- CTL, a global cloud-computing solution leader for education and enterprise, announced today the introduction of two new 14" Chromebooks for enterprise: the CTL Chromebook Plus Enterprise PX141G Series and the CTL Chromebook Enterprise PX141E Series. Featuring an included Chrome Enterprise Upgrade license, these new Chromebooks offer professionals the speed, power, and connectivity they need for daily on-the-go productivity. Easy ChromeOS device manageability combined with CTL's life cycle services reduces the burden on IT departments.

"With an included Chrome Enterprise Upgrade license, these Chromebooks can be deployed instantly to serve in any number of enterprise applications, such as retail, healthcare, and front-line workers, for example. As a leader in the ChromeOS space, we know our customers will appreciate the design, performance, and, in the Chromebook Plus model, the enhanced AI and cybersecurity capabilities of this next-generation device," said Jason Mendenhall, CEO of CTL.

The gaming industry is about to get massively disrupted. Instead of using game engines to power games, we are now witnessing an entirely new and crazy concept. A startup specializing in designing ASICs specifically for Transformer architecture, the foundation behind generative AI models like GPT/Claude/Stable Diffusion, has showcased a demo in partnership with Decart of a Minecraft clone being entirely generated and operated by AI instead of the traditional game engine. While we use AI to create images and videos based on specific descriptions and output pretty realistic content, having an AI model spit out an entire playable game is something different. Oasis is the first playable, real-time, real-time, open-world AI model that takes users' input and generates real-time gameplay, including physics, game rules, and graphics.

An interesting thing to point out is the hardware that powers this setup. Using a single NVIDIA H100 GPU, this 500-million parameter Oasis model can run at 720p resolution at 20 generated frames per second. Due to limitations of accelerators like NVIDIA's H100/B200, gameplay at 4K is almost impossible. However, Etched has its own accelerator called Sohu, which is specialized in accelerating transformer architectures. Eight NVIDIA H100 GPUs can power five Oasis models to five users, while the eight Sohu cards are capable of serving 65 Oasis runs to 65 users. This is more than a 10x increase in inference capability compared to NVIDIA's hardware on a single-use case alone. The accelerator is designed to run much larger models like future 100 billion-parameter generative AI video game models that can output 4K 30 FPS, all thanks to 144 GB of HBM3E memory, yielding 1,152 GB in eight-accelerator server configuration.

VANKYO, the world's leading innovative projector brand is releasing three home projectors just in time for Memorial Day: Leisure L470 Neo, Leisure L570 Bundle, and Performance V700 Pro. These three projectors make their debut with a brand-new V-Smile Design at BestBuy store in the US. Apart from the stylish design, the VANKYO new arrivals also captures customers' attention with the PixPerfect technology and the Smart VanOS, aiming to be the best-value option on the home theater solution.

Transform Your Living Room into a Personal Theater: VANKYO Debuts Projectors with V-Smile Design and VanOS, Offering Netflix, Youtube, and Prime Video Integration.

Apple hardware hoarders do exist - a friend told me that he'd only just replaced a 2013 vintage 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro this month - these folks continue to enjoy repairs or miscellaneous services at Apple Stores and authorized service providers on some products. Unfortunately there is potential bad news for preservationist owners of the original Thunderbolt Display and the first generation iPad Air tablet - a leaked internal memo suggests that Apple has decided to add these two antiques to their end-of-life (EOL) device list, according to MacRumors. Apple's Thunderbolt Display was released back in the summer of 2011, the company boasted that its fancy 27-inch 1440p monitor was the world's first display with Thunderbolt I/O technology (at the time), the asking price was $999. Alongside its requisite Thunderbolt I/O port (designed to connect to compatible Mac Notebooks), the monitor had a number of other spiffy features including an in-built 720p webcam, three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

Apple stopped making the Thunderbolt Display in 2016, and customers had to wait another six years for a successor to turn up - the Studio Display launched alongside the Mac Studio in March 2022. The original (1st gen) iPad Air was released on November 1 in 2013. It was the first entry in the iPad tablet family to feature a thinner design - its standard (non-Air) predecessors were a bit chunkier in comparison. It was discontinued in March of 2016, and Apple has so far released five generations of iPad Air products - last year's model debuted with the ARM-based M1 chipset.

During this year's CES, Dell had a few concept products on hand that we checked out. Among those are the two laptop concepts called the Concept Duet and the Concept Ori. Designed as unconventional mobile devices, these laptops are very different than anything currently present on the market. First in line is the Concept Duet. This model is a standard looking laptop from outside, however, when you open it up, you will find that the keyboard is absent. The place where the keyboard sits is now replaced with another screen. Both the main and the secondary screens are the same quality 13.4-inch 1080p displays that work in tandem to achieve the best possible experience. However, if you wish to use a real keyboard, there is a magnetic addon that snaps on the bottom screen and makes for a standard laptop experience, like show in the image below.

NVIDIA today raised the bar higher still for streaming media players — unveiling the next generation of SHIELD TV, which delivers unmatched levels of home entertainment, gaming and AI capabilities right into the living room, starting at $149.

The two new SHIELD models — SHIELD TV and SHIELD TV Pro — provide exceptional visual and sound experiences. Their new Tegra X1+ processor, delivering up to 25 percent more performance than its predecessor, helps bring to life Dolby Vision for ultra-vivid imagery and Dolby Atmos for extraordinary audio. Its computational prowess dramatically improves picture quality by using AI to upscale HD video streams into 4K resolution.

Slim and light, MSI's GP60 and GP70 presents better performance of the latest laptops for online gaming competitions. Under the hood, these NBs meet your need for machines that with good performance with better gaming experience. In addition, they sport envelope-pushing SteelSeries gaming keyboards, unique Audio Boost for headsets sound enhancement solution. Easy to Take and powerful, these NBs will give you the furious advantage in HD gaming competitions. MSI has received high marks for its high-end gaming laptops, the good performance but compact gaming design in new gaming notebooks. They featured Intel's 4th Generation Quad Core processor and new Generation NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M discrete graphics. Specially designed to meet the demands of online gamers around the world.

Who says that a top-of-the-line gaming notebook has to weigh a ton? Not MSI. Marvel at our newest feather-light GS70 Stealth gaming notebook. Measuring less than 2.18 centimeters thick, the GS70 is the industry's thinnest 17" gaming notebook powerhouse. At just 2.65 kilograms, the GS70 is even lighter than most 15.6" models, so you can conveniently take the action anywhere. With a big 17.3" Full HD monitor packed into a sleek 21.8 millimeters, this gaming platform is equipped with a long-lasting, high-capacity battery that can power nearly four hours of video.

We also beat the heat with our two channel cooling system design. Take your game on the road without worrying about your battery life or overheating. Now with that attention to detail, how could we possibly neglect the excitement of in-game video? The MSI GS70 Stealth, exclusively equipped with the newest Steelseries backlit keyboard, also features 2.1 channel surround sound that rivals most home entertainment systems. Even when wearing headphones, you can enjoy awesome 5.1 channel audio. Gamers are bound to appreciate the bright colorful visuals and booming audio experience exclusively available on the GS70 Stealth.

With consumers increasingly sharing and viewing content among different devices, Intel Corporation today introduced storage solutions based on the Intel Atom media processor CE5300 series. The new low power system-on-chip (SoC) enables high definition (HD) video to be simultaneously watched on smartphones, tablets and other smart devices, in real time, while also shared with consumer devices such as a Smart TV. "Streaming content across numerous mobile devices, not just from the cloud but locally, has become a common practice for today's consumers," said Bev Crair, general manager, of Intel's Storage Division. "New storage solutions based on the Intel Atom CE5300 series elevate this to a whole new level by making it simple to 'browse, click, and play'. The new SoC provides an excellent foundation for creating compelling entertainment experiences."

The powerful, dual-core Intel Atom CE5300 series delivers simple application and I/O support, making it ideal for synchronizing and streaming video content without compromising power for the performance necessary to allow seamless I/O and media transcoding. Storage solutions based on the Intel Atom CE5300 series allow consumers to easily set up all of their media in one place and avoid capacity limitations of mobile devices. They can use their storage system either as an iTunes server or DLNA (Digital Network Living Alliance) media server, and access that content from their mobile device of choice. Users can also simultaneously transcode 1080p video content to a smartphone, tablet, TV, Ultrabook or other smart device. The media processor system intelligently adapts to the screen resolution for each of these devices.

