Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Haswell Part 2-Core I5-4570S

Based on the Part 1 article I wrote, you know that I did not have a great start with Haswell.  After returning everything back and getting all new boards and CPU’s, I was now ready to tackle another round.  I was not going to rip apart my main systems as did the first time, so [...]

The post Haswell Part 2-Core I5-4570S appeared first on The Doc's World.



via http://thedocsworld.net/haswell-part-2-core-i5-4570s/

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

New Razer Blade and Razer Blade Pro Gaming Laptops Announced

Razer has recently announced two exciting new high-performance gaming laptops: the 14” Razer Blade and the 17” Razer Blade Pro. These awesome laptops are thinner and lighter than equivalent previous laptops from Razer and are equipped with high performance components for both gaming and productivity.

Razer Blade

Thinner than a standing dime, the Razer Blade is a performance ultra-portable laptop that measures just 0.66” thick. With a 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce 765M graphics this laptop should pack a big punch and feature excellent mobility at the same time. If you are looking for a 14”-class laptop that’s got powerful gaming capabilities, you’ll want to check out the Razer Blade!

razer-blade-crop

Razer Blade specs: (see full list HERE)

  • 4th gen Intel Core i7 processor
  • 8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L – 1600 MHz)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
  • Windows 8 64 Bit
  • 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
  • 14.0 in. HD+ 16:9 Ratio, 1600 x 900, with LED backlight
  • (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
  • HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
  • 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 0.66 in. / 16.8 mm (Height) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
  • 4.135 lbs. / 1.876 kg

Razer Blade Pro

For work and for play the Razer Blade Pro is designed for both. If you are the kind of person that likes to run games and creative apps on the same PC, the 17” Razer Blade Pro is designed for you. The Razer Blade Pro incorporates many of the same design details and features as the Razer Blade, but is designed around a larger full-HD (1920x1080) screen and the innovative Switchblade UI.

razer-blade-pro-crop

If you’re a creative professional, you’ll want to check out the Razer Blade Pro, and the partner program at www.razerzone.com/creativepro.

Razer Blade Pro specs: (see full list HERE)

  • 4th gen Intel Core processor
  • 8 GB DDR3L (2 x 4 GB 1600MHz)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
  • Windows 8 64 Bit
  • 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
  • 17.3-in. Full HD 16:9 Ratio, 1920 x 1080, with LED backlight
  • (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
  • 16.8 in. / 427 mm (Width) x 0.88 in. / 22.4 mm (Height) x 10.9 in. / 277 mm (Depth)
  • 6.58 lbs. / 2.98 kg

Find me on twitter! @GavinGear



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/extremewindows/archive/2013/06/04/new-razer-blade-and-razer-blade-pro-gaming-laptops-announced.aspx

Intel launches 4th generation Core processors

Intel this week is launching the 4th generation Intel Core processors(commonly referred to by codename “Haswell”). This includes their Core i3, i5, and i7 processor lines.

4th_Generation_Intel_Core_Open_Corei74th_Generation_Intel_Core_Quad_Core_Hero_HR

These new processors from Intel are exciting because they deliver significant increases in battery life, improved performance and incredible integrated graphics for Windows PCs and tablets. They are also designed with mobility front-and-center. Intel is working with OEMs on offerings such as new touch Ultrabooks, tablets, and 2-in-1 convertible devices that give you a laptop when you need it and a tablet when you want it.

Intel’s next-generation 22nm Intel Atom chip will be coming to the market later this year. These new chips will offer up to 3 times the peak performance (same power) or 5 times the power efficiency (same performance) over the existing 32nm Atom chips today.

During Computex this week, OEM partners are announcing new PCs powered with 4th generation Intel Core processors such as the new Aspire S7 Ultrabook from Acerand many others. You can expect more OEMs to announce new PCs with 4th generation Intel Core processors at Computex continues for the rest of the week.

See Intel’s announcement here.



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2013/06/04/intel-launches-4th-generation-core-processors.aspx

Dell announces XPS 11, enhancements to PCs at Computex

Dell is announcing a new XPS and performance and security enhancements to several models of Windows 8 PCs today at Computex.

XPS 11:

xps11

The XPS 11 is a brand new 2-in-1 convertible Ultrabook, announced today by Dell, and coming later this year to the XPS line-up. It easily goes from tablet to laptop with a 360 degree rotation design. The display on the XPS 11 is a stunning Quad HD with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. It’s also really thin and light: it’s only 14.9mm thin and starts at 2.5 pounds. It has a backlit solid surface touch keyboard and comes with up to a 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD 4400 graphics and an SSD. It also comes with the option of a precision pen – perfect for taking notes with.

For more on the XPS 11, check out Lionel’s blog post on their Direct2Dell blog. The XPS 11 will be available later in 2013.

XPS 12:

XPS 12

We’ve talked about this PC a few times - this high-performance Ultrabook has a “flip hinge” that takes it from laptop to a fully-featured tablet. The new XPS 12 is getting a nice speed boost with a 63% improvement in overall performance over the previous generation making it 1.6 times faster. Dell has also improved battery life over the previous generation by over 2.5 hours, giving the XPS 12 up to 8 hours, 43 minutes of battery life. It also gets location aware capabilities, and Near Field Communications (NFC) for tap-to-share and tap-to-pair capabilities.

XPS 27:

XPS 27

The new XPS 27 now offers 4th generation Intel Core processors, a Thunderbolt port, an Adobe RGB Quad HD display, and discrete graphics and SSD options. It also now comes with enterprise features such as TPM. I have the current model of the XPS 27 and love this All-in-One. I am officially jealous of the new model.

XPS 8700:

xps8700_2

This is a consumer desktop built for performance and expandability of storage in mind – it comes with 4 hard drive bays, and up to 4TB of storage. The new XPS 8700 will come with 4th generation Intel Core processors, support up to 32GB (1600MHz) of memory, and has 6 USB 3.0 ports for connecting devices.

OptiPlex 9020 and All-in-One:

optiplex9020

This is a commercial desktop that comes in 4 different form factors including a compact all-in-one making it versatile for a business environment. It comes with a current generation Intel Core i7 processor, choice of hard drive, SSD, or hybrid hard drive and high speed memory options.

Latitude E6540:

Latitude E6540

This is a super powerful business laptop from Dell that comes with 4th generation Intel Core processors, TPM, high performance graphics, and SSD or hybrid hard drive options. It also has swappable batteries for long periods of work and is built with a rugged design. Definitely a work-horse PC.

The Dell XPS 27 and XPS 8700 are available today via Dell.com in the U.S. and select countries worldwide. The XPS 12, OptiPlex 9020 desktop, and Latitude E6540 will be available in the coming weeks.

Read Lionel’s post on Dell’s blog for more details on these PCs and more! And read this post from Dell’s Brett McAnally for more on the above mentioned business PCs.



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2013/06/03/dell-announces-xps-11-enhancements-to-pcs-at-computex.aspx

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Windows 8 Task Manager In-Depth

Looking to take control of your PC? Looking to optimize your PC’s performance? The Task Manager is a great tool for these tasks, and it’s always just a couple clicks away. For Windows 8, the Task Manager got a major overhaul that includes a lot of great new features. In this post I’ll walk through some of these new features and enhancements, and I’ll also show you some lesser-known tips and tricks. In the included video (see bottom of post) I’ll show a whole bunch of cool tricks and time saving features in the Windows 8 Task Manager, be sure to watch it!

When you launch the Windows 8 Task Manager, by default you’ll see a simple view where you can manage running applications:

Windows 8 Task Manager Less Details View
Windows 8 Task Manager – Default View

Tip: There are a few quick ways to launch the Task Manager on Windows 8:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc
  2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, select Task Manager
  3. From the Start Screen, type “Task” (Task Manager will show up in apps list) then hit enter
  4. From the desktop, right click on the task bar and select “Task Manager” from the context menu
  5. Launch the Quick Link menu (Win+X) and select “Task Manager”

The default view shown above is really just the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of functionality. By clicking on the “More Details” down arrow to reveal the expanded mode, you’ll see the full set of capabilities in the Windows 8 Task Manager.

Old vs New

Here you can see the Windows 7 Task Manager (left) right next to the updated Windows 8 Task Manager in expanded mode:

Windows 7 Windows 8 Task Managers SxS
Windows 7 Task Manager (left) and Windows 8 Task Manager in expanded view (right) – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

You can see right off a few big changes with the tab layout:

  • Processes tab has been completely redesigned
  • Performance and Networking tabs have been merged
  • New tabs: App History, Startup

Now that you can visualize how the Task Manager has changed in Windows 8 let’s walk through some of the cool new features.

Processes Tab

The Processes tab is shown by default when the Windows 8 Task Manager is launched. It’s the place where you can manage running apps and services, and also monitor high-level performance stats.

Windows 8 Task Manager Default View
Windows 8 Task Manager: Processes Tab (default view when expanded) – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

On the Processes tab, there are two primary components of the UI: Running processes (left side) and the heat map (right side). In the Windows 8 Task Manager, running processes are sorted by apps, non-Windows background processes, and Windows processes. Apps are sorted out at the top, making it easy to find, monitor, and manage apps without having to scan all processes and scroll through many items as you had to in prior versions of Task Manager.

