Platform numbers for July 2013: Jelly Bean over 40%, Gingerbread at 33%

As it does a monthly basis, Google has just released its Platform Version numbers to show a snapshot of the Android OS versions being used on devices today. With numbers taken over a two week period ending August 1st, we see small growths in the highest versions. Jelly Bean (4.1 and 4.2) rose to 40.5-percent — up from 37.9-percent last month — and together with Ice Cream Sandwich hit 63-percent of the install base.

Android 1.6, 2.1, 2.2 and 3.2 are all holding on by a thread, with under 5-percent share between the four versions. Gingerbread dipped slightly but is still holding strong at 33.1-percent of the install base.

This time around Google is also releasing a distribution chart of the different screen densities of devices in use today, which is quite interesting. Stick around after the break to have a look.

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Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung smart watch to arrive Sep. 4, says Korean press

The annual IFA show in Berlin, Germany is usually pretty significant for Samsung. In 2010 it's where the company showed off its first Android tablet, the original Galaxy Tab. And for the past two years it's seen the launch of both Galaxy Note devices, as well as new classes of product like the Galaxy Camera.

And this year Samsung may continue the trend, if reports from South Korea's Asia Economic are to be believed. The publication reports that the third Galaxy Note handset will be announced at a gathering in Berlin on Sep. 4, two days ahead of IFA opening its doors to the public. What's more, Samsung may use the same event to launch its smart watch, the existence of which was confirmed by a company executive back in March. The report points out that a September unveiling would allow Samsung to get its product into the public eye before competing wearables from the likes of LG, Google and Apple appear.

As for the Galaxy Note 3, Asia Economic reports that a 5.7-inch AMOLED panel will be used in the device -- a small bump up from the 5.5-inch Note 2 display -- as well as a "new" Exynos 5 Octa CPU and 3 gigabytes of RAM. If accurate, that'd make Samsung's new hybrid device a formidable beast in terms of both size and specs.

We'll be live in Berlin for IFA next month, so be sure to stick around for all the show's Android-related developments.

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Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case for LG Nexus 4

The August 2 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is theCruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case for LG Nexus 4. These gel cases are made from shock absorbent and scratch resistant TPU. They are slim-fitting, and provide great protection for the Nexus 4 from day to day use and drops. The sleek, light-weight design of this case fully wraps around the device while also raising the front to protect the screen while face down. Available in several color options to choose from!

The Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case is available for just$7.00, 65% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping.

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Lloyd Flex Case for HTC One

Most are in agreement that the HTC One is one of the best-looking and best-built phones out there, but sometimes you want a little protection from the elements. If you're going to cover up that beautiful aluminum shell with something, it might as well have our very own Lloyd stenciled on the back.

The Lloyd Flex Case is a light and durable TPU case that protects your HTC One without adding much bulk and looks darn cool doing it. Hang on after the break and see what it has to offer.

Like most rubber TPU cases, the Lloyd Flex case is one solid piece and fits tightly around all edges of the device. The bulk of the case is a glossy material that doesn't provide a ton of grip but should protect against drops well. Offsetting the slippery glossy portions are large ribbed grippers that run the sides of the device and provide just the right amount of resistance for your fingers and hand. Because it's a tough material the case can be tricky to get on the phone, but the upside is that it won't slip off accidentally.

The best part of this case is likely the giant embossed Lloyd logo that adorns the back of the case, which is raised above the glossy parts around it to give a nice feel in your hand. When you're not busy showing off Lloyd, you'll have full access to all of the ports on your One — we had no issues plugging anything in to the ports or accessing the buttons. 

The Lloyd Flex Case is a good option if you're looking for a cheap and simple case to keep your HTC One safe when you expect it to take some bumps. It is available now from ShopAndroid for $10.95 and comes in black, clear, smoke and green color options.

