Lenovo launched the new Yoga 3 Pro back in October 2014, with a watch band hinge and Core-M under the hood. Today the rest of the Yoga laptop line gets a refresh and some new models. In addition, the ThinkPad Yoga is also getting a processor refresh c…
Lenovo launched the new Yoga 3 Pro back in October 2014, with a watch band hinge and Core-M under the hood. Today the rest of the Yoga laptop line gets a refresh and some new models. In addition, the ThinkPad Yoga is also getting a processor refresh c…
Traditionally the external flash storage space has been run by so called second tier OEMs that basically just buy the controller and NAND from third parties and then do the chassis design and assembly on their own. With the introduction of the T1, Samsung becomes the first tier one manufacturer to enter the external SSD market. Hardware wise the T1 is based on the 850 EVO, meaning that the T1 uses 32-layer TLC V-NAND and the same full-fledged MEX/MGX SSD controller. The housing is considerably smaller than a regular 2.5″ chassis, though, making the T1 a very portably solution (although a USB stick would be even more portable, but fitting and cooling a full SSD controller in such design is fairly difficult).
The T1 support USB 3.0 UASP mode for increased performance and for sequential performance Samsung is promising up to 450MB/s. Random performance comes in at 8K IOPS for read and 21K for write. There is also AES-256 encryption support, which is definitely handy for business users that handle sensitive data. The drive comes pre-formatted as exFAT to ensure out-of-the-box compatibility with both Windows and OS X based systems.
The available capacities will be 250GB, 500GB and 1TB with the MSRPs being $180, $300 and $600 respectively and a 3-year warranty. The pricing is definitely a bit high, but since we are dealing with MSRPs things can change very quickly and I wouldn’t draw any final conclusions yet. I have samples waiting for me when I get back, so stay tuned for our review in the next few weeks.
Traditionally the external flash storage space has been run by so called second tier OEMs that basically just buy the controller and NAND from third parties and then do the chassis design and assembly on their own. With the introduction of the T1, Samsung becomes the first tier one manufacturer to enter the external SSD market. Hardware wise the T1 is based on the 850 EVO, meaning that the T1 uses 32-layer TLC V-NAND and the same full-fledged MEX/MGX SSD controller. The housing is considerably smaller than a regular 2.5″ chassis, though, making the T1 a very portably solution (although a USB stick would be even more portable, but fitting and cooling a full SSD controller in such design is fairly difficult).
The T1 support USB 3.0 UASP mode for increased performance and for sequential performance Samsung is promising up to 450MB/s. Random performance comes in at 8K IOPS for read and 21K for write. There is also AES-256 encryption support, which is definitely handy for business users that handle sensitive data. The drive comes pre-formatted as exFAT to ensure out-of-the-box compatibility with both Windows and OS X based systems.
The available capacities will be 250GB, 500GB and 1TB with the MSRPs being $180, $300 and $600 respectively and a 3-year warranty. The pricing is definitely a bit high, but since we are dealing with MSRPs things can change very quickly and I wouldn’t draw any final conclusions yet. I have samples waiting for me when I get back, so stay tuned for our review in the next few weeks.
With CES press conference Monday in full swing today, Asus has announced the latest generation of the company’s ongoing Transformer line of computers. Dubbed the Transformer Book Chi, Asus’s latest family of transformers are a collection of 2-in-1 detachable computers designed to bridge the gap between ultrabooks and tablets, allowing the conversion between the two by adding/removing a detachable keyboard from the main tablet body.
| Asus Transformer Book Chi | |||||
| T300 | T100 | T90 | |||
| Screen Size | 12.5″ IPS 2560×1440 or 1920×1080 |
10.1″ IPS 1920×1200 |
8.9″ IPS 1280×800 |
||
| Processor | Intel Core M 5Y10/5Y71 | Intel Atom Z3775 | Intel ATom Z3775 | ||
| Dimensons (Tablet) | 317.8mm x 191.6mm x 7.6mm | 265mm x 174.5mm x 7.2mm | 241mm x 137.5mm x 7.5mm | ||
| Mass (Tablet) | 0.72Kg | 0.57Kg | 0.4Kg | ||
| Price | $699 (1080p) $799 (1440p) |
$399 | $299 | ||
Built around x86 and Windows, the Chi family will come in three sizes. The largest and flagship of the Chis is the T300, which at 12.5” sits between traditional ultrabooks and large format tablets. The T300 is based around Intel’s Core-M 5Y10 (or 5Y71) processor with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD standard. Asus is using full-sRGB IPS panels throughout the entire Chi ineup, and the T300 will be available with either a 1080p or 1440p display.
Meanwhile the T100 brings the Chi down to 10.1”, and in terms of size trends closer to a 10” tablet with an attachable keyboard. Driving the T100 is an Atom Z3775, one of Intel’s quad-core Bay Trail parts. Paired up with the T100 is a 1920×1200 display – going from 16:9 on the T300 to 16:10 here – and like the rest of the Chi family is a full-sRGB IPS display. Rounding out the package is either 32GB or 64GB of eMMC NAND for storage.
Finally, the smallest member of the Chi family is the 8.9” T90, which is a smaller scale version of the T100. Besides trading in the T100’s larger display for a 1280×800 full-sRGB IPS display, the specifications between the T90 are largely similar. T90 is powered by the same Atom Z3775 and comes with either 32GB or 64GB of eMMC.
All the 2-in-1s are expected soon. The T300 will start at $699 for the 1080p version an $799 for the 1440p, while the T100 will start at $399, and the T90 at $299.
