CES 2013 : Day-2 Summary

If you like our Day 1 Summary, here more for you! We are back with our Day 2 Summary of CES '13. Here it goes :

INTEL 

Intel last night said that it would be stepping a step ahead to make chips for smartphones and other mobile devices. It also said this can be done by targeting emerging markets and rapidly growing value segment. Intel also unveiled its plans to get a bigger share of the sizzling mobile market. Intel said its plans include "a new smartphone platform for emerging markets," one of the fastest growing areas for these devices. "The best of Intel is coming to a mobile device near you," said Intel's Kirk Skaugen. Intel revealed that companies supporting its efforts include Acer, Lava International and Safaricom.

NVIDIA
NVIDIA has used CES 2013 at Las Vegas as an opportunity to unveil its next generation mobile processor, the Tegra 4. The company claims the processor is faster than anything in the market out there right now.
The Tegra 4 mobile processor comes with 72 custom GPU cores, which gives it six times the GPU horsepower of its predecessor, the Tegra 3. Also present in the Tegra 4 is the Cortex-A15 CPU core, which NVIDIA claims will deliver 2.6x faster web browsing, and a second-generation battery saver core for low power during standard use. The Tegra 4 is designed to play nice with the optional NVIDIA Icera i500 processor, which can add worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support capabilities to the mobile device. Tegra 4 also includes 4K or ultra-high-def support, which means Tegra 4-powered devices will be able to play content that carries four-times the quality of full-HD.
Tagra 4 is not the only major announcement by the mega graphic company this year, it also announced
Project Shield, an Android-based handheld gaming system, that is set to be the first Tegra 4-powered device to hit the market in Q2 2013. Project Shield is a pure-Android device, with access to Google Play, in contrast to other Android-based gaming devices announced so far, like GameStick and OUYA, which will ship with custom, gaming-focussed stores. This means you can install and run regular Android apps with
minimum hassle.
Nvidia's Project Shield sure boasts of some impressive specs. With the power of Tegra 4 beneath its wings, the console is likely capable of handling whatever you throw at it, including playing 4K video. It comes with
a 5-inch, 1280x720 HD retinal multi-touch display and built-in speakers to offer the portable console experience.

LENOVO 
Although most of the major firms have saved their smartphones and mobiles for MCW '13, which will be happening in Feb this year, Lenovo has come up to unveil its interesting smartphones this year. There is a line of four smartphones which inculude - S890, S720, A690 and A800.
By the lineup, Lenovo IdeaPhone S890 sports a 5-inch qHD display with a 540x960 pixel resolution. That gives the display a pixel density of 220ppi. The smartphone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and that is a very good thing. The S890 is relatively slim at 9.3mm and is relatively light at 176 grams. It also packs in a generous 8MP camera.
Next up, we have the IdeaPhone S720. It has a smaller 4.5-inch IPS LCD qHD display with a 245ppi. It runs on the older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Under the hood, it is powered by a dual-core MTK processor. The rear of the S720 houses an 8MP camera and the front has a 1MP snapper for video calling. The S720 boasts of a 2000mAh battery.

Next up we have two budget devices - the A800 and the A690. The Lenovo IdeaPhone A800 shows off a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a 480x854 resolution giving it a 218ppi. Under the hood, it sports a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 2000mAh battery. It runs Android 4.0 ICS.
The IdeaPhone A690 on the other hand has a 4-inch display with a 1GHz single core processor. What’s a little disappointing is that it runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is a bit of a downer. This phone will probably be targeted at the consumer looking for an entry-level device.

