekness to any room in your home. There’s a lot to love about the slender all-in-one design of the Inspiron One 2320:

• The thin, glossy bezel keeps all the attention on the dramatic 23" HD screen.
• It fits easily in any room in the house, and in almost any décor.
• Its slender profile is simple, appealing and saves valuable space.
• Create even more space and mount your Inspiron One 2320 right on the wall with the VESA mount (sold separately).

One stellar screen
Enjoy the vivid colors and sharp images of optional discrete graphics on an impressive 23" HD LCD WLED backlighting. All eyes will be focused on this irresistible 23" high-definition 1080p LCD with WLED backlighting,

• Choose the optional 23" touchscreen and start a whole new interactive adventure.
• Immerse yourself in vivid, in-the-action visuals with optional discrete graphics.
• Opt for Blu-Ray and the whole family will enjoy a Full HD entertainment experience.

The perfect fit
The wireless keyboard fits perfectly under the display, creating a clean, clutter-free area. And there’s only one power cord. It’s that simple.The wireless keyboard & mouse fit perfectly under the Inspiron One 2320, and also coordinate well with this sleek desktop’s glossy design. And with just one power cord for all your interactive adventures, you’ll relish its clean and streamlined presence in any office, family or play area in your home.

Interactive is the name of the game
With the optional touch screen the kids can explore their creative side and use their fingers on touch apps such as YouPaint. Fun abounds with the interactive touchscreen. Explore touch applications like Sticky Notes, which lets you write onscreen messages for all to see. Two kids can play touch-optimized games like Dodge, YouPaint or Bug Garden at once. You can also:

• Web conference with family and friends with the HD webcam and enhanced audio.
• Swiftly transfer photos and videos to the Inspiron One with the built-in media card reader.
• Listen to your favorite music playlists on the awesome high-fidelity JBL® speakers.

Easy access to your world
Get fast, easy access to photos, music and videos with Dell™ Stage software. Then keep this content updated across all your supported devices with SyncUP powered by Nero. Opt for the touchscreen and grab all that matters most to you with the touch of a finger:

• Dell Stage offers one-touch access to your photo library, music playlists and video collection.
• Your most recent content is always front and center and looks fabulous on this impressive 23" HD display.
• Social networkers in the family will find it easy to edit and share photos.

You can even keep your files up-to-date on all supported devices on your home network with SyncUP powered by Nero. It detects all new photos, music and videos across the family’s network of supported smartphones and tablets and syncs them to your Inspiron One 2320. So all your latest content is updated effortlessly.

Performance everyone will enjoy
Feel the power of high performance right at your fingertips with Intel® Core™ processors on your Inspiron™ One 2320. Feel the power of high performance and enjoy excellent productivity with Intel® Core™ i processors, up to 8GB* DDR3 memory and up to Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64Bit . That means faster photo and video editing, stunning movie watching, seamless multitasking and enjoying a smooth experience as everyone in the family runs their favorite applications and interactive games. *GB means 1 billion bytes and TB equals 1 trillion bytes; significant system memory may be used to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors.

Available for you: AMD Radeon HD 7970M

In two notebooks, AMD Radeon HD 7970M is now available and should be shipping in 2-3 weeks according to AVADirect. The HD 7970M features 1280 pixel shaders, a 256-bit memory bus, and 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. It is the single fastest mobile graphics card available. 

AVADirect is currently offering it in two Clevo notebooks: The P150EM and P170EM, which have 15.6" and 17.3" screens, respectively. Pricing starts at a tad over $1,600 for both models. The HD 7970M is a $210 upgrade over the base Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M.

P150EM Product

• Item Code: NBK-CLV-P150EM
• The current gaming laptop configuration is priced at: $1597.11
• Price shown will be adjusted in the checkout with respect to shipping and taxes (where required)

P170EM Product

• Item Code: NBK-CLV-P170EM
• The current gaming laptop configuration is priced at: $1652.11
• Price shown will be adjusted in the checkout with respect to shipping and taxes (where required)

Use custom gaming laptop build configurator at the bottom of this page to upgrade or downgrade components to fit specifications into your budget and requirements.

Why Diablo III is the Fastest-Selling PC Activity Ever

Diablo III has become the fastest-selling PC bet on all-time, with more than 4.7 thousand players simply clicking the devils away on release day. Blizzard marketed 3.5 thousand duplicates of Diablo III in the first 24 time, the creator declared, and another 1.2 thousand players obtained the sport for free as part of a World of World of Warcraft Yearly Complete marketing. One weeks time after release, more than 6.3 thousand players had registered the fray-not keeping track of players in Japanese Internet game locations, where Diablo III also obtained a history discuss of playtime.

