PC News
News from the world of PC’s and Internet access
Intel wants your future laptop to be thinner than an iPad and, like the iconic tablet, to be wire free. And it should cost less too.
The company is developing chips and wireless technologies to meet those goals, with the first fruits of that development available starting this coming year-end holiday said, said CEO Brian Krzanich on an earnings call this week in which he discussed the company’s vision of future PCs. About 600 million PCs worldwide are more than four years old and due for upgrades, so the development efforts come at a fortuitous time.
Tablets thinner and lighter than the iPad that could be used as full PC replacements will be on store shelves by the end of this year, Krzanich said. Laptops and desktops with the faster and more power-efficient Broadwell processor will be widely available in the first quarter next year. Further in the future, Intel sees Chromebooks with mobile broadband connectivity and PCs that are wire free.
Paper-thin PC replacement tablets will have long battery life, high-resolution screens and offer the fast performance of Core processors, Krzanich said. The devices will have Intel’s new Core M chip, based on the upcoming Broadwell architecture.
A reference tablet code-named Llama Mountain, which is 6.8-millimeters thick and weighs 550 grams, is one example of this new system type. The 10-inch tablet has a 2560 x 1600 pixel screen and turns into a laptop when attached to a keyboard dock. The dock also has cooling technology to crank up the tablet’s Core M CPU performance.
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Anyone travelling into or out of the United Kingdom will want to make sure their devices are fully charged before getting to the airport. The British Department for Transport recently announced it will follow the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s prohibition on uncharged electronic devices on certain flights.
“Passengers on some routes into and out of the UK may now also be required to show that electronic devices in their hand luggage are powered up or face not being allowed to bring the device onto the aircraft,” Britain’s transport department said in a written statement. “Passengers flying into or out of the UK are therefore advised to make sure electronic devices being carried in their hand luggage are charged before they travel.”
Similar to the TSA, the Department for Transport isn’t specifying which airports or routes are affected by the new rules.
The British Government’s warning to make sure your devices are charged up is not to be taken lightly. A report in The New York Times on Monday said that the TSA’s rules may allow travellers to prove their devices are working by plugging them into a wall socket at the airport. But don’t count on such merciful treatment if you’re flying through major U.K. hubs like Gatwick or Heathrow.
Despite repeated attempts at clarification, a Department for Transport spokesperson declined to specify whether or not travellers would be allowed to prove they had working devices by plugging them in. Instead, the spokesperson referred us to the public statement advising travellers to make sure their devices are fully charged before boarding.
Bottom line: if you land/depart from London or any other U.K. destination make sure your electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, or laptops can turn on under battery power. If not, expect to surrender your device to British airport security.
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Microsoft have reported that the new Windows operating system, Windows 8, will be nicer to use and less annoying as it will no longer need to be rebooted after installing Windows Updates.
PC’s which are left turned on overnight will no longer automatically restart after an automatic update has been installed after many users complained about losing data when not sat at the PC.
Urgent security patches will still need the system to be restarted however Microsoft claim that the user will be given 3 day’s notice prior to the installation taking place.
Microsoft have also reported that the new Windows 8 OS can be installed with as few as 11 clicks of the mouse, many clicks fewer than Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP and will ultimately make the installation much simpler to do.