Lenovo introduces ThinkPad Twist

, by Ravinder Verma



Lenovo introduces ThinkPad Twist in India for Rs. 71,000


Lenovo has launched the ThinkPad Twist in India for Rs. 71,000. As per the company, this convertible can be used as a tablet or a laptop. ThinkPad Twist can also be quickly converted into a stand or tent mode, where the laptop becomes a media presenter.
The ThinkPad Twist also comes with a bunch of preloaded apps such as Fruit Ninja, Evernote, AccuWeather, Skype, Amazon Kindle and more.
The reason the ThinkPad is called the 'Twist' is because the display can be rotated at 180 degrees and can be folded on the keyboard to give users the utility of a tablet. The Twist also runs on Windows 8, which is designed as a tablet, as well as a desktop OS. The Twist is available in mocha black colour, is a mere 20mm thick and weighs a mere 1.60kgs.


This transforms it into a versatile tablet whenever you need it, like showing off a presentation. It also means you can use the machine easily when sat on the sofa, then twist it back round to turn it into a fully-fledged laptop.
This is a Lenovo machine, and one carrying the venerable ThinkPad name, which means that it's a workhorse PC first and foremost. It's designed to last and serve you well, and is exceptionally robust.
In terms of its specifications, It has a 12.5-inch Full HD IPS display. The display also boasts of multi-touch capabilities. It also has Gorilla Glass, is anti-scratch and anti-smudge which makes sense since you will be touching the display quite a bit. The laptop also supports Dolby Home Theatre V4. Along with a full sized keyboard, the Twist also comes with a TrackPoint and touchpad.
The core specification of the ThinkPad Twist is a no-nonsense affair, boasting one of Intel's third-generation Core architecture processors, the Core i5-3317U. This is a dual-core processor that can handle up to four threads at the same time.
The device is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz processor and runs on Windows 8.It include 4GB DDR3 SDRAM and 128GB flash drive. VAIO Duo 11 comes with built-in 4,960mAh cell battery that lasts for about 4.5 hours. In comparison to the Sony device, it seems Lenovo through its ThinkPad Twist is offering a more value for money proposition.
Benchmarks


Battery life performance

Imtec Battery Mark: Minutes: Higher is better
LENOVO THINKPAD TWIST: 298
SCAN 3XS GRAPHITE LG5: 192

CPU performance

Cinebench R11.5 Index: Higher is better
LENOVO THINKPAD TWIST: 2.37
SCAN 3XS GRAPHITE LG5: 2.48

DirectX 11 performance

Heaven 3.0 Index: Higher is better
LENOVO THINKPAD TWIST: 14.2
SCAN 3XS GRAPHITE LG5: 45.9 

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Why iPhone Is the Best After Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch

, by Vishwagopal Pandey


You've seen the specs: a 5-inch screen with 441 pixels per inch, 1080p display, a quad-core 1.9GHz processor and a 13-megapixel camera.

But just two days after the S4's launch, Apple has opened up an entire new web page to tout why people have loved the iPhone for so many years and to seemingly throw some negative claims against Android and Samsung devices.




Apple has also begun emailing a version of this webpage to its own customers.

Apple leads its new page by explaining that people love the iPhone because of its ease of use and various capabilities. Apple then touts its high customer satisfaction with the iPhone via its numerous J.D. Power and Associates awards:



Apparently love can be measured. In eight straight studies by J.D. Power and Associates — that’s every study since the first iPhone was introduced — iPhone has been ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Smartphones.” iPhone ranked highest in the study, which reviewed the following categories: performance, physical design, features, and ease of operation.





Apple also explains the resolution and quality of the Retina display found on the iPhone and other Apple devices:


The Retina display on iPhone ushered in the era of super-high-resolution displays. Its pixel density is so high, your eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. The images and words are amazingly vivid and crisp. Everything just looks so real. In fact, once you see a Retina display, you’re never satisfied with anything less. Yet it remains a feature found only on iPhone and other Apple products.


iPhone 5s battery performance


It’s impressive that iPhone 5 gives you long battery life so you can easily make it through your day. You get up to 8 hours of talk time, up to 8 hours of browsing over cellular networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback.2 But it’s extraordinary that we fit such a powerful battery into such a thin and light design — all thanks to Apple scientists who created unique battery chemistry instead of settling for a large, off-the-shelf option.


Apple’s new webpage also slams phones that tout large numbers of megapixels. Instead, Apple notes how popular the iPhone is with Flickr

The iSight camera on iPhone is the world’s most popular camera. It’s an amazing camera that’s always in your pocket. And while other smartphones simply tout large amounts of megapixels, taking great pictures is about so much more. The 8MP camera on iPhone 5 captures great photo data, and the hardware and software work together to make behind-the-scenes image and color adjustments. So it’s easy for anyone to take impressive photos in various lighting conditions.



