The Dell XPS 13 line of laptops feature thin designs, super-slim screen bezels, and awkward camera placement. The lowest price for a model with a Core i5 Skylake processor at Dell.com is $910 (with the use of coupon code 10OFFAWXPS).
But right now you can pick up a Dell XPS 13 with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage for $776 from Amazon.
Looking for something a little cheaper?
Continue reading Deals of the Day (4-20-2016) at Liliputing.
The Dell XPS 13 line of laptops feature thin designs, super-slim screen bezels, and awkward camera placement. The lowest price for a model with a Core i5 Skylake processor at Dell.com is $910 (with the use of coupon code 10OFFAWXPS).
But right now you can pick up a Dell XPS 13 with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage for $776 from Amazon.
Looking for something a little cheaper?
Continue reading Deals of the Day (4-20-2016) at Liliputing.
Chinese company LeEco showed off one of the first smartphones with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor at CES in January (before the company changed its name from LeTV).
Now LeEco is launching three new phones: the Le 2, the Le 2 Pro, and the Le 2 Max. All three are among the first Android phones to lack headphone jacks (you can use Bluetooth headphones or connect a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter). And the most powerful model has 6GB of RAM, which makes it one of a small, but growing, number of phones with that much memory.
Chinese company LeEco showed off one of the first smartphones with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor at CES in January (before the company changed its name from LeTV).
Now LeEco is launching three new phones: the Le 2, the Le 2 Pro, and the Le 2 Max. All three are among the first Android phones to lack headphone jacks (you can use Bluetooth headphones or connect a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter). And the most powerful model has 6GB of RAM, which makes it one of a small, but growing, number of phones with that much memory.
Chinese device makers have been producing lookalikes of Apple laptops, tablets, and smartphones for ages. But Onda’s latest familiar-looking laptop isn’t a MacBook Air clone… it looks like a Microsoft Surface Book.
But while Microsoft’s laptop with a detachable screen and an unusual hinge sells for $1499 and up, it’s likely that the Ondo oBook 11 Pro will have a much more affordable price tag.
Under the hood, the oBook 11 Pro laptop has an Intel Skylake Core M3-6Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of solid state storage.
Chinese device makers have been producing lookalikes of Apple laptops, tablets, and smartphones for ages. But Onda’s latest familiar-looking laptop isn’t a MacBook Air clone… it looks like a Microsoft Surface Book.
But while Microsoft’s laptop with a detachable screen and an unusual hinge sells for $1499 and up, it’s likely that the Ondo oBook 11 Pro will have a much more affordable price tag.
Under the hood, the oBook 11 Pro laptop has an Intel Skylake Core M3-6Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of solid state storage.
Google Android is an open source operating system. That means anyone can install or modify the software, and some companies have even released their own custom forks of the operating system such as Amazon’s Fire OS (for tablets and TV boxes) or Cyanogen Inc’s Cyanogen OS (for phones… so far).
But some of the key features of many Android phones are not open source, such as the Google Play Store and official Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps apps.
Google Android is an open source operating system. That means anyone can install or modify the software, and some companies have even released their own custom forks of the operating system such as Amazon’s Fire OS (for tablets and TV boxes) or Cyanogen Inc’s Cyanogen OS (for phones… so far).
But some of the key features of many Android phones are not open source, such as the Google Play Store and official Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps apps.
Canonical releases a new version of its Ubuntu Linux operating system every six months, which means that sometimes it’s hard to spot the big new changes from one release to the next.
But this week the company is releasing Ubuntu 16.04 and it’s special for a few reasons. First, it’s a Long Term Support (or LTS) release, which means Canonical will continue to offer support and software updates for 5 years. And second, this is the first full version of Ubuntu to support snap packages as well as .deb packages.
Continue reading Ubuntu 16.04 LTS launches April 21st at Liliputing.
Canonical releases a new version of its Ubuntu Linux operating system every six months, which means that sometimes it’s hard to spot the big new changes from one release to the next.
But this week the company is releasing Ubuntu 16.04 and it’s special for a few reasons. First, it’s a Long Term Support (or LTS) release, which means Canonical will continue to offer support and software updates for 5 years. And second, this is the first full version of Ubuntu to support snap packages as well as .deb packages.
Continue reading Ubuntu 16.04 LTS launches April 21st at Liliputing.
