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Microsoft

Windows 7 SP1 Release Date Today?

The first service pack of Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 could be made publicly available today as claimed by a Microsoft employee. Unfortunately, the service pack for both the editions of Windows has already been leaked online. The leaked version of the Windows 7 service pack RTM build is labelled 7601.17514.101119-1850 suggesting that the software was created on 19th November 2010. Microsoft Enterprise Services employee Alex Kibkalo has mentioned in one of his blog posts that SP1 would be publicly available on 15th January “Redmond Time“.

According to certain sources, the release mentioned in the blog post is only for OEMs as commented by Mr Kibkalo stating that SP1 could hit Windows Update in the next fortnight. A 15th January release of the service pack for just OEMs would mean that this will be the first time Microsoft has released a service pack on a weekend.

Service pack 1 brings in a lot of bug fixes along with several performance improvements like dynamic memory support to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2. Also, we are likely to see RemoteFX which will add enhanced desktop virtualization aimed at giving the same experience to users as the ones sitting at a workstation.

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft Samsung

New Windows 7 Samsung Gloria Tablet PC To Be Demoed At CES

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer will be unveiling his company’s plans to take on the Apple iPad during the Consumer Electronics Show to be held in the first week of January. This is after Redmond failed to produce any goods of worth in the past one year since the company demoed HP Slate at CES 2010.

So what is Ballmer demoing this time? Word is that it is going to be primarily two devices – one made by Dell and another from Samsung. The Samsung Gloria, as it is speculated to be called, will be a 10.1″ Slate PC running Windows 7. There is however another speculation that Microsoft could also reveal finer details about the next generation Windows 8 during the demo.

There is not much information on the specs of these Windows 7 tablets though the Samsung Gloria could be equipped with a ‘slide-out’ keyboard.

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Gadgets Hewlett Packard

HP Slate 500 Pricing Details Announced

HP Slate, the tablet computer from the company that was supposed to be the primary rival to the Apple iPad before that spot was taken away by the Samsung Galaxy Tab, appears to be well on course to be launched during the holiday shopping season. The company has announced that the initial launch of the new HP Slate 500 will happen in the United States and further expansion elsewhere will happen after the success of the device is measured.

Like we had already noted in the HP Slate Vs. Apple iPad article back in April this year, the device will come with an 8.9″ WVGA hybrid capacitive multitouch display, an Intel Atom 1.86GHz Z540 processor, a 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, a 3-Megapixel rear camera along with a VGA front camera besides other specifications. The device will run on Windows 7.

Clearly, the device is not aimed at the media consuming population alone. The tablet computer will also come with a HP Slate digital pen, HP Slate Dock and HP Slate Portfolio that all seem to suggest that the company is targeting the media creators as well. With Windows 7 running, this is pretty much a productivity tool.

That utility is also clear in the pricing. HP Slate 500 is tagged at a price of $799 that includes the tablet and all the aforementioned accessories. No word on whether this device will come subsidized on carrier contracts. Also, wait for some more time before the official launch date is announced.

Meanwhile, this announcement also quashes one another rumor – that the HP Slate is going to be called PalmPad.

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Gadgets

Viewsonic Dual-OS ViewPad Tablet Review Of Features

Viewsonic is coming up with a tablet that can give Acer’s Aspire One D255 dual-boot netbook a run for its money. Like the Acer AOD255, the new Viewsonic ViewPad runs both Android and Windows 7 Operating systems. The specifications on the device include a 10″ LED display that renders content at 1024×600 pixel resolution, an Intel Atom N455 1.66GHz processor, a 1GB RAM and 160GB of hard drive storage. The device is equipped with a G-sensor, A-GPS and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Connectivity through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are available as well.

A deal breaker probably is the version of Android OS running on the ViewPadAndroid 1.6. If you look at it, new tablets running advanced OS versions are already being released and there is not much possibility of a future upgrade on offer as well.

But that apart, I think this is a good piece of hardware that is worth more than just a cursory look.

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Gadgets

ExoPC Tablet Pre-Orders Open Soon – Features Reviewed

If you have been following the tablet space, you may have heard a lot about the upcoming ExoPC that runs on Windows 7 OS. The tablet was initially delayed by a few months and now there are reports that the pre-orders and launch may finally happen in September. If you are looking to pre-order an ExoPC, you may do so starting September 3. The first 1200 orders are expected to be shipped latest by September 30. The device is also going on sale in Canada under the name, ‘Ciara Vibe‘.

