Qosmio F755 Goes 3D…Again

At this year’s CES, Toshiba showed off its glasses-free 3D gaming Laptop, the Qosmio F755. It is able to convert 2D Games into 3D on the fly, which was not the case when the device originally rolled out August of last year. At the time, the company said it was working with Nvidia to develop a custom solution. It seems they may have found it.

Toshiba has also announced that early adopters can now download the software update via Toshiba’s Service Station. The download will provide gaming support for those who bought the laptop early and will in essence make their devices identical to the one unveiled at CES.

The 17.3-inch laptop sports a Core i7 processor and 8GB of RAM as well as a Blu-ray player. The graphics are powered by a GeForce GT 540M video card. The Qosmio F755 is priced at $1499, which is about $200 less than it cost at launch. There were rumors circulating that Toshiba was going to announce a model with updated hardware, but that did not materialize.

The Qosmio F755 has a parallax screen that works using the same basic principles as that of the Nintendo 3DS. Glasses-free technology of this type has inherent limitations. Users soon find out that there is a certain sweet spot where the effect works best. The zone around the sweet spot where the 3D effect is still acceptable is relatively small. The 3D effect on the Qosmio F755 is largely dependent on the distance and position of a gamer’s head relative to the laptop’s screen. Annoyances aside, original stereoscopic images and video content usually produce good results. On-the-fly conversion of 2D content, however, is a much more hit-and-miss affair.

Qosmio F755 at CES

At CES, Toshiba allowed hands-on trials of the laptop running the popular Skyrim. Did it work? On the one hand, the Qosmio F755 did transform the game into 3D-extra dimension and all. On the other, the rendition was low quality to the point of affecting the core enjoyment of the game itself. That was just for Skyrim, however. Other games may be different altogether. It is also likely that original 3D games and official 3D conversions will produce better results.

It is difficult to say whether or not 3D technology will be the next big thing in gaming. Like in the movies, 3D is a nice novelty for the occasional film, but most viewers still prefer a two-dimensional experience. Shy of a Brainstorm experience, the 3D offerings of the Qosmio F755 may be the next best thing.

It’s not often that the promises of a software company actually live up to the software they publish so it was nice to see that the new version of Reimage System Repair actually works.   The $70 program Reimage–which claims to provide hassle-free relief for damaged Windows installs–delivers on its promise. (www.reimagesystemrepair.com)

Reimage  works by scanning for the causes of PC problems and then with a click of a mouse, fixes them for you.   The program is simple to use and you simply go to their website and click Start Scan – install the program as instructed and run it.     The program is small only about 7.2 mb so it will only take a few minutes to download.

During the scan, Reimage thoroughly goes over every element of your computer. In addition to looking for damaged or Windows files and registry entries, it also looks at how much available room is on your hard drive, how much memory is installed, the running temp of your processor , and which programs are crashing and how often.   Once it’s done, it will report back to you in an easy to read report.

Reimage even checks your system for malware and viruses.    The malware scanner is powered by several systems such as the well powerful Avira platform which is one of the most widely-used antivirus programs on the planet.

Once you’re ready to repair your computer,   Reimage’s will repair any files it finds.    Prior to your next start up of your PC,  Reimage finish repairing and replacing any damaged files it discovered during the scan.   When that’s complete, your computer finishes loading Windows and displays your newly-repaired desktop.

On my problematic Windows 7 test system, the entire process took about 45 minutes. While no infections were found, Reimage accurately noted several stability problems. The Novell Netware client, Teamviewer, and Google Chrome had all caused a number of crashes recently, and Reimage picked up on all three. After a quick reboot to replace files that were in use (which took less than five minutes), I was deposited back at my Windows desktop. Three days later, I had yet to experience a single crash and my system was running beautifully.

If a Reimage operation happens to cause a program to stop working on your computer, you can undo the changes. That said, I performed several scans on multiple computers running a wide variety of software and never experienced any unexpected “breakage.”

There is one major downside to Reimage: a working Internet connection is required. In my many years as a technician, one of the most common problems I fixed for people was (you guessed it) a broken Internet connection. I also expect that DNS-hijacking malware will prevent Reimage from contacting its servers in order to block removal or repair attempts.

While I count Reimage’s price tag of $70 per year as a minus, there’s a caveat. For the average home user who doesn’t know how to reinstall Windows or completely remove nasty malware, $69.95 per year is a very good deal. A single trip to the computer repair shop would cost you more than that, and Reimage can definitely prevent those visits. Two more PCs can be covered for $30, and that’s an absolute steal if you have a close friend or family member that gets stung by the periodic computer repair bill.

