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The CZC U116T: it's an Ultrabook, it's a hybrid and it's hopefully coming to Computex
Remember that Compal franken-gadget reference design we saw at CES? Well, something quite similar looks to be heading to Computex and thence to market, courtesy of Chinese manufacturer CZC Tech. The company has loaded up its Transformer-style 13.3-inch U116T with Ivy Bridge and HD 4000 graphics, the world's favorite resolution, 4GB RAM and a choice of SSD capacities. On the connectivity front you'll get one each of USB 2.0 and 3.0, a memory card slot, audio jacks, SIM slot and an optional fingerprint scanner for people who don't like sharing. What's more, all that technology is housed in the display component -- the detachable keyboard itself will apparently only add an extra battery. On the software side, CZC is promoting Windows 7 alongside a bit of future-proofing, which means the only thing left to discover is the price, availability and whether this device will have anything like the astonishing lightness of that fiber glass Compal.
Editorial: Apple isn't making a 'converged' laptop / tablet hybrid, but I still want one
Deflated. Disappointed. Let down. Unsurprised. All of those emotions ran through my being at one point or another following Apple CEO Tim Cook's comments regarding "converged" devices, but if anything, his denial has made me all the more hungry for this particular device. For months -- heck, maybe even years -- I've waited for Sir Jonathan Paul Ive and co. to finally nail the concept of a laptop / tablet hybrid. In many ways, Apple managed to get right on a smartphone in 2007 what I felt was wrong holding a BlackBerry. I still think the iPad's screen is about 2.7-inches too large for my own personal tastes, but the world at large has affirmed that it nailed that design, too. Oh, and the MacBook Air? C'mon -- we all know it's the thin-and-light you always wanted, and given that it'll run Windows with poise, it's arguably the sexiest Windows laptop currently on the market. The point? Apple has waited for companies to flounder about with certain designs before, all while perfecting its own take for a future release. Windows-based tablets were flooding out in the early noughties, and believe it or not, Toshiba was already giving the tablet / laptop hybrid thing a whirl in 2003 with the Portege 3500. Apple waited over half a decade to usher in the iPad, and the rest -- as they say -- is history. The iPhone followed a similar path; companies came before it and did their best to produced pleasing, long-lasting, highly usable smartphones, but the iPhone completely changed the trajectory of everything that came after. Love it or hate it, it's hard to imagine a 2012 with Windows Phone in it had Apple not pinned Windows Mobile in a corner back in '07. So, if Apple has shown an ability to thrive with designs that others have experimented with, why is the "converged" laptop / tablet a nonstarter?
Gigabyte intros S1081 Windows slate and T1006M netvertible, both packing Cedar Trail
Intel told us to expect next-gen netbooks from a throng of manufacturers, but for some reason it forgot to mention little ol' Gigabyte. Perhaps that's why the Taiwanese manufacturer is being slightly standoffish when it comes to detailing its two new 10-inch slates, which both run on unspecified variants of Cedar Trail and have equally unknown launch dates and prices. What we do know is that the T1006M is a convertible tablet that sports 1366 x 768 densely packed pixels, a USB 3.0 port and what appears to be an optional 3.5G modem -- specs that are already familiar from our recent encounter at the FCC. Next comes the S1081, which is a straightforward Windows 7 business slate like its $680 predecessor and comes with a choice of HDD or SSD storage, an optical trackpad for extra "precision," USB 3.0, VGA and HDMI outputs, plus the same optional multimedia dock. Rest assured that we'll track these newcomers down on the CES floor to fill in the blanks and judge how well they stand out, now that the quiet trail has become a highway. Until then, feel free to read on for the press release -- which also reveals that the Booktop T1132, Booktop M2432 and P2532 gaming notebook are all heading to the US market.
Gigabyte's T1006 at the FCC, flaunts some convertible Cedar Trail style
We just caught wind of Gigabyte's latest netvertible, the T1132, just days ago, and now its cousin, the T1006, has popped up at the FCC. Like its sibling, the T1006 comes with VGA, HDMI, and three USB ports (one 3.0, one 2.0, and one combo USB/eSATA port) along with a 1366 x 768 capacitive display. (Pixel density enthusiasts should note that those pixels are packed into a 10.1-inch screen unlike the 11.6-inch panel found on the T1132.) Instead of the Core i5 CPU found in its relative, the T1006 is powered by an unspecified Atom chip with Intel GMA 3650 graphics -- which tells us that it's Cedar Trail silicon. There's also 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and an optional 3G radio rounds out the wireless connectivity. Interest sufficiently piqued? There's plenty more pics and an owner's manual to quench your curiosity at the source below.
