IntelCulv
Latest
Zotac's Zboxes are small, Ion-fueled, and cheap
If you're like us, you're constantly on the hunt for the perfect small computer. Now, we're not saying we've found it in this new set of Zotac Zboxes... but we do like where they're coming from. The minimal slivers pack Ion chipsets along with Intel CULV CPUs, making for a power-sipping experience that can actually push a couple of pixels (a couple, not many more). The company is dishing out a few varieties of the mini PCs, all loaded with some variation of Intel's Celeron processors. The HD series (the NS21 and ND22) pack a Celeron 743 or SU2300 CULV (respectively), DDR3 RAM slots, a 2.5-inch hard drive slot, HDMI and DVI-I ports, along with NVIDIA's Ion GPU. There's also an ITX series, all sporting those same CPUs, a single PCI Express x16 slot, a handful of SATA / eSATA hookups, and HDMI, DVI-D, and VGA connections. All the systems have a slew of USB ports, the boxes can be mounted in four different positions (including on the back of a monitor), and though retail pricing hasn't been announced, it looks like at least the ND22 should list for around $270. Hit the source link for all the details, and More Coverage for a review.
Toshiba refreshes Satellite low-power laptops in the UK
If you had your eye on a CULV-toting Toshiba Satellite ultraportable, you might to wait another month before coughing up the change -- Pocket-Lint says the mysterious new Toshibas from Computex are actually updates to the T110 and T130, and both are getting a sizable upgrade. Whereas 2009's low-end lappy settled for a Celeron chip, the Iron Man Metallic T210 (pictured above) has a dual-core 1.2GHz Pentium U5400 powering that 11.6-inch LED-backlit display, and the 13.3-inch T230 is back in black with a Core ULV i3-330UM and a 500GB hard drive. Both feature Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi, chiclet keyboards and the usual array of ports, and both claim a very respectable 8.5 hours of battery life on a 6-cell battery's charge. No word on pricing or stateside availability (like that drool-worthy 3D Dynabook) but astute Brits should find them in stores next month.
ASUS Eee Pad official: Intel CULV processors, Windows 7, and a 10-hour battery life
Computex is really starting to ramp up now, as ASUS has taken the covers off its brand new Eee Pads. Of most interest will be the 12-inch EP121, which sports Intel's Core 2 Duo CULV processors, Windows 7, and a reputed 10-hour battery life. Sort of like a laptop sans the keyboard, you might say, which is probably why ASUS is also touting a "hybrid" dock/keyboard solution for those times when you want some more tactile feedback to your typing. The Eee Pad will also include an integrated webcam and at least one USB port. A 10-inch EP101TC is being announced today as well, though its specs are less detailed and it's set to run Windows Embedded Compact 7 -- you can see it after the break, along with the full PR. We'll be doing our best to bring you hands-on pics and video shortly. Update: ASUS has given us a $399 to $499 price range for the Eee Pads, but don't start salivating just yet. We were also told that the Eee Pad won't be out until the first quarter of 2011. Update 2: As promised, we've now got a preview of both devices, which you'll find right here.%Gallery-93952%
Intel officially outs Core i3, i5 and i7 ULV processors for those ultra-thin laptops
We can't say this one is much of a surprise, but it sure is good to get the official details on Intel's latest ultra-low voltage Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. Just as we had heard, the new dual-core CPUs will be landing this June, and though they won't be replacing the current Celeron and Pentium ULVs on the market, they'll certainly provide a more powerful option for the "ultra-thin" category. All the new 32-nanometer Nehalam chips are said to provide 32 percent better performance than previous ULVs, but a 20 percent power reduction than standard-voltage Core 2010 CPUs. And just like those regular Core 2010 processors, these get the same Turbo Boost and Hyper-threading performance advantages. All the processors have TDPs of 17 watts which is what is enabling the 50 percent improvement in thermal performance. That's all the technical details Intel shared this morning, but it shouldn't be long before we up and testing the performance and battery life of these new chips in slim laptops from MSI, Lenovo and Acer. Until then, there's the full press release after the break. %Gallery-93588%
Smartbook Logo is neither a logo nor a smartbook, actually a 3G-equipped CULV laptop
We're ready to hand out our first award for CeBIT 2010. The most confusing product of the year ribbon goes to German company Smartbook, who's decided to produce a portable computer with a shell design and 3G connectivity that... isn't actually a smartbook (or what we understand the term to mean anyway). Instead of capitalizing on the built-in marketing appeal of its name, Smartbook AG staunchly persists in believing it's a real laptop maker, and is readying a new thin-and-light machine to prove just that. To be known as the Logo, this will be an Intel CULV-powered 11.6-incher, with a 1366 x 768 resolution, Windows 7 Home Premium and a stingy 1GB of RAM on board. In other words, the Acer Timeline 1810T, only a few months later and priced to (never) sell: €699 ($944). Boy, we've heard of corporate hubris before but this is getting silly now.
