CeBIT 2012: ultrabooks, tablets, eye-tracking devices, and more!
CeBIT in Hannover is among the world's biggest IT and electronics conventions and we're on the ground scouring the floor for new bits and pieces that didn't already debut at CES and MWC. Join us on our hunt for these unheralded newbies of the tech world.
Roccat demos Power-Grid iPhone companion app for PC gaming (video)
After announcing his company's new Power-Grid app for iOS earlier this week, Roccat CEO Rene Korte spent some time with us showing off its capabilities. Power-Grid will offer extended gaming controls alongside your traditional keyboard and mouse setup. The free app consists of three pre-installed control grids: Incoming Center, Stats Control, and Sound Control. The Incoming Center pulls in voice and text from TeamSpeak, Skype, Twitter, and more, and displays all the text from the services in...
Tobii introduces next-gen eye tracking at CeBIT (video)
Tobii has announced the second generation of its eye-tracking hardware at CeBIT in Hannover, with the promise of better performance in a smaller package. We tested the old hardware with limited success back at CES, and although the company wasn't demoing its replacement it has implemented some software improvements which led to a much better experience this time. Nicolas Pezzarossa, the General Manager of the Tobii's German division, took some time to talk with us about the improvements the...
Android
Caterpillar launches CAT B10 rugged smartphone (hands-on)
Caterpillar has announced the CAT B10, a new IP67-certified rugged Android smartphone that it hopes will contend with the likes of the Motorola Defy+ and the Samsung Rugby Smart. We spent some time with the B10 at CeBIT and attempted to put its ruggedness to the test. Caterpillar is better known for its construction equipment than for making phones, but we weren't able to find out who actually makes the device. The phone will certainly look the part next to a bulldozer: it's around an inch...
Viota M970 tablet has Android 4.0, 1.5GHz processor, and Mali 400 graphics for $120 (hands-on)
Viota? We've never heard of the company either. It's been at CeBIT showing off its M970 tablet to retail buyers and journalists alike, and we decided to take a closer look at this mysterious device. The M970 we saw has a 9.7-inch LCD display with 786 x 1024 resolution, a uni-core 1.5GHz Cortex A8 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage and a 6000mAh battery. There's also a five-megapixel rear camera and two-megapixel front-facing unit. While the specifications are a little uninspiring, the...
Microsoft
Intel: ultrabooks aren't 'a price and volume exercise'
Ultrabooks are Intel's strategy for building a new ecosystem of software, services and ultraportable hardware around its chips. They are the physical embodiment of an effort to bring "more emotional content" to the idea of mobile computing. They're slim and they're sexy. The one thing they're not, however, is cheap.
Acer has been trying hard to change that by selling its entry-level S3 ultrabook at cost and making it publicly known that it's targeting a sub-$500 price point for 2013. Such...
Intel touchscreen ultrabook prototype: the future, today (hands-on video)
We've found our highlight of CeBIT 2012: it's Intel's 13.3-inch ultrabook with a capacitive touchscreen. Just one prototype laptop is making its way through the vast dungeons of Hannover this week, but we tracked it down (thanks, Chippy!) and it's an absolute delight to use. Intended to show how OEMs can enhance their ultrabooks with touch, this machine is running Windows 7 and doing a splendid job of navigating through the Zinio digital magazine app. The experience of using it is identical...
MSI launches GT60 and GT70 high-end gaming laptops (hands-on)
MSI has introduced a pair of new gaming laptops at CeBIT this week and we're here to test them out for ourselves. The GT60 and GT70 both include Full HD displays, with the 60's measuring 15.6 inches and the 70's 17.3. The matte screens have great viewing angles and the sort of rich colors usually reserved for glossy models. Inside, a quad-core Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor will be joined by up to 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 600 series discrete graphics card. Also included is support for...
