| ASUS shows off its Open Cloud Computing with a dash of sci-fi, teen angst (video) Jun 4th 2012, 13:06  ASUS has been touting Open Cloud Computing as the glue that unites its new devices at Computex, but it hasn't been very specific as to what that meant. Rather than just give us the dry details, though, ASUS has chosen to sum it all up in a slightly surreal video illustrating how its cloud solves the travails of friends and family. Web storage comes up often for sharing files across the Internet -- apparently, by reaching through clouds -- and is joined by Open Help for sorting out frustrated parents, Open Link for helping woe-is-me teenagers finish high school projects on their Padfones, Vibe for sharing media and Waveface for coordinating a thank you event with everyone. Apart from being a bit trippy, the promo has more than a small dose of science fiction: although we've seen some future product concepts from ASUS before, we're pretty sure there's no holographic watches and virtual assistants on the short-term roadmap. If you can reconcile that with practical reality, you'll be ready for the video after the story jump. Continue reading ASUS shows off its Open Cloud Computing with a dash of sci-fi, teen angst (video) ASUS shows off its Open Cloud Computing with a dash of sci-fi, teen angst (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Canon's waterproof PowerShot D20 now shipping: customers who purchased this item also loved Swimmies and flip-flops Jun 4th 2012, 12:18  Planning on trekking down to Costa Rica this summer? How's about a jaunt to Moorea? Or, you know, the local YMCA. Wherever your summer (or winter, for those south of the magical equator) journeys take you, Canon's PowerShot D20 is eager and willing to capture memories without worrying over being splished or splashed. The aforesaid waterproof camera -- a healthy refresh to the D10 we so loved years back -- is now shipping, with Amazon listing it at $309. For those who've forgotten, there's a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, a 5x image-stabilized zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, inbuilt GPS tracking for the avid geotaggers (which sadly doesn't work underwater) and a three-inch LCD 'round back. Feeling the urge? Hit the source links below to exchange currency for hardware. Canon's waterproof PowerShot D20 now shipping: customers who purchased this item also loved Swimmies and flip-flops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  About |  NewEgg, Amazon | Email this | Comments | | Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800 Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  After Sony teased its first Ultrabook at CES, what happened next was a bit anti-climactic: it was announced for the European market... with last-gen, Sandy Bridge processors. Now, though, the company is back with two pieces of good news: the 13-inch VAIO T13 is headed to the US as well, and will pack Intel's latest Ivy Bridge CPUs after all. (If you were expecting the 11-inch T11, it looks like it's not being sold in the states.) As a refresher, the T13 is fashioned out of brushed silver aluminum, has a 13-inch (1366 x 768) display and weighs approximately 3.5 pounds -- a tad heavy for a 13-inch Ultrabook. On the bright side, that .71-inch-thick chassis makes room for a healthy selection of ports, including USB 3.0 and 2.0, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA and an SD slot. The one amenity you won't find? A backlit keyboard. Even more interesting is the cost: if you think Sony products rest too heavily on brand cache, the T series starts at $800, about as low as Ultrabook prices have fallen so far. At the entry level, it comes with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive combined with a 32GB solid-state drive for faster boot-ups -- pretty typical specs for the money. Willing to spend more? You can max out with a Core i7 CPU and 256GB SSD. Expect it to hit shelves sometime this month, and for now feel free to peruse those glossy press shots below. Continue reading Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800 Sony's VAIO T13 Ultrabook coming to the US this month with Ivy Bridge in tow, prices start at $800 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony updates VAIO E Series, intros E 14P bundle with LL Cool J branding and music editing software Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  We already got a taste of Sony's new E series laptops when they were announced for the European market last month, but today brings confirmation that these models are arriving stateside as well The VAIO E 11, 14 and 15 all feature a new "wrap" design and a 1366 x 768 screen resolution, and the two larger models include backlit keyboards. Starting from the bottom, the 11-inch VAIO E goes for $449 and is the only laptop of the three with an AMD processor. The 14-incher runs a second-gen Intel Core CPU (read: Sandy Bridge) and is available in white, black and pink, while the 15-inch model can be configured with second- or third-generation Intel processors and sports a brushed-aluminum finish. Sony is also offering a special E 14P model as part of its so-called LL Cool J Boomdizzle bundle. The 14-incher sports a black and red wrap design, runs an Ivy Bridge CPU and comes with LL's Boomdizzle MyConnect Studio app for recording and editing music. For the money -- $899, to be precise -- you also get Sony headphones and Dolby Home Theatre v4 Audio Technology. Continue reading Sony updates VAIO E Series, intros E 14P bundle with LL Cool J branding and music editing software Sony updates VAIO E Series, intros E 14P bundle with LL Cool J branding and music editing software originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony's multimedia-centric VAIO F