Chromebook Pixel—Google’s groundbreaker laptop

Google has once again stunned the tech world. The new laptop they unveiled yesterday in San Francisco—the ‘Chromebook Pixel’— stands out for many things radically new.

Its specs compete with any of the existing Ultrabooks or Macbooks; its resolution outdoes the best existing ones by almost 100 percent. That’s as good as, if not better than, what Apple calls ‘retina display’. 

It has touchscreen, along with a keyboard and mousepad; the high-res touchscreen allows all the fancies and utilities like ‘tap’, ‘pinch to zoom’ and ‘swipe’.

Chromebook Pixel runs on Intel Core i5 processor and comes out in two models: 32 GB model with WiFi only, 64 GB model with WiFi and LTE.

Apart from the 32 GB or 64 GB built-in storage, Google offers 1TB free space on Google Drive for three years.

In addition to all regular Google apps and docs, Chrome Pixel buyers can enjoy seamless integration with Microsoft Office—to satisfy the MS Office fanatics Google is offering Quick Office for free.

Where to buy: The Chromebook Pixel is already available in Google Play, and shall soon be available on bestbuy.com.

The Price: The google blog says it has aimed the Chromebook Pixel for ‘especially for power users who have fully embraced the cloud’.  Hence, unlike the earlier Chromebooks from Google and its partner manufacturers like Samsung, Acer and HP, which are sold for as low as $199, the Chromebook Pixel targets an elite class of buyers who don’t bother about the price, but minds the performance; users who are happy working on the cloud across superfast connectivity. Hence the price is in the upper band: $ 1299 for 32 GB WiFi model; $ 1449 for the 64 GB LTE model.

More details (as touted by Google and gleaned from sneak previews)

Screen: 12.85-inch touch-sensitive Gorilla Glass screen. 2560 x 1700 pixels on 12.85 inch screen translate to 4.3 million pixels, i.e. 239 pixels per inch whereas the best current laptops give a resolution of 118 ppi according to Google.

OS: Chrome

Webcam: 720p

Audio: Powerful, full-range speakers tucked under the backlit keyboard. Three microphones designed and deployed in a manner that cancels all surrounding noise—two mics on either side of the cam, one laser mic under the keyboard. These ensure, Google claims, that the system cancels out even some keyboard tapping noises that you may make during videoconferences.

Look and feel: Anodized aluminium alloy body that is smooth and durable; vents and screws are hidden, ports are not marked.

Speed: Driven by Intel Core i5 processor and solid state flash memory architecture, it is quick and agile.

Security: built-in antivirus protection, regular updates every few weeks

5 things every woman gets wrong

From our body weight to our choice of literature, you may be surprised by all the things us ladies get wrong! Uncover some surprising female health mistakes and misconceptions with these 5 things every woman gets wrong.

Body weight

We have bad news, ladies – according to research studies, we’re all fatter than we think! A British Government survey found that we are all guilty of underestimating our size, with women misjudging their weight the most. The study found that the average woman is 5lbs heavier than she thinks she is, and for women in their late 30s this goes up to 8lbs. Furthermore, nearly half of all parents of obese children thought their child was the right weight.

These results corroborate findings by Columbia University researchers which showed that overweight mothers tend to underestimate their own and their children’s weight. Experts believe many of us underestimate our weight in a bid to convince ourselves we’re not too far off our ideal size, while the lead author of the study of Columbia University believes it may also be because perception of weight has become skewed as obesity and being overweight are becoming the norm.

Body shape

Not only do many of us believe we weigh less than we actually do, according to research we are also not quite as curvaceous as we think. A study of about 3000 women commissioned by the Vitality Show showed that 27 per cent of women believed they had an hourglass figure – one of the most sought after body shapes – while only 21 per cent believed they were the less coveted apple shaped. However, in reality more than half had an apple shaped figure and far fewer women were hourglass shaped than they thought.

In fact, experts believe that just 8 per cent of women have the coveted hourglass shape, which is not only thought to be desirable to the opposite sex but is also believed to have health benefits including increased fertility and intelligence levels. Experts believe that the lifestyle of modern working women is to blame for the decline in the hourglass shape as stress increases the distribution of fat around the abdomen.

Reading material

You might not think your choice of novel has any implications on your wellbeing, however research by Virginia Tech has found that reading chick lit could be bad for your health. It is well-documented that many modern women (and men) suffer from body image issues and feel under pressure to look a certain way. However, while many put this down to the influence of underweight celebrities and models, the study suggests that fictional icons could be just as bad for your self-esteem.

The study looked at the effect of chick lit protagonists with low self esteem on readers, and found that reading about characters with low body confidence made female readers more aware of their own size. The participants reported feeling significantly less attractive when they read about a slim character and significantly more worried about their weight when they read about one with low self esteem. While this doesn’t mean you need to ditch chick lit entirely, choosing novels with characters with normal or high body confidence could help to give your own a boost.

Self-worth

Research shows that many women underestimate themselves both physically and intellectually, while men are more likely to overestimate their virtues. Research results published in the journal Psychological Science found that, when participants were placed in a setup described as “speed meeting” with members of the opposite sex and asked to rate the sexual interest of their partner, the men were more likely to overestimate their attractiveness and the interest of their partner, while most women underestimated their partner’s sexual interest.