Creative Technology Ltd today announced two new web cameras in its Creative Live! Cam line to provide PC and Mac users with a far superior video and audio experience than any integrated web camera can deliver.

Creative Live! Cam Connect HD 1080

Designed to deliver high-quality 1080p video on YouTube or Facebook with just a single click, the Creative Live! Cam Connect HD 1080 features dual stereo microphones that leverage Creative's CrystalVoice technology suite to transmit crisp, clear audio. CrystalVoice Focus suppresses noise to enable headset-free voice communications, while CrystalVoice Noise Reduction reduces background noises to enhance audio recording and Skype call clarity. Auto focus ensures the best possible video and image quality.

Apple today updated MacBook Air with the latest Intel Core processors, faster graphics and flash storage that is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.* MacBook Air is the ultimate everyday notebook, and with new lower prices it is more affordable than ever. The current generation 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro have also been updated with the latest Intel Core processors and powerful discrete graphics from NVIDIA. Apple's popular AirPort Express has been redesigned to include features previously available only in AirPort Extreme.

"Today we've updated the entire MacBook line with faster processors, graphics, memory, flash storage and USB 3 connectivity," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We've made the world's best portable family even better and we think users are going to love the performance advances in both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro."

MSI has received high marks from all quarters for its high-end gaming laptops, including being selected for Innovations Honorees at the CES 2012, the IT industry's equivalent of an Oscar. Now, MSI is introducing the GE60 and GE70-the ultimate in next generation gaming notebooks. They feature Intel's latest quad core processor and new generation NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics card. Specially designed to meet the extreme demands of extreme gamers around the world. These killer notebooks also boast awesome peripherals.

Microsoft's next-generation Xbox game console, which has been unofficially referred to as "Xbox 720", has been reportedly given a codename by Microsoft so industry partners could use it, instead. It is now codenamed "Durango". The working-name "Xbox 720" has been received negatively by some quarters, that felt it implied 720p (1280 x 720) display resolution, which is not a big departure from the present-generation. 1080p (1920 x 1080) is expected of this console, as it's also reported to feature Blu-ray disc support. Durango will focus on improving human-interface, by creating a combination of Kinect and a newer gamepad with a touchscreen.

OmniVision Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV9724,an ultra-compact, high-performance image sensor offering 720p high-definition (HD) video in an industry-leading miniaturized form factor.

Developed specifically for highly compact designs, the OV9724 CameraChip sensor leverages OmniVision's new 1.4-micron OmniBSI+ pixel to enable camera modules of less than 2.5 mm in height. This unprecedented combination of high performance and small form factor allows HD cameras to be integrated into ultra-slim, narrow-bezel devices, making it an attractive solution for next-generation smartphones, notebooks, tablets, portable gaming systems and other mobile devices.

Panasonic unveiled new 12.1-inch notebooks under the LetsNote NX and LetsNote SX families. Both feature 16:10 aspect ratio screens with 1280x800 pixel resolution, but buyers can opt for a wider 16:9 aspect ratio screen with 1600x900 pixels. A 720p web-cam and fingerprint reader can also be opted for. Where the NX and SX differ is with the SX featuring a top-loading optical drive, while NX lacks it.

Both models are driven by Intel Core i5-2450M processor. HDD comes standard, while faster SSDs can be opted for, which boot the system in under 9 seconds thanks to Panasonic's QuickBoot Manager software. Connectivity features for both include USB 3.0, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR, and display outputs that include HDMI.

That Dodgy Intel Ivy Bridge DX11 'demo' at CES 2012 (UPDATED)

Word has been flying round the internet about Intel's dodgy Ivy Bridge DX11 'demo'. Intel's Mooly Eden, VP, PC Client Group was attempting to demonstrate a racing game on a prototype laptop - 'ultrabook' - fitted with an upcoming 22 nm Ivy Bridge processor with a racing wheel attached and allegedly rendering DX11 graphics. However, as is very apparent at the start, it's actually a video, because the control panel for the free VLC video player pops up for a few seconds. Eden then 'drives' a car and after a few seconds puts up one hand and then the other, because as he says "they are driving it from backstage". However, there was no one driving the game "backstage", as it was just a video and Eden doesn't say anything about this at any point in the presentation.

