Samsung brings Slim, Sleek models of the Notebook 9 Series

January 9, 2016

The South Korean electronics giant Samsung has added two new models to its Notebook 9 series. The newly released notebook versions are available in 13.3-inches and 15-inches respectively.

These latest additions to Samsung Notebook 9 lineup are super slim and absolutely light weight. The design and manufacturing of these two notebooks have exclusively been focused on flexibility, efficiency and performance. Therefore, magnesium metal alloy has been used for design and manufacturing purposes.

The 15-inch model weighs around 2.84 lbs and comes with 346.5 × 236.8 × 14.5 mm dimensions. On the other hand, smaller 13.3-inches variant has been measured at 313.8 × 218.5 × 13.4 mm.

Both laptops feature the fast charging technology which allows the gadgets to charge at a super-fast rate. These laptops can be charged in a mere 20 minutes with the battery lasting for approximately 10 to 12 hours.

Other details include full HD PLS display that comes with a wide viewing angle. Samsung Notebook 9 series laptop display also embraces180 degree axis.

Both versions come with an anti-glare coating that allows users to conveniently use the device in the daylight. The device is powered by Windows 10 OS and uses Sky-Lake U sixth-Gen by Intel platform.

In terms of storage both the models share similar specs that are 128GB/256GB and 4/8GB of RAM respectively. The 15-inches version offers 39 Wh battery whereas 13.3-inch comes with a 30 Wh battery.

As per company’s senior VP Gary Riding, the new Notebook 9 devices will provide all-day battery support, astonishing displays, efficient connectivity options and superior functionality. For now, there has been no word regarding the cost of these devices.

Apparently the devices are targeted at those Samsung consumers who are eager to do more work in less time and for those who favor amenity and automation approach.

And this is not it. Besides making excellent user-friendly devices for workaholics, the company is also taking it a step further by upgrading their internet of things (IoT) and other home devices.

Samsung new Notebook 9 laptops launches

Emmanuel

January 9, 2016

Samsung has introduced two new ridiculously light and beautiful Notebook 9 laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 in Las Vegas.

The Notebook 9 laptops are in two variants – a 13-inch and a larger 15-inch variant. The 13-inch variant packs a 13-inch display with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels while the 15-inch variant sports a 15 inches FHD display with the same resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.

The full-HD display is touted to provide superior brightness with a wide angle and low-reflective screen. It is expected to offer a comfortable viewing experience from a variety of positions.

Both variants have various designs, including Material, Color Mg, Iron Silver and Modern Pink. The laptops are both pretty light – the 15-inch variant weighs 1.29 kg while the 13-inch variant weighs a mere 840 grams.

The Notebook 9 laptops under the hood are run by Intel’s SkyLake-U processors, and are available in Intel’s Core i5 or Core i7 processors. They also come with either 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

As for the internal storage, Samsung is offering two options for both of the Notebook 9 variants: you can get 128 GB (SSD) storage or 256 GB (SSD) storage which is pretty good.

The 15-inch Notebook 9 comes with a 5,120 mAh battery while the 13-inch variant packs a 4,000 mAh battery.

The 15-inch variant can provide battery life for up to 12 hours, and it also comes with the Quick Charging feature which enables it to charge fully in just 20 minutes. The 13.3-inch version offers up to 10 hours of battery life on one charge.

The Notebook 9 also come with enhanced security. It sports the new Security CAM feature which allows users to take and send photos through an equipped camera to a pre-registered email in case of theft.

Other security features including Pattern Log-in, Secret Screen, and Record Block help users to protect their private files and information.

Samsung says the Notebook 9 will be available with Windows 10 Pro in early 2016, but didn’t mention anything about pricing details.

Chevy Debuts its Bolt Electric Car at CES, promises 200-Mile Range

John Adebimitan

January 9, 2016

Just as expected, Chevrolet unveiled its new electric automobile, the Chevy Bolt. The much awaited vehicle was unveiled after the company gave its keynote address at CES 2016.

Going at a retail price of $30,000 after all federal tax credits, the car will be sporting a 200-mile range; in addition to that, the car will also be coming with some other features that have made it one of the costliest electric cars around.