The heat map (shown in varying shades of yellow and orange above) is a visualization of the resource utilization for processes which makes it easy to pinpoint where high resource utilization is taking place.

The heat map is color-coded with low resource utilization shown in pale yellow, with darker shades of yellow and orange representing progressively greater resource utilization. If resource utilization has reached a critical level, the value will be shown with a red background as seen here:

Windows 8 Task Manager Red Label Crop
The Heat Map shows extreme resource utilization in red – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

The misbehaving app here (an old tool I wrote called “Processor Hog”) is using 99.2% of the capacity of the 24 logical cores on my dual-Xeon HP Z820. There are two visual cues that alert us to what’s going on: the CPU utilization for ProcessorHog.exe has turned red, and the column label for CPU has also been highlighted in red. This makes it easy to see when your system is under heavy load, and which resource(s) are tapped out.

Tip: You can change the resource utilization units for memory, disk, and network from raw values to % by right clicking on the heat map:

Windows 8 Task Manager Change Values Percent Crop

Once you get used to the new processes tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager, it’s hard to imagine living without it.

Performance Tab

The Performance tab got a major overhaul for Windows 8, and it’s got some really powerful new capabilities!

Windows 7 Windows 8 Performance Tab SxS
Performance views in Task Manager: Windows 7 (left) and Windows 8 (right) – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

You can see in this side-by-side comparison how the performance view in the Task Manager really was reimagined. On the left-hand side of the new performance view live mini-graph views are shown for each performance metric, and on the right-hand side you see a detail graph for the selected metric. Each performance category has a unique information view at the bottom that shows relevant statistics for the performance category currently selected. One of the great enhancements in these new graph views is how the bounds of the graphs are dynamically scaled to current utilization. In the side by side comparison view below, the upper bound of the left-hand network utilization scale is 100 kbps. During a download of several large files from a network share that I performed, the scale automatically changed to 500 Mbps as you can see here on the right-hand side:

Windows 8 Task Manager Network Scale SxS
Network utilization graph while idle (left) and during bulk network file copy (right) – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

After the file copy finished and network utilization stayed low for a period of time, the scale reverted back to 100 kbps. This new dynamic graph capability makes it easy to see what’s going on even when utilization figures change drastically.

Another capability of the performance graphs in the Windows 8 Task Manager is the ability to select multiple views for CPU utilization:

Windows 8 Task Manager CPU Graph Modes
CPU performance graphs from left: overall utilization, NUMA nodes, logical processors – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

To switch between these CPU utilization views, right-click on the graph view, select “Change Graph To” and pick the graph option you want to see.

Tip: If you double click on the graph view, you can toggle a summary view where only the graph is displayed and can easily be floated over other windows. If you double click the summary view you can return to the full view.

Tip: With the memory graph displayed, if you hover over the “Slots used” label below the graph you’ll get a summary of slots used by number, and the speed of the memory in each slot.

If you haven’t already, I suggest you spend some time exploring the capabilities in the Windows 8 Task Manager performance tab, there’s a lot of information available in this view!

App History Tab

The App History tab shows historical resource utilization metrics for apps. By default, the view shows only Windows Store App resource utilization.

Tip: On the app history tab, you can go to “Options à show history for all processes” to see historical resource utilization for all apps.

To show how this feature works, I cleared my usage data (default is 30 day rolling window) by clicking the “Delete usage history” link and then performed some everyday tasks: installing apps from the store and browsing the web.

Windows 8 Task Manager App History Crop
App history sorted by network utilization – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

Following this exercise, I took the screen capture shown above. By sorting on network, I was able to quickly compare network bandwidth utilization for recently used apps. By right clicking on an app in the list and selecting “switch to” you can quickly activate the app and continue using it.

Startup Tab

Is startup performance important to you? If so you’ll want to check out the Startup tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager. From this view you can see a summary of startup performance, and tune startup behavior all in one place.

Windows 8 Task Manager Startup
Startup tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

In this view I’ve sorted by startup impact. When this sorting is used, it’s easy to see high impact and medium impact startup path components grouped together. When you right click on one of the items you can easily disable the item which removes it from the active startup path. Using the startup tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager is a great way to optimize your PC’s startup performance.

Tip: On the startup tab you can activate more columns by right clicking the column header that are not shown by default including startup type, disk I/O at startup, CPU at startup, running now, disabled time, and command line

Details Tab

The details tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager looks a lot like the processes tab in the Windows 7 Task Manager.

