 "CES 2014: The eye-catchers")
Every gadget freak aspires to attend this annual pilgrimage - the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. And the rest try to keep a track of all the big-ticket announcements. But often, the overdose of information leads to confusion among the faithful. Here's our pick from CES 2014, which, we feel, you should be excited about.
ASUS Transformer Book Duet
What if you could use Windows for work and Android for play on the same device? The Transformer Book Duet attempts to do precisely that. And since it's from the Transformer line, one can use it both as a tablet as well as a laptop. One can switch between Android and Windows 8.1 instantly, at the push (touch, in tablet mode) of a button. Featuring an Intel Core i7 processor with 4GB of RAM (though no discrete graphics), this should be a decent gaming machine as well.
What's in it for you: The tablet comes with a 128GB SSD, while the keyboard dock houses a 1TB hard drive. Using all its modes - Android tablet, Android notebook, Windows tablet and Windows notebook - one effectively gets four devices in a single form factor. Micromax unveiled the Canvas LapTab at CES, a similar device
XOLO Win tablet
The Win is the world's first AMD accelerated processing unit-powered tablet. What it means is this Windows tablet from the Indian handset maker has at its core a mobile equivalent of the AMD desktop APUs - the same processor powers the computational and graphical abilities. The 10-inch tablet comes with 2GB of RAM with a 32 GB MultiMediaCard (MMC) reader. XOLO is known for its gaming phones, so it has a reputation to live up to.
What's in it for you: The tablet would hit stores in India by the end of this month. Need we say more? No word on pricing yet
If you're a business user, you probably never leave home without your trustworthy ThinkPad. But what if you could carry your ThinkPad in your jacket pocket? The ThinkPad 8 attempts to do precisely that. This 8-inch tablet runs Windows 8.1 and, when docked, works in full desktop mode. Add a monitor, mouse and keyboard and this Intel Atom-powered tablet will run most office applications. One can also expand the tablet's memory via microSD card and use a 3G SIM to access data. And it comes with an eight-megapixel (MP) rear and a 2MP front camera.
What's in it for you: While this isn't an iPad-killer, you have the option of carrying your computer around and using your familiar full-fledged Windows apps on the go.
Intel Edison
All of us know that wearable computing is the way to go. But sadly, till last year, most wearable devices (especially smart watches), had to be paired with another device for it to function. The Intel Edison aims to solve that problem by shrinking a Pentium-class processor to the size of an SD card. The low-powered Edison supports multiple operating systems and has built-in support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It also has its own app store.
What's in it for you: This Edison is supposed to be available in the later part of the year. Finally, we may fulfil the dream of wearing a full-fledged computer on our wrists
NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor
Not everyone is rushing to buy the two brand new consoles on the block. Many are hunched over their phones/tablets playing the latest mobile games. Possibly keeping these gamers in mind, NVIDIA launched the K1, a powerful processors with 192 cores. With that kind of raw power in hand, console-level games, with realistic graphics, can be brought to phones and tablets. NVIDIA plans to bring out both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the K1.
What's in it for you: The battle to power consoles is over, AMD having won that round. But a new one is just beginning, with NVIDIA's announcement of the K1. With the majors trying to outdo each other in the mobile gaming space, interesting times lie ahead
If you're a gamer, you surely know that Steam is to PC gaming what Google is to search. Steam put the wraps off as many as 13 different Steam machines, each at a different price point. The digital game distribution company says any system running the open-source Steam OS and shipping with the Steam controller can be called a Steam machine.
What's in it for you: True to its open source origins, there's no stopping you building your own steam system. The operating system is available free of charge and as long as you can do without the Steam controller, here's to happy PC gaming. As a bonus, you get a powerful workstation as well.
ASUS Transformer Book Duet
What if you could use Windows for work and Android for play on the same device? The Transformer Book Duet attempts to do precisely that. And since it's from the Transformer line, one can use it both as a tablet as well as a laptop. One can switch between Android and Windows 8.1 instantly, at the push (touch, in tablet mode) of a button. Featuring an Intel Core i7 processor with 4GB of RAM (though no discrete graphics), this should be a decent gaming machine as well.
What's in it for you: The tablet comes with a 128GB SSD, while the keyboard dock houses a 1TB hard drive. Using all its modes - Android tablet, Android notebook, Windows tablet and Windows notebook - one effectively gets four devices in a single form factor. Micromax unveiled the Canvas LapTab at CES, a similar device
XOLO Win tablet
The Win is the world's first AMD accelerated processing unit-powered tablet. What it means is this Windows tablet from the Indian handset maker has at its core a mobile equivalent of the AMD desktop APUs - the same processor powers the computational and graphical abilities. The 10-inch tablet comes with 2GB of RAM with a 32 GB MultiMediaCard (MMC) reader. XOLO is known for its gaming phones, so it has a reputation to live up to.
What's in it for you: The tablet would hit stores in India by the end of this month. Need we say more? No word on pricing yet
If you're a business user, you probably never leave home without your trustworthy ThinkPad. But what if you could carry your ThinkPad in your jacket pocket? The ThinkPad 8 attempts to do precisely that. This 8-inch tablet runs Windows 8.1 and, when docked, works in full desktop mode. Add a monitor, mouse and keyboard and this Intel Atom-powered tablet will run most office applications. One can also expand the tablet's memory via microSD card and use a 3G SIM to access data. And it comes with an eight-megapixel (MP) rear and a 2MP front camera.
What's in it for you: While this isn't an iPad-killer, you have the option of carrying your computer around and using your familiar full-fledged Windows apps on the go.
Intel Edison
All of us know that wearable computing is the way to go. But sadly, till last year, most wearable devices (especially smart watches), had to be paired with another device for it to function. The Intel Edison aims to solve that problem by shrinking a Pentium-class processor to the size of an SD card. The low-powered Edison supports multiple operating systems and has built-in support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It also has its own app store.
What's in it for you: This Edison is supposed to be available in the later part of the year. Finally, we may fulfil the dream of wearing a full-fledged computer on our wrists
NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor
Not everyone is rushing to buy the two brand new consoles on the block. Many are hunched over their phones/tablets playing the latest mobile games. Possibly keeping these gamers in mind, NVIDIA launched the K1, a powerful processors with 192 cores. With that kind of raw power in hand, console-level games, with realistic graphics, can be brought to phones and tablets. NVIDIA plans to bring out both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the K1.
What's in it for you: The battle to power consoles is over, AMD having won that round. But a new one is just beginning, with NVIDIA's announcement of the K1. With the majors trying to outdo each other in the mobile gaming space, interesting times lie ahead
If you're a gamer, you surely know that Steam is to PC gaming what Google is to search. Steam put the wraps off as many as 13 different Steam machines, each at a different price point. The digital game distribution company says any system running the open-source Steam OS and shipping with the Steam controller can be called a Steam machine.
What's in it for you: True to its open source origins, there's no stopping you building your own steam system. The operating system is available free of charge and as long as you can do without the Steam controller, here's to happy PC gaming. As a bonus, you get a powerful workstation as well.