Laptops - Page 36

A company called CTL has a ruggedized Chromebook built for the demanding education crowd that can withstand a whole lot of abuse, just in case the students these are given too happen to have harsh feelings towards the last test they had to take.

The NL6X takes things to the eXtreme with their newest Chromebook, reinforcing the entire body to be drop resistant up to height of 70cm, or two feet. The back of the lid is reinforced the most to help prevent breakage where issues tend to crop up the most. The keyboard, and whole chassis is spill resistant as well, to help forestall common debilitating issues from stray drinks. Best of all, you can put up to 365lbs on top of it and it won't break.

Under the hood is an Intel Celeron N2940, of the fanless variety, with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage with a 11.6" 1366x768 screen. This is an education focused machine whose sole purpose is to easily, and inexpensively, provide students of all types with enough compute power to connect with the Internet to get things done. And it can do just that with around 9 hours of battery life. The rugged factor isn't just something cool added on, either, the whole thing is designed for STEM classes, just in case you happen to drop, smash or spill precious sciency stuff onto it. It's rather ingenious. Oh, and the back of the display is also a nifty whiteboard, so you can still put special people on your notebook.

MSI has just launched its sleek, eye-tracking portable powerhouse GT72S G Tobii laptop, ushering in a new age of innovation to the world of performance mobile gaming.

Not content with just packing in insane high-performance gaming hardware into a portable laptop, MSI went a step further by including Tobii eye-tracking for a new dimension of interactivity. The laptop's Tobii eye-tracking technology has a wealth of practical applications for gaming, letting users switch targets, select objects, and even pause the game with the blink of an eye. The onboard tracking tech is currently supported by games like Arma III, Assassin's Creed; Syndicate, Elite Dangerous, and more.

"The GT72S G Tobii adds another dimension to gaming and provides a level of interaction and immersion never experienced before," says Andy Tung, MSI company president. "Our eyes will no longer be passive players, they will now direct, command and transport us into the future of PC gaming."

The Ubuntu based Skylake-infused Dell XPS 13 is getting much closer to launch, so they're discounting older Broadwell-based laptops to help make way for the incoming inventory.

Barton George shared on his Google+ page that they're very close to having the next rendition of the Developer Edition of the XPS 13, running Ubuntu, ready for release. And of course Dell wants to sell the inventory of the older laptops. So with the provided codes (below) you can grab one with a healthy discount. If you're looking for a laptop with Linux pre-installed, that is.

Dell has changed a lot since they became a private company again in 2013. Quality and innovation have been a focus, even if they haven't always hit the mark right on the head. They're open to change, and their Project Sputnik is one of those initiatives.

Featuring a thickness of only 20mm and a lightweight 2.7-pound design, HP's new Chromebook 11 G4 EE gas been targeted at the education sector specifically.

Bragging to have passed "HP's 70 cm drop test to help protect it from occasional bumps with lockers and drops from desks," this Chromebook will be priced at only $199 and is set for release later in January this year, as stated in a recent press release by the company.

Further vying to operate in a harsh schooling environment, this new product contains a spill-resistant keyboard, a 180-degree hinge in order to allow it to lay flat and can even be packaged with an IPS panel if requested. Other optional futures include 3G or 4G connectivity, likely included to assist students in remote areas complete small-school or home schooling projects.

CES 2016 - Lenovo displayed their latest push into mobile gaming at CES 2016 with a new gaming notebook, the Ideapad Y900. The Ideapad Y00 is a 17-inch Full HD gaming notebook with some impressive specifications.

Inside, we have an Intel Core i7 K-series processor meaning it can be overclocked, and to handle the gaming side of things Lenovo has included an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M with 4GB of GDDR5. Lenovo has crammed a 512GB SSD inside of the Ideapad Y900, and a 1TB drive for storage. The Lenovo Ideapad Y900 sports a mechanical gaming keyboard, making the product all that more alluring.

