Intel event invite foreshadows a ‘big’ surprise announcement

While Intel is mysteriously teasing the announcement of “something big” on a press invite for a special event on Sept. 2, there’s little question in the industry as to what hardware reveal is expected to take place.

Earlier this year at the annual CES conference, Intel previewed their laptop-exclusive 11th Gen 10nm Tiger Lake processor, and already various computer makers like Acer have admitted that their upcoming notebooks — which could reach customers as early as this fall — will be powered by this new CPU.

It is extremely likely that this “big” surprise that will make an appearance in September will be Tiger Lake.

Like most other tech gatherings and conferences which have not been canceled in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, this event will take place virtually.

On Sept. 2, we can expect the pricing and specs of these new processors to be detailed.

AFP relaxnews

Future of laptop keyboards looks bleak as screens multiply in Computex 2019

At this year’s Computex, an annual conference in Taipei dedicated to all things PC, a slew of new laptops and concept models were announced, the most innovative of which demonstrate that keyboards are being pushed to the side in favor of secondary and even tertiary screens.

As the smartphone industry upgrades screens by reducing bezels, shrinking notches and adding flexibility, the laptop industry has also been revamping how displays are used within PCs and have apparently concluded that the more screens, the merrier.

Computex 2019 showed this trend on full display where a series of notebooks were unveiled donning extra screens that push keyboards nearly off the edge of the model.

Asus ZenBook Duo Pro

The redesigned ZenBook that Asus debuted at the conference stole the spotlight with its three screens and a full-size mechanical keyboard, which was pushed down to the bottom of the base to make room for the touchscreen display measuring at 14 inches and the trackpad that doubles as a digital number pad.

The Asus ZenBook Duo Pro will be available for purchase in the third quarter of the year where the price will also be announced.

HP Omen X 2S

Although HP announced the HP Omen X 2S a couple of weeks before Computex 2019, the company still used the conference as an opportunity to showcase the dual-screen gaming laptop. The second display on this model is in a similar location of Asus’ new model and is also a touchscreen, but it is significantly smaller at just six inches. The trackpad has been pushed to the right of a full-size keyboard, but it serves no other purpose than a trackpad.

The HP Omen X 2S will be available in June with a starting price of $2,099.99 (about P109,000).

Intel Honeycomb Glacier concept

Intel only had one concept to show with an innovative new design. Though Honeycomb Glacier is not expected to hit the market anytime soon, it features a design that definitely turned heads at the conference with its two screens and two hinges.

When opened like a conventional laptop, the model looks similar to the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo. Between the second screen and the keyboard, however, there is a second hinge that lifts the main display up to eye level and the second display up enough so you don’t have to hunch over to see it properly.

Honeycomb Glacier is still only in its prototype stage, but it may become a commercial reality over the next couple of years if the trend for more multiscreen laptops further gains momentum. HM/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Look, ma, a laptop and a tablet in one!

MANILA, Philippines – Tired of carrying both a laptop computer and a tablet? Then better get ready for the coming of the convertibles, laptops that have touch-screen monitors that can be bent to resemble a tablet computer.

Ricky Banaag, Intel Philippines country manager, said during the recent Intel’s year end press briefing that a lot of convertibles will hit the Philippine market in 2013.

He cited the recent Windows 8 Experience Study conducted by Intel which showed that 44 percent of people surveyed had chosen convertible laptops over tablets and normal laptops in deciding which device they would like to run Windows 8.

Windows 8 is the latest operating system of Microsoft that can run on mobile devices, tablets, and laptops. Its main feature is that it is best used with touch-screens.

“[Convertibles] have the best of both worlds, the traditional keyboard [and at the same time] a touch-screen,” Banaag said.

The convertible will be able to serve the needs of touch applications and typing applications in just one package “instead of carrying both a tablet and a laptop when going out,” he said.

In today’s world where people have more than one device for their many needs, the convertible will help reduce the need for several devices.

The results of the Windows 8 Experience Study also found that 31 percent of people chose non-convertible laptops with touch-screens and 22 percent chose tablets. Only three percent chose the traditional laptop with no touch-screen.

Several laptop manufacturers have previously announced their convertible laptops which feature touch-screen monitors that can rotate like a revolving door or can be bent completely backwards.

Banaag said that the touch-screen monitors, which are connected to the main body of the laptop through a single or double hinge, had passed extensive stress tests.

“Tablets, convertibles, and new devices will enter the market en masse, blurring the boundaries between PCs and tablets. According to Gartner, by 2015 media tablet shipments will amount to around half that of laptops,” Intel said in their statement.

“As tablets become more popular at work, people will covet improved processing power. People will look to tablets for productivity, moving from consumption to multi-tasking; placing greater processing demands on their devices,” Intel Asia-Pacific director of regional sales organization, Philip Cronin, said in the statement.

People wishing to get their hands on a convertible however, should start saving money as early as now since one could cost P60,000, Banaag said.

source: technology.inquirer.net