Wednesday, April 20, 2011

IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 20/04/2011

AnandTech



The Motorola Xoom Giveaway, Round 2
When we reviewed Motorola's Xoom, all that was available was the $799 3G version. Since then Motorola has released a more affordable $599 WiFi only edition with 32GB of NAND on board. Inside the Xoom, as you're all familiar with is NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC. Tegra 2 was Google's reference SoC for the Honeycomb release of Android, and thus it's been the heart and soul of all recently announced Honeycomb tablets.
NVIDIA, eager to parade its success with Tegra 2, shipped me a box containing four WiFi Motorola Xooms to give away to our most loyal readers. We're still trying to contact the winner of the first Xoom. Remember you have seven days to claim your prize otherwise you forefit it. Also remember that the contest is only available to legal residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). Be sure to read the eligibility section to make sure you aren't disqualified if you win!
Here's a shot of the remaining three:
We'll be giving one away every two days until we're out of WiFi Xooms. Sound like a plan?
Read on for full contest entry details!


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AMD’s Radeon HD 6670 & Radeon HD 6570: Two’s Company, Sub-$100’s A Crowd
Two weeks ago we saw the paper launch of the Radeon HD 6450, the low-end member of AMD’s Northern Islands family of GPUs. It was a solid product for HTPC use and a very notable improvement over the 5450 it replaced, but it was an uncharacteristically delayed launch for AMD. At the same time we noted that the Northern Islands family had one more GPU we had not seen: Turks.
As it turns out, Turks-based video cards will be launching alongside the 6450 today, delivering all of the remaining Northern Islands products in a single push. Turks will be powering the Radeon HD 6670 and Radeon HD 6570, replacing the Redwood-based Radeon HD 5670 and Radeon HD 5570 respectively. Considering that we saw AMD deliver a solid update for their low-end lineup with the 6450, will we see the same with Turks and the 6670/6570? Let’s find out.


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HP's New Workstations, Plus More DreamColor Offerings
When HP invited me to attend a press reception for their new mobile workstations, I was understandably confused. I'd just been out to San Francisco to see the new mobile workstations a little over a month before, what could possibly be so new that it needed to go under NDA? As it turns out, HP was saving the best for last.
We had the opportunity to review the HP EliteBook 8740w last year, complete with DreamColor IPS display, and it was...well, a monster. It's expensive, but it's the most powerful workstation-class notebook with the best quality screen you're ever going to find in a portable. The refresh of the 8740w, indeed the entire EliteBook w-series line, only amps up HP's game that much more. This entire line enjoys a gunmetal finish, strengthened glass touchpad, and ISV-certified graphics, and they've all been updated with Sandy Bridge processors, the latest mobile graphics from AMD and NVIDIA, and USB 3.0 connectivity. They're all expected to be available in May.
Starting small and working our way up, there's the EliteBook 8460w. HP offers this notebook with dual-core Intel i5 and i7 processors, up to 16GB of DDR3, and 14" matte screen resolutions at either 1366x768 or 1600x900. The 8460w also comes standard with the AMD FirePro M3900 with 1GB of GDDR3 and supports EyeFinity with up to four screens. MSRP starts at $1,299.
When we get to the EliteBook 8560w, we see our first big improvement: a 15.6" 1920x1080 DreamColor display option. The 8560w also doesn't even offer a 1366x768; it comes standard with a basic 1600x900 display, and all the displays are matte. The 8560w can also be configured with quad-core processors, and in those configurations can support a staggering 32GB of DDR3. Graphics options include an AMD FirePro M5950 with 1GB of GDDR5, an NVIDIA Quadro 1000M with 2GB of DDR3, and an NVIDIA Quadro 2000M with 2GB of DDR3. MSRP starts at $1,349.
Finally, the big daddy: the EliteBook 8760w. The largest refresh of the EliteBook line also sees the least change. Users will be disappointed to know that while DreamColor is still available, the 8760w loses the 1920x1200 resolution of its predecessor in favor of the more common 1920x1080. That said, there are improvements: the 8760w supports all of Intel's new mobile i7 chips, allows for up to three internal hard drives (two bays plus the optical drive bay can be converted) in RAID 0, 1, or 5 configurations, and offers the fastest mobile workstation graphics on the market. It starts with an AMD FirePro M5950 with 1GB of GDDR5, but can be upgraded to an NVIDIA Quadro 3000M with 2GB of GDDR5, NVIDIA Quadro 4000M with 2GB of GDDR5, or an NVIDIA Quadro 5010M with an incredible 4GB of GDDR5. MSRP starts at $1,899.
HP was also showing off their entry-level desktop workstation, the Z210. There are two flavors of Z210: the CMT which is a more standard-sized mid-tower, and the SFF, a tinier and in some ways more impressive machine. We're hoping to get one of these in for testing soon; the black box is fairly bland, but the cooling design in these towers (particularly the SFF) is smart, and HP is offering these towers with either Xeon E3 or desktop-class Sandy Bridge processors. These should be available now, with the CMT at an MSRP of $659 and the sleeker SFF at an MSRP of $569.