Cedar Trail-based Classmate PC hands-on at IDF (video)
Looking for a Cedar Trail-powered update to the long running Classmate PC line of netvertibles? Intel's got you covered here at IDF 2011, with a refreshed edition of the very familiar hardware on display. All the usual elements are here, with a handle, touchscreen and stylus combined with a tough rugged casing ready to take the worst a 3rd grader can dish out. It felt a little lighter in our hands, and while this was just a demo unit as usual we're told OEMs should have production versions available soon. If you need to see it in motion to believe all that next generation Atom power could be packed inside, just watch the video after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report %Gallery-133577%
Fujitsu's TH40/D convertible tablet slides into Japan, packs Atom Z670 and Windows 7
A slide-out tablet running on Windows 7, you say? Not to be confused with the Samsung Sliding PC, what we have here is the Fujitsu LifeBook TH40/D that's just been announced for the Japanese market. Inside this 2.4-pound convertible laptop you'll find a 1.5GHz Oak Trail Atom Z670, 1GB of non-expandable DDR2 RAM, a 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 touchscreen, a 120GB 4200rpm hard drive, and a battery life of around 6 hours. Other tidbits include 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a couple of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, an SD card slot, and a teeny optical trackpad placed next to the short space bar. Can't say we're digging some of the limitations on this TH40/D, but if you still want one, then be ready to fork out about ¥80,000 ($990) at the end of June.
Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series now available for $649 Amazon pre-order (update)
Samsung has yet to announce a revised release date for its Sliding PC 7 Series tablet / laptop hybrid, but the 2.2-pound netvertible slider is already available for pre-order on Amazon. According to Amazon's listing, the 7 Series should ship with many of the same specs we noticed at this year's CES: a 10-inch touchscreen with 1366 x 768-resolution, dual front and rear cameras (1.3 and 3.0 megapixels, respectively), a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM and, of course, Intel's 1.5GHz Atom Oak Trail Z670 processor, which was originally scheduled to launch in March, before being pushed back to May. The slider will also run on Windows 7 Home Premium, and come equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. When it debuted earlier this year, the Series 7 boasted optional 3G and WiMax features, as well as a six-cell battery that claimed to last up to nine hours on a single charge. Amazon doesn't mention either of these specs in its listing, but everything else checks out with what we've already heard. And, at $649, it's even a little cheaper than we expected. Update: Looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer to order your Sammy slider, as the Amazon source link now leads to nowhere. [Thanks, Jake]
Sony teases 'Freestyle Hybrid PC' tablet slider and next-gen ultra-portable laptop
We're not sure how this slipped past us at the Sony Android tablet event, but turns out the electronics giant also teased a couple of interesting VAIO laptops. First up is a "Freestyle Hybrid PC" that slides between tablet mode and laptop mode -- very much like the Samsung Sliding PC, but with a seemingly slimmer bottom-half sans trackpad (though we can just about spot a pointing stick on the keyboard). No word on specs, prices, or availability here, but you may recall our proven tipster mentioning a 9.4-inch screen and a $799 launch in the fall. Could this be it? We shall see. Also shown alongside is a swanky "Ultimate Mobile PC" -- pictured after the break -- with a hint of USB 3.0 and HDMI on a slim body, but again, there's not much else to go with this slide. Hey, at least we now know it's time to start saving up for these bad boys.
Dell Panerai convertible tablet leaks at FCC, could be part of Inspiron Duo family?
Since the very first day we saw the Dell Inspiron Duo's crazy swiveling hinge in action, we knew we wanted a laptop that swung that way -- but the Inspiron Duo itself turned out to be a sluggish netvertible with poor battery life. Well, it looks like Dell may be looking for a second chance, because a "Dell Panerai" just hit the FCC, which looks like might have sprung from the same minds who dreamt up the original's sexy frame. Believe it or not, we can thank Intel for revealing this Dell P12F and Canada for pointing out its convertible nature, because of a little-known test specifically designed for transforming tablets like these -- our northern neighbors require that hybrid laptop / tablet computers get checked for face-melting radioactivity if they have antennas built into the display, and that's just what happened to the dual-band Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi radio inside this machine. Oh, and judging by our calculations (based on the size of that orange label), the unit could sport a 15-inch screen. Sweet.