All in all, Reimage is a fantastic repair utility that can fix some of the ugliest Windows problems out there. It won’t totally replace your local computer technician, but it definitely has the potential to save you money, time, and frustration.

Dude, you’re getting a Dell.

That was the catchphrase of the PC maker years ago when it was a just a featherweight going up against the heavyweights of the day. With the Dell XPS 13 and their well-publicized intentions to shift their focus away from traditional notebooks and netbook production, they may just be prepping a new line of commercials: “Dude, you’re getting an Ultrabook!”

Dell XPS13 — The Mood-Enhancer

Close the Dell XPS 13, take a few steps back, and you will be forgiven if your mistook it for a new Apple product. The clean lines and the sleek contours rivals any laptop that the Cupertino-based company currently produces. Visually, Dell hits all the right notes, and the end result is a device that is a virtual fashion statement. The machined aluminum top, the almost industrial chic carbon-fiber base combine to make the XPS 13 a standout affair. Now step closer and open up the thing. You have to smile and give it to Dell. If nothing else, with this device they are definitely bringing sexy back.

What a difference a display makes. Dell has chosen a thin display bezel. The decision gave them the ability to pack a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass–covered display into a case that is the size of a typical 12-inch laptop. When you open up the Dell XPS 13, the effect is immediate and impressive. The aura and illusion of extra size goes some way toward reducing complaints of the ho-hum 1366 x 768-resolution of the 13.3-inch display. The style points extend beyond the screen too. There is also the soft-touch coated magnesium alloy palm rest and the redesigned backlit keyboard. The XPS 13 falls a full 2 millimeters below the 20 millimeter threshold that Intel has established for Ultrabooks. It sports a tapered design, and at its thinnest point, it is a barely visible 6 millimeters thick. The clickpad is made of glass and is multi-touch enabled. The sleek and svelte Ultrabook tips the scales a sliver under the 3-pound bar coming in at 2.99 lbs. Style will only get you past the front door though; you need substance to close the deal. And Dell has packed the XPS with impressive internals for its expected price points.

The premium Dell XPS 13 model is expected to cost $1499. It will have a Core i7 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and will be configured with a 256GB Samsung Solid State Drive (SSD). The base model will cost $999 and will have a Core i3 CPU and a 128GB SSD. Both systems come with several IT-friendly features including TPM (Trusted Platform Module) Hardware security and Professional support services. Casual tests of a pre-production unit by one industry source produced a cold boot time of about 17 seconds. Another source who had access to a developer preview build of Windows 8 claims to have gotten a 3 second cold boot. Yes, you read correctly.

Of late, Dell has been struggling somewhat on the retail-consumer side of its business. It has seen setbacks in its new tablet and smartphone division, and it has decided to discontinue netbooks altogether. Dell has had its successes mainly on the commercial side with its integrated servers and network solutions. This move in a different direction may be just what it needs to recapture mind share in the lucrative consumer market.

This may be Dell’s first offering in the Ultrabook category, but judging by the look, feel, and performance of the XPS 13, it certainly won’t be its last. And when Windows 8 hits the streets, Apple may just be looking over its shoulder as the pack closes in. The XPS 13 is expected to be available at the end of February.

Samsung Series 7

The Samsung Series 7 Gamer laptop that was on display at this year’s CES is expected to be available in North America in April 2012. The device, which has been available in Europe since last spring, has been updated and will put Samsung in a position to compete in the competitive gaming market. The Samsung Series 7 is a purpose-built device. From the ground up it was designed with one thing in mind: hardcore gaming.

Samsung did not cut any corners when designing and building this laptop. Evidence of their focus starts from the motherboard itself, which has 8 GB of flash storage built in. That is more than just a nice add-on. It means that you can load an entire operating system directly on the motherboard itself, improving boot speed and overall stability and performance. System performance in any computer is closely tied to the amount of RAM onboard. Gamers will be pleased to know that the motherboard will support up to 16 GB. The most important factors in a gaming system though are undoubtedly your CPU and GPU. In these two areas the upcoming Samsung Series 7 shines.

Let’s start with the CPU. When the Series 7 launched in Europe, it came with the then impressive second generation Core i7 processor. Samsung has decided to sweeten the deal and has upgraded the processor. The US model will come with a third generation quad core Core i7 CPU. That quad core brute is capable of running the latest games at full speed without lags—that is, if it has a GPU to match.

For the true hardcore gamer their video card is perhaps even more important than their CPU. Samsung seems to understand that fact and has decided to also upgrade its GPU. Gone is the Radeon HD 6970M. In its place will be a new card by NVIDIA, the GeForce GTX 670M. This combination of CPU and GPU promises to not only run any game at full speed, it also promises to do so with the settings maxed out. That’s impressive.

