According to the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, AMD’s director of ISV relationships Neal Robison said that the next-generation Xbox will offer graphics that will be on a par with the type of effects viewers saw in the movie Avatar. AMD hasn’t publicly been named as a partner on console, which is currently being dubbed the Xbox 720, but the chip maker did provide the hardware inside the current Xbox 360 system. Avatar-style graphics would certainly be a pretty big leap from the offering currently available on the Xbox 360, and we’re definitely excited to hear more on the new system. We’ll probably have just under one year to find out for sure; we exclusively reported in late June that Microsoft would take the wraps off of its next gaming console during E3 2012 next year.

[Via Business Insider]

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Sony announced its brand new VAIO Z laptop on Thursday, an ultralight device that weighs just 2.6 pounds. The Windows 7 Professional-powered notebook is equipped with a 13.1-inch 1600 x 900-pixel display, a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, a 256GB solid state drive, AMD Radeon HD graphics, and can be purchased with an optional battery sheet that provides up to 14 hours of battery life. Similarly, its optional Power Media Dock accessory supports up to four displays at once, has its own 1GB graphics card, can be purchased with a DVD or Blu-ray drive, and offers support for Intel’s new “Light Peak” port. The VAIO Z will make its debut in July in the UK first for £2,700 ($4,320), Read on for the full press release.

Ultimate performance and design: ultra-mobile new VAIO Z Series from Sony weighs under 1.2kg

28 June 2011

Thin, ultra-light 13.1” notebook PC with innovative new Power Media Dock

· 33.2cm (13.1”) VAIO Z Series: less than 1.2 kg and 16.65mm slim with stunning design and smart battery concept

· Business-class power with latest standard voltage Intel® Core™ i7 processors and fast SSD storage

· High-resolution (1600×900) anti-reflective VAIO Display Premium

· Optional sheet battery gives up to 14hr stamina¹ with quick charge

· Power Media Dock™ ² with quad video monitor support, AMD Radeon™ HD graphics, optical drive and extra ports including HDMI™ out

· Quick Boot gets you working in seconds

Weighing little over a kilogram, the new VAIO Z Series notebook PC from Sony is created for mobile professionals who demand absolute performance and portability.

VAIO Z blends ultra-desirable styling and premium carbon fibre with no-compromise specifications and innovative productivity features. In the office or on the road, this class-leading business notebook helps demanding users work more efficiently with the ultimate in on-the-move computing power.

All-new VAIO Z takes cutting-edge styling by Sony to new extremes, with a ‘full flat’ body and display lid that are crafted in tough, ultra-light carbon fibre. At just below 1.2kg and 16.65mm slim, the new VAIO Z is the perfect partner for business travellers who demand ultimate power with less to carry.

On-the-go usability is enhanced further by the backlit keyboard with extra-wide palm rest and ergonomic new ‘button-less’ touchpad. With a resolution of 1600×900, the 33.2cm (13.1”) VAIO Display Premium features an anti-reflective coating that cuts glare from direct light sources and ensures crisp colour reproduction.

Performance is everything you’d expect from the most sophisticated VAIO notebook yet. Latest-generation standard voltage Intel® Core™ i7 processors are teamed with speedy DDR3 SDRAM and up to 256GB SSD RAID storage to blaze through the toughest workload with ease.

As an extra refinement, Quick Boot saves precious time when you’re in a hurry, loading Genuine Windows® 7 Professional up to 50% quicker than conventional notebooks. Embedded VAIO ‘everywair’ 3G WWAN on selected models connects via your mobile broadband operator.

Power Media Dock™

The performance of VAIO Z Series is taken to new extremes by the unique Power Media Dock², a monolithic expansion module that links with VAIO via an optical cable. The proprietary port can also be used to attach regular USB devices to VAIO when it’s not docked.

Featuring high-speed I/O data transfer based on the architecture codenamed ‘Light Peak’, Power Media Dock boosts graphics performance while adding numerous extra connectivity options. It includes an optical drive for even greater business productivity and satisfying HD entertainment. The module comes supplied with a stylish design-matched stand.

