ASUS announced the release of its newest creation: an ultra portable system designed to be modern, efficient, cost-effective and without a… Windows license.
ASUS 1015E can be bought either with Windows 8 or Linux-Ubuntu OS (amazon.com)
Even if it can be acquired with Windows 8 OS at a price of 250 or 300 U.S. dollars, the new Asus 1015E has a different target and was created for other users. It is a modern netbook, designed to be affordable, ultra portable and autonomous, and hence the possibility of its acquisition in a configuration with the free Linux distribution named Ubuntu. If you opt for the Ubuntu-based version, the price drops down to $215.
Well, considering that the price is so low, do not expect that notebook’s internal specifications are poor. ASUS made great efforts to deliver a decent configuration which integrates a 10.1 inch screen at a standard resolution of 1366 x 768, a dual core Celeron processor clocked at 1.1 GHz and a 2 GB RAM memory. Furthermore, the laptop comes with a 320 GB internal hard disk and three USB ports of which one is USB 3.0.
When Archos, Asus or Amazon announce the release of cost-effective tablets worth only $200, people can only get happier.
In recent weeks Archos have increasingly launched various gadgets, including smartphones, in efforts to conquer the market of the mainstream and low end products. Basically, the French firm is trying to gain a higher audience considering that company’s products show very good prices in comparison to their specs and quality and Archos 80 Xenon is the latest creation from the same range of products.
Archos’ newest tablet features an 8-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768. If turning out a success, 80 Xenon will clearly steal a bit of the market share of the first iPad mini. Archos 80 Xenon comes with a 1.2 GHz quad core processor developed by Qualcomm and a 3G modem for data traffic. The tablet does not have a front camera, instead integrates a 2 megapixel sensor on the backside. The new gadget is part of the Archos Elements series and should be traded freely without any contracts with mobile operators.
Hitting the market as of June this year, the new $ 200 tablet Archos 80 Xenon will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean preinstalled, among a number of proprietary applications Archos.
NEC intends to release the first laptop using a Haswell architecture.
NEC announces launch on LaVie L laptop powered by the fourth-generation Intel core Haswell (engadget.com)
Intel Haswell vows revolutionary improvements as the architecture reportedly brings a technological leap reminding of the transition from Core 2 Duo processors to first-generation Intel Core. The main advantages rely on a low power consumption and better processing performance.
NEC LaVie L is company’s first notebook powered by the “fourth-generation Intel core”. The Japanese company unveiled details on its Haswell-powered laptop long before Intel’s official announcement in June.
System’s configuration features a 15.6-inch touchscreen, 8 GB RAM memory and an outstanding IEEE 802.11 ac wireless chip.
Regarding the storage space, the unit comes with a hybrid SSD hard drive with flash memory and an integrated BDXL optical drive.
Sony has announced the release of Xperia ZR, a smaller version of its high end terminal Xperia Z (scroll down for video). It seems that this is the new trend on the mobile market after Samsung launched Galaxy S4 Mini and Apple rolled out iPad mini.
Sony presented its waterproof gadget Xperia ZR
Xperia ZR was officially launched globally yesterday. The new gadget from Sony is an waterproof smartphone with a 4.6 inch display and a 720 px resolution. The new ZR comes equipped with an OptiContrast OLED screen assisted by Bravia technology which is normally used in company’s TV manufacturing for a clearer image in sunlight. The terminal will be built around a quad core SnapDragon S4 Pro processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. It features also a 2 GB RAM memory and also support for technologies such as LTE and NFC.
The magic aspect of the new smartphone is linked to its resistance to weathering as well as the ability to function in water to a depth of up to 1.5 meters. Basically, you can make Full HD movies or you can capture still images at a resolution of 13 megapixels in HDR quality . The quality relies on a last generation Exmor RS sensor used in company’s recent releases, and as additional benefit, there a dedicated button to activate the camera.
Xperia ZR is the international version of Xperia SO-04E, a smartphone announced for the Japanese market. No estimate price was given for any of the smartphones.
Video: Sony releases waterproof smartphone Xperia ZR
Mobile company RIM launched on Tuesday a BlackBerry smartphone with color screen for emerging markets (scroll down for video).
RIM introduces BlackBerry Q5 for mid- to low-cost phone market (wired.com)
As of July, BlackBerry Q5 is gonna hit the market in some countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America, writes Wired.com.
The low-cost smartphone Q5 comes with a color screen and physical keyboard and will feature red, black, white and pink colorful designs.
RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins announced that instant messaging application BBM becomes compatible with iPhones as well as smartphones running the Android operating system.
“It’s time for BBM to be available to a wider audience. I can not wait the day BlackBerry fans will send BBM invitations to friends using other platforms. They have demanded this app for several years,” said Thorsten Heins. Currently, there are 60 million BBM users worldwide.
Video: RIM presents low cost smartphone BlackBerry Q5
Without creating much buzz around the web or providing detailed information, electronics giant Philips announced its intention to enter the smartphones industry.
