Lenovo, Best Buy list IdeaPad Yoga 11S for pre-order

Those who’ve been waiting for Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 11S  since it was announced at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show back in January only have weeks to count until they can get their hands on the bendy Windows 8 device. Designed to be a smaller cousin to the Yoga 13, the Yoga 11S has an 11.6-inch screen that can be flipped over the back of the keyboard if you want to use it as a tablet, positioned in the L formation (as pictured above), placed in a “downward dog” position, and folded back into a laptop form factor whenever you want. 

The Yoga 11S is fairly customizable, with the company giving you the freedom to choose between Intel’s Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, 128GB and 256GB solid-state drives, and 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 pixel resolution displays. You can also upgrade its RAM from 4GB to 8GB, and its SSD storage from 128GB to 256GB. Choosing to get higher specifications means you have to pay more for a unit, but if you want one with the most basic of configurations, it will cost you $800 – or around $200 less than the Yoga 13. 

You can now preorder the device from the official Lenovo website or from Best Buy’s online shop, but know that it won’t be arriving on your doorstep anytime soon. Lenovo’s website notes that it will start shipping in “more than four weeks’” time. If you’d rather take it for a spin yourself before you make the purchase, you can get it from Best Buy’s brick-and-mortar stores starting June 23. Make sure to check out our hands-on review of Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 11S for more details about the flexible Windows 8 hybrid.

Toshiba taking pre-orders for new Windows 8 lineup

Toshiba has introduced a new line of computers that, in keeping with Windows 8's emphasis on touch, offers an array of products with displays that can be poked and pinched.

Toshiba began taking pre-orders for the new systems Wednesday, and will be selling them to the public from its online store on Oct. 26, when Windows 8 debuts.

While all the new Toshiba laptops don't have a touch display, they do have large touchpads that support touchscreen gestures, so many of the gesture tasks performed on a touchscreen can be performed on the touchpad.

In addition, Toshiba is addressing the absence of a start menu in Windows 8 with a utility program preinstalled on all models, Toshiba Desktop Assist. The software gives users quick access to their programs, the Windows control panel and their files and folders, much as the start menu does in Windows 7.

Toshiba is also including three Windows 8 "tile" apps. Toshiba Central provides one-click access to a model's user guide, support information, how-to videos and such. Toshiba Book Place is an e-book reader and marketplace for purchasing titles. Toshiba News Place is a graphical news aggregator.

Toshiba's Windows 8 lineup includes:

• Satellite S800 series. These all-purpose laptops are designed for both work and play. They can be configured with either a third-generation Intel Core processor or AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit. Options include AMD Radeon HD 7570M graphics in Blu-ray disc player. Units are offered with a 15.6-inch display ($699.99) and a 17.3-inch model ($749.99).

• 

   Satellite S955. This model contains the power and options of units in the 800 series but is less than an inch thick. With a 15.6-inch display, the laptop sells for $649.99.
• Qosmio X875. Designed for gamers, this model sports a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor, with support for 32GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M graphics with 3GB of GDDR5 discrete graphics memory. Its 17.3-inch display supports 1080p HD and is 3D ready, with support for NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 Kit with Lightboost. The Qosmio starts at $1,479.99.
• Satellite P800 series. Third-generation Intel Core processors with Intel Rapid Start technology and support for up to 8GB of memory are part of this model's package. The units are available with hard drives up to 750GB, and they include harman/kardon stereo speakers with Slipstream port technology. They also support Intel Wireless Display, which allows the laptop's screen to be shared wirelessly with a big-screen TV. Two screen sizes are available: 15.6 inches ($799.99) and 17.3 inches ($929.99). In addition, there's a 14-inch touchscreen model available for $929.99.
• Satellite L800 series. These units can be configured with an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, as well as an AMD A-Series APU. The hard drives max out at 640GB. Units are offered with display sizes of 15.6 inches ($579.09) and 17.3 inches ($629.99). In addition, a thinner model, the L950, with a 15.6-inch display, is available for $579.99.
• Satellite C800. This is Toshiba's budget line. They're offered with Intel Core i3 processors or AMD E-Series and A-Series APUs, with support for up to 8GB of RAM and hard drives with up to 750GB of storage. Models are offered with a 15.6-inch display ($379.99) and 17.3-inch display ($499).
• Ultrabooks. Toshiba's Ultrabook models include the U925t, a hybrid laptop-tablet with a 12.5-inch touchscreen ($1,149.99); a 14-inch model, the U945 ($699.99); and a 14.4-inch model with a wide display, the U845W ($1,049.99).
• All-in-one desktops. Toshiba is also offering two all-in-one desktop models, the 21.5-inch LX815 ($699.99) and the 23-inch LX835 ($849.99). Both models support 1080p HD, but touchscreen support is optional.

