HP Spectre 13 ultrabook launched

April 5, 2016

American multinational tech firm, Hewlett Packard, has unveiled a new ultrabook, the HP Spectre 13, which will give Apple’s Macbook lineup a run for its money.

The new Spectre 13 ultrabook is thinner than the Macbook and also sports more powerful features.

The laptop packs top-of-the-line hardware in a body that is only 10.4 mm thick, making it the thinnest laptop in the world.

In addition to this, the HP Spectre 13 has three USB Type-C ports on the back of its copper-coated edge.

Although the ultrabook is the thinnest laptop in the world, it is not the lightest as it weighs 1.11kg. Hp’s EliteBook (0.99kg) and MacBook (0.92kg) weigh less.

The laptop comes in a 13.3-inch display, which is protected by a 0.4mm Corning Gorilla Glass layer. HP is giving users an option to choose the processor, storage, and RAM, but the display remains fixed at full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels).

Interested buyers can choose between Intel’s sixth generation Core i5 or Core i7 processors. Users can also get up to 512GB of SSD storage, and up to 8GB of RAM.

According to HP the battery inside the Spectre 13 can keep the laptop running for 9.5 hours on a single charge. The device also runs on Windows 10.

The HP Spectre 13 has a starting price of $1,169 (roughly 240,000 naira), with pre-orders to be opened on April 25 in select regions. The device will reach retailers in May 2016. It is available only in brownish-ash color.

The company also unveiled two luxury models of the HP Spectre 13. The first is designed by Tord Boontje and comes in an 18-karat gold design.

The other is a gold-plated and diamond model designed by Jess Hannah. The price of either of the variants hasn’t been revealed yet.

HP also unveiled a new logo for its brand. The company is moving away from its standard logo to four minimal slashes orchestrated to stand in a way such that it reads “HP”.

The new HP Spectre 13 has this logo emblazoned on its back.

Tesla Model 3 Electric Sedan Unveiled

Emmanuel

April 1, 2016

Auto manufacturing company, Tesla have unveiled its much-anticipated Model 3 electric car which is the company’s lowest-cost vehicle to date and will be produced en mass.

The vehicle isn’t scheduled to go on sale until late 2017, but had racked up over 180,000 reservations in the first 24 hours that order banks were opened.

Long queues, reminiscent of the crowds at Apple stores for early models of the iPhone, were seen at Tesla stores in Hong Kong, Austin, Texas, Washington D.C. and so on with buyers putting down the $1,000 deposit to reserve the car.

The base version of the Tesla Model 3 has a starting price of $35,000 (that’s about 7 million Naira), making it less than half the cost of Tesla’s previous models.

However the first units of the Tesla Model 3 to be delivered are expected to sell for far higher prices, due to customers adding more features like a bigger battery pack with greater range.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the base model will go at least 215 miles when fully charged, about double what drivers get from current competitors in its price range, such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.

The vehicle can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 6 seconds, with the more expensive options going much faster.

Tesla Model 3 will also come with the “autopilot” safety features found in existing models, which allow the cars to steer themselves and avoid collisions.

All versions of the Model 3 will support Tesla’s supercharging network, which charges electric cars fully in minutes, for free.

Tesla aims to double the number of places offering supercharging to about 7,200 worldwide by the end of 2017.

The Tesla Model 3 provides storage room at the front and the rear and can fit five adults comfortably. According to Elon, one “can fit a 7-foot long surfboard on the inside” of the vehicle.

He also expressed confidence that the first Model 3 vehicles will be delivered, as planned, by late 2017.

Smartron t.book Windows 10 hybrid laptop outs for Rs. 39,999

Emmanuel

March 31, 2016

Indian based tech firm, Smartron, has announced the launch of an ultrabook called t.book for Rs 39,999 (that’s about 121,000 Naira) in India, with registrations for pre-orders already on.

The 2-in-1 Windows 10 device was unveiled at a media event in New Delhi, packing high-end innards and impressive features.

The Smartron t.book comes with a flip-stand and keyboard, which quickly turns it into a full-fledged laptop.

According to Smartron, the t.book has an aluminium and magnesium body. The firm also boasts that the ultrabook’s 37Whr battery can last for 10 hours on a single charge.

Smarton’s t.book comes in a 12.2-inch WQXGA (2560×1600 pixels) IPS display, which maintains an aspect ratio of 16:10. In addition to this is a coated fingerprint-resistant oleophobic layer. Impressive.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Intel Core M processor with 4MB of cache, and turbo frequency of 2GHz.