Dutch electronics company Philips intends to roll out quad-core smartphone W8510 in June (designbuzz.com)
During a public press release a couple of days ago, Dutch company Philips had quite promising words about a new branded smartphone which is expected to be rolled out in June.
Philips is not tightly linked to the smartphone market, however, the firm made extensive efforts in the past in the field of communications through several mobile phones. Those releases emerged before the era of Nokia’s dominance.
According to Playtech, the Eindhoven-based company is now teasing a terminal called W8510. The new smartphone is believed to be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad core processor of unknown production and use a battery based on Xenium technology. According to Philips, their battery is gonna deliver the longest stand-by period for a smartphone.
The case of the gadget will be made of aluminum and most likely integrate a 4.7-inch HD screen.
After pleasing the U.S. users with the launch of Lumia 928 for Verizon, Nokia began to promote a new mysterious smartphone (scroll down for teaser video).
Nokia released teaser for next generation Lumia
Only a couple of days have passed since Nokia praised the performance of its high end terminal Lumia 928 and the Finns dropped a teaser which features another gadget. Quite ambiguous and and featuring the tag-line “More than your eyes can see. The new Nokia Lumia is coming”, the new clip depicts, without providing too many details, the backside of a new smartphone that seems to be made of aluminum. Position of the flash and the pattern around the camera shows clearly that the terminal is different from Lumia 928 that was revealed recently in the United States.
The tech world suspects that Nokia’s video aims at creating an attracting campaign around a device that was previously presented as the Catwalk. The larger size of the sensor can be regarded as a subtle reference to a smartphone with a 41 megapixel sensor, which will come with Windows Phone preinstalled. Various souces from inside the company mentioned during the launch of PureView 808 about the possible development of an upcoming WP8 terminal fitted with the same performant camera. There is also a big chance that this new device would be named Lumia 925 and have a lot of similar internal specifications like Lumia 920. Source: Playtech
Samsung Electronics has tested successfully a 5G mobile network which could be operated by 2020. The new development showed mobile data transmission rates that allows users to download a movie in just one second.
Samsung reveals 5G mobile data transmission at speed rate of more than 1 Gbps (Samsung).
South Korean giant announced that its 5G equipment managed to send data between two terminals at the speed of 1 Gb per second over a distance of two kilometers while the current 4G networks feature an average packet transmission rate of only 75 MB/s.
“Users will benefit from a wide range of services such as viewing 3D movies and games as well as UHD streaming,” says the company in a statement.
The new 5G technology uses EHF frequency (extremely high frequency), but it does comply with any current regulations approved by international authorities.
At the moment, the true 4G technology standard allows data transfer at a speed rate of 100 Mbps for high mobility communication (when the person is in motion, e.g. train, car, etc). In December 2009, Swedish-Finnish network operator TeliaSonera announced the launch of world’s first commercial 4G/LTE network.
Historic moment for the U.S. as One World Trade Center in New York became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere on Friday when the last piece of the construction work was placed on top of the building, nearly twelve years after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
New York’s Freedom Tower rises 541 meters above ground level becoming western’s tallest construction
The final component was in fact a giant antenna installed by a crane in the applause of the workers who gave shape to the 541-meter high building dubbed as the Freedom Tower (scroll down for video).
According the Anglo-Saxon system, the 104-story building features a height of 1776 feet, referring to the year the United States had claimed its independence from Great Britain.
Works on One World Trade Center will continue till an estimated opening later this year. When finished, the building will host offices, restaurants and observation decks allowing marvelous views of Manhattan and its neighborhoods.
The construction of the skyscraper began in 2006, and Freedom Tower is now the centerpiece of the new complex built on the site of the twin towers that collapsed in 9/11 attacks when nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.
Video: Freedom Tower -Western Hemisphere Tallest Building
Unmanned experimental aircraft X-51A Waverider, developed by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force performed the longest hypersonic flight ever conducted, also reaching a record speed of Mach 5.1. The test flight took place above the Californian coast on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. (scroll down for video)
Boeing X51 Waverider scramjet sets world record with Mach 5.1 hypersonic speed during test flight (engaged.com)
U.S. Air Force announced on Friday that X-51A Waverider flew for three minutes powered by its ramjet engine and reached a speed of Mach 5.1 (6.247km/h).
The test was the fourth and last flight of an X-51A conducted by U.S. Military which spent 300 million dollars to study the hypersonic technology in hopes to develop a new generation of ultra-fast missiles that can hit every corner of the Earth within minutes.
The other three previous flights failed, either because of technical faults or not reaching the proposed speed.
Although the scramjet has been designed to reach speeds of Mach 6, program officials are satisfied with its performance during the last test. “It was a successful mission accomplished,” said project manager Charlie Brink.
During the test, Waverider traveled a distance of 426 kilometers in six minutes, achieving the longest hypersonic flight of such an aircraft. Engineers gathered information from on board equipment of the airplane which crashed in a controlled way in the Pacific Ocean.
Video: X-51a Scramjet breaks speed record during final test flight
