Join What Acer had to show off at CES 2012
Normally I don’t do my posts until Monday, but CES press conferences are starting early here in Las Vegas, so I wanted to make certain you had the latest news as fast as possible. This is from Acer’s Press Conferences, which ended about an hour ago to this writing.
J.T. Wang, Chairman and CEO took the stage to annouce several products and services that Acer will be putting out this year. One of these products was the Aspire S5 (pictured), the world’s thinnest ultrabook at 15mm. It features Acer Always Connect, as well as Acer Green Instant On technology. Another cool feature was this MagicFlip I/O port panel that is concealed below the hinge. It is a way of keeping the HDMI, USB 3.0, and 20Gbps Thunderbolt port as thin as the ultrabook itself.
Acer was also proud two other ultrabooks with the Timeline Ultra, in its 14-inch and 15-inch models. Like the S5, they have the Green Instant On feature as well as the Always Connect technology. They are pretty thin at 20mm, and each have a battery life of 8 hours.
The company was also proud of what they are doing with AcerCloud. Their Always Connect technology allows users to access information on their PC from their smartphone or tablet, provided the PC is in sleep mode. It also helps for instant transfer of files, and it will come in three basic forms: clear.fi (for Photos), clear.fi (for Media, Music, and Video), and CloudDocs (for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Documents).
The Aspire S5 should ship in Q2 2012, while the Timeline Ultra will start shipping in Q1 2012, but I do not have prices. AcerCloud should be bundled on all Acer’s consumer PCs starting in Q2 of 2012.
Genius Ring Presenter for your PowerPoint Presentations
Some of you may have used those Air Mice in order to do a PowerPoint presentation, and this is another way to control your slides in a less discreet way.
The Genius Ring Presenter allows the user access to Play/Exit and Last/Next Page on the PowerPoint Presentation. This allows for controlling the cursor movement, and for dragging as well as 4-way scrolling. The Ring Presenter also controls the same buttons that your mouse has, including the left, middle, and right buttons.
To make the Genius Ring Presenter even better, it has a laser pointer on it. Yes, with a little bit of smoke, you can make yourself look like a Green Lantern. This is assuming the laser pointer light is green.
Continue reading » Genius Ring Presenter for your PowerPoint Presentations
AOC takes the USB route with latest LED monitor
I used to wonder why some people used a large monitor when the relatively small 15″ notebook of mine works just fine, until I myself tried out a multi-monitor setup. Boy, were my previous misconceptions and misgivings blown away – with more visual real estate, I can keep track of more things at once, not to mention being able to be on top of the situation faster than normal, especially when it comes to sniffing out the latest news.
AOC, a name that is often associated with monitors, has just announced their latest effort which comes in the form of the 22″ USB LED Monitor. Needless to say, being able to plug in to USB brings a two-fold benefit – you are not only able to save on one more cable, it would also mean freeing up one more power outlet while you are at it. Let us take a look at this USB LED monitor in greater detail after the jump, shall we?
Continue reading » AOC takes the USB route with latest LED monitor
The Jabra PRO 930 for telephony
Jabra has recently started an entry-level wireless headsets, and one of them is the Jabra PRO 930.
Normally, Jabra creates a lot of Bluetooth headsets and occasional speakers, but the PRO 930 is designed for telephony services like Skype. The PRO 930 comes with a stand that can be plugged into a computer for charging and syncing.
Not only is it good to use with an adjustable headband for a good fit, but the PRO 930 also has an earpiece that can snap on so it looks like a usual Bluetooth headset.
Other features of this device include a dedicated button to answer calls, as well as volume controls. It also has a convenient noise canceling microphone that eliminates ambient background noise, like in a busy office environment.
Continue reading » The Jabra PRO 930 for telephony
Pebble Pro Netbook Charger
I know that the introduction of tablets has seen the netbook market somewhat cannibalized, and suddenly, these lightweight devices are not all that desirable after all. You cannot really fire them up in a jiffy to access your email or play some casual games, but at least it gets the job done when you have a lengthy document to type, and using a virtual keyboard just does not quite make the cut. This is where the netbook still maintains its relevance, and if you recently unwrapped a netbook under the Christmas tree, you might want to consider picking up the £69.99 Pebble Pro Netbook Charger – just in case you actually are about to run out of juice while you are working on that particular document.
This is certainly an essential tool to carry around, since there is far less cables to worry about considering it comes with just one connecting cable (USB on one end, with multiple connectors for you to slip on on the other). The 13,200mAh battery is said to offer a standard netbook up to 5 hours of additional battery life, while an iPhone can be juiced more than ten times! Definitely the perfect purchase for frequent travelers.
CyberpowerPC Fang III series
Love gaming? A gaming rig can be very personal, especially to those who are on the hardcore side. Some of us prefer to take the time and care to build one from scratch, while others do take the route of purchasing a pre-configured gaming machine, only to add some other bits and pieces along the way. CyberpowerPC and their latest Fang III series ought to make gamers from all backgrounds more than happy.
Obviously, the Fang III series makes references to the world of snakes – where it comprises of the Rattler, Viper, Cobra, and the high end model, Black Mamba. They have all been specially armed with an arsenal of powerful new features that enables them to make short work of all the latest games in the market.
Continue reading » CyberpowerPC Fang III series
Samsung introduces transparent LCD displays
I still remember when I watched Minority Report, where the idea of a transparent LCD display certainly blew my mind away. Of course, since then, Hollywood did come up with its fair share of transparent displays across various movies such as “Avatar” and “I, Robot”, implanting the thought that transparent display screens are no big deal in the future. If that is the case, then chances are we are already in the future, considering what Samsung has done with their LTI460AP01 Transparent LCD display.
Let us take a break here and read on how different transparent LCDs are compared to your regular LCDs. First of all, regular LCD panels require the presence of BLUs (Back Light Units) as a light source so that an image can be displayed. BLUs are more or less crucial for the operation of all LCD panels, as not having any light source would be equal to seeing nothing. As for transparent LCDs, it uses other available light sources in the vicinity such as sunlight and in-door lighting. The question is, what happens at night? Well, in the midst of darkness, this is where the transparent BLU kicks in – one that was specially designed for transparent panels and to function as a light source.
Continue reading » Samsung introduces transparent LCD displays
Windows 8 to have Picture Passwords?
For those that are really looking forward to Windows 8, you may have a very interesting feature for identification.
This possible feature is “picture passwords”, which involves the user selecting an image of their choice and then drawing on it with selective gestures, like the dot, circle, and line that you see in the image to the upper left. Basically, the lines, circles, and taps help to unlock Windows just like a typewritten password or thumbprint scan.
Of course, there are doubts as to whether this is a good method for keeping data secure. After all, someone from another table at the coffee house could see you drawing on your picture and note the gestures for a future “data-heist”.
Continue reading » Windows 8 to have Picture Passwords?
