Tag Archives: Inspiron14z

T-Mobile’s 4G Connect offers free 200MB of monthly data on PCs and tablets (hands-on)

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TMobile's 4G Connect offers free 200MB of monthly data on PCs and tablets handson

T-Mobile knows that the easiest way to get new customers is to give away your service for free, and it's handing access out like so much candy with its new 4G Connect strategy. Similar to what we've seen for Chromebooks, the deal supplies 200MB of free data every month for up to two years, right out of the box. Those who need more than casual email checks on the road just need to pay T-Mobile's prepaid rates to keep the broadband going. The Dell Inspiron 14z and HP Pavilion dm1 are the only devices available for now that qualify for the 4G Connect plan, but more are lined up for 2013, including (but not exclusively) devices with Qualcomm's Gobi chipsets in PCs or its Snapdragon chips in Windows RT tablets. T-Mobile tells us that we won't have to hunt down specific Magenta models, either -- once a PC line includes 4G Connect, every American variant should carry the needed modem as a matter of course.

We had the opportunity to try a Pavilion dm1 with 4G Connect, and it's clear that T-Mobile is largely letting the PC builder take priority. The hardware is very much vanilla on the outside. Most of what you'll notice, apart from reasonably fast HSPA+ data when you're away from WiFi, is a custom T-Mobile app. Both a Live Tile and the full app will show usage; diving in shows everything in a simple not-Metro layout with extra options for SMS messaging and topping up when the bandwidth runs low. Apart from having to register the PC in the first place, the service is as simple as we'd care to see. Now, where's our LTE connection?

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Source: T-Mobile

The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012

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It was last year that Intel chose Computex, a computer tradeshow in Taiwan, to introduce its Ultrabook concept to the world. Twelve months later, 110-plus models are in the pipeline, which meant the Taipei Convention Center was overrun by skinny, lightweight laptops. Make that skinny, touch-enabled laptops. Between those new Ivy Bridge chips and Microsoft putting the finishing touches on Windows 8, this week's show was nothing if not a five-day-long wedding between two tech giants: almost every device on display here was a vehicle for showing off Microsoft's glossy new OS. At every turn, a celebration of touchscreen notebooks.

With more than 30 hands-on posts this week, we can see where one Core i5 laptop might look like the next, or how you might have failed to keep up with Jonney Shih's rapid-fire product announcements. Now that we're wrapping up here in Taiwan, though, we're ready to take a step back and think about what it is we just saw. Whether you felt overwhelmed by our wall-to-wall coverage or just need to catch up, we suggest you meet us past the break for a quick recap of all the new Ultrabooks. Oh, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, you can check your trigger-happy finger at the door. With few exceptions, we're not expecting these to go on sale until the fall, when Windows 8 is expected to start shipping.

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The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell unveils Inspiron 14z Ultrabook, multimedia-friendly Inspiron 15R and 17R

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Dell unveils Inspiron 14z Ultrabook, multimedia-friendly Inspiron 15R and 17R

It's the season of the student-friendly Ultrabook, and Dell is no exception to the rule. The company may have released an Inspiron 14z last year, but it's now repurposing that name for its first Inspiron Ultrabook.

The new Inspiron 14z starts at $700 and comes standard with a second-gen Core i3 processor, though Core i5 and Core i7 Ivy Bridge options are available. It weighs a sturdy 4.1 pounds, which is far from light for an Ultrabook, but optical media fans will be happy to know that the design includes a disc drive. Storage options range from a 320GB drive up to 500GB with a 32GB SSD. In addition to the new 14z, Dell is offering 13-inch version. The 3.8-pound Inspiron 13z will go for $600, and like the 14z it includes both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPU options, along with the same storage configurations.

Dell also has four new Inspiron R models to introduce. The R, to jog your memory, stands for performance, and these are clearly multimedia-centric machines. Starting at $550, the Inspiron 15R comes standard with an Intel second-gen processor (Ivy Bridge configurations are available), Waves MaxxAudio 3 technology and up to 1TB of storage. The $600 Inspiron 17R offers the same CPU options, plus a gigantic 17.3-inch display with a 1600 x 900 resolution.

Dell is complementing those two systems with higher-end Special Edition versions. The Inspiron 15R Special Edition features an anodized aluminum lid, a Core i5 or Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor and an optical drive for the higher price of $900. And then there's the whopping Inspiron 17R Special Edition ($1,100), which features discrete graphics, boasts a backlit keyboard and is available with a 3D display. All the new Inspiron notebooks will be available starting June 19th. For now, you can check out our hands-on shots below the break.

Continue reading Dell unveils Inspiron 14z Ultrabook, multimedia-friendly Inspiron 15R and 17R

Dell unveils Inspiron 14z Ultrabook, multimedia-friendly Inspiron 15R and 17R originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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