Asus has launched a small-form-factor gaming PC under its Republic of Gamers brand. The device is inspired by gaming consoles which are usually smaller and more versatile than desktop PCs. The GR8 is housed in a 2.5-litre chassis which can be placed in a bedroom or living room as well as carried around to LAN parties.

The Asus ROG GR8 comes in matte black with red accents and a Mayan-inspired pattern design. It has a pulsating illuminated ROG logo. There is a sliding cover for easy access to the RAM slots and drive bay. Asus describes it as quiet at just 28dB when running, and power efficient, consuming less than 15W at idle. 

The ROG GR8 uses a mobile dual-core Intel Core i7-4510U CPU running at up to 3.1GHz, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 750Ti GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM, which the company says will allow immersive full-HD gaming as well as 4K UHD video. There is 8GB of system RAM, a 128GB SSD to reduce boot and game load times, and a 1TB hard drive for bulk storage. 100GB of Asus Web Storage for one year is also included.

Windows 8.1 comes preloaded, and the Steam game market is also preinstalled and Steam OS is supported. The ROG GR8 uses Intel Gigabit Ethernet with GameFirst III packet optimisation for smoother online gaming. Asus’ SupremeAudioFX tech, which improves audio quality by using premium components and reducing electromagnetic interference. Sound profiles can be adjusted in hardware without using any drivers of software utilities.

Asus bundles its mechanical gaming keyboard M801 and ROG Gladius mouse with the GR8. The M801 has a geometric design and gaming-centric features including anti-ghosting, N-key rollover, six backlight modes, and MX-grade Red keyswitches. The Gladius features Omron switches with customisable resistance, two-level DPI control, and a 6,400dpi sensor.

There is a three-year on-site warranty on the whole ROG GR8 system. It is priced at Rs. 82,000 and is customisable as per buyers’ needs. It will be available in November.

Samsung’s recently launched Tizen-based Gear S smartwatch has gone up for pre-orders in India via the company’s online store, with a booking amount of Rs. 1,000.
While the company did not include availability details, it notes that the expected delivery time for the ‘Forthcoming’ Gear S is 5 to 7 working days.
The South Korean giant had first unveiled ahead of IFA 2014. The Gear S smartwatch was announced for India last month at Rs. 29,500 (MRP), and Samsung estimates a market operating price of Rs. 28,900.
The Samsung Gear S allows users to make and receive calls via 2G or 3G, and also offers Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi connectivity. It has a separate slot for a SIM card on the back panel along with the heart rate sensor and four pogo pins.
Samsung says the smartwatch will always remain connected, and can also switch between multiple networks to stay synchronised with the paired smartphone. However, to be precise, the Gear S smartwatch is not truly standalone, as it requires one of 20 Samsung smartphones during initial setup, and to download apps.
The Gear S features a 2-inch curved Super AMOLED display with a 360×480 pixel resolution. A dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM powers the Samsung Gear S. It comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage and is backed by a 300mAh Li-ion battery, rated to deliver 2 days of charge with typical usage.

The IP67-certified dust and water resistant Gear S shows notifications from text messages, social networks, calendars and other applications independently without the need to access the smartphone. Samsung is also touting S Voice functionality for dictating and voice commands, apart from the onscreen keyboard.
In September, Samsung, in partnership with Diesel Black Gold, which is a premium line of the Diesel brand, had revealed that the new Samsung Gear S custom accessories will be launched at the runway of the Diesel’s Spring/Summer 2015 show.

The first Lumia smartphone with Microsoft branding has been spotted, with the device being listed on China’s equivalent of the FCC – Tenaa. The website listing shows a Nokia RM-1090 handset with Microsoft branding and logo printed on its rear panel.
Just as announced by Microsoft last month, the rear panel of the orange-coloured RM-1090 handset is seen with the Microsoft branding and logo below the camera and a flash, and above a small speaker. The front panel features Microsoft branding on top of the display, alongside the front-facing camera.
Notably the handset specifications seen in the listing are in-line with the specifications revealed when the handset appeared on the US FCC certification website last month.
The Windows Phone 8.1-based RM-1090 handset on Tenaa is listed to feature a 5-inch qHD (540×960 pixels) display resolution. It offers dual-SIM support with 3G connectivity, a 1900mAh battery, and measures 140.2×72.4×9.3mm.
Microsoft last month confirmed it was dropping the Nokia name from its Lumia smartphones, a rebranding following the acquisition earlier this year of the Finnish group’s handset division. It even provided images of what the front and rear panels would look like.
The Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services division for more than $7.5 billion was completed in April. Microsoft will however keep the Nokia brand name for entry-level phones, such as the Nokia 130, under a license agreement between the companies.
On a related note, Microsoft in October reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue, saying it sold 9.3 million Lumia smartphones, apart from improved sales of its Surface tablets and cloud-computing products.