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The Ultrabooks of Computex 2012
It was last year that Intel chose Computex, a computer tradeshow in Taiwan, to introduce its Ultrabook concept to the world. Twelve months later, 110-plus models are in the pipeline, which meant the Taipei Convention Center was overrun by skinny, lightweight laptops. Make that skinny, touch-enabled laptops. Between those new Ivy Bridge chips and Microsoft putting the finishing touches on Windows 8, this week's show was nothing if not a five-day-long wedding between two tech giants: almost every device on display here was a vehicle for showing off Microsoft's glossy new OS. At every turn, a celebration of touchscreen notebooks. With more than 30 hands-on posts this week, we can see where one Core i5 laptop might look like the next, or how you might have failed to keep up with Jonney Shih's rapid-fire product announcements. Now that we're wrapping up here in Taiwan, though, we're ready to take a step back and think about what it is we just saw. Whether you felt overwhelmed by our wall-to-wall coverage or just need to catch up, we suggest you meet us past the break for a quick recap of all the new Ultrabooks. Oh, and if you're in the market for a new laptop, you can check your trigger-happy finger at the door. With few exceptions, we're not expecting these to go on sale until the fall, when Windows 8 is expected to start shipping.
Dell Inspiron 13z goes on sale in Australia
We knew Dell was planning on a whole range of Inspiron Z-series machines way back in August when we previewed the line, and it looks like the 13-inch model is finally ready to join the already-launched 11, 14 and 15 -- in Australia. Yep, the Z-series has gone live Down Under, and the Inspiron 13z is part of the lineup, starting at AU$1,199 (US$1,106). That'll buy you a 1.3GHz SU7300 Core 2 Duo with Intel integrated 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB drive, and an LED-backlit screen, all in a four-pound chassis that's 1.27 inches thick at its chubbiest. Not bad -- we'll see what official US pricing is like before we get any more excited, however. Update: A number of readers from across the pond have wrote in to tell us that Inspiron 13z is also available in the UK. [Thanks, Toby]
