Acer has released the latest addition to its TravelMate line of notebooks. The TravelMate B113 is aimed at students and institutional customers, and sports a Core i3 Ivy Bridge processor with 4GB of RAM, a 1366x768-resolution 11.6-inch LED-backlit display, and a choice of either Windows 7 or Windows 8 Pro pre-installed.
Acer revealed that its first Windows 8-powered tablet, the Iconia W700, will ship on October 26. The 11.6-inch tablet has 1920x1080 resolution and a IPS LCD touchscreen that allows up to 10 points of input. Pricing will start at $800 and top out at $1,000.
Mediawave has just introduced its latest product, the MW6110. It's dubbed as an Ultra Small Media Player by its maker, though its capabilities are more advanced than that description suggests. The device can accommodate Intel's Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 CPUs, as well as up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage space.
Motion Computing has introduced two new Windows-powered rugged tablets this week with the C5t and F5t. Either weighs about 3lbs and sports a 10.4-inch touchscreen display with 1024x768 resolution. The C5t is meant for work indoors, as only the F5t has an optional View Anywhere display for viewing in direct sunlight.
The portable PCs aren't cheap, with prices starting at $2,236. Three year warranties are included in the price tags, however.
At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, Intel once again showed off its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) small form-factor PC. It's just four by four inches in size and the latest information shared by TechReport suggests the device will cost $400 and ship sometime in the third quarter of the year. The PC was originally meant for digital signage but thanks to strong demand, it will be sold to a wider audience by system integrators and online reporters.
At its Platinum Summit 2012 event in London last week, Intel showed off a super-small desktop PC board dubbed the Next Unit of Computing, or NUC. It measures just under four inches square and has room for a Core i3 processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, as well as Thunderbolt, USB, and HDMI ports. A miniITX board, in comparison, measures in at 6.7 by 6.7 inches (17 by 17cm).
Fujitsu has refreshed two of its Lifebook notebooks with the last wave of Intel Sandy Bridge processors. The 15-inch AH532 and 14-inch LH532 are now powered by a 2.3GHz, dual-core Intel Core i3. It's paired with the onboard Intel 3000 HD for graphics.
A newly spotted partner listing (PDF) from Lenovo has shown off some upcoming models from the computer-maker. It includes new ThinkPad and IdeaPad models that weren't leaked earlier, including the ThinkPad T430s. This should be a replacement for the T420s and be a thin and light 14-inch notebook that doesn't quite meet the ultrabook criteria, unlike the T430u.
At the Milan Design Week, ASUS priced and dated many of its upcoming portable products for the European market, Notebook Italia learned. The Padfone will ship late in May, or about a month later than in its home market of Taiwan. Its price at a telephone operator hasn't been revealed, but the Padfone Station that includes the 32GB handset and a docking tablet that's coming in June will cost 700 euros (about $914).
When the full Corpora website goes live on April 18, it will allow visitors to pre-order the Qbo open-source robot. Qbo runs Linux operating on its x86 component hardware, letting developers experiment with their code. It will be available in three models, with the entry-level one coming as a kit buyers will need to assemble on their own.
Intel PC Client general manager Kirk Skaugen used a keynote at the Beijing edition of the Intel Developer Forum to predict a heavy saturation of the ultrabook market. He saw ultrabook prices reaching down to $699 by the back-to-school period at the end of the summer, or down from the $899 and up more common today. About 75 models were in development for all of 2012, including some touchscreen models mostly intended for Windows 8.
Sony has quietly revamped its VAIO E in Europe to make real one of the CES prototypes we saw in January. The VAIO E 14P has a new, wrap-around design that makes the top surface look like one continuous shell. The white, black, and pink 14-inch PCs all have a new two-tone design with trim around the edges, keyboard, and trackpad in a contrasting color that sets off the design.
Frequent rumors of Intel's Ivy Bridge having a late April, staggered launch were supported by leaks later on Tuesday. A dozen processors would be on sale April 29, CPU-World heard, focusing mostly on desktop chips ranging from a quad 3.1GHz Core i5 to a 3.5GHz Core i7. Just three notebook chips would join the group, all of them quad Core i7 parts with regular 2.6GHz and 2.7GHz versions along with a 2.9GHz Extreme Edition.