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Toshiba's New Mobile Enterprise Line: The Portege R830 Sets the Standard
To say the Toshiba Portege R700 was well-received by the industry would apparently be an understatement; Toshiba brought a level of engineering acumen to bear on that machine heretofore unseen on their notebooks, and the success of the R700 and its descendants is now informing Toshiba's entire mobile business line.
Toshiba's older mobile business notebooks under their Tecra line weren't bad, but stylistically were well behind the times. Made chiefly of ABS plastic, these notebooks unfortunately didn't look like much of an improvement over, say, an HP G-series notebook, and they inherited some of the same problems that plagued Toshiba's consumer notebooks. The older Tecras are big and bulky, but since the success of the R700, Toshiba has taken the hint and completely rearchitected their 14" and 15.6" Tecra notebooks while updating the Portege. The result is the R800 series, split between the 14" Tecra R840, 15.6" Tecra R850, and 13.3" Portege R830.
Since the 13.3" Portege is basically the flagbearer of Toshiba's new line, we'll start there first. The R830 is nearly identical to its predecessor, the R700, and as such has received the fewest changes. Updated to include Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, the R830 remains thin and light and should actually run a touch cooler than its predecessor given the slightly better thermals of Intel's new generation of chips. Toshiba has also updated the R830 to include USB 3.0, and just like the R700 it can be configured all the way up to the top of the line dual-core mobile i7. A consumer level version is also available in the R835 and it starts at $888.99. Moving to that notebook means giving up the ExpressCard port, docking capabilities, and moving down to a one-year warranty, but we suspect that will seem a reasonable trade-off for most consumers. MSRP for the Portege R830 is from $1,049 to $1,649.
The Tecra R840 and R850 on the other hand have seen massive changes. Gone are the big and bulky older chassis, replaced by a much sleeker, thinner build strongly reminiscent of the R700 and R830. Toshiba uses fiberglass-reinforced casing with a honeycomb rib structure in the R840 and R850 that substantially improves durability.  In the case of the R840, Toshiba also uses the unique Airflow Cooling Technology found in the Portege. Developed by Intel and then modified by Toshiba, the notebook features what amounts to a wind tunnel with an intake and exhaust within the body, allowing for air to pass quickly and efficiently through the system while cooling the hotter components. Given the larger form factor of the R850, Toshiba opted to use more traditional cooling in that system. Both the R840 and R850 offer the new Sandy Bridge processors along with AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics. The graphics hardware seems mild, but it allows users to plug in up to two additional screens and use these notebooks as proper mobile workstations. The R840 starts with an MSRP of $899 while the R850 starts with an MSRP of just $879.
I had the opportunity to see these new notebooks when I met with Toshiba representatives in person and they're a major step forward from older designs. These are sleek, clean, and smart designs. My chief concern is that Toshiba is releasing these notebooks into a market where they have to compete with the new designs by HP which are, frankly, stunning in person. My other complaint is a milder one, but nonetheless relevant: while the chiclet keyboard Toshiba has moved to with these new notebooks is a step in the right direction, the smooth, slightly-glossy finish on the keys isn't the best or most comfortable to use. It's true that traditional plastics may be more liable to wear out over time, but they're more comfortable in the interim. Still, competing workstation-class notebooks from Dell or HP are generally more expensive, and Toshiba is offering a great value in these notebooks. If anything, we just wish some of these innovations would trickle down into the consumer space.
Last but not least, I was able to check out Toshiba's new Mobile Monitor. This is a 14", 1366x768 screen powered entirely over USB using DisplayLink technology. I'm not a tremendous fan of DisplayLink, but I can definitely see using this screen in a pinch. Other mobile, USB-powered screens have tended to simply be too small, but at 14-inches the Mobile Monitor enters the realm of usability. It is built into a classy storage case that folds out to use as a stand with smart cable routing around the back. It's the kind of thing that must be experienced in person so you can grasp just how useful a device like this might be; if I travelled more it's fair to say I'd invest in one for myself. At $199 the MSRP would seem unreasonable for a garden variety 14" monitor, but given the portability and design the price seems sound.