Chip maker Intel has announced a restructuring plan that will reduce the company’s workforce by 12,000 people and save the company about $750 million per year. But Intel says the goal isn’t just to save money, but also to shift its priorities and focus more on growth areas including data centers and Internet of Things businesses.
The job cuts are expected to take place by mid-2017, and will consist of “a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures.”
Intel is probably best known for making the processors that power personal computers including desktop, notebook, and many tablet and 2-in-1 devices.
Chip maker Intel has announced a restructuring plan that will reduce the company’s workforce by 12,000 people and save the company about $750 million per year. But Intel says the goal isn’t just to save money, but also to shift its priorities and focus more on growth areas including data centers and Internet of Things businesses.
The job cuts are expected to take place by mid-2017, and will consist of “a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures.”
Intel is probably best known for making the processors that power personal computers including desktop, notebook, and many tablet and 2-in-1 devices.
Computers with Intel Atom Cherry Trail processors generally offer better performance than models with older Bay Trail chips. For example, the 2nd-gen Intel Compute Stick with an Atom x5-Z8300 outperformed the 1st-gen model with an Atom Z3735F chip in pretty much every CPU and graphics speed test I could throw at it.
But there’s one area where Bay Trail chips have had an edge until recently: support for delivering audio over HDMI when running Linux.
Continue reading Audio over HDMI comes to Intel Cherry Trail PCs running Linux at Liliputing.
Computers with Intel Atom Cherry Trail processors generally offer better performance than models with older Bay Trail chips. For example, the 2nd-gen Intel Compute Stick with an Atom x5-Z8300 outperformed the 1st-gen model with an Atom Z3735F chip in pretty much every CPU and graphics speed test I could throw at it.
But there’s one area where Bay Trail chips have had an edge until recently: support for delivering audio over HDMI when running Linux.
Continue reading Audio over HDMI comes to Intel Cherry Trail PCs running Linux at Liliputing.
Cross-platform media player VLC has a reputation as a Swiss Army Knife for media, allowing you to play pretty much any audio or video file you can find. There are versions of VLC available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and a handful of other platforms… and soon there’ll be a version designed for Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform.
That means that starting in May, you’ll be able to use the same VLC media player on a Windows 10 desktop, phone, or even Xbox One game console.
Continue reading VLC media player Universal Windows app coming in May at Liliputing.
Cross-platform media player VLC has a reputation as a Swiss Army Knife for media, allowing you to play pretty much any audio or video file you can find. There are versions of VLC available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and a handful of other platforms… and soon there’ll be a version designed for Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform.
That means that starting in May, you’ll be able to use the same VLC media player on a Windows 10 desktop, phone, or even Xbox One game console.
Continue reading VLC media player Universal Windows app coming in May at Liliputing.
Chinese device maker Pico has unveiled a new virtual reality system that the company says is the first to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. But unlike some all-in-one headsets that feature Android-based software, the Pico Neo doesn’t cram the processor, memory, and RAM into the headset itself.
Instead, the Pico Neo’s processor is packed into a game controller. This serves a few purposes. First, you don’t have to worry about the headset getting too hot (or your face getting to hot due to a heavy headset).
Chinese device maker Pico has unveiled a new virtual reality system that the company says is the first to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. But unlike some all-in-one headsets that feature Android-based software, the Pico Neo doesn’t cram the processor, memory, and RAM into the headset itself.
Instead, the Pico Neo’s processor is packed into a game controller. This serves a few purposes. First, you don’t have to worry about the headset getting too hot (or your face getting to hot due to a heavy headset).
SolidRun recently unveiled a tiny computer with an Intel Braswell processor. Now it’s available for pre-order for $100 and up.
The SolidPC Q4 will eventually be available with a choice of an Intel Atom x5-E8000 or Intel Pentium N3700 processor and up to 8GB of RAM, although only the Atom version is available at launch.
Other features include HDMI and DisplayPort for up to two displays, three USB 3.0 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, a microSD card interface, headphone and mic jacks, and support for mini PCIe and M.2 connectors.
SolidRun recently unveiled a tiny computer with an Intel Braswell processor. Now it’s available for pre-order for $100 and up.
The SolidPC Q4 will eventually be available with a choice of an Intel Atom x5-E8000 or Intel Pentium N3700 processor and up to 8GB of RAM, although only the Atom version is available at launch.
Other features include HDMI and DisplayPort for up to two displays, three USB 3.0 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, a microSD card interface, headphone and mic jacks, and support for mini PCIe and M.2 connectors.