THE NEW CHROMEBOOK PIXEL BY GOOGLE

And it is, indeed, an extremely high-end laptop — by far the fanciest Chromebook to date, with specs that would be impressive if it were a Windows Ultrabook or a Mac. The knockout spec is the screen resolution: it has a 12.85″ screen with 2560-by-1700 pixels, for a density of 239 pixels per inch — the highest of any laptop ever, says Google. That’s high enough that it’s in the territory that Apple calls “retina” — Google’s Chrome honcho, Sundar Pichai, says that users will “never, ever see another pixel.”

INTERNET EXPLORER 11 FOR WINDOWS BLUE

Information on Windows Blue, the next major version of Windows, has started to leak out of Redmond recently. The first round of screenshots revealed a major NT kernel change, but Win8china has now published a screenshot from a recent Windows Blue milestone build that shows Internet Explorer 11 is being prepared for the update. Microsoft previously built Internet Explorer 10 into Windows 8, and it looks like the company is preparing to do the same with IE11 in Windows Blue.

There's no details on features for IE11 or availability to Windows 7 users, but a browser upgrade in Windows Blue seems likely given it will be a feature heavy upgrade to Windows 8. Win8china speculates that a Windows Blue preview version will be released for public download in the coming months, with IE11 for testing. Given Windows Blue will likely debut later this year alongside new hardware form factors, it's reasonable to expect Microsoft to start testing publicly by the summer time.

Microsoft has so far refused to comment on Windows Blue, but the company did accidentally confirm its existence in a job posting recently. Although most of the focus is on Windows itself, Microsoft is also working on a Blue update for Windows Phone and other services such as Outlook.com. The updates won't all launch simultaneously, but they're part of a broader push to harmonise Microsoft's software and services.

SONY UNVEILS THE PLAYSTATION 4

Sony Computer Entertainment has introduced PlayStation 4 (PS4), its next generation computer entertainment system that redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, deeply integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features.

With PlayStation Network (PSN), PS4 offers an expansive gaming ecosystem that is centered on gamers, enabling them to play when, where and how they want.

PS4 was designed from the ground up to ensure that the very best games and the most immersive experiences reach PlayStation gamers.

PS4 accomplishes this by enabling the greatest game developers in the world to unlock their creativity and push the boundaries of play through a system that is tuned specifically to their needs.

PS4 also fluidly connects players to the larger world of experiences offered by PlayStation, across the console and mobile spaces, and PlayStation Network (PSN).

PS4 specs

Other confirmed PS4 specs: