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Watch LG's CES press event in 9 minutes
This morning, LG used its CES press conference to reveal more details about its "Real 8K" televisions and rollable 4K OLED TV. LG also offered a glimpse of its 48-inch 4K OLED and its GX Gallery Series ultrathin wallpaper OLED TVs. Additionally, the company confirmed that the 2020 lineup will support Dolby Vision IQ and Filmmaker Mode, and US viewers will be able to get additional details about specific scenes.
Western Digital ships upcoming WD Black hybrid drives to OEMs
As devices get thinner and thinner, there's no place in the world for chunky hard drives, and to that end Western Digital has been talking about bringing ultra-thin 5mm hybrid drive technology to the market. We just got a look at the new drives here at CES, which will be branded WD Black -- two 2.5-inch models consisting of a 500GB, 5mm thick (or thin) unit with 24GB of NAND memory, along with a 1TB, 7mm drive that also has 24GB of NAND. A spokesperson said that NAND could eventually go up to 32GB. There's no performance figures or pricing available yet, but WD has already started shipping copies of the new models to OEMs, and expects that they'll land in the laps of consumers within the next 6 months. %Gallery-175646%
Hitachi intros UltraVision LED TVs with Roku-ready HDMI, freshens Value TVs and sound bars for the fall
Although Hitachi was one of the first in line to promise support for Roku Streaming Sticks through MHL, it didn't have much more to say without the TVs to back up the claim. The second half of the puzzle is complete now that the company's fall TV revision is underway. Snag its new UltraVision UltraThin S606 TV in its one of its 42-, 46- or 55-inch sizes and you can discreetly (if optionally) hide the equivalent of a full Roku box in one of the HDMI inputs. The S606 sits strictly in the mid-range, however. Its 120Hz, edge-LED LCD design is superceded by the W806, which comes only in 48- and 55-inch sizes while carrying 3D, IPTV support and WiFi. Those who can get by on 60Hz refresh rates can opt for the Value line, where the H306 and S406 offer 720p in 29- and 32-inch dimensions; a third H316 line brings 1080p to those same sizes while adding a 39-inch panel. Hitachi hasn't said whether stores are stocking the TVs today, but it sees pricing ranging from $329 in the smaller Value sets to $1,399 for the largest W806 variant. The TV builder's audio mix isn't being ignored with the refresh. Launching in tandem with the TVs, the HSB32B26 and HSB40B16 sound bars are designed to respectively match up with 32- and 40-inch TVs while delivering 3D sound processing and Apt-X Bluetooth audio. At $149 and $199, the sound bars are close enough in cost that we may only need a measuring tape to settle any purchasing dilemmas once the hardware is in stores.
LG launches 13.3-inch X Note Z350 / 14-inch Z450 laptop with third-gen Intel Core power, WiDi and an SSD
Evidently, "Ultrabook" isn't a "thing" in South Korea. Or, at least not in the translated press release we've just gotten our mitts on. LG is getting the weekend started right with a proper successor to the Z330, and the X Note Z350 is absolutely a looker. It's a 13.3-incher that does its best to appear just like every other Ultrabook currently on the market, boasting a typical silver motif with black chiclet keys and a glossy LCD. A smattering of palm rest stickers work to further mar things, but the third-gen Intel Core i5 / i7 within makes up for most of that. We aren't told what kind of GPU is under the hood (we're putting our bucks on Kepler, for the record), but there's room for an SSD and a built-in Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) module to beam out 1080p content sans cabling. Pricing, battery life and most other particulars are being kept under wraps for now, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more. Update: Looks like a 14-inch Z450 is also on tap, but outside of the diagonal screen space, mum's the word on specifications.
Visualized: Second-gen Samsung Series 9 gets torn down to its ultra-slim components
Chances are you're no stranger to the Samsung Series 9 -- the first generation stood out for its slimness, and the most current version is an impressive 28 percent thinner. If you're wondering how those notebooks can be so dang skinny, your curiosity will be satisfied by Samsung's teardown of a 13-inch model. A thinner LCD and a customized main board contribute to the machine's slight profile, as do a 40 percent slimmer touchpad and a built-in lithium-polymer battery. As is so often the case, the pictures speak much louder than words, so hop over to Samsung's blog for a gander.
