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Panasonic Toughbook 31 packs Core i3, i5 processors, tough inside and out
You know what we could always go for? A really good rugged laptop drop, and that's exactly what we got tonight at the launch of the Toughbook 31. Panasonic not only flung its newest 13.1-inch fully-rugged portable off the stage, but also off the deck of the USS Intrepid. Oh, and you guessed it, Windows XP still booted after the 20-foot drop onto the pavement. While that may seem like all there is to the MIL-STD-810G certified, magnesium alloy laptop, it has got the internal strength to match. It will be available with Intel Core i3 / i5 processor options, a choice of 250GB or 160GB shock-mounted hard drives and ATI discrete graphics...did we mention it also has a touchscreen that's viewable at wide angles, outdoors, and with night-vision goggles? We got to play around with the 8-pound system for a bit, and lived to tell that the thing is truly a beast of a machine. The ports can be sealed shut with a rubber coating -- seriously, it took quite some effort to get to the HDMI port -- and the screen can be locked with an aluminum latch when you want to carry it with the metal handle. But sadly, durability has it price -- the Core i3 version starts at $3,799 and should be available immediately. Not willing to shell out that sort of cash just to throw your laptop out a window? At least you have the pictures and video below. %Gallery-92822%
Lenovo's eco-friendly ThinkPad L Series arrives cheaper and faster than expected
Lenovo may not have had its ThinkPad L Series laptops out in time for Earth Day, but the company's found an arguably even better incentive to help you help them save the environment: a nice fat upgrade and a small sale to commemorate their new availability. While we were originally told the $649 ThinkPad L412 would house a lowly Celeron P4500 inside its post-consumer-content housing, it appears Lenovo has decided against using that chip entirely -- cue applause -- in favor of the 2.13GHz Core i3-330. What's more, both the 14-inch L412 and 15.6-inch L512 also come with double the memory (2GB in total) and are presently on sale for just $599. Not bad for a slab of recycled plastic, sand and assorted metals, eh?
Lenovo adds touch to IdeaCentre A700 and B305 all-in-ones, vies for your desktop dollars with H320
While keeping the overdesigned aesthetic of their IdeaCentre brandmates, the new A700 and B305 (above) all-in-ones from Lenovo are moving things forward with optional touchscreens and freshened up spec sheets. The A700 offers the full range of Intel's Core 2010 laptop CPUs, but tops things off with the slightly older 45nm Core i7-820QM, which gives you four cores operating at a somewhat pedestrian 1.73GHz default speed that can be cranked up to 3.06GHz when circumstances demand it. Other specs include a 1080p 23-inch display, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, and a side-mounted Blu-ray drive. If you're feeling extravagant, you can even cram in 8GB of DDR3 RAM, but don't expect to be paying the $999 entry price for that package when these become available at the end of June. The B305 gives AMD fans something to admire, with Athlon II X4 processors, Radeon HD 5450 graphics -- great for multimedia, but forget about 3D gaming -- up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and up to a 21.5-inch display stretching to 1,920 x 1,080. Built-in wireless and a DVD-RW drive are again present, along with up to a terabyte of storage (2TB on the A700, that showoff) should you opt to tread beyond the $699 entry price. The B305 will be purchasable next month, as will be the H320 old schooler. Starting out at $549, this small form factor pc offers Intel's 32nm desktop parts, with the finest of the bunch being the 2.8GHz Core i7-860. Radeon HD 5570, up to 8GB of memory, a terabyte of storage, Blu-ray, and wireless options fill out its vital statistics, though you'll have to buy your own monitor. Full PR after the break. %Gallery-92697%
New Core i7, Core i5 mobile processors to debut in HP Envy?
Intel's churning out the mobile chips like nobody's business -- no sooner does it admit the existence of Core i5 and Core i3 ULV CPUs, the chipmaker finds itself with more explaining to do. That's because dedicated Hewlett-Packard fans just found references to three new standard-voltage Core 2010 chips in the service manuals for the new HP Envy 17 and Envy 15 gaming laptops. The i7-840QM appears to be Intel's new top-of-the-line quad-core CPU, sporting a 1.86GHz clock that turbos up to 3.20GHz (or 3.20MHz, if you believe the above screencap) and 8MB of L3 cache; the i7-740QM is two steps down with 1.73GHz / 2.93 GHz clocks and a 6MB L3 cache; and the i5-450M appears to be indistinguishable from the existing i5-520M with 2.4GHz / 2.93 GHz clocks and 3MB of L3 to help it along. Given the megahertz typo above and the fact that none of these new processors appear anywhere else in the documentation, we wouldn't be surprised if these specs weren't rock-solid... but if they are, the new Envy may well live up to its name. Full PDF available below. [Thanks, Reznov]
Intel to launch Core i3 ULV processor this quarter
We knew that Intel had a Core i5 ULV chip in the works for a June release, and now PC World is reporting on an Intel roadmap mentioning the aforementioned CPU, as well as a ULV Core i3. Due for release this quarter, the new 32nm processor should reach "laptops in the second half of the year," according to Intel VP Stephen Smith. The company was mum on release date, performance, and pricing, but don't fret -- keep your eyes on this space, and we promise you'll know as soon as we do.
