Rumor: iPhone 5 will have A5 processor, Qualcomm baseband

Even though Apple is not expected to reveal the next generation of the iPhone until this fall, the rumor mill is already churning away.
According to Apple Insider, Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note that the iPhone 5 will sport the following “slight modifications”:

• New iOS 5 mobile operating system (set to be unveiled at WWDC 2011)
• A5 processor (as seen in the iPad 2)
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• Qualcomm baseband for both GSM and CDMA models
• Improved antenna design

The last one is unintentionally comedic as its obviously necessary given the catastrophe that was “Antennagate” in summer 2010. However, we shouldn’t expect to see any major exterior design changes until at least the sixth iPhone. (Let’s not even start thinking about that one just yet.) The processor and the camera seem like reasonable upgrades, and given that Kuo has apparently been correct on past Apple rumors, the Qualcomm switch could pan out.
Of course, Apple hasn’t even confirmed an iPhone 5 model (after all, we’re still waiting for the iPhone 4 in white), but we all know its coming. It’s just a matter of when at this point.
[Note: The device in the image above is the iPhone 4 - not a new version of the iPhone that is discussed in this post.]

MSI trots out CX640, CR640 laptops with USB 3.0, Core i3 CPUs

MSI has a pair of new “mainstream” notebooks available for the taking starting today. Both the CX640 and CR640 laptops share a few similarities, including fairly affordable price tags.
Running on Intel Core i3-2310M processors, both notebooks sport 15.6-inch displays, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drives and a pair of USB 3.0 ports each. Those hard drives are supposed to be extra-protected from drops and shocks as the disk is in the middle of the chassis and housed inside a “unique” casing.
MSI also promises that these C Series notebooks will boot up “two times faster than standard notebooks.” Presumably, MSI means notebooks in the same class. With these specs, the CX640 and CR640 are nice, but not that far off from standard.
The major difference between these two portable machines is that the silvery CX640 hosts NVIDIA® GeForce GT 520M graphics with Optimus technology, and the black CR640 uses Intel HD 3000 graphics.
The CR640 runs for a bit cheaper at $629.99, while the CX640 costs $679.99.

Samsung expected to debut 2GHz dual-core smartphone by 2012

Smartphone processors are evolving from 1GHz to 1.2GHz dual-core power lately, but Samsung plans to step things up considerably by next year.
It is being reported that Samsung is planning to release a smartphone powered by a 2GHz dual-core processor by the end of 2012. Samsung is expected to both produce and sell these soon-to-be ground-breaking CPUs, which will “narrow the gap between a smartphone and a full-fledged desktop PC.”
Thus, if the CPUs are sold separately, we could be seeing this technology in a number of other devices next year - not just in whatever might be the next installment of the Galaxy S series. While this is certainly exciting and deserves support, such advancements could lead to higher prices and less battery life initially. It might be awhile before a smartphone with this processing power seems like a great deal overall.

Toshiba unloads Tecra, Portege ultra-slim laptops with Sandy Bridge CPUs

Toshiba has rolled out several new notebooks under the Tecra and Portégé brands, which happen to be “the thinnest Toshiba business laptops ever made.”
Besides the slim exteriors, all of the new Toshiba laptops mentioned here share a number of other similar specs, including:

• Second-generation Intel Core processor options
• High-speed 7200 RPM hard drives or a 128GB solid state drive
• Optional AMD Radeon discrete graphics with 1GB of dedicated graphics memory
• Intel AMT 7.0
• 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth v3.0 + EDR
• Connectivity: USB 3.0, eSATA/USB combo, DisplayPort *or* HDMI, ExpressCard, Gigabit Ethernet and docking connectors.
• Support Intel Wireless Display

For businesspeople on-the-go, the Portégé R830 is dubbed as the “ultraportable” choice. Built with a magnesium alloy casing with a honeycomb structure, the R830 weighs 3.1 pounds and measures about one inch thin. Toshiba boasts that this model is the “world’s lightest 13.3-inch full-performance ultraportable laptop” with an integrated DVD drive.
Continuing on, the Tecra notebooks are a bit larger but still ready for the road with a fiberglass‐reinforced casing with a honeycomb rib structure. The 14-inch Tecra R840 (pictured above) is 25% thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor, and users can squeeze up to 11 hours of battery life after each charge with this machine. The 15.6-inch Tecra R850 (pictured right, below) also measures about an inch thin and weighs 5.3 pounds. However, this one only manages seven hours of battery time on a single charge. Both Tecra models sport HD LED-Backlit widescreen displays.
Available immediately, pricing ranges based on the configuration selected by the customer, but here’s a scale for reference:

• Tecra R840: $899.00 to $1,479.00
• Tecra R850: $879.00 to $1,399.00
• Portégé R830: $1,049.00 to $1,649.00

These notebooks are intended for business purposes, but there is a consumer edition of the Portégé R830 that starts at $888.99 with a 640GB hard drive. Most of the same specs are still onboard (including USB 3.0), but it lacks an ExpressCard slot and docking capabilities.

Acer introduces two new 3D desktop LCD monitors, including 27-inch LED-backlit display with HDMI 3D support

While there haven’t been as many PC monitors that have made the leap to 3D as there have been sets in the HDTV realm, the future of computer displays is probably in three dimensions as well. Acer is doing its part to bring about that transition by launching two new LCDs that offer 3D capabilities.
If you want a monitor that can substitute for a full-fledged 3D HDTV, the HN274H (pictured above) not only supports Nvidia 3D Vision for computer gaming, but also HDMI 3D, which means you can hook up a 3D-compatible Blu-ray player or a TV set-top box to watch movies or programming in 3D. The 27-inch LED-backlit display comes with three HDMI ports in total, along with a pair of Nvidia active-shutter 3D glasses.
A step-down version is the 23.6-inch HS244HQ, which lacks Nvidia 3D vision support and LED backlighting, but still is HDMI 3D compatible and includes a pair of Acer 3D glasses. Like the HN274H, this LCD offers 1,920×1,080 “full HD” resolution, 120Hz refresh rates, and 2ms response time.
Both monitors are available now, with the HN274H priced at $689 and the HS2344HQ costing $449.

Sony trots out RF865RK wireless headset, NC13 noise-cancelling earbuds

Sony has introduced a pair of new sleek and rather high-end headsets. The RF865RK drops the wires and the NC13 cancels out external noise.
Starting with the RF865RK headphones, this ear-padded headset sports rechargeable batteries that can get extra juice from a specially-designed docking station. These headphones take approximately 3.5 hours to charge but then deliver up to 25 hours of audio playback.
As for the audio quality, the RF865RK headphones host 40mm driver units and a 10-22,000Hz frequency response time with the intention of delivering a deeper and clearer bass sound.
Then we have the petite NC13 in-earphones, which cancel out ambient noise by up to 87.4%. To take advantage of this function, the unit requires one AAA battery. That should guarantee up to 100 hours of playback time. With the same frequency response time as the RF865RK, the NC13 uses a 13.5mm driver.
Pricing and availability for the RF865RK headphones have not been announced yet. The NC13 earbuds, however, will start shipping tomorrow and cost $69.99.