With Power Media Dock added, VAIO Z can manage up to four displays (including the notebook screen) via HDMI™ and/or VGA output ports. In this configuration, VAIO Z makes a compelling choice for design, finance and science professionals who need to work across several screens simultaneously. New-generation AMD Radeon HD graphics with 1GB VRAM effortlessly handle demanding graphics tasks, from 3D CAD to gaming.

When docked, connectivity options are boosted by additional USB ports plus VGA and HDMI outputs. Power Media Dock also sports an optical drive bay that can be specified with a Blu-ray Disc™ or SuperMulti combo drive. Games and movies on DVD or Blu-ray Disc sound as good as they look with latest Dolby® Home Theater® v4.

Sheet battery

VAIO Z features the innovative ‘sheet battery’ already showcased on this year’s VAIO S Series. The notebook’s internal lithium polymer battery provides power for up to 7 hours¹ on-the-go computing. It’s partnered by a second thin, flat optional lithium polymer sheet battery that can be charged separately from the PC and added without removing the internal battery. The sheet battery attaches without having to switch off the PC, boosting stamina to up to 14 hours¹ for day-and-night working, even if you’re far from mains power.

VAIO Z delivers a richer communication experience if you’re staying in touch with colleagues via video conference or web chat. The HD web camera powered by Exmor™ technology ensures detailed-packed video even in low light.

There’s a full range of official accessories from Sony, style-matched to complement the looks and performance of your VAIO. Many more configuration options – including a Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD – are available exclusively to online shoppers at Sony Store.

The new 2011 VAIO Z Series of ultra-portable performance notebook PCs is available from the end of July 2011 (actual date of availability varies by country).

On Tuesday Toshiba took the wraps off of its new Satellite P700 series laptops. The models include the P745, P755/P755 3D, and P775, which sport 14-inch, 15.6-inch, and 17.3-inch displays, respectively. Buyers will have the option to configure their P700-series notebook with an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor, and models sport either an NVIDIA GeForce GT540M GPU or an AMD A6-3400M chip with discrete Radeon graphics. Other features include HDMI-out, USB 3.0, up to 750GB of storage space, Harman Kardon speakers, support for Intel Wireless Display, and optional 4G WiMAX and Blu-ray players. The P750 3D offers a 15.6-inch stereoscopic 3D display, support for 2D-to-3D DVD conversion, and more. The P745 starts at $699.99, the P7555 begins at $629.99, and the P775 starts at $629.99. The high-end P775 3D will set you back at least $1,199.99. The entire P700 series will be available in major retail outlets beginning June 21st. Hit the jump for the full release.

Toshiba Introduces New Satellite P700 Series Laptops

New Satellite P700 Series Laptops, Available in 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch Diagonal Screen Sizes, Offer Robust Performance, High-Def Entertainment and Smart Convenience Features with Premium Styling

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced a new family of premium laptops, the Satellite^® P700 Series. Available with Toshiba’s textured Fusion^® X2 finish in Platinum, the Satellite P745, P755/P755 3D and P775 laptops feature 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch diagonal HD TruBrite^® LED backlit screens¹, respectively. These laptops incorporate essential features for multitasking and multimedia, including latest generation of multi-core processor and technology options, plus premium entertainment and convenience features.

“The new Satellite P700 Series laptops offer users the power and features that enable them to do much more than just everyday computing”

Premium Performance, Features and Design

Available with second-generation Intel^® Core™ i3, i5 or i7 processors² and select configurations feature NVIDIA^® GeForce^® GT 540M graphics³ with battery-saving Optimus™ technology or the all-new AMD^® A6-3400M accelerated processing unit with discrete-class AMD Radeon^® graphics, Satellite P700 Series laptops offer robust performance for demanding HD tasks. Additional standard features include premium raised tile keyboards, harman/kardon^® speakers with sound enhancements from Dolby^® and Waves Audio, an HDMI^® port and a USB 3.0 port⁴ for faster data transfers and storage options up to 750GB⁵. Latest-generation technologies, including Intel Wireless Display⁶, 4G WiMAX™⁷ and a Blu-ray Disc™ player⁸ are also available in select models.

“The new Satellite P700 Series laptops offer users the power and features that enable them to do much more than just everyday computing,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Digital Products Division. “With top-of-the-line processors for smooth multitasking, premium audio systems with sound enhancement technology for expansive surround sound and smart usability features that let users take advantage of the speakers and USB ports even when the units are sleeping or off, these laptops have it all.”