This is further coupled with 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM as found on contemporary tech devices. The device also bears 128GB SSD of memory for storing files and applications.

In terms of picture taking ability, a 5 megapixel rear autofocus camera is on board with a 2 megapixel front-facing shooter.

The Smartron t.book also packs other features, including two full-size USB 3.0 ports, one USB Type-C port for charging with USB 3.0, one Micro-HDMI port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and magnetic pogo pin for external keyboard support.

Connectivity options on the device include 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz), and MIMO. On the software end, the Smartron t.book runs Windows 10, and comes with a 30-days trial of Office 2016.

The Smartron t.book comes in grey+ orange, and full grey colour options and will be exclusively sold via Gadgets360 starting from April 8 2016.

Speaking on the occasion, legendary cricket player, Sachin Tendulkar said:

“We are moving towards internet driven experiences and Smartron’s vision in unlocking the potential of IoT will bring compelling experiences to people, making their life more productive, safe, intelligent and convenient.”

Acer Chromebook 14 With 14-hour battery life outs for $299

Emmanuel

March 30, 2016

Acer has announced its Chromebook 14, which sports premium features and will be sold for at most $299 (that’s about 60,000 Naira).

Acer traditionally positions its Chromebooks as solutions for students as well as customers on a budget, who need basic computing and do not want to invest a lot.

The company is also flexible with the Chromebook 14’s features, giving users several choices in several areas of their interest.

The highlight of Acer’s Chromebook is its battery which the company claims can power the device for 14 hours before it needs to be charged.

The Acer Chromebook 14 offers a 14 – inch display as opposed to the 11-inch screen most Chromebooks comes with.

The device will be available in two screen options- there’s a full-HD (1920×1080 pixels) display and HD (1366×768 pixels) display, both surrounded by an all-metal chassis.

Acer says the model with a 1080p display can last for up to 12 hours whereas the other model will give up to 14 hours of action on a single charge.

Users can also pick between quad-core Intel Celeron processor and a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3060 processor for the Chromebook 14.

Other features include a choice between 2GB and 4GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM, 16GB or 32GB of eMMC storage, and dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, one HDMI out, and an HD (1280×720 pixels) webcam. The Acer Chromebook 14 runs Chrome OS out of the box.

Speaking about the launch, Jerry Kao, president of Acer Notebook Business Group, commended the device’s battery power.

“With its industry-leading battery life of up to 14 hours, the Acer Chromebook 14 is an important new product in Acer’s award-winning Chromebook line,”

he said.

“Customers have a wide range of needs for battery life, size, performance and features, and our line of Acer Chromebooks is expanding to make sure customers get exactly what they want. The Chromebook 14 is an excellent choice for customers who want a stylish, large-screen Chromebook with long battery life at an attractive price,”

he added.

Acer is yet to say when the Chromebook 14 will start shipping. However it clarified that the “premier” model featuring 32GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, full-HD display, and dual-core processor will cost $300.

Xiaomi Mi Router 3, Mi Water Purifier 2 and Bluetooth Speaker announced

Jia Khan

March 29, 2016

The Chinese electronics company Xiaomi recently announced a sub-brand, christened Mi Ecosystem. The brand will also be called MIJIA, which literally translates to Xiaomi Smart Home.

Xiaomi has stirred up the tech enthusiasts with the launch of quite a few intriguing and clever devices under its sub-brand.

Besides launching a rice pressure cooker, the company has also announced a Mi Router 3, second generation Mi Water Purifier and a Bluetooth speaker.

Mi Router 3 by Xiaomi flaunts four antenna layout which enables the router to offer an enhanced signal strength. In addition, Mi Router 3 also sports WIFI 802.11ac connectivity which is said to be three times faster.

The device features a 128MB in-built Super Flash. Mi Router 3 employs four extrinsic omnidirectional, high-gain antennae that ensure improved functionality. The product is priced at 149 yuan.

Xiaomi’s Water Purifier comes with RO reverse osmosis mechanism. The mechanism eliminates antibiotics and heavy metals by employing four-layer filtration system.

In addition, the purifying device will also help the consumers in getting rid of tap water rust, bacteria and bad odor. The progressive filtration system is able to intercept over 0.0001 microns substance.

According to Xiaomi, Mi Water Purifier can purify up to 76 barrels of bottled water daily. The device measures 260×205×410mm and weighs 11.8kg.

The water purifier also embraces an inbuilt WiFi. The Wifi updates will keep the users informed about the quality of the tap water through iOS or Android app. The Mi Water Purifier comes with a price tag of 1999 yuan.