$30 gadget lets you control computer with your eyes

Take two video-game console cameras and one pair of horn-rimmed glasses and for around $30 you have a device that will allow you to control a computer or, potentially, even a wheelchair with your eyes.

Previously, if you wanted to buy similar eye-tracking equipment it would have cost you upwards of $8,000. Now, scientists in London have pioneered a device, the GT3D, using components anyone of us can buy from the shopping mall.

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The breakthrough could help millions of people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy and, potentially, opens the door to a new era of hands-free computers, allowing us to use them without a mouse, keyboard or touch screen.

For the lead researcher Dr Aldo Faisal, a neuroscientist at Imperial College in London, the new device only came about because of his obsession with disassembling gadgets.

"I like to play with gadgets and was playing with a popular video-game console," he said. "I hacked it and discovered it was very fast and better than any webcam for movement. Actually, it was so fast that I found we could record eye movement with it."

Tracking eye movement is no mean feat. Our eyes moves 10 to 20 times a second, so a standard webcam or even film camera will miss most eye movements and where we are looking. As such, it is perhaps no surprise commercial eye-tracking devices are so expensive.

Watch a demonstration of the technology

Luckily for Faisal and his team of researchers, video game console makers have been willing to bulk buy the technology needed to make good enough cameras. They make a loss on the console cameras in the expectation of making it back on accompanying video game sales.

"We originally created the device for £39.80 ($64) but recent falls in the price of video game console cameras mean we could now actually make the same device for about £20 ($32)," says Faisal.

The eye-tracking device works by first establishing where the eyes are looking, through a relatively straight-forward calibration process. The user puts on the glasses, with the two attached cameras, and stares at a computer screen full of dots. They are then told to look at different dots, with software developed by the researchers working out how the eye looks at each dot.

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Once calibrated, the device can be used to control a mouse on the screen and is so accurate that if you were in a normal-sized room and wearing the device it would be able to locate where you were looking to within the size of a grapefruit, say its developers.

Existing commercially available devices such as the Tobii PC Eye and the EyeTech TM3 also allow users to control a computer with their eye instead of a mouse. Like the GT3D, they use two cameras and say they can be used to surf the web, send emails and do anything a handheld mouse can do -- but they are priced between around $5,000 and $7,000.

And if you search online, you will find many amateur attempts to create eye-tracking devices just like the GT3D. But Faisal says the difference with his is that it has been properly tested and proven to work -- a demonstration of his device has been published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Neuroscience

Optimus G Pro deep-dive review: A supersized smartphone done right

LG's new Android smartphone brings a fresh dose of elegance to the large smartphone form.

In the world of smartphones, you've got the rock stars -- the phones with all the flash and hype -- and then you've got the less glitzy, less heavily marketed alternatives. Here's a little secret: The phones in the second group are frequently the better devices.

That's certainly the case with LG's Optimus G Pro. The Optimus G Pro -- available this Friday on AT&T for $200 with a two-year contract -- is the latest gadget to enter the supersized smartphone market (what some folksregrettably refer to as a "phablet"). And while it may not have the same name recognition as the current category leader, Samsung's Galaxy Note II, it outshines that product in almost every way -- and it's a hundred bucks cheaper to boot.

So is the Optimus G Pro the right phone for you? Don't let ads and store placement sway your decision. I spent several days living with the device to see what it's actually like to use in the real world. Read on and see what you think.

Body and buttons

If the form alone doesn't clue you into the fact that the Optimus G Pro is made to compete with the Note II, the design language absolutely will. Plain and simple, the Optimus G Pro looks like the Note II -- no two ways about it (although it doesn't come with a stylus).

In fact, when you first pick up the Optimus G Pro, you might actually mistake it for a Samsung device. The phone shares Samsung's plastic-centric construction, all the way down to the candy-shell-like removable back panel. Like with Samsung's phones, the plasticky construction makes the device look and feel less premium than some of its more strikingly constructed contemporaries, but within the realm of supersized phones, that style of build is presently par for the course.

The Optimus G Pro is 3.0 x 5.9 x 0.37 in. (that's a fifth of an inch narrower than the Note II, for anyone keeping track). Factor in its 6.1 oz. weight and this baby definitely ain't svelte: The sheer size of the phone makes it somewhat uncomfortable to carry and even more awkward to hold up to your ear. That's more of an issue with this category of product than with this device in particular, though; a phone this big just isn't going to work for everyone. I'd suggest spending some time holding it in a store and seeing how it feels in your hand to figure out if the form suits you.

