Notebooks, Tablets, Smartphones, Wearables And Gadgets
In-depth product reviews and news of notebooks, tablets, smartphones, wearable technologies and gadgets. We're now living in a contextually-aware computing world and mobile devices can not only help us enjoy the ride but create and capture new experiences as well.
The thing about striving for perfection is that it is not truly attainable, and you can drive yourself mad trying to get there. Be that as it may, Dell has come closer than most with its premium line of XPS 13 laptops, which in our experience are some of the finest thin and light notebooks available, both in terms of their beautiful design, as well as all-around performance. The same is certainly true of Dell's latest refresh for 2019, which attempts to refine Dell's award winning 13-inch laptop platform even further. Looking back at the 2018 model, which we bestowed a well-earned Editor's Choice award, Dell did not leave itself a whole lot of room for improvement. It was stunning then and it...
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SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd., the world largest producer of consumer drones, recently discovered several cases of fraud within their own company. The Chinese technology company may lose more than $150 million USD (1 billion CN¥) due to the corruption. DJI is currently investigating the cases and have already contacted law enforcement. DJI discovered the corruption through a routine quality check. Various employees inflated the cost of drone parts in order to line their own pockets. The China Securities Journal reported that at least 40 people had already been investigated and several employees have been fired. The DJI Mavic Air Drone DJI spokeswoman Hong Yongxin stated, “We are taking...
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When it comes to technology, most things get better with time as new iterations are introduced. Consider the first smartphone you ever owned, and how it compares to the one you have now, for example. The same is true in the land of laptops, and Dell in particular has been relentless in pushing forward its thin and light XPS 13. We had a chance to spend some hands-on time with one in the run up to the Consumer Electronics Show, where Dell has now unveiled its 2019 model (or more precisely, the XPS 13 9380). Dell is billing its latest model as "the most powerful 13-inch in its class," and thanks to an infusion of Intel's Whiskey Lake architecture, the XPS 13 has so far lived up to the claim in...
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Let me say right off the bat that I am not the guy you want flinging $1,200 drones through the sky, especially around cliffs, the ocean, and dense forests, all of which are common where I live. But I took one for the team and decided to check out the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom anyway. You see, I have issues with both directions and spatial relationships; I can get lost in my shower, and concepts such as "north," "south," and "up the road" are foreign to me. Thus, on the road, I simply drive where my wife points. (Also, I should mention that I'm old and cranky. Possibly because my wife is always pointing and telling me where to go.) The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is simply too valuable a piece of equipment to entrust...
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The Dell XPS 15 should look familiar if you're a regular HotHardware reader. We’ve seen various iterations of this power-users’ mobile PC over the past few years, usually with an Editors’ Choice logo pegged at the end of the review. The latest version keeps that winning streak alive, thanks to new, more powerful six-core Coffee Lake-based Intel Core processor options and robust NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics. As in previous generations, this new model is all about the upgrades, and the big news this time around is a selection of Coffee Lake 8Th Gen Intel Core i5, i7, and yes, i9 processors. In addition to the new CPUs though, the machine's maximum RAM config has been...
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DJI has once again stepped into the spotlight with another powerful, yet portable, 4K drone that combines the video capabilities of its highly regarded Mavic Pro, with the smaller footprint of the consumer-focused DJI Spark. DJI has gone to great lengths in recent years to appeal to consumers looking for more portable devices. As a photographer, I carry a camera bag littered with lenses and DSLR bodies; but most will agree that something like DJI's earlier Phantom drones were simply too large to consider highly portable. With DJI’s latest and greatest drone, the Mavic Air, however, photographers and videographers alike are able to carry a foldable, simple to deploy, and extremely easy to...
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Gamers are willing to spend more on PC hardware than the average consumer, but at the same time, they are a knowledgeable and discerning bunch who understand exactly what it is they are getting for their hard-earned buck. They also follow market trends and appreciate a good value when one comes along. Dell is likely hoping that is what gamers will see in its recently introduced G Series laptops. And after spending some hands-on time with the new G7 15 Gaming, we think the Round Rock crew might be on to something. As the model name suggests, the G7 15 Gaming is a 15.6-inch laptop. It sits atop the new Dell G Series stack, offering a bit more power and style than the G5 and G3 SKUs, but with...