Panasonic gifts Toughbook CF-T8 and CF-52 with much-needed spec bump
We've witnessed Panasonic update its Toughbook C1 and H1 Field earlier in the year, but two of the line's long-standing stalwarts have been hobbling along on last year's latest and greatest for far too long. Today, all that changes. Panny announced that the Toughbook CF-52 and business-minded Toughbook CF-T8 were both seeing long-overdue refreshes today, with the former being equipped with a 2.53GHz Core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM on the baseline model and up to a 250GB shock-mounted hard drive with quick release. It's also packing WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, internal 3G (from Gobi, so it rolls both ways) and a magnesium alloy case that's immune to basic bumps, bruises, shocks and splatters. As for the 12.1-inch CF-T8? That one's getting served a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 CPU, Windows 7 Professional, Bluetooth 2.1 and a battery good for some eight hours of use. Both machines are available now across the pond, with special bundles including your own personal David Hasslehoff knockoff to parade around with for the day.
HP Pavilion line made over with metal casing, new AMD and Intel processors
See that up there? That's the new HP dm4, and you better believe that this aluminum housed 14-inch laptop not only packs a Core i5 processor and plenty of sex appeal, but starts at $729. In a nutshell, that's basically the whole story of the four new HP Pavilions -- gone are the glossy lids and LED touch shortcuts, though remaining in tact are the affordable prices and mainstream power. The inch-thick dm4 happens to be our favorite of the bunch -- it's got a soft etched pattern along the lid, chiclet-style keyboard, on-board optical drive, and is available with different Core i5 CPU and ATI discrete graphics options. And if that 14-incher isn't for you, there's also the 14.5-inch dv5, which instead of the brushed aluminum lid, has a matte imprinted cover that's available in black, red and champagne. Starting at $649, the dv5 is available with Core i3, i5 and AMD's upcoming Turion II processors, and while it doesn't have discrete graphics options, the Intel versions will support Intel's WiDi technology. Going on up in size, the 15.6-inch Pavilion dv6 is all about choices -- you can configure it with either a brushed aluminum or HP Imprint finish, a mulitouch screen, and AMD or Intel Core 2010 processors. The AMD variant will start at $530 and the Intel Core i5 version at $649. Last but not least is the dv7 powerhouse, which now has a Beats Audio option. No surprises here, the 17-incher can be pimped with quad-core AMD or Intel CPUs and ATI discrete graphics. We're planning to review at least a few of these models before back to school laptop shopping season gets fully underway, but for now, feel free to head on past the break for the full press release and feast your eyes on some of these far-from-budget-looking lappies down in the galleries below. %Gallery-92222% %Gallery-92224%
HP Envy 14 and 17 officially official, Envy 13 slowly waves goodbye
The existence of the 14- and 17-inch Envys may not be a shocker, but HP has surely been able to keep some of the more juicy details to themselves -- well, until today that is. Let's start with the external updates that have been made to the all-aluminum machines: both versions now have backlit keyboards, slot-loading optical drives, and on-board DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA jacks. That's pretty much everything we asked for in our review of the Envy 15, but here's where we politely tell you that the beautiful systems still have the same touchpad, or ClickPad as HP calls it, though it has apparently been significantly retooled on the software end. In our few minutes playing around with the systems it did seem less finicky when we kept one thumb on the left button and used our index finger to navigate the desktop. Oh, and we're not done with the meaty updates. Taking the place of the Envy 13 is the $999 14.5-inch Envy 14 -- oh yes, we just said it starts at under a grand -- which packs a Core i5 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon discrete graphics and 7,200rpm hard drive options. Unfortunately, we don't get any of that Optimus graphics technology here, but HP's still claiming up to eight hours of battery life with the discrete GPU turned off. Obviously, the Envy 17 steps it up a notch in the performance arena -- come May 19 the 17-incher will be available with Core i5 and i7 options, ATI graphics that support Eyefinity technology, and up to 2TB of storage. Told ya there were still some good nuggets! We promise we'll eventually have a full review, but in the meantime check out the hands-on pics and official PR below. %Gallery-92216% %Gallery-92219%
Latitude E4310 sneaks onto Dell's e-tail pages, 'coming soon'
In its own inimitable style, Dell has just updated its Latitude range with the E4310 model we saw floating through the FCC bearing the fancy codename of Lafite. As part of the company's "E-Family," this 13-incher promises rock solid durability and rugged design without compromising on the spec sheet goodies. Processor options are provided by Intel's 2.4GHz Core i5-520M or 2.53GHz Core i5-540M, while memory can stretch up to 8GB of DDR3 and storage space can be maxed out at 500GB. Alternatively, you can plump for the 256GB SSD, with a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader and UWB radio filling out the optional extras. Prices aren't yet available, but we can surely expect them very soon. In other unannounced news, the E6410 and E6510 models recently spotted on Dell's UK site are now available via the US branch as well, with prices starting at just over $1,100 for base systems equipped with Core i5-520M CPUs. Hit the links below to learn more. [Thanks, Jason]%Gallery-92248%
Intel to launch Core i5 ULV processor in June, MSI X Series to snatch it up
Well, it looks like Intel will finally be delivering that ultra low voltage Core i5 chip this summer. Though it was revealed back at CES, MSI's saying the Core i5 520UM CPU will be ready by June, and that it'll be subbing the 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU and ATI discrete graphics in its X-Slim Series for the more electrically efficient processor. Acer also appears to be doing the same with its Aspire TimelineX 1830T. While MSI didn't provide us with firm benchmark scores, they did pass on word that the Windows rating score is higher on the i5-powered X360 than the previous version, and the endurance is quite good -- they expect 7 to 8 hours with an eight-cell battery. The company hasn't determined pricing on the X360 but predicts that it will go for around $700 to $900 depending on the config when it hits shelves in the June / July time frame.