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Hands-on with the Moto X

'OK, Google Now. Show me the Moto X'

Motorola and Google, as we like to say in the South, have done good. We've finally gotten our first look at the new Moto X today in New York City. This thing's been leaked eight ways to Sunday over the past few months — and frankly a lot of what you're about to read we saw in last week's Droid announcements— but pick up the Moto X for the first time and you know you're feeling not just another phone, but a phone looking to do things a little different.

The Moto X is the first phone designed and built from scratch since Google acquired Motorola. And the end result is a phone that's as simple as it is complex. Its design is as understated as it is attractive. There have been so many assumptions about what the first Googlerola phone should be. It should be "Pure Google." It should have NASA-level hardware. It should have at least as many features as the droid line.

What Motorola's done is taken solid hardware and attractive design and married it to a fairly stock version of Android — with some interesting features thrown in, as well as a number of customization options. It's coming to five U.S. carriers in a few weeks and worldwide later, retailing for $199 on contract.

And with that, here's our first look at the Moto X.

The Moto X hands-on video

Moto X hardware

First things first: The Moto X is deceptively big. Motorola has squeezed a 4.7-inch display into a phone that feels a lot smaller. It's not a particularly thin device — hitting 10.4 mm at its fattest point — but it's curvy in all the right places. (We've never believed that thinner always was better anyway.) The back of the phone curves very nicely into your hand, even better than the HTC One, which does the same sort of thing. The feel of the back depends on how you've customized yours. We're currently holding a soft-touch model, but there's glossy plastic to be had — and, yes, Motorola is prototyping wood backs, to be released later this year.

We'll touch on the customizations in a bit.

The 10-megapixel camera and flash are recessed ever so slightly, as is Motorola's logo. The back of the phone isn't removable or anything. No swapping batteries. No microSD card. And if you customize your phone, no swapping it out for anything else. What's there is there.

Up top is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The microUSB port is centered on the bottom. The power button and volume rocker are on the right-hand side. The nano-SIM is on the left.

The front of the Moto X is decidedly black-slabbish, but it's worth noting how the glass flows around the 90-degree edges and into the plastic body. It's very well done.

The Moto X is using the same X8 "Mobile Computing System" under the hood as Verizon's recent Droid refresh. That is to say, it's a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro running at 1.7 GHz, a quad-core Adreno GPU, and dedicated Natural Language Processing and "contextual computing" cores. The latter two are key to the Moto X's major software features.

Other hardware points of note:

• 2GB Of RAM
• The display is (only) 720x1280, and it's AMOLED RGB. It's certainly usable, but probably not our favorite display.
• The battery's got a 2,200 mAh capacity, and Motorola swears it'll go all day. As in 24 hours.
• Most versions of the Moto X sports 16GB of internal memory. AT&T has the exclusive on a 32GB version.
• You'll get 50GB of free storage on Google Drive for two years.
• NFC and Miracast are on board.
• Wifi does 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
• aGPS and GLONASS for finding your way around.

The Moto X software …

You've got a relatively stock experience on the Moto X. Home screens, app drawers and settings are as God and Google intended. The two major customizations are Touchless Control — think Google Now without the annoyance of having to turn on your phone and actually touch anything — and Active Display, which is a low-power way of showing you information on the display without actually having to wake the phone.

Touchless Control

For Touchless Control, you'll have to teach Moto X what it sounds like when you say "OK, Google Now." From then on, the phone will be listening for you — or someone who sounds like you — to say that magic phrase. The phone will wake and be ready for voice commands. No touch required at all. And it works pretty well. Is it possible for someone else to activate? Yep. Seen it happen. It's also subject to the same limitations of Google Now. But that's a software thing, and Google Now's getting better all the time.

This is where some folks have worried about the phone being "always on" or "always listening." We're not going to let that keep us up at night.

Active Display

Active Display — again, like on the Droid line — shows you a bit of information without actually having to hit the power button and waking the phone. A clock will flash every few seconds. If you get e-mail or a text message or something, you'll know it here as well. The items that can appear on the Active Display are customizable — and some can live behind a lockscreen, hidden from prying eyes. You also can set the hours during which you want to see Active Notifications. Don't want 'em at night? Turn 'em off.

The camera​ app

Moto X has a new camera as well (unless you have one of the new Droids, we suppose), with that quick-flip way of getting to it. Called "Quick Capture," you just turn your wrist twice — like turning a screwdriver or a doorknob — and the camera app fires up. In just a couple seconds from any point, you're able to take pictures. (You can turn that off if you want, and the usual camera icon works just fine as well.) The camera app itself is nicely done, too. Not overloaded with features, you get to the options by sliding out from the left-hand side. From there you have options for HDR, flash, autofocus — by default, you tap the screen to take a picture; this option lets you touch to focus instead — slow-motion, panorama (no Photosphere, though), Geotagging and shutter sound.

It's also worth taking a look at the Assist app, which is sort of an offshoot of the old Smart Actions. The phone will recognize when you're driving, when you're in a meeting or when you're sleeping, and change its behavior appropriately. Moving at 55 mph? Chances are you're driving, so it'll fire up the car mode. Or it'll silence the phone at night.

Other software we're seeing:

• We'll withhold official praise until we see a final retail version, but there's not a whole lot of AT&T bloatware on the unit we've got here.
• Motorola's got its own "Migrate" app for transferring data from another device. You'll need to download it on the other device from Goggle Play.
• There's a translate app built in as well.
• There's a Motorola Connect Chrome extension if you want to get texts and such on your computer as well as your phone.

Customizing the Moto X

Motorola wants this to be your Moto X. And to that end, you're going to be able to customize it. Colors, backs, styles, textures — including, yes, wood — will be yours for the choosing. 

If you're on AT&T, that is. For now, one of the coolest features of Moto X is constrained to a single U.S. carrier. That's great for AT&T. It's great if you're on AT&T. And it's lousy for everyone else. Motorola needs to get that opened up as soon as it can.

You'll do all your customizing through "Moto Maker."  You can change up the color on the front. Or the back. The accents. You can even inscribe a name or message on the back of the phone. At AT&T stores, you'll have the option to either pick a basic white or black version and leave the store with a phone right then. Or if you go the custom route, you'll pay and get a redemption code, then design your phone at home.

From there, Motorola promises you'll get your phone within four days — that's one perk of assembling the phones (not manufacturing, but assembling) in the U.S. Fort Worth, Texas, to be exact.

Along with colors and designs (and the option to choose between 16GB of storage, or 32GB for another $50), you'll be able to purchase accessories — headphones, speakers, cases and earbuds — directly from Motorola.

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Sol Republic DECK wireless speakers “M4DE for Motorola” launched

Motorola is really pulling out all the stops in launching its latest darling, the Moto X. Motorola’s new flagship is quite impressive, as we ourselves have experienced. But what brand new phone would be without some fancy accessories to go along with it? Introducing the DECK wireless speakers from Sol Republic, the first such accessory certified to be “M4DE for Motorola”.

One area where Apple trumps even the combined strength of different Android device manufacturers is in accessories. It helps that accessory makers only have to focus on one model or version of the iPhone or iPad at a time. To address this gap, Motorola launched its “M4DE for Motorola” program, gathering partners to create certified accessories for its devices, particularly the Moto X. And Sol Republic’s DECK speakers is the first of such accessories.

The DECK Bluetooth speakers supports a range of 300 feet. It utilizes NFC technology for easy pairing of devices. The DECK boasts of large R2 Sound Engine speakers and a bass port to give it a bigger sound than normal portable speakers. It blasts out sounds in a full 360 degree angle, ensuring that sound is delivered equally in all directions.

The DECK features a unique “Heist Mode”, allowing up to five devices to be paired with it to play their own tunes. There is no queueing, so any one of the five devices can just “hijack” the currently playing music to start their own. Sol Republic envisions the DECK to be used as such in party situations and even provides a 3.5mm audio in jack which allows a couple of DECKs to be daisy chained together.