MSI X-Slim X620 keeps its ULV processor and ATI graphics, adds an optical drive
Just a few days after revealing its X-Slim X420, MSI is back at it again with another Intel ULV-powered laptop -- but this time the redesigned 15.6-inch version of its X series has made room for an optical drive. As one might expect the 1.4-inch thick / 5-pound lappie is a bit heftier than before, though oddly it has the same selection of ports, including HDMI, two USBs, e-SATA, an SD card reader, along with a mic and headphone jacks. Other than that the Windows 7 Home Premium portable packs an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 GPU, and will support up to 4GB of RAM and 500GB of storage. No details on pricing or availability, but we'll be keeping our ears to the ground.
HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order
Since today really needs a good heap of news to somewhat balance out yesterday's glut, HP has updated its online store to give it an abundance of new and revised Windows 7 machines, including the Envy series (Beats edition and all), Pavilion dm3 with AMD Neo or Intel CULV chips, Core i7-packing dv6t/ dv7t / dv8t Quad editions, and the not-so-netbook CQ61. We're still not seeing the previously-leaked dm1 ultraportable anywhere, but the Mini 311 and a slightly updated Mini 110 are, with the option to jump from Windows XP to 7 for a cool $50 / $30 respectively. Most everything in the store, desktops and laptops, has been updated to at least include Windows 7 as the standard shipping OS, and while all claim free 2-day shipping, estimated shipping dates begin sometime the week after 7's Oct 22nd launch -- no early chances here, folks. Browse the read links and keep an eye on the shiny red "new" icons (no flashing GIFs, we're afraid) for the entire revised lineup. Update: As a number of you have pointed, the Envy product page is a bit, well, sloppy. Typos and missing commas notwithstanding, it seems to biggest laugh is the cost of customization, i.e. $800 more to downgrade from a 500GB HDD to 320GB or 250GB (same price), or $900 more to downgrade from 6GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory. Yeah, it might be best to hold off on that one until HP get the kinks worked out. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Read - Desktop lineup Read - Laptop lineup Read - Envy series lineup
Intel reveals notebook and netbook plans for the rest of the year
The netbook formula hasn't evolved much since its inception, still offering largely the same configuration and performance as it ever has. That likely won't change until the end of the summer, with Intel announcing that it's even thinking about retiring the newer Atom N280 processor and GN40 chipset entirely, leaving the older and more common N270 with its 945GSE as the main choice until September, when the new Pineview Atom chips might finally hit production. The company is also creating a whitebox N270-based 8.9-inch netbook that it's shopping around to resellers, again not doing any favors to fans of variety. Moving up to skinny 12- to 13-inch notebooks, Intel is still pushing its CULV architecture, and has its dual-core Calpella platform poised for inclusion in anything with a targeted MSRP of $1,200 and above -- and a release date sometime after the third quarter. That's a few months too late to catch the needy college freshman crowd, Intel.
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.