AMD 
AMD introduced new sets of silicon at a press conference here at Vegas. These new processors run the gamut from APUs built for low power use in tablet PCs to multi-GHz performance CPUs and GPUs.
AMD started by trying to coin a new term: Surround Computing, which means having computing power all around you, from smart devices embedded in glasses to room-filling visuals and sounds. In the keynote, AMD representatives touted the company's discrete graphics solutions, as well as APU solutions for laptops, desktops, and tablets.
AMD introduced its updated A4, A6, A8, and A10 APU lines and OEM partners. A representative from Asus showed the Asus U38 Ultrathin, powered by AMD A-series APUs with AMD Radeon discrete graphics as an option. The U38 Ultrathin has a 1080p screen with capacitive multi-touch. Next up was the HP Pavilion TouchSmart Sleekbook, which can be equipped with an A8 APU, 15.6-inch 10-finger touch screen.
New processors, ranging from AMD A8 and A10 performance processors (codenamed Richland) to more mainstream A4 and A6 processors (Kabini) were also discussed. Like their competitors, the new CPUs deliver users more performance as well as better battery life. Thanks to built-in Radeon technology, AMD was able to demonstrate a new Kabini processor outperforming a current Intel Core i3 processor.
The company is also going after the tablet space, with Windows-8-capable processors that slot in between ARM-style tablet processors and the low-end x86 processors originally meant for notebooks. Using gaming and HD video to tout the systems as "Performance Tablets", AMD's A4 and A6 (Temash) APUs are expected to slot into Windows 8 tablets in the near future.

ASUS 

Asus has added yet another device to its Transformer line up. This time it’s an AIO (All-in-One) desktop that can transform into a tablet. The beauty of this device is that it will give users the best of both worlds – Windows and Android. Yes, the device runs Windows 8 as well as Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
When docked in, the device is powered by a third-gen Intel processors and Nvidia discrete graphics. When removed from the dock, the tablet is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor for running Android.Switching between the Oses is as simple as pushing a button.

The Asus Transformer AiO has an 18.4-inch Full HD 1920x1080 pixel IPS display and users can still access the Windows 8 desktop via a wireless connection if they wish. In its press release Asus has said, “makes it easy to carry the tablet from room to room and a built-in stand keeps the display at the perfect angle for tabletop use.”

CES 2013 : DAY-1 Summary

The MegaEvent, Consumer Electronic Show ( CES ) 2013 kicked off on Tuesday in US MegaCity LAS VEGAS! It looked as though it was already open for weeks, with companies like Samsung and Panasonic already unveiling great products, but yesterday was the official kick off for CES '13.
Lets have a look on the major firms showcased on DAY 1 :

PANASONIC 

ZT60 Plasma TV 

Panasonic gave the attendees a peek at its all new flagship ' the ZT60 ' plasma TV, which had great impressive new features like - Web Browsers, Three HDMI's, Three USB Ports, Wireless LAN or WiFi, and the brilliant Viera Screen Tech. ZT60 had 1080p resolution, 2D - 3D conversion and active shutter 3D. Panasonic didn't gave any specific date of release, but we are expecting it to be available in next couple of months along with few another models. Panasonic also announced a 56-inch 4K printed OLED ( organic light emitting diode ) based TV last night which is having a resolution of 3,840 X 2,160 pixels and is just 0.5 inches thick. The TV is considered to be the World's First Of Its Kind and is manufactured using 3D printing technology.

JT-B1 ToughPad

FZ-G1 ToughPad

Panasonic has unveiled two Toughpads at CES 2013. The FZ-G1 runs on Windows 8 Pro whereas the JT-B1 runs on Android 4.0 ICS. Both the tablets have the ability to withstand immersion in water. The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 runs on Windows 8 Pro. Under the hood, it has a 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3437U vPro clocked at 1.9GHz up to 2.9GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It has a 128-256GB SSD, 4 to 8GB RAM, optional micro SDXC. The Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1runs on Android 4.0 ICS and has all TI OMAP4460 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It has 16GB of ROM, 1GB of RAM, micro SDHC and has  all rugged MIL-STD-810G rating, capable of withstanding a 5 feet drop. It can work in IP65, 14-degree to 122- degree F (operational temp range).

Windows 8 Tablet By Panasonic

Panasonic also introduced a 20-inch 4K Windows 8 tablet. the 20-inch prototype has an Intel core i5 chip along with micro-USB, micro-SD ports and Wi-Fi. The device lasts for about two hour battery life. No details are available on when this device will translate from the prototype stage to mainstream and be available to consumers.