Size aside, LG has ditched the all-capacitive button styling it used on past devices for a distinctly Samsung-like setup: The Optimus G Pro has a physical Home button flanked by capacitive Back and Menu keys. This is unfortunate, as the odd and dated hybrid configuration presents the same disadvantages seen on Samsung's products. The Optimus G Pro's Home button is narrower and more recessed than Samsung's, too, which makes it especially awkward to press after you get used to gently tapping the capacitive keys at its sides.

Consumer Reports: Samsung Galaxy S4 is top phone

A month after being released to mostly positive reviews, Samsung's flagship phone is getting some validation from Consumer Reports. The publication has run all its tests, kicked the phone's tires, and named the Android-powered Galaxy S4 its top rated smartphone.

The previous list-topper was the Optimus G, a solid $100 4.7-inch phone from LG that held Consumer Reports' No. 1 spot for several months. The Optimus G is now ranked as the No. 2 smartphone, followed by the HTC One, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5.

Consumer reports bases its ratings on a number of extensive tests and rates the devices in categories including ease of use, display and voice quality, portability and battery life. The $200 Galaxy S4's weakest scores were in video quality and portability.

Like all the other smartphones on the list, it also had mediocre scores for voice quality, a sacrifice that seems common in the smartphone market. The publication also lamented the lack of one-button phone access.

Consumer Reports specifically called out the S4's 5-inch, 1080p touch-screen, multitasking in split view, and a built-in IR feature as some of the handset's standout features. The abundance of features were seen as appealing to more advanced users without complicating the phone for more entry-level users. The publication said the device's camera was "among the best phone cameras for photo quality."

The Galaxy S4 is an update to Samsung's wildly popular S3 phone, which was one of the best selling smartphones of the past year. Samsung was the leader in the smartphone market in in the first quarter of 2013, according to research firm IDC, and it looks like its latest offering will help it hang on to that top spot for the time being.

Last week, Google announced a new version of the Galaxy S4 that will run a pure form of the company's Android mobile operating system. That unlocked and uncluttered phone will cost $649 when it becomes available at the end of June.

Will BlackBerry, Nokia or Amazon Replace Apple or Google?

With Apple stumbling and Google and Samsung possibly on the outs, there may be an opening in the mobile market for an underdog to make a big move. BlackBerry may have the best shot with its strength among businesses in emerging markets, but Nokia is gaining some traction, and Microsoft has deep pockets. Then there's Amazon, which could corner the phablet market. It's anyone's game.

Apple and Google are currently at the top of the mobile device heap, but both companies are vulnerable at the moment. Apple has lost its iconic CEO and appears to be chasing Samsung, and you can't lead by following. Samsung is the dominant player on Android, but Google and Samsung are having relationship problems at the moment. Both have been quietly expressing dissatisfaction with the other.

No other vendor -- except possibly LG or Lenovo -- appears truly ready to replace Samsung should it abandon the platform, but with efforts like Knox, Samsung is increasingly stepping away from the Google Android user experience. Positioning to take the place of either Apple or Google/Samsung should one slip are a) the firm that used to dominate phones, Nokia, backed by Microsoft; b) the firm that used to dominate smartphones, BlackBerry; and c) the most powerful online retailer in the world, Amazon.

I'm going to focus on the strengths and weaknesses that each of these challengers has in aiming for the No. 2 spot and assess how likely any one of them is to replace Apple or Google. I'll close with my product of the week, which is a new phone by BlackBerry, the Q5.

Current Market Share

Android is well ahead of the pack, based on the latest IDC numbers, but it is estimated that around half of the products running it aren't under Google's control, representing multiple forks in the Android code base.
Still even if you cut Android's 75 percent share in half, at 37.5 percent you'd still be more than twice Apple's, which has fallen to 17.3 percent. However, that 37.5 percent is mostly Samsung. Windows Phone passed BlackBerry -- slightly -- for a distant No. 3, and this is virtually all Nokia, but effectively the two platforms are now tied.

