SU3500
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BenQ endows S35 and S43 Joybooks with CULV, kicks 'em out the door
It's not quite on the scale of the netbook revolution, but the CULV ultraportable uprising does seem to be gathering steam. Latest on the scene is BenQ, with its 13.3-inch S35 and 14-inch S43 Joybooks, sporting a choice between a single core SU3500, dual core SU7300, or some old and busted Celeron 723 / 743 chips. From what Acer's Timeline series has shown, the 1.4GHz SU3500 is a major step up from Atom machines, while making for ridiculous battery longevity. BenQ claim you'll be able to squeeze more than five hours of juice from the default batteries and there's an eight cell option on the S35 that is rated for 11+ hours. Hard drives clock in at 500GB, Bluetooth, WiFi and the like are all present, and the S43 also gets an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 GPU option to make it stand out. The announcement is for Asia only so far, but we see no reason why these laptops shouldn't make it to more familiar shores as well. [Via Engadget Chinese]
Acer Timeline 1810T gets renamed and reviewed ahead of imminent US release
With a 1.4GHz Intel SU3500 chip, up to 4GB of memory and a 1366 x 768 display, Acer's 11.6-inch Timeline 1810T threatens to bridge the usability gap between netbooks and workhorse laptops. And now that the first review has come in, we can say that the verdict is... well, ambivalent. Multitasking, battery life and general build quality scored the thumbs up, but the glossy screen and casing weren't so well received, and 1080p and Flash video playback were hit-and-miss. Set to be known as the Aspire 1410 in the US, this grown-up netbook is expected to arrive pretty soon, with some online retailers already offering pre-orders at $450. The video review is after the break, or hit the read link to check out the unboxing and more extensive thoughts on the laptop. [Via Netbooked] Read - 1810T to be sold as 1410 in US Read - 1810T / 1410 unboxing and review
MSI X-Slim X600 reviewed: an 'attractive choice'
MSI's X-Slim X600 may not be the quickest, most nimble or most powerful 15.6-inch laptop on the market today, bit with a thickness of just 0.75-inches, it's definitely got the ultrathin motif down pat. The kind lads and ladies over at Laptop Mag recently secured one of the machines for review, and they seemed adequately impressed with the combination of a low-power CPU (1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500) and a multimedia-friendly discrete GPU (ATI's 512MB Radeon HD 4330) -- a tandem that's hard to find anywhere, let alone for $799. All told, the machine performed satisfactorily across the board, notching decent scores in a wide array of benchmarks and looking good all the while. Still, critics noted that Sony's VAIO NW would be more suitable for those with a Blu-ray craving and that Gateway's $599 NV is probably better for those looking for raw horsepower. If style is atop your list, though, it'll be tough to dodge the "buy" button on this one.
MSI's CULV-packin' X-Slim X340 ships this month in US
MSI already told us that its ultraslim, super-sexy, WiMAX-ready X-Slim X340 would be starting at right around $1,000, and now we're being told that the planet's first laptop to be based on Intel's CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) platform will be shipping in April. As in, this month. For the forgetful souls in the crowd, this here ultraportable will ship with an SU3500 CULV processor that consumes just 5.5 watts of power and a 4-cell battery. Now, to find a retailer 'round these parts willing to let you pre-order one...
Intel to officially refresh laptop chips next week?
We had a hunch this refresh was coming, and according to information gathered by CNET, it's all going down on Monday. The 2.53GHz SP9600, complete with its 6MB of cache memory and $316 sticker, will reportedly be revealed alongside the 1.6GHz SU9600, which will be pegged at $289. Furthermore, we should see a single-core 1.4GHz SU3500 ($262) with a thermal envelope of only 5.5 watts, which will obviously cater to those really, really low-power applications where horsepower isn't a concern. Interestingly, these newfangled pieces of silicon won't be those rumored CULV chips we heard about in January, as those won't be good and ready 'til summertime. There's also a slight chance that we'll hear a bit more on Intel's reemergence in the GPU field, but we're not holding our breath quite so much on that. Dig in below for lots more, or just be patience and wait for the 30th. Totally your call.Read - Intel CPU detailsRead - Intel GPU details
Intel launches shapely new CPUs for slim new laptops
Today's laptops are slim and trim (with some notable exceptions), and as smaller cases demand smaller components Intel is doing its best to keep up, announcing two new CPUs specifically designed for the "ultra-thin" notebooks. They are the 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo SU9600 and 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500, both joining its existing line of consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) chips to create three tiers of efficient and dainty processors: Celeron, single-core, and dual-core. No word on where these chips will be first making an appearance, but we can think of one upcoming lithe lappy in which they'd be right at home.
