CES 2012: Computers and Hardware- Page 5

Amped Wireless R10000G router gears to redefine Wi-Fi coverage

LAS VEGAS--Most of us live in an apartment of about 1,000 square feet or less; Amped Wireless says it new router can cover an area 10 times larger.

The company showed off at CES 2012 the new R10000G High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Router. Powered by a 620MHz processor, dual high-power Wi-Fi 600mW amplifiers, and dual high-gain 5dBi antennas, this new router is set to deliver up to 10,000 square feet of Wi-Fi coverage.

To put things in perspective, most regular routers have a wireless output power of 50 milliwatts (mW); the R10000G is 600mW.

Amped Wireless says … Read more

Dell shows off its aluminum, carbon fiber XPS 13 ultrabook

LAS VEGAS--Dell's got a new ultrabook on the way, and it's making use of aluminum and carbon fiber to get the job done.

During Intel's keynote here tonight, the vice chairman of Dell, Jeff Clarke, brought out the freshly-announced XPS 13, the new 13-inch model in Dell's XPS line that falls into the ultrabook category.

The sub-three-pound notebook is 6mm at its thinnest point and made out of machined aluminum. The base of the machine is made out of carbon fiber.

The machine, which the company will begin taking orders for in February, supports Intel's … Read more

So, what's an ultrabook, again?

LAS VEGAS--Ask Intel, ask any laptop manufacturer at this year's CES what's going on, and ultrabook is going to come up. It's all anyone can talk about, it seems. Intel's entire 2012 CES press conference was about them. Acer, Samsung, Toshiba, HP, Lenovo--go down the list, and it's what they're showing at the convention.

So, what are ultrabooks, exactly?

That's the kick, and the rub, and the problem I see for ultrabooks at the moment: just when we're beginning to figure them out, the line defining them is completely blurring. How the … Read more

Hey, there you are! Razer Blade gaming laptop re-emerges at CES

LAS VEGAS--Remember CES 2011? We recall it fondly. Glasses-free 3D. Endless tablets. Razer's Switchblade concept gaming laptop.

Well, some things never change, including the fact that we're still waiting to see an actual Razer laptop hit stores. The Razer Blade, an evolution of last year's Switchblade design, was announced at the end of August last year during PAX's gaming convention. Its release was supposed to be imminent, and suddenly, like a celebrity heading into rehab, it disappeared.

The Razer Blade is back again at CES 2012, and according to Razer, it'll be available at the end of the month.… Read more

ARM's secret to success: Not doing things the Intel way

LAS VEGAS--ARM believes that its success is tied to doing things very differently from Intel. And you can't argue with its success.

I spoke to Ian Drew, executive vice president of strategy at chip design firm ARM, on the CES show floor here on Tuesday.

Q: You've seen tremendous success over the last few years. ARM chips are in virtually every smartphone and tablet out there. Can you comment? Drew: We shipped 8 billion (processor) cores last year. Look at the growth of smartphones. The diversity of our product lines. Look at how this business has changed over … Read more