There’s an interesting post over at the French site blogeee.net today. They’ve put the latest AMD E-series Fusion platforms up against the new 1.8Ghz ‘Cedar Trail’ N2800. It’s not exactly fair to be comparing the E-series with Cedar Trail like for like as they have vastly different thermal characteristics but there’s an interesting result to be seen in the GPU test results. The new PowerVR-based graphics in the Cedar Trail platform are turning in 3x what the N570-based platform does. That’s excellent news. As far as raw CPU power goes […]

Asus’ Transformer model has been noted for its overall quality, design and its uniqueness, particularly with its detachable keyboard. Asus have taken this concept one step further and asks the question – if the keyboard component worked so well on the Transformer, would an integrated keyboard in a tablet be just as successful? The answer is a resounding yes, though with some caveats, mostly related to bulkiness and weight. But if you’re willing to put up with a thicker, heavier unit, and expect to do a fair bit of emails, documents and any other types of data entry that needs a keyboard, this unit could be your answer.

Last Thursday afternoon, the mobile and PC world was (moderately) shocked by Hewlett-Packard’s announcement that they were considering “all strategic options” for contending with the negative impact the HP Personal Systems Group (PSG) was having on the corporation’s total valuation. Key in this consideration will be the eventual fate of WebOS, the mobile OS that was brought in-house with the purchase of Palm in 2010. We can understand a certain amount of confusion with the tech-following public as to what HP is really doing and what they committed to on […]

I’ve been trying to use mobile operating systems for productive and full-computing scenarios for years and although things are getting better by the day, there are still major issues to be solved. Even the latest tailored hardware and software solutions are littered with unexpected restrictions, bugs, showstoppers and even costs. As I continue to test devices like the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and iPad I am making a list of functions that I can perform on a desktop operating system but not on a consumer or mobile operating system that […]

Price, brand and basic specs. These are the variables that most people use to narrow down their choice of laptop. When it comes to general mobility, the weight plays a factor too. If you’re thinking of buying a lightweight Sandy Bridge (2nd Generation Intel Core processors) laptop though, the bargain of the moment has to be the Lenovo X121e. At about 500 pounds inclusive operating system and taxes (406 pounds before tax at Ballicom here) it’s half the expected price of an Ultrabook. (*1) Yes, there will be some subtle […]

Finally, after some 8 months or more of speculation and rumors that the N8 would get a 2.0 firmware update, it happened. ‘Anna’ arrived. For customers that spent 500 Euros on an N8 last year it’s a huge sigh of relief. For those thinking about a new cameraphone, I can tell you that there’s very little to moan about now. The software is mature, the price is right. Portrait keyboard, simpler browsing, a re-worked icon set (that my wife says is cheap ‘like Linux’, I think it looks good!) and […]

Although we’ve already had two IDF (Intel Developer Forum) events this year it’s the San Francisco event starting in September that’s the highlight. It kicks off a new technology year for Intel and allows attendees to gauge what might happen in the next 12-18 months. You get to watch one of the leading technology companies in the world dance around some its leading technology. Read between the lines and you’re able to gauge a whole lot more than what the marketing reveals. The earliest indication that you get of the […]

Once upon a time, Sony made some really amazing handheld devices. Sadly, it seems that they’ve lost their imagination and creativity, and haven’t wowed us with anything in a good many years. Sure, they’ve got a few Android handsets on the market, and they’re even working on two Honeycomb tablets, but damn, Sony, look at where you are now, and look at the amazing products you once made: Many years ago, Sony’s amazing Clie UX50 was my companion; it was with me wherever I went. Eventually replaced by an iPod Touch, […]