Monday
Jun022014

Toshiba announces two new Satellite Click 2 hybrid laptops

Asus isn’t the only competitor in the hybrid laptop market. Toshiba has just unveiled two versions of its new Satellite Click 2 line. The Satellite Click 2 and Satellite Click 2 Pro are 13.3-inch laptop/tablet devices with the Satellite Click 2 Pro being the more powerful option. The Satellite Click 2 has a quad-core Intel Pentium processor, 500GB storage, HD display (1366x768), and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. It will retail for US$586.99.

Meanwhile, the Satellite Click 2 Pro has a 4th-generation Intel Core processor, Full HD display, Harman|Kardon sound system, front HD webcam, and 5-megapixel rear camera. It will retail for $1,028.99. The tablet has its own 128GB SSD storage that adds to the extra 500GB storage when connected to the keyboard. Ports on the device include microSD slot, micro HDMI, micro USB 2.0, USB 3.0 with Sleep & Charge feature, HDMI, as well as wireless display and Intel WiDi support. Both devices will be available late June.

Monday
Jun022014

Asus shows off new ultra-thin Transformer Book T300 Chi at Computex

Aside from the multi-tasking master Transformer Book V, Asus has unveiled a more conventional hybrid device, the Transformer Book T300 Chi. The company touts this as the thinnest Intel Core tablet out on the market at 7.3mm thin.  It is a 2-in-1 Windows 8.1 device with a 12.5-inch WQHD screen (2560x1440), unspecified next-generation Intel Core processor, either 2GB or 4GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity. No word yet on pricing or availability. We will keep our eyes and ears peeled for any updates on that front.

Monday
Jun022014

Asus unveils five-in-one Transformer Book V at Computex

Asus is known to reinvent the hybrid market and one of its newest devices unveiled at Computex certainly lives up to that. The Transformer Book V looks like a regular 3-in-1 device with a laptop, tablet, and smartphone built in. But Asus stepped it up further and added five modes to the device. It can act as a Windows laptop, a Windows tablet, an Android smartphone, an Android tablet (if you dock the smartphone into the tablet), and an Android laptop if you dock the tablet back onto the keyboard. In a nutshell, it is the PadFone and Transformer lines combined. We’re not sure how this will translate in actual use but it does bring even more functionality than you can imagine in a “single” device.

Specs wise, the smartphone has a 5-inch HD display, an unspecified Intel Atom quad-core processor, LTE capability, 2GB Ram, up to 64GB of storage, and an 8-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera. The tablet has a 12.-inch HD display, another unspecified Intel Core processor, up to 4GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. It really would’ve been better if the display for both devices were Full HD but we’ll take what we can get this time. We don’t know when this will be available or how much. We will keep you posted for any updates.

Monday
Jun022014

Video: CarPlay demo on a Ferrari FF at WWDC 2014

We had a chance to try out CarPlay on a $300,000 Ferrari FF which was one of the demo cars at the Moscone Centre for WWDC today. CarPlay seamlessly integrates the calling, messaging, mapping and music playing capabilities of an iPhone into the car's Interface via compatible head units. Some new cars will ship with this feature although companies like Pioneer are also offering aftermarket versions that will work on older vehicles.