HP 
HP last night rolled out its all new Envy 27, which will offer built in speakers with Beats Audio. HP has not been shy in using its Beats license on any product it can wave at a trade show, and this has continued through its monitor range - the Envy 27 also bringing a slim profile, edge-to-edge glass and a $499 price tag. It's expected to be out for sale in February. It seems as though HP is mostly focusing on monitors at this year's CES. The company rolled out its ' U160 ' monitor. This is the first of its kind for HP that comes USB powered. It features a 15 inch screen with 1,399 X 768 resolution and is designed for people who are usually on the go. Weighting just 1.5 kgs, it comes with a fold-able carrying case. We expect it to be out by end of January with a price tag of  $179.
HP also unveiled, ZR2330w, which is a 23-inch IPS monitor, which features an LED back-lit screen, a 14ms screen refresh rate and a full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It is being touted as budget monitors and will be available in the market for $259.
HP's  X2401 is another new launch sporting a 24-inch LED Backlit Monitor is a 24-inch monitor that comes with LED display. This is Beats Audio powered monitor, which is not expected to hit the shelves any time before November and is expected to cost $249. HP x2401 comes with Multi Vertical Alignment (MVA) panel. Apart from high class monitors.

SleekBook By HP

HP also rolled out two new HP Pavilion Sleekbooks. Sleekbooks are nothing but AMD counterparts of the Intel-powered Ultrabooks. The HP Pavilion TouchSmart features a 15.6-inch touch screen with a resolution of 1366X768 pixels. It runs on Windows 8 system. This Sleekbook is powered by AMD A6 processor, 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. It will be available from February 3, 2013 and cost $649. However, the non-touch device will be available from January 13, 2013 and will cost $479. The HP Pavilion Sleekbooks comes with the same screen and resolution as its touchscreen counterpart. The other features include AMD A4 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and run on Windows 8.

LENOVO

Lenovo K900

The Intel powered competition for the Samsung Galaxy Note II is on the way, with the Lenovo K900 leading the charge. Like last year when Lenovo announced the K800 smartphone series at CES, this time around, it is the K900 phablet. The K900 gets the power from the Intel Atom processor for smartphones, that Intel had talked about very recently, and is codenamed Clover Trail. While the exact processor specs have not been detailed, this is expected to be clocking at 2GHz. The phone will get 2GB of RAM. However, the rest of the spec sheet does look rather exciting. The K900 comes with a 5.5-inch IPS display with a 1080p resolution and Gorilla Glass 2, a 13MP camera and 16GB internal storage. A lot of effort seems to have been put into the build quality. The thickness of the K900 is 6.9mm and the chassis is a combination of stainless steel and polycarbonate, and will weigh 162 grams.
Lenovo unwarpped few Windows 8 devices including IdeaPad U Series Ultrabooks and Lenovo Erazer X700 gaming desktop PC at CES '13 DAY 1. The Lenovo Erazer X700 is a desktop targeted at the gamers and features Lenovo's exclusive Onekey Overclocking feature. It comes with Extreme Intel X79 processors and leverages AMD Eyefinity technology, to enable users to connect up to six monitors and add up to 4TB of storage without tools while the PC is still running.
Lenovo has also introduced two new ultrabooks - IdeaPad U310 and IdeaPad U410. Both these ultrabooks sport the latest Intel Core i7 processor and 10-finger touch
support The Lenovo IdeaPad 310 comes with 13-inch screen. Both will be available from March for $799 and April or $850 respectively.

