NEC LaVie LC950/KG

NEC today unveiled a new flagship model in its LaVie notebook series that brings features new to its own line and any notebook. The LC950/KG's lid-mounted webcam is one of the first to use face detection for security; its new Face Pass feature lets users authenticate by recognizing the user's appearance rather than using a fingerprint reader or a password. For NEC, the LC950 is also one of the first systems to ship with Blu-Ray and will play movies either on its own 15.4-inch display or through a TV courtesy of HDMI output. NEC promises faster storage as well: the top-spec system sports a 160GB hybrid hard drive with 256MB of flash memory that speeds up access and boot times.

In its premium form, the LaVie L carries a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, and 802.11n wireless. It reaches Japanese stores in mid-September for about $2,668 and will be accompanied by models with reduced feature sets that cost as little as $1,291 with a 1.6GHz Celeron M, a 120GB hard disk, and a conventional DVD burner. Direct US releases of these systems aren't expected, though they may translate to their American equivalents. [via Impress]

By Electronista Staff