Windows 8 Task Manager Details
Windows 8 Task Manager details tab – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

One of the interesting new capabilities in the details tab shows up when you right click on an item:

Windows 8 Task Manager Details Context Menu

In the middle of the context menu you’ll see a new option called “Analyze wait chain”. This is a great capability that allows you to easily determine if a non-responsive application is waiting on another process as seen here:

Windows 8 Task Manager Analyze Wait Chain dialog
Analyze wait chain dialog in the Windows 8 Task Manager – (Click/Tap to enlarge)

In this scenario, I printed from Outlook to an application and then invoked the analyze wait chain dialog while Outlook was waiting on the target application to complete the printing process. Had the target application hung, I could have terminated the target application from this dialog. This is a great capability because it allows you to avoid terminating dependent applications (Outlook in this case) in some circumstances.

The details tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager also supports many new column options so that you can view more information about running processes.

Services Tab

The services tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager is a lot like the services tab in the Windows 7 Task Manager. One notable improvement is the ability to right click on a service and easily search for information on the internet related to the service. Suppose you want to find out more about the “iphlpsvc” service. Before Windows 8 I would open a search window, manually type in the name of the service, and then sift through the results. Now this information is just a right-click away:

Windows 8 Task Manager Services

Clicking “Search online” opens a new search window in your default browser using your default search engine with search results for the service in question:

Bing search results iphlpsvc up helper

I like these kinds of time saving capabilities!

Tip: Search online is supported for certain items on the processes tab, startup tab, details tab, and services tab.

Want to see more tips, tricks, and new features in the Windows 8 Task Manager? Check out this video walkthrough I created:

Have tricks and tips that you’d like to share about the Windows 8 Task Manager? Please leave a comment!

Find me on twitter! @GavinGear



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/extremewindows/archive/2013/06/06/windows-8-task-manager-in-depth.aspx

Monday, June 3, 2013

ASUS announces new PCs at Computex

ASUS has several new PCs they announced yesterday at Computex, including several new All-in-One PCs and a new mouse!

ET2702 All-in-One PC:

ET2702

The ET2702 27-inch All-in-One PC comes with a display featuring IPS technology and an ultra-high 2560 x 1440 resolution (almost twice the pixel density of a same-size full HD display) and optional 10-point multi-touch. In short – this All-in-One has a stunning screen. It is powered by the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors and AMD Radeon HD8890A discrete graphics. The ET2702 also comes with an option Intel Thunderbolt port and a special “Device Share” mode that lets you connect other Windows PCs to it. You can also utilize its HDMI-in/out ports and USB ports and turn the ET2702 into a sort of “dock” for a laptop.

ET2301 All-in-One PC:

ET2301

The new ET2301 23-inch All-in-One PC is the little brother to the ET2300 but still comes packing quite a punch with the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce GT 740m discrete graphics. It has a full HD display with IPS technology (1920 x 1080 resolution) 10-point touch capabilities. It has HDMI-in/out ports allowing it to be used as a display for devices such as Blu-ray players or an Xbox 360. You can get a 3TB hard drive, or a 128GB solid-state drive with 1TB hard drive option in select markets. And the ET2301 also has an optional 802.11ac wireless capabilities which, with routers that also support 802.11ac, gives you wireless access that is 3 times faster than 802.11n.

VivoPC:

ASUS VivoPC_1

The VivoPC is a small little PC that is only 56mm tall and with a footprint smaller than a sheet of A4 paper. Its compact design has a spun-metal finish looking quite nice in living rooms and home offices and can fit into the smallest spaces. It has two USB 3.0 ports and high-speed 802.11ac wireless capabilities. You can also lift off the top cover for quick access to the two internal memory slots and the drive bay can accommodate either a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA 6Gbit/s hard drive – so it is also easily upgradeable.

VivoMouse:

ASUS VivoMouse_2

The VivoMouse is a new kind of mouse from ASUS. It can be a mouse, a touchpad or a PC remote. This mouse can bring a touch experience to Windows 8 PCs that don’t have touch displays with its touchpad that recognizes the Windows 8 touch gestures. It’s a perfect companion for the above-mentioned VivoPC.

Zenbook Infinity:

ASUS Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook_2

ASUS had a shiny new Zenbook on display at Computex – the Zenbook Infinity. The new Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook features a new design that “fuses” glass and aluminum and looks beautiful. It uses new Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 with “Native Damage Resistance™” on the lid and around the keyboard that makes the PC look sleek but is also durable and it’s thinner than the previous model. Pricing and specs to be announced later this year.

