Intel's "Next Unit of Computing" (NUC) makes an appearance at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2012-- a red 10cm x 10cm box carrying a new board format and a fairly low price.

We all know compact PCs (such as the Via Pico ITX) are nothing new, but Intel pushes the smaller form factor futher. NUC carries a mobile Core i3 Ivy Bridge CPU, QS77 chipset (with integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics), x2 dual-channel DDR3 SoDIMM slots, mSATA and mini-PCIe interfaces, all within a dimunitive motherboard and cooling Continue reading...

Is transparent the colour (or lack thereof, rather) of future semiconductors? The combination of metal oxides and ultraviolet (UV) light might pave the road to such electronics, according to a team of scientists.

Current non-transparent semiconductors are based on silicon, gallium arsenide (GaAS) and other opaque materials. Metal oxide semiconductors, on the other hand, are not only transparent but also very efficient. However working on metal oxides demands very high temperatures (350C)-- too Continue reading...

HP adds the first non-laptop product to the high-end Spectre family-- the Spectre One, an All-in-One (AIO) PC with a 23.6-inch display just 11.5mm thick.

The slim aluminium display comes at a price though. Unlike most newly-launched AIO PCs using the touch-friendly Windows 8, the Spectre One lacks a touchscreen.

HP still caters for customers wanting multitouch input, mind-- the Spectre One includes a wireless Apple-style touchpad, as well as a wireless keyboard.

Powering the Spectre One are Intel Continue reading...

Lenovo unveils a portfolio of Windows 8-ready laptops and All-in-One (AIO) PCs at IFA 2012-- the IdeaPad U510 ultrabook, the IdeaPad Y and Z series laptops and the IdeaCentre A and B Series AIO desktops.

All carry either 3rd generation Intel Core processors or AMD A-series processors and offer consumers with "a variety of style, color and performance options."

A successor to the IdeaPad U410, the U510 is a 15-inch ultrabook with an Intel Core i7 processor and up to 1TB of HDD storage (with optional 32GB SSD cache). It has an integrated DVD reader/writer (or Blu-ray drive), is 21mm thick and weighs around 2.2kg.

The IdeaPad Y series (Y400 and Y500) laptops on show at IFA are "mobile gaming and multimedia powerhouses" according to the company. Both feature what Lenovo calls an "UltraBay"-- an interchangeable bay allowing users to swap between dual graphics capability, increased storage space or additional cooling.

MSI announces the first All-in-One (AIO) PCs with official Microsoft Windows 8 certification-- the Wind Top AE2281G and the Wind Top AE2081.

Both models carry a 3rd generation Intel Core processor, Nvidia Geforce GT630M graphics card and ship an optional multitouch display. Connections come through two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports.

The company claims all components are "Military Class," with optimal lifetimes even under heavy conditions.

Go MSI AE2281G and AE2081

PC shipments in W. Europe total 13.6m units in Q2 2012-- a 2.4% Y-o-Y decline according to Gartner, as all markets record "weak overall" shipments despite a "slight uptake" in mobile PCs.

Mobile PCs are the only growing market segment in the region (4% Y-o-Y) as desktops decline further by -12.8% Y-o-Y. The professional PC market drops by -5.3% Y-o-Y while consumer PCs remain virtually flat (0.4% Y-o-Y growth).

The three biggest W. European countries see either declines or remain flat in Q2 2012. Gartner describes the UK PC market as "very weak" (shipments total 2.5m units and decline by -7.6% Y-o-Y), French shipments grow slightly (0.7% Y-o-Y to 2.5m units) and Germany goes through an "interim quarter" (shipments total 2.6m with a -6.5% Y-o-Y decline).

We all know the reason for the drop in shipments by now-- consumer PC spending remains stalled due to ongoing economic uncertainty. The wait for Windows 8 doesn't help much, either. Continue reading...

OK, maybe we should count the iPad as the top product that caught Intel by surprise. But the next biggest surprise, and this one more positive for Intel, is the come-back of the All-in-One.

Who would have guessed that All-in-One would have a resurgence?

The All-in-One essentially replaces a desktop, so Kirk Skaugen, VP and GM of the PC client business group has responsibility for the Intel All-in-One market.

He says OEMs already have 18 Thin Mini-ITX motherboards in development. Many of these Continue reading...

Foxconn refreshes its nettop line with two Nano PCs-- the AT-5250 and AT-5600, both inside sleek black housing with a fanless design Foxconn claims is the most quiet yet.

The housing is rather compact, measuring 19 x 13.5 x 3.8cm. The AT-5250 carries an Cedar View D2500 (1.86GHz) processor and integrated Intel graphics, while the AT-5600 comes with an AMD Brazos E450 (1.65GHz) and a Radeon HD 6320 graphics chip.

The PCs lack memory or storage, and support 2.5-inch HDDs and 1.8/2.5-inch SSDs. Ports Continue reading...