IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 9/5/2013

Lenovo Announces New ThinkVision LT2934z Panoramic Display

Along with their new ThinkPad Ultrabooks, Lenovo also announced their new LT2934z panoramic display today at IFA in Berlin, Germany. This is a 29” 21:9 aspect ratio display similar to the LG 29EA93 monitor we looked at earlier this year, only with the stand and other features designed and packaged by Lenovo. While Chris wasn’t particularly impressed with the initial LG display, the updated firmware solved every major complaint and turned it into a very compelling product. Lenovo’s LT2934z will hopefully keep all of the good aspects and merely add to it.
Core features include an AH-IPS panel, full HD webcam, dual array microphone, and stereo speakers. It also has picture-in-picture functionality. The backlight is rated at 100% sRGB gamut, so perhaps not ideal for professionals but great for “the rest of us”. The native resolution is 2560x1080, with the normal 178 degree viewing angles that IPS provides. Adjustment options include tilt (-5°/+25°) and swivel (+/-45°), as well as 110mm of height adjustment (if I’m reading the spec sheet properly – it says “110mm Lift”). Video connectivity consists of VGA, HDMI 1.4, MHL, DL-DVI, and DisplayPort 1.2. The LT2934z also includes two USB 3.0 ports (one with BatteryCharge 1.2, so it’s always powered) and two additional USB 2.0 ports. The display weight 18.3 lbs. (8.3kg) and measures 26.5”x11.2” (673mm x 284mm). Also included are dedicated VoIP keys for mute, pick up/drop call, and volume.
The LT2934z is scheduled for availability starting in October 2013, with pricing starting at $799. That’s $100 more than the LG 29EA93, but hopefully with the extra features making it a worthwhile upgrade.

Gallery: Lenovo Announces New ThinkVision LT2934z Panoramic Display

Lenovo Announces New ThinkPad T, X, and S series Ultrabooks

Today at IFA in Berlin, Germany, Lenovo announced updates to their T, X, and S series Ultrabooks, with thinner form factors, a variety of panel options, larger trackpads, and improve battery life. As expected, Intel’s Haswell processors (4^th Generation Intel Core Processors) make an appearance, and the new ThinkPad Ultrabooks will be able to offer as much as 17 hours of battery life – with an optional external battery. Here’s a quick overview of the various new products announced today.
ThinkPad T440/T440s

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad T440 and T440s

The T440 and T440s are both 14-inch laptops, but the T440s is slightly lighter and has more compact dimensions and is available with a slightly faster CPU and GPU. The T440s also uses a carbon fiber to keep the weight down without compromising on durability. Both notebooks also feature NFC (Near Field Communication) capability, up to 17 hours of battery life with a high capacity battery, and optional touchscreens. Models with the GeForce GT 720M/730M apparently won’t be available in North America but will be in other regions of the world. The T440s is obviously the more potent and exciting of the two, but cost will be higher. Availability is scheduled for the end of October, with the T440s starting at $1149 and the T440 starting at $889.

ThinkPad T440 and T440s Specifications
Model	T440	T440s
CPU	Up to 4^th Generation Core i5	Up to 4^th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400 Optional GeForce GT 720M	Intel HD 4400 Optional GeForce GT 730M
LCD	14” HD 14” HD+ Touchscreen	14” HD+ 14” Full HD 14” Full HD Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD	Up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD
RAM	Up to 12GB DDR3L	Up to 12GB DDR3L
Connectivity	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 2 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 3 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader
Networking	Intel WP2 + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet	Intel WP2 + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet
Battery	3-cell 23.5Wh 6-cell 48Wh 6-cell 72Wh Up to 17 Hours	3-cell 23.5Wh 6-cell 48Wh 6-cell 72Wh Up to 17 Hours
Weight	4.0 lbs. (1.82kg)	3.5 lbs. (1.59kg)
Dimensions	13.35”x9.15”x0.83” (339mm x 232.5mm x 21mm)	13.03”x8.90”x0.81” (331mm x 226mm x 20.45mm)
Extras	Up to 5-year warranty 2x larger touchpad HD webcam Optional smart card reader	Up to 5-year warranty HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at $899	Starting at $1149
Availability	Late October, 2013	Late October, 2013

