Here is a roundup of the latest news this week from the technology world.
Acer states that Packard Bell will now be for low cost laptops
Acer has revealed that it will be leaving low cost laptop market with Packard Bell set to completely take over this domain. Acer purchased Packard Bell in 2008 and with this announcement makes the company’s future clearer.
An Acer spokesperson told the technology website TechRadar that, "Acer is moving away from the lower end. There is going to be a crossover but the key volume of the market is around the £400 mark.”
He added, "Acer will become more premium. We try to separate the two brands as far as possible, so the average consumer has no idea that the two brands are associated."
Acer is set to focus on competing in more premium laptop market going against the likes Dell, HP, Asus and, of course, Apple.
Packard Bell unveils EasyNote TV and EasyNote TE
Packard Bell has announced two new notebooks into the market with the EasyNote TV and EasyNote TE. The EasyNote TV has some noticeable differences when compared with EasyNote TE like the chiclet keyboard. It has been design with a bamboo weave effect giving it that stylish finish.
The display screen will be 15.6-inches with a 1366 by 768 resolution. Under the bonnet of the laptop is the second generation Intel processor with nVidia graphics. The processors are likely to be from Core i3 or i5 range with either GeForce GT620M or 630M graphics card.
The EasyNote TV will also come with Adobe Photoshop Elements. The EasyNote TE has the specifications but is minus the chiclet keyboard.
Windows 8 to remove desktop gadgets
Reports have surfaced that Microsoft is set to remove the desktop gadgets in the forthcoming operating system Windows 8. The report states that the build version 844x of Windows 8 no longer has this feature with no reference being made in the operating system control panel.
This mark a departure from the Consumer and Release Preview of the OS, which did have desktop gadgets. Desktop gadgets were first seen in Windows Vista allowing users to have HTML widgets in the sidebar. The sidebar was not featured in the Windows 7 but was still supported by the operating system.
By removing the desktop gadgets, Microsoft can push ahead with its Metro interface. Apps within the Metro UI can be based on HTML with functionality tied with the Live Tiles. It would see applications controlled by the Metro UI as you will not be able to use them when in Windows 8 desktop mode.
It could be that when the final version of Windows 8 will see support for desktop gadgets return.
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Other News:
Nokia claims the Google Nexus 7 tablet infringes on its patents
http://www.t3.com/news/nokia-claims-the-google-nexus-7-tablet-infringes-on-its-patents
Archos 97 carbon Android tablet wants you to forget the Nexus 7
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/46390/archos-97-carbon-android-tablet