Due to its features and specs, the car will be going into stiff competition with other car makers like Nissan and BMW; the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 do not run 200 miles on a charge, even the future Tesla’s low cost cars and Chevy’s very own Chevrolet Spark even costs much less than the Bolt and that’s why their range is quite less.

Over a year ago, the company had previewed the Chevrolet Bolt and from the preview, we saw that the car will be sporting Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system that comes with a 10.2-inch colored touch screen.

The car also comes with a rear camera mirror and a feature called ‘surround vision’. The surround vision uses four cameras to give the driver a 360-degree view of what is going on around the car.

The surround vision feature is only active while parking because the company has considered that it will be distracting drivers if the feature is used when driving. The rear camera mirror also works so well that not even the passengers or the seats in the back can obstruct your views.

You can also integrate the Chevrolet Bolt with your Smartphone and you will be enjoying a personalized home screen whenever your Smartphone is connected.

The Bolt which also supports a fast-charging mode features a support for Android Auto and Apple Car Play. The company also announced that it will be releasing a mobile app for the drivers in order to be able to know more about their cars on their mobile devices.

NASA gets $55m funding to build human habitat for Mars

Emmanuel

December 31, 2015

The American government has demonstrated its desire for NASA to speed up work on sending humans on deep space exploration missions, including Mars.

As a result, the United States has released a huge amount of money for building the Mars-bound space habitat termed “habitation augmentation module.”

Earlier this month, the United States Congress announced that it was upping its budget for NASA by $1.3 billion to $19.3 billion in 2016.

Recent developments have pointed to the fact that a chunk of that money was earmarked to help bolster the agency’s plans for a Martian mission.

It has now become evident that Congress directed NASA to use $55 million of its $19.3 billion budget to begin building a deep space habitat that will house astronauts during future exploratory missions to the red planet.

NASA was given until 2018 to develop a decent prototype model of the “habitation module,” and the agency is expected to produce a report on the status of the program in 180 days.

NASA said it hopes to launch a crewed mission to Mars by the 2030s, and to begin cislunar (between Earth and the moon) testing of a workable habitat by the 2020s.

Although the agency has already started working with companies like Bigelow Aerospace, Boeing and Orbital ATK to study habitat designs, the new funding and directive from Congress, could speed things up.

For now, though, very little is known about the habitat, including its requirements and how it will be built.

“It’s much too early for that,” Sam Scimemi, International Space Station director at NASA Headquarters said according to SpaceNews.

“As soon as I put a picture up there, somebody is going to assume what the configuration is,”

he added.

In a small yet significant preparation to send astronauts to Mars, NASA engineers have welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the Moon.

SLS is one of the most experienced large rocket engines in the world, with more than a million seconds of ground test and flight operations time.

Google Glass Enterprise Edition

John Adebimitan

December 31, 2015

After successfully passing through a very tough screening at the FCC, the Google Glass Enterprise Edition has now been shown to the public to be sporting an improved hardware.

With this new Enterprise Edition Glass, it’s clear that Google isn’t planning to ditch its Glass for quite some time.

Some time ago, Google presented a version of the Google Glass that was hologram-enabled and the company also released teasers giving us a hint that it even has an audio-based connected headset in the works.

Although the company hasn’t really given news on when each of these devices will be launching, the Google Glass which was aimed at Enterprise customers has been in the news for some months now.

This Google Glass Enterprise Edition is a new headset that was coated with a faster processor and it runs on Intel chipset. The device also features a much larger prism display and an improved battery life.

This headset looks identical to the first Explorer Edition hardware and it features a right side hinge which makes it possible to easily fold and unfold the Glass, it also helps one keep the Glass in cases because it takes a smaller space when it’s folded.

The device now comes with a front indicator light that usually turns on whenever the camera is in use. Its power button has now been moved to the back of the device.

This Google Glass sporting a wireless connectivity feature may only be distributed through the Google Glass for Work program, and this will likely allow all their partners to pre-install proprietary software into the device before it starts getting distributed.

Most of the images going round were released by the FCC as Google hasn’t decided to officially announce the Google Glass Enterprise Edition.

Talking of the prices and other specs, Google as promised that the Enterprise Edition will be reveal very soon, so we just have to wait for the official announcement from Google, then we will bring you detailed information on the Google Glass Enterprise Edition.

