Asus M70 is the first desktop tower with integrated NFC

Asus over the weekend unveiled the M70 PC which they claim is the world’s first NFC-equipped desktop tower. The machine also comes equipped with Qi wireless technology that will let you charge a compatible smartphone or tablet simply by resting the device on top of the tower – a feature that works even with the computer is powered down.

The company didn’t go into great detail on the new machine but we do know it’s equipped with your choice of Intel’s fourth generation Haswell Core-i series CPU (i3,i5,i7). The system can also be paired with a discrete Nvidia graphics card (up to a GTX 650), Asus SonicMaster audio technology and Asus’ Universal Storage Module (USM) hot-swap drive bay.

In the event you are perfectly happy with your current desktop but are still interested in NFC, Asus has you covered with their NFC Express dongle. This $40 accessory was released last month and offers features similar to the M70 PC although do note that it only works with a handful of Asus boards.

With the NFC Express software on the M70, Asus claims you can log into Windows 8, quick launch chosen applications and automatically back up your Android device’s photos and videos. Of course, one could argue that NFC on a desktop is pretty pointless, especially when you consider the technology hasn’t exactly taken off in the mobile space as most believed it would.

Pricing and availability of the M70 hasn’t been announced thus far.

Source

Asus launches Z87-Deluxe/Quad motherboard, first with Thunderbolt 2

It was only in June that Intel finalized Thunderbolt 2, the second generation of their data interconnet technology, with Intel promising it would enter production by the end of the year. In keeping with that promise, Asus has announced the first Thunderbolt 2-certified motherboard, the Z87-Deluxe/Quad.

Nokia says Nexus 7 tablet infringes on their patents

Google announced the long-rumored Nexus 7 tablet during their I/O Conference last week. The device won’t be available until mid-July but that isn’t stopping Nokia from claiming the slate infringes on some of their patents with regards to Wi-Fi technology.

The Inquirer believes that the patents in question have to do with the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. In a message to the publication, a Nokia spokesperson said they have more than 40 licensees under their standards essential patent portfolio which includes most mobile phone device makers. The problem is that neither Google nor Asus are licensed under this patent portfolio. The spokesperson said that companies who have not licensed up should simply approach them and sign up for licensing rights.

Google’s $199 tablet features a 7-inch backlit IPS display operating at 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12 GPU cores. 1GB of RAM comes standard while users can choose between 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. The device will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest Google OS revision highlighted by Project Butter. This initiative is said to improve overall system performance and reduce lag at virtually every avenue.

It is believed that Nokia will simply seek to have either Google or Asus sign up for licensing rather than try to impose legal injunctions against the tablet. For their part, Asus has refused to comment on the matter for now. No word yet on Google’s response.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet gets iFixit teardown, scores well on repairability scale

The folks over at iFixit have posted another of their popular teardowns for adventurous tinkerers who like to take their gadgets apart and fix them when things go wrong. Their latest victim: Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet. The device is only a millimeter thicker than Apple’s iPad, but that makes all the difference in the world when it comes to repairability according to iFixit, which gave it a score of 7 out of 10.

By comparison, Apple's tablet received a repairability score of two out of 10 on the iFixit scale, while the Amazon Kindle Fire scored an eight and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet got a six.

"That's the difference between being able to open a device and service all of its internals, and not. That's the negligible difference between extending the life of your device through repair, as opposed to tossing it in a landfill. And most of all, nobody will complain about that one millimeter difference in day-to-day use, but the user-serviceability it brings will make all the difference when the device breaks," iFixit said in its report.

Their teardowns are certainly informative for those of us who like to know about the hardware that power our gadgets, although I wonder how often tablet owners are actually in a position that they need or want to tear open their devices for repair. If that need arises, however, iFixit has you covered with the required tools.

In all it took 21 steps to take the Nexus 7 apart. Here are some of iFixit’s findings:

• The 7-inch, 1280x800 HD display is manufactured by Hydis and designated model HV070WX2. The LCD is fused to the Corning glass so it’s unclear if it uses Gorilla Glass or Gorilla Glass 2.
• The L-shaped motherboard is “littered with connectors and screws”. On one side you’ll find an Nvidia T30L Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB of Hynix H5TC2G83CFR DDR3 RAM (same as Retina MacBook Pro), Max 77612A inverting switching regulator, AzureWave AW-NH665 wireless module, Broadcom BCM4751 integrated monolithic GPS receiver and Invensense MPU-6050 gyro and accelerometer.
• The back side of the motherboard holds the Kingston KE44B-26BN/8GB 8GB flash for storage.
• The 4326 mAh battery is easily replaceable without soldering or even a screwdriver.
• The official Nexus page stated there is one “speaker” in the back, but iFixit spotted a pair of drivers.

