Laptops News - Page 43
GIGABYTE's Aero 14 laptop combines high-end gaming with slim design
Computex 2016 - GIGABYTE has revealed its new Aero 14 laptop, a slim notebook that merges the utility and performance of an Ultrabook with the explosive, high-octane precision of a gaming rig. With the Aero 14, consumers no longer have to sacrifice performance for mobility.
Although GIGABYTE's new Aero 14 is just 19.9mm thick, it packs a serious hardware punch. The Aero 14 rocks a 14" QHD IPS display at 2560 x 1440 resolution, and is powered by a discrete GeForce GTX 970M under the hood for higher-end notebook gaming. An Intel quad-core i7 H-series CPU alongside up to 32GB of DDR4-2133MHz RAM (2x 16GB modules) ensures optimum Ultrabook-level performance. Two onboard M.2 SSDs provides blazing fast bootups and data transfer rates. The Aero 14 can also output video on up to two 4K displays at up to 60Hz via HDMI 2.0 and Mini-DisplayPort.
When outfitted with higher-end components like these, Ultrabooks tend to trade off performance for battery life. GIGABYTE promises users won't have to worry about battery life with the portable Aero 14--the laptop sports a massive 94.24Wh battery that will last up to an entire day when running "resource-demanding applications."
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Apple's next-gen MacBook Pro will feature OLED screen above keyboard
Apple has had a few years of releasing so-so upgrades on its MacBook Pro, but the next-gen MBPs could be quite exciting with a "thinner and lighter" design, and a new OLED display touch bar above the keyboard, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo adds that the updated MacBook Pro are the "brightest spot for Apple's 2016 rollouts" and will arrive in both 13-inch and 15-inch models, sometime in Q4 2016. The OLED display touch bar will replace the usual physical function keys at the top of the keyboard while Apple will use new metal injection molded hinges. We're expecting to see USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity as well. Intel's new 14nm processors should also find their way inside, and I'm hoping to see some Polaris love from AMD on the GPU side of things.
On top of the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros, Apple is reportedly working on a new 13-inch MacBook that will be similar to the 12-inch Retina model that was upgraded with performance improvements. There'll also be a new MacBook Air available as the new entry-level model, while the MacBook will be the mid-range choice, leaving the high-end to the MacBook Pro. Apple will also unleash Touch ID onto the new MacBook Pros, something that iPhone users have enjoyed for a while now.
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Apple could be going in a completely different direction than thought
There was a sort of revolution that was started by Apple with the introduction of their iPhone, or shortly after it at least. OS X took a different turn and started to merge many different features that were found on their mobile OS, and began to transform, blending together the two and making them work very well together. Microsoft, Google and even Canonical, the developers of Ubuntu, took note and also began experimenting with integrating the mobile experience into the daily life. Mobile has become increasingly important, and very much a large part of the lives of many. So it's only natural, after all.
But even though they started merging their two OSs together, Apple still has four separate operating systems that, while very similar and that can all developed for using the same language (Swift and Objective C), they're still quite different and not at all the integration that we thought was going to happen.
Microsoft is actually committing to that vision that was seemingly started by Apple, and are very vocal about bringing together their disparate platforms. Windows 10, the Xbox One and now their phone all share the same underlying platform. That was the direction that we all thought Apple was going to continue into, until that progress didn't quite continue on like we thought. Even Ubuntu is the same across the many different platforms, with a sort of continuity mode that turns their phones into full-fledged computing system.
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HP revives minimalist logo for premium laptops only
Back in 2011, HP hired marketing company Moving Brands to redesign its logo and "brand identity." The result -- a minimalist logo featuring just four 'slashes' -- was scrapped...until now. HP will be using the once-dead logo for its premium laptops only going forward, starting with the just-launched Spectre 13.
HP split into two companies in 2014: it would appear the PC and printer side (HP Inc.) is willing to take risks like this as a result, as opposed to the safer management side (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise) which last year decided on possibly one of the most boring logos of all-time.
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MSI unveils its WT72 workstation notebook with the Quadro M5500
GTC 2016 - With NVIDIA unveiling its new Quadro M5500 video card, MSI is the world's first with an NVIDIA VR ready professional mobile workstation, with its new WT72.
The new MSI WT72 packs the Quadro M5500 with 8GB of GDDR5, as well as Intel's new sixth-generation Core processors (available in both the Core and Xeon CPUs) with up to 64GB of DDR4. Andy Tung, President of MSI Pan America explains: "The WT72 with NVIDIA's M5500 Quadro GPU is the world's first VR Ready mobile workstation and can blaze through the most demanding tasks. NVIDIA powers our workstations, from the ultra-powerful WT72 to the super lightweight WS72 and WS62, and we are delighted to partner with them to drive the VR revolution into a new dimension".
