Ray Willington
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
A wise person once said that those who don't innovate simply get left behind. We can't say for sure if that person was employed by Domino's, but the famed pizza company seems to be working overtime on next-generation tactics for selling pies. The latest story to focus on drones actually has nothing to do with Google nor the military -- it's...
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Windows RT is an OS that we haven't heard a lot about lately. Windows 8.1, on the other hand, has been all over the news. So, how's Microsoft to get RT back into the fold? Partner with Qualcomm, one of the world's most notable producers of high-end mobile chips. This week at Computex, Qualcomm announced plans to work...
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Computex is turning out to be quite the show. With Haswell helping OEMs to spruce up their laptop lines, SanDisk is showing up in order to boast of new innovations in the storage world. The company has released the SanDisk Extreme II SSD as well as the U110 SSD and iSSD i110 integrated storage device. All of the new...
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Remember the S3 Ultrabook? In 2011, it was an icon in design. Today, the competition is a bit more heated, hence Acer's reasoning behind updating the machine as Computex kicks off in Taiwan. The newly-revised, Windows 8-equipped Aspire S3 Ultrabook integrates some key components from the flagship Aspire S7 series, raising the bar all around....
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Remember the days when a 9.5mm hard drive seemed thin? And then the 7mm drive came along? Say hello to one that's even slimmer: the 5mm HDD. Western Digital may have hit first, but Seagate is close behind -- this week launching a 5mm ultra-thin hard drive of its own, which is destined for ultra-mobile PCs and tablets...
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It's the rumor that just won't end: Apple is probably / maybe going to get into the music / radio streaming business. iTunes has set itself atop the world in terms of being a mainstream hub for music purchases, but these days, consumers want more flexibility. That's why services such as MOG, Spotify, and Google Music...
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3D? Virtual reality? It's all commonplace these days, and a new company is hoping to take advantage of those shifting consumer expectations. Atheer, a company bent on "integrating the digital world into the real world," unveiled this week a new mobile 3D platform and natural human interface. For a look at what it'll...
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Every so often, Intel releases a refreshed processor range -- and then every major OEM on the planet tries to shove those CPUs into their machines as fast as humanly possible. Origin PC is already on the bandwagon, and now, so is Velocity Micro. The PC builder has just announced that Haswell chips, Intel's 4th...
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It'll soon be known as the summer of Haswell, and if you haven't heard all about Intel's latest platform, be sure to dive into our review here. Once you've convinced yourself that you've got to get one of your own, have a look at Origin PC. The company has just announced that it's shipping machines with Intel's...
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In case you haven't been paying attention to what's trending, here's a tip: music streaming services are gaining major traction. Google just launched one of their own, Apple is still reportedly in talks with labels across the globe, and the other guys -- Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, etc. -- seem to be investing heavily in...
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Security is a hot topic these days, and with breaches happening left and right, we certainly get it. For consumers, things can usually boil down to implementing two-factor authentication. But what about enterprises? Zoho has just launched Zoho Vault, an online password manager for businesses far and wide. Zoho Vault establishes a central repository...
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4K is quite the in-thing these days. Where 3D failed, 4K resolution is apt to thrive. Why? No glasses, of course. And people tend to really, really love pixels -- just look at how well the Retina display has gone over in the iPhone and MacBook Pro. Now, Asus is pushing the envelope by revealing a monster of a monitor. It's a 31.5" 4K Ultra...
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DARPA is known for doing some pretty outlandish things, partly in the world of technology and partly in the world of military. And often, those sectors cross paths. DARPA's Adaptable Sensor System (ADAPT) program has launched this week, aiming to transform how unattended sensors are developed for the military by using...
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When you're dealing with a name such as SmartThings, it's hard to disregard it as something that won't make an impact in the world, right? This week, the company just mentioned made a big announcement by opening up a new platform to enable the "Internet of Things." Essentially, they're rolling out a Developer and...
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It's perhaps the ultimate Catch 22. HTC needs to expand into more frontiers beyond the smartphone one in order to generate more revenue. But it lacks the revenue to expand into new product segments. Years back, HTC actually tried its hand at a tablet. While the device did well in reviews, hardly anyone actually...
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We're sure hoping that this is a trend. Just a few weeks after Google ushered in the Samsung Galaxy S4 with a stock build of Android, the company has taken the wraps off of a virgin HTC One. One of the best Android phones on the market will soon ship with Google's own take on Android. It's not called a Nexus device...
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Many would associate the Alcatel name with telecommunications, but few would guess that the company has just launched a smartphone in the United States. But sure enough, it has. The Alcatel One Touch was just released this week, boasting a 4.7" panel, support for GSM networks, and a wildly cheap price tag. It'll sell...
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What Nest did for the thermostat, August will do for the conventional door lock. The door lock is one of those things that has largely gone untouched over the years. Sure, there are very expensive editions out there that support wireless home automation and remote unlock systems, but the vast majority of people are using a typical key-lock...
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Three cheers for democracy! The voting public has done their duty, and now Amazon is making known which of its original series will remain on the air. After a month or so of broadcasting via Amazon Instant, five pilots were chosen as the top-rated, and only those five will see production beyond the initial pilot...
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Earlier this year, Google did something almost ground-breaking when it introduced the Chromebook Pixel. Sure, the Chromebook line as a whole has existed for a few years, but the entire premise of such a range of notebooks revolved around only a couple of design goals. One of those was accessibility, and almost by default, the other was affordability....
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After all of these years, Vizio's still cranking out low-cost HDTVs. But these days, quality seems to be higher on the priority list. The company's new M-Series is a cut above some of the older models, rivaling flagship sets from LG, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba. This week, pricing and availability details were launched for that range, which includes...
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AMD's launching a new chip tonight, but it's probably not one you'll soon find in a consumer machine. Instead, the workstation-focused Opteron line is gaining a new member with the X-Series family. It's said to be the industry's highest performance small-core x86 server chip, and they'll go by the codename Kyoto. AMD says they're the highest...
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