Smart Features That Let You Do More

The Satellite P700 Series also features Toshiba’s full range of “Smart” technologies, including the convenience of USB Sleep & Charge technology⁹ and Toshiba Sleep & Music¹⁰, two technologies that give users the freedom to power up their smartphones and enjoy music from their MP3 players, even while the laptops are powered down. Toshiba’s exclusive Resolution+^® video upconversion technology¹¹ breathes new life into standard-def video by seamlessly adjusting color, brightness and contrast to give video a more high-def look and feel. Additional features, including a Hard Drive Impact Sensor, PC Health Monitor and Toshiba’s eco Utility™ promote laptop longevity with utilities designed to protect vital components and conserve power.

Step Into 3D

Adding a new dimension to personal home entertainment, the Satellite P750 3D laptop delivers a convenient way to enjoy games, movies, photos and more – in stereoscopic 3D. Equipped with a 15.6-inch diagonal 120Hz, 3D-ready HD TruBrite display and NVIDIA 3D Vision™ technology¹² this laptop includes a pair of wireless active shutter glasses for out-of-the-box 3D enjoyment, plus essential components or Blu-ray 3D playback, 2D-to-3D DVD movie conversion¹³, plus output to a 3D HDTV, the Satellite P750 3D delivers a full suite of 3D enjoyment. The Satellite P750 3D will be available for a starting price of $1,199.99 MSRP¹⁴.

Pricing & Availability

The Satellite P745 (starting at $699.99 MSRP¹³), Satellite P755 (starting at $629.99 MSRP) and Satellite P775 (starting at $629.99 MSRP) will be available at major retail outlets, e-tailers and Toshibadirect.com beginning June 21, 2011.

According to Reuters, Apple is poised to refresh its popular thin and light MacBook Air family later this month. The news outlet cited a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily, which suggested that Apple’s first shipment will include 380,000 of the new Air units. The report is in line with earlier rumors suggesting supplies of the MacBook Air were drying up nearing a possible refresh; one analyst with Concord Securities recently suggested that Apple will upgrade its MacBook Air family in June, too. The new models are expected to carry Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPUs, new Thunderbolt I/O ports, and improved Intel graphics. Apple last refreshed its MacBook Air family on October 20th, 2010.

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During the Computex tradeshow in Tapei, NVIDIA’s CEO Huang Jen-hsun said that sales of tablet PCs will surpass notebook sales in five years, Taiwan Economic News reported on Tuesday. It’s certainly no secret that NVIDIA hopes to profit off of that market shift — the firm already has its dual-core Tegra 2 chip in a number of tablets and phones from Motorola, LG, Samsung, Acer, and ASUS — and NVIDIA’s chief said that 14 of the top 20 global wireless carriers currently sell devices powered by its Tegra mobile processor. NVIDIA has already started showing off the power of its next-generation Kal-El quad-core mobile processor, too, but Hung says the company won’t stop there. It’s charging forward and will roll out a total of three new GPU models featuring a 28nm process technology between 2012 and 2014. The next chips are codenamed Wayne, Logan, and Shark.

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Apple could begin manufacturing the next generation MacBook Air laptops in May, AppleInsider is reporting. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with Concord Securities, said recent supplier checks have suggested that Apple will soon upgrade its MacBook Air family to include improved Intel graphics, Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPUs, and the new Thunderbolt I/O tech that made its debut in Apple’s recently refreshed MacBook Pro line. Apple will begin “mass production in late May,” Kuo said, adding that Apple could announce the next computers as soon as June. Apple last refreshed its MacBook Air notebook family on October 20th, 2010.

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Reports are beginning to mount from iPod touch owners who are experiencing an odd graphics issue on their devices after updating to iOS 4.3. Screen sections of affected iPods seem to flicker and distort, almost as if the device is having a refresh rate or redraw issue. Some users are reporting that their screens appear “snowy” or “fuzzy.” There is a thread on the company’s discussion board where affected users are airing out their concerns; Apple has yes to publicly acknowledge the issue. There is a video after the break that demonstrates what some iPod touch users are dealing with.