Lenovo will be starting the price of the Ideapad Y900 at $1999, with a release window of June.

CES 2016 - You read it right, EVGA has just announced a laptop of its very own. Devoid of in-depth information, the recently issued press release came out just today and mentions a plethora of other interesting first-time releases for this company.

Described as "100% EVGA in-House design from the ground Up," the SC17 gaming laptop is 4K ready and comes packaged with G-SYNC technology, USB 3.1 Type-C support, a unibody design that measures in at only 1.05 inches, a RJ45 LAN connection, and complete overclocking support.

Paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M is an Intel Core i7 6820HK K unlocked processor and a 17.3-inch 4K display with external G-SYNC support. Wrapping up the features list is a full HD webcam - and that's all we know right now.

CES 2016 - This laptop comes with a 17.3-inch 4K screen and will likely blow away your desktop PC and many of your friends, too. Labeled a 'desktop laptop' by Eurocom, the Sky DLX7 model comes packed with an Intel Core i7-6700k Skylake desktop class CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Desktop GPU plus more.

Other stunning internal components include 64GB of DDR4 RAM, up to 5TB of storage and connection options including two miniDP 1.2 ports, a HDMI port, one USB 3.1 Type-C port and three USB 3.0 options. Further features include a 1Gb LAN port, space for M.2 PCIe SSDs, support for four external monitors, Windows 10, 8.1 or 7, a SoundBlaster X-Fi sound card within and a backlit keyboard.

Want one for yourself? The prices start at $3447 for the 1080p model and go up from there. If you're still interested, head here for more information.

CES 2016 - Razer has just unveiled its new ultrabook gaming PC, the Razer Blade Stealth. The new Blade Stealth is something Razer calls "the ultimate Ultrabook", as it features an "incredibly sleek form factor", Intel's latest Core i7 processor, and a 4K display.

Razer has also announced that the Blade Stealth can be sold through its new direct-to-consumer model, that allows consumers to buy the Razer Blade Stealth with premium configurations, at lower price points relative to the competition.

The new ultrabook gaming PC is only 0.52 inches (13.2mm) and weighs only pounds (1.24kg). The Razer Blade Stealth has a 12.5-inch 4K display, but it can also be configured with a 2560x1440 panel, too - with both displays being touch-enabled. Both models can be configured with the new Skylake-based Core i7 processor from Intel, with PCIe-based SSDs taking care of your storage needs.

Documents and marketing materials from South Korea have revealed Samsung's upcoming line of ultrabooks, each of which should please anyone who appreciates a compact computer.

The NT900X line is, as expected, powered by Intel Skylake CPUs and Windows 10, and offers 13.3'' and 15'' models. The former pack 30 Whr batteries and micro HDMI ports; the latter pack 39 Whr batteries and full HDMI ports in addition to mini Ethernet ports. Six of the seven models features a 1920x1080 display, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SDXC card reader.

The outlier is the NT900X3K-K36, which features a 13.3'' 3200x1800 pixel display, Intel Core i3-5005U processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of solid state storage. Measuring half an inch thick and weighing 2.4lbs, it includes a metal chassis, foldable screen, and a 44 Whr battery.

Thanks to new technology that was announced recently in a press release, users are now able to convert their 15.6-inch standard-screen laptops into interactive touch devices. This new technology is called AirBar and it has been developed by a company named Neodone Inc, a Swedish company specialising in Optical Interactive Sensing Technology.

Connecting to a consumer laptop through a single USB port, this sensor beams an invisible light in order to pick up touchscreen presses and gestures. This completely plug and play product is being released firstly for 15.6-inch laptops and comes priced at only $49.

More information on this product can be found on the official website or by watching the video above. Functioning with both Windows and Chrome operating systems, the AirBar will be shown off to the public during CES 2016 in January, taking place in Las Vegas.

Expecting to see an overall shipment number of 8 million units before the end of 2015, ABI Research has given Google the tick of approval, naming the Chromebook series as the best-selling laptops of 2015.

ABI Research's Research Director, Jeff Orr, says that "Industry professionals can expect the notebook PC market, including Chromebooks, laptops and ultraportable PCs, to remain roughly flat year-on-year in 2015, with flat to slightly positive growth projected through 2020." While this marks concern for manufacturers are overall PC sales aren't progressing all too smoothly as of late, Orr added, "Specifically, data suggests a 2016 sales surge in both Chromebooks and ultraportable PCs as consumers continue to adopt Chromebooks into classroom settings and 2-in-1 ultraportable PCs maintain their trend status as the future of portable computing."

While the total number of shipments in 2015 for notebooks is said to be around 163 million, this marks a 14 percent decline when compared with 2014, said to be partly due to losses posted by Acer, ASUS and Lenovo, in a report by ZDNet.

Described by ZDNet as "the world's largest independent, nonprofit, consumer product testing organization," Consumer Reports is a fully independent testing community free of advertising and endorsement.

In a recently run survey, this community posted findings that will likely annoy most anti-Apple fans, showcasing report on thousands of laptops over three years of ownership. Ranking in the top spot with only a 10 percent breakdown rate was the tech giant Apple, followed by 16 percent for Samsung. Bringing up the rear were systems ranking in at between 18 to 19 percent breakage rates, with these companies being Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, Dell and ASUS.

In addition, these findings also pointed out that Windows machines are used, on average, for 20 hours a week compared to Apple's 23, but these Windows products are breaking down more often. This report doesn't showcase or pinpoint that Apple products are far superior in every shape or form, it simply notes that within this community of 58,000 people, Apple products seem to break down less over long periods of time.

According to the latest rumors, Apple is preparing two new MacBook Air models for 2016, something we should see unveiled at their WWDC 2016 event in June. The actual launch of the new MBA models will be in Q3 2016.

The thinner MacBook Air models would arrive in 13- and 15-inch, but the 11-inch model is still up in the air. The new models will be thinner thanks to "fully redesigned" internal components, with Apple working with its suppliers to develop these new, thinner components. Apple expanded its MacBook Air range earlier this year with the new MacBook, which featured a 12-inch Retina display and used Intel's new ultra low voltage chips for its fanless design.

Acer is launching its Predator 15 and Predator 17 gaming notebooks today.

All models include an Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz CPU, a GeForce GTX 980M, and support for 4K and G-Sync. The key difference between the 15 and 17 is the display: a 15.6'' for the former, and a 17.3'' IPS for the latter. Then there are variations between each on RAM and storage.

Eurocom are known for producing laptops with crazy specifications and price tags to match, but if you get in quick you might be able to score yourself one for below the market price.

As part of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Eurocom are offering up its Sky X9 'Desktop Laptop' with a $500 discount. The headline of a recently issued press release shows exactly why a computing enthusiast might drool over this model, with it offering a dekstop Intel Skylake CPU, a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 desktop GPU and a smooth 64GB of DDR4 memory.

The Skylake desktop CPU on offer is none other than the Core i7 6700K and it comes paired with two 1Gb LAN ports, a 4K UHD display, USB 3.1, HDMI 2.0 and support for over 5TB of storage, including facilities for RAID, M.2 SSDs, HDDs and normal SSDs alike.

If you're looking to pick up a portable computing device, it seems that waiting for the Black Friday sales is the best way to go. Costco has charged out of the gates with both fists swinging, announcing specials such as a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Windows 10 bundle for a crazy $300 off.

Featuring 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro, a protective cover, Surface pen, 2160 x 1440 resolution and one year of Office 365 Personal included, this Intel Core i7-powered surface dwarfs the $100 saving on ASUS' TP500 Flip 15.6" Touchscreen laptop.

However, if you are looking for something with a little more storage space, this ASUS system comes in at just under $400 and features a 500GB hard drive paired with a slower Intel Core i3 processor.

