Looking not unlike the Apple MacBook Air, the new Toshiba Kirabook is a high-end offering in the Ultrabook space. Key features include 2560-by-1440 color-calibrated resolution on a 13.3” display and a magnesium casing that helps keep the weight down to 2.6lb. A starting price of $1599 means you’ll be looking carefully at the other specs before buying. A few of them are quite surprising.

After a few days of setting up and testing I’ve spent a good amount of time with all of the submissions to the Ultimate Coder Challenge where showcase applications are being built for a Lenovo Yoga 13 Ultrabook to demonstrate the Intel Perceptual Computing hardware. It has at times been frustrating but as I write this I do feel a rush of excitement for a new wave of input methods. It will take some years to perfect this technology, software and methods but, without a doubt, there’s something special going […]

I’m writing this review of the Sony Vaio Duo on a Lenovo Yoga 13. It’s not a good start for the Vaio is it. The fact is though the Sony Vaio Duo is a really useful Ultrabook convertible and it has surprised me. Sliders. They are in many respect a compromise. The space left for a keyboard is cramped and the hinge mechanism is complex leading to worries about longevity. In the past, I confess, sliders have always appeared to me as the show-off devices that don’t really deliver. I’ve […]

The Wall Street Journal says that “people familiar inch with Microsoft’s plans are tipping a new line-up of Surface Tablets, including a 7-inch model. Is the ultra mobile PC coming back or are Microsoft planning a Windows RT-based 7-inch tablet? It’s simple. If the Windows Store grows, there’s an opportunity for some innovation in this area. But only if the Windows Store grows considerably.

Doug Fisher the General Manager of Intel’s Systems Software Division (Bio) took 45 minutes at IDF Beijing this week to present the latest Intel information for software developers. He talked about operating systems, tools, perceptual computing, HTML5 and 4 myths. In this post I’ve summarized the 45 minute presentation under the four ‘myth’headings to give you an idea of the highlights of Intel’s software program. Much of it is related to Ultrabooks.  I also recommend you check the presentation out in full here.

  You’ll be amazed at how big, fat and heavy even recent laptops look and feel after you’ve been using thin and light Ultrabooks. Here’s one my wife’s company is still using – I nearly laughed my £^$% off when I saw it! Intel are capitalizing on this with a brilliant new ad. I’m sure it will strike a chord with many. The short video is called Kids and it’s embedded below. “Out with the old, In with the Ultrabook.” We couldn’t agree more.

7 teams are competing in the Ultimate Coder Challenge where showcase applications are being built for a Lenovo Yoga 13 Ultrabook to demonstrate the Intel Perceptual Computing hardware. I’m one of the judges and this is the last week of the competition for the competitors. The competition closes on April 12th and that leaves just over 2 days before developers have to hand over their apps to us. My equipment arrives tomorrow so I’ll be setting up the Lenovo Yoga 13 and the perceptual computing kit over the weekend. I’m looking forward […]

Presented in the Intel Developer Forum Beijing keynote, the unknown Toshiba Portege ‘detachable’ has now been identified as the Toshiba Portege Z10T. It’s a 10” hybrid running a new low-power Core. It’s coming in Q2.