The DECK comes in four color choices of Gunmetal, Lemon Lime, Electro Blue HD, and Vivid Red, with the latter two marked as coming soon. Sol Republic is accepting online pre-orders priced at $199.99. There is no date as to when it will be released but it is expected to come out together with the Moto X, probably sometime in September.

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HTC One in Blue possibly coming to Verizon

After a period of phones in white, black, or gray tones, it seems that colors are in vogue again. There was an earlier leak of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 mini getting a paint job. Now it seems that HTC’s current flagship, the HTC One, will also be landing in a new color exclusive to Verizon. And this isn’t exactly its first makeover.

Just months after its launch, HTC announced that the HTC One will be made available in a new color, Glamour Red. The shiny red variant was made available initially to UK markets. It added a sharp and distinct look to a phone that we have so far liked. And it looks like HTC will be trying to make a repeat performance.

An insider leak tells of an addition to Verizon’s inventory with a Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) of HTC6500LVWBLU, simply described as “HTC One in Blue”. Other than that, there has been no additional information or photos. It seems, though, that Verizon won’t be offering the Glamour Red variant.

Whether the information pans out, we’ll just have to wait and see. And wait we will, as the earlier anticipated August 1 launch has seemingly been pushed back by Verizon to mid-August. In the meantime, you can read about our impressions of the HTC One to decide whether you’ll want to grab this phone in whatever coating it comes in.

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Motorola Moto X to also get “Google Play” version soon

There seems to be a new trend of new flaghship phones getting unlocked and pure “Google Play” versions that can be purchased directly from Google. Since such was the case with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and HTC’s HTC One, people have wondered whether the Moto X, which Motorola just launched today, will be getting a similar treatment, especially considering it is the first Motorola phone created under Google’s supervision. And so it will be that one will be able to buy a Google Play version of the Moto X “soon”.

There are some benefits to purchasing such a version of the phone. For one, units sold from stores of carriers like Verizon come preloaded with tons of apps, a good number of which do not really provide additional value to users and have been derisively called “bloatware”. Secondly, carriers are notoriously slow for providing Android updates, sometimes taking months, or even never. The technical reason for this is that manufacturers and carriers make so much modifications on top of a pure Android system that it takes them a significant amount of time to apply and test those changes on top of new Android releases.

That’s where Google Play versions come in. Same hardware, no bloatware, no modifications. Just pure Android. Of course, if there are features specific to a certain manufacturer that you’ve come to love, you might end up having to give up on those, too. In the case of the Moto X, however, there might not be much to take out as it doesn’t deviate too much from Google’s pure Android experience unlike HTC’s Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz. Moto X does have some software customizations, and it is unknown whether they will survive in the Google Play edition.

There are also other unknowns, such when the Moto X Google Play edition will be available from the Google Play store and how much it would cost. If prices of other Google Play editions are to go by, we could expect that it would cost a lot more than a unit on contract but slightly less than one off-contract. So far, only AT&T has announced its pricing, offering on-contract prices of $199 for the 16GB version and $249 for the 32GB variant. Off-contract units will be available for $575 and $629 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. It is also unknown whether the Google Play edition will be able to customize color options, something that is so far exclusive to AT&T customers.

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Jelly Bean usage continues to rise, takes 40% of Android distribution chart

Slowly but surely, Gingerbread’s days as the top honcho of Android distribution are being numbered. Taking its place is Jelly Bean, which now comprises 40% of the total Android distribution as of August 1 this year. Not far behind is Ice Cream Sandwich, which is enjoying a good 23% of the pie.

When Gingerbread came out, it easily became the most popular version of Android. It became so popular that manufacturers started putting it on devices that Google didn’t initially design it for, namely, tablets. The popularity of Android on tablets, as well as Gingerbread’s paltry performance on such devices, led Google to hurriedly release Honeycomb. It then immediately released Ice Cream Sandwich to correct Honeycomb’s many mistakes. But even then Gingerbread still ruled the Android valley.