The Case for BlackBerry

I spent last week at BlackBerry Live, and I think BlackBerry has the best shot at getting back to its former glory and market leadership for three reasons: 1) It owns its platform -- it doesn't have to partner to succeed; 2) it is focused on business, a segment that the other platform leaders have until recently ignored; and 3) in world where malware is increasing massively for mobile devices, it is the only vendor with a platform designed to be secure from the start.
On the other hand, it lags the other players in terms of available resources -- and in a fight like this, resources are very important.
The other interesting advantage that BlackBerry has is that in emerging markets, it is comparatively strong against Apple, the other fully integrated vendor. This was made clear to me at BlackBerry Live, where representatives from those markets dominated. That's largely because BYOD isn't happening in those regions, as employees simply can't afford to buy their own devices. For the most part, where companies still buy, BlackBerry still rules.
I looked at the U.S. Department of Defense, for instance, and while it is conducting trials with Android, iOS, and BlackBerry, the numbers are telling, with around 10K Android, around 40K Apple, and around 500K BlackBerry devices. Where business dominates, BlackBerry rules -- and given an increased focus on security and business, I give BlackBerry the edge.

The Nokia/Windows Combo

Windows Phone is faster moving at the moment, however, based on the IDC numbers. Nokia is winning design awards, has rolled out an aggressive TV campaign targeting both Apple and Samsung, and has a number of desirable features -- like the best camera on a smartphone and inductive charging on some of its lines.
It gets financial backing from Microsoft, which still has a financial reserve rivaled only by Apple and Google -- and Apple will be eliminating most of its financial reserve this year to placate pissed-off shareholders. Finally, it is focused on the consumer segment, which is where the segment growth has been coming from since the iPhone launched.
Microsoft has proven to be a mixed blessing in this effort. Nokia's momentum was damaged by rumors that Microsoft had lost faith and was developing its own phone. Nokia has had to constantly reaffirm its commitment to Microsoft.
Windows Phone as a brand appears to have negative implications for most buyers, who connect the name to the Windows 8 desktop platform, which is having teething problems. These drawbacks appear to more than offset the resource advantage Nokia/Microsoft should have and reflect on an ongoing problem with most Microsoft partnerships, which apparently are not going as well as they once did.

Amazon: The Wild Card

Amazon forked Android for the Kindle Fire. Its rumored phone will, on paper, have the advantages of most of the Android apps but be vertically integrated like Apple and BlackBerry. Amazon has been building up its cloud services and could offer a phone connected to them that could approach the business value proposition of BlackBerry. With its movie and music services, it could challenge the consumer advantage of Apple.
Current rumors suggest Amazon will be approaching the latter opportunity first and lead with a value-priced phone with a 3D-capable screen. Amazon has showcased that it can do well on tablets -- arguably outperforming both Apple and Google in the 7-inch category but clearly lagging both Apple and Samsung in the more capable 10-inch class. This suggests that when it comes to phablets -- smartphones with 5.5-inch or larger screens -- Amazon could dominate this class, and the market could shift toward it. That's a lot of "ifs," though.
Amazon is untested with carriers, and its best move -- given its heavy cloud services capabilities -- would be an MVNO approach: buying and selling connectivity services wholesale, thus underpricing similar products sold directly through the major carriers. While Apple demonstrated that it was possible to enter the phone market and do well against the entrenched vendors, Samsung in particular has showcased that it isn't that easy anymore. Amazon will likely have a much bigger fight than Apple did as a result.

Wrapping Up: BlackBerry Has the Edge

This is a market that is clearly in flux. Apple's CEO appears to be anticipating his own departure, and a replacement could either make things better or much worse. Given history, the smart money is on the latter.
Samsung and Google could kiss and make up, and the fact that Google used Samsung's troubled S4 at its I/O conference could indicate that these two either have done so or soon will.
As for the contenders, Microsoft could either bring out its own phones, repeating the Zune mistake and crippling Nokia, or it could put more of its war chest behind Nokia's effort, better ensuring its success. A major security problem could easily cause corporations to ban Android and shift back to a BlackBerry-only model, or BlackBerry could be acquired -- and mergers of this scale rarely go well.
In short, while I think BlackBerry has the edge, there are a lot of balls in the air here, and it is still almost anyone's game. Even a new player like Amazon could end up cornering the U.S. market. The only thing certain is that it will be an exciting year.

Product of the Week: BlackBerry Q5

BlackBerry has three sustaining advantages: 1) It is the only firm that does keyboards well; 2) it is still the favorite when businesses buy the phones; and 3) businesses buy the phones in emerging markets. All three of these advantages are showcased in the Q5, which is basically a reduced-cost version of the Q10.