ThinkPad X240

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad X240

The X240 is a 12.5-inch laptop designed to be the ultimate road warrior. Like the T440/T440s, it includes NFC capability and optional touchscreens. It loses out on a few extras relative to the 14-inch models but it comes in a more portable and lighter package. The X240 also features Lenovo’s new Power Bridge functionality, which allows users to swap out the removable battery for the 6-cell travel battery without powering down. (It appears some models will have an optional 3-cell internal battery with the standard “travel battery” being user replaceable/swappable to support this.) Availability is scheduled for the end of October, with the X240 starting at $1099.

ThinkPad X240 Specifications
Model	X240
CPU	Up to 4^th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400
LCD	12.5” HD 12.5” HD Widescreen 12.5” HD Widescreen Touchscreen 12.5” Full HD 12.5” Full HD Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 1TB HDD; SSDs available
RAM	Up to 8GB single SO-DIMM
Connectivity	HDMI VGA 2 x USB 3.0 SD/MMC card reader
Networking	WiFi + Bluetooth 4G LTE and 3G WWAN Gigabit Ethernet
Battery	3-cell internal (optional) 3-cell travel 6-cell travel Up to 10+ Hours
Weight	2.94 lbs. (1.34kg)
Dimensions	12.0”x8.21”x0.79” (305.5mm x 208.8mm x 20.3mm)
Extras	Up to 5-year warranty HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at $1149
Availability	Late October, 2013

ThinkPad S440/S540

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad S440 and S540

The S440/S540 will be available in select markets, which does not include North America. The S440 is a 14-inch laptop while the S540 is a 15.6” design; both support up to Core i7 CPUs with optional HD 8670M graphics from AMD (presumably Enduro enabled). The S series is designed for “business or pleasure”, with more multimedia friendly features like voice control, and they support Lenovo’s OneLink technology to allow docking of sorts with USB 3.0, video, power, and Gigabit Ethernet over a single cable. Availability is scheduled for September on the S440 and October for the S540 in Europe, with the S440 starting at €699 and the S540 starting at €649.

ThinkPad S440 and S540 Specifications
Model	S440	S540
CPU	Up to 4^th Generation Core i5	Up to 4^th Generation Core i7
GPU	Intel HD 4400 Optional Radeon HD 8670M	Intel HD 4400 Optional Radeon HD 8670M
LCD	14” Up to HD+ Anti-Glare Optional Touchscreen	15.6” Up to Full HD Anti-Glare Optional Touchscreen
Storage	Up to 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD	Up to 1TB HDD or 256GB SSD
RAM	Up to 8GB (1 x SO-DIMM)	Up to 16GB (2 x SO-DIMM)
Connectivity	OneLink 2 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader	Mini-DisplayPort VGA 3 x USB 3.0 (one powered) SD card reader
Networking	WiFi + Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet	WiFi + Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet Optional 4G LTE and 3G WWAN
Battery	Up to 6 Hours	Up to 9 Hours
Weight	3.92 lbs. (1.78kg) 4.23 lbs. (1.92kg) Touch	4.65 lbs. (2.11kg) 5.2 lbs. (2.36kg) Touch
Dimensions	13.11”x8.85”x0.80” (0.88” Touch) (333mm x 225mm x 20.5mm, 22.5mm Touch)	14.9”x9.96”x0.81” Touch (379mm x 253mm x 20.7mm Touch)
Extras	HD webcam	HD webcam
Pricing	Starting at €699	Starting at €649
Availability	September, 2013	October, 2013

