Ultrasmart ME series UltraBook by HCL in India starting at Rs 51,990

HCL has launched the Ultrasmart ME range of UltraBooks in India which start at Rs 51,990. These UltraBooks utilize the latest Intel third generation Ivy Bridge processors, slim form factors of under 18mm, a 14-inch display with a WXGA resolution of 1366×768 pixels and boast a hybrid combination of 32GB SSD and 500GB HDD storage and 4GB of RAM.

The Ultrasmart ME weighs 1.7Kg and comes equipped with a plethora of connectivity options including two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, 1.3-megapixel web camera and one HDMI port. For graphics, these UltraBooks utilize the integrated Intel graphics solution and don’t come with a dedicated GPU. HCL also claims that the Ultrasmart ME has an advanced 2x2watt sound system and a trackpad that supports multi-touch gestures.

Of course, the Ultrasmart ME also comes in higher-end variants can come with up to 8GB of RAM and will be available in variants that offer Intel i5, and i7 processors as well and up to 750GB of hard drive space. There is also a 128GB SSD only variant that will cost Rs 54,990.

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Sony Vaio Duo 11 Windows 8 dockable tablet on Internet now

Windows 8 is scheduled to hit markets on October 26, but that does not mean that we won’t get a peek at the hardware that will power the OS. Microsoft has already done that with its Surface, Acer and Asus showed some devices at Computex and Samsung is set to showcase something at IFA. Where does that leave Sony? Well, photographs of a Windows 8 based Sony tablet, dubbed the Vaio Duo 11, have emerged on the Internet.PocketNow has the official-looking press photos of the device, which happens to be an 11-inch Windows 8 convertible.

The slate seems to borrow some ideas from Microsoft’s own Surface, but unlike the Surface its keyboard is fixed on to the main chassis and it can slide back when one wants to use it solely like a traditional tablet. The images also suggest that the tablet has a backlit keyboard, but interestingly, there is no sign of a touchpad or a mouse. It is also likely to run on Windows Pro than Windows RT, considering one of the photographs shows a full-fledged MS Office screenshot.

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Microsoft shows off Windows 8 on USB stick at WPC 2012

Microsoft has already had a very exciting WPC 2012. It has already announced the approximate date of the consumer release of Windows 8, additionally the company announced the takeover of Perceptive Pixel and also talked about the momentum behind Windows 7. One thing however, that went rather unnoticed was a demo of Windows 8 on a USB drive users can not only get their data on a different computer, but also can run Windows 8 even on a machine running Windows 7.

This version of Windows 8 has been dubbed “Windows To Go” and the user’s apps and settings can be mounted on a 32GB USB drive so that the user can turn any machine into his/her home computer. Microsoft thinks this could be a neat way for corporate users to access their data on multiple PCs. Previous embedded versions of Windows have also supported booting from USB but with Windows To Go, Microsoft has managed bake in the entire Windows 8 OS on to a USB drive as a fully functional PC.

Microsoft has added a lot of security functionality to Windows to Go, such as a security feature that pauses the whole system if the USB drive is detached, to prevent data loss and if the USB drive is not reattached in 60 seconds the PC shuts down so that the data stored on the RAM cannot be displayed. It will also be possible to encrypt Windows To Go using Bitlocker technology.

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Nokia gifts Jolla MeeGo patents

Just as the buzz about Jolla started to storm the Internet with its aim of building MeeGo devices, many started wondering how will company the incorporate the beautiful swipe UI of MeeGo Harmattan seen in the N9. Well, today Jolla founder Jussi Hurmola told Finnish website ItViikko that Nokia had in fact gifted the required patents to former Nokia employees who were bound to get fired so that they could start their own venture as a part of the Nokia Bridge project.

He said that Nokia should be commended for its support rather than be panned for joining the Windows Phone camp. However, it is not known what patents were handed over to Jolla so we cannot confirm if the lovely swipe UI will ever grace another device.

Hurmola also declined to say whether apps built for the Nokia N9 will be compatible with Jolla’s MeeGo hardware, though he noted that a solid apps ecosystem, which comprised a great number of quality apps was the key to building a successful smartphone platform typified by Nokia and Microsoft’s massive campaign to woo developers for the Windows Phone platform.

MeeGo was supposed to be Nokia’s next generation smartphone platform, which would have succeeded Symbian. Nokia had tied up with Intel, which was working on its own smartphone OS, to create MeeGo. However, priorities changed when Stephen Elop took over as Nokia’s CEO and found the progress on MeeGo’s development to be too slow to make a difference in the market. Elop abandoned MeeGo and went for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform instead.

Nokia introduced only one MeeGo smartphone last year, the N9, which was launched in limited countries but got raving reviews for its UI and hardware. Nokia borrowed the N9′s laminated edge-to-edge display and polycarbonate plastic body for its first Windows Phone device, the Lumia 800.

Nokia’s Mark Durrant has reached out to SlashGear and has clarified that Nokia has not gifted any patents to Jolla. He says, “We’re proud of the support from our Bridge program to start-ups founded by former Nokia people, but we have not gifted Nokia patents to any of them, including Jolla.”

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