AtomZ550
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LG X300's slack-jawed hands-on
You know, we see a lot of ultraportable laptops these days, it's not like it's virgin territory for us, but we'd say the last time we were this blown away by a form factor was the VAIO X, or maybe the Adamo XPS in all its weird-hinge glory. LG's X300 is simply thin. Cramming 11.6-inches of screen and premium netbook parts (2GHz Atom Z550, HDMI out, up to 2GB of RAM and 128GB SSD, even some 3G and Bluetooth for good measure) into a 0.68-inch thick form factor is impressive, but we're even more struck by how insanely light this thing is -- it feels more like holding an e-book reader in hand than a laptop. The plastic build feels very solid, and the textured pattern on the back falls into the realm of "premium," not "gaudy." The keyboard isn't the best action-wise, but there's zero flex because there's nowhere to go. Our biggest concern is the trackpad: it's nice and big, but there's a "virtual" click mechanism where you tap to click the button portion and get a haptic response -- it might be the evolution of the "click pad" concept, or it might be a pain in the ass. Even the screen was bright and quality, though too glossy for our taste. We're told the laptop is headed to the US, but we're not sure when -- hopefully soon, since it's starting to ship internationally this month. Check out a video walkthrough after the break. %Gallery-88916%
LG's ultraslim X300 launching in Asia, Middle East and South America this month (updated)
An 11.6-inch display fit within a thickness of 17.5mm. Sure, we're mixing up our measurement systems, but whichever way you slice it, the X300 is one extremely thin device. LG has now announced that availability in the Asian, Middle Eastern and South American markets will be forthcoming this month, though all we know on the topic of price is that it'll "vary country-by-country." With up to 2GB of RAM, integrated 3G, and a 128GB SSD option on tap, we'll even forgive the inclusion of a 2GHz Menlow CPU (Atom Z550) that places the X300 closer to Sony's VAIO X than the Core 2 Duo-driven MacBook Air that it aspires to be associated with. Check out our hands-on pics over here while we wait, hope and pray for a release on more familiar shores. Update: We've now come across LG's Korean pricing, which is set at 1,590,000 Won ($1,424). [Thanks, Sascha and juanvaldez]%Gallery-87662%
Sony UK site unveils new VAIO P with 2GHz Atom and Windows 7
Look, the upcoming VAIO X might be all fancy with its 11.6-inch screen and all day battery life, but Sony's not ignoring its original underpowered-and-overpriced funky laptop -- three new VAIO P configurations just went up on Sony's UK site today, all sporting Windows 7. The big news is that the top-end configuration will now sport a 2.0GHz Atom Z550, but there's also two low-end models with the 1.86GHz Atom Japanese P's have had for a while now but only the $2,000 Signature model carried Stateside. Apart from that we're not seeing much else -- this certainly looks like a modest Win7-related spec bump and not the rumored VAIO P mark 2. No word on pricing or US availability yet, but we're sure to find out more very, very soon. [Thanks, Liam]
VAIO P gets whole new lease on life with Atom Z550 processor, SSD and WiMAX
A whole new day is dawning for the never-ever-a-netbook Sony VAIO P -- those new processor and drive upgrades apparently have the little PC churning through benchmarks at twice the pace of the original. Most of the benchmark help comes from the SSD drive, but the Atom Z550 doesn't hurt. Meanwhile, Japan is getting a WiMAX version to churn through stereotypically Japanese websites in record time. We'd be jealous if only we lived under 1,000 miles from the nearest WiMAX signal.Read - VAIO P gets WiMAXRead - VAIO P benchmarks
Fujitsu's FMV LOOX U C50N bumped up to 2GHz Atom Z550 proc, won't look back
Fujitsu just stuffed Intel's latest Atom chip, the 2GHz Atom Z550, into the FMV LU C50N UMPC, the Japanese LOOX U version of its U2010 / U820 UMPC. Of course, the processor breaks through Microsoft's restrictions on XP for netbooks, so out of the box you'll have to take the performance hit of Vista, and then perhaps get in on some Windows 7 RC action to really feel the speed boost. Other specs include just about anything else you might imagine could or couldn't fit into this form factor -- including a 5.6-inch 1280 x 800 touchscreen.[Via jkkmobile]
Intel debuts 2GHz Atom Z550 processor, demos Moorestown platform
In celebration of the Atom's one-year anniversary, Intel's unveiled Z550, the latest processor in the family and as the rumors suggested, it clocks in at a pretty impressive 2GHz along with support for Hyperthreading, all in under three watts of power usage. Additionally, it took the veil off of the Z515 with Intel Burst Performance Technology, which can bump the speed up to 1.2GHz. In more forward-thinking news, senior VP and general manager Anand Chandrasekher demoed its Moorestown MID platform on stage at a presentation, which we last heard was supposed to show itself in a more tangible form sometime this month via an Archos netbook. We've contacted Intel for video of that demonstration, so you're just gonna have to wait a bit for that.Update: The Moorestown demo was (how should we put this)... lame -- from a consumer's standpoint anyway. Instead of demonstrating it in a hand-held MID, Intel was again showing off silicon in a desktop rig strapped to enough life support to keep AMD afloat. The demo did show the 10x less idle power consumption promised but we've got a ways to go (2010 or before) before we see Moorestown product.
Intel's Z5xx series of Atom processors hits 2GHz
Intel just got finished telling us how great its Atom Z5xx series of chips were, in flavors ranging from 1.1 to 1.86GHz, and how they only needed a miserly 2.2 watts or less of power. They weren't good enough, apparently, as there are two new members now joining the ranks. First is the Z550, featuring a clock speed of 2GHz while still using less than 2.4 watts. Also new is the more frugal Z515, with a dynamic clock speed ranging between 800MHz and 1.33GHz to suit you whether you're playing Solitaire or watching Survivor re-runs. These chips too seem destined for mobile phones and MIDs, but we wouldn't be surprised if Sony releases a (slightly) speedier VAIO P packing a Z550 -- and then refuses to import it to the States.[Via Pocketables]