Last June, we already saw the trend, with Gingerbread slowly dropping in favor of Jelly Bean. Since then, Jelly Bean consistently risen to the top, from June’s 33% to August’s 40%. Gingerbread isn’t disappearing any time soon, with a 33% foothold in the market. But with the announcement of Android 4.3, another Jelly Bean release, we might see even more changes as Nexus devices and recently released flagships, like the Moto X, are upgraded to this version.

There are some caveats to Google’s data, however. The data that is collected only comes from units whenever a user visits the Google Play Store, whereas previously it was collected whenever the device connects to Google servers. Although Google claims that this paints a more accurate picture of users who are actively engaging in the Android ecosystem, it does leave out hundreds if not thousands of devices, many of them cheap phones or tablets, that either do not regularly connect to Google Play or do not even have Google Play.

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Motorola Moto X “Designed by you” commercials released

What else could whet your appetite for a gadget aside from juicy hardware specs and sharp-looking or colorful designs? Why a video advertisement, of course! Knowing that not everyone will be so easily swayed by figures and measurements,Motorola released a number of ads that demonstrate what it really means to have aMoto X.

The video entitled “Quick Capture” demonstrates how easy it would be to quickly take photos. No more unlocking phones and fumbling around menus to launch a camera app. Presuming you don’t have wrist or hand problems, all you need is a few flicks of the wrist. The video also claims the phone will have fewer photo fails, allowing you to take and share more and more photos with the Moto X’s brand new 10 MP “Clear Pixel” camera.

“Always Ready” shows a less active example. It is so inactive that the whole video is about a man controlling his phone from the comfort of his bed with nothing more than his voice. Undoubtedly, the point of the video is showing off Google Now with voice control, and maybe with a bit of a hint about the fancy low-power context and natural language chips powering the Moto X.

But what seems to be the prevalent theme of all the ads is made explicit in the third video. Motorola uses the slogan “Designed by you” to refer to MotoMaker, a web service that allows buyers to design and customize their own Moto X phone. Users will be able to choose from a variety of colors for the front, back, and accents. It even allows users to enter a custom engraving for the back of the phone. While the service is free, it is unfortunately available only to AT&T customers. If you’re still on the fence about getting one, head on over to our hands-on review to check if it’s worth the price.

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ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 available for pre-order

Budget tablets have come a long way, evolving from cheap knockoffs to decent and affordable alternatives, with manufacturers like ASUS continually raising the bar. The latest such device to come from the company’s line up is the MeMo Pad HD 7 which has now become available online for pre-orders for a very low price.

We reported on the launch of the ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7, along with its bigger sibling, the MeMo Pad FHD 10, early last June. We detailed the specs of the device: an ARM Cortex A7 quad-core processor, 1280×800 pixels resolution on a 7-inch display, 5 megapixel rear camera paired with a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera, and a choice of 8 GB or 16 GB for storage. Not entirely earth-shattering, but not too shabby either.

It seems that the tablet is now available for pre-order from various online retailers such as Amazon, GameStop, Newegg, and TigerDirect for a price tag of $149. Only the 16 GB model seems to be available at the moment. It comes in different color options such as white, black, pink, blue, and green. Unfortunately, it has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich only, which might be a deal breaker for some.

The ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 isn’t really a revolutionary device coming from the makers of the Nexus 7 tablets. But with the specs and choice of colors, it might just be perfect for someone who needs a decent tablet from a reputable manufacturer and doesn’t need the horsepower of a Nexus 7 nor its price.

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Samsung GEAR smartwatch, Galaxy Note III tipped for September 4 reveal

Sources revealed that Samsung is planning to hold an event on September 4 in Berlin to unveil not only the Galaxy Note III but also the rumored smartwatch that is currently called Samsung GEAR. This event would coincide with with the start of the IFA trade show also in Berlin.