As far as the Xiaomi Bluetooth Speaker is concerned, it features a 1200 mAh battery that supports seven hours of continuous playback time.

The latest speakers also feature a tiny LED indicator mounted at the front. The device supports Bluetooth 4.1. It can be used with mobile devices.

The Bluetooth speaker measures 60.0mm × 60.0mm × 93.3mm and offers maximum output power of 5W. Xiaomi Bluetooth speaker is priced at 129 yuan.

With the launch of these latest devices, Xiaomi seems ready to conquer the world of technology with its innovative offerings.

Supernova Shockwave spotted in Visible Light for the first time

Emmanuel

March 23, 2016

Supernova shockwave, the final violent death throes of a star, has finally been seen with visible light for the first time in history.

Scientists had formerly thought that shock breakouts – a shockwave and flash of light that rocks a star just before it explodes into a “supernova” – cause the stars to finally explode.

However, actually watching the process occur has left them guessing about how exactly it happens.

A team of astronomers sifted through three years of data collected by NASA’s Kepler space telescope in order to view the event. The telescope monitored the supernova of two giant stars during the period.

The smaller red super giant star, more than 270 times the radius of the Sun and 750 million light-years away, was seen collapse on itself and blast a brilliant flash, called the “shock breakout”.

However, the other bigger star does not seem to have the shockwave when it exploded.

“We’ve always thought that this is the physical mechanism that allows the star to blow up. So gravity collapses the core down, and once the pressure is too much, you create a neutron star or sometimes a black hole, the rest of the energy rebounds and causes the star to blow up,” Brad Tucker, an astronomer from the Australian National University said.

“It’s been this fundamental thing that we’ve always thought occurs but we’ve never seen it take place,” he said, adding that it had been seen by chance with x-ray telescopes before, but not in great detail.

According to him, the fact one of the supernova they saw with Kepler had the shock breakout and one didn’t, means there’s something to learn.

He posited that the shockwave that wasn’t seen wasn’t strong enough to escape the star’s gravity, since it was a bigger star. The star is about 500 times the size of Earth’s sun.

Tucker said it was possible that something like dust was blocking the view of the shockwave. It could also be that it was because it was further away (2,000 times further than the smaller one). As a result, it was just fainter and was simply missed.

Apple to launch 13-Inch, 15-Inch MacBooks in 2016

Emmanuel

March 23, 2016

International tech giants, Apple, are planning to launch new 13-inch and 15-inch models of the MacBook in 2016.

According to reports, the Cupertino-based company is gearing to out the new devices as early as the second quarter of this year (April-June).

The new computers will then likely go on sale during the third quarter, between July and September.

The supposed forthcoming 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook will offer a similar design to the existing 12-inch MacBook, which it launched last year, reports say.

It’s also believed that the new models will be “thinner” than the existing MacBook Air lineup.

Reports added that the new lineup of MacBooks will probably feature only a single USB-C port, just like the 12-inch MacBook.

The new OS X machines will also come with Intel’s Skylake processors, and are rumoured to sport the Thundebolt 3 feature.

It’s said that other computer making companies like Asus, Dell, and Lenovo are also preparing to launch ultra-thin notebooks around the same time.

It is not clear if Apple also plans to launch new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Earlier reports had suggested that Apple will likely refresh its entire Mac line – the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, iMac, Mac Mini – later this year.

These computing devices are also expected to be powered by the sixth-generation Intel ‘Skylake’ Core processor which Apple currently doesn’t use in its notebook lineup.

The Skylake processor offers improved power efficiency and could help Apple further cut down on the thickness of its MacBooks.

Several notebooks and hybrid devices from rivals such as Microsoft’s Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 are already being powered by Intel’s Skylake processor.

Apple shipped 20.38 million Mac products in 2015, capturing a growth of 4.08 percent. It’s expected that the forthcoming ultra-thin MacBook will cause the firm to see a further growth in 2016.

Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 upgrade for Lumia phones

Emmanuel

March 19, 2016

Software giants, Microsoft, have finally begun roll out of Windows 10 Mobile operating system to Lumia phones and other selected devices running on Windows 8.1.

There are a lot of great new features in Windows 10 Mobile, like Continuum, Windows Hello, Cortana and so on.

Microsoft announced the roll out in a blog post, assuring that it is focused on delivering a high quality experience for its customers.

