Microsoft: Windows 10 Available Starting July 29th

Here it comes folks!

Microsoft has officially announced that Windows 10 will be available for consumers starting July 29th. Cortana, a new browser called “Edge”, Continuum, new photo and Office apps will all be available for free for people on Windows 7 and Windows 8 PC’s.

We can also expect to see new hardware running Windows 10, and many have their fingers crossed for new Windows Phones to be launched at the same time.

You can read Microsoft’s full press release below.

Continue reading “Microsoft: Windows 10 Available Starting July 29th”

Lenovo Announces Z41/Z51 and Ideapad 100 “Simple” Laptops

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As Lenovo continues their lead as the number one PC manufacturer, the company took the wraps off of two new lines of laptops available next month.

Lenovo Z41/51

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Billed as the “Ultimate multimedia workstation for music and movie lovers”, these new Z laptops are focused on home entertainment. Full HD displays will be powered by Intel processors (up to a Core i7) and there will be options for discreet AMD graphics. Dolby is on tap for their surround sound technology, and the Z51 will also come with Intel’s RealSense 3D front facing camera. The RealSense camera can be used for gaming, capturing 3D photos, or scanning objects for 3D printing.

The 14″ Z41 and 15″ Z51 will start at $499. A Z51 with 3D camera and 8GB of RAM will sell for $599

Lenovo Ideapad 100

Ideapad_100_14_Black-8-OutlookGetting down to basics, this new Ideapad is focused on delivering a streamlined experience at a low price.

Ideapad_100_14_Black-11-VideoIn 14 and 15 inch flavors, Ideapad 100 borrows from recent tablet success using an Intel BayTrail low power processor, and can be configured with up to 500GB of storage. The slim notebook will start at $249 when it’s released later next month.

You can catch Lenovo’s full press release below.

Continue reading “Lenovo Announces Z41/Z51 and Ideapad 100 “Simple” Laptops”

LG Unveils G4 Flagship Android Smartphone with Leather Back and Improved Camera!

An exciting day for LG fans!

LG finally took the wraps off of their newest flagship phone at a very conservative press event. No fashion runway, no choir, no stage. They let the device speak for itself, while detailing the new tech and design elements moving forward.

The G4 will follow in the design footsteps of the G3 and the G Flex. The screen will now feature a subtle curve, not as radical as the Flex, but offering a more ergonomic experience than the G3. As we’re still using a near-phablet 5.5″ screen, the slight bend should help with one handed use, and lining up with the contours of the human face.

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The screen is still a QHD (2560×1440) resolution affair, but LG is focusing on the quality and brightness of the display, over trying to cram in more dots. We’ve complained in the past that LG screens can be harder to read outdoors when compared to Samsung and Nokia, and it would seem the G4 will address that issue. They claim their IPS Quantum technology will be 25% brighter with increased contrast and color accuracy.

It’s still incredible to see a screen this large on a phone this small. As with our LG G3 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison, you’ll get a higher resolution panel, and the same screen size as Apple’s phablet, in a phone just a touch larger than a Galaxy S6. Continue reading “LG Unveils G4 Flagship Android Smartphone with Leather Back and Improved Camera!”

Microsoft Surface 3 (not Pro) Revealed! Everything You Need to Know!

Microsoft quietly took the wraps off their new Surface tablet, and it looks like a winner! Here’s the full scoop on their new consumer focused Windows tablet!

More info on the Surface 3.

Samsung Officially Reveals NX500 Mirrorless Camera – NX1 Features at Half the Price!

We’re wrapping up our review of the MONSTER NX1, but in the meantime, we can also whet your appetite with a smaller mirrorless camera coming from Samsung boasting many of the same specs.

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The NX500 is officially official, and looks like it will live up to the rumors of Samsung delivering an NX1-Mini.

We see the same 28MP APS-C Backside Illuminated sensor, with full support for Cinema 4K Video (4096×2160), and the flip up touchscreen display. Absolutely monster specs for a camera in this segment. You can already pre-order this beastie on Amazon for $799 with the 16-50mm kit lens.

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For those interested, we have Cinema 4K video samples from the NX1 below, and under that you can read the full Samsung press release with full product specs and a few more images of the NX500.

Continue reading “Samsung Officially Reveals NX500 Mirrorless Camera – NX1 Features at Half the Price!”

LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen

LG_G3_3Today LG took the wraps off of their long awaited follow up to the popular G2 Android phone. The LG G3 continues in the design language of the G2 and G Flex, while taking the brand upscale and including some bleeding edge specs.

LG_G3_Metallic_Black_BackThe G3 retains the power button placement on the back of the phone under the camera, but now the build material of that backplate has a metallic finish which LG claims is fingerprint resistant.

The screen has also increased over the G2’s 5.2″ diagonal to a 5.5″ diagonal, placing the G3 screen firmly in the territory of last year’s phablets. The major talking point however is the bump to screen resolution. Called “Quad HD” the G3 display contains 2560×1440 dots, or four times the resolution of a 720p display. This delivers and insane pixel pitch (538ppi), which should make text and fine photo detail crisp. Continue reading “LG Announces G3 Flagship Phone with Quad HD Screen”

HTC Unveils One Mini 2 Mid-Range Android Smartphone

htc one mini 2Following in the footsteps of last years One Mini, the One Mini 2 continues HTC’s new design language found on the M8.

Shrinking the screen to a 4.5″ 720p display, the OM2 features a number of our favorite features from the M8 like Boomsound speakers, Blinkfeed, and Zoe. What’s different is an odd collection of specs.

htc one mini 2 (2)First, we expected the camera would not be HTC’s new dual camera sensor setup which provides depth info to the M8, but it’s also not the same 4 Ultrapixel shooter we’ve seen since the M7. It’s a 13MP BSI sensor. Something of an odd move considering the lengths HTC has gone to in promoting Ultrapixels. There’s also no mention of OIS on board.

A Qualcomm 400 quad-core should be plenty powerful for most folks, and thankfully HTC has seen fit to add in NFC and a larger battery. That combo of efficient processor, Android 4.4, and a 2100 mAh battery should provide for noticeably better screen on time over the last Mini.

A MicroSD card slot will be appreciated by many, but OM2 owners will lose out on the M8’s IR blaster to use the phone as a universal remote, and it doesn’t appear to have 802.11AC WiFi either.

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Lenovo CES Assault: Miix 2 10 tablet, Yoga 2, and Flex Laptops

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Windows 8 really comes alive with hardware built for its unique UI. After scoring some early success with the original Yoga, Lenovo is pushing farther into new form factors for Microsoft’s OS.

A new consumer variant of the Yoga 2 will feature 11 and 13 inch displays. The 11 will be powered by a lower power Intel Pentium processor, while the 13 steps up to a Core i5. Both rock the same swivel hinge which can flip the laptop screens around into full tablet PC’s. I’m really stoked to see the orange lid return from the Yoga 2 Pro. A nice touch of branding for a company mostly known for Thinkpads.

The Miix 2 is one of the more sought after mini-tablets for Windows 8 users. Now the Miix line is expanding with 10” and 11”  slates. The 10 has an Intel Atom quad core and 2GB of RAM. The 11 will step up to a Core i5 with up to 8GB of RAM, and both are sporting 1080p LCDs. Continue reading “Lenovo CES Assault: Miix 2 10 tablet, Yoga 2, and Flex Laptops”