AMD announces Radeon HD 7000M series with Enduro graphics-switching technology
AMD kicked off 2012 by refreshing its desktop graphics, and now it's back, giving its mobile GPUs the same treatment. The company just announced its third generation of DirectX 11 mobile chips, the Radeon HD 7000 family. All told, the collection includes three 28nm GPUs: the high-end 7900M, the mainstream 7800M and, last but not least, the 7700M, a darling little chip intended for AMD's thin and light Ultrabook competitors. Across the board, the series ushers in a new feature AMD is calling Enduro, a graphics-switching technology that takes direct aim at NVIDIA Optimus. Building on older AMD technologies like PowerXpress, it doesn't require you to close apps, reboot your system or manually specify which apps will trigger the GPU. Additionally, it's designed to work with both Intel CPUs and AMD's own application processing units, so presumably you'll find this inside some Ivy Bridge machines too. With this generation, too, the two higher-end chips support the PCI Express 3.0 interface, and all three make use of AMD's existing ZeroCore Power and Power Gating battery-saving features. That's the abridged version, but we also have a full breakdown of the specs awaiting you past the break.
Pentax offers 'special edition' K-5 DSLR kit: silver body, 40mm slimline lens, $1,600
It's good to see a special edition that may actually deserve its name, for once. When the silver version of the popular K-5 came out last year, it was priced at $1,700 body-only. This new kit, which will be limited to 1,500 units worldwide and available from April, will cost just $1,600 including the bundled lens. And it's decent glass: an ultra-thin, Marc Newson designed beauty with a 40mm fixed focal length and f/2.8 aperture -- just like on the mirrorless K-01. The only thing missing? There's no sign of a "Limited Edition" stamp anywhere on it, but luckily we're too modest to notice.
AMD's Ultrabook competitor to focus on price, undercut Intel
When AMD showed off its upcoming Trinity APUs at CES the company was pretty light on the details. We're still stuck holding our breath for specs, but DigiTimes is reporting some alleged info on pricing. According to the report, AMD's "ultrathin" laptops will hit shelves priced between $100 and $200 less than comparably-equipped Intel machines. Of course, the folks from Sunnyvale have traditionally hit Chipzilla on pricing rather than performance (except during a brief period in the aughts when Intel got lost in the Netburst woods), so dirt-cheap AMD "Ultrabooks" wouldn't come as much of a surprise. Then again, pressure on both the laptop and tablet front could cause the Santa Clara crew to reevaluate its pricing strategy leaving its competition to either further cut profit margins or find a new angle of attack.Update: AMD has provided a statement on this story, certainly not denying things but clarifying that it isn't going to enforce any minimum specs or prices. Also, that "ultrathin" moniker isn't new and won't define any particular type of laptop like Intel's Ultrabook is attempting to do.
Asus UX31 vs. UX21... fight! (video)
We'd handled ASUS' UX21 back at Computex, but we'd never gotten up close and personal with its larger brother, the UX31 -- until now. We spotted the 13.3-inch aluminum beaut just chilling at the Ultrabook pavilion at Intel's Developer Forum. With the same 0.67-inch profile as its smaller sibling, that larger footprint means it's naturally a bit heavier (2.9 pounds), yet it's available with the same Core i5 (or optional i7) innards. Expect more when the duo goes on sale later this month, but for now take a peek at our hand-on video after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-133567%
Microsoft shows Windows 8 on existing Ultrabooks, acts like it's never seen a thin laptop before
The majority of first-gen Ultrabooks aren't on sale yet -- not even with Windows 7 -- but Microsoft's already showing off tomorrow's best and brightest with Windows 8. We already knew that Windows 8 would theoretically run on a now-ancient Lenovo S10, but if you're concerned about "futureproofing," it looks as if the thinnest and lightest in the Wintel world will be good enough to run a developer build of Win8. You know -- when the files hit the wild tonight at 8PM PT. %Gallery-133493%
ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for 'world's thinnest standard voltage i5'
ASUS first made that handsome slab of magnesium alloy on the left available to the US back in December, and now the ultra portable laptop will finally grace folks in the UK. If you'll recall, the 13.3-inch U36's stand out features include a svelte 19mm thickness, standard voltage i5 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics, and a USB 3.0 toggle (for an estimated 11.5 hour battery life). The hardware seems chunky now that we've played with the company's UX21 ultrathin, but with a price of £699 (just over $1,200) it's hard to complain much. If your palms are beginning to sweat in excitement, it's available at Micro Anvika today in your choice of black or silver, and should be at Comet by the end of the month. You'll find even more details in the PR that just so happens to be waiting after the break.