MSI's new WT72 is Autodesk VRED certified and is compatible with both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It comes with audiophile-grade Dynaudio speakers with Nahimic Audio enhancer, True Color Technology screens with Adobe RGB certification for wide viewing angles and the most accurate visuals.
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HP trolls Apple, says its new ultra-thin laptop will out-innovate
HP has released some impressive products in the few years, but it looks like their next one could be their biggest yet. During a chat with The Wall Street Journal, HP's PC boss Ron Coughlin said that "for years, Apple has been seen as the innovator and the driver of innovation", but that now "HP is really taking over that mantle".
The company is poised to unveil its new premium laptop tomorrow, where earlier this year during the Consumer Electronics Show, the company unveiled its business-focused Elitebook Folio. The Elitebook Folio is less than half an inch thick, but HP is expected to lose even more thickness with its forthcoming laptop - and beat Apple at its own game against the super-thin MacBook.
HP will launch the new ultra-thin laptop during the International Luxury Conference in Versailles tomorrow, but it won't be a mass-market product. NPD analyst Stephen Baker told WSJ: "the challenge for doing really, really thin and light products is it's a very, very thin and light segment to go after". All eyes are on you, HP.
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Razer's external GPU enclosure costs $499 on its own, $399 with laptop
GDC 2016 - Razer's external GPU enclosure now has a price, with the Razer Core costing $499 on its own, or $399 if it's purchased with compatible Razer gaming notebooks.
The Razer Core is a unique GPU enclosure, which takes dual-slot, full-length video cards. GPUs that are installed can include the Radeon R9 Fury and GeForce GTX Titan X, as the Razer Core has an internal 500W PSU. The Razer Core also feature 4 x USB 3.0 ports, GbE connectivity, and two-zone lighting.
Core connects to your laptop through Thunderbolt USB-C, which offers up to 40Gbps of bandwidth. Installing a video card inside of the Razer Core is super simple, as it's a tool-less design. Better yet, AMD's impressive XConnect technology is something that's compatible with Core, meaning your laptop can seamlessly switch between onboard graphics, and the GPU inside of the Core.
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Razer announces its new Blade gaming notebook, starts at $1999
GDC 2016 - Razer has just announced its new Blade gaming notebook, with an injection of specifications and a better price point. The new Blade sports the new sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, alongside the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M with 6GB of VRAM.
Storage wise the new Blade has a PCIe-based SSD which will ensure you can be pushing the speed limit when it comes to transferring data on the Blade. The new Blade has 16GB of DDR4 RAM in quad-channel, and a beautiful 14-inch IGZO-based 3200x1800 QHD+ display. The screen and its internals are found in a CNC-milled aircraft grade aluminum chassis which looks quite stunning.
The new Razer Blade has individually backlit RGB keys, making it the second laptop in the world after the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook. Razer is also keeping the price on the Blade nice and tight, with the previous Blade with the QHD+ display starting at $2399 while the new Blade starting at $1999.
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AMD's ultra-thin gaming notebooks should be powered by Thunderbolt 3
AMD has already teased that it will "spice things up" at the Game Developers Conference next week, but what has me excited is the promise of next-gen, ultra-thin gaming notebooks.
During an AMA on Reddit, AMD's Robert Hallock said: "Ultra-thin notebooks are awesome to carry, but nobody in their right mind would confuse one for a gaming notebook. But there's still a HUGE appetite for thin notebooks that can game. I also bet there's a bunch of gamers out there who, as they get into their 30s and 40s, wouldn't mind condensing their entire computing life down into one device that does it all... External GPUs are the answer. External GPUs with standardised connectors, cables, drivers, plug'n'play, OS support, etc".
The ultra-thin gaming notebooks should be powered by Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, which boasts up to 40Gbps of bandwidth. We've recently seen Razer tease its Core GPU enclosure, which offers its Blade Stealth gaming notebook an external GPU enclosure, super-powering your portable gaming experience. We should see AMD unveil something awesome at GDC 2016 next week in San Francisco.
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GIGABYTE has new 17.3' gaming laptops on the way with Skylake
GIGABYTE has some new 17.3-inch gaming focused laptops coming to market soon with the latest round of Skylake mobile processors.
The new laptops are in the P57 family, which has at its core, an Intel Core i7-6700HQ under the hood that runs at 2.6GHz and can boost to 3.5GHz. It's on Intel's HM170 chipset and can have up to 32GB of DDR4-2133 memory installed along side it. There are currently two different variants of the laptop, the P57K and the P57W.
They both share a 1080P IPS matte screen but the P57K powers that screen with an NVIDIA GTX 965M whereas the P57W has a more powerful GTX 970M with 3GB of VRAM. For storage they're using a 512GB M.2 SSD that uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface for some blistering fast speeds. In the front of the massive laptop is a Blu-Ray RW drive that's situated just under the trackpad, a strange and new location for the drive, which can also be swapped out for more storage if you so choose.
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