At IDF this week, Intel showed off a demo of Nuance’s Dragon Assist software running on an Ultrabook. Dragon Assist, currently in beta, is a Siri-like approach to PC voice control. Using natural words and phrases you can ask the computer to do a number of tasks. The demo that Intel showed on stage was quite impressive — it was fast, accurate, and potentially quite useful. But would you use it?
Chippy is checking out Ultrabooks at IDF this week and he had a chance to get his hands on the NEC Lavie Z Ultrabook. What makes this unit stand out is its incredible weight. This is a 13.3″ screen; at just 876 grams, the Lavie Z is the world’s lightest Ultrabook in it’s class, even lighter than many of the Ultrabooks in the size class below it. For example. the Asus UX21A with an 11.6″ screen is about 1100 grams.
I posted just half an hour ago on Google Plus…
“Stabilisation is a huge challenge for cameraphones because there’s not enough processing power to do it well enough in software and no room for optical stabilisation.”
Nokia may have solved the problem with “Floating Lens Technology” on the Nokia Lumia 920.
Technical details are unavailable right now but I’m excited to see that as it will a) allow slower shutter speeds (more light) b) reduce the need for xenon flash to freeze motion c) allow for longer zoom d) reduce video bitrates.
If you aren’t following the Intel Ultimate Coder Ultrabook Challenge, tune in now because not only have we got 6 experienced software development teams creating applications for a new generation of Ultrabooks, not only is your Chippy one of the judges but we’ve got amazing new hardware to use for the competition too. You can get the latest updates on the competition here but right now I want to show you the exciting touch and sensor-enabled Ultrabook we’re using.
To be honest, we have no idea where this Ultrabook promo video has come from. It looks like it might be part of an Intel Finance Ultrabook competition. Brett Cardoza, the name of the YouTube channel it appears under, seems to be an Intel employee. That would explain the ‘knowledge’ in the video.
We haven’t stopped laughing yet. This is so crass, it just might be good enough to go viral. Check it out below and, thanks Brett. If you read this, please let us know the background in the comments below.
We’ve just got back from the Samsung HQ in Germany with a 15” Series 9 Ultrabook under our arms. It’s a stunning bit of kit and after just an hour of testing on the train back the feeling is already very positive. The screen, keyboard, styling and battery life and speed are all looking good. Of course, more testing needs to be done and we’ll be working on that over the next week so stay with us. To kick things off we’ve got an overview video for you.
The Dell XPS 13 is finally in our hands, just in time for the live webcast this evening. Late yesterday evening I managed to get an overview video made and it’s embedded below. It’s a fantastic looking device which a punchy screen and a great keyboard but there’s also an issue of ports. For photographers and videographers, one of the target ‘creative’ markets for the Ultrabook, you’ll miss any form of SD card slot. For those using VGA and HDMI screens, you’ll be annoyed at having to buy one or two adaptors and even more annoyed when you forget to bring them to that presentation! The XPS 13 is certainly not the cheapest Ultrabook, it’s not the lightest either. Will the style be enough for you?
Reminder: Live Webcast starts at 2100hrs (Berlin time)
We finally got our own review sample of the Lenovo U300s. Our first review hands-on is below.
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