You can check out the full teardown of the Google Nexus 7 over at iFixit.

Nokia says Nexus 7 tablet infringes on their patents

Google announced the long-rumored Nexus 7 tablet during their I/O Conference last week. The device won’t be available until mid-July but that isn’t stopping Nokia from claiming the slate infringes on some of their patents with regards to Wi-Fi technology.

The Inquirer believes that the patents in question have to do with the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. In a message to the publication, a Nokia spokesperson said they have more than 40 licensees under their standards essential patent portfolio which includes most mobile phone device makers. The problem is that neither Google nor Asus are licensed under this patent portfolio. The spokesperson said that companies who have not licensed up should simply approach them and sign up for licensing rights.

Google’s $199 tablet features a 7-inch backlit IPS display operating at 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12 GPU cores. 1GB of RAM comes standard while users can choose between 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. The device will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest Google OS revision highlighted by Project Butter. This initiative is said to improve overall system performance and reduce lag at virtually every avenue.

It is believed that Nokia will simply seek to have either Google or Asus sign up for licensing rather than try to impose legal injunctions against the tablet. For their part, Asus has refused to comment on the matter for now. No word yet on Google’s response.

Google's $199 Nexus 7 tablet details leaked ahead of I/O Conference

Specifications of Google’s long-rumored 7-inch tablet have leaked out ahead of the company’s annual I/O Conference that kicks off this Wednesday. The tablet is being manufactured by Asus but Google will brand and sell the unit, much like they are doing with unlocked Galaxy Nexus smartphones through the Google Play Store.

Gizmodo claims to have received a training document that details everything one would want to know about the Nexus 7 tablet. At the heart of the system is a quad-core Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM, a GeForce 12-core GPU and the option of either 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage.

The 7-inch IPS display features a 178-degree viewing angle and runs at a resolution of 1,280 x 800. There’s a 1.2MP camera on the front for video chats and we are told that the unit will provide nine hours of battery life from a single charge.

Additionally, the leaked document says the Nexus 7 will be the first device to ship with Android Jelly Bean, the successor to Ice Cream Sandwich. Pricing is set at $199 for the 8GB model and $249 for the 16GB variant, making the unit a solid competitor to Amazon’s Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.

There is no word yet on when exactly Google is planning to make the tablet available for purchase but hopefully it won’t be too long after the announcement. Most expect Google to reveal the new hardware at this week’s I/O Conference. If so, we’ll know more details come Wednesday.

Source : http://techspot.com

Asus full lowdown, claims 70% market share on X79 motherboards, future products and more

We've been covering Asus products, especially components like motherboards and graphics cards for years now, and you know they are good. Since their stunning success with netbooks however, they have become a more prominent brand for other consumer devices like laptops and tablets. You may still be surprised to hear their latest X79 series motherboards currently hold a 70 percent share of the global sales market for the recently introduced Sandy Bridge Enthusiast LGA 2011 platform.

The figures speak for themselves: two out of every three X79 series motherboards sold are Asus branded. Also, according to the company’s latest figures, published by DigiTimes, the Z68 and P67 series motherboards have also reached a global market share of approximately 50-60 percent each as well.

Asus shipped 23.5 million motherboards during 2011 and has set targets of 25 million units for this year. They announced they will begin shipping motherboards based on Intel’s new Ivy Bridge platform in late February. The firm also confirmed that recent reports suggesting motherboard production would slowdown were false, they went on to say their inventory levels are normal and they have no plans to slow down production in the first quarter.

On the tablet front the firm has confirmed they plan to offer upgrades to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for their entire tablet range, which will be available for download on January 12.

Those curious about Windows 8 tablets should be covered as well – they plan to launch a new tablet PC using Intel’s Clover Trail-W platform and ARM-based versions in the fourth quarter of 2012. Pricing is rumored to be at least $599 for the Intel-based tablet, and at least $459 for the ARM version, though it could well be subject to change as release is a long way off.

Finally, Asus disclosed plans to employ 100 more staff dedicated to Android at its Software R&D sites, and once Windows 8 tablets have been launched will then expand Windows staff further as well.

Asus is not giving up on netbooks yet, readies Eee PC 1225B

Samsung and Dell may be ready to ditch netbooks in favor of higher-margin products, but small and affordable  mini notebooks are not dead yet. Asus, the company largely responsible for popularizing the form factor in 2008, is planning to release a new Eee PC model based on AMD's Brazos platform.