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AMD's Radeon HD 6450: UVD3 Meets The HTPC
AMD’s Northern Islands family is composed of four GPUs, roughly divided into two categories. At the top is the 6900 series powered by Cayman, AMD’s first VLIW4 GPU. Below Cayman are three more GPUs, all derived from the VLIW5 Evergreen generation (5000 series). The first of these GPUs was Barts, which is the basis of the 6800 series that launched back in October of 2010. However up until now we haven’t seen the other two mystery GPUs in the retail market. Today that starts to change.
The final two Northern Island GPUs are Caicos and Turks. They have been available in the OEM market for both desktop and mobile products since the beginning of the year, but as is often common with low-end/high-volume GPUs, a retail presence comes last instead of first. AMD is finally giving Caicos its first retail presence today; it will be powering the new Radeon HD 6450. Packing all the upgrades we saw with Barts last year, it will effectively be replacing the Radeon HD 5450. But how well does AMD’s latest stand up in the crowded low-end market? Let’s find out.


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Seagate GoFlex Slim 320GB: The World's Thinnest External HDD
As a desktop user I never really jumped on the external storage craze. I kept a couple of terabyte drives in RAID-0 inside my chassis and there's always the multi-TB array in the lab in case I needed more storage. External drives were always neat to look at, but I never really needed any. My notebook's internal storage was always enough.
With the arrival of Sandy Bridge in notebooks however I've given the notebook as a desktop replacement thing a try. I've got enough random hardware if I need a fast gaming machine in a pinch, but for everything else I'm strictly notebook these days. As a result I've come to realize just how precious portable storage is. Most reasonably portable notebooks have one usable 2.5" bay at most (two if you don't mind sacrificing an optical drive). Network storage is great but what if you need something portable on the go with you?
I'm obviously a staunch advocate of spending your internal real estate on an SSD, but if you need the space you've gotta go mechanical for your external storage. If portability is what matters, an external 2.5" hard drive can be quite attractive as they're lightweight and can be powered over USB.
In the 2.5" world there are three predominant thicknesses available: 7mm, 9.5mm and 12.5mm. Most notebook drives are 9.5mm. You'll notice that Intel even ships many of its SSDs with a removable spacer to make them 9.5mm tall in order to maintain physical compatibility with as many notebooks as possible.
Thicker drives are needed to accommodate more platters inside, but as platter densities increase so do the capacities of thinner drives. A couple of years ago Seagate announced the world's first 7mm thick 2.5" hard drive and earlier today, it announced the thinnest external 2.5" drive: the GoFlex Slim.


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AMD's Radeon HD 6790: Coming Up Short At $150
The last couple of weeks after the recent GeForce GTX 550 Ti launch have been more eventful than I had initially been expecting. As you may recall the GTX 550 Ti launched at $150, a price tag too high for its sub-6850 performance. I’m not sure in what order things happened – whether it was a price change or a competitive card that came first – but GTX 550 Ti prices have finally come down for some of the cards. The average price of the cheaper cards is now around $130, a more fitting price given the card’s performance.
The timing for this leads into today’s launch. AMD is launching a new card, the Radeon HD 6790, at that same $150 price point. Based on the same Barts GPU that powers the Radeon HD 6800 series, this is AMD’s customary 3rd tier product that we’ve come to expect after the 4830 and 5830. As we’ll see NVIDIA had good reason to drop the price on the GTX 550 if they didn’t already, but at the same time AMD must still deal with the rest of the competition: NVIDIA’s GTX 460 lineup, and of course AMD itself. So just how well does the 6790 stack up in the crowded $150 price segment? Let’s find out.