The Samsung Galaxy Note III has been steeped in rumors as it gets closer to the anticipated launch date. Recently, we were treated to some leaked photos showing the internals of Samsung’s next S Pen-powered phablet. Rumored hardware included a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display, 13 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, and a dedicated camera button.

Samsung has also been rumored to be working on a smartwatch, partially confirmed by trademark filings made last month. The filings were filled with keywords related to watches as well as the name “GEAR”. If the launch information pans out, we will be seeing this mysterious device for the first time next month.

There has been very few details regarding the rumored Samsung GEAR, but if it will be launched together with the Galaxy Note III, it is probable that there will be some special mode of interaction between the two devices. It could mean that the GEAR will be something like Pebble which acts as a secondary device to provide quick and easy access to the smartphone without having to pull it out of a pocket or a bag

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USB 3.1 spec finalized with speeds up to 10 Gbps

USB is due to get a lot more oomph now that the latest specification for version 3.1 has been approved.

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group revealed Wednesday that it's completed its specification for USB 3.1. The new spec will be able to push SuperSpeed USB to data transfer rates of up to 10 gigabits per second. In contrast, USB 3.0 SuperSpeed can deliver speeds of up to 5Gbps.

"SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps uses a more efficient data encoding and will deliver more than twice the effective data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables," the group said in its press release.

Like its predecessor, USB 3.1 will be backward-compatible with older USB devices.

The action by the Promoter Group paves the way for manufacturers such as Intel and AMD to start building chips to support the new spec. Once the necessary chipsets and other hardware are in place, other companies can create devices to take advantage of the faster format.

But don't expect USB 3.1 devices to start popping up right away. In January, the Promoter Group said that initial products will begin to appear in late 2014 with a wider range available in 2015.

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Microsoft debuts Office Mobile app for Android smartphones

Microsoft appears to be spreading the reach of Office on mobile devices. The tech company announced Wednesday that it's now bringing the Office Mobile app to Android.

While Office fans will likely welcome this app addition to the Google Play store, there's a slight catch: the app is free to download but will only work for subscribers to Microsoft's Office 365 Home Premium and ProPlus service.

The release of this app shows that we're committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers," Microsoft senior product manager Guy Gilbert wrote in a blog post.

Office Mobile for Android includes access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The programs aren't meant for document, spreadsheet, and presentation creation. Rather, they're aimed at helping Office users make quick fixes to existing work, and share those files.

The app includes several features that let Office 365 subscribers pick up files on their phones where they left off on their PCs. The files, like all Office 365 documents, will sync with Microsoft's SkyDrive Web storage service.

Office 365 costs $100 a year and offers subscribers the ability to install Office apps on up to five devices such as PCs, Macs, and smartphones. There is still no support forAndroid tablets or Apple iPads.

Microsoft has tried to leverage the widely used Office, which is preinstalled on mobile phones running its Windows Phone operating system, to eke out market share in the smartphone business that's dominated by devices running Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems.

News of the Office Android app comes on the heels of Microsoft also bringing Office to iOS. The tech giant debuted Office for iOS in June and much like the Android app it only is available to Office 365 subscribers.

The Office app is immediately available in the Google Play store in the U.S. and will become available in more countries within the next few weeks. The app only works on Android devices running the 4.0 operating system or greater.

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Great performance proves looks aren't everything

Some things in the PC universe can change a lot in a short period of time. We're now living in a world of touch screens, detachable keyboards, and 12-plus hours of battery life. Other things remain stubbornly the same, much like the Toshiba Qosmio X75, a thick throwback of a laptop packed with high-end CPU and GPU parts, a flashy red-accented body, and a lack of modern concessions (no touch screen here).

But, that's not to say sticking to your guns is necessarily a bad thing. Instead of a throwback, we might call the X75 a stoically traditional desktop replacement laptop. Sure, the design may get a tweak or two, and the last couple of Qosmio generations are a little thinner and lighter than the models from a few years ago, but this is still a classic anchored-to-the-desk 17-inch -- a category with fewer players right now than any time in recent memory.