The Eee PC 1225B is a follow up to the company's 1215B model and will arrive in two flavors: a dual-core AMD E450 APU clocked at 1.65 GHz and a dual-core AMD C60 APU clocked at 1.0 GHz. The system features an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED-backlit display, 2GB or 4GB or RAM, Radeon HD 6320 or Radeon HD 6290 graphics with DirectX 11 support, and Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed.

Other specs include hard drive capacities of 320GB, 500GB or 750GB, 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, optional Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, a 0.3MP camera, and a 6-cell 56Wh Li-ion battery promising up to 7 hours. There's one USB 2.0 and a couple of USB 3.0 ports, as well as Ethernet, an SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC card reader, VGA, and one HDMI output for 1080p full HD video playback on external displays.

The Asus Eee PC 1225B should be available in a variety of colors, including grey, red, silver, black and white. There's no mention of price or an actual launch date in the product page, but Asus will need to aim for a low starting price if it wants this netbook to be noticed in today's Ultrabook-focused market.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Roundup: ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte & MSI

A few weeks ago, NVIDIA released the GTX 560 Ti; a graphics card that has proven to be just the right fit for a large cross-section of the current market. AMD did their best to rain on the parade with their own HD 6950 1GB and did succeed to a certain extent even though availability has been a bit spotty and selection is limited. Nonetheless, NVIDIA’s own board partners have forged ahead with a long line of GTX 560 derivatives. 

The GTX 560 Ti follows very much in the GTX 460’s overclocking footsteps since it has the ability to increase both core and memory clock speeds to some incredible levels. This has allowed several companies like EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS and MSI to release some higher end products which feature increased clock speeds, custom cooling and some excellent software which can be used to push things even further. 

For this roundup, we have chosen four of the more popular GTX 560 Ti cards currently on the market: the ASUS DirectCu II TOP, MSI Twin Frozr II OC, Gigabyte Super Overclock and the EVGA Superclocked. Their clock speeds and feature lists run the gamut so by seeing what they offer, we should be able to get a good indication what the GTX 560 market will look like in the coming months. 

In previous generations, it wasn’t unusual to see $30 or more tacked onto a GPU’s price simply because it carried a minimal speed increase. Times have changed as the market has become more competitive and every one of the cards featured in this roundup carries no more than a $20 premium over reference-based products while clock speeds get significant bumps. Indeed, the MSI Twin Frozr II OC model features a $249 price; the same cost as a standard GTX 560. 

We have already see that the GTX 560 Ti has what it takes to compete with the previous generation’s flagship products and even gives current GPUs a run for their money. It should be interesting to see how this translates into a lineup of pre-overclocked and custom cooled AiB cards. 

Asus' Triton 81 CPU Cooler for Core i7 and LGA1366 Motherboards is Coming

Though we've yet to spot any Core i7 CPUs or LGA1366 motherboards on store shelves, the clock is ticking down to the release of Intel's new architecture. With that countdown clock come any number of different accessories aimed at the new CPU line. Of course global giant Asus has something to contribute to the product lineup with the company's latest processor cooler, the Triton 81.

This beauty is straight out of the Triton design philosophy and shares a lot of design elements with it's brethren. There are a pair of 90mm fans (PWM controlled blue LED models which typically operate at 18dBA) mounted on opposite sides of the fin assembly. The fins are made of aluminum and enclose four copper heat pipes which run up from the copper base. The unit measures 4.7 X 4.6 X 5.7-inches and weighs 1.5 pounds.

Not interested in the LGA1366 mainboards and the Core i7 yet? Waiting to perhaps buy after a while but still need a new cooler now? Check out the Triton 81 for plenty of backwards compatibility, including LGA775, Socket 1207, 1207+, AM2, AM2+, 939, and 940

Asus Eee Pad Transformer hits U.S. on April 26 for $399

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer will be officially arriving to the U.S. on April 26. Priced at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model, the Honeycomb tablet is one of the first to offer a 10.1-inch display while also meaningfully undercutting Apple's $499 price for the iPad 2 -- not the mention the Motorola Xoom, which starts at $599. That alone may be enough to make it worth considering if you are looking for an Android tablet, but spec-wise the Eee Pad is no slouch either.

It has a 10-inch 1280×800 IPS Gorilla Glass capacitive touchscreen display, a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear and 1.2MP front cameras, a Micro SD expansion slot and HDMI out. You'll also find speakers and audio jacks, USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, as well as a G-sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, e-compass, and Asus' "Waveshare" interface to stream media, buy books and access cloud storage.

However, the real differentiator is that the Eee Pad Transformer comes accompanied by an optional chiclet-style keyboard dock that essentially transforms the device into a netbook. Besides making the device much more convenient to type on and handle productivity tasks, it also extends battery from around 9.5 hours to 16 hours.

