Want a device that looks just like a Macbook Air, but isn’t? If so, Asus has news for you. Today the company announced that its forthcoming line of Ultrabook-style machines will be available in the United States starting on October 12th.
Er, Ultrabooks? If you missed out on that hype, the ‘Ultrabook idea’ came after the Macbook Air blew the doors off of the laptop market and made everyone’s products look like the average American’s waistband: sad. Right, so the Ultrabook is the answer the Macbook Air line, and is working to keep PC laptop market alive. At least that is the idea.
So let’s talk about what Asus is putting out. There are two new laptops on the way, the Zenbook UX21 and UX31, both of which come in Macbook Air slim cases, with SSDs. The UX21 has an 11.6″ ( sound familiar ?) screen, and the UX31 a 13.3-inch display. The UX21 retails at base for $999 (again mirroring the Macbook Air), and contains an Intel Core i5 processor, a 128 gigabyte SSD (an upgrade compared to the baby Macbook Air), and USB 3.0 capability. It’s a very compelling package.
And at $999 it actually stands a chance to stand next to what Apple has built. Someone call the Apocalypse, it looks like PC hardware might be entering into an age of ‘not sucking.’ That must mean the world is ending soon. Take a look a the machine and the spec chart:
We want to get our hands on one for a few days’ testing (and are working on that, we promise), but looking at that chart, with each level of the machine matching, or even slightly beating, the Apple equivalent, color us impressed.
They are out soon, too late for back-to-school, but the holiday sales cycle appears to be Asus’s to conquer.
Catch all the latest gadget news at TNW Gadgets .
Security camera flaw exposes private video feeds online
A flaw in a range of security cameras made by US firm Trendnet means that anyone with the correct URL can view footage from affected devices without a password.
As the BBC reports , the problem, first exposed online almost a month ago, means that armed with the correct IP address and URL structure, any of the vulnerable cameras can be viewed straight from a browser. To those who know how, the online device search engine Shodan can be used to locate susceptible cameras.
Trendnet says that it is rolling out new firmware for the affected models of camera this week, and that it had halted shipments of affected units to retailers. It blames the problem on a coding error introduced as far back as 2010. The company told the BBC that 26 models of camera and fewer than 50,000 units were likely to be affected in total – although that’s still a hefty number.
Trendnet admits to having been aware of the flaw for over three weeks and is yet to issue a formal statement to customers about it – something that its users who may have been spied on by curious Internet users probably won’t be too happy about.
Turn Your iPhone Into an Underwater Camera With a RainBallet Case
The RainBallet iPhone case protects your precious device from the ravages of water and dust, but it’s also got super clear lenses for the front and back cameras. This means that your iPhone can now be your underwater camera too.
Water is probably the number two killer of iPhones, right behind just dropping them. I’ve had some water scares with mine but I’ve managed to escape disaster.
My phone has largely survived because if I’m going to the beach or spending the day at the pool it stays securely stowed away somewhere.
The RainBallet waterproof case for iPhone 4 will protect your phone against impact, sand and water. This means that you should be able to take it to the beach without having to fear for it. It also features what maker The Joy Factory is calling ‘Sharpvue’ lenses that let you shoot pictures and video with either camera underwater.
They’ve also designed the RainBallet to pass sound easily so that your videos don’t have a muffled audio soundtrack while they’re in the case. I’ve seen my share of waterproof cases for the iPhone, I’m actually testing a couple right now, but this one looks like a standout.
It runs a reasonable, if not exactly cheap $40 and they’re available at The Joy Factory .
As a bonus, check out this hilariously awkward demonstration video.