IdeaCenter A730

The company also introduced Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch and IdeaPad Z500 Touch, which are optimised for the Windows 8 touch-based user interface. Both the Z series laptops sport Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT645M 2GB graphics card. Lenovo Ideapad Z400 features a 14-inch screen and will be available in March for $699.
Others to be show cased by Lenovo include - IdeaCenter A730, All-in-one C540, ThinkPad E431 and E531.
Android App Player to its range of Windows 8 laptops, ultrabooks and desktops.This is a critical announcement, because users will now be able to access the same Android apps they may be using on a phone or a tablet, on their PC as well via this dedicated software. Bluestacks has said that the ability to sync apps and SMS between the phone and the PC will be launched soon. Lenovo will be implementing the App Player in the Idea-branded Windows 8 laptops, ultrabooks and desktops.

SONY
Sony's popular VAIO T series Ultrabook lineup got a makeover with an optional touchscreen for the T Series 14 Ultrabook and the new full-HD, touch-enabled T Series 15. The new touch enabled VAIO T Series 14 and T Series 15 will be available this spring for about $800 and $950 respectively at Sony retail stores and other authorized dealers in the US. The T Series 14 Ultrabook sports a 14-inch LED backlit display (1366x768), offers configurations upto 500GB Hard drive storage with upto 8GB RAM. It is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors (configuration options include i3,i5,i7).
Apart from these, the VAIO Duo 11 is now available in a new Silver colour in addition to the original Black. The machine is pretty slim and light at approximately 2.84 lbs. It features an 11.6-inch screen with scratch-resistant glass and offers a pressure-sensitive digitize stylus for users to experience natural handwriting directly on the touchscreen.

Sony All New Walkman

Sony pulled the curtains off its new line of Walkman MP3 Players called the NWZ-W273 W Series Walkman Sports. This is the newer version of Sony’s eye-catching Walkman series of MP3 players which don’t require a separate device for playing music as the complete player only has a set of headphones connected by a neck band for convenience of use and portability. It supports a max storage size of 4GB and will be available from March 2013 at a retail price of about $99.99, in colours like Black, Pink, White and Blue.

Sony 4K OLED TV

Sony yesterday also showcased the first 4K (3840 x 2160) OLED (organic light-emitting diode) television at CES 2013. Sony claims that the TV is the world’s first and largest 56-inch OLED TV achieves 4K resolution by using the latest oxide semiconductor TFTs and Sony’s own ‘Super Top Emission’technologies.

Xperia Z 

Xperia ZL

               







After many rumours over last month, Sony finally officially unveiled the much hyped Xperia Z and Xperia ZL at CES Day 1. Unfortunately, Sony has again messed up on the operating system bit, and the phone will come pre-loaded with Android Jelly Bean 4.1 out of the box. Though there is a “promised” Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update, the release date set around the month of March looks fairly disappointing now.  the Xperia ZL, which is essentially powered by the same specs as the Xperia Z, but with one key difference. Despite sporting the same 5-inch display, the ZL does make some interesting number reading.

SAMSUNG

Samsung Series 7 Chronos

The latest additions to Samsung's Series 7 PC lineup come in the form of the Series 7 Chronos 770Z5E and the Series 7 Ultra 730U3E. Aimed at professionals, the Series 7 Chronos sports a rather seek and elegant design in an aluminium chassis at just 20.9mm, only a little thicker than a comparable ultrabook. Though it is slightly heavy at 5.2 pounds. The Series 7 Ultra, on the other hand, is ultra slim and light at just 18.9mm thick and weighing 3.6 pounds. It also features a 13.3-inch multi-point full-HD (1920x1080) display with wider viewing angles.

Samsung F8000 TV

The Korean electronics giant, Samsung has unveiled some juicy details about its TV lineup. The F8000 will be the world's first Smart LED TV that boasts of a quad-core processor. The TV lets users seamlessly switch between Air TV, apps and online services up to three times faster. Samsung says that the TV will have “more vibrant and richer colours, higher contrasts and a brighter picture quality than ever before.” It also announced a new feature for Smart TVs - 'T-Commerce' function. This feature basically allows users to turn their favourite TV shows into shopping sessions. If you like the clothes or accessories worn by your  favorite protagonist in a TV show, you can pick it up for yourself in a jiffy.

