Intel Ultrabook Japanese commercial with a “tigerman” dancing on the moon.
Personal Computers
ASUS Eee Pad Slider
Intro video of ASUS Eee Pad Slider, claimed to be “the best tablet for work and play…”
I like the concept, but it probably lacks the flexibility of Eee Pad Transformer (with detachable keyboard) which was launched by ASUS earlier this year. At least the company is creating something different instead of just another iPad, kudos for that.
Dennis Ritchie (1941-2011)
Computer scientist Dennis Ritchie has died after prolong illness. He was 70.
The American was the creator of C programming language and a key developer of the Unix operation system. His name probably won’t ring a bell to most, but those who knows about computer science will understand the significance of his legacy. To simply put, his work provides the fundamentals of today’s information technology – in computers, data centres, websites, smartphones etc. Without Ritchie we probably won’t have Apple or Google at the first place.
The pic above shows Ritchie (centre) receiving the National Medal of Technology – the highest honour for technologists in the US – from President Bill Clinton in 1999. To his right is Ken Thompson, equally influential pioneer in computer science.
Aakash – world’s cheapest tablet computer from India
India has launched what it dubbed as the world’s cheapest tablet computer on Wednesday, to be sold to students at a subsidized price of US$35 and later in shops for about $60.
The touch-screen device, called Aakash, or “sky” in Hindi, is currently assembled by a British company. A pilot run of 100,000 units will be given to students for free, with the first 500 handed out at the launch to a mixed response. Image by Parivartan Sharma, more details on Reuters.
Very little technical information is available beside the fact that it’s running on Android. And speaking of “cheapest”, India also wowed the world in 2008 with Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car, which is doing pretty well domestically. What you pay is what you get; but there’s always demand for cheap (and relatively low quality) stuff.
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Japanese street interview
A marketing campaign by ASUS Japan for its Eee Pad Transformer tablet computer. Not sure if it’s an advertorial or “real” interviews (common folks instead of scripted actors), but it’s not a bad way to generate interest for the product…
iPad 2 release in Asia this week
Apple has just announced that iPad 2, the second generation of its popular tablet computer, will be on sale in Asia this week.
The iPad 2 will be available in Japan on April 28; and Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and UAE on April 29.
Set aside Japan, iPad 2 is arriving in Asia sooner than expected. The original iPad was introduced in limited Asian countries after a few months, and it’s only available in Malaysia half a year after it was launched. It’s a bit of a surprise that it’s being released so early this time.
The sales should go crazy, with people lining up hours to get the product first hand. It’s one human nature which I cannot understand… I mean, what’s the rush? We can always get it a week or two later, even if it’s temporarily out of stock.
Suggested retail price for the iPad 2 with Wi-Fi model – US$499 for the 16GB model, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G suggested retail price – $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.