ASUS' ultrabook refreshes could include some of the first truly discounted, mainstream ultrabooks. New leaks stemming from the same source for The Verge had two 13.3-inch models, the UX32A and UX32Vd, coming in at under $800. Both would still get Intel's low voltage Ivy Bridge Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, but only sometime after they shipped; initial batches would use the outgoing Sandy Bridge generation, insiders said.
(Update: speed changes) ASUS' rumored major ultrabook upgrades were given their first real details through leaks on Monday. The Zenbook UX21A and UX31A models identified by The Verge would be direct replacements for the existing 11.6- and 13.3-inch UX21 and UX31, respectively, but with an option for a 1080p, IPS-based display on either model. Their conventional 1366x768 (UX21) and 1600x900 (UX31) displays would still come standard.
Intel committed one of its bigger gaffes in recent memory after it briefly posted a product list (PDF, since pulled) showing the Ivy Bridge processor lineup for launch. While there is the erroneous posting of a 3GHz low-voltage notebook chip, the listing shows both 17 desktop and 11 notebook chips that had been leaked earlier. About six desktop and at least one notebook chip are missing, although these are likely to be low-end Core i3 models arriving later.
Intel's claimed delay of Ivy Bridge processors may have been limited and contextualized in a rumor on Sunday. The company still planned to ship desktop and quad-core mobile processors on time, VR-Zone heard, and was mostly keeping the June delays to dual-core mobile processors. Supporting the earlier rumor, the new tips cast it as a move to clear unsold stock of current-generation Sandy Bridge processors, both for raw chips and for unsold (primarily Windows-based) PCs.
HP's latest Z1 Workstation claims to be the first of its kind with a 27-inch screen. Implied as the antithesis of the iMac, it easily opens without any tools so parts can be swapped quickly and easily. On offer is Intel's 3.33GHz Core i3 for a processor, but it also carries one of two Xeons, either the 3.3GHz E3-1245 or the 3.5GHz E3-1280.
The delayed Lenovo ThinkPad X130e notebook is now available for pre-order on the company's website. Due to ship on February 9, the notebooks will start at $429. That price includes an 11.6-inch, 1366x768 display and AMD's dual-core, 1.3GHz E-300 Fusion processor.
Panasonic today unveiled two 12.1-inch notebooks in its home country. The Let's Note SX1 and SX2 offer Intel Core i5 processors in a compact, ruggedized magnesium form factor with batteries that provide up to 16 hours of run-time. Panasonic is also offering the J10, a 10.1-inch laptop targeting business customers.
ASUS has quietly slipped out a new pro-oriented notebook in admist the more home-focused designs of CES. The 12.5-inch B23E has a relatively sleek magnesium alloy chassis. Although 1.1 inches thick and 3.4 pounds, it's intended as a true complete replacement with a DVD burner, up to 750GB of storage, and as much as 8GB of RAM.
Dell's Alienware badge ventured into small form factor desktops for the first time late Tuesday. The X51 is billed as the smallest gaming PC desktop ever at no more than 13.5 inches at its largest dimension. Even with a 3.7-inch thick width, it can not only fit up to a GeForce GTX 555 desktop graphics card but replace this, the hard drive, and the RAM as new technology comes through.
Lenovo will bring six desktop computers to CES this week, including four IdeaCentre all-in-ones from the B-series, the easily upgreadable H520s and the slim IdeaCentre K430. The IdeaCentre B540 uses a 23-inch frameless touchscreen with 1080p resolution and an integrated VESA mount that can be equipped with 3D capabilities. It can be equipped with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 650M graphics card with 2GB of RAM and DirectX 11 support.
Lenovo trotted out the first wave of its CES introductions Wednesday with a renewed push on the ultrabook space currently defined by Apple. The ThinkPad X1 Hybrid has dual-booting into an instant-on mode like some notebooks but adds a full-fledged, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chip to power its Instant Media Mode. The combination of the ARM chip and the lightweight Linux-based OS lets users not only double battery life to 10 hours for basic use but switch to the OS post-boot and lets users keep the Snapdragon side always on, like a smartphone.