Acer: $799 ultrabooks make no profit, aiming for $499 price nonetheless
Acer Global President Jianren Weng has been quoted at CeBIT today reiterating something he said at the beginning of December: ultrabooks will drop to the crazy-low price of $499 in 2013 and compete directly against Apple's iPad. This consistent (and aggressive) proclamation prompted us to go and speak with some of Mr. Weng's product managers at the Hannover trade show and gather their perspective on how realistic his ambitions are. As it turned out, attitudes on the ground are a lot less...
Microsoft
Fujitsu Premium Ultrabook prototype pictures, video and hands-on
Fujitsu's not content with just one ultrabook for this summer, it'll bring a 14-inch premium-tier laptop into the category as well. The prototype it's showing off at CeBIT isn't a functional unit, but it is physically identical to the final product that should be with us in July. That includes the 1.5kg weight, which is well distributed across the magnesium frame. A matte red paintjob covers the metal casing on the top and bottom of the laptop with a delightfully soft, fingerprint-proof...
Microsoft
Acer launches V5 ultrathin, V3 entry-level laptops (hands-on)
Acer launched the V3 and V5 series of laptops at CeBIT in Hannover today and we got to look at all of them in person. The V5 series are ultrathin laptops that will come with either 11.6-, 14-, or 15.6-inch displays. We loved the netbook-style 11.6-inch model, which will offer either Core i3 or Core i5 Ivy Bridge processors in a chassis less than 15mm thick. Despite its petite frame, it has two USB 2.0 ports, plus one each of USB 3.0, HDMI, and Ethernet, and should offer all the performance of...
Fujitsu Lifebook UH572 ultrabook hands-on (video)
Intel is pushing ultrabooks hard at CeBIT this year, and Fujitsu is one of the companies showing off the diminutive laptops for the first time. The Fujitsu Lifebook UH572 is set for release this summer, and will come with a choice of low-voltage Ivy Bridge processors from Core i3 up to Core i7. The model we tested had 4GB of RAM installed, but Fujitsu wouldn't let us know what the standard amount is likely to be. It's quite a handsome machine and stands out against the hoards of...
Acer announces Iconia Tab A700 and A510 Olympic Games Edition
Back at CES we got our first glimpse of the Acer Iconia Tab A700 and A510, and in the true spirit of shameless cash-ins Acer has announced that it's releasing Olympic Games special editions to tie in with London 2012. Hardware-wise nothing has changed, and the only difference between the tablets is the display resolution — the A700 has a 10-inch 1920 x 1200 display while the A510 has a 1280x800 panel. Both run Android 4.0 powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz Tegra 3 processor, with 15-hour 9800mAh...
Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop hands-on (video)
We're at Gigabyte's CeBIT booth once again, this time bringing you a hands-on with one of the company's new laptops, the inspirationally-named P2542G. Aimed at gamers, it features a 15.6-inch Full HD display, a quad-core Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, and two enormous air vents around the back. The model we saw had a glossy display, but we're told there will be a matte option at launch. There's also the usual array of ports, including a pair...
Gigabyte U2442V and U2442N ultrabooks hands-on video
It's day one of CeBIT 2012 and we've gotten to grips with a pair of new ultrabooks from Gigabyte, the U2442V and U2442N. Both come with Intel Ivy Bridge processors, a choice of HDD or SSD, and a switchable Nvidia GeForce GT640M graphics card with 2GB of dedicated memory. Both sides of the ultrabooks are littered with ports, including two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, HDMI, and a single Thunderbolt port. The N model comes with a standard voltage processor, whereas the V model will be low-voltage.
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Gigabyte introduces new U2442 ultrabook line and P2542G gaming laptop
On the eve of this year's CeBIT computer expo, manufacturer Gigabyte has announced the U2442 line of ultrabooks as well as the new P2542G gaming laptop. The U2442V ultrabook comes equipped with an Intel Core i5 or i7 ULV processor, while the U2442N squeezes in the standard-voltage variants of the same chips. Both models feature a 14-inch 1600 x 900 backlit LED display driven by a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 640M GPU with 2GB of VRAM, all housed in a slim package that tapers to just 0.73 inches...
