ASUS partners up with Leap Motion, PCs with 3D motion control to debut in 2013

ASUS Embraces Revolutionary New Interface, Partners to Bundle Leap Motion with
Select Computers

World's Most Accurate 3-D Motion-Control Technology to Bundle with New Premium All-in-One Computers and High-End Notebooks using Intel's Haswell Platform

SAN FRANCISCO – January 3, 2013 – Leap Motion, the motion-control software and hardware company changing the future of human/computer interaction, today announced one of its first global OEM partnerships. ASUS, a leading innovator in personal computing products, will bundle the revolutionary Leap Motion controller with select new computers. In an industry first, ASUS will also bundle the world's most accurate 3-D motion-control technology into new high-end notebooks and premium All-in-One (AiO) PCs later this year.

ASUS is one of the world's largest consumer notebook vendors and the maker of the world's best-selling and most award-winning motherboards. The ground-breaking partnership brings the future of computer interaction-Leap Motion's incredibly fast and accurate natural user interface-to millions of potential consumers around the world.

Leap Motion's incredible speed and precision are helping fuel its momentum and leadership in the industry. Leap Motion's technology can track movements to 1/100th millimeter-smaller than the tip of a pin-with no visible lag time. The Leap Motion controller has a 150-degree field of view, and tracks individual hands and all 10 fingers at 290 frames per second.

ASUS plans to bundle the Leap Motion controller with its upcoming premium All-In-One (AiO) PCs and high-end notebooks for global distribution.

"Our commitment to innovation and exceptional quality drive us to provide the best technology to our consumers," said Alber Wu, Desktop Division Senior Director at ASUSTek. "Leap Motion has developed an exciting technology that will truly enhance the experience our customers have with their ASUS devices, opening a world of opportunity for personal use and business, from entertainment to architecture to education. We're proud to be one of the first companies to partner with Leap Motion."

"As OEMs adopt 3-D motion control technology, they're spurring a rapid evolution in computer interface innovations and helping free the full power and potential of computing for consumers," said Leap Motion co-founder and CEO Michael Buckwald. "This historic partnership with ASUS is an important step in building global adoption of the new computing paradigm Leap Motion's technology offers. We're delighted that ASUS shares our outlook on the future of human/computer interaction."

In May 2012, Leap Motion revealed its technology and controller to huge global excitement, with its introduction video garnering more than 7 million views. More than 40,000 developers worldwide have requested to work with Leap Motion, and the company has sent out 12,000 free units to developers to foster the creation of new applications.

Leap Motion has won innovation awards from Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and Fast Company, and will present a featured session at the 2013 SXSW conference. The Leap Motion device will ship to consumers early this year, and can be pre-ordered for $70 at www.leapmotion.com.

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By: Dilusha On 10:56 PM

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Google partners with charity to supply schools with $99 Chromebooks

Google has partnered up with an online charity to provide classrooms with low-cost Chromebooks for the holidays. From now through December 21, educators can request discounted Chromebooks through DonorsChoose.org, a Kickstarter-like charity that focuses on projects submitted by public schools.

According to the promotion rules, teachers can apply for up to 30 Chromebooks, which are priced at only $99 each. This request is posted online where it may (or may not) be fulfilled by donors, just like Kickstarter. DonorsChoose has a FAQ page that provides a decent scope of how the service works.

Although this is intended to be a charitable exchange, we imagine teachers could submit their requests and then fund their own projects, effectively purchasing their own devices. Google's $99 asking price includes management and support ($30 alone), while the Samsung Series 5 typically goes for $399.

The Series 5 offers a 12.1-inch 1280x800 display, a dual-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD (Chrome OS is largely cloud-based), a 4-in-1 memory card slot, dual-band Wi-Fi and optional 3G, a micro-VGA port with a VGA adapter, two USB 2.0 ports and up to 8.5 hours of run time.

Although Chromebooks haven't exactly been a hit among consumers, Google notes that more than a thousand schools have adopted the systems, including three districts who have deployed thousands of Google's notebooks. They're a little light on horsepower, but Chromebooks are sufficient for basic tasks such as researching, word processing, building presentations and collaborating with others.

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By: Dilusha On 1:21 PM

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Microsoft partners with Devicescape to give WP8 users access to over 11 million WiFi hotspots

Easy Access to High-Quality Hotspots Offers Windows Phone Users Cost Effective Data Use
SAN BRUNO, Calif.,November 6, 2012 Devicescape, the WiFi offload company, today announced that it has licensed WiFi data from its Curated Virtual Network (CVN) to Microsoft forWindows Phone 8. This agreement will allow Windows Phone 8 users to easily and reliably locate high-quality hotspots leading to a significantly improved user experience while reducing mobile data costs.

By: Dilusha On 11:11 AM

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