Fully Charged: HP’s Android SlateBook PC announced and Chromebook 11 refreshed, plus Ant-Man can’t find a new director
Begin the week off right by catching up on what you missed over the weekend
Android-powered HP laptop priced and dated
Just about a month ago, we first caught wind of HP’s accidentally-shared plans to release a proper Android-based laptop, and now we have official word on what to expect and when.
Living up to the leaks, the HP SlateBook PC is indeed a notebook with a 14in touch display running at 1080p, an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor powering its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean action, and an eye-popping yellow-on-silver aesthetic. It promises up to nine hours of battery life, and weighs in at 3.7lbs.
HP says the SlateBook PC will launch on 20 July for US$399, at which point we’ll have perhaps our best chance to date to see how Android fares on a proper laptop. Might it be a suitable alternative to a Chromebook?
HP’s 11in Chromebook PC is cheaper and perkier
If the SlateBook won’t suffice, however, HP has you covered on the Chromebook front, as it just refreshed the 11in model. We quite liked the last revision, and curiously, this one hasn’t changed much at all on the inside—the same processor, display, RAM, and storage remain intact.
The new turquoise shell is appealing, however, and so is the lowered price, as the refreshed Chromebook 11 will sell for just US$249. HP’s website for the new model has a “Buy Now” option, but it’s not yet in the store; a press release claims it’ll be available from July, but also mentions a US$279 price tag, while the website asserts the lower figure.
[Source: HP]
READ MORE: HP Chromebook 11 review
Ant-Man loses out on another marquee director
After Edgar Wright departed Marvel’s Ant-Man film adaptation following several years of work on the project, the comic-publishing juggernaut went swiftly on the hunt for a new director—as the Paul Rudd-led film needs to start production soon to keep its 17 July 2015 release date.
News surfaced early in the weekend that suggested that Anchorman director Adam McKay would be filling the vacancy, but The Hollywood Reporter claims that he declined the job after being offered it. In a tweet, McKay confirmed the talks, but says he’s committed to other projects.
Who’s next on the list? Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and We’re the Millers director Rawson Marshall are both reportedly being considered, which shows a definite comedic focus for the tale. Whether anyone can maintain Wright’s long-developed vision is another story altogether.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Behold the Grand Theft Auto 5 demake clip
Ever wonder what Grand Theft Auto 5 would look like if it were made for the Commodore 64? No, probably not; that’s an utterly insane notion. And still we can’t help but enjoy so-called demakes, which take lavish modern games and lovingly reimagine them using dated tech.
This isn’t a proper playable demake, but seeing the opening bits of Rockstar’s most recent opus played out with pixels and bad motion blur is still a sight to behold. And if you like this one, check out artist Balazs Kalocsai’s YouTube channel for a Watch Dogs one, as well.
READ MORE: Grand Theft Auto 5 review
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