The BlackBerry Q5

It has the same features and same battery life. It has an LED rather than AMOLED screen, and a plastic case instead of black stainless steel and carbon fiber. This makes this new phone ideal for business buyers in emerging markets -- BlackBerry's strongest segment.
In addition, Alicia Keys pointed out that 56 percent of BlackBerry customers are women, and this product comes in colors and appears to have a more female-focused form, suggesting she has had some impact on the design. Keys is tightly focused on helping BlackBerry better understand the needs of its female-dominant customer base.
I'm a big fan of the Q10, and I've been carrying it for a bit. There really is nothing like a keyboard phone if you are doing email or trying to get work done, and I still favor it over a screen phone for productivity.
BlackBerry has created a phone that targets and strengthens its strongest and most loyal customer segment at a time when most phone makers don't seem to really know who their major customers are. Though it is not available in the U.S., from a standpoint of customer targeting, the Q5 is one of the most intelligent smartphones I've seen from anyone in some time, so it is my product of the week.

Nintendo Scoops E3 With Previews of Upcoming Titles

The company that practically invented the big E3 press conference is skipping that tradition this year. Nintendo instead offered another video preview of new titles heading to gamers this summer, and also announced a deal with Best Buy to let consumers play the same titles getting E3 hype in select stores. The unspoken goal is to get people trying the Wii U console, which hasn't met company expectations.

Nintendo has once again gone straight to gamers with its latest Nintendo Direct video to generate hype for its latest offerings. The video game console maker and game publisher announced Friday that popular characters will arrive for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS handheld system.

The latest Nintendo Direct primarily focused on games coming out this summer. Those include the Game and Wario title for the Wii U, which offers a variety of minigames that can be used with the Wii U's unique GamePad, and New Super Luigi U, which will be available as either a downloadable version for around US$20, while the retail version would sell for about $10 more.

The biggest gaming news from Nintendo Direct, however, wasn't actually from Nintendo, but rather one-time rival Sega. It announced that a Mario and Sonic Olympics game would arrive in time for next February's Winter Olympics. Sega is also prepping the exclusive Sonic: Lost Worlds, a new adventure for the Wii U and 3DS.

The other announced titles included updates of past games, which almost resembled a summer of reruns.
"It is recycling of the old titles," said independent video game analyst Billy Pidgeon. "It is still a good idea as they are discounting the titles, and these are still 'new' to a generation that hasn't played them, but to the others who have played it before it doesn't bring a whole lot."
Nintendo did not respond to our request for further details.
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What is also notable is that Nintendo's title announcements attempted to build hype for the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) -- where the company won't actually hold a press conference this year.
That move is newsworthy because Nintendo practically created the trend in large press events that accompany the show and made it an annual tradition.
"To me E3 is really for the press, and while there are some gamers who do watch that stuff, there is another aspect to it," Pidgeon told TechNewsWorld. "Showing up at E3 and putting on a show has become a tradition and has generated something to talk about it."
Microsoft will jump the gun slightly when it officially unveils its next console in advance of the show, so perhaps Nintendo sees this as a better way to use its resources.
"It is understandable that Nintendo is not going forward," Pidgeon added. "The market for consoles has peaked, and it is even starting to shrink. It isn't going away, but the expansion potential isn't there."


The decision, however, sends a message "that E3 isn't that big of a deal, at least to Nintendo and at least this year," he said. "Sony and Microsoft have new hardware so they have to hold a big flashy event, but it still sends a message when you don't show up with an event. It even sends a message to the press, who often love to hate Nintendo."
The question is whether going direct via these videos is going to be a strategy that plays out for the company, especially given that the Wii U hasn't exactly been a hit on par with the first generation of the Wii.
"Clearly Nintendo views this as a way to reach out directly to the customers and explain the value proposition of the 3DS as well as the Wii U," said Lewis Ward, research manager for gaming at IDC. "The 3DS is doing well, while the Wii U has underwhelmed, so Nintendo may view this as a strategy of reaching more customers in a relatively short time frame."

Going to the Gamers

However, Nintendo is still going directly to the source. The company's other big news was that it has formed a new partnership with Best Buy that would bring E3 demos of the upcoming games to select stores throughout the E3 event. Consumers will be able to go to those to those stores to play the same games that attendees are seeing at the show.
"The assessment of executives at Nintendo is that they haven't done a good job of conveying the message of the value of the Wii U to gamers themselves," Ward told TechNewsWorld. "They are seeing that they need to convey that differentiation to the gamers. Nintendo has done this type of onsite events and offering a road show in the past, so this fits the tradition of doing things at retail. It is a way of reaching prospective customers."
However, is going to a large retailer such as Best Buy the best move to make? That remains to be seen, considering Best Buy has had its own problems with bringing in customers.