HTC Vive VR Headset gains FCC Approval

John Adebimitan

December 30, 2015

The HTC Vive has gotten a nod from the FCC to start being sold in North America. Many Virtual Reality fans have been held back from getting an idea of what the developer kit looks like, but the company has set less than a week’s time for the official unveiling of the kit.

Many who have used some other Virtual Reality devices have stated that this device could be beating even the best device in the Virtual Reality market.

FCC documents stated were the labels will be put, were the controllers will be, were the headset will be put and were the base station and the link box will be.

Indications from FCC documents have shown that the headset could be wireless just as in previous versions of the HTC Vive.

If the earpiece will be wireless, we will not need to station the device in a single place and that will even add to the freedom of users. We may have to wait until HTC releases the much anticipated device before we can be sure of any of the features that the FCC documentation states.

On its way to developing this device, HTC tried to collaborate with Oculus, another head-mounted Virtual Reality display; HTC tried working along the sides and that led Oculus which was later acquired by Facebook to reject HTC.

Each eye of the device sports a resolution of 1080×1200 and a 90 Hz refresh rate. The device comes with over 70 sensors and it works well in a 15×15 feet space.

With Sony and Oculus also planning to release their own Virtual Reality devices, we can expect that with time, this market will get even more competitive.

HTC took its time to release its previous version of the Vive after there were teases and leaks that the HTC Vive would be released in December 2014 and February 2015 at the Game Developers’ Conference, HTC didn’t release the device until 1st of March at the Mobile World Congress. So we may expect that this device will get launched on, before or even after the 2016 Mobile World Congress.

China’s Dark Matter probe begins operation

Emmanuel

December 30, 2015

China’s probe into space, seeking answers to questions raised about dark matter has returned its first data to ground stations.

The spacecraft, which is called Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) was blasted off into space on 17 December from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu province.

It carried on it a Long March 2D booster and is placed in a 500km-altitude orbit.

Signals and data received shortly after its launch show that the spacecraft is working as expected and that the data is good quality, China’s Xinhua News Agency said.

Initial assessments also indicate everything is working correctly and the spacecraft is now ready to begin a three-year mission.

Dark Matter is widely thought to account for most of the mass in the universe, outweighing atoms by about six times. It gives rise to the otherwise unaccountably fast rotation rates of most galaxies in the universe.

Scientists however have yet to detect a single particle of the stuff. They are unsure of its exact nature but calculations suggest that it will be incredibly unreactive and so difficult to detect.

This is where DAMPE, also known as Wukong- named after the monkey king in the Chinese fairytale Journey to the West, comes in handy.

The spacecraft will look for gamma rays, electrons and high-energy cosmic rays, all of which could hold clues about the nature of dark matter.

A similar detector, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, is attached to the International Space Station.

“This is an exciting mission,” says theoretical astrophysicist David Spergel of Princeton University.

If dark matter annihilates, as some theories predict, “DAMPE has an opportunity to detect dark matter annihilation products,” he says.

“DAMPE is the first Chinese space mission for astronomy and astrophysics,” says Yizhong Fan, an astrophysicist at the Chinese Academy of Science’s (CAS’s) Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing who is one of the mission scientists.

DAMPE was built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and Italy’s Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare.

The spacecraft’s launch marks China’s new commitment to scientific space missions.

New Peugeot 508 2016 Edition unveiled by PAN

John Adebimitan

December 23, 2015

PAN Nigeria unveiled the 2016 edition of the Peugeot 508 in Abuja on Tuesday 22nd December. The new car comes with new features and ungraded specs.

The newly unveiled car comes with a Euro 5 engine that has been known to be very efficient and its emission control to be of good standard.

The Peugeot 508 was assembled in Kaduna state, Nigeria. The Peugeot was assembled with the aim of making it the successor to the Peugeot 508 2013 edition.

The car comes with 100 percent quality when we compare it to what Peugeot factories in France and other leading Peugeot assembling plants make. PAN also stated that the Peugeot 508 meets the standard that it has set for its cars globally.

“This improved version of the Peugeot 508 comes fully automated and it also sports the highest standards in efficiency, emission control and environmental compliance,”

said the Managing Director, PAN Nigeria, Ibrahim Boyi.

