Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By February 10, 2014 Read More →

HP and Asus announce Chromeboxes

hp-chromeboxHP has just announced a Chromebox! We have heard rumblings of Chromeboxes in the past however, one has yet to appear on a shelf nearby. ASUS also announced its own Chromebox this week and it seems both devices will be competing against each other fiercely. So, we should really be getting used to seeing them.

Specs and features are very similar between the HP and ASUS desktop Chrome OS unit, but it doesn’t seem like HP is offering a lower-end device.

  • 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor (Chromebox for Meetings version)
  • HDMI, DisplayPort and four USB 3.0 ports
  • Bluetooth
  • Wall-mountable (VESA)

Three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort adapters, and a VESA wall mount will feature as standard across the range.

In a nod to their Chromebook line-up HP are offeriung four different coloured designs will be available, all with artsy fartsy names: Smoke Silver, Ocean Turquoise, Snow White and Twinkle Black.

We don’t know much else about other specs for now. We are not even sure what kind of processor the regular version will have, but it will be a Haswell processor. If we base it on ASUS’ hardware, though, it should be either an Intel Celeron or i3 processor.

 

Posted in: Desktop Computing, News
By February 10, 2014 Read More →

Toshiba Chromebook arrives

Toshiba-Chromebook-2You will be able to purchase the Toshiba Chromebook in the UK on Monday the 10th of February. We do not have details regarding other markets as yet, but now we know Currys will carry the much anticipated Chrome OS Notebook.

The Toshiba Chromebook is available for pre-order from Amazon for £249. Thankfully Currys price will be the same. When comparing to other Chromebooks, this is very similar aside from the screen size of 13.3 inches.

Posted in: Laptops, News
By February 7, 2014 Read More →

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 219: Deng fancies Matt too

Podcast-Logo_thumb.jpgGareth and  Matt are here with another UK update on the mobile front.

Featuring Gareth and Matt. This week we discuss the rumours surrounding HTC replacement for the HTC One, dubbed the HTC M8. We also look forward to the iPhone 6 and what that may hold in store as well as a discussion abut what’s happening with Sony’s laptop division and Chromebooks that are waiting in the wings.

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Posted in: News, Podcast
By February 4, 2014 Read More →

Presenting the Chromecast SDK

Chromecast SDKAfter a long and gruelling 6 months the SDK for Google’s Chromecast officially became available for purchase, so we can now expect to see a wave of apps pouring through the floodgates for Google popular TV plugin. At this point in time there are only a handful of services available for the Chromecast out of the box and with several similar devices coming to market it makes total sense for Google to launch the SDK to increase the Chromecast’s standing in the home entertainment market.

Check it out here!

Posted in: News, TV & Home Cinema
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By February 4, 2014 Read More →

iWatch getting tossed about again

iwatch-big-4Looks as thought Apple might just be launching the iWatch later this year according to new reports from The New York Times and 9to5Mac. An unnamed Apple employee said that Apple’s Bob Mansfield, the senior vice president for technologies, is “directly involved” with and iWatch, and has been “heavily involved” with “exploring devices, sensors and technologies within Apple that can monitor people’s health and connect to an iPhone.” Another Apple employee said that former Adobe executive Kevin Lynch, who joined Apple last year, is currently working on software for the watch.

One of the big rumours surrounding iOS 8 is the inclusion of a “Healthbook” that is touted to keep track of fitness statistics including steps taken, calories burned, miles walked, but also monitor weight loss. Additionally, Healthbook would monitor important tuning like blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate “and potentially several other blood-related data points, such as glucose levels.” For all this, an iWatch would be required, a product that’s described to be “designed to be heavily reliant on the iPhone.” 

Posted in: Gadgets, News
By February 3, 2014 Read More →

You are seeing a red Nexus 5

Red-Nexus-5-front-back-2Looks like a red  Nexus 5 will arrive in the near future. The Nexus 5 has been ruimours to get a bit of paint thrown at it much like several other leading brands out there and could be set to launch in the Google Play Store as early as the beginning February 4th. It would be unlikely for the Nexus 5 will have anything different under the hood and still boasts the 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and more. No mention of price just now however, this being Google, we have no reason to believe they would ask you to pay more for simply a colour.

Posted in: News, Phones
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By January 31, 2014 Read More →

Two Chromebooks coming from Lenovo

Lenovo-IdeaPad-Yoga-13-modesHere is a bit of news for Chrome OS and Lenovo fans out there – the popular PC manufacturer has just announced two new laptops! The Thinkpad 11e and the Thinkpad Yoga 11e come in two versions, sporting Windows 8 and Chrome OS (wouldn’t it be nice if they could dual-boot?).

These Chromebooks are said to be aimed towards education, but they seem to be great options for the regular consumer too. Specs were not specified, but we do have some details you might want to know.

Lenovo ThinkPad 11e Chromebook

As the name entails, the ThinkPad 11e sports what is now the standard in terms of Chromebook displays. Of course, we are talking about an 11.6-inch HD, LED display. HD probably does mean 1366x768p resolution, which is what most other 11.6-inch Chromebook displays have.

You will also get “over 8 hours of battery life”, but that is not what makes the ThinkPad 11e special. Its main feature is its construction, which comes with a rugged nature. The laptop will feature “rubber bumpers, reinforced ports and stronger hinges.” It’s a Chromebook built to last.

Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook

The ThinkPad Yoga 11e will not be as resistant, but it will be a much more functional and flexible (literally) tool. This laptop takes on Lenovo’s signature Yoga design, allowing a laptop to take on 4 different configurations. It adapts to the type of use you want to give it at any given moment.

You can transform Yoga laptops in the following configurations: laptop, tablet, tent and stand. You can see the image below to see examples.

The TinkPad Yoga 11e also comes with an 11.6-inch display, but it sports an IPS panel. This will give the screen much better viewing angles and color accuracy. It’s also important to note that this is the third Chroembook to come with a touchscreen! I know many of you will fancy that.

All versions are set to be released during the Spring of 2014. Price is a bit more vague – Lenovo says the Chromebooks will start at $349. Are you getting one of these bad boys?

Posted in: Laptops, News, Tablets
By January 31, 2014 Read More →

Retro Tech Addicts Podcast 10: Life is Good

RTA Logo MTAGareth and Phil enjoy a warm and fuzzy recollection of days gone by in this the latest instalment of the Retro Tech Addicts podcast.

This week Gareth and Phil take a closer look at the tech-giant LG and discuss a variety of the company’s products and hostory.

 

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Posted in: Podcast
By January 30, 2014 Read More →

Samsung to halt Windows notebooks in favour of Chromebooks

Samsung-Chromebook-ConnectiSources within the supply chain serving the South Korean electronics giant, are reporting that Samsung “will no longer launch conventional notebook models except Chromebooks” from 2015. ‘Samsung will no longer launch conventional notebook models except Chromebooks…’

The company was one of the first on the block with Google’s thin-client cloud-based OS, launching one of the first Chromebooks back in 2011. A refreshed version of their best-selling ‘Samsung Chromebook’ is rumoured to arrive near Easter, utilising an eight-core ARM processor.

A rumour like this is probably most unlikely however when thinking of Dell’s decision to discontinue shipping Windows 7 on their hardware there might be something in it. With that said, the report does give a potential reasoning for such a switch. Samsung expected to ship 17 million notebooks in 2013 but only managed to shift 12 million. As a result, insiders say the company has lowered its notebook forecasts for 2014 to 7 million units. Do it make sense to drop an entire platform when notebook and laptop sales are down and tablet sales are up?

 

Posted in: Laptops, News
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By January 29, 2014 Read More →

Some New Mini-Games for Glass

Google-Glass-Mini-Games-MatcherWhile Google still works on getting Google Glass ready for official public consumption, the company has been to building five simple games for the wearable technology in the hopes that it will encourage developers to make more games for it. There are already a couple of games out from third parties however on a whole things are pretty sparse.

These new games are all current available on Glassware to try out for those few people who were approved and managed for fork out $1500 for an early version of Google Glass. If you’re looking for some seriously advanced gaming to be found with these five titles, you won’t find it. These games are pretty simple but do illustrate different things you can do with Google Glass in conjunction with games.

Interested in seeing what these games are like? Well lucky for you Google has released a short video showing each one which you can watch above. It will be interesting to see if this does spur on some additional developer interest for Google Glass when it comes to games.

 

Posted in: Apps & Games, News, Science & Technology
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