Laptops posts - Crave

'Activation lock' to tighten iOS security

Apple may not be able to do anything to stop a mugger from stealing your iPhone, but changes in iOS 7 will prevent the thief from trying to sell the phone as new.

At its Worldwide Developers Conference here on Monday, Apple unveiled several security enhancements. Activation Lock is the most interesting. Though the company didn't go deep into detail on the new feature, Apple's head of Mac software engineering, Craig Federighi, said the feature prevents unauthorized resetting of an iPhone or iPad.

Basically, if the Find My Phone tracking utility has been deactivated, or if the phone … Read more

Safari for iOS to go full-screen

While Apple's updates to Safari for OS X Mavericks are more about keeping up with the Joneses, Safari for iOS 7 looks to forge new ground by making the browser look and feel more like the operating system.

Safari for iOS 7 features a nearly chrome-less interface ("chrome" refers to the visible interface portions of software), a new tab view, fewer restrictions on tabs, and iCloud Keychain integration, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.

By default, the iOS 7 Safari is set to what looks like full-screen mode. With the browser's chrome mostly … Read more

Apple unveils new MacBook Air, gives Mac Pro sneak peek

Apple on Monday updated some models of its PC line with faster processors and improved battery life.

During a keynote address at the company's developers conference, Phil Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, unveiled a couple of new versions of the MacBook Air laptop and also gave developers a sneak peek of an updated Mac Pro desktop PC.

The new MacBook Air models are available Monday and start at $999. They include Intel's fourth-generation Core processor, dubbed Haswell, as well as a faster Wi-Fi known was 802.11ac.

Battery life is an area with significant improvement. The 11-inch … Read more

With Safari updates, Apple aims to keep pace

SAN FRANCISCO -- Once again, Apple's changes to its Safari browser on OS X represent keeping up with the competition instead of forging new ground.

At the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, the company unveiled the next version of Safari, which Apple says will have significantly faster page rendering, better security, and will make it easier to read multiple articles on the same site.

The Safari 7 update introduces to the browser stronger connections to OS X's password-management tool called Keychain. Leveraging the iCloud browser syncing that debuted in last year's Safari, … Read more

'Trek'-themed Acer Aspire R7 boldly goes up for auction

On returning home from seeing "Star Trek Into Darkness" on Sunday, I couldn't help but wish my laptop had a more USS Enterprise-y feel. Thankfully, Acer has anticipated such consumer fancies, announcing Wednesday that it's partnered with Paramount to offer a limited-edition Trek-themed Aspire R7.

As is generally the case with such blockbuster-related gadgets, the tie-in here is entirely promotional. The touch-enabled laptop comes engraved with a stainless steel "Star Trek" logo, and includes a logo-festooned sleeve, a film poster signed by the film's cast, and "Star Trek" content such as wallpapers, a soundtrack, and a video game.

The ambitiously designed Aspire R7, however, does feature a flexible design that allows users to move and position the hinged 15.6-inch 1,920x1,080 touch screen as needed, including into a configuration that does sort of resemble the Enterprise. … Read more

Fujitsu unveils 14-inch ultrabook with 3,200x1,800 display

Fujitsu will soon launch a new 14-inch ultrabook that boasts a screen resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels.

The upcoming Lifebook UH90/L uses Sharp's IGZO technology to attain its high resolution. Equipped with a density of 262 pixels per inch, the display offers 2.7 times the detail of a full HD screen. Text appears sharper and is easier to read, and photos are more vivid, according to Fujitsu.

Outfitted with Windows 8, the touch-enabled notebook is powered by a fourth-generation Intel "Haswell" Core i5 chip. It also offers a 500GB hybrid hard disk that combines … Read more

Bling it! Super-extravagant smartphones and tablets

Close your eyes and imagine money. Lots and lots of money. Stacks and stacks and bags and briefcases full of... oh, you get the picture.

Now, imagine you were to possess such vast sums of cash. What would you do with it? Update your antiquated wardrobe? Purchase a new home or 5? Bid on a space date with Leo DiCaprio? Write a check for a $15 million black-diamond iPhone? Yes, there is such a thing; you can find out more about it in the gallery below.

Over the weeks to come, we'll take a look at some of the most ultra-luxurious tech out there, starting with a few seriously blinged-out smartphones and tablets. Some of the grandiose gadgets you'll see in this week's collection might make you roll your eyes, while others might inspire you to pick up a few hundred extra hours at work. … Read more

The entire history of Windows in one video

Windows has come a long way over the decades from the now antiquated-looking boxes of Windows 1.0 to the layers upon layers of desktops, start screens, charms, tiles, and whatever that bar on the left is in Windows 8.

Now, you can spend a little over an hour watching the entire evolution of Windows unfold in the video below. For some reason, someone spent what looks to be a few hours (the video seems to have been sped up) upgrading Windows using a virtual machine all the way from Windows 1.0 to the latest Windows 8 Pro.

Dell to challenge Lenovo's Yoga with 11-inch convertible laptop

Dell plans to offer consumers its own flavor of an 11.6-inch convertible laptop with Windows 8 by year's end.

Due out in time for the 2013 holiday season, the Dell XPS 11 ultrabook will sport a hinged keyboard that allows it to transform into a Windows 8 tablet, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Demoed at the Computex computer show in Taipei on Monday, the XPS 11 will offer a high-resolution screen with a 2,560x1,440 IPS (in-plane switching) display, say the folks at Engadget who checked out one of the prototypes. The IPS screen ensures that … Read more

Crave giveaway: Crucial SSD, plus System Mechanic PC tune-up software

Congrats to Enrique G. of Tracy, Calif., for winning a pair of Sennheiser Momentum headphones in last week's giveaway. This week, we're got a twofer -- hardware and software.

First off, the winner gets a 120GB Crucial M500 solid-state drive with a three-year limited warranty. Like most new SSDs, the Crucial M500 supports the SATA 3 (6Gbps) standard and has a standard 2.5-inch design with 7mm thickness. This means it can fit in all standard laptops and desktops, as well as some ultrabooks. If your computer is running on a hard drive, replacing it with an SSD will be a big upgrade in terms of performance.

Once you've revved up your machine with your new drive, you can make sure it runs like new longer with the other half of this week's prize -- a copy of Iolo's System Mechanic, a highly rated PC tune-up suite designed to fix and clean up your machine. You'll be getting version 11.5, which works with all versions of Windows. … Read more