News

Asus Transformer TF101 Ice Cream Sandwich US release date : February 24th

Computerworld reports that Ice Cream Sandwich for Asus’ original Transformer will be available to US customers tomorrow, Friday, February 24th.

I would advise you to tread with caution, being an early updater always bears risks (Including odd early-adopter glitches, data loss, crashes, flickering and any number of unknown yet possible issues. Most probably nothing dramatic will happen, but you can always wait a day or two for the community feedback to land). If you can’t wait to put your hands on the new update then hit okay when prompted, sometime tomorrow.

via Computerworld
sources Asus on Twitter, Asus on Facebook

Mobile World Congress begins next Monday

This is a reminder about MWC 2012, possibly the biggest event to happen in the mobile-technology sphere this quarter. I won’t be there (hey, it’s €699 for the barefoot visitor pass!), but I’ll continue collecting information about new announcements. (I’ll be attending the AMD Heaven GamExperience instead.)

Stay tuned or check the official page for more info.

I personally am stoked to see the new models announced at MWC 2012. Asus’ TF300T will stir some water, but I’d be surprised if other brands don’t step into the spotlight to show some even more interesting pieces of mobile technology.

Asus hears you, lets you unlock the bootloader of the Transformer Prime TF201

Asus follows suit of HTC and provides a tool that unlocks the bootloader of the Transformer Prime. The procedure is not all daisies, though, the downsides are worth considering if you aren’t a hundred-percent sure of what you’re doing.

The new unlock tool is available to those customers who run Ice Cream Sandwich on their tablets, downloadable here (select Android, Utilities).

The bootloader unlock utility is tailored to those who want to take full control over their Transformer Prime. By removing the lock, you can install custom ROMs, different versions of Android or any operating system that runs on the tf201. Since the development had been shunted by the locked bootloader, there aren’t many customizations you can apply to your tablet just yet. If there is going to be a new ROMs coming, it will be announced on the XDA forums.

Please note that removing the lock with the tool provided by Asus voids warranty, shuts you out of further official software updates, not to mention the mysterious sounding warning at the end of the first paragraph of legalese, “your purchased digital content may also be affected.”

via hexus.net

Amazon to ship 10-inch Kindle Fire before June, places order with Foxconn

Digitaltrends reports that Amazon placed an ODM order with Foxconn for a 10-inch tablet, which will sell before summer. ODM stands for Original Design Manufacturer, and refers to a strategy where the manufacturer handles both the design process and production, then hands the final product over to partners for branding.

Amazon did fairly well with the 7-inch Kindle Fire, selling roughly 3.9 million units since November last year. By moving such an unprecedented volume, Amazon managed to spring second only to the iPad completely smashing sales figures of other Android devices.

Success didn’t come for free, the Kindle Fire sells at $199, which iSuppli estimates to be a couple dollars under production costs. The company chose to make healthy profits on the back-end instead, by essentially giving Kindle owners a hot-line to Amazon content services, such as the Kindle bookstore, Amazon MP3 and Instant Video.

With a 10-inch Amazon tablet priced in a similar fashion, the company stands every chance to give a hard time to Apple’s current tablet lineup, but definitely not among the more demanding, savvy consumers. Apple’s rumored iPad 3 release might dampen some of the damage the new Amazon tablet will do to its market share figures, but with its more competitive cost structure Amazon can scoop up cost-sensitive buyers and turn them into long-term customers.

As far as other Android tablets go, Samsung and Asus will have to re-think their tablet strategy or settle with manufacturing for the premium segment, where the initial unit price hardly sways decisions. Asus has already taken steps so that it doesn’t happen. We’ll see if a cheaper Transformer cuts Kindle Fire’s rampage in the value segment short.

A 10-inch tablet from Amazon is bound to reshape the cheap tablet landscape completely, and have a profound effect on other Android tablet makers as well. Apple seems to be safe for now, especially if retina-display rumors and the early-March release date are to be believed about the iPad 3.

via Digitaltrends
sources digitimes and androidauthority

RIM’s Blackberry Playbook 2.0 released today, gets the shaft

I love to speculate. Which means I’m often wrong, too. At least that’s what seems to stick. Remember how enthusiastic I was about the new Playbook OS? Seems like I was wrong about the impact the changes would have. For more information about what went into the new version, you can still read the piece, this is just a recap of what others think 2.0 did to the Playbook. It ain’t pretty.

Senior CNET writer Roger Cheng asks the question,

With so many new tablets either on the market or a few months away from being introduced, is there any reason to buy the PlayBook?