The upgrade is however not available to all phones. Microsoft released a list of compatible devices which include Nokia branded devices like the Nokia Lumia 1520, Lumia 930, Lumia 730, Lumia 735, and Lumia 830,

Others include Microsoft Lumia 640, Lumia 640XL, 532, Lumia 535, 540, 635 1 GB, 636 1 GB, 638 1 GB, Lumia 430 and Lumia 435. The BLU Win HD w510u, BLU Win HD LTE x150q, and the MCJ Madosma Q501 will also get the upgrade.

Microsoft added that users can download the Windows 10 Upgrade Advisor app from the Windows Store to see if their phone will get the upgrade.

The update will most likely be handled differently depending on where one lives or what carrier one has on his or her phone.

As expected, the list of compatible devices skews pretty heavily toward hardware crafted by Microsoft and Nokia.

As a result, it is unclear how many more devices will eventually get Microsoft’s Windows 10 blessing. However there’s a good chance users of other devices will get the upgrade in the near future.

Noticeably, Microsoft was quick to admit in its blog post that many older devices are not able to successfully upgrade without an impact on the customer experience.

“As Windows 10 delivers significant new innovations, many older devices are not able to successfully upgrade without an impact on the customer experience. Our goal is to only offer the Windows 10 upgrade to devices that we are confident can continue to deliver a good customer experience,” the software giant said.

Hubble Space Telescope discovers 9 new Monster Stars

Emmanuel

March 19, 2016

An international team of astronomers has identified nine monster stars in the star cluster R136 with the aid of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The cluster R136 is about 170,000 light-years away from the earth and is located in the Tarantula Nebula, within the Large Magellanic Cloud.

According to a report from NASA, the young cluster hosts many extremely massive, hot and luminous stars whose energy is mostly radiated as ultraviolet rays.

Apart from being extremely massive, the stars are also extremely bright. Together they outshine the Earth’s Sun 30 million times.

The astronomers also studied the outflows of these nine stars and discovered that they eject masses as heavy as the Earth every month at a speed approaching one percent of the speed of light.

This results in extreme weight loss throughout their brief lives, the astronomers reasoned.

The discovery makes it the largest sample of very massive stars to be identified to date. However, the origin of the stars remains unclear.

“There have been suggestions that these monsters result from the merger of less extreme stars in close binary systems,” Saida Caballero-Nieves, a co-author of the study, explained.

“From what we know about the frequency of massive mergers, this scenario can’t account for all the really massive stars that we see in R136, so it would appear that such stars can originate from the star formation process,” Caballero-Nieves added.

The new find could bring new findings about how huge stars develop. The scientists also said that it was a worthwhile demonstration of the powers of the Hubble Space Telescope, which is ageing and is less powerful than new telescopes that are to be launched in coming years.

“The ability to distinguish ultraviolet light from such an exceptionally crowded region into its component parts, resolving the signatures of individual stars, was only made possible with the instruments aboard Hubble,” Paul Crowther, lead author of the study said.

Worldwide wearables shipments to hit 110 million units – IDC

Jia Khan

March 18, 2016

According to a report of the International Data Corp, global wearable shipments are expected to hit the 110 million units mark, indicating a growth rate of 38.2%, by the end of 2016.

According to IDC, Apple Watch was anticipated to lead the market in 2016 with a 49.4% market share. Apple Watch will be chased by Android Wear watches, driven by Alphabet Inc’s Android OS, with 21.4% market share.

It has been projected by the IDC that Apple will ship 14 million units of its Watch in 2016, as opposed to the 11.6 million units predicted for last year.

In addition, IDC has also predicted that the shipment of Android watches, manufactured by brands including Motorola and LG, to reach 6.1 million units in 2016.

According to Jitesh Ubrani, IDC analyst:

“Although smartwatches like the Apple Watch or Android wear devices capture the spotlight, they will only account for a quarter of all wearables in 2016.”

IDC has also stated that the market for wearable devices is predicted to rise in double-digit percentage through 2015 to 2020, with shipments reaching 237.1 million units in 2020.

Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for International Data Corp’s wearables team, said in his statement:

“With few exceptions, this part of smartwatch market is still in its initial stages. We expect to see major changes, with smartwatches that actually look like watches, user interfaces that are easier than swipes and gestures, applications that rival those on out smartphones, and connections to networks, systems and other devices. This puts pressure on smartwatch platforms to develop further from where they are today,”

Wearable devices basically include watches and wristbands that can conveniently augment the user’s handset and are capable of tracking his heart rate, calories burned etc.

However, the classification has been augmenting with the release of latest products like audio devices, eye wear and clothing.

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