| Dell XPS 14 review: a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge and graphics might Jun 26th 2012, 07:00  While we can't say that we universally liked Dell's first attempt at an Ultrabook, the XPS 13 we reviewed about three months ago, we can quite confidently say that it earned our respect. Here was a smartly styled, sophisticated machine free of stickers and bloatware from a company that, let's be honest, has delivered its share of each over the years. That machine was far from perfect, but it showed a purity of vision in design that you couldn't help but acknowledge. So where do you go from there? Why, you go bigger of course. Meet the new Dell XPS 14, successor in name only to a model that went out of production over a year ago. It is, as you might have guessed, an inch larger than the XPS 13 and so has more room for ports and pixels -- but there's more to it than that. In some ways this feels like a more polished machine than the 13 that came before, and it's certainly faster but it, too, is far from perfect. Join us for a joyous exploration of why. Continue reading Dell XPS 14 review: a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge and graphics might Dell XPS 14 review: a 14-inch Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge and graphics might originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Dell outs XPS 14 with optional mobile broadband, XPS 15 with Kepler graphics Jun 26th 2012, 07:00  Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook has been rather lonely since it launched in early 2012, but the company is introducing two new laptops to round out the updated XPS line. Today it announced the 14-inch XPS 14 and the 15-inch XPS 15, both of which feature the same aluminum chassis as the XPS 13 and run Core i5 or Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors. The XPS 14 Ultrabook will be available in two configurations, both of which include a backlit keyboard and a 400-nit, 1600 x 900 display. The main difference between the two models is connectivity: the higher-end XPS 14 comes with integrated mobile broadband and uses Dell's NetReady "pay as you go" service to get online when Wi-Fi is out of range. Both versions come with up to 8GB of RAM and can be configured with a 500GB drive spinning at 5,400 RPM paired with a 32GB SSD or a standalone 512GB SSD, and the WWAN model comes standard with a 500GB drive with a free fall sensor on board. Another difference is graphics: the base model ships with Intel HD Graphics 4000, while the WWAN model offers an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M GPU. Dell claims the notebook provides up to 11 hours of runtime, "the longest battery life of any Ultrabook." The XPS 14 starts at $1,099 and is available today. It just so happens that we've already taken the laptop for a full test drive: check out our review here. Next up is the XPS 15, which weighs 5.79 pounds and sports a 1920 x 1080 Corning Gorilla Glass display. The laptop includes either a DVD-RW or Blu-Ray drive and comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. As far as graphics go, you get a choice of NVIDIA's GeForce GT 630M chip with 1GB of dedicated memory or GeForce GT 640M graphics with 2GB of RAM. Pricing starts at $1,299, and like the XPS 14 this laptop is available today. Check out our hands-on gallery below. Continue reading Dell outs XPS 14 with optional mobile broadband, XPS 15 with Kepler graphics Dell outs XPS 14 with optional mobile broadband, XPS 15 with Kepler graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | PLX's XWave Sport gives brainwave interfaces a casual look, triggers '80s flashbacks Jun 26th 2012, 05:38  Brainwave-guided interfaces are common. Most of the time, though, they're not what we'd call subtle. PLX Devices hopes to have that licked through the XWave Sport, a brain interface that disguises all its sensors through a fuzzy, exercise-friendly headband. Underneath the incredibly 1980s-retro (but washable!) look, you'll get about six hours per charge of tracking for concentration, relaxation and other noggin-related data that can transmit over Bluetooth to apps for Android, iOS or old-fashioned PCs. An SDK is available now, but pre-orders for the $100 XWave Sport won't ship until September 20th. That should give us enough time to perfect our Flashdance reenactments. PLX's XWave Sport gives brainwave interfaces a casual look, triggers '80s flashbacks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  PLX Devices | Email this | Comments | |