The main difference in the new X75 versus the X875, which was itself only launched at the beginning of 2013, is the move to the latest generation of Intel and Nvidia parts. This system has a fourth-gen quad-core Core i7 CPU, plus Nvidia's new GeForce 770M GPU, putting it fairly close to the top of the heap, performance-wise. You could spec out a more expensive systems with more bells and whistles from Alienware, Origin PC, and others, but the Qosmio is more interested in riding the line between gaming rig and multimedia machine (hence the recordable Blu-ray drive in our configuration).

This specific config, the X75-A7298, is $1,799, and includes the Intel Core i7 4700, Nvidia GeForce 770M, a Blu-ray burner, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB HDD/256BG SSD storage combo. If you can skip a few frills, the exact same CPU/GPU combo is available for $1,199, but without the Blu-ray, SSD, and so on. In terms of performance, I've got no complaints about the value here. On the other hand, especially for $1,799, but even at $1,199, this is essentially a big aluminum-and-plastic box that feels budget-like in the hand. Everything, from the clacky keyboard to the shiny red highlights, feels a bit subpremium. At least these don't have painted-on flames anymore. And don't get me started on a 2013 Windows 8 laptop, even one intended for gaming, not having a touch screen.

If I could insert the components inside the Qosmio X75 into a nicer body, with a touch screen and silent keyboard, I'd buy one today. Instead, what we have is the guts of a great 2013 laptop at reasonable price, stuck in a body that feels a few years out of date.

	Toshiba Qosmio X75-A9278	Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch w/Retina Display (June 2012)	Toshiba Qosmio X875-Q7390	Razor Blade 14
Price	$1,799	$1,299	$1,749	$1,799
Display size/resolution	17.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 screen	15.4 -inch, 2880 x 1,800 screen	17.3-inch,1920 x 1080 screen	14-inch, 1,600 x 900 screen
PC CPU	2.4GHz Intel Core i7 4700MQ	2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM	2.4GHz Intel Core i7 3630QM	2.2GHz Intel Core i7 4702HQ
PC memory	16GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	16GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	3GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 770	1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M	3,072MB Nvidia GeForce GTX 670	2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M
Storage	256GB SSD + 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive	256GB SSD	1TB 5,400rpm hard drive	128GB SSD
Optical drive	Blu-ray\DVD writer	None	Blu-ray optical	None
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system	Windows 8 (64-bit)	OS X Lion 10.7.4	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)

Design and features 

The look and feel of the X75 is close to, but not exactly the same as, the recent X875 model we reviewed back in April 2013. It still features a diamond-textured aluminum shell, but the light-up Qosmio logo on the lid has been moved from the center to the lower left corner. The metallic red accents have been toned down a tiny bit (no more red hinges), but you'd have to compare the X875 and newer X75 side by side to really tell them apart.

Thin and minimalist, this is not. Nor is it the wild abandon of, say, an Alienware gaming laptop with its crazy multicolor light show. Instead we're stuck in the aesthetic middle ground, or at least what the middle ground looked like pre-ultrabook.

Of course, a big part of the advantage of getting a giant laptop is that there's plenty of room for a large keyboard and big touch pad, with few concessions to space requirements. In this case, we get Toshiba's generous flat-topped keyboard -- a style that has not noticeably changed in a couple of years -- plus a full-size separate number pad. The typing experience is good, but the keys are little on the clacky side. Toshiba laptops also have oddly short space bars, which I always find adds to typing mistakes. The keys themselves are backlit -- in Toshiba red, of course, and the function keys are reversed, which means you don't have to hold down the Fn key to access the volume, brightness and other controls on the F1-F12 keys.

The large touch pad is a clickpad-style one, without separate left and right mouse buttons. There's plenty of room for multitouch gestures, but at the same time, I found myself frequently accidentally triggering Windows 8 swipes when my fingers wandered too close to the edges of the pad. Hopefully, as a gamer, you'll have a mouse plugged in full time.