China clones the sliding netvertible tablet PC
We'd forgive you for thinking you're looking at a smartphone in the picture above -- seeing how HTC and Nokia owners have enjoyed this form factor for years -- but that's actually a netbook up there, sporting a full five-row keyboard and a desktop operating system. Yes, what took Samsung and ASUS until CES 2011 to realize has been copied by Shenzhen in two months flat, and even if you'd thumb your nose at its vanilla configuration (10-inch 1024 x 600 screen, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, 3700mAh lithium-ion battery) and optical touchpad next to the display, it's hard for a lover of all things gadgety not to appreciate that. Besides, the 1,600 yuan (about $244) price tag doesn't hurt any.
Shenzhen netvertible flips its lid, apes Dell Inspiron Duo with days to spare
If you thought the Inspiron Duo would be the only netvertible to have a slick spinning screen, think again -- with less than three months since Dell's design debuted and ten days till it ships, that trap-door design's been copied by the gadget giants of Shenzhen. This time around, it's not an obvious KIRF, but it's also not a terribly powerful little PC -- where Dell at least attempted to push the envelope with a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM and a Broadcom Crystal HD chip, here we're looking at a bargain-basement netbook with all the usual suspects (Atom N450, 1GB RAM, 120GB HDD, Intel GMA 3150) and what looks like a tiny optical trackpad. At least it's got a capacitive screen! No word on when or how much you can expect to pay if flipping bezels are your thing.
Dell Inspiron Duo review
When Dell first demoed the Inspiron Duo and its vertically rotating screen on stage at IDF in September, our mouths nearly hit the floor. It looked like a plain old netbook until its 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen did a magical backflip and folded down over its keyboard to morph into a tablet. It was like nothing we'd ever seen before. And we actually figured it would be the sort of system that would stay locked up in Dell's labs, but when its specs were revealed -- a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM, and Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator -- it became evident that the netbook / tablet hybrid was the real deal. Running Windows 7 Home Premium and Dell's new Stage interface, the $550 netvertible has the potential to successfully straddle both the netbook and tablet world. It also has a real shot at being the perfect device for those wavering between buying a netbook and a tablet. Indeed, the Duo is filled to the brim with potential, but what's the thing really like to use? We've spent the last few days with the Duo (and its Duo Audio Station) to find out, so hit the break for the official Engadget review! Editor's note: The review unit Dell sent us was a hardware production unit, but we were told the software was about 95 percent done. We will update this review with our impressions of the final unit when we receive it. This review was updated / edited on 12.8.2010 to include impressions of the final production level Inspiron Duo. %Gallery-108438%
Dell Inspiron Duo finally official, can be yours the first week of December for $549
That's right, just as we had heard, Dell is finally putting an end to the Inspiron Duo's mysterious marketing videos and officially spinning its screen for the world to see! You won't be able to hit the order button on the totally unique 10.1-inch tablet / netbook hybrid today, but according to Dell, it should go up for pre-order sometime soon and start shipping out the first week of December. As for pricing, the base model will start at $549 (£449), and will pack a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, 2GB of RAM, a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator, 250GB of storage, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Naturally, you'll be able to configure it with a larger hard drive, and adding that JBL speaker dock will bring the price up to $649 (no word on what it will cost on its own). We're guessing those are the details you've been waiting on, but undoubtedly you've got to be dying to know what we think of that crazy-looking laptop. Well, we've got you covered there too -- hit the break for our impressions and a brief hands-on video. %Gallery-107571%
PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones
Kids these days use gadgets almost as much as their less disaster-inclined adult friends, and PeeWee's been making laptops with that in mind for a while now. Well, the company's just launched its newest laptop for kids, the Pivot 2.0 -- which is basically the CTL 2go Convertible. This rugged little netvertible boasts an Intel N450 CPU, a touch screen that rotates 180 degrees and a webcam, and it's packed with 15 educational games onboard. As far as ruggedeization goes, the laptop boasts a water-resistant keyboard, a plastic shell that should withstand minor drops, and rubber grips for easier carrying. The Pivot 2.0 is available now and it'll run you $599. The full press release is below.