The dock will add an extra $150 to the cost, though, meaning the cheapest you could walk away for the whole part tablet and part Android netbook experience is $550. It may not be as powerful as a full-fledged notebook but it'll be interesting to see if the form factor catches on and how it will affect the netbook/ultra portable laptop market in the next few years.

AnandTech has posted a review of the tablet. A 32GB version of the Transformer will also be available for $499, and a 3G version will be released later this summer. Acer is also offering an aggressively priced tablet of its own; the 10.1-inch Iconia Tab A500 recently went on sale at Best Buy for $450 and sports comparative specs all around.

Asus refreshes 15.6" Lamborghini VX7 gaming notebook

Asus has unveiled its refreshed Lamborghini VX7, a gaming notebook inspired by the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. We imagine the system's aesthetics will be a hit or miss with most folks and we tend to find car-themed computers to be unattractive. The 8.42lb machine will be offered with a black or orange "hood" and it's armed with a quad-core 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM processor alongside a 3GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M discrete graphics chip.

Asus doesn't list any stock configurations online, but the official spec sheet mentions up to 16GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, various storage options including an HDD/SSD hybrid and dual drives, a Blu-ray writer, and a 1920x1080 15.6-inch LED-backlit display. You'll also find a 2MP webcam, an 8-in-1 card reader, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, one USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI-out, and an eight-cell battery.

It's unclear when the system will hit US shores, but "soon" seems likely as it's already available through various European etailers. Unfortunately, if the VX7's appearance doesn't scare you away, its luxury tax probably will. Pricing is around €2,000 (roughly equal to $2,850) for a model that's outfitted with a full 16GB of RAM, dual 750GB 7200RPM HDDs, and Blu-ray. Swapping one of the 750GB HDDs for a 120GB Intel X25-M jacks the price up to €2,200.

Asus launches Eee Pad Transformer with Honeycomb

Asus has officially launched its Eee Pad Transformer in Taiwan today, though US availability is still unknown. Unveiled at CeBIT 2011, the primary system is a 10.1-inch Android tablet which is accompanied by an optional chiclet-style keyboard dock that essentially transforms the device into a netbook. The slate is priced at a rough equivalent of $500 US, while the keyboard runs an extra $100.

Besides its added flexibility, the Eee Pad Transformer has a few noteworthy specifications such as its 1280x800 IPS Gorilla Glass capacitive touchscreen and Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Inside its 0.51-inch, 1.49-pound body, the tablet carries a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC, 5MP rear and 1.2MP front cameras, 16GB to 64GB of storage with a Micro SD expansion slot, and 1GB of RAM.

You'll also find speakers and audio jacks, USB 2.0 and HDMI ports, 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, as well as a G-sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, e-compass, and GPS. Asus preloads the system with its "Waveshare" interface which includes MyNet (streams media to networked devices), MyLibrary (digital bookstore) and MyCloud (cloud storage and remote access tool).

The Eee Pad Transformer is somewhat reminiscent of Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, except the base isn't an entirely separate $800 Windows 7 machine. Although Asus doesn't take things quite that far, the Transformer's keyboard dock does contain a second battery that nearly doubles the tablet's maximum runtime from 9.5 hours to 16 hours. That's not a bad deal for $100 if you ask us.

Asus Launching USB 3.0 PCI-E Card for $30

Don't want to switch out the motherboard for USB 3.0? Why not sink $30 into an Asus PCI-E card!

Although Intel isn't exactly eager to jump on board the USB 3.0 bandwagon just yet, that doesn't mean consumers can't get in on the SuperSpeed USB action. While Asus just unveiled the first motherboard to support USB 3.0, the company also snuck out a nifty expansion card for PC enthusiasts who just don't feel like swapping out the motherboard.

Enter the Asus U3S6, providing two tasty USB 3.0 ports and two SATA 6 Gb/sec. ports across the PCI-E bus. Maximum PC took a few zesty screenshots of the expansion board, and reports that it contains three primary components: a NEC D720200F1 USB 3.0 controller, a Marvell 88SE9123 SATA 6 Gb/sec. controller, and a PLX PEX8613 (also found on the SATA6 boards).

According to Maximum PC, the expansion board worked on par with the USB 2.0 ports found on the P55 used in testing. However, because USB 3.0 is relatively new, the site didn't have any 3.0 devices handy; they didn't have a SATA 6 Gb/sec. drive for testing either. However, the site did say that Asus alleviated any possible bottlenecks by running the card in an x4 PCI-E mode.

The Asus U3S6 PCI-E card is expected to be available soon, and will retail for a measly $30.