The technical specifications of the ExoPC Windows tablet include a 11.6″ 1366×768 pixel display, a 2GB DDR2 RAM running on Intel N450 processor and including support for Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, mini HDMI port and a SD/SDHC memory card reader. The device is said to house a 1.3 megapixel camera and contain a battery life of 5 hours.

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Gadgets

Hanvon B10 Launch In Europe – Price & Features Announced

The Hanvon B10 Windows 7 tablet created a mini flutter earlier this month when the device was pitted against the iPad in an OS performance test. You will remember that the device had quite comprehensively edged iPad out in the snappy performance though there were a few hiccups too. So now if you are looking to get hold of the device, here is your chance, finally. The Hanvon B10 tablet is launching in Europe and has features that are comprehensively better than any of the tablet computers out there. It in fact rivals the netbooks in features.

Here’s a sample of what you get – a 10.1-inches capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.3GHz Celeron ULV processor, a 250GB hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam and a 4800mAh Lithium-Ion battery. Besides these, the device also supports Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth and USB 2.0 ports.

Sadly though, like the features, the price too appears to be rivaling netbooks (or notebooks, some may say). German retailer Papyrus has revealed the price at €771.24 ($974) and is expected to ship in six days.

Here’s the unboxing video of the Hanvon B10 slate and in case you missed, the iPad vs. Hanvon video too follows.

Categories
Gadgets

New Gigabyte T1005M Features And Price In Australia Announced

Gigabyte is launching a new netbook for the Australian market that will build upon the features that were available on the T1000 TouchNote series. The new Gigabyte T1005M will bring an Intel dual core processor along with a few other impressive pieces of hardware that will make the AUD 905 price point appear pretty reasonable.

The T1005M will include a 10.1-inches capacitive touchscreen display that comes packed with 1366×768 pixels. This will be supplemented by a 2GB DDR3 RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core processor. Besides this, the netbook will be equipped with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1, built-in HSDPA antenna and ports for USB 3.0 and eSAA. The Gigabyte T1005M will run on Windows Home 7 Premium and will come with a good battery life powered by a 6 cell 7650mAh battery.

Gigabyte T1005M

The specs are definitely impressive. But the question is would you want a netbook at such a high price?

Categories
Gadgets Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 Price In Australia Announced

Lenovo is bringing its new Ideapad S10-3 Intel Atom netbook to the Australian market. The device is going to be sold at a price between AUD559 and AUD669 depending on the features you opt for and is expected to launch as early as the 7th of September this year.

The device is pretty reasonably priced. For AUD559 ($499 approx in USD), you get hold of a 10.1-inches display with a resolution package of 1024×600 pixels, a 1.5GHz dual core Intel Atom N550 processor along with a 1GB DDR3 memory and a 160GB hard drive. Additionally, you will also get to see a 1.3-megapixel webcam, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, flash card reader and support for 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The device is expected to run on Windows 7 Starter edition.

The model launching in Australia is pretty similar to Lenovo’s IdeaPad that was launched elsewhere though the 1.5GHz processor is a new introduction. That could bring a good competitive edge for Lenovo against the rival product launches.

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Gadgets

Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 Price And Specs Reviewed

Dell has launched a new model of their popular Inspiron Mini netbooks in the Europe market. The device comes with a 10.1-inches WSVGA TrueLife LCD display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels.

The computer runs on a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 single core processor and comes equipped with a 1GB DDR3 memory and up to 160GB of hard drive storage space. So, there’s also a camera. But at 0.3-megapixel, that’s not something outside the ordinary. Other features include an Intel Graphics Media accelerator, a 3/6 cell battery and support for Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth.

The device runs on a Windows 7 Starter edition and is priced at €279 for the European market. Those of you outside Europe queue in outside the Dell retail outlets in Fall of this year. The new Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 is coming then.

Categories
Gadgets

MSI WindPad U100 Review Of Features & Price

MSI is showcasing its new WindPad U100 tablet PC at the IFA 2010 event next month. Ahead of the event, the company has released a few tidbits of information about this beautiful tablet device. MSI WindPad U100 features a 10.1-inches touchscreen display and runs on an Intel Atom Z530 processor. The computer is deployed with a RAM of 2GB capacity and contains a storage capacity of 32GB.

The MSI WindPad will run on Windows 7 – and you do know how good the processor is compared to iOS – and will also feature a docking station that is incorporated with two USB 2.0 ports, audio input/output, ethernet port as well as connectivity options for VGA and HDMI output.

MSI Windpad

Now since the unveiling is set to happen next month, the actual launch is expected to happen much later. But if this device appeals to your requirements and you are willing to pay close to $499 for this, stay tuned for more info about this product.