This gives conspiracy theorists lots of ammunition, as perhaps the game was actually played on a high powered desktop PC with NVIDIA or AMD discrete graphics cards? What game was it? Eden doesn't say. "IB can't really do these graphics!" they cry and so on. Sure, man 'didn't' go to the moon, either... However, we believe that while yes, there was a bit of deception going on, it was nothing more than a white(ish) lie. Why? Because Ivy Bridge comes out in April and people aren't going to forget this demo. They will immediately put IBs DX11 graphics to the test with similar games and if it doesn't deliver, Intel will have a lot of egg on its face. Here's what Intel had to say about this demo in an official statement:

BryteWerks LLC announces the launch of a product line poised to establish a new category of intelligent, hybrid media centers based on an advanced high-definition digital projector platform. The BryteWerks Model One line of Intel Core CPU-based digital projectors merge state-of-the-industry computer, digital, and optical technologies with superior connectivity capabilities and innovative industrial design into a cost-effective and intuitive multimedia control and exhibition powerhouse.

Designed for either consumer or professional applications, the BryteWerks Model One line delivers exhibition-quality 16:10 widescreen 1920x1200 resolution (within 5% of professional 2K cinema systems), through a LCD Native WUXGA panel. The projectors also feature an ultra-high brightness of 6,000 - 11,000 lumens, a 1000:1 True Contrast Ratio, and a 1:1 throw of 1 foot to 50 feet, making them the very best, all-purpose digital projectors in their class. Internally, the BryteWerks Model One projectors feature (depending upon model configuration), a fully-integrated Intel Core i3 to i7 HTPC CPU, a full featured, slot-loaded Blu-ray player, up to 2 terabytes of internal storage, including a 500 gigabyte Solid State Drive, unequaled connectivity options, and a custom version of XBMC, an open source media organization and playback application, making the Model One a revolutionary and unsurpassed media center.

MSI is rolling out its new generation GT685-the ultimate gaming machine. In addition to featuring the Intel second generation Core i7 quad core processor, it is the first laptop to sport the nVidia GeForce GTX 580M, the world's fastest discrete graphics card, 32G DDR3 of memory, and accelerated dual hard disk architecture. It comes with Dynaudio and THX TruStudio Pro smart wrap around sound as well as a full HD screen. You'll be impressed by how smoothly online 3D games play and with the edge that your new GT685 gives you against opponents.

The machine won the CES 2012 award for product innovation, seen by many as the highest honor of the high tech industry. MSI, where designing high-end record-breaking gaming notebooks is par for the course, will continue to design faster, more powerful notebooks that follow in the tradition of its gaming NBs best epitomized in the MSI GT685. The GT685 utilizes the wildly anticipated nVidia GeForce GTX 580M top-end discrete graphics card which boasts 384 more CUDAs (Compute Unified Device Architecture) than the previous generation with advanced 256 bit broadband and 2GB GDDR5 of display memory. You will be awed by how smooth 3D games run and the new edge you enjoy in battles will help you rack up wins.

ASUS unveiled a designer variant of its N45SF entertainment notebook, dubbed N45J Mystic Edition. The N45J is ASUS' tribute to its homeboy, singer-songwriter Jay Chou. He starred in the action flick The Green Hornet. The notebook aesthetically has a big transition from its black+silver color scheme in its N45SF avatar. It's decked in white overall, with a dash of blue (the right shade, that misses being dubbed baby-blue by a whisker). On its lid is some urban art, which could have been adopted by the album-art of Jay Chou's label. There are also his autographs on the lid and the palm-rest.

That aside, this 14-incher packs a 1600x900 pixel display, is driven by 2nd generation Core processors (options include Core i7-2670QM/2630QM, Core i5-2430M/2410M, and Core i3-2330M/2310M), up to 8 GB of dual DDR3-1333 memory, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics with 1 or 2 GB VRAM, and a variety of storage options, including SSDs, high-capacity slow HDDs, or lower-capacity faster (7200 rpm) ones. DVD SuperMulti, BD-ROM, or BD-RW can be opted for. The audio is backed by punchy Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speakers. 720p web-camera, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and 3 -in-1 card reader, make for the rest. We don't have the pricing info. It will most likely only be launched in Taiwan and Greater China region, where Jay Chou is likely to have a big following.