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Apple made a lot of beige boxes back in the 1980′s, but for some reason, if you ask someone about their first computer, the Apple IIgs often comes up. The IIgs was originally released on September 15, 1986, and was one of the first Apple computers to use a 16-bit microprocessor. Running at a blistering 2.8 MHz, the “g” and “s” stood for “graphics” and “sound” respectively. The IIgs packed an 8-bit Ensoniq wavetable sound chip that offered 32 separate channels of sound, and a video card that could dazzle the eye with a 12-bit pallet of 4,096 colors. The graphics card could also push graphics in native resolutions of 320 x 200 pixels or 640 x 200 pixels. The IIgs originally came with 256 KB of RAM built-in (later updated to 1.125 MB) and could be upped to 8.125 MB for those power users; the IIgs also included 128 KB of ROM (later updated to 256 KB). You would often see a matching beige floppy drive, keyboard, mouse, and dot-matrix printer hanging off the side of the GS; making this the ultimate Oregon Trail, word processing machine. Anyone out there ever own an Apple IIgs? How about the Woz: Special Edition?

BGR Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

Samsung sure has been making a lot of mobile news lately. With their Galaxy Tab release, screen factory announcement, and various Galaxy S handset releases, Sammy is making their fair share of headlines. Today, Samsung announced that they are testing the Cortex A9 Orion processor for netbooks, tablets, and smartphones. The new processor is a 1 GHz, dual-core chip that supports 1080p video recording and playback at 30 frames per second. Samsung also boasts that the new silicon will have five times the graphics performance of the current A8 Hummingbird series of processors. The Orion will be available to “select customers” sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010 and will be put into mass production in the first half of 2011. Dual-core smartphones. Drool.

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HTC EVO 4G owners disappointed that the graphics on their premiere handset were deliberately capped at 30 FPS by HTC should head over to xda-developers and give the folks over there a hearty thank you. With some clever coding, this software cap has been lifted and select EVO 4G handsets can achieve up to 60 FPS performance in games and other graphic intensive applications. This fix needs some tweaking as tearing, v-sync issues, and other graphics anomalies are present after uncapping. The fix is also limited to handsets with hardware 0003 and an Epson display (how to check your display courtesy of PPC geeks). The devs are working on these limitations and interested parties should keep a keen eye on the very active thread for developments as they occur.

[Via PocketNow]

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Palm’s brain drain shows no signs of letting up, as it was revealed today that Rich Dellinger, the man responsible for many of the icons in webOS and the creation of the “non-intrusive banner notification system used in webOS”, has left the company after 3 years and 11 months. Now a senior UI designer at Apple, it appears that Dellinger left Palm immediately after it was announced that HP was purchasing Palm for $1.2 billion. Many are speculating that Dellinger was hired in an effort to help turn Apple’s obnoxiously obtrusive push notification system into something more in line with what is offered by webOS and Android.

[Via PreCentral]

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Those sleuthing Apple informants seem to have struck gold once again. After noticing a continuous stream of AMD bosses and representatives travelling to and from Apple’s Cupertino campus, they’re now reporting that Apple is seriously considering the #2 chipmaker as a replacement for its current Intel offerings. Apple is thought to be unhappy with Intel, whose prolonged chip development cycle has slowed the pace of Apple’s hardware refresh and whose incompatibility with Nvidia has forced Apple to use the less than optimal integrated Intel graphics chipset. In fact, Apple’s dissatisfaction with Intel’s GPU performance is what prompted the company to develop the novel automatic graphics switching utilized by its recently refreshed MacBook Pro line-up. The hardware work-around allows the notebook to switch from the integrated Intel chipset to the more powerful NVIDIA GT 320M and GT 330M cards when needed. AMD, with its strong ties to ATI, could seemingly offer Apple greater flexibility over its future products which might one day include a powerful graphics subsytem worthy of the Apple name. Before you get too excited and sell your new Core i5 and Core i7 MBPs on eBay, keep in mind that all of this is speculation based upon the rather ambiguous, yet highly referenced “people familiar with the matter”. Respond appropriately.