Microsoft's new Surface Book has been lauded as a revolutionary new PC that's fully capable of replacing your premium tablet and laptop. The all-in-one was built with business-fueled productivity in mind, but also has a number of flavors to reflect the needs of its owners. For all of its mighty pros, the Surface Book has one serious flaw: it's a total nightmare for do-it-yourself repairs.

The hardware gurus at iFixit have just torn apart the Surface Book to take a good look at the system's guts, revealing all its innards to the world. As per usual the tecchies show the process in a detailed step-by-step tutorial so you can follow along. But you won't want to follow along, as the Surface Book is a rectangular puzzle of doom.

What makes the Surface Book so hard to repair? Let's take a closer look. The LCD panel and glass plate are fused together, meaning you'll have to replace the entire thing instead of one or the other. Secondly the RAM and Skylake CPU are soldered to the motherboard, making for very tough RAM replacement.

The Surface Book launches today, and with it, Microsoft is apparently not content to just have it be a success with those already in its camp, but wants a piece of that Apple pie, too. And so it's designed a website -- dubbed "Making the switch" -- intended to help Macbook users make the transition, whether they're considering a Surface Book or already have one.

The site is comprimised of four main sections. The first helps Mac users become acquainted with the Start menu and the interface; the second answers common questions longtime Mac users have like "Do I have to worry about getting viruses now?" and "How do I talk to my friends and family without FaceTime and iMessage?"; the third offers step-by-step instructions on how to move files, contacts, and so on from your Macbook over to the Surface Book, and the fourth offers information on iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes compatibility (MS says they all work fine).

If you are a Macbook user and are thinking about making the switch or already have, hit the source.

MSI has announced that its new compact and lightweight GS40 Phantom is now available to ship out, giving an edge to consumers who want to take high-performance enthusiast-grade gaming on the go.

The GS40 Phantom packs in all the latest trappings you'd expect in a high-grade gaming rig into a 3.5 lbs package, making it the "world's thinnest and lightest gaming laptop". Although it's so portable, the laptop sports serious hardware with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU, 16GB of onboard DDR4 RAM clocked at 2133 MHz, and a sixth-gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ CPU clocked at 3.5GHz with Turbo Boost. The display is a 14" non-reflective full HD screen at 1920 x 1080 resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio and True Color support. For blistering-fast game loading, the Phanom sports a high-performance PCIe Gen 3.0 SSD configured in NVMe to deliver read speeds over 2,200 MB/s.

"The GS40 Phantom is a breakthrough in design that combines the power of bigger gaming laptops with the portability of a netbook," said MSI president Andy Tung. "The GS40 Phantom does not scale back on performance just to be lighter or thinner, it complements its svelte physique with technologies not even found in larger units."

With its new Surface Book, Microsoft one-ups its own Surface Pro line by melding the on-the-go utility of a tablet with the functionality of a laptop and the performance of a desktop. Microsoft touts the Surface Book as the "world's most powerful, thinnest laptop", and new info on the 2-in-1's dual-GPU setup helps add credence to Redmond's claims.

Rather than featuring a single graphics solution, the more expensive Surface Book models actually have dual-GPU setups: an iGPU complimented by a dGPU. The Surface Book's tablet portion houses Intel's integrated Iris Graphics by default, so this is the graphics solution you'll get with the $1500 and $1700 models.

Consumers who opt in for the $1900 and above flavors get a second discrete GPU that's housed in the attached keyboard base. The discrete solution is a Maxwell-based GPU with 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM that's been custom-built by NVIDIA. "The new GPU is a Maxwell-based GPU, and was designed to deliver the best performance in ultra-thin form factors such as the Surface Book keyboard dock," NVIDIA told Gizmodo. "With NVIDIA GeForce GPU powering this new hybrid, users will be able to speed up productivity apps such as Adobe Illustrator and Lightroom, and light PC gaming."