Consumers will probably see fewer notebooks and netbooks from Acer and Asus in 2012 to make decision-making simpler. Acer and Asus are reportedly taking a cue from Apple and will simplify their notebook and netbook lines for 2012. According to original design manufacturer (ODM) contractors, the two want to trim costs and improve their overall profit by having fewer but clearer models, reducing inventory risks. They are also seeking to raise brand power in 2012 by offering focused products rather than a wide spread.

One of the factors in this decision is the emerging ultrabook market. Contractors claim that Asus already has at least 50 notebook and netbook projects on the table, but these will reportedly be thinned out to squeeze in ultrabook development over the next three years. These ultrabooks will supposedly be crammed within its mid-range notebook projects.

For the beginning of 2012, Asus is expected to reduce the number of Eee PC models down from ten to just a maximum of five. These will be divided by entry-level, mid-range and high-end designs. However the number may be reduced even more in the second half of 2012.

Sources also claim that Asus plans to maintain profitability by launching several high-performance/price ratio non-ultrabook models in the $499 to $699 price range during 2012. The company also plans to focus on high-end performance gaming notebooks for the gamer-on-the-go.

As for Acer, ODM contractors said the company will focus on competitive and profitable products in 2012 rather than launch numerous projects. Like Asus, Acer too wants to reduce its number of notebook projects by 3Q12.

By now, we’ve probably gotten used to seeing strangely difficult to read yet awesome watches from Tokyoflash, but we were definitely taken by surprise when we heard one of them was coming in pocket watch form. Pretty much all of the Tokyoflash Kisai watches feature futuristic, space-like styling and designs so it’s a bit strange in a cool way to see the Kisai Rogue in an antiquated pocket watch.

The Tokyoflash Kisai Rogue Pocket Watch is pretty much exactly like its wristwatch counterpart: featuring a confusingly futuristic digital dial that is capable of displaying two separate time zones, the date and an alarm clock. As with most of Tokyoflash’s watches, the Rogue Pocket Watch comes with four color options that are enclosed in a stainless steel case with brushed edges. If you’re interested in owning one of these futuristic-yet retro time pieces, head on over to Tokyoflash to grab your own for $149.

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Opera believes that Apple is, once again, using patents to unfairly block an open web specification. The browser developer points to four Apple patents as well as the W3C page of the Web Events Working Group which aims to finalize the Touch Events Specification. According to the W3C, the specification could infringe on four Apple patents, which are not provided under a royalty-free commitment by Apple.

According to Opera, Apple notified the W3C of the patent claims in a last minute move on November 11. The deadline is December 26. Opera accuses Apple of deliberately blocking standards development.

“The odd thing is that Apple chose not to join the working group that handles touch events,” the poster wrote. “If they had joined, they would have been forced to file the patent claims far sooner. So now we know why they didn’t join. What we don’t know is why Apple insists on waiting almost until the last minute before filing its patent claims.”

He noted that Apple engaged in similar behavior in 2009, in 2010 and earlier this year.

Even if the standard can be created in the end, Opera complains that Apple is forcing working groups to waste time and other resources and become a burden for the W3C. The members of the Web Events Working Group include representatives from Boeing, China Unicom, ETRI, Google, Infraware, Intel, Mozilla, Nokia, Opera, Samsung and Zynga.

SOURCE via Opera

An Australian court has denied Apple’s request for an appeal following the lifting of a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. Last week, Samsung emerged victorious in its Australian suit against Apple as a judge lifted the Galaxy Tab injunction that had been in place since the device’s release in August. However, the South Korean company’s joy was short lived, as Apple announced that it planned to appeal the ruling.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Apple has been unsuccessful in its bid to appeal the ruling. The newspaper cites one of the judges in the high court today as saying Apple only won the first injunction ‘by the skin of its teeth’ because Samsung was penalised for refusing to agree to an early final hearing.

Samsung Australia vice-president of telecommunications, Tyler McGee, spoke to SMH and said that Galaxy Tabs should appear in stores by this week. Pricing for the device in Australia is set at $579 for the 16GB WiFi model and $729 for the 3G model.

Apple was left disappointed last week after its request for a preliminary injunction in the United States was denied.

SOURCE via Sydney Morning Herald

The Scion FR-S may not be big on power, but Toyota and Subaru engineers have delivered a lightweight, rear-drive coupe at what should be a palatable price point. That sounds like a recipe for track day fun if you ask us, or you can watch the post-jump video for visual evidence.

One drifter as he has his way with the FR-S on a track, and his camera was capturing the frames for proof. The cockpit commander in question here is Formula Drift racer Ken Gushi, and he seemed easily able to nose in and kick out the rump, often without the use of the parking brake. Well, he’s a professional drifter to begin with, and also the tarmac is slightly dame. A light rain may have helped the drifts along a bit, but we’re encouraged by what we see. Hit the jump for some entertaining sideways shenanigans. And by the looks of it, this ride’s insurance premium will be rather high.

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That there’s a Santa Claus and an “elf” riding some sort of contraption behind a miniature big rig is intriguing enough. In reality, the downsized big rig is the story. Built by model maker Luca Bordin, the 1/4-scale Peterbilt 359 isn’t a kit, it’s made from scratch.

As best we can tell from Google Translate, Bordin found detailed plans of the 359, then fabricated the body out of fiberglass, including the cabin, and attached it via springs to a twin-rail frame made of iron. The differential steering mechanism was lifted from go-karts, the diesel tanks are plumbing pipe, a nightclub smoke machine blows white clouds from chrome stacks, a 12v compressor powers two truck-sounding horns, and the engine is from an electric jack “with lots of torque.”

What’s more: when Santa’s not riding out back, Bordin fabricated a fiberglass trailer to go with the tractor. It’s impressive, and we’re hoping Santa drives it straight under our tree. There’s video of it after the jump.

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The market firm estimates that the industry will ship 3.8 million fewer PC than previously predicted as hard drives just are not as easy to come by. As a result, IHS now believes that the PC industry will not grow by 9.5 percent, but only by about 6.8 percent, which equates to 84.2 million units. PC shipments typically drop by about 6 percent from Q4 to Q1, but the limited hard drive supply will cause the decline to reach 11.6 percent, iSuppli said.

IHS predicts that worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2012 will amount to 84.2 million units, compared to the earlier forecast of 88 million. The new first-quarter forecast foresees an 11.6 percent sequential decline from 95.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. While PC shipments typically decrease in the first quarter compared to the peak holiday-selling season in the fourth quarter, the drop in 2012 will be far sharper than the 6 percent historical average decline.

“The PC supply chain says it has sufficient HDD inventory for the fourth quarter of 2011. However, those stockpiles will run out in the first quarter of 2012, impacting PC production during that period,” said Matthew Wilkins, senior principal analyst, compute platforms for IHS. Wilkins expects the supply situation to improve during the first quarter. and a rebound of shipments could take place in the second half of the year. In fact, the market research firm said that there is a chance of hard drive excess supply in the market by the end of 2012 as the industry returns to full production in Thailand.

For the entire year, it appears that the PC industry will miss its 400 million goal once again. IHS believes that only 376 million PCs will ship, “partly due to the HDD shortage, along with weakening demand due to other factors.” IHS says that “the bulk in reduction in shipments will be in the notebook space, which is the area impacted by the HDD shortage.” The market firm also noted that PCs will continue to be impacted by the demand for notebooks and are likely to face strong headwind.