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Origin's Genesis: Flagship Bling
Now that we've been getting a fairly steady influx of desktop machines from boutiques, Origin PC is stepping into the ring by sending us their go-to flagship model, the Genesis. Origin is a boutique founded by former Alienware executives, and is relatively young compared to some of the other companies we've reviewed towers from. The Genesis is almost more of a brand than a flagship, but Origin is opting to put one of their best feet forward by sending us a configuration they're sure will do them proud against the competition.


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iBUYPOWER LAN Warrior II: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 590 in a Small Shell
The last time we checked in with iBUYPOWER we reviewed the behemoth that is the iBUYPOWER Paladin XLC, a massive hunk of machine that was generally a solid value but suffered from the same kind of shaky overclocking that afflicted so many boutique builds during the era. This time iBUYPOWER is packing a K-series Sandy Bridge processor (complete with easy overclocking) and one of the most powerful graphics cards on the planet: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590. The 590 may ultimately not have had the performance to beat AMD's Radeon HD 6990, but it's also a much quieter card. iBUYPOWER managed to fit it into a MicroATX case (along with a 92mm water-cooling rig for the processor). Does the beefy LAN Warrior II work, and does it work well, and just how much will this bad boy set you back?


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Acer's Iconia 6120: Are Two Screens Better Than One?
Oftentimes press releases from the major manufacturers can feel like fluff: "We refreshed our notebook line again this year, new processors, etc." But every so often one of them lets a maniac into their design department, and we get something fairly radical. Today, Acer has decided to be the ASRock of computer companies by announcing the Iconia 6120, a 14" notebook they're dubbing a "Touchbook" because instead of a keyboard...there's a second screen. That's what I get for complaining about their keyboard design so much: they've gotten rid of it entirely. If the Iconia brings to mind Toshiba's Libretto W100, it should, but unlike the Libretto this is a more aggressive stab at making a dual-screen notebook with a much more aggressive price point.
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The Acer Iconia 6120 Dual-Screen Touchbook will come equipped standard with an Intel Core i5 processor (complete with integrated Intel HD graphics); we're not sure if it's Sandy Bridge as the press release doesn't say, but most likely Acer opted to use Arrandale (we've seen i5-480M listed elsewhere). Backing up the i5 is 4GB of DDR3, a 640GB mechanical hard disk, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Acer was also keen to point out the Iconia 6120 includes USB 3.0 connectivity, a welcome addition and one we hope to see gain more and more traction in the mobile market. Remaining connectivity is handled by two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11b/g/n wireless networking. Finally, the touchscreens themselves are designed using Gorilla Glass.
Given that Windows 7 is barely designed to handle one touchscreen let alone two, Acer is including a wealth of custom software to maximize the design of the Iconia 6120. Built around what they call the "Acer Ring Control Interface" (activated by placing five fingers in a circular pattern on the bottom display), a wealth of touch-enabled applications are included, including a touch-based web browser, social networking interfaces, and a device control panel. The Iconia 6120 also recognizes multitouch gestures like a smartphone would, and includes both a basic virtual keyboard along with a helpful gesture editor. Typing on glass definitely isn't going to win our award for best keyboard ever, but at least the Iconia should be better than typing on a tablet. It remains to be seen just how practical the Iconia 6120's touch interface is going to be: the Toshiba Libretto W100 was released largely as a limited edition curiosity, and Toshiba tried pushing its utility by being able to hold it like a book and manipulate it that way.
The press release also fails to list quite a few important details. The photos are clearly doctored/rendered images, and there's no information on what sort of display technology Acer is using. If they actually have the guts to use a couple IPS displays, there's still potential, but TN panels are likely the weapon of choice and that will make for a very poor viewing experience. Also missing is information on expected battery life or battery capacity; typically, Arrandale is good for 5-6 hours of battery life on a moderate ~55Wh battery, but powering two LCDs could really cut into that figure. Finally, the weight is on the portly side of things, tipping the scales at 6.18 pounds (as a point of reference, the ASUS U41JF we just reviewed is a 14" laptop with a DVDRW that only weighs 4.78 pounds), so this isn't a viable tablet alternative either.
On the other hand, the Iconia 6120 doesn't look to suffer from the same kind of schizophrenic design decisions that limited the Libretto: this is very clearly designed to be used like a regular notebook with a brand new interface. What potentially pushes this "touchbook" over the edge, though, is the pricetag: at an MSRP of just $1,199 in both the US and Canada, the Acer Iconia 6120 is priced within the reach of mainstream shoppers willing to take the plunge and try something new.
This could end up being one of the coolest devices to come out in 2011, or it might end up just being a funky laptop that's uncomfortable for typing, or it could be a complete flop. The price is too high to qualify as an impulse buy, and without any benchmarks or hands-on experience all we can do for now is show you the pictures and wait for actual hardware. Still, we have to give Acer some props for at least trying something different. Acer is offering the Iconia 6120 Dual-Screen Touchbook for pre-sale now, with availability expected in April. The full press release can be found below.