Samsung S9000 TV

Samsung also unveiled the S9000 4K TV at CES 2013. The TV is a whopping 85-inches in size, which makes sense, since the true beauty of the 4K resolution can be felt on a display larger than 80-inches. The TV has a built in 120W speaker system and has a very unique design. It looks like a glass frame suspended in a bezel and surprisingly, the design looks very appealing.

DELL
Dell finally last night announced Dell XPS 13 with 1080p HD screen, the feature which the fans have been wanting since the launch of the product. The manufacturer has, however, refrained from adding a touchscreen.  Along with the new display, the updated XPS 13 will also have an option of Core i5 or Core i7 processors along with the ability to slot in a 256GB SSD. The new Dell XPS 13 will also have the option to include 8GB of RAM, making the machine quite a strong performer. No information about the all new Dell XPS 13 updated version has been made public.

All new Dell XPS 13 Updated Version

Dell has refreshed its mainstream Inspiron R series laptop making the machines slimmer and adding an optional touchscreen along with Windows 8. The new 14, 15 and 17-inch Inspiron and Inspiron R series laptops are thinner than the 2012 models. The 14R measures 0.98-inches in thinness and 2 kgs in weight. The Inspiron 14 is 1-inch thin and 2kgs in weight. It ranges all the way up to 1.4-inches thick and 2.7kgs
for the 17R and 17. In terms of pricing, the Inspiron 14R will start from $430 (Rs. 24,000 approx.), and the Inspiron 15R and 17R are expected to start from $500 (Rs. 27,500 approx.) depending on the configuration. The touchscreen variant will cost $150 more.

ACER

Acer B1-A71 tablet

Acer has revealed the speculated Iconia B1-A71 budget tablet at CES 2013, boasting of a 7-inch display, 1.2GHz processor, 512MB RAM and 8GB built-in storage. Acer has announced the Iconia B1-A71. The tablet boasts of a 7-inch display with a 1024x600 pixel resolution. Other specifications of the device include, the MediaTek processor (MTK 8317T) clocked at 1.2GHz dual-core, 512MB of RAM, 8GB built-in storage expandable via a microSD card. The tablet will also run the Android Jelly Bean OS but Acer hasn’t specified whether it will be 4.1 or 4.2. The Iconia B1-A71 also has a 2,710 mAh battery along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. Acer hasn’t announced a launch period or a price for the device but expect it to cost under $150 (Rs. 8,300 approx.)

That was all the major for DAY-1, stay tuned for DAY-2!

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

Its barely 10 days after Lenovo launched its IdeaPad Yoga, and its well over in high demand, with online markets having there stocks exhausted. It is an ultrabook convertible, offering  four different modes of viewing with a 360-degree flip flop style. It has two model's IdeaPad Yoga 13 and IdeaPad Yoga 13. Today we will be reviewing the Yoga 13. So here it goes...
Firstly the specification....

Specs :
Laptop Type - Ultrabook Convertible
Thickness - 16.9mm
Weight - 1.54 kgs
Operating System - Windows 8 , Windows 8 Pro
Screen Size (diagonally) - 13.3 inches ( 1600 X 900 )
Screen Type - LED-Backlit LCD
Cpu Brand - Intel
Cpu Family - Ivy Bridge
Graphics Type - Intel HD 4000 ( Integrated )
Battery - 54 Wh
Battery Life - Upto 8 hrs
Touch Technology - Capacitive Multi-Touch
Display Type - Soft (Finger) Touch

CPU Specs : 
Processor - Intel 3rd Generation dual-core Core i5-3317U at1.70GHz  (can be upgraded to i7-3517U at 1.9GHz Core )
Cpu Speed - 1700 Mhz
RAM - 4 GB DDR3 ( Expandable upto 8 GB )
SSD - 128 GB ( upgradable to 256 GB )

Physical Interfaces : 