The one aspect where the U.S. release of the Samsung Series 7will take a step down of sorts will be the display. The 3D display that is on the European version will not be available when the device ships stateside. There will, however, be a DisplayPort Jack that will give users an additional display option outside of the standard set of VGA, HDMI DVI, etc.

The Series 7 may be designed for gaming, but it does not mean that you cannot use the 17-inch laptop in more traditional scenarios. With that in mind, Samsung included a physical switch that will let you change power modes. You will be able to dial down the power when using the device for, say, watching movies off the included Blu-ray player or when simply browsing the web. When you are ready to get into some serious gaming, crank it up to turbo and the CPU will be clocked up and the keyboard will be optimized for gaming.

In hands-on tests, the laptop’s performance was impressive. When running a top-tier FPS (first-person shooter), it ran at full speed with no lags at max settings. When configured with 2 TB of storage, it is expected to cost around $1799 at launch.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Steps onto the World Stage

Lenovo unveiled the extraordinary IdeaPad Yoga at this year’s CES, and along the way, it garnered a few awards—11 to be exact (11 of the 22 the company took home). Now, to you or I, this might not seem remarkable. But to a company that navigates the turbid waters of the consumer electronics market, you can bet that it is a big deal.

Zen and the Art of Ultrabook Making

Lenovo is no slouch on the world market. Although it barely rounds a top-five slot in the U.S., it is number two globally as a PC manufacturer. This has largely to do with its vanguard role in China, where the company is based. However, to break into the U.S. market and to really make an impact on the world stage, a company has to do a lot these days—whether you are selling shower curtain rings or niche-market computing devices. Well, Lenovo feels it has a game-changer in the IdeaPad Yoga.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Lenovo’s CEO, Yang Yuanqing, stated mater-of-factly that “Apple is the leader” and that “we still need to learn something, we still need to improve something.” This is not exactly a revolutionary declaration, but it is clear that in the few short years since the iPad has come out, manufacturers are playing catch-up to Apple as though a decade has transpired. But that’s the way markets move these days. Scarcely a moment to take a breath and focus.

However, that seems to be exactly what Lenovo is doing with its IdeaPad Yoga. The cute metaphors are easy to insert (including the fact that the device can be adjusted into a kind of “downward dog” position). But the allusions are not likely a coincidence—not even the device’s name, which sounds like a prototype name for the iPad. That’s really not fair, though, because Lenovo has understood, with the IdeaPad Yoga, that consumers are quickly adapting their taste as well as there needs to fit a growing trend in the consumer electronics field: faster, lighter, more versatile and integrated computing devices.

Enter the IdeaPad Yoga

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga has its eyes on the future—or maybe it’s showing us the future. Although the tablet market is, as Yang Yuanqing describes, a “niche” market, it is clear that this type of user interface is the next future wave in computing. Tablets do not have the versatility and computing power as a ‘regular’ laptop, nor do traditional laptops have the functionality of tablets. Enter the hybrid.

The concept of the hybrid is nothing new. Tablet-laptop hybrids like the soon-to-be-released Asus Transformer Prime tablet and Sony’s new concept models, the Hybrid and Slate, which were also unveiled at the CES, point to a new direction. Manufacturers understand that what consumers seem to be looking for is a something that offers power and grace, form and function. Enter the IdeaPad Yoga.

The IdeaPad Yoga looks like one of the many ultraportable laptops with its aluminum body and slender build, measuring 0.61 inches and weighing 3.1 pounds. But that’s where the comparisons begin to diverge. The IdeaPad Yoga will like make its debut with the launch of Windows 8. It will be equipped with an Ivy Bridge CPU, 256GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM. But the most impressive feature is the display—and how it can be displayed.

The 400–nit display is the expected 1600 x 900 HD resolution, but it also supports touchscreen capabilities. The unique lid can be folded 360 degrees, which means that it can be folded back to rest on a table or desk and perform in much the same way as a regular tablet. The only difference is that it will be running Windows.

With the new Windows 8 that promises to bridge the gap between your old PC and contemporary Android interfaces, the IdeaPad Yoga is set to do what other Ultrabooks only hint at: to create a seamless integration between the old and the new, between conventional desktop computing and the entertainment-driven experience that today’s consumer is looking for.

The future is not written yet, but when it is, expect that the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga will be written into the first draft.

The IdeaPad Yoga is expected to be out in the second half of 2012. Price to be determined.