"We have taken outstanding products and made them even better with improved performance, sleek design and state-of-the-art security and management capabilities”  - Kirk Schell, vice president, PC Product Group, Dell.

American PC manufacturer Dell may have faced some issues during the first part of 2013 but it didn’t stop the company from announcing enhancements to its line of computers which it announced this week in Taipei at Computex 2013.

DELL XPS PRODUCTS

The new Dell XPS systems now feature performance and expandability enhancements over the previous generation in order to meet customer expectations with regards to performance. The new XPS 27 AIO features an Adobe RGB quad-HD display which lets users design, create and enjoy multimedia with brighter and more vibrant colors. Dell also announced the XPS 8700 versatile desktop which it claims is built with speed, expandability and storage in mind.

There’s also the XPS 12 convertible laptop which is designed to be faster and more efficient than its predecessor. According to Dell, the new XPS 12 provides 63% overall performance improvement, 1.6 times faster and can outperform the earlier generation XPS laptops by more than 2 hours in terms of battery life.

Lastly, Dell also introduced the XPS 11, an 11.6-inch Ultrabook that transforms to a tablet thanks to a new hinge that allows the device to fold all the way back into a tablet mode similar to Lenovo’s Yoga convertibles. The XPS 11 will come standard with 2560 x 1440 IPS display, a Core i5 processor and a touch keyboard that resembles the Surface Pro’s. The XPS 11 is scheduled to hit the shelves by Q4 2013.

DELL LATITUDE AND OPTIPLEX PRODUCTS

Dell has also announced the new Latitude E6540, the latest addition to its secure commercial laptop line up. The E6540 features a FIPS 140-2 certified TPM and Dell Data Protection that includes comprehensive file-level encryption, advanced authentication and malware protection to guard users’ data.

The OptiPlex 9020 also makes a debut at Computex 2013. The OptiPlex 9020 is the company’s most manageable Intel vPro-enabled desktop which also makes it the company’s most powerful commercial PC to date. It is available in 4 form factors including a compact AIO, and three chassis sizes built from recycled plastic.

The OptiPlex can also be cloud enabled with the Dell Cloud Desktop feature, a newly incorporated desktop and application virtualization technology powered by Dell Wyse WSM. This new feature, Dell computers can be configured to be stateless and diskless allowing a device to be shared to a number of virtual users under a secure environment with centralized management and storage at the same time offering the same look, performance, feel and function of a traditional desktop with an OS.

DELL ALIENWARE GAMING PRODUCTS

Also on Dell’s menu for Computex is its slim-design X51 Alienware desktop. The desktop comes with a Haswell processor (up to quad-core i7-4770) and an optional 2GB Nvidia GTX 670 GPU. The design of the desktop hasn't changed compared to the one launched in London last February but the price has been bumped to $900.

DELL PC PERIPHERALS

Dell is also throwing in some PC accessories including a 21.5-inch touch monitor (S2240T) which we wrote about just before the event. There are also 2 new multifunction printers on Dell’s list – the B1165nfw and B1265dfw which are designed to provide growing businesses and home users with affordable printing solutions to complement their desktops.

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Asus may possibly be the biggest exhibitor and presenter in Computex this year. Not only did the company introduced a number of different products during the first two days of the IT show but its gaming wing ROG (Republic of Gamers) also made some noise with the announcement of two gaming laptops, two motherboards and a graphics card.

MAXIMUS VI FORMULA

The Maximus VI Formula ROG’s new gaming motherboard that features a stylish ROG Armor cover and a SECC (Steel, electro-galvanized, cold-rolled, coil) bac plate with thermal pads for increased strength and cooling. The board features the CrossChill hybrid thermal design that offer users with both liquid and air cooling. It also has integrated Pin-finned heatsinks that improve heat dissipation with an increased area, while twin G1/4-inch threaded sockets support any standard liquid cooling loop.

