If you own a Windows 8 Ultrabook or laptop, then beware: according to Michael Prospero of LAPTOP Magazine, the average battery life of each category has gone down ever since the arrival of Windows 8 products.

Using a variety of products for testing (such as the Dell XPS 12, Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, Sony VAIO Duo 11, and Toshiba U925t), Prospero concluded that the average battery life for ultraportables sat at 5 hours and 9 minutes. Meanwhile, the Thin & Lights category fell to 5 hours and 7 minutes on average.

There could potentially be several different issues causing the low battery life, from the touch-screens, the operating system, or the various software that comes pre-installed. Nonetheless, considering that ultrabooks are supposedly known for their long battery life (thus the reason behind the drastic change from removable batteries to internal batteries), this definitely proposes an issue in today's electronics.

This isn't to say that the problem will remain: even with smartphones, many OTA (over-the-air) hotfixes and updates have been applied in order to increase battery life. It remains to be seen whether Windows 8 will fall in line with this trend though, or if the drop in battery life can be pinpointed to other reasons.

Sources: laptopmag.com

The iPad mini has arrived! Ever since the reveal of Apple’s new iPad Mini on October 23, in-store iPad mini was finally released on November 3rd.  All iPad mini versions (white & Silver, Black & Slate, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi + Cellular) are now available for purchase in stores. The Wi-Fi only iPad mini price is starting at $329 (16GB), $429 (32GB) and $529 (64GB). The pricing on the Wi-Fi + Cellular is starting at $459 (16GB), $559 (32GB) and $656 (64GB).

Check out the specs below for the new iPad mini.

Apple iPad Mini Specifications:

Color:  Black & Slate / White & Silver
Models: Wi-Fi / Wi-Fi + Cellular (Carrier includes AT&T, Sprint and Verizon)
Size and Weight: Height 7.87 inches/ Width 5.3 inches/ Depth 0.28 inch/Weight 0.69 pound
Storage: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB
Wireless and Cellular:

• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11 n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)

• Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Model A1454

• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• LTE (Bands 4 and 17)

Model A1455*

• CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
• Data only
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Carriers: AT&T / Sprint / Verizon

Display: 

• 7.9-inch (diagonal) LED- Backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology

• 1024x768 resolutions at 163 pixels per inch

• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Chip: Dual Core A5

Cameras, Photos and Recoding:

FaceTime HD Camera

    1.2MP photos
    720p HD video
    FaceTime video calling over Wi‑Fi or cellular4
    Face detection
    Backside illumination
    Tap to control exposure for video or still images
    Photo and video geotagging

iSight Camera

    5MP photos
    Autofocus
    Face detection
    Backside illumination
    Five-element lens
    Hybrid IR filter
    ƒ/2.4 aperture
    Tap to focus video or still images
    Tap to control exposure for video or still images
    Photo and video geotagging

Video Recording

    1080p HD video recording
    Video stabilization
    Face detection
    Tap to focus while recording
    Backside illumination

If you want to see the complete specs for iPad mini, visit apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/.

Sources:

http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/overview/
http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-ipad-mini-unveiled-release-date-set-friday-nov-2-pre-orders-begin-oct-26-852474

Lightning is a new power connector designed created by Apple for its 2012 products such as the iPhone 5, the IPod Touch 5th generation, the IPod nano 7th generation, the iPad 4th generation and the iPad mini.

Lightning is an all-digital 8-pin port connector, Apple’s replacement for its 30-pin port connector. Unlike the 30-pin connector, the new 8-pin connector is reversible and can be inserted into the device with either side facing up. Furthermore, the 8-pin connector’s key benefit is its size and it is approximately 80 percent smaller than the 30-pin connector. To comply with the 30-pin connector devices, Apple sells Lightning-to-30-pin-adapters for $29.

According to the latest news from Apple Insider, Belkin has announced two new accessories designed for Apple’s lighting connector. They will be the first official third-party lighting accessories to hit the market. Belkin’s lightning accessories are now available for pre-order on the company’s website and in-store purchases will be available in mid-November. It is said that Belkin’s car charger for lightning with a 4-foot lightning cable and over-voltage protection will be sold at $29.99. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.belkin.com/us/F8J075/p/P-F8J075.

Sources:

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electronics-weekly-blog/2012/09/only-connect-apples-new-lightning-connector-splits.html
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/12/the-iphone-5-comes-with-the-new-lightning-connector/
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/11/05/first-official-third-party-lightning-accessories-announced-by-belkin
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/16/3511788/apple-lightning-connector-security-chip

A good rule of thumb is "the bigger the better". This hasn't necessarily applied to notebooks though, especially with the emergence of the Ultrabook category, where everything seems to be getting thinner and more sleek. Toshiba, however, seems to want to change things up: in a bold move, they've released the Satellite U845W Ultrabook, which has an extra-wide screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio.

Weighing in at 4 pounds, the 14.4" ultrabook sports a 1792x768 panel, making it excellent for viewing windows side-by-side. One would think that the screen size offers a distinct advantage when watching movies as well, but since most media isn't filmed in this aspect ratio, you'll usually just wind up with black blocks on the left and right sides of the screen. That isn't to say that the screen itself and the images it projects are bad: in fact, it's quite the contrary, and the ultrabook provides everything you'd expect.

As far as battery-life is concerned, the Satellite U845W lasted just a little over 5 hours when run through Engadget's tests. The tech site also confirms, "That's on par with other 14-inch Ultrabooks, such as the Series 5, which lasted five hours and nine minutes."

For a more in-depth look at this wide-screened behemoth, check out Engadget's full review.

Source: engadget

Rumors have been abuzz for days over Microsoft's press event yesterday. Most claimed that Microsoft would unveil their own tablet; the rumors were right. Finally, the big Windows-creator will be joining the tablet market under their latest product, the Microsoft Surface.

The tablet will be available in two versions: one runs with Windows 8 on Intel's Ivy Bridge chips, while the other is powered by Windows RT on an ARM chipset. The two versions are slightly different in several aspects as well, changing in software, hardware, and size. However, both products are 10.6-inches, will have a built-in kickstand, and are built with a magnesium casing. There are also additional keyboard-covers purchasable for either tablet, available in either the touch-variety or type-variety.

The Windows 8-powered Surface tablet will come in either 64GB or 128GB of storage space, supports USB 3.0, and has a 10.6-inch ClearType "Full HD" display. This model also has the bonus of additional digital ink support that utilizes a pen which magnetically connects to the tablet. Meanwhile, the ARM-powered version has slightly less space, arriving in either 32GB or 64GB, but still has the 10.6-inch ClearType HD display.

Microsft says that the Intel-tablet will efficiently compete against other Intel Ultrabooks, and the ARM-tablet can hold it's own against other ARM-competitors. The ARM-tablet is currently expected to ship out when Windows 8 releases in October, with the Intel tablet following three months afterwards.

Source: TheVerge