N550:

N550

This 15.6-inch N Series laptop from ASUS is an entertainment powerhouse built for someone might like carrying around a mobile production studio (or movie theater for watching movies). It comes with an anti-reflective touchscreen display with a resolution of up to 2880 x 1620 featuring IPS technology and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics. It is designed with multi-layer aluminum etching technology and has an integrated speaker hole that gives audio a “ripple pattern” along with an external subwoofer that delivers heart-pounding beats. It has a backlit chick-lit keyboard and an ultra-wide multi-gesture clickpad.

S551/V551:

S551 01

The new VivoBook Series Ultrabooks from ASUS comes powered by 4th generation Intel Core processors and discrete NVIDIA GT 740 graphics. It has good looks too with a design that features premium aluminum textures. Even after prolonged use, it continues to look slick. Whether you’re a student or gamer – this laptop is a great option with awesome performance.

B400:

BU400_18

This new 14-inch Ultrabook from ASUS is designed specifically for the enterprise and small business customers. It has an aluminum and carbon construction for durability but is also thin and light. It has a “vPro” option allowing for replaceable memory and batteries. The B400 also has security features such as TPM and a biometric sensor for keeping business-critical data on the PC safe and secure. You get the B400 in several storage configurations such as a hybrid hard drive or a Solid State Drive (SSD).



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2013/06/03/asus-announces-new-pcs-at-computex.aspx

The secret to online safety: Lies, random characters, and a password manager

Aurich Lawson / Thinkstock

It's time to ask yourself an uncomfortable question: how many of your passwords are so absurdly weak that they might as well provide no security at all? Those of you using "123456," "abc123," or even just "password" might already know it's time to make some changes. And using pets' names, birth dates, your favorite sports teams, or adding a number or capital letter to a weak password isn't going to be enough.

Don’t worry, we're here to help. We’re going to focus on how to use a password manager, software that can help you go from passwords like "111111" to "6WKBTSkQq8Zn4PtAjmz7" without making you want to pull out all your hair. For good measure, we'll talk about how creating fictitious answers to password reset questions (e.g. mother's maiden name) can make you even more resistant to hacking.

Why you can’t just wing it anymore

A password manager helps you create long, complicated passwords for websites and integrates into your browser, automatically filling in your usernames and passwords. Instead of typing a different password into each site you visit, you only have to remember one master password.

Read 83 remaining paragraphs | Comments



via http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/06/the-secret-to-online-safety-lies-random-characters-and-a-password-manager/

Microsoft promises annual Windows Server updates, can IT cope?

Windows Server 2012 will be updated this autumn to Windows Server 2012 R2. This will be the first in a series of more or less annual updates to the Windows Server platform. It's not just the operating system that'll get these regular updates, either. On the server side, System Center and SQL Server are also going to be on an annual cadence. On the client side, Visual Studio will be too.

Even though Windows Server 2012 is less than a year old, Microsoft promises a stack of new features for the R2 iteration. Hyper-V, in particular, has some compelling improvements: legacy-free, UEFI-booting "generation 2" virtual machines, faster live migration, live cloning of VMs, online disk resizing, and support for live migration, backup, disk resizing, and dynamic memory for Linux guests.

Windows' pooled storage system, Storage Spaces, is set to become a lot smarter. Pools can use a mix of solid state and spinning disk media, and the Storage Space software will automatically move hot data off the spinning disks and onto the solid state ones.

Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments



via http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/06/microsoft-promises-annual-windows-server-updates-can-it-cope/

Seat of Power: the computer workstation for the person with everything

MWE Lab's Emperor 1510 LX—don't call it a chair.
MWE Labs

Science fiction is filled with cherished seats of power, workstations that put the universe a finger-touch or a mere thought away. Darth Vader had his meditation pod, the Engineers of Prometheus had their womb-like control stations, and Captain Kirk has the Captain's Chair. But no real-life workstation has quite measured up to these fictional seats of power in the way that Martin Carpentier's Emperor workstations have.

The latest "modern working environment" from Carpentier's Quebec City-based MWE Lab is the Emperor 1510 LX. With a retractable monitor stand that can support up to five monitors (three 27-inch and two 19-inch), a reclining seat with thigh rest, a Bose sound system, and Italian leather upholstery, the Emperor 1510 LX looks more like a futuristic vehicle than a workstation.  And it's priced like a vehicle, too—it can soon be yours for the low, low price of $21,500.

Tale of the Scorpion

In 2006, Carpentier was slaving away as a web designer when he reached a breaking point. He was tired of his tangle of cables, the struggle to manage multiple monitors, and the horrible ergonomics that came with a standard computer desk. Inspired by the emperor scorpion, Carpentier modeled his workstation after its tail, with the monitors suspended at the stinger.

Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments



via http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/06/seat-of-power-the-computer-workstation-for-the-person-with-everything/

What’s New For The Enterprise In Windows 8.1

Today at TechEd North America in New Orleans, we announced several new features available in Windows 8.1 that deliver benefits for business customers. We built Windows 8 to bring a modern computing experience to businesses and to help professionals stay connected to their colleagues and clients from anywhere, anytime. Windows 8.1, which will be available for public preview on June 26th advances this vision and introduces new manageability, mobility, security, user experience and networking capabilities. Windows 8.1 is designed to offer customers the best tablet and most versatile PC experience to meet the needs of today’s modern businesses.

Below is a list of some of the new and updated features that we invite to you test out when Windows 8.1 Preview becomes available later this month.

B.Y.O.D (Bring Your Own Device) Enhancements

  • Workplace Join – A Windows 8 PC was either domain joined or not. If it was a member of the domain, the user could access corporate resources (if permissioned) and IT could control the PC through group policy and other mechanisms. This feature allows a middle ground between all or nothing access, allowing a user to work on the device of their choice and still have access to corporate resources. With Workplace Join, IT administrators now have the ability to offer finer-grained control to corporate resources. If a user registers their device, IT can grant some access while still enforcing some governance parameters on the device to ensure the security of corporate assets.
  • Work Folders - Work Folders allows a user to sync data to their device from their user folder located in the corporation’s data center. Files created locally will sync back to the file server in the corporate environment. This syncing is natively integrated into the file system. Note, this all happens outside the firewall client sync support. Previously, Windows 8 devices needed to be domain joined (or required domain credentials) for access to file shares. Syncing could be done with 3rd party folder replication apps. With Work Folders, Users can keep local copies of their work files on their devices, with automatic synchronization to your data center, and for access from other devices. IT can enforce Dynamic Access Control policies on the Work Folder Sync Share (including automated Rights Management) and require Workplace Join to be in place.
  • Open MDM- While many organizations have investments with System Center and will continue to leverage these investments we also know that many organizations want to manage certain classes of devices, like tablets and BYOD devices, as mobile devices. With Windows 8.1, you can use an OMA-DM API agent to allow management of Windows 8.1 devices with mobile device management products, like Mobile Iron or Air Watch .
  • NFC tap-to-pair printing – Tap your Windows 8.1 device against an NFC-enabled printer and you’re all set to print without hunting on your network for the correct printer. You also don’t need to buy new printers to take advantage of this; you can simply put an NFC tag on your existing printers to enable this functionality.
  • Wi-Fi Direct printing – Connect to Wi-Fi Direct printers without adding additional drivers or software on your Windows 8.1 device, forming a peer-to-peer network between your device and any Wi-Fi enabled printer.
  • Native Miracast wireless display – Present your work wirelessly with no connection cords or dongles needed; just pair with project to a Miracast-enabled projector through Bluetooth or NFC and Miracast will use Wi-Fi to let you project wire-free.
  • Mobile Device Management - When a user enrolls their device, they are joining the device to the Windows Intune management service. They get access to the Company Portal which provides a consistent experience for access to their applications, data and to manage their own devices. This allows a deeper management experience with existing tools like Windows Intune. IT administrators now have more comprehensive policy management for Windows RT devices, and can manage Windows 8.1 PCs as mobile devices without having to deploy a full management client.
  • Web Application Proxy - The Web Application Proxy is a new role service in the Windows Server Remote Access role. It provides the ability to publish access to corporate resources, and enforce multi-factor authentication as well as apply conditional access policies to verify both the user’s identity and the device they are using resources, and enforce multi-factor authentication as well as verify the device being used before access is granted.
  • RDS Enhancements - Enhanced VDI in Server 2012 R2 which delivers improvements in Management, Value, and User Experience. Session Shadowing allows Admins to view and remotely control active user sessions in an RDSH server. Disk dedupe and storage tiering allow for lower cost storage options. User experience for RemoteApps, network connectivity and multiple display support has been improved. Administrators can now easily support users with session desktops to provide helpdesk style support. Administrators now have even more flexible storage options to support a VDI environment without expensive SAN investments. End users will find RemoteApp behavior is more like local apps, and the experience in low-bandwidth is better, with faster reconnects and improved compression, and support for multiple monitors.

