High-tech product releases announced the week ending June 20 include the Microsoft Surface tablet, the world’s largest TV, the world’s thinnest ultrabook, the Nokia 808 PureView, and the Panasonic Toughpad A1.
A tablet that could disrupt the ultrabook market
Microsoft’s brand new Surface “PC” may look and feel like a tablet, but Microsoft wants you to know that it is a machine capable of taking on the next generation of ultrabooks too. The tablet measures 9.3 mm thick and has a microSD slot, USB connectivity, and a 10.6” high-res touchscreen. One of the standout features on the Microsoft-made Surface is the new 3mm thick pressure-sensitive Touch Cover which includes an integrated touch sensitive keyboard and trackpad. Microsoft is yet to announce a full list of specs for the Surface tablets but has revealed one will run on an ARM processor with Windows RT while the second will have a third-generation Intel Core processor and feature Windows 8 Pro. The Surface for Windows RT device is expected to launch around the same time as Windows 8 and the Surface for Windows 8 Pro will arrive three months later. Microsoft has not announced a specific dollar figure for the tablets though it did say they would be priced “competitively.”
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx
The largest TV in the world
Sharp’s LC-90LE745U AQUOS LED TV is the world’s largest LED TV. It stretches over a breathtaking 90" diagonally and measures 1.2 meters by 2 meters. Despite its expansive screen, the TV is still relatively thin (12.7cm) and light (64kg). According to Sharp it uses less energy than two 75-watt light bulbs and averages just $28 per year to run. The high definition 1080p TV features internet services such as Netflix, YouTube and Hulu Plus, plus built-in WiFi. The Sharp LC-90LE745U TV is priced at $10,999.99 and is available now.
http://sharpusa.com
The world’s thinnest ultrabook
When it was first unveiled at CES in January, the Acer Aspire S5 was touted as the world’s thinnest ultrabook but there was little revealed about specs and pricing. Now we know the Acer S5 391-9880 will come with a 13.3” LED backlit display (with a resolution of 1366 x 768), a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor, a 256GB SSD, 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, and 4GB of RAM. The light and compact machine weighs in at 1.35kg and measures just 15mm at its thickest point. The Acer Aspire S5 will be available in the US from the last week of June for $1,399.99.
http://us-store.acer.com/default.aspx
A smartphone with a 41MP image sensor
The Nokia 808 PureView is a smartphone that comes with a built-in high-res camera with an amazing 41MP image sensor and in-house-developed pixel over-sampling technology. It features a 4” display, DLNA, NFC, 1080p video recording and a 3X lossless zoom and is the world’s first smartphone to record audio at close to CD quality with Nokia Rich Recording. Nokia has teamed up with Amazon to launch the 808 in the US for $699 outright. Pre-orders for the Nokia 808 PureView will start later this week.
http://www.nokia.com/us-en/products/phone/808/
A rugged Android tablet designed for tough environments
The Panasonic Toughpad A1 is the company’s first rugged Android tablet. The tablet is water-proof, dust-proof and shock-proof and can withstand drops of up to 1.2 meters. It features a 10.1-inch LCD daylight-readable screen and weighs less than a kilogram. It runs Android 4.0, has 4G connectivity, a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing camera, and embedded hardware security. The Toughpad A1 is expected to go on sale in the US in August and in September in the Asia Pacific. No prices have been announced.
http://www.panasonic.com/toughpad