And indeed he is right in asking this particular question. With iPad 3 at the gates, Amazon’s tablet happily selling for $200, Android powerhouses like the Asus TF201 and the upcoming quad-core TF300T getting cheaper, is there a market segment for RIM to take?

According to him, the Playbook needs to deal with serious problems,

the changes all represent minor improvements to a tablet that needed to take massive steps forward

That’s one thumb down.

ZDNet’s editor in chief Larry Dignan voices his concerns regarding whether the Playbook will hold up against furious competition,

It’s [Playbook 2.0] probably a bit late in the game even if RIM keeps prices low.

Amazon sells its own tablet for $199, which offers not only an e-mail client, but a direct hotline to the Amazon ecosystem, something Research in Motion can’t address at the moment.

Techcrunch’s reporter Ingrid Lunden seems rather upbeat in her article covering the OS version bump. While the piece is generally optimistic, she does hit a nail into the coffin,

what RIM has done is effectively bring the PlayBook up to speed with what other device makers have already been doing on other platforms like Android

Steve Kovach from Business Insider, on the other hand, doesn’t stop short of smacking the Playbook right where it hurts.

From the article linked above “And the PlayBook is still missing RIM’s most popular product, BBM.” With that big a hole gaping on its armor, RIM is still vulnerable to sharp words. Understandably so.

I believe RIM is capable of delivering a product that doesn’t require the customer to be a Blackberry Phone owner, too. Considering all the bad PR the company got today, there are further steps to take to bring its product in line with direct competition.

Next Generation Asus Transformer technical specifications spotted on a fuzzy screenshot – Seems legit

Asus doesn’t have to go to the neighbor for some innovation. They single handedly kicked-off the netbook revolution (Anyone remembers the 701?), spearheaded the Ultrabook movement and now, they’re pushing hard with their hybrid tablet/netbook.

Just a couple months after releasing the TF201 (also known as the Transformer Prime), there is a sidegrade (as it hardly is an up or a downgrade) cooking: TF300T.

Since there isn’t much in the ways of a stronger processor they can build a tablet around, the TF300T will be equipped with the same Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU as the TF201, albeit clocked 100 MHz lower at 1.2GHz instead of 1.3GHz.

TF201 contained either 32GB or 64GB internal storage, TF300T allegedly comes with ‘only’ 16GB. I wouldn’t start flailing my arms in shocked disbelief just yet, there is a MicroSD card reader slot for those who walk around with their entire music collection on their tablets.

Asus put the same amount of operating memory in the tablet — 1GB — as they put in the Transformer Prime. This time, however, it apparently follows the DDR3L standard rather being LPDDR2. According to Engadget, there are multiple benefits to utilizing Low-power DDR3 vs. its DDR2 counterpart:

[...]debuting its LPDDR3 chip, brushing aside LPDDR2 with twice the data rates at 6.4GB/s a slice, and a 25 percent smaller power-drain in tow[...]

If that doesn’t offset the performance loss stemming from the lower CPU clock-frequency, I’m not sure what does.

The new Transformer seems to have put up some weight since the TF201 days, being exactly as wide and long as the predecessor but 1.6mm (~1/16th inch) thicker. It weighs 60 grams (2.2 oz) or almost 11% more than the previous model.

Despite having the same resolution –1280×800– screen (though it isn’t rated as Super-IPS, just IPS), more efficient operating RAM, lower internal capacity and CPU clock-speed, thicker chassis and heavier body, the TF300T runs 8.5 hours on one charge versus the 9.5 hours its predecessor pulls. When connected to the keyboard-dock the battery-life gap widens to 5.5 hours between 12.5 hours and 18 hours.

Making sense

The TF300T seems like a facelift on the TF201 if anything. Its specs come really close to that of the older model, while in some respects it’s worse than that. There is one logical explanation I can come up with. If these specs aren’t completely bogus, the new model will arrive at a lower price point, essentially catering for a different target audience.

I hope the new, 4.0 Android OS by default coupled with a lower price-tag isn’t all that ASUS has up its sleeves, but plans to put a definitive end to the weird software and firmware issues, too.

via BGR, tabletowo.pl

[Self] News now appear differently on isThin.com – Less clutter, quicker access

As of today, news items are shown differently on isThin.com. They no longer show up as full articles on the homepage, because let’s face it, three or four items a day can be excruciating to wade through if the latest news aren’t what you’re here for.