Overclocking performance is also improved by Extreme Engine Digi+ III power delivery, featuring 60A BlackWing chokes, 90% efficiency NexFET MOSFET’s and 10k Black Metallic capacitors. The board is bundled with mPCIe Combo II card that provides 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless, plus an M.2 interface for ultra-compact NGFF (Next Generation Form-Factor) SSDs.

Moreover, the Maximus VI formula also features a 120dB SNR headphone output with a 600ohm headphone amplifier, and WIMA and ELNA audio capacitors.

MAXIMUS VI IMPACT 

The Maximus VI impact is the company’s first mini-ITX motherboard. It is suitable for small form factor cases and includes the Impact Power add-on card with 8+2 phase digital power for the CPU and memory, as well as the Supreme FX Impact sound card which features ELNA audio capacitors and 115dB SNR. There’s also a headphone amplifier that delivers high-quality and immersive gaming audio. Just like the Formula, the Maximus VI Impact also sports an mPCIe Combo II card that supports ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

POSEIDON GRAPHICS CARD

The Poseidon graphics card features an Nvidia GeForce GTX 700 series GPU and a hybrid DirectCU H2O thermal design that supports both air and liquid cooling. It has a  CoolTech fan that combines blower and axial fans in a single design and forces air in multiple directions over the heatsink to maximize heat dissipation. Liquid cooling on the other hand minimizes operating temperatures by up to 31 degrees Celsius even after overclocking.

Aside from computer hardware components, ROG also announced two gaming laptops during the event. These are the ROG Tytan G30 and G750 gaming laptops.

TYTAN G30 and G750

The Tytan G30 uses an automatic case ventilation control and liquid CPU cooling for efficient heat dissipation, increased operating stability and reduced noise. It sports an Intel Core i7-4770K processor that can be fully overclocked. It also features an Nvidia GeForce GTX780 graphics card that ensures smooth gameplay with the highest detail settings in games.

On the other hand the 17-inch G750 is ROG’s latest model in the G series of gaming notebooks. It packs an Intel Core processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 700M series graphics. It has a gamer-focused design with a backlit keyboard, isolated directional key cluster and a large multi-point trackpad. It also has a dedicated amplifier that gives incredible sound quality.

The Tytan G30 and G750 will boasts Asus’ SonicMaster audio technology that boosts game sound performance. 

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Another big brand to introduce new devices in Computex 2013 is Sony and their newest Vaio Duo and Pro series. In contrast to Acer and Asus who made a number of announcements during the first two days of the IT show, Sony was relatively discreet with their announcements, only introducing three devices under two product lines.

Both the Vaio Pro and Duo pack features from Sony’s Bravia line of TVs including triluminous display for mobile technology that recreates rich natural colours on the device’s display, X-Reality super resolution  picture engine that analyses each image by comparing each frame to its built-in database and automatically corrects the image by reducing visual noise, replacing corrupted pixels and correcting black levels to optimize quality, creating the sharpest videos, regardless of the content source.

Both the Vaio Pro and Duo also feature full-size backlit and full-pitch keyboard, track pad and Rapid Wake technology for instant PC resume in less than a second. Also included is USB charging for personal devices on the go even when the computer is powered down or in sleep mode. NFC technology is also bundled in all of the new Vaio models. Furthermore, the new Vaio laptops will be powered by the new generation of Intel Core processors as well as solid state drives for improved performance.

VAIO PRO 11 and 13

Sony’s Vaio Pro laptops are crafted from carbon fiber making the Vaio pro series the lightest touch Ultrabooks in the market. The Pro line also features an aluminium palm rest design that gradually merges into the desk for maximum comfort while typing on the device’s full-pitch keyboard.

It is also the first notebook PC on the market to include a high speed PCIe SSD drive that allows for faster performance than traditional SSD drives. There’s also an optional extended battery in order to double the standard battery life of the device tup to 13 hours on the Pro 13 model and 14 hours on the Pro 11 model.