The 17.3-inch display, which runs at 1,920x1,080 pixels, is not a touch screen, a serious omission because Windows 8, especially in its tile-based UI view, is much easier to navigate with a few strategic finger swipes directly on the screen. To be fair, none of the gamer-targeted laptops we've seen this year have had touch screens, and there seems to be a real reluctance to marry discrete GPUs with touch screens so far.

That said, the screen itself looks great playing HD video, games, and displaying Web content, even from off-axis views, although it's very glossy and you may have to shift it a bit to avoid glare.

The Harmon Kardon speakers -- a Toshiba mainstay, are excellent for a laptop, with good volume and punch. Laptop speakers will never push all that much bass, but for gaming and movie watching, it'll fill a small room.

	Toshiba Qosmio X75
Video	HDMI, VGA
Audio	Quad speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	4 USB 3.0, SD card reader
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	Blu-ray writer

Connections, performance, and battery

Thanks to its large body, the X75 has plenty of room for ports and connections. It has dual video outputs, four USB 3.0 ports (two include a sleep-and-charge function for powering external devices using the laptop's battery), and both headphone and mic jacks, at a time when many laptops are going to a single audio port. This configuration also includes a Blu-ray recordable drive, which you can ditch to save money on a less-expensive configuration.

While I'm being a bit tough on the X75's design and lack of a touch screen, no one will have any problem with the system's performance. With a 2.4-GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-4700MQ Haswell-generation processor, plus 16GB of RAM, the new Qosmio gave us a nice performance boost over the previous X875 model. Even heavy-duty Photoshop, video editing, or gaming won't give the X75 much of a problem.

Speaking of gaming, with a current-gen Nvidia GeForce 770M graphics card, this is a better pure gaming rig than, for example, the even-more-expensive Razer Blade 14, although that ambitious 14-inch laptop is much thinner and lighter. A massive gaming desktop, such as the Falcon Northwest Fragbox will mop the floor with it, but in terms of laptops, it's hard to do better, and we ran BioShock Infinite at 1,920x1,080 and very high detail settings at 29.9 frames per second.

The nice thing is, even if you trade down to the $1,199 version of the X75, you still get the same CPU/GPU combo, although the smaller amount of RAM and slower HDD can affect performance.

One of the biggest advantages of Intel's new Haswell-generation chips in laptops has been amazing battery life. But apparently, not always. The X75 barely benefited over the previous non-Haswell model, running for 1 hour and 45 minutes in our video playback battery drain test, only a few minutes longer than the older X875. The Razer Blade ran for more than seven hours on the same test.

Conclusion 

Toshiba offers a very compelling set of components in the new Qosmio X75, and even better, gives you configurations from $1,199 to $1,999 that should fit any reasonable gaming laptop budget.

The design is still stuck in the past, painfully so, and the lack of a touch screen will have you reaching for your old Windows 7 install discs. But even with all these annoyances, if I had to pick up a serious gaming laptop without breaking the bank, the X75 would be high on my list.

System configurations

Toshiba Qosimio X75-A7298
Windows 8 (64-bit); Intel Core i7 4700MQ; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 3GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 770; 256GB SSD+ 1TB 7200 HD

Razor Blade 14
Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 4702HQ; 8192MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 2GB (Dedicated) Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M; 256GB SSD

Toshiba Qosmio X875-Q7390
Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 3630QM; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 3,072MB (Dedicated) HDD No.1: 1TB Hybrid Toshiba 5,400rpm, HDD No. 2: 1TB 5,400rpm Toshiba

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch w/Retina Display (June 2012)
OS X 10.7.4 Lion; 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M + 512MB Intel HD 4000; 256GB Apple SSD

Falcon Northwest Fragbox v3 (Overclocked)
Windows 8 (64-bit); 4.5GHz Intel Core i7 4770K; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,800MHz; 3GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 780; (2) 960GB SSD RAID 0

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