Lenovo's lead-in to CES has included three new ThinkPad Edge models. Fronting the pack, the S430 has an 0.8-inch thickness bordering on ultrabooks but still keeps to regular notebooks: it uses Ivy Bridge-era Intel Core processors and is one of the first Windows PCs with Thunderbotl, giving it very high speed storage and displays on one cable.
Following a desktop slip, details of Intel's notebook versions of its Ivy Bridge processor lineup have leaked as well. The lineup seen by VR-Zone will simplify into just U-series ultra-low voltage chips that use 17W and full-power M-series chips that use 35W, 45W, or 55W depending on the model. All 25W chips have disappeared now that PC builders can dial down the peak power themselves.
Lenovo early Tuesday upgraded its most inexpensive ThinkPad X-series with a mind to help students and the public at large. The 11.6-inch X130e has a stronger bezel, hinge system and even 33 percent stronger edges, all meant to let them survive casual bumps. Performance is now much better as well, with the option of a 1.65GHz AMD E-450 chip versus the earlier E-350 as well as a new Intel Core i3 2367U.
Toshiba has begun selling its Portege Z830 and Z835 13.3-inch ultrabooks through its online store. The computer builder is offering four pre-configured models as well as a build-your-own option at prices starting at $930. All models run low-voltage Intel Core processors.
HP formally launched itself into the ultrabook space early Wednesday with the Folio 13. The 13.3-inch system is "less than" 0.7 inches thick and, while heavier than the MacBook Air at 3.3 pounds, also has what HP claims is the longest-lasting battery in the class. At nine hours, it can last for up to two hours longer than the Air, although Apple's tests are usually real-world where HP's are theoretical.
The Toshiba Portege Z830 series of ultrabooks is coming to Best Buy. An Intel Core i3-based version will be sold as an exclusive, available only though the national retailer. It will be priced at $899, $400 less than the category benchmark, the MacBook Air.
CinemaNow is now offering 1080p HD movies for rental and purchase with the help of Intel. CinemaNow has added several hundred HD titles to their catalog. Previously, the division of Best Buy had only offered standard-definition media.
Sony chose an unusual Sunday timeframe to tune the VAIO notebook line. As promised earlier, the 15.5-inch VAIO S is now on sale as the definition of Sony's new mid-range. Known as the VAIO SE, its focus is on HD content with a 1080p display and dedicated Radeon HD 6630M video.
A newly-discovered web page for an HTPC from ASRock reveals the computer has quietly taken an update to Sandy Bridge-based Intel processors. The Vision 3D 2nd-gen Series computer can be had with Core i3, i5 or i7 CPUs and also sports switchable 1GB GeForce GT 540M graphics, 4GB of RAM and a HDMI 1.4a port, in addition to four USB 3.0 jacks.
Toshiba threw its hat into competition in the ultrabook space with the Portege Z830. By using a mix of aluminum and magnesium alloy, the system manages to be both thinner and much lighter than the MacBook Air at just 2.45 pounds and 0.63 inches at its most. The design has also been carefully shaped to keep more traditional ports alive. It carries a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, and separate HDMI and VGA video outputs along with a card reader and headphone jack.
Sony on Wednesday introduced a new addition to the Vaio S lineup with a 15.5-inch model. It sports a 1080p display and measures under one-inch thick while weighing in at 4.4lbs. Its magnesium and aluminum alloy case can be had in black or silver.
Samsung is showing off a new tablet PC over at the IFA show in Berlin, the Slate PC Series 7. Borrowing the name from the company's recently introduced Series 7 notebooks, the tablets sport Windows 7 rather than Android. The 11.6-inch devices also get a choice of Core i3, Core i5 or Pentium processors, as well as 4GB of RAM.
The Dell Vostro 360 all-in-one PC leaked earlier this month has now showed up on the company's Chinese site. Now called the Vostro Success 360, the PC gets a 23-inch display with a 1080p resolution and touch sensitivity as an option. Windows 7 Professional is onboard, hinting this computer is meant for business use.
The MS1 X460 line of Slim Series notebooks previously announced in July are out now. There are three models available, all of which center on 14-inch displays and incorporate Intel's second-generation Core chipsets. The X460DX-008 is a dual-core i3 model, while the X460DX-0006 is powered by a Core i5 quad-core chip, and the X460-004 is powered by a Core i7 quad-core chip. MSI claim that the quad-core editions are the lightest quad-core notebooks currently available on the market.