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Ars has a great technical article up about exactly how, when, and why Apple’s automatic graphics switching process occurs in its line of Macbook Pro laptops. For those not familiar with the automatic graphics switching technology, “the main goal…is to balance graphics performance with long battery life.” This battery saving, number-crunching goal is accomplished by toggling graphics processing tasks between two processors; a dedicated GPU, which consumes more power and provides high performance for applications that need it, and an integrated graphics processor, which consumes less power and does not provide high-end performance. Apple’s new graphics technology has been compared to NVIDIA’s graphics switching system — named Optimus. However, as Ars explains, they are different in two very important ways:

First… the switching is all handled automatically by Mac OS X without any user intervention (though there is actually a System Preference to deactivate it, if you choose). Apps that use advanced graphics frameworks such as OpenGL, Core Graphics, Quartz Composer or others will cause the OS to trigger the discrete GPU. So, when you are reading or writing Mail, or editing an Excel spreadsheet, Mac OS X will simply use the integrated Intel HD graphics. If you fire up Aperture or Photoshop, Mac OS X kicks on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M… The second way that it differs from Optimus is that the integrated graphics are powered down when the discrete GPU is active. This saves even more power than Optimus does, leading to a stated battery life as long as nine hours.

The graphics switching process, and the balancing act between horsepower and watt usage, is the future of high-performance mobile computing… that is, until better batteries start being produced. We’ve got the full article, in all its nerdy, technical glory, linked up for you.

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It has been a rocky road for Apple’s over-sized 27-inch iMac. Back in November, customers filled Apple’s forums with complaints — brand new iMacs were received by happy customers who proceeded to discover that their shiny, new Apple hardware was either DOA or horribly damaged in transit. Apple was reportedly helpful to affected customers and quickly addressed the issue. It would be nice for Apple if that was the end of the story. Unfortunately, Apple’s happy ending is not yet in sight. Fast forward to December when the holiday shopping season is in full swing and these lust-worthy iMacs should be selling and shipping at a hectic pace. Rather than shipping, several Apple resellers are claiming that the 27-inch iMacs have been shelved for at least two weeks while Apple attempts to solve display problems that have been plaguing this iMac line. The problem is thought to be caused by faulty ATI graphics cards, a scenario that regrettably is not new. Remember the 2008 MacBook Pro and its faulty NVIDIA graphics card? In addition to the breakage problem, other reported issues with the 27-inch iMac display include intermittent flickering and screens that have a yellow hue. The problem is so widespread that Scott Pronych, a disgruntled iMac owner and website designer, created a website dedicated to logging and tracking complaints with the 27-inch iMac. With Apple reportedly replacing the graphics cards on the iMac, the outlook for procuring this 27-inch behemoth in time for the holiday season is grim. Apple’s online store lists the 27-inch iMac as shipping in two weeks with similar delays seen at third party retailers. And since Apple is Apple, they’re characteristically mum on the subject, so we will be looking for the Apple support document admitting culpability detailing the problem sometime soon.

[Via 9 to 5 mac]

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Microsoft confirmed on Friday the rumored May release of Windows 7 RC1. The release candidate version of Microsoft’s upcoming OS will be available on April 30th to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, with a broader public availability slated for May 5th. RC1 adds several new features to Windows 7 including remote media streaming, Windows XP mode and some slick new eye candy. Also the remote media streaming, if it works as well as promised, might just give services like Orb a run for their money. Associate your Windows Media player library with your Windows Live ID and you can stream your media across the Internet from any remote PC. Sweet! Before you get too excited, this is Microsoft we’re talking about so both computers must be running the same version of Windows Media player. This cool new feature will not work from Mac or Linux machines, so take note if your personal arsenal of computers includes any.

Windows 7 will also include a new XP Mode meant to assist businesses as they transition from Windows XP to Windows 7. XP Mode will utilize Windows Virtual PC to provide a full-fledged Windows XP virtual environment which, theoretically, will allow users to run all those legacy Windows XP applications without issue. Last but not least, Windows 7 RC1 will see some eye candy in the form of stunning background graphics. Microsoft has been slowly adding new background images throughout the development process and now the public will get its first look at Microsoft’s sense of style. All you folks still running Windows XP with its default green rolling hills background might just be pleasantly surprised.

[Via Giz]

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