Mobility Enhancements

  • VPN - We have added support for a wider range of VPN clients in both Windows and Windows RT devices. We have also added the ability to have an app automatically trigger VPN connections.
  • Mobile Broadband - At Windows 8 launch, the devices had embedded radios that were separate components within the devices.  Windows 8.1 supports embedded wireless radio, which gives you increased power savings, longer battery life, also enables thinner form factors and lower cost devices.
  • Broadband tethering – Turn your Windows 8.1 mobile broadband-enabled PC or tablet into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing other devices to connect and access the internet.
  • Auto-triggered VPN –When you select an app or resource that needs access through the inbox VPN – like a company’s intranet site – Windows 8.1 will automatically prompt you to sign in with one click. This feature will be available with Microsoft and third-party inbox VPN clients.

Security Enhancements

  • Remote Business Data Removal - Corporations now have more control over corporate content which can be marked as corporate, encrypted, and then be wiped when the relationship between the corporation and user has ended. Corporate data can now be identified as corporate vs. user, encrypted, and wiped on command using EAS or EAS + OMA-DM protocol. This capability is requires implementation in the client application and in the server application (Mail + Exchange Server). The client application determines if the wipe simply makes the data inaccessible or actually deletes it.
  • Improved Biometrics - All SKU’s will include end to end biometric capabilities that enable authenticating with your biometric identity anywhere in Windows (Windows sign-in, remote access, UAC, etc.). Windows 8.1 will be optimized for fingerprint based biometrics and will include a common fingerprint enrollment experience that will work with a variety of readers (touch, swipe). Modern readers are capacitive touch based rather than swipe and include liveliness detection that prevents spoofing (e.g.: silicon emulated fingerprints). Access to Windows Store Apps, functions within them, and certificate release can be gated based on verification of a user’s biometric identity.
  • Pervasive Device Encryption - Device encryption previously found on Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 is now available in all editions of Windows. It is enabled out of the box and can be configured with additional BitLocker protection and management capability on Pro and Enterprise SKU. Consumer devices are automatically encrypted and protected when using a Microsoft account. Data on any Windows connected standby device is automatically protected (encrypted) with device encryption. Organizations that need to manage encryption can easily take add additional BitLocker protection options and manageability to these devices.
  • Improved Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer 11 improvements include faster page load times, side-by-side browsing of your sites, enhanced pinned site notifications, and app settings like favorites, tabs and settings sync across all your Windows 8.1 PCs. Internet Explorer 11 also now includes capability that enables an antimalware solution to scan the input for a binary extension before it’s passed onto the extension for execution.
  • Malware Resistance –Windows Defender, Microsoft’s free antivirus solution in Windows 8, will include network behavior monitoring to help detect and stop the execution of known and unknown malware. Internet Explorer will scan binary extensions (e.g. ActiveX) using the antimalware solution before potentially harmful code is executed.
  • Assigned Access- With Assigned Access, a new feature offered in Windows 8.1 RT, Windows 8.1 Pro and Windows 8.1 Enterprise, you can enable a single Windows Store application experience on the device.  This can be things like a learning application for kids in an educational setting or a Customer Service application at a boutique, Assigned Access can ensure the device is delivering the intended experience. In our Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry product, we deliver additional lockdown capabilities to meet the needs of Industry devices like Point of Sale Systems, ATMs, and Digital Signs.

Modern UI experience

  • Variable, continuous size of snap views - You have more ways to see multiple apps on the screen at once. You can resize apps to nearly infinite sized windows, share the screen between two apps, or have up to three apps on each monitor depending on resolution.
  • Boot to Desktop - we have made configuration options available which will allow you to boot directly to the desktop in Windows 8.1.
  • Desktop and Start screen – Improvements have been made to better support users who prefer a mouse and keyboard experience to access applications.
  • For more of the UI features, check out Antoine’s post, “ Continuing the Windows 8 vision with 8.1”.

These are just some of the key features available in Windows 8.1 for business customers and IT Pros. We encourage you to test out and try these features when you evaluate Windows 8.1 for use both in your work environment as well as at home in your personal life. Please note that Server 2012 R2 may be required in order for some of these features to be available.

