Over the past few months I noticed a decrease in the battery life on my Apple MacBook Pro 15″. Initially the drop was not that significant but over time it became more noticable and a few weeks ago it began to turn itself off even though the battery was at a claimed 23%. I also realised that the power levels were falling quite dramatically even when the laptop was turned off.
As I do not use my MacBook on battery power all that often it didn’t bother me that much but last week I was using the MacBook on my lap on the train. I suddenly became aware that the bottom of the MacBook was getting VERY hot and the aluminium base was uncomfortably hot against my leg and the top was pretty warm too.
Realising that this was a sign that I should probably investigate what was going on I decided to unscrew the bottom of the MacBook and to take a look at the battery.
As I released the screws the bottom suddenly sprang open and the battery pack itself had burst!
So, if you have any of the symptoms above it’s definitely a good idea to either take a look at the battery or else take it to the Apple store and have them take a look at it for you. Who know’s what might have happened if I had continued to use it like this!
Gareth is back with another round up of the most interesting news of the past week. This week the Huawei Ascend P7 launched, some iPhone 6 renders pop up, the Archos GamePad 2 gets unboxed, Asus and Lenovo announce a few Chromebooks and Spotify gets scammed…
Archos have had a second try at an Android gaming tablet having some success with the first generation Archos GamePad. This time around it’s mostly all change with a re-design and some beefed up specs.
Coming with some red hot gaming preinstalled we have a look at just how gamer friendly the Archos GamePad 2 really is.
Archos GamePad 2 specification:
- 7’’: 1280 x 800 pixels, IPS,
- Quad-core A9 @ 1.6GHz
- Android 4.2
- 2GB RAM
- 8GB/16GB + micro SD
- 200.5 mm x 154 mm x 9.9 mm
- 400g
- Two analogue thumb-sticks
- Directional pad
- 6 front facing buttons
- 4 shoulder buttons
- G-sensor
- HDMI output
- Front webcam
The LG Chromebase is now available to pre-order in the UK. Amazon lists the recommended retail price of the all-in-one Chrome OS PC as £279. It has an estimated dispatch time of 1-3 months. Two versions are on offer: a white version is currently listed at £269 while a black model can be bagged for a little less at £268.
The LG Chromebase is also based around a 21.5-inch IPS display, notably one without touch functionality, at a matching resolution of 1920×1080, and is powered by an Intel Celeron 2955U paired with 2GB RAM and a 16GB SSD.
The first Bay Trail powered Chromebook to hit the market, the Asus C200 and C300 are official. Asus has made it official on their website. The two models have the same specs except for the screen size. The C200 is a 11.6-inch LED backlit HD glossy screen (1366 x 768) and the C300 has a bigger, 13.3 screen.
Asus C200 and C300 specification:
- Intel® Bay Trail-M Dual Processor N2830 2.42 GHz
- 11.6-inch LED backlit HD glossy screen (1366 x 768) (13.3 on C300)
- 720p HD camera
- 2 GB RAM
- 16 GB SSD
- 1 x USB2.0 port + 1 x USB 3.0 port
- 1 x HDMI 1.4
- 2.5 lbs for the 11.6 model and 3.1 lbs for the 13.3 model.
There are some confusion about the price at the moment. Some reports say that both models are priced $249. If you are getting a 13.3 Chromebook for $249, that is a sweet deal indeed. No word of UK prices.
Lenovo announced two new Chromebooks, this time for the consumer market. It has now been revealed their next in the Chromebook line up with N20 and N20p. The new Chromebooks have flexible displays you can rotate, and one model comes with a touchscreen. The display can be rotated back to allow the N20p to form a stand, or tent mode as it has now been internationally recognised. The N20 Chrome is similar to the N20p without touch operation and the flexible display.
- Intel Celeron
- Intel HD Graphics
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 1,366 x 768 screen
- 16GB SSD
- 4GB RAM
- 802.11ac
- USB 3.0
- 2.8lbs and 3.1lbs
In a USPTO application filed in 2012 under the title ‘Wearable Personal Information System’, Microsoft shows off their idea for the latest craze in health focused mobile technology, the smartwatch. The patent outlines how their device would feature a small detachable screen built that can be attached to fitness-related equipment. The device can also be used as a music player and alarm clock, as well as for messaging and telephone purposes. A watch from Microsoft is likely to feature its own operating system based on the Windows OS for desktop and Windows Phone.
The success of its Hudl tablet over Christmas has been confirmed by the that Tesco is set to launch not one but two new devices. A Hudl branded smartphone alongside an evolutionary update to the Hudl tablet from last year.
The smartphone is not expected to appear until the end of the year however it will keep the Hudl branding. Oddly, the BBC reports that the phone will run Android and be of a comparable specification to the Samsung Galaxy S5. Much like the Hudl tablet this phone will come preloaded with Tesco services, including Blinkbox video streaming and Tesco shopping apps. The addition of these bundled apps will allow Tesco to “aggressively priced” a higher-end smartphones.
In addition, Tesco also confirmed that the Hudl 2 could arrive as early as September. The first incarnation of the low priced, Archos built, 7-inch tablet sold around 550,000 units since launch before Christmas and was not only applauded for it’s low cost and higher than expected specifications but the ability to pay with Clubcard points helps many families justify having one.
No specifications or prices for either the Hudl phone or Hudl 2 Tablet have been confirmed at this point.
ZTE have been busy recently and today have announced that their latest ZTE Blade L2 will be available in across Europe later this year. No word on an exact date as yet but the Blade L2 looks like a great mid-tier device. The handset is the latest and most stylish handset to come from the affordable and highly popular Blade series that has already received millions of global sales.
Today, ZTE celebrates the introduction of its latest mobile phone, ZTE Blade L2, in Europe. The ZTE Blade L2 is already ranged in countries including Spain, Greece, Germany, Slovakia and the UK and will be rolled out globally later in 2014. The ZTE Blade L2 is the latest and most stylish handset to come from the affordable and highly popular Blade series that has already received millions of global sales.
Featuring an elegant design with a 5” touch screen and white exterior finish, the Blade L2 not only delivers on style but also packs a powerful performance with its 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor. Thanks to its narrow frame design, the ZTE Blade L2 looks and feels even slimmer than its 8.9mm effective thickness.
Like its popular predecessors in the Blade series, the Blade L2 offers a superior photo experience, boasting a 5MP camera which includes a number of different settings from continuous shot and panorama to anti-flickering as well as a multi angle view that can easily be turned into 3D animation. To make sure that users get the perfect photo, the camera functions also include autofocus, flash, self-timer, face detection and ZTE’s Smile Shot. The ZTE Blade L2 also includes a 0.3MP front camera for self-portraits and video-calling.
Mr. AO Wen, General Manager of ZTE Handset European Operation Office, said, “At ZTE, it’s no secret that we pride ourselves on the affordability of our smartphone handsets that makes smartphone technology available to everyone. We’ve had huge success with our Blade series to date in Europe, and we’re excited to introduce the latest edition. We’re confident that the ZTE Blade L2 will offer our ever-more discerning customers across Europe a stylish and high performance device at the right price.”
The 5” large screen offers a superior experience for browsing, watching movies and previewing photos taken with the 5MP camera. Preinstalled with Evernote, Dropbox, Facebook and Twitter, the ZTE Blade L2 enables people to easily share their memories with friends and family at just the touch of a button.
Acer has announced a large amount of new devices in New York this past week. Another tablet on their roadmap is the Acer Iconia Tab 7, a familiar looking tablet with many stylings borrowed from other tablets already on the market.
Running on Android 4.4 the Acer Iconia Tab 7 improves of some of the spercs of the Acer Iconia One 7, launched the same day. A Media Tek MT8382 Quad Core 1.3Ghz runs the show with 1GB of RAM. A 7″ IPS HD 1280×800 display looks great with 8gb and 16gb variants available. A 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP fornt facing camera round out an attractively styled budget offering.
Acer unveiled the Acer Iconia Tab 7(¹) at its “A Touch More Connected” launch event in New York. Equipped with phone functionality and 3G connectivity, the Iconia Tab 7 is the marriage of the two most used consumer devices — a tablet and phone — together in a super portable, premium-looking design with a vibrant 7-inch screen. Users can use 3G to browse, keep in touch, stay current on news, events and social networks, as well as enjoy voice calls.
A slim design with premium look and feel
The slim Acer Iconia Tab 7 has a premium look and feel with a clean and simple design of anodized silver. The 0.89 cm (0.35 inches) thin body, narrow 11.6 cm (4.6 inches) width and light 298 g (0.66 lb) weight makes the Iconia Tab 7 extremely comfortable to hold and use with a single hand for phone calls and browsing, yet it’s large enough for reading text and enjoying video.Impressive media performance and imaging
Available with two screen options(¹), the vibrant 7-inch screen delivers crisp visuals with up to 1280×800 HD resolution and IPS(²) technology for sharp, truly vivid colors from wide viewing angles. Plus, customers can do even more with their Iconia Tab 7 thanks to its powerful quad-core processor. Dual cameras ensure users can capture all the most important moments, and it features Android 4.4 (KitKat) and up to 6 hours(3) of battery life.
Tap, swipe and pinch with fewer fingerprints
With all those taps, swipes and pinches, screens can get dirty quickly, but not with the Iconia Tab 7. Equipped with an anti-fingerprint coating, messy fingerprints and smudges are reduced while also making it much easier to clean.
The Iconia Tab 7 is equipped with a MicroSD™ card slot for extended storage and easy sharing. For further storage expansion, users can take advantage of AcerCloud™ (4) and enjoy seamless sharing of videos, photos, music and documents across multiple devices.
Pricing and availability
The Acer Iconia Tab 7 will be available in Latin American markets at the end of June with prices starting at $1,990 MX Peso; in Europe, Middle East and Africa middle of May with prices starting at €149.
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