Furthermore, an analysis of 25 studies by a professor at University College London showed that, although men and women tend to have the same average IQ, women also underestimate their intelligence while men overestimate theirs. Also, not only did female participants give a lower estimate of their own intelligence, both men and women tended to think their male relations were more intelligent than their female ones.

Workouts

While your workouts may keep you fit and slim, research suggests that women are failing in one key aspect when it comes to exercise – improving strength. In fact, studies suggest that women are weaker than they have ever been, which may be because many focus purely on weight loss rather than strength. Concerns that muscles aren’t feminine are also a key factor in our dwindling strength. However, while you may not care about gaining muscles, poor muscle strength has many implications for our health, including increased risk of osteoporosis and back and joint pain.

Another mistake women make when it comes to workouts is following the same regimes as their partner. A new study by researchers at the University of Missouri shows that women and men respond to exercise and diet in different ways, and that women need to do a lot more exercise and pay more attention to their diet to reap the same results as men. While exercising with your partner is a great way to stay motivated, try to tailor your workout to get the results you want.

Bollywood This Week

From Sonam’s bikini to PC’s desi look, here are the movers and shakers of this week.

From Sonam’s bikini to PC’s desi look, here are the movers and shakers of this week.

 

Filmmaker Anurag Basu, who is scripting late singer Kishore Kumar's biopic, is still hunting for the actress to play yesteryear diva Madhubala in the film. While Ranbir Kapoor is set to play Kishore Kumar, sources say that Katrina or Kangna are the hot contenders for Madhubala’s role.

 

After shunning the bikini all this while, Sonam Kapoor is all set to don one for her untitled Yash Raj film. Sonam who has always been bikini-shy had earlier said that her body is not fit for donning a bikini.

 

Director Satish Kaushik will return to direction with the remake of 2012 hit Bengali film 'Bhooter Bhabishyat'. The film traces the life of a group of ghosts in an abandoned bungalow, was one of the highest grossers of last year in the Bengali film industry.

 

PVR Pictures has issued an apology to actor Aamir Khan for misquoting him on Hollywood filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow's new film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’. The actor was quoted talking about the Hollywood film, and Bigelow, in a statement issued by PVR Pictures

 

After playing an autistic girl, Priyanka Chopra will don a desi look for Gunday. The star was recently seen in a pale blue saree on crowded truck laden with bananas and livestock in West Bengal where she was seen shooting with Arjun Kapoor.

 

This is confirmed. Saif Ali Khan is all set to launch wife Kareena’s cousin Arman Kapoor. The film will be directed by Imtiyaz Ali’s brother.

Luxury brands are the most popular products that any shopper talks about. Louis Vuitton tops the list of the best luxury brands in the world, according to Interbrand. The world’s biggest brand consultancy, Interbrand has ranked companies based on its brand value.

Louis Vuitton
The French fashion house, Louis Vuitton tops the list of luxury brands in the world. The company’s products include luxury trunks, leather goods, shoes, watches, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses, and books.Brand value: $23,577 million
 

Gucci
The house of Gucci is an Italian fashion and leather goods brand. The company features finely crafted leather accessories like handbags, shoes, clothing, watches and jewelry.Brand value: $9,446 million
Hermes
The luxury French brand, Hermes is very well known for its silk scarves, leather and perfumes. Hermes specializes in lifestyle accessories, ties, clothing, watches, stationery, footwear, gloves and decorative among other products.
Brand value: $6,182 million
Cartier
Founded in Paris, Cartier is very well known for its exquisite jewelry and wrist watches. Apart from having a long history of selling its watches to royalty and celebrities, the company’s collections include leather goods and accessories.
Brand value: $5,495 million
 

Tiffany & Co
Tiffany & Co is often referred to as Tiffany’s and is this luxury American multinational jewelry and silverware corporation sells china, crystal, fragrances, personal accessories and leather goods apart from its renowned diamond jewelry.Brand value: $5,159 million
 

Burberry
The British luxury fashion house is distinctively known for its tartan pattern. Apart from its popular trench coat the company is known for its accessories, bags, shoes, watches and fragrance among other products.Brand value: $4,342 million

 

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shocker! Kate Upton Sheds Bikini Top on Leaked Cover

 

Kate does SI ... again.Kate Upton made such a splash last year on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, the magazine has apparently asked her back for a second round.

But this time, she’s not wearing a bikini top!
Instead, the curvy 20-year-old is oddly “bundled up” in a white parka, which of course is paired with white bikini bottoms in the purported cover photo, which leaked on Friday … three days before it was to be officially unveiled. But Upton fans shouldn’t worry: the jacket is unzipped, therefore her cleavage is still on full display.
[Related: 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition (Photos)]
Also strange about the cover shot? Upton is set against a snowy Antarctic backdrop – with the cover line “Kate Upton Goes Polar Bare” – instead of the usual beach scene. What gives?!
[Related: Kate Upton on Super Bowl Etiquette, Deep-Fried Discipline]