We will continue to update this list when the Windows 8.1 Preview is released, and again when Windows 8.1 becomes available to the general public. For the latest list of new and updated features for enterprises and IT professionals, please bookmark the permanent location of this article, “What’s New in Windows 8.1,” on the Windows 8 TechCenter.



via http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2013/06/03/what-s-new-for-the-enterprise-in-windows-8-1.aspx

MSI refreshes its GT and GE gaming laptops, teases a new 14-inch model (hands-on)

MSI refreshes its GT and GE gaming laptops, teases a new 14-inch model (hands-on)

MSI's had a busy couple weeks: first it started selling a pair of laptops with AMD chips inside, and then it unveiled a flagship notebook with Haswell. Now, to complete the trilogy, the company's refreshing the other models in its range. Starting with the GT series, the existing GT70 and GT60 are both getting a quad-core, 3.2GHz Core i7-4200MQ CPU with a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX780M GPU or a 3GB GTX770M. Though the chipsets are the same, however, the 17-incher makes room for more robust internals, including a max of 32GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD paired with up to three 128GB SSDs arranged in a RAID 0 setup. The 15-inch version, meanwhile, tops out at 16GB of RAM with a single 128GB SSD and 1TB hard drive. If 8.6 or even 7.7 pounds is too heavy for your tastes, you might prefer the slim GE series, where both the 15- and 17-inch models weigh in at less than six pounds. In exchange for a lighter design, of course, you get slightly inferior specs: a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX765 GPU, 750GB hard drives, 8GB to 12GB of RAM and six-cell batteries, compared with a nine-cells on the beefier GT models. For what it's worth, though, most configurations have the same 3.2GHz Core i7 processor. Additionally, the GE notebooks have been refreshed with backlit keyboards, but you still won't get the full rainbow effect as on the GTs. All are available now. In the US, at least, starting prices are as follows: $1,500 for the GT70 and GT60, $1,400 for the GE70 and $1,000 for the GE60.

Finally, MSI is also showing off a 14-inch model, the GE40, which has an altogether different industrial design than the other GEs, with small red lights on the lid meant to look like devil's eyes. (Or wings. Whatever.) At 4.4 pounds and 1.14 inch thick, it's an obvious competitor to the Alienware M14x. No word yet on pricing or availability, but MSI has preliminarily said it will boast a 2.9GHz Core i7-4702MQ CPU, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M GPU, 8GB of RAM and a battery rated for three hours. The screen will be a 1,600 x 900 non-IPS panel with an anti-glare matte finish. Storage-wise, you're looking at a 128GB and 750GB SSD, or just the 750-gig HDD. Again, MSI hasn't said when it'll ship, but for now we've got hands on-photos of the GE40 (and those other machines, too) after the break.

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via http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/02/msi-gt70-gt60-ge70-ge60-ge40/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Haswell is here: we detail Intel’s first 4th-generation Core CPUs

Intel is announcing the first of its fourth-generation Core processors based on the "Haswell" architecture.
Intel

Intel has been releasing information about Haswell, its next-generation CPU architecture, for months now. Our coverage has already been fairly extensive—we've already got a nice overview of Haswell's CPU architecture itself, along with a primer on its brand-new integrated GPUs. All we need to know now is specific product information, and Intel is finally giving us our first official taste of that today.

This morning's announcements revolve around high-end quad-core chips in the Core i7 and Core i5 families, 12 for desktops and ten for laptops. If you're looking for specific information about U- and Y- series low-voltage chips for Ultrabooks or anything belonging to the Core i3, Pentium, or Celeron families, you'll have to wait a little while longer. We'll be sure to pass that information along as we have it.

What we'll do here is present a high-level recap of the CPU, GPU, and chipset enhancements Intel is introducing in Haswell. After that, we'll break down the specific CPUs that Intel is announcing today, and the kinds of systems you're likely to find them in. Note that all of this information is coming directly from Intel—they're not going to out-and-out make things up, but they're definitely going to present their CPUs in the best possible light. We'll be putting all of the below performance claims to the test as we begin to review Haswell-based systems later this summer.

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via http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/haswell-is-here-intel-announces-first-4th-generation-core-cpus/

Intel sets Haswell launch for June 4th, details bold battery life claims

Intel sets Haswell launch for June 4th, backs up claims about allday battery life

Haswell is hardly a secret at this point: there's been a steady drip-drip of demos and technical leaks since as far back as 2011, and just a month ago we brought you the low-down on its integrated graphics. But today, finally, we have official pricing for a number of variants, a concrete date for availability (this coming Tuesday, June 4th) and, perhaps most importantly, some detailed benchmark claims about what Haswell is capable of -- particularly in its mobile form.

Sure, Intel already dominates in MacBooks, Ultrabooks (by definition) and in hybrids like Surface Pro, but the chip maker readily admits that the processors in those portable PCs were just cut-down desktop chips. Haswell is different, having been built from the ground up with Intel's North Cape prototype and other mobile form factors in mind. As a loose-lipped executive recently let slip, we can look forward to a 50 percent increase in battery life in the coming wave of devices, with no loss of performance. Read on and we'll discover how this is possible and what it could mean for the dream of all-day mobile computing.

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via http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/01/intel-haswell-launch/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget