13-inch
Latest
Acer launching thin, Calpella-based notebooks this summer?
The progression of ever-faster notebooks seems to have dwindled, but the quest for thinner and lighter goes on. Acer is said to be finding the balance between those two goals with its next suite of thin performers, starting with a range of mid- and high-end portables based on Intel's Calpella series of processors, the Nehalem spin-off that we haven't heard much about lately. Sizes are said to be 13-, 14-, and 15-inches, all will be manufactured by Wistron, and all said to be one inch thin at their thinnest point -- hopefully not much thicker elsewhere if they want to turn heads. These higher-performing machines will eventually phase out Acer's CULV offerings, which apparently have had unimpressive sales thanks to a perceived lack of performance by consumers. We can't imagine where they got that idea...
Ask Engadget: Best 13-inch laptop on the market?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Moe, who is dead-set on snagging a 13-inch machine just as soon as a model is decided upon. Help a brother out, won't you? "I'm in the market for a new laptop, and I want a 13-incher. I need something with a great keyboard for typing, as this will mostly be used for note taking in class. I am absolutely smitten with the XPS 13, but I'm afraid that with its age Dell is going to give it an update soon. Any advice for someone in my shoes? Thanks!" There's no doubt that an update is around the corner, but there's no telling how far that corner is from being reached. USB 3.0 updates are unavoidable, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a few new SSD options creep up, either. That said, there's nothing quite like the here and now, so if any of you ultraportable owners wish to help out, you know where to head.
DosPara's Merom-powered, 13-inch Prime Note Chronos NW2
Last time we saw Japanese PC manufacturer DosPara it was hawking its new small-footprint, Core 2 Duo-powered Super Mini 2 HTPC, and now the company has gone and crammed a Merom CPU into yet another tight space, the 13-inch Prime Note Chronos NW2. In its base configuration, this 4.2-pound notebook sports a 1.66GHz T5500 processor, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, multi-format DVD burner, three-flavor WiFi, and a 4-in-1 card reader. If you're willing to pay more than the ¥129,950 ($1,086) that this setup will run, another 20,000 yen ($167) will get you a 2.0GHz T7200 chip and a full 1GB of RAM. Both versions of the NW2 should be available immediately, but as usual with these machines, it's unlikely you'll find one at your local big box retailer anytime soon.[Via Akihabara News]
More from BenQ: the webcam-equipped Joybook T31
The R55 wasn't the only Joybook BenQ had on display at Computex; the company was also showing off its 13-inch T31, which is the first notebook in this lineup to feature a built in webcam (with Sony having already snatched up the MotionEye name, this 1.3 megapixel cam is known as the QEye). Like the R55, this model also features an UltraVivid display (with a 220-nit brightness, though, as opposed to 180-nit), SRS Trusurround XT audio enhancement, and a dual core processor, but the T31 eschews Intel's Core Duo chip for a Turion 64 X2 from AMD. Rounding out the specs are ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 graphics pushing WXGA resolution, four USB 2.0 ports, and a 5-in-1 card reader that can handle SD/MMC, MemoryStick, and the still-kicking xD format, but unfortunately, prices and release dates remain elusive.[Via AVING]