Acer Iconia Touchbook Dual-Screen Tablet

Provides Engaging, Natural Way to Interact with Digital Data

World’s First and Only Tablet Featuring Two 14-inch Touch Screen Displays

Now Available for Pre-Sale in the U.S. and Canada

SAN JOSE, CA – March 29, 2011 – Acer today announced that its much anticipated dual screen tablet, the Iconia-6120 Dual-Screen Touchbook is now available for pre-sale in North America. Providing a powerful, immersive touch experience like no other, it is the world’s first and only tablet to offer two touch-enabled 14-inch high-definition widescreen LED backlit LCDs.
Intuitive to use and customizable to individual needs, it combines the power of Intel Core i5 processing with the familiarity of Windows 7, and is destined to change how people use technology to engage with the world. A winner of this year’s prestigious “Last Gadget Standing” award at CES, the Iconia was noted for incorporating the best features of any notebook or tablet device.
With the flexibility to use a finger, type on a virtual keyboard, or use a combination of both, the Iconia Touchbook provides many ways to make the computing experience a truly personal one. Consumers can customize what is shown on each screen, allowing them to watch a video on the top screen and browse their multimedia library on the bottom one, or view a single web page across the two displays. Using the bottom screen to manage and control the action on the top screen keeps presentations, movies or web pages free of icons and other navigational tools.
Extremely durable and scratch resistant, the Iconia’s 14-inch LCDs are made of ultra-thin Gorilla® Glass from Corning, a renowned manufacturer of extremely durable glass. With a wipe and clean coating, it’s easy to keep the displays shiny and smudge-free.
“The Acer Iconia Touchbook delivers a computing and visual experience like no other,” said Eric Ackerson, senior product marketing manager, Acer America. “Whether the Touchbook is used by a small business owner or a student, its unique dual screen design enhances the interaction they will have with their digital data. Our compelling design and applications will let them discover new and much more personal ways to communicate and enjoy the computing experience, regardless of whether it’s work related or for personal enjoyment.”
The Heart of Iconia – the Acer Ring Control Interface
The unique Acer Ring Control Interface makes navigating by touch simple and intuitive. By placing five fingers in a circular pattern on the bottom display, the Acer Ring appears, providing instant access to favorite applications and features. From this point, consumers can use their fingertip or launch the virtual keyboard to change the tablet’s settings, surf the web, capture screen images, post photos and status updates to a social network, watch a movie and more, all in the manner most comfortable and natural to them.
AppCards Provide Quick and Easy Access to Productivity and Entertainment-Based Applications
Appearing on the either side of the Acer Ring is a unique set of Iconia touch-based applications, called AppCards. Using a finger, users can scroll to the one they want, and simply tap it to have instant access to a range of compelling programs ideal for either business or home use.

  • TouchBrowser is specifically designed to offer a more comfortable web surfing experience when using touch input. Upon launching, web content will flow across both screens. A toolbar at the bottom of either screen provides easy control over the open pages. To enter a website address, consumers can use the virtual keyboard or enter it using handwriting gestures. A pinching action will zoom in on the content on the page. Pages can be added to Favorites by simply tapping the Add Favorites icon.