Facing a two-front competition from other netbook manufacturers and the ARM tablet industry, ASUS, one of the pioneers of the netbook form-factor, is readying a new line of fashionable-looking netbooks under the EeePC Flare series. Press pictures of these netbooks got leaked to the web by Notebook Italia, which reveal EeePC Flare series to be a colorful bunch of machines that are so designed to look curvy and fashionable, breaking the "compact" design mold of today's netbooks. They will be shows at the upcoming CES event, next week.

EeePC Flare will be available in two sizes, 12-inch and 10-inch. Among these, the 12-inch 1225B will be driven by AMD Fusion platform (likely E450), while the 1225C will be driven by Intel's new "Cedar Trail" Atom platform (N2600 or N2800). The 10-incher 1025 will stick to Cedar Trail. ASUS will pack these netbooks with features such as 500 GB of storage, LED backlit 720p displays, chiclet keyboards, etc.

Although not officially announced, Lenovo's Ideapad S110, which is based on the Intel "Cedar Trail" Atom processor platform, showed up on a teaser video by the company. Lenovo is referring to this 10.1-inch netbook as a "mini notebook". Generally, big vendors such as Lenovo refer to portable computers in this category as "netbook" or "sub-notebook". In its video, Lenovo revealed the Ideapad S110 to come in four fabulous color options. The S110 is driven by Intel Atom N2600 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 320 GB HDD, a 10.1-inch HD screen featuring 720p resolution, a 2 megapixel web camera, 98-percent full-size chicklet keyboard, Lenovo's Quick Start feature, and USB 3.0. 10/100 ethernet and WiFi b/g/n are standard, though 3G HSDPA can be opted for. Windows 7 Starter is the OS of choice. ProVantage already listed the Ideapad S110 (base) for US $321.62Lenovo's teaser video follows.

VR-Zone have been having a little chat with Intel 'sources', who have leaked some juicy tidbits for us to enjoy in the form performance and power news. The upcoming next generation Medfield platform is Intel's first true System on a Chip (SoC) and is designed to compete with various low power ARM offerings in the tablet space. To help achieve this, they've gone through an internal restructure, merging four business units into just one: Ultra-Mobility, Mobile Wireless, Mobile Communications and Netbook & Tablet PC. The business unit is now simply known as Mobile and Communications. It's being run by Mike Bell and Hermann Eul and the first product to emerge from it will be is the 32 nm Medfield SoC solution.

VR-Zone explained that the competition will be "Apple's A-Series, NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Samsung Exynos, Texas Instruments OMAP and the likes. Out of all the chips mentioned above, only Samsung's Exynos is currently manufactured in 32nm process, just like Medfield."

What makes the GT780DX as the gamers' ultimate weapon? In terms of power, it features the Intel Core i7 quad core CPU and latest NVIDIA's top-end GeForce GTX 570M discrete graphics card with 3 GB of GDDR5 display memory, giving it superior performance, so you can enjoy smooth graphics even when playing the latest games in high resolution. The impressive performance also serves to greatly enhance game realism and make these machines the ultimate weapons for the extreme gamer.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, explains that the latest GT780DX not only packs performance to keep the extreme gamer engaged, it also comes with a SteelSeries keyboard specifically designed for serious gaming. The new keyboard is much more rugged and the new design better meets the needs of extreme gamers to give you the edge in the heat of battle. MSI has also incorporated Dynaudio and THX TruStudio Pro envelope-pushing sound technologies for a riveting audio experience. Designed both inside and out for gaming, the GT780DX has got your back when you're hip-pocket deep in goblin blood.

There's a great new single player trailer just out for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It continues the story from the previous game and looks excellent, as you might expect. However, since it's coming out at the same time as Battlefield 3, one can't help compare the graphics quality between the two. MW3 seems to look like an evolutionary improvement, but still looks like "computer generated graphics", while BF3 appears to define a whole new level of realism which isn't that hard to mistake for the real thing if it's not looked at closely. Go watch it over at Guru3D at 720p and decide for yourselves. Note that watching the video directly on YouTube requires a free account registration due to the strong nature of the content, but not on Guru3D.