Apple touts Siri, iOS’s deep integration with iPhone hardware, iCloud content syncing, and AppleCare support.


Siri, the intelligent assistant, lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place calls, set reminders, and more. You can even ask Siri who’s winning the game. And with Eyes Free, you can use Siri to get things done in your car without taking your eyes off the road. You can speak naturally to Siri — it understands what you say, knows what you mean, and helps you do the things you do every day. All you have to do is ask.


io6 : The Worlds Most Advanced Mobile Operating Syestem

 iPhone is so easy to use thanks to iOS 6. Innovative features like Siri and FaceTime plus built-in apps make iPhone not just useful but fun. iOS updates download right on iPhone, so the latest iOS version is just a tap away. And because Apple makes both the hardware and the software, iOS features are designed to work perfectly with iPhone features like the Retina display, gyro, and accelerometer. iOS is also the platform for over 800,000 apps that let your iPhone do even more.
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Eleven Cool Accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S4

, by Vishwagopal Pandey


Samsung has announced the launch of some cool accessories for its flagship smartphone, Galaxy S4. The list includes S Band, S View Cover, Game Pad and Wireless Charging Pad.




S Band

The first is the S Band. This is meant to go with the fitness suite that Samsung is including in the device. You wear it on your wrist and go about your day, and your phone will tell you how fit your life is. It mostly works as a pedometer and measures how many steps you take, how many calories you burned and the distance you walked. It also tells you about your sleep efficiency by keeping track of how much you move while sleeping. It has the potential to be a big hit with the fitness buffs out there.

Game Pad

The Game Pad is curiously lacking the S branding, but other than that, it looks like it could be a fairly useful accessory for those of us who are really into mobile games. The snap-on controller bears a striking resemblance to the Xbox 360 controller, right down to the A, B, X and Y buttons.  It uses Bluetooth and NFC to pair with your phone in one touch, and is available for a range of phones that have screen sizes ranging from 4 inches to 6.3 inches.

Wireless Charging Pad/Cover

Wireless charging is becoming a staple feature with high-end smartphones these days, and Samsung doesn’t want to disappoint. With this accessory, you won’t have to face the hassle of trying to plug in your micro-USB cable into the phone but then realising that it's upside down. Depending on the price, this has the potential to be very useful for those of us who hate micro-USB cables.

Wireless Charging Pad/Cover gives you cordless charging solution.

Flip Cover


Nothing really unique to see here, this is basically the S View Cover without the gaping hole. They’re available in a variety of different colours, ranging from the sober black and white to the bright yellow and blue. These textured covers will undoubtedly be a big hit with consumers.






Protective Cover+

If you’re worried about dinging the back of your brand new Galaxy S4, fret not. Samsung’s got your back (see what I did there?) with the Protective Cover+. Available in the same colour options as the flip covers, these are designed to protect your phone from damage caused by falls and other things gravity likes to do.





Extra Battery Kit
High-end smartphones aren’t exactly known for having good battery lives, and the Galaxy S4 may be no different. Samsung, coming to the rescue again, is offering extra battery kits in case you ever run out of juice and can’t find a spot to recharge. It also comes in a nifty case where you can put your drained battery.





Heart Rate Monitor
The HRM works with the Running Mate app to let you keep an eye on your heart-rate while you’re exercising. This will once again be fairly popular with fitness buffs, since you can switch up your exercise depending on how your heart’s pumping. It monitors your heart rate in real time, and going by the trends these days, probably has a share button or something.


Body Scale
Another feature for the fitness buffs, the body scale, lets you as you might expect, measure your weight. The key feature of this scale, as opposed to any other scale, is that you can send your weight directly to your phone to use for fitness-related purposes through Bluetooth. It supports up to seven users (probably not at the same time) and is compatible with the S4’s S-Health 2.0 app.


Headset

Headset with slim flat cable. There are 2 speakers in each headphone (Woofer and Twitter speakers).
Pouch

S View Cover





And there you have it. All of the official accessories that Samsung’s announced for the Galaxy S4 so far. Let us know which one you’ll be getting if you decide to buy an S4 in the comments below. 

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

, by Dharm Singh Malhi


Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
Rumors gave way to confirmation from mobile boss, JK Shin that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will be shown off at MWC this year. You can probably guess how big the screen is going to be (the clue is in the name). Samsung seems to be intent on introducing devices at every possible size from small budget smartphone through phablets to large tablets. We expect it to run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or later and sport a quad-core processor. The resolution is likely to be 1280×800 pixels and the big draw (if you’ll pardon the pun) is the inclusion of Samsung’s super stylus – the S-Pen.