     

  • MyJournal is a handy place to keep clippings of websites and other information. Images can be captured from any web page and organized onto a single, easy-to-view page. It includes pre-set tabs for News, Sports, Entertainment, Politics and Business. The selected website content on the tabbed pages is automatically updated each time it’s opened. A toolbar at the top of the page makes it easy to edit, resize, rename and move clips to other pages. In a business environment, a professional will find this feature useful in tracking news on competitors or to keep an eye on the stock market. A consumer can follow a local news story, their favorite sports team or keep an eye on their favorite celebrity’s latest antics.

     

  • Social Jogger simultaneously connects to three of the most popular social networking sites — Flickr, Facebook, and YouTube, presenting them a simple interface on one screen. Users can check posts and updates on one screen at a glance, and use the other screen to view one of the sites in more detail, surf the web, view photos or work on a spreadsheet.

     

  • Scrapbook is a convenient place to store website and photo images and other content. It includes a pen tool for drawing or entering handwritten text, such as adding comments or reminders. From there, images can be exported to the clipboard for insertion into other applications, or saved as an image file.

     

  • TouchPhoto, TouchMusic and TouchVideo provide direct access to multimedia files stored on the tablet.

     
Easy-to-use Tools Make Navigating Intuitive and Fun
Appearing directly on the Acer Ring are a number of useful functions and tools, including Virtual Keyboard, Gesture Editor, Capture, Webclip, Windows Manager and Device Control. Tapping the desired tool’s icon brings it up for immediate use.

  • The Virtual Keyboard gives users the ability to enter data and navigate in a familiar fashion. Combined with its touch capabilities, the Iconia Touchbook is a flexible and powerful tablet designed for maximum efficiency and productivity. When both palms are placed on the bottom screen, the virtual full-sized keyboard instantly appears. Adaptive typing and predictive text allows for quick data entry and minimizes mistakes. A numeric touchpad with handwriting recognition converts handwriting to text. The palm rest area can also be customized with any image on the computer – a company logo or a scenic background — so users can personalize the tablet even more.

     

  • Gesture Editor is a simple and quick way to instantly launch specific applications, access favorite websites, or even to lock the computer with a simple finger motion. A set of pre-defined gestures is included, but customized gestures can be created in just five easy steps. For example, simply drawing a $ (dollar sign) on the screen can launch a financial or accounting application, or a v (checkmark) can open a to-do list.

     

  • The Capture tool allows users to clip parts of an image (a photo, illustration or a webpage) and save it to the Scrapbook application for further editing. It’s a great way to collect images for use in a PowerPoint presentation. And it couldn’t be easier to do. With the picture on the top screen and the Scrapbook page opened on the bottom display, users just tap the Capture tool, run their finger around the desired image and then tap the area to open a menu that will allow them to drag and drop it onto the Scrapbook page. The captured image will automatically be added as a thumbnail image above the scrapbook page for quick and easy viewing. They can then drag and drop the desired thumbnail onto the page, where it can be rotated or resized with pinching actions.

     

  • The Web Clip tool is specifically for clipping parts of web pages to save to MyJournal. Tap the screen, select the area to crop, tap and drag on any of the corners of the selected area to size it, and then tap the area again to open a menu to paste the content into MyJournal, Scrapbook or copy it to the clipboard. It can also be saved as a bitmap file.

     

  • Window Manager provides a touch-friendly interface for controlling the various open windows on the displays. Users can customize which screen the application appears on as well as its size.

     

  • Device Control is an easy way to access and adjust power, display and volume settings, wireless connections and various devices connected to the HDMI, VGA and USB ports.

