Samsung revealed on Wednesday, December 13, the latest refresh of its Samsung Notebook 9 family slated for 2018 in North America. There will be three units in the refresh along with a new 2-in-1 labeled as the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen. This model will include Samsung’s S Pen and sport a 13.3-inch screen, while the refreshed Notebooks 9 units will consist of a 13.3-inch model, and two 15-inch models.
According to Samsung, all four units rely on Intel’s eighth-generation Core i7 processors with integrated graphics. But one of the 15-inch models will ship with a discrete GeForce MX150 graphics chip built for laptops, promising four times better performance than integrated graphics. This chip is good for running PC games on medium detail settings, and at a 720p resolution.
First, let’s dig into the hardware specifics:
The Samsung Notebook 9 Pen version provides a built-in holder for the S Pen peripheral. Once its removed, Samsung’s Air Command utility automatically launches on the notebook, providing access to Autodesk Sketchbook, Samsung Notes, and other S Pen shortcuts.
Meanwhile, all four models are based on a premium magnesium aluminum alloy called Metal12. It’s supposedly lighter than aluminum, but durable enough to withstand everyday use. The bezel surrounding all four Notebook 9 screens measures just 0.244 inches thin, providing more viewing area and less frame.
The notebooks provide up to 16GB of system memory, PCI Express-based NVMe SSDs, HDMI output, and fingerprint scanners. The 15-inch models add a Thunderbolt 3 port while the S Pen-based unit includes an infrared camera for facial recognition. In turn, the benefits of using the S Pen means the 2-in-1 has a smaller battery than its pen-free 13.3-inch clamshell brother.
All four Samsung Notebook 9 models will hit Korea in December followed by a launch in North America in the first quarter of 2018. Samsung has yet to provide pricing, but we’ll likely find out more during the CES technology show in Las Vegas in early January.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.