ASUS UX21 to be priced at less than $1,000, says Commercial Times
The ASUS UX21, that 11.6-inch cake slicer that doubles up as an ultrathin laptop, is coming in September with a price tag of less than $1,000. That's according to the Commercial Times, which cites supplier sources in identifying ASUS' aggressive pricing strategy. Word is that the Taiwanese company is aiming to price the UX21 at 80 to 90 percent of the cost of Apple's competing products, namely the MacBook Air family. Of course, with a second-gen Intel Core i5 (or i7) CPU inside it, ASUS' new laptop has a significant spec advantage over Apple's similarly aluminum-encased laptops, so we'd argue simply matching the MBA's price will ensure the UX21 flies off store shelves. ASUS has a fine recent history of breaking through price barriers, as shown by the $200 Eee PC X101 that was announced alongside the UX21 at Computex, so if anyone was going to give us a 17mm-thick slab of up-to-date gorgeousness for less than $1,000, it probably had to be Jonney Shih's crew.
Dell XPS 15z coming tomorrow for $999? (updated)
The thinnest 15-inch laptop "on the planet" is coming tomorrow, costing a measly $999, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a profile of Dell's recent history and forthcoming plans in the consumer electronics market, the financial paper twice makes reference to an ultrathin, $999 laptop that is set to launch on Tuesday of this week. Pairing that intel with the abundance of leaks surrounding the slinky 15.6-inch XPS 15z -- including a Michael Dell tweet promising it's "coming soon" -- leads us to the conclusion that we've finally gotten ahold of the price and date for Dell's next big thing. Interestingly enough, the WSJ article goes on to say that Dell had canned a similar set of slim laptops earlier in the year, which might give us greater hope for the quality of the 15z -- it survived where others didn't. Other disclosures in the piece include a quote from Michael Dell, saying that he "didn't completely see" the tablet boom coming, which might explain why sales of his company's Streak tablets have been low enough to be described as "immaterial." There's also a discussion of the abortive Zing music service and related MP3 players that never were, but you'll have to hit the source link to learn more about them. Update: As further evidence of the 15z's imminent release, the tease has turned into a show with a video that fully reveals its slimline chassis and declares that the new Dell packs the Streak's Stage UI as well. [Thanks, Ishai and Ming Han] Update 2: And now we have the answer to our headline question: yes.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 priced at £1,293 by Amazon, shipping May 20th
The leaks should've already told you most of everything you need to know about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, but here's some affirmation of perhaps the most relevant bit of info, the release date. Amazon has listed the ultraslim 13.3-inch laptop for pre-order, giving it the extremely specific price of £1,292.52 ($2,120) and a shipping date of May 20th. That's a heftier price tag than you'll find on Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air, however Lenovo will provide you with the latest generation of Intel processor -- in the shape of the 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M -- 4GB of RAM, 320GB of HDD storage, a backlit keyboard, and a promised eight hours of battery life. You don't need us to tell you that there hasn't yet been a laptop that's combined the thinness, processing power and battery endurance on offer from the X1. We'll be keen to check these mighty specs out for ourselves when it launches, but if you're already convinced, hit up the source link to get your pre-order in. [Thanks, Raj]
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 spotted in the wild
We've already seen it pictured and detailed, but Chinese website Mydrivers.com has now scored what appear to be the very first in-the-wild shots of Lenovo's new super-slim ThinkPad X1. As you can see above and in a few more shots at the source link below, the laptop is indeed pretty thin -- 21.5mm, or 0.85 inches thick, apparently -- but Lenovo still found room to squeeze in a backlit keyboard (check it out after the break), not to mention the ThinkPad's trademark pointing stick. Unfortunately, Lenovo has yet to officially say anything about it itself, so we still only have that rumored May 20th launch date to go on for the time being. [Thanks, leungxd]
Ultra-thin handheld microscope could sniff out skin cancer, forged documents
It may not look like it, but that sleek black thing pictured above is actually a microscope. Designed by engineers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, this little guy boasts a 5.3mm optical length, rendering it slim enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet powerful enough to deliver images at a scanner-like resolution of five micrometers, over a wide surface area. Fraunhofer's researchers achieved this balance by essentially tossing out the manual on traditional microscope design. Whereas most devices slowly scan areas and construct images on a piecemeal basis, this handheld uses several small imaging channels and a collection of tiny lenses to record equal sized fragments of a given surface. Unlike conventional scanner microscopes, all of these 300 x 300 square micrometer imaging channels are captured at the same time. With a single swipe, then, users can record 36 x 24 square mm shots of matchbox-sized objects, without even worrying about blurring the images with their shaky hands. The prototype is still two years away from going into production, but once it does, engineers say it could help doctors scan patients for skin cancer more easily, while also allowing bureaucrats to quickly confirm the authenticity of official documents. We can only imagine what it could do for Pac-Man. Full PR after the break.
