CES 2012: Computers and Hardware- Page 8

Nvidia and Asus take on Kindle, Nook with $249 tablet

While no huge announcements came out of Nvidia's CES conference this afternoon, the company did manage to fuel the tablet price wars by teasing a yet-to-be named 7-inch, Tegra 3-based tablet that Asus plans to sell for just $249.

A company spokesman confirmed that there's no launch date for the tablet, which would be similar to the powerful Asus Transformer Prime and would ship with the newest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. Strictly from a hardware perspective, though, it's sure to provide some fierce competition for Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet.

Along with that announcement, Nvidia … Read more

Power-line networking data rate to double, HomePlug says

LAS VEGAS--Your home's electrical wiring is about to get supercharged for data speed, should you choose to use it as cabling of a computer network.

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance (HPA) announced today the availability of the HomePlug AV2 specification. This is the upgrade to the current HomePlug AV, used in Powerline AV 500 products such as the D-Link DHP-501AV, the Netgear XAV5001, or the D-Link DHP-540, that offers up to 500Mbps throughput speed.

HPA says that this new HomePlug technology enables significant performance and coverage for broadband networking over power-line wires while remaining fully interoperable with existing HomePlug AV-based … Read more

HP and the great glass ultrabook: Envy 14 Spectre, hands-on

It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded world of ultrabooks, but HP is betting that a liberal dose of Gorilla Glass will do the trick.

The newly announced HP Spectre is the most glass-covered laptop we've ever seen. Is that a good thing? We've seen glass-heavy smartphones like the iPhone 4, but not so much in laptops...until now. At CES 2012, we got a good close-up look at HP's bold Envy redesign.

The Spectre is HP's first consumer-oriented ultrabook (the HP Folio 13 released last year was technically HP's first ultrabook, … Read more

Epson Artisan 1430 prints your Bieber posters (almost) true to size

LAS VEGAS--True Beliebers never travel without signage materials, but what to do with the photos you take with JB here at CES?

Invest in the new Epson Artisan 1430 wide-format photo printer and you can print a personalized poster to bring to the next sighting.

Amateur photo enthusiasts and image professionals will both find the Artisan 1430 easy to use now that the printer is compatible with Epson Connect, a mobile app that lets users print directly from a variety of compatible iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and tablet devices.… Read more

Lenovo bends over backward at CES (live blog)

LAS VEGAS--Lenovo got a jump on the avalanche of CES news and made some product announcements in the days leading up to the giant Consumer Electronics Show.

The world's second-largest PC maker last week unveiled a new line of ThinkPad laptops that are slimmer and pack cutting-edge features such as Thunderbolt.

Today, Lenovo CEO Yang Yaunqing discussed the company's "four screen" strategy, involving PCs, tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs.

Among the products touted: the IdeaPad Yoga (a laptop with a hinge that lets it fold over in a "back bend" to become a tablet), … Read more

Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 joins march of the 27-inch all-in-ones

LAS VEGAS--HP was first, then came Vizio. Now Lenovo has a 27-inch all-in-one with its new IdeaCentre A720.

Beyond the large screen, Lenovo has also taken inspiration from HP and Samsung, offering a unique hinge that lets you use the A720's display in full horizontal mode.

Other than the hinge, the design of the A720 will of course look familiar to Apple fans. The edge-to-edge glass and CNC-tooled aluminum chassis borrow egregiously from current-generation iMacs. Lenovo even went so far as to ape the default Apple wallpaper.

Whether you demand originality in your all-in-ones, it's hard to deny … Read more