Hardware

Samsung to demo new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at IFA

Samsung will take the wraps off its new Windows 8 hybrid tablet at the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin.

The company's Facebook page displays a photo of the new tablet with the tagline "Ready to be smart" and the phrase "IFA 2012, Berlin." Samsung is also telling its Facebook followers "Don't worry, it's just around the corner..."

IFA 2012 officially gets off the ground this Friday and runs until September 5. But the press will get a head start with events scheduled this Wednesday and Thursday. Samsung's press event … Read more

Microsoft takes a swipe at Kinect pricing

Microsoft's Kinect motion gaming accessory is getting a permanent price cut, company insider Major Nelson announced today.

The suggested retail price for the Kinect, which launched in November 2010, drops from $149.99 to $109.99, effective immediately for North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions. Amazon and Best Buy's Kinect listings already reflect the new pricing, with other major retailers surely to follow suit soon. … Read more

Logitech comes clean with $40 washable keyboard

We all know food, drink and technology don't mix, yet dusty and crumb-filled keyboards are rampant in households and offices across the world. To help out on the housekeeping front, Logitech today unveiled a new PC keyboard -- the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 -- that could spell the end of the dirty QWERTY.

The K310, which Logitech says can tolerate anything from "a light dusting to a rinse in the kitchen sink," can be washed multiple times and can be submerged in up to 11 inches of water, and then left out to dry. … Read more

Synaptics aims to reinvent the Windows 8 keyboard with ThinTouch

Good keyboards are a valued asset in the laptop world, and they're starting to become a major factor in the tablet landscape, too. The iPad has its Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover; Microsoft Surface has its Type Cover. Perhaps Synaptics should get into the Windows 8 tablet keyboard landscape, too. … Read more

Going all-in with a Windows 8 touch-screen desktop

Last week I reviewed Lenovo's IdeaCentre A720, a Windows 7-based all-in-one desktop with a 27-inch touch screen. 27-inch displays are relatively new for Windows all-in-ones, but as the largest screens for the category they represent the ideal scenario for using Windows 8's touch (nee Metro) interface via desktop. As a follow-up to that review, here are my impressions of the Windows 8 desktop touch experience, facilitated by that Lenovo all-in-one and the Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400 (you can also check out our review of a newer build, Windows 8 RTM, released today).

Disclaimer: The frustrations of … Read more

iRobot updates Looj gutter bot, entry-level Roomba

Autumn is a-comin' down the track, and with it the whiff of rotting leaves and election promises. Robots can clear away the former now, the latter after the revolution.

iRobot is updating its Looj gutter cleaner, a leaf-churner extraordinaire that reduces the time it takes to unclog your gutters.

If you're not familiar with Looj, it's a portable, waterproof, rotating scrubber on treads. You set it in your eavestrough and it trundles along, spitting out leaves, needles, and other gunk with its spinning rubber flaps. Messy but effective. … Read more

Lenovo has new ultrabook details, Windows 8 tablet for ThinkPad at 20

During an event at New York's Museum of Modern Art, PC maker Lenovo has announced new details about upcoming laptops, as well as a new ThinkPad-branded Windows 8 tablet.

The event was to mark the ThinkPad brand's 20th anniversary. Originally IBM's PC line, Lenovo bought the brand in 2005. The three new products profiled have all been spotted before, at CES 2012 or later in the year, including the flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon First spotted in May 2012, we've already given this 14-inch ultrabook an extensive hands-on look. It starts at $1,… Read more

Just how much will Microsoft Surface cost?

Recently the Internet at large and tech sites in particular (including CNET) jumped on the "news" that a Swedish retail site had the skinny on the supposed retail price of the Microsoft Surface tablets.

Thankfully, and after only a few hundred forums and comment spaces exploded, calling for the head of Steve Ballmer, the Swedish site in question responded, clarifying that it came up with the price on its own, with no inside knowledge from Microsoft.

Typical weekday Internet confusion birthed from a lack of facts and no desire to actually seek any out. If nothing else, the ordeal left me with one primary thought: "Wow, I'm glad I'm off today and don't have to cover that story." However, my secondary thought was closer to, "With less than three months before the purported release of the RT version of the tablet, we still don't have an actual price from Microsoft."… Read more

Rumor Has It: iPhone 5 isn't the only trick up Apple's sleeve

On this week's show, we discuss the latest iPhone 5 release date rumors, Samsung's possible Retina Display, and an alleged new tablet from Sony, and we wonder if Apple is really interested in buying a stake in Twitter.

The New York Times came out with a report over the weekend describing talks between Apple and the 140-character proselytizer. The report alleged that Apple has considered buying a minority stake in Twitter, a company that hasn't yet filed an IPO. The Wall Street Journal chimed in to say the talks were more than a year ago, and its … Read more