The last thing I want to do is barrage you with things you don’t want to see. For this reason, News titles are now accessible through the sticky post on the top of the homepage (condensed into titles).

Full articles can be read clicking at “News” at the top of the page, or at the Category listing on the sidebar.

Everything else appears below the box, like it would on any normal blog.

I hope you agree that this makes the site less crowded and more focused on deeper pieces, while providing a more consistent ‘Quick Glance’ and better access to News for those interested.

Have a great time! :)

Acer Revo 70 nettop released with AMD technology inside

Nettops don’t normally fall into the category labelled ‘portable’ but it’s thin. Thin in the sense that it is a low power-consumption device strong enough to play media and get you online.

Liliputing reports that Acer now offers a very small form-factor desktop computer with AMD insides. Interestingly enough, there aren’t many AMD based computers in this segment, as it’s heavily dominated by Intel Atom processors.

A dual-core E-450 CPU runs the whole show, clocked at 1.65 GHz. For those curious as to how on earth an Intel Atom competitor lines up in terms of benchmarks, here’s a Geekbench result page.

AMD’s 6320 takes responsibility for graphics processing. Although the chip is aimed at the netbook/nettop market, it pulls its share of the weight rather well, as can be seen in notebooktech.net’s superb benchmark database. That said, you won’t be doing much gaming on any computer equipped with an AMD 6320 or comparable, according to the site the chip runs Starcraft 2 in low at 46 frames per second.

2GB of RAM, 500GB of HDD make their appearance in the model, not too shabby for the starting price of $329.99.

Of course Revo 70 is capable of connecting to Wi-Fi networks — 802.11 b/g/n — and features an HDMI output for a good compatibility with various HDTVs and newer monitors.

So?

I personally think there should be a wider selection available. These small desktop computers meet a demand very specifically, a demand that is currently filled by value notebooks.

There are at least three people off the top of my head, who I think would make great use of such a device. They use value notebooks right now; Fujitsu-Siemens, Acer and Asus products being the most prevalent. They make very little use of the portable aspect of the computer. Might as well opt for a nettop next time they shop around, as it gets them a better hardware setup, keeps more money in their pockets and can be connected to a TV more easily than the thick-and-heavy laptops they use.

Then there’s the noise.

I don’t have my hopes high, though, I’m reasonably sure they will not look into nettops at all next time they shop. They’ll buy another Fujitsu-Siemens value notebook when the one they’re using now breaks for good.

via Liliputing

The Macbook Air patent Apple receives may turn Ultrabook landscape upside-down

The Macbook Air patent Apple receives may turn Ultrabook landscape upside-down

Peter Pachal of Mashable reports that Apple has been awarded 19 different patents, including one that details the design of the Macbook Air.

As expected, Steve Jobs and John Ivy — credited as Ive; Jonathan P., without his Sir title — are listed as inventors among 13 other employees.

With this patent Apple has every tool it needs to go after Ultrabooks, should it choose to. Considering the recent history of the company, it would surprise me if it decided not to pursue thin-and-light laptops that directly compete with its own Macbook Air range.

That said, patent wars aren’t something I would like to see more of. Quite the contrary, Ultrabooks may not do exactly what Apple’s ultraportable does, but they give you, the customer, options. They spur further innovation — companies should always be trying to outdo competition –, lower prices and ultimately, better products. At least, if they let each-other be and pour their energy into making better laptops instead of fighting in court.

If Apple chooses to pursue Macbook Air imitations, Airbook will be the first to go down, engulfed in a majestic fireball as it dips below the horizon. The second shot might hit Asus’ UX21 and UX31. You don’t really need to see the teardown — it won’t hurt, though! — to find design similarities between the Zenbook and the Macbook Air.

via Mashable
photo from raneko, thank you!

Asus Transformer TF101 Ice Cream Sandwich release date pushed back, reason unknown

Asus promised to crank up the original Asus Transformers to Ice Cream Sandwich mid-February. It’s the middle of February, yet the company only delivered an announcement regarding the delay.

“We are informed that the ICS upgrade for TF101 will be ready within the Feb/March 2012 period. You will be able to receive the upgrade notification via FOTA once we have a confirmation date.”

announced ASUS Singapore on Facebook yesterday.

It is unclear why the company decided to push the new update back. I personally like to think that the quality assurance team is behind the decision.

A reasonably bug-free release a month from now is undoubtedly better than a hasty patch swung at customers this week. Transformer Prime owners might concur.

update: Asus transformer ice cream sandwich release date confirmed to be 24th of February for US customers.

via BGR

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