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Dell’s XPS 15 2-In-1 is a unique hybrid convertible, premium ultrabook in a couple of respects, partly because of its high quality Dell XPS series machined aluminum and hybrid carbon fiber construction, along with its beautiful 15-inch, 400 nits, near bezel-less Dell Infinity Edge display. However, the machine is also powered by a unique processor that marks the first collaboration of its kind by two archrivals in the PC processor arena, both Intel and AMD. Otherwise known as Kaby Lake G, the new Intel 8th Gen Core Series with integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics is a potent hybrid chip that offers discrete graphics horsepower and 4GB of HMB2 memory, coupled with Intel quad-core...
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Dell has been hard at work updating its notebooks with Intel’s latest 8th Gen Core processors, and we’ve already seen the fruits of their labor in the premium XPS 13. It’s now time for the business-oriented Latitude notebooks to get a taste of Kaby Lake R, so here today we have the Latitude 7390 2-in-1 on the test bench, ready to be put through its paces. The XPS 13 impressed us with incredible performance, even showing inter-generational gains using the same chip between late 2017 and early 2018 models, thanks to an improved thermal solution among a few other tweaks. The Latitude 7390 we have on deck does not have the XPS’s fancy Gore material layer or dual-blower setup,...
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At CES earlier this year, Dell strutted out a few new products, including its XPS 15 2-in-1 with a 360-degree hinge. It is the first XPS 15 to adopt the convertible 2-in-1 form factor, providing customers with flexible use case scenarios, like folding the display all the way back onto itself to become a tablet, or propping it up in tent mode as a kitchen counter companion. While not groundbreaking in 2018, it's a welcome upgrade to one of the more desirable and premium laptops on the market. What is groundbreaking, however, is what lies inside this laptop in terms of processing engines. Dell's new 15-inch convertible wields Intel's 8th generation Kaby Lake G processors with Radeon RX Vega graphics....
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Earlier this week, Intel unloaded its full arsenal of 8th generation Core i5 and Core i7 processors that are backed with AMD Radeon RX Vega M GPUs. The unlikely pair has delivered a mobile powerhouse chip package that combines excellent processing performance with GeForce GTX 1050-class graphics for thin-and-light systems. Dell is the latest to embrace this new "combo" chip, and has placed it inside the XPS 15 2-in-1 convertible. In fact, Dell is proclaiming that the new XPS 15 2-in-1 is "the world's most powerful 2-in-1 ever" -- a claim that Hewlett-Packard has also used for its new Spectre x360 15, which was announced yesterday morning. We'll just have to wait until we get both on our test...
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Dell has been updating its XPS line of laptops at a brisk clip as of late. Though we just showed you a recent update of the highly decorated Dell XPS 13 here, with Intel 8th Gen Kaby Lake R technology on board, we're back again today with yet another update to the XPS 13 family, and this time its beauty is not just skin-deep. What you're looking at above is the Rose Gold version of the latest XPS 13 with its Alpine White, woven glass fiber keyboard deck. The material for the palm rest is comprised of woven crystaline silicon fiber for low weight, high tensile strength and durability, combined with textured lattice fibers that provides a smooth, slightly hatched appearance and feel that's...
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Dell has not done much to tweak the physical design of its XPS 13 laptop over the past couple years, though it's not out of laziness or complacency. The past few models have exemplified excellence in engineering, with the size and weight of the XPS 13 belying what lays in wait when you crack open the lid. Its InfinityEdge display all but eliminates bezel and delivers a larger-than-expected viewing area based on the laptop's overall dimensions, and the hardware powering it has, for the most part, been cutting edge. In keeping with that latter theme, Dell upgraded its XPS 13 for late 2017 with a new 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, specifically the Core i7-8550U, effectively doubling the...
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The Dell Inspiron 7000 Gaming straddles the line between mainstream and gaming notebooks. It is offered in a few sizes, including a svelte 14" model, but after getting some hands-on time with the Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming at CES earlier this year, we decided to check the larger laptop out. It sports a 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, along with some fairly high-end internals. Before we dig into the Inspiron 15 7000’s specs, we should point out that this particular system sits at the top of the Inspiron line. The entry-level 3000 series is easy on the budget, while the 5000 series and 7000 series offer improved power and features, but carry higher price...
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