Western Digital Updates Red NAS Drive Lineup with 4 TB and 2.5" Versions

In July 2012, we saw Western Digital tackle the burgeoning NAS market with the 3.5" Red hard drive lineup. They specifically catered to units having 1-5 bays. The firmware was tuned for 24x7 operation in SOHO and consumer NAS units. 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB versions were made available at launch. Earlier this year, Seagate also jumped into the fray with a hard drive series carrying similar firmware features. Their differentiating aspect was the availability of a 4 TB version.
For a few months now, Seagate has held the crown for the NAS-specific drive with the largest capacity. Today, Western Digital is updating their Red lineup to achieve parity in that aspect. The 4 TB Red drive being launched today (WD40EFRX) now holds the joint record with the Seagate NAS HDD 4 TB version (ST4000VN000). The new drive also brings with it the NASWare 2.0 firmware platform, with updated features such as better error correction. Fortunately, the firmware on older Red drives can also be upgraded.
Western Digital is also trying to kickstart a new range of NAS units for the SOHO market with the introduction of 2.5" Red models. Coming in 1 TB and 750 GB capacities, they may end up making small form factor NAS units with multiple bays attractive for consumers. As a NAS user, I am always torn between moving to fewer number of high-capacity drives or retain a large number of lower capacity drives. While space and power concerns may make the latter choice appear foolish, the prolonged risky rebuild and expansion times with higher capacity disks may also represent a legitimate concern. Under these circumstances, it might be really interesting to see small form factor NAS units which support 2.5" drives only. The following table summarizes the various models available in the WD Red lineup after today's launch.

We had covered the launch of the WD Se hard drives for data centers and high end NAS units in May. One of the advertised aspects was the 180 TB/yr workload capacity. Western Digital is unable to commit to a workload capacity for the WD Red lineup because of the varying environmental conditions under which consumer NAS units operate. That said, WD expects (unofficially) the Red drives to be able to handle workloads between 120 and 150 TB/year.
A few months after the WD Red got introduced into the market last year, I began to spy lots of forum reports indicating incompatibility with certain motherboards. It was refreshing to see WD's social media / tech support team actually reach out to these users (even in the absence of an official support ticket) and gather the necessary information to improve the compatibility of the WD Red drives (not only with NAS units, but, also with standard off-the-shelf PC motherboards).
The 4 TB version has a MSRP of $229, while the 2.5" versions are $79 (750 GB) and $99 (1 TB) each. Samples of the WD Red 4 TB version are in-house and you can expect a detailed review to come up later tonight.

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Intel Core i7 4960X (Ivy Bridge E) Review
Twenty two months ago Intel launched its LGA-2011 platform and Sandy Bridge E aimed at the high-end desktop enthusiast. The platform brought more cores, more PCIe lanes and more memory bandwidth to those users who needed more than what had become of Intel's performance desktop offerings. It was an acknowledgement of a high end market that seems to have lost importance over the past few years. On the surface, Sandy Bridge E was a very good gesture on Intel's part. Unfortunately, the fact that it's been nearly two years since we first met LGA-2011 without a single architecture update, despite seeing the arrival of both Ivy Bridge and Haswell, doesn't send a great message to the users willing to part with hard earned money to buy into the platform.
Today we see that long awaited update. LGA-2011 remains unchanged, but the processor you plug into the socket moves to 22nm. This is Ivy Bridge Extreme.

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HTC Announces Desire 300, 601, Blue HTC One, and BoomBass Accessory

Just ahead of IFA in Berlin, HTC is dropping news of two new phones and a speaker accessory. The two new phones are the Desire 601 and 301, which round out the midrange tiers of HTC's 2013 smartphone portfolio, and a "vivid blue" variant of the HTC One and One mini. Finally HTC is announcing a new accessory dubbed BoomBass which accompanies the HTC BoomSound experience with lows that the HTC One's dual front facing speakers can't quite produce.

Desire 601

The first is the Desire 601 which looks it takes industrial design cues from something of a cross between the HTC One S and One X. The 601 looks to include relatively modest specs, and includes a 4.5-inch qHD display, 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930) SoC, and 5 MP rear facing camera with aperture and focal length that mirror the One system from the previous year's lineup. The 601 also continues the use of stereo front-facing speakers.