LG P430 and P530 Blade laptops bedazzle with slim bezels, aluminum bodies, and Core i7
We heard of a bezel-hating LG Shuriken display sneaking its way onto Acer laptops recently, but the Korean company has wisely opted to debut that cutting-edge technology in its own portable computers first. The 14-inch P430 and 15.6-inch P530 mark the start of LG's new Blade series of laptops, which are the result of some obsessive slimming work at the LG labs -- display thickness is 4.5mm and 4.7mm, respectively, while the bezel on the 14-inch model is so narrow as to fit its screen within the dimensions of a traditional 13.3-inch laptop. Weight, at 1.94kg on the P430 and 2.2kg on P530, is also said to be on par with machines offering significantly smaller screens, but that's not at the sacrifice of construction materials as brushed aluminum is used to strengthen LG's new slimsters. A Core i7 CPU and GeForce GT520M GPU will provide the internal firepower, though the rest of the hardware specs are as yet unannounced. The P430 will launch in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America at the end of May, to be followed by the P530 in June. Full PR after the break. Update: LG has now listed the full specs sheets on its Newsroom website.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 confirmed, faster-charging integrated battery detailed
Yesterday's speculation has turned into today's fact. The ultraslim Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is most definitely real, coming soon, and just so happens to be packing some fancy new battery technology as well. This intel comes straight from Lenovo's own servers, where a highly informative PDF (intended for reseller partners, but accessible to all) dishes the dirt on the upcoming laptop. The X1's "slice" battery won't be user-replaceable, but what you lose in flexibility will be made up for in sheer performance gains, as Lenovo is touting it'll last three times as long as a normal battery and will recharge 2.5 times faster than previous ThinkPad cells. That's thanks to some fanciness named RapidCharge that will revitalize the X1 to 80 percent within 30 minutes. The presentation slides show the X1 right alongside Lenovo's latest Edge models, the E420s and E220s, as part of "a new generation of ThinkPads," and given that both of those are now shipping, the ultraslim, but still unannounced, X1 can't be far behind. Finally, just for some added intrigue, we've also spotted mention of an "X Slate" within the document -- any ideas as to what that might look like? [Thanks, Alexandr]
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 shows up online, looks freakishly thin
ThinkPad aficionados mourning the loss of the X300 series of ultraportable laptops might have something mighty fine to look forward to in the near future. A ThinkPad X1 has shown up at Swiss e-tailer Tell IT systems and other online locations, replete with a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU, a 160GB SSD, a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass screen, and as you can see above, a profile thin enough to rival the likes of the Samsung Series 9 and Apple MacBook Air. The X1 is said to be 21.5mm thick, so it doesn't quite match those crazy cats, but -- provided we're not looking at an extremely elaborate hoax here -- it'll still be the thinnest ThinkPad by far when it launches. One 8GB stick of RAM, an SDXC card reader, and a 1366 x 768 resolution fill out the list of salient specs, while a price of 2,585 CHF ($2,920) sits alongside a promised delivery date of May 20th on Tell IT's website. You'll find a couple more images of Lenovo's purported new bread slicer after the break. [Thanks, Ivan]
Samsung's 11.6-inch Series 9 lands an Amazon pre-order at $1,149
Samsung may have priced its slinky new laptop at a buck under $1,200, but you know Amazon likes to dance to its own tune. The online retailer is now listing the 11.6-inch Series 9 at $1,149, saving you a nice bit of change, though it hasn't yet been willing to disclose a release date. The specs should be familiar by now, an Intel Core i3-380UM takes center stage, surrounded by 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 3.0, a 5680mAh battery, and a 1366 x 768 display with 400 nits of brightness. Amazon's just the latest of a growing batch of online stores now offering this laptop for pre-order, so check out Samsung's retailer listing below if you're looking for alternatives. [Thanks, Imtiaz]