• DC - in
• Line-Out / Microphone ( 3.5mm ) 
• SDHC Card Slot 
• USB 2.0
• USB 3.0 (X1)
• 2 in 1 SD/MMC Card Reader 
• 720p HD (1.0 MegaPixel ) Camera
• Stereo speakers, combo headphone/microphone jack

Wireless Interfaces :

• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n

Silent Features :

• OneKey Recovery
• AccuType Keyboard
• Intelligent Touchpad
• Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync
• Lenovo Companion
• Lenovo Energy Management
• Lenovo Motion Control
• ComboJack
• Ethernet

Now, Lets Discuss Highs And Lows :

Highs :

• Superior quality IPS display
• Top-notch keyboard 
• Great Performance
• Good touchpad

Lows :

• No backlit keyboard 
• Touch response is not up to the mark (in tablet view)
• Battery is average 
• Not fast gaming, lags sometimes in heavy games
• Lacks 1080 HD screen
• A little over priced

                                                               Conclusion : 

With Windows 8, which is also compatible with tablets, most of the makers are more or less willing to develop convertible laptops. All ultrabooks with Windows 8 share the same specification at press time, every Ultrabook featured the same base processor - hardware and design will be the differentiating factor for the next half year, and possibly longer. That means aesthetics, batteries, input device, and other intangibles will matter more than anything else.
If you see overall, its a great ultrabook with all the features in it a buyer needs, but if you don't want ultra-convertible laptops, then you want to consider others out there in the market.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The latest to be added in Lenovo highly advanced business class Ultrabook X series is X1 Carbon. Lenovo launched ThinkPad X1 Carbon celebrating  20 yrs. Priced at $1349 in US and Rs.85000 in India, this is one of the top class business ultrabooks. Lets see the specifications :-

Specs :

• Laptop Type - Ultraportable 
• Thickness - 8mm
• Weight - 1.36 kgs
• Operating System - Upto Windows 7 Professional
• Screen Size (diagonally) - 14 inches ( 1600 X 900 )
• Screen Type - LED-Backlit LCD 
• Battery - 45WH, Integrated, RapidCharge upto 80% in 35 mins  
• Battery Life - Upto 8.2 hrs

CPU Specs : 

• Processor - Intel 3rd Generation i5-3427U (1.80 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache, 1333Mhz FSB)    
• Cpu Speed - 1700 Mhz
• RAM - 4 GB DDR3L 1333MHz ( Expandable upto 8 GB )
• Flash - 128 GB
• SSD - 256 GB SATA3
• Graphics Type - Intel HD 40 Graphics (Integrated)

Physical Interfaces : 

•  Line-Out / Microphone ( 3.5mm ) 
• Mini Displayport 
• SDHC Card Slot 
• USB 2.0
• USB 3.0 
• 4 in 1 SD Card Reader 
• Audio - Dobly Home Theater v4
• Webcam - 720p HD (1.3 MegaPixel )

Wireless Interfaces :

• Bluetooth 4.0
• 3G Optional

Anti-Slip and Light Weight, which means you
 can hold it from both your fingers 

Silent Features :

• Fingerprint Reader 
• Navigation - UltraNav TrackPoint and larger glass touchpad
• System Update 4.0
• Power/Password Manager 
• SimpleTap
• Rescue and Recovery 

Now, Lets Discuss Highs And Lows :

Highs : 

• Excellent Keyboard 
• Lightweight 
• Durable Design
• High-res screen with viewing angles 
• Long Battery Life 
• Great Webcam
• Brilliantly Fast Charging Time 

Lows :

• Etherget is only via a USB dongle 
• Only one USB 3.0 port
• Slower SDD than other Ultrabooks  
• A little pricy

Conclusion : 
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an Ultrabook providing complete business class experience with robust, carbon fibre-based body that suits best to business users. Although it has a 14 inches screen, having this too it is still very thin and light . It is a stellar business Ultrabook, coming with a high-res matte screen and long battery life in a slim and classic design. A few sacrifices like Ethernet and VGA were made to make it so thin, but I think it's worth it. If you want the best business Ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 is worth the best.