Ibrahim Boyi continues,

“talking of the functionality, the outlook and the design that this new car comes with, we can expect to use a car that is much better than the Peugeot 508 2013 edition. The Peugeot 508 2016 edition comes with a touch screen control Panel that helps limit the distractions the driver experiences, its front view has also been redesigned to give users more elegance, style and better experience. The car also sports some other features that give all users the safety feel that they always get when they use Peugeot cars.”

The Managing Director also said that the Peugeot 508 2016 edition will be having a slight 3 percent increase in rate because it comes with many new features, more value, functionality and upgrades when compared to what was experienced on the Peugeot 508 2013 edition.

Ibrahim also stated that the new model of the Peugeot 508 comes with longer mileage and fuel efficiency, running 100 kilometers on just 7.6 liters of fuel.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 returns safely on Ground

Jia Khan

December 23, 2015

The rocket of SpaceX, Falcon 9, successfully landed back on ground on Monday. Mashable reported the safe landing of Falcon 9 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The unmanned rocket was launched into orbit and is now being proclaimed as the ‘first orbital-class booster’ since it returned unscathed.

The safe return of Falcon 9 is a huge accomplishment for the company. This success has led Elon Musk, CEO SpaceX, to proclaim that SpaceX is one step closer to Mars. After the safe touchdown of rocket, Elon said in a press conference:

“I think it really quite dramatically improves my confidence that a city on Mars is possible.”
“That’s what all this is about.”

Space and the worlds beyond our planet Earth have attracted human attention for long. SpaceX has some big plans lined up for the future ventures. Falcon 9 is definitely one of the substantial illustrations of such achievements.

The topic of Mars is a universal favorite. Elon Musk himself is passionate about it. At various occasions, he shared his vision regarding the company’s strategy to gain as much information as it can.

The recent success makes him closer to achieve his objectives of conquering and colonizing Mars. The only glitch in his plans is the huge cost requirements because the technology in this domain is expensive.

Elon elaborated the need of colonizing and settling in another planet. Mars has always been hailed for its potential to support life and Musk is a great enthusiast of the theory.

The CEO of SpaceX has further plans to augment the space launch procedures and make them more economical. One probable way is to reuse rockets and other equipment which are generally discarded after a single use.

His ideas have all the potential to revolutionize the space industry. Elon Musk, CEO SpaceX, is well recognized for transforming automobile industry with the launch of Electric Cars. His track record proves that he can pull off another industry ideals reformation with SpaceX.

Asus ROG GL552JX Gaming Laptop launched for Rs. 80,990

Emmanuel

December 21, 2015

Asus has keyed into the PC gaming market by launching the new ROG GL552JX gaming notebook in India for Rs. 80,990 (about 243,000 Naira).

The Asus ROG GL552JX features a 15.6-inch LED backlit display with 1920 x 1080 pixels Full HD resolution. It also has a full anti-glare and comes in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Windows 10 notebook is powered by fourth-gen Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 2 GHz with turbo boost up to 3.20 GHz. Added to this is an 8GB RAM and a fast 1TB 7200rpm hard disk drive.

The laptop is also fortified with an hardware to ensure it gives a fantastic gaming experience. On board is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M graphics chip coupled with IGPU Intel HD Graphics 4600.

“With its advanced hardware and gamer centric features, the GL552JX takes care of all your gaming needs on the move,” Peter Chang, Regional Head of South Asia and Managing Director for Asus said.

“At a price of Rs. 80,990 it is a mainstream gaming laptop targeting audience who want a gaming notebook without spending too much but yet desire for an awe-inspiring gaming experience,” he added.

The Asus ROG GL552JX has a 4G video memory and comes with the GeForce Experience for quick gaming optimization. It also has BatteryBoost for improved battery life that will allow users to game unplugged for longer periods.

On the connectivity front, Asus ROG GL552JX features three USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI port and one RJ45 LAN port. The laptop also has card slot supporting SD, MMC and MS type cards.

The ASUS notebook is equipped with WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless connections. It also has two user replaceable memory slots with dedicated memory door at its bottom.

The Asus ROG GL552JX comes with Sonic Master audio and has backlit keyboard with dedicated numeric keypad. It is backed by a 4 cell Li-Ion battery and weighs 2.6 Kg.

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