Intel Classmate PC becomes Toshiba CM1 in Japan
Toshiba and Intel have announced that they're partnering up to deliver Chipzilla's convertible Classmate PC to Japanese youths -- just in time for the new school year. Sporting a 1.66GHz Atom N450 and an overhauled design, this latest iteration of the educational use netbook will start filtering through Nipponese school corridors this August. It packs 160GB of storage room and 2GB of RAM under a nice 1,366 x 768 10.1-inch touchscreen. The latter flips around to facilitate pen input with an included stylus, while the whole package is protected by a well rubberized and ruggedized case. Now if only it could get some multitouch and one of those crazy 15-hour batteries, we might consider going back to school and using it to finish our floristry studies. Full PR after the break. Update: The Japanese school year starts in April, so technically the CM1 is just in time for the second semester. So long as it's on time, we don't think anyone will mind much.
Gigabyte busts out M1125 netvertible ahead of Computex
Gigabyte's just let its Computex 'cat' out of the bag, and while most of it is stuff we've already seen plenty of, there was one new addition. The 11.6-inch M1125 netvertible boasts a high res 1,366 x 768 display, an Intel Calpella chip, USB 3.0 and an optical disc drive. This little guy also has a new fangled docking station and a full sized keyboard to boot. We don't have anything resembling full specs yet, nor do we have pricing or availability information -- though we get the feeling we'll be seeing plenty more of this one in the week to come. Full press release follows.
Acer launches 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1825PT netvertible
If you've suddenly found yourself torn between a tablet and netbook, Acer wants you to know you're not alone. It also wants you to know there are options, one of which would benefit said company's bottom line should you choose to accept. The new Aspire Timeline 1825PT is an 11.6-inch netvertible at heart, boasting a swivel-screen multitouch panel (1,366 x 768 resolution), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, HDMI / VGA outputs, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, integrated media card slot, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet and a 6-cell battery that can reportedly last up to eight solid hours under ideal conditions (read: no chance). There's even a multitouch trackpad and gobs of bloatware to really cap things off, with color options including diamond black, sapphire blue and ruby red -- all of which sound seductively awesome. A 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium gets you going, but it'll take at least £599.99 ($886) to get one headed your way.
Tablet PC shocker! Fujitsu LifeBook T730 official, smaller version of T900
It's good to have options, right? And, bam! Just like that, Fujitsu announces a little something called the LifeBook T730. Sporting the same Intel Core i5-520M, i5-540M, or i7-620M CPU available on the LifeBook T900, this bad boy packs up to 8GB RAM, 320GB HDD (or 128GBSSD with encryption), Bluetooth, HDMI output, pen input (with optional capacitive multitouch), and a Super-Multi DVD writer into a comparatively svelte, 12.1-inch LED backlit package. Prices start at a Rockefeller-esque $1,869 and move skyward ever-so-quickly depending on your needs and budget.
ASUS Eee PC T101MT review
A really good netvertible -- that's all we want. No, not just a netbook with a touchscreen, but a device with a combination of solid ergonomics and performance in clamshell mode that can swivel into a really responsive tablet. It doesn't seem like too much to ask for, right? And after being disappointed by the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, we really thought the $499 ASUS Eee PC T101MT -- with its multitouch screen, chiclet keyboard, and standard netbook organs -- could have been it. Keyword being could. But, as you may have guessed by now from our wistful tone, there are a few reasons this particular convertible netbook didn't turn out to be all peaches and cream. If you know what's good for you, you'll be hitting that read more link to find out what was this Eee lacking in our full review. %Gallery-91835%
ASUS Eee PC T101MT now shipping to the form factor indecisive
Still thinking long and hard about some of those iPad alternatives? Well, ASUS' 10-inch Eee PC T101MT is undoubtedly for those that can't make the call on netbook vs. tablet, and like clockwork the Atom N450-powered netvertible is creeping up on stateside order pages in search of $500 of your hard earned cash. Unfortunately, for that price you'll only be getting single touch input since its Windows 7 Starter OS lacks multitouch support, but our guess is that slightly more expensive SKUs with Win 7 Premium will start popping up soon. We'd certainly urge you to wait on our full review, but if you're too eager to put your fingers all over that capacitive resistive screen and chiclet keyboard, reach for your wallet and hit one of those source links.