Chipmaker Intel has again began offering a CPU upgrade service. This time, however, users can upgrade one of three CPUs, including the Core i3-2312M, Core i3-2102, and Pentium G622. Performance boosts range from 10 to 23 percent.
Dell has launched a new Vostro notebook, the Vostro V131. The V131 uses second generation Core i3 and i5 CPUs with integrated graphics, and a 13.3-inch anti-glare 1366 x 768 HD LED display. It has a chiclet keyboard with with three programmable quick launch keys and optional backlight. The V131 also has a full HD camera, digital array mics and built-in Skype for teleconferencing. The chassis is 13 inches wide by 9.4 inches deep and inclines slightly, from 0.63in. at the front to 0.83in. at the rear.
Dell chose Thursday to remake its most important small notebooks. The 14-inch Inspiron 14z and 13.3-inch Inspiron 13z together slim down compared to Dell's usual and measure just slightly under an inch thick. Some of the size reduction comes from a move to higher-quality parts: they now use aluminum lids and palm rests instead of the plastic common to many notebooks in their class.
(Update: real) Apple has updated its iMac for certain educational and institutional customers at the Apple Store. A 21.5-inch model is available with a dual 3.1GHz Core i3 and a modern AMD Radeon HD 6750M for graphics, instead relying on reduced storage and memory, along with the slight processor drop, to bring the price to $999. The design trims memory to just 2GB of RAM and storage to a 250GB hard drive.
Lenovo has just introduced three new products aimed at small and medium businesses. This includes the ThinkCentre Edge 71 desktop PC and two desktop displayss in the new LS series. The PC is available in either a tower or small form factor and gets a choice of Intel's second-generation Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors.
Samsung's Series 3 notebook has quietly shipped out to the US. The core system, the 15.6-inch 300V5A-A03, has turned up at Amazon for about $591. It serves as the baseline with a 2.1GHz Core i3, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.
Google Chromebooks will soon get a big speed upgrade in return for a slight discount, insiders claimed Wednesday. The Chrome OS hardware will reportedly go to Core i3 and beyond processors and, to make the price balance work, will get a 10 to 20 percent discount from Intel on the chips. Existing partners Acer and Samsung were reported by Digitimes as onboard and might be joined by ASUS and others as soon as early 2012.
Samsung took on complaints about a 9 Series premium over the MacBook Air on Friday by launching newer lower-cost models for each. The 11-inch X1B variants have more recent 1.3GHz Core i3 processors and drop in price. A basic A02US variant with 2GB of RAM and a 64GB solid-state drive will drop $150 to hit $1,049, and an A01US version will have 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for $1,249.
MSI swung out a relatively unique addition to its CX series notebooks on Wednesday. The 14-inch CX480 has a particularly strong focus on the battery life not often seen in mainstream portables that gives it up to 8.5 hours on a charge. The PC also brings in MSI's in-house fast charging to power up in half as much time and has an Apple-influenced external battery indicator that shows the charge without needing to boot up.
An unusual plethora of rumors Monday night provided possible details of the new Mac Pro and other near-term Apple updates. The pro tower will supposedly get a "unique CPU" along with its more rackmountable case. What that would entail wasn't said by MICGadget's purported informants, though it's more likely to involve early access to the Xeon E5 due this fall than a genuinely rare processor.
Sources told Brian Tong Sunday afternoon that new Mac minis and redesigned Mac Pros should arrive either in late July or early August. The historically accurate CNET staffer was given only a few details but was told they would use both Sandy Bridge-era Intel processors and Thunderbolt ports. August was more likely for the two, he heard, and both would appropriately come preloaded with Lion.
Sony on Wednesday morning reworked the VAIO C and E for the summer. The 14-inch EG, 15.5-inch EH, and 17.3-inch EJ are the more radical breaks with new patterns and fingerprint-resistant shells. Buyers still have the pick of more recent Sandy Bridge-era Core i3 and i5 processors but can pick an AMD Fusion-based 1.6GHz E-350 in the EH to keep the price down but still get HD-capable video.