Desire 300

The Desire 300 is a rung below the 601, with an older Snapdragon S4 SoC (maybe MSM8x27) at 1.0 GHz and 4.3 inch WVGA display. Camera moves down to 5 MP with F/2.8 aperture and 34mm equivalent (35mm equiv) focal length.

	HTC Desire 601	HTC Desire 300
SoC	1.4 GHz Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930)	1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
Display	4.5-inch qHD	4.3 inch WVGA
RAM	1 GB LPDDR2	512 MB
WiFi	802.11b/g/n	802.11b/g/n
Storage	8 GB, microSD Expansion (up to 64 GB)	4 GB, microSD Expansion (64GB)
I/O	3.5mm headphone, microUSB	3.5 mm headphone, microUSB
OS	Android with HTC Sense (4.2.2)	Android with HTC Sense (4.1.2)
Battery	2100 mAh	1650 mAh
Size / Mass	134.5 x 66.7 x 9.88mm, 140g	131.78 x 66.23 x 10.12mm, 120g
Camera	5 MP rear facing, 1.4µm pixels, 1/4" size, F/2.0, 28mm	5 MP rear facing, F/2.8, 34 mm
Price	? October 2013	? October 2013

The HTC Desire 601 runs Android 4.2.2, the Desire 300 runs Android 4.1.2 probably because of the older SoC inside. I've made a table based on the specifications that HTC has made public for the two new devices. Availability is given as being in October 2013, with no specific word on pricing.
Next up is a bluetooth accessory for HTC phones, a discrete compact subwoofer with dedicated amplifier designed to accompany the BoomSound experience on smartphones, called BoomBass. There's no supplied photograph of the BoomBass, but hopefully it's small and compact. Supplying a discrete subwoofer and nothing more is a bit interesting, since HTC already has the Beats Pill accessory which works well. The BoomBass apparently is designed to fill the bass frequency response lacking from the BoomSound speakers on HTC's phones.

HTC is also announcing a "Vivid Blue" variant of the HTC One and One mini, which will arrive in some markets Q4 2013. That variant looks pretty striking, but there's no word on what that translates to for the USA operator landscape.
Source: HTC Desire 601, Desire 300

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Report: EU Proposal Would Limit All Cars to 70 MPH for "Safety" Reasons
Bye bye autobahn

Apple Confirms iPhone Event for September 10
We're expecting to see the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C

Lenovo Shows Five New ThinkPads
They are the T440, the T440s, the ThinkPad X240, the S440 and the S540

Google Teases at Android 4.4 "KitKat", Device Giveaway
Google says too few people knew how Key Lime Pie tasted to name it that

Microsoft and Nokia: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?
Let's examine two views on this controversial, provocative union

New Partnership Bringing GenShock Active Suspension to Passenger Cars
The GenShock active suspension generates its own electricity, offers a comfortable ride and great handling

Verizon No Longer Going to Canada; Canadian Carriers Rally
Verizon says it has nothing to do with the Vodafone buyout

Quick Note: Screenshot of Nokia Bandit Windows Phone Leaks
Leaked image shows extra columns of tiles on the home screen

HTC Stokes Geek Lust with New Desire 601 and Desire 300
New smartphones and a new Bluetooth enabled sub will for debut

DEA and AT&T: Storing Your Phone Calls, 4 Billion Per Day Since 2007
Government says there's nothing to worry about as AT&T is storing everything

Microsoft Purchases Nokia's Devices and Services Division for $7.2B
Stephen Elop will become Nokia Executive Vice President of Devices & Services

Available Tags:Lenovo , Western Digital , Ivy Bridge , Intel , i7 , HTC , HTC , Apple , iPhone , Google , Android , Microsoft , Windows Phone , Nokia , Windows ,

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

IT News Head Lines (AnandTech) 9/5/2013

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