gets folded into new 15-inch VAIO S 15 Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  Sony is using its latest product announcement to trim the fat off of its line-up, and one of the casualties will be its multimedia-centric VAIO F Series. Of course, the company won't be ditching entertainment laptops altogether -- it's just consolidating the VAIO F line into the VAIO S Series, specifically the VAIO S 15. To further confuse the switch-up, the VAIO SE (that's E for entertainment) is also being folded into the new S 15. Identity confusion aside, what you get here is a 15.5-inch, 1080p IPS display, NVIDIA graphics with up to 2GB of VRAM and various Ivy Bridge processor options (up to a quad-core Core i7 CPU). The 15-inch S Series will start at $1,000 and will be available in black and silver. Sony says it's good for light gaming, and especially media streaming and programs like AutoCAD. Like the other new VAIO systems, the S 15 will be available this month. Check out the gallery and press info below. Continue reading Sony's multimedia-centric VAIO F gets folded into new 15-inch VAIO S 15 Sony's multimedia-centric VAIO F gets folded into new 15-inch VAIO S 15 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony announces new VAIO L all-in-one with Ivy Bridge, thinner design Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  Along with refreshing its various VAIO laptop lines, Sony is updating its L Series all-in-one. The new L24 has -- surprise! -- a 24-inch display with the same X-Reality chip used in Sony's Bravia televisions. This time around, the company went with an edge-to-edge design for the multitouch display, and picture-in-picture for juggling TV watching and actual work. As you can imagine, that multitouch screen will come in handy once Windows 8 gets the green light from Microsoft. Other changes include a slot DVD rather than a tray-loading one, and thinner dimensions for the PC, mouse and keyboard. The base $1,299 configuration comes with a Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, and a glasses-free 3D version will be available for $1,999 later this summer. For storage, you get a 1, 2 or 3TB drive, and Sony says there will also be NVIDIA graphics options. Intrigued? We've got photos and the full PR below. Continue reading Sony announces new VAIO L all-in-one with Ivy Bridge, thinner design Filed under: Desktops Sony announces new VAIO L all-in-one with Ivy Bridge, thinner design originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony refreshes VAIO Z series with Ivy Bridge, price now starts at $1,600 without the docking station Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  In case you didn't notice, Sony completely revamped its laptop lineup this morning. Unlike some of the other models on offer, the high-end Z series didn't get a redesign, but Sony at least took the opportunity to refresh it with new Ivy Bridge processors. Oh, and lower the starting price. The Z will no longer be bundled with the Power Media Dock, that external hub housing both a discrete GPU and optical drive. As such, the laptop will now start at $1,600, down from $2,000, while the dock will retail for an additional $400. Spec-wise, the Z still weighs a scant 2.6 pounds, but it's now constructed from carbon fiber and will be offered with a glossy finish. It will also be available with quad-core Ivy Bridge CPUs, though the starting model's processor is dual-core. Otherwise, it offers nearly the same specs as the model we reviewed last year, including a 1080p display and solid-state RAID drives. Look for the refresh sometime this month, and in the meantime we've included pics below to jog your memory on what this guy looks like. Continue reading Sony refreshes VAIO Z series with Ivy Bridge, price now starts at $1,600 without the docking station Sony refreshes VAIO Z series with Ivy Bridge, price now starts at $1,600 without the docking station originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Sony unveils VAIO S13 and S13p laptops with Ivy Bridge, prices start at $900 Jun 4th 2012, 11:00  In addition to all the other new laptops it announced today, Sony refreshed its mid-range S Series with a new look, and consolidated its two 13-inch models, the SA and SB lines, into one model, now called the VAIO S13. (There's also a more business-oriented version called the S13p, which we'll tell you about in just a moment). Thanks to a magnesium, aluminum and carbon fiber construction, it's fairly lightweight, at 3.8 pounds. Spec-wise, Sony went with Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processors, though this time around, it's missing switchable graphics -- at least on the S13. That machine now has integrated graphics only, though the business-centric S13p will be offered with an NVIDIA GPU with up to 2GB of VRAM. The S13p also sets itself apart with features the IT guy might appreciate, including TPM, a fingerprint reader and a hard drive accelerometer. Across the board, the S13 should last up to about seven hours on a charge, or 14 if you add an optional sheet battery. Also, the company will sell an external docking station with a built-in 500GB hard drive and built-in battery -- a first for Sony. We're told the dock will cost $189, and that you can use it even with the sheet battery attached to the laptop. The S13 and S13p will go on sale this month, starting at $900 and $1,200, respectively. Though the more consumer-friendly S13 will be available in black, silver white and pink, the buttoned-up S13p comes in a more staid palette: black, gold and "Gun Metal." Continue reading Sony unveils VAIO S13 and S13p laptops with Ivy Bridge, prices start at $900 Sony unveils VAIO S13 and S13p laptops with Ivy Bridge, prices start at $900 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