According to the rumours the 7-inch tablet will be called the Galaxy Tab 3 7-inch, as it succeeds the Galaxy Tab 2 at that same screen size. Similarly the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1-inch should be succeeded by the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch. More interestingly we have the Samsung Galaxy Note 8-inch tablet set to be revealed.
The tablet is powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos 4 processor, has 2GB of RAM and comes with either 16GB or 32GB of internal memory. There's also a microSD card for extra memory expansion, along with a 4600mAh, non-removable battery.
 
The Galaxy Note 8.0 allows users to use the S Pen on the capacitive "hardware" buttons for back and menu, comes preloaded with the Awesome Note app and includes an infrared port that allows it to act as a universal remote control for devices around the home.

 
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 3G & WiFi - Features
General
 
2G Network
3G Network
4G Network
SIM
Announced
Status
-GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
-HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
-LTE (market dependent)
-Micro-SIM
-2013, February
-Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, Q2
Body
 
Dimensions
Weight
-210.8 x 135.9 x 8 mm (8.30 x 5.35 x 0.31 in)
-338 g (11.92 oz)
Display
 
Type
Size
 
Multitouch
-TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
-800 x 1280 pixels, 8.0 inches (~189 ppi pixel density)
-Yes
Sound
 
Alert types
Loudspeaker
3.5mm jack
-Vibration, MP3 ringtones
-Yes, with stereo speakers
-Yes
Memory
 
Card slot
Internal
-microSD, up to 64 GB
-16/32 GB storage, 2 GB RAM
Data
 
GPRS
EDGE
Speed
WLAN
 
Bluetooth
Infrared port
USB
-Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
-Class 12
-HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
-Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
-Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
-Yes
-Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB Host
Camera
 
Primary
Features
Video
Secondary
-5 MP, 2592Ñ…1944 pixels, autofocus
-Geo-tagging
-Yes, 1080p
-Yes, 1.3 MP
Features
 
OS
Chipset
CPU
GPU
Sensors
Messaging
Browser
Radio
GPS
Java
Colors
-Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
-Exynos 4412
-Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9
-Mali-400MP
-Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
-SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
-HTML5
-TBD
-Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
-Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Black, White/Silver
- SNS integration
- TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
- MP4/DivX/Xvid/FLV/MKV/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/Flac player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document editor/viewer
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
 YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial
- Predictive text input (Swype)
Battery
 
 
Non-removable Li-Ion 4600 mAh battery
Misc
 
SAR EU
0.74 W/kg (head)     0.76 W/kg (body)  

The Galaxy Note 8.0 will initially ship with the 4.1.2 'Jelly Bean' version of Google's Android
platform and comes skinned with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface.
 
  
Pricing of the new 7-inch and 8-inch Samsung tablets has been sniffed at by Taiwan based DigiTimes which suggests that the smaller model will retail as low as US$149, while the 8-inch Note tablet will retail for between US$249 and US$299.

 
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The Volkswagen e-Up

, by Dharm Singh Malhi


The Volkswagen e-Up
The Volkswagen e-Up has been revealed ahead of its public debut at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show in September. It's an electric version of the Up city car that will go on sale in the UK in early 2014.

The car can be recharged to as much as 80% of its energy storage capacity within 30 minutes. A Combined Charging System (CCS), which supports both DC and AC charging and makes charging an easier affair is offered as an option.

With nearly zero noise, the e-up! is powered by an electric motor with 80bhp peak power – without any disturbing gearshift interruptions or powertrain noise. Its continuous power is 53bhp. Its maximum torque of 210 Newton metres is available immediately with the first revolution. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h within 14 seconds and reaches a top speed of 135 km/h. The lithium-ion battery integrated in the underfloor area has a total energy storage capacity of 18.7 Kilowatt-hours (kWh); this means that the car can cover up to 150 km (per NEDC) on a single charge thanks to its low vehicle weight of 1,185 kg.


Inside, the cabin features light-grey seat covers with blue top-stitched seams, and special leather and chrome accents get slapped on too. Deliveries of the e-up! are set to begin from early next year.

The numbers now please. A peak power of 60kW ensures that the E-Up! races from 0-100kmph in 14 seconds and maxes out at a top speed of 135kmph. Inside, there is seating for four people including the driver. In September this year, Volkswagen will be showing the E-Up! at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with bookings opening thereafter.

The Up’s attractive styling is slightly altered with wraparound LED lighting elements in the front and rear reflectors. Bespoke, aerodynamically styled 15-inch aluminum wheels are fitted with 165/65 Dunlop tires. Inside, the instrument cluster and the central display are modified to reveal the vehicle’s charge. Further differentiation from conventionally powered Ups is made inside by unique stitching, and added leather and chrome.

The official public premiere of the e-up! will be at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.

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