VAIO DUO 13

The Vaio Duo on the other hand is Sony’s convertible device which transforms from a touchscreen slate into a fully functioning conventional laptop thanks to its newly engineered Surf Slider design. This new design features a slimmer hinge that allows for quick and seamless transition between tablet and laptop modes.

As the device can transform into a tablet, the Duo 13 utilizes a digitizer stylus that allows for a more accurate and natural writing experience. The digitizer is conveniently stores on the side of the PC in an ink well or clip and wakes up the PC once picked up by the user.

The Vaio Duo 13 also features the Exmor R PC CMOS sensor technology developed by Sony that provides high-quality camera functionality. Moreover, Sony has added its ClearAudio+ unique sound processing technology that reduces noise distortion and improves dynamic bass.

The Vaio Pro 11 and 13 models will be available by June 9 in carbon black and carbon silver for around $1149 and $1249 respectively, while the Vaio Duo 13 will be retail for around $1399. All models will be available at Sony retail stores and authorized dealers worldwide.

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It’s the second day of Computex 2013 and today the major announcements are coming from Intel. In contrast to yesterday’s events which put the focus on specs and specific products, Intel’s keynote puts more emphasis on the technology that will power the devices of the future.

Specifically the keynote revolved around several of the company’s developments in the field of mobile computing with the spotlight focused on 2-in-1 devices which the company treats as “the game changer”. These include the Merrifield chips with built-in LTE designed for Android devices and the quad-core Bay Trail chips designed for both Android and Windows 8 devices.

Intel said the first devices that will run on the Merrifield chip might make their debut by February next year, probably at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Bay Trail chips on the other hand are scheduled to arrive before the holidays. The Bay Trail chip will support high resolution displays and will be priced starting $299. The chip will power Android, Windows 8 and even Chromebook models in the future.

But of course, the star of Intel’s keynote is the company’s Haswell processors. According to Intel, their new Haswell line of processors are more power-efficient than their predecessors. 

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In part 1 of this 2-part feature on Asus’s press conference at Computex 2013, we talked about the first batch of announcements that the company made including the Transformer Pad Infinity, the fonepad Note and the Memo Pad HD7. This time around, we’ll continue with more details about the rest of the Asus products that debuted in today’s event.

See Also: COMPUTEX 2013 – ASUS (Part 1)

Next one up is the AsusVivo PC, a home PC encased in an armour of stylish aluminium. It has the same ripple pattern as the Zenbook line of Ultrabooks and features an upgradeable hard drive and memory. It has built-in SonicMaster speakers for high-quality sound and high-performance 802.11ac Wi-Fi for smooth HD video streaming which works well with the Asus Router RT-AC68U which is the world’s first AC1900 router.

Asus then followed up with the VivoMouse which the company markets as the world first combined mouse and touchpad. The VivoMouse is a wireless optical mouse with an integrated multi-touch pad which is optimized for use with Windows 8.

Last on the list is probably the show stealer among the various products announced today – the dual-boot system transformer tablet – the Asus Transformer Book Trio. It’s most fascinating feature of course is its dual-boot functionality which lets the device boot either Windows or Android.

The tablet also allows for instantaneous switching between the two OS. And although the tablet has the word trio in its name, it’s actually the modes it can transform into that gave it its name. The tablet has a PC station mode for sharing, a notebook dock mode for work and a basic functionality mode for play.

The Transformer Book Trio has two different kinds of processors. One is the 4^th generation Intel Core i7-4500U processor while the other is an Intel Atom z2580 processor clocked at 2GHz. The device will run on Android Jelly Bean and Windows 8 and will pack either a 1TB HDD or a 64GB EMMC.

See Also: Asus Zenbook Inifnity Packs Two Gorilla Glass 3 Panels

Also unveiled today was the Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook which features a Gorilla Glass 3 panel in its lid which already made news a few weeks ago. The Zenbook Infinity sports a built-in touchscreen display, a backlit keyboard, two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, a HDMI port and a mini display port. 

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