Packard Bell next with Centrino 2, Turion X2 Ultra

Packard Bell today became the next system builder to update its line with newer platforms from AMD and Intel. The 13.3-inch EasyNote RS65 runs on a Centrino 2 chipset with an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor and joins the increasing ranks of ultraportables at its screen size, with a very thin and extremely stylized design; Packard Bell's signature circular trackpad sports hidden buttons while the rest of the system is backed by chrome trim and brushed black metal. Few other details are available beyond its use of a slot-load optical drive and HDMI video out.

The company has also revealed itself as one of the first to pick up 15.6-inch notebook displays with the EasyNote TN65: the system has the same 16:9 movie ratio as Acer's Gemstone Blue notebooks but in a smaller shape. The system has an unknown dedicated video chipset but is believed to have a Mobility Radeon HD 3000-series like some of the other systems introduced today.

Four other notebooks fill out the mainstream of Packard Bell's lineup and vary primarily by their root processors. The 15.4- and 17-inch ML61 and SL81 both share AMD's Turion X2 Ultra platform and use Hybrid CrossFire X to switch from dedicated Mobility Radeon HD video to its integrated version to conserve power; the MT85 and ST85 use the Centrino 2 platform to achieve the same effect with a mix of both AMD's dedicated graphics and Intel's GMA X4500 onboard.

Launch dates and prices for the notebooks aren't available, though the Centrino 2 notebooks are unlikely to debut before the delayed August launch of the new Intel mobile platform. A set of black and silver-trimmed i-Media, i-Extreme, and i-Max desktops are also launching today with most specs unknown but prices varying between €399 and €799 for a European launch. [via Notebook Italia]

RS65

TN65

SL81/ST85