     
Clear.fi makes data sharing convenient in small office environment or the home
Making it easy to share multimedia content, the Acer Iconia Touchbook features clear.fi, Acer’s digital media sharing solution. Clear.fi automatically connects all Acer devices on a network (smartphones, notebooks, desktops, HD media players and storage devices) and then gathers and organizes media files by type (video, music, photo, pre-recorded TV). Users can browse the categories and then drag and drop the media to any of the connected PCs or devices for playback.
No-Compromises Tablet Features Leading Technology for Maximum Productivity and Fun
A super charged tablet filled with enough leading technology to rival many desktop and notebook PCs in performance, the Iconia-6120 Dual-Screen Touchbook is powerful enough to handle demanding applications and graphic intensive multimedia files. Featuring an Intel® Core™ i5 Processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology(2), 4GB of memory and Intel® HD graphics, the Touchbook is equipped for heavy lifting. In addition, Dolby® Advanced Audio™ v3 brings vibrant sound to business presentations, movies, music, and games.
Windows 7 Premium 64-bit provides a familiar computing environment, and is compatible with today’s most popular applications and media formats, and supports full web browsing with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1. For professional environments, Windows 7 delivers what is expected in a business-class PC: manageability, security and the ability to run the applications used within most organizations today, including Microsoft Office.
To maximize productivity, the Touchbook includes the new USB 3.0 standard with a top speed that’s 10 times faster than standard USB 2.0; a 25GB high definition video file can be transferred from an external USB 3.0 storage device in just 70 seconds and stored on the roomy 640GB SATA hard drive(3). Two 2.0 USB ports and an HDMI port are also included.
A 1.3 megapixel HD webcam is ideal for face-to-face videoconferencing or for staying in touch with business associates, friends and family. Connect reliably with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ or Gigabit Ethernet LAN from work, home or while on-the-go. Weighing in at just 6.18 pounds, it’s as convenient to carry as any notebook computer, and fits comfortably in a briefcase or backpack.
U.S. Configurations, Pricing and Availability
With an MSRP of $1,199.99, the Acer Iconia-6120 Touchbook is available for pre-sale now and will be available in April at leading retailers nationwide.
Canada Configurations, Pricing and Availability
With an MSRP of $1,199.00(CAD), the Acer Iconia-6120 Touchbook will be available in April through authorized Canadian resellers.


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4/19/2011 Daily Hardware Reviews
DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Tuesday

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White iPhone Coming in Weeks, iPhone 5 in Sept., iPhone 6 in Spring 2012
Details about iOS 5 also may have leaked

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Google Invests in World's Largest Wind Farm
Google has invested $100 million in the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Arlington, Oregon

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LG's Honeycomb-based G-Slate Tablet Reviewed
Critics agree: It's a solid piece of hardware sporting an underdeveloped UI (Honeycomb)

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U.S., Britain Doing Little to Protect Power, Gas, Water From Cyberattacks
Hackers from Russia, China, and elsewhere target U.S.; defenses are weak even as domestic spying efforts soar

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Seagate Gobbles Up Samsung HDD Business for $1.75B USD, Announces Alliance
There's now only three major HDD players in the market

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Anonymous Hacker Threatens System Security Breach at U.S. Wind Facility
NextEra Energy Resources reports that there is no evidence of a security breach, and that the hacker's obtained information is not enough for a successful attempt

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BlackBerry PlayBook Goes On Sale Today
WiFi-only RIM tablet will be stocked in some 20,000 stores across U.S. and Canada

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Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Praises, Then Slams iPad; Says Apple is Killing U.S. Jobs
After wanting an iPad for every U.S. schoolchild, Jackson now says the iPad is killing jobs for Americans

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Apple Labels Samsung an iPhone, iPad Copycat in New Lawsuit
Apple means business with its new lawsuit against Samsung

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BMW Z4 Roadster Will Be First U.S. Model to Get Powerful, Efficient Turbo Four
First turbo four model will arrive this fall

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Samsung Hopes to Dump Troubled Hard Drive Unit in $1.5B USD Sale
Seagate is rumored to be considering a purchase

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Transitional Middle Ear Found in Mammalian Fossil
A new fossil, Liaoconodon hui, was found in China and has all three middle ear bones

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Report: iPhone Dominating Point-and-Shoot Cameras in Usage Statistics
Flickr use of point and shoot designs is plunging while iPhone images are soaring

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Philips Ditches Television Business
Cedes control of loss-making TV unit to Hong Kong computer monitor manufacturer

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Samsung: We'll Have 2GHz Dual-Core Smartphones Next Year
May sell CPUs to other manufacturers under new brand line

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Wendy's New "Natural" Fries Caught Using Chemical Stew
Process of making tasty fries is more laboratory than garden patch

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International Game Developers Association Disagrees with Amazon's Pricing Terms
The International Game Developers Association fire back with an e-mail that accuses Amazon of attempting to achieve a "near monopoly" by selling games made on Android software

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GSA Testifies Against Google in 'Apps for Government,' FISMA Hearing
Both the Department of Justice and General Services Administration have agreed with Microsoft's accusation that Google is lying about having FISMA certified government software

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