There are, of course, a number of apparent factors why Diablo III was such a hit: It had a lot of buzz around it, and a lot of expectation, coming 12 decades after its forerunner. But allow me to recommend a few other, less apparent factors for Diablo III's rapid success:

Instant Availability
Diablo III's history sales are proof of the energy of electronic submission. Before release, players could pay for the sport, obtain the information and set up all the necessary areas. Anyone who got trapped in the buzz could put down their money without getting up from their workstations and know that the sport would be willing to perform on release day. This wasn't just a pre-order, it was a pre-launch. Game playing system creators would be sensible to consist of identical systems in their next technology of components. (And yes, the release itself was a clutter. Blizzard says it's sorry about that.)

PC Gaming's High Season
Last Nov, after a one fourth of large development for Nvidia design cards, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang described that PC gaming is cyclical. It becomes more eye-catching as home movie games get mature, because they can't keep up with the handling energy of a new PC. Right now is excellent here we are at PC gaming, and Diablo III capitalized on this.

Changing Tastes
Though I can't back this up with research, I suppose that the modifying preferences of players has made Diablo more eye-catching over the decades. RPGs have always experienced a dedicated viewers, but through console visits like Huge Impact, Borderlands, Results 3 and Skyrim, the concept of making a personality and modifying him or her with new abilities and weaponry has become a popular concept for movie games. Diablo's bicycling of eliminating bad folks, gathering recover the cash and questing up is now a formula for AAA visits, so more players may be responsive to the sequence than they were 12 decades ago. At least that's why I dove in, despite having never performed a Diablo game before.

Review: Asus All-in-One PC ET2700INKS

The good: The Asus ET2700I is unique for its 27-inch display, a fast Core i7 GPU, and a discrete Nvidia graphics chip.
The bad: Like other 27-inch Windows all-in-ones, the Asus' 1080p resolution hurts its appeal next to the higher-resolution 27-inch iMac.
The bottom line: The Asus ET2700I will meet the needs of anyone searching for a fast, large-screen all-in-one for mainstream home entertainment and general-purpose productivity.

Review: Asus All-in-One PC ET2700INKS

HP debuted the first 27-inch Windows all-in-one earlier this year. Now Asus follows suit with its ET2700I. Like HP, Asus charges a reasonable premium for its large display, asking $1,399 for a system that might otherwise cost around $1,000 with the same components and a 24-inch LCD. None of these 27-inchers has the same high resolution as Apple's large iMacs, making them a better fit as home entertainment PCs than productivity workstations. Should you choose the Asus system over the HP? If overall performance and budget gaming capability are important to you, yes.

Asus offers a few different versions of the 27-inch ET2700I. This one is the most expensive, thanks to its Core i7 CPU, a discrete Nvidia graphics card, a Blu-ray drive and a standalone subwoofer unit that plugs into the side of the system.

I haven't seen an all-in-one with a breakout subwoofer before. It seems like a reasonable way to differentiate the system, but the effort is marred by underpowered hardware. Asus sends power and the audio signal to the sub via a single audio cable. The unit provides a slight boost to the bass output, but even at max volume and all of the various software effects enabled, the audio isn't what you would call room-filling. At the higher volume levels, the output also lost some integrity.

Cheap subwoofer aside, the 27-inch screen is the highlight of the ET2700I. The resolution tops out at 1,920x1,080 pixels. That's plenty for most non-professional users, and movies, games, and other media content will look great. You might be disappointed if you want a giant screen to cram full of open windows for multitasking. Professional digital image editors and others will also likely prefer the 27-inch iMac's denser 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution.

Also note that the ET2700I does not have a touch screen. Multiple PC vendors have told me that getting touch on a 27-inch display is prohibitively expensive. That didn't stop Lenovo and others from exhibiting touch-enabled 27-inchers at this year's CES, but whether those systems actually come to market here in the United States is another question.

It's worth noting that without touch, upgrading to Windows 8 later this year might feel rather pointless. How that might factor in to your present-day buying decision depends on what you think of Microsoft's ability to spur the development of compelling touch applications. For this system today, I expect most potential buyers won't find the lack of touch a deal killer. Get the full article >>>