Intel Arrandale shortages leading to premium prices, potential product delays
Now this might explain Apple's curious choice to not upgrade the 13-inch MacBook Pro to a Core 2010 CPU. Yahoo! News is reporting shortages of the more budget-minded Core i3 and i5 laptop processors launched by Intel this January, which has led to chip buyers outbidding each other to the point of paying 20 percent premiums on contract prices. That's according to US chip distributor Converge, while research firm CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets estimates that product rollouts could be delayed by up to three months as a result. What has Intel got to say for itself? "We don't comment on speculation, what I can say is that we are pleased with the strong product demand for our laptop platforms." Well sure, you get paid more on a per-CPU basis, why wouldn't you be pleased? On a more serious note, during Intel's latest earnings call both Paul Otellini and CFO Stacy Smith expressed their surprise at the vast demand for their 32nm products, with Smith noting that their production of 32nm chips is the fastest ramping process in the company's history. So there's not really any villainy afoot here, just good old demand catching supply napping.
MSI's customizable GX640 gaming notebook now shipping
MSI's gaming laptops have looked the same for years, but we aren't going to judge. As Mother always told us, it's what's inside that counts, and the new GX640 -- now stateside after a two month vacation in Europe -- is quite the upgrade. That familiar red-and-black chassis now houses a 2.26GHz Core i5-540M alongside 4GB of DDR3 memory, and the 1680 x 1050 LCD display is driven by a Mobility Radeon HD 5850 for mondo graphical performance. 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a six-cell battery and a 500GB, 7200RPM HDD round out a value-packed $1100 Amazon.com package, but if you're looking for a little more juice (and prepared to squeeze), you'll find you can customize this mean, 5.8 pound machine with a Core i7 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, SSDs and a nine-cell Li-ion at XoticPC.
HP stuffs Core i3 / i5 into TouchSmart PCs, gently revamps other desktops
Down for a solid spate of updates? Wipe that sleep from your eye and listen up, then. HP's pushing out a list of updates tonight across a rather strange combination of desktops, so we won't waste any time breaking it down. The standouts of the bunch are the revamped TouchSmart PCs, with both the TouchSmart 300 and 600 getting a dose of Core i3 / i5, some sort of "Beats Audio" inclusion and a suite of software that you may or may not wish to keep loaded on. Starting tags on these are listed at $799 and $1,099, respectively. Moving on, there's the All-in-One 200-5020, a $699 (and up) machine with a 21.5-inch 1080p display, Windows 7, built-in WiFi, an optional keyboard / mouse, DVD burner, integrated webcam and MediaSmart software bundle. For the suits in attendance, there's the HP Compaq 6005 Pro Ultra Slim, which measures 10-inches high and 2.6-inches wide, includes ATI's Radeon 4200 GPU and sports a $599 starting point. The whole lot should be available by the month's end if you find something you like. %Gallery-91290%
Lenovo ThinkPad L Series arrives for the eco-conscious professional
We told you Lenovo's ThinkPad team was up to something, and two days earlier than its predicted Earth Day launch, the ThinkPad L Series has been released into the atmosphere. While it may look like the ThinkPad R Series -- which it will eventually replace -- Lenovo says the 14-inch L412 and 15-inch L512 are the greenest ThinkPads ever made. Besides being 40 percent more power efficient than "other laptops," they're partially made from recycled office water jugs and miscellaneous used equipment. If all that green stuff doesn't stir your soul, the L Series has the standard ThinkPad chassis and can be specced up to be a pretty solid mainstream business system -- it'll be available with Core i3 or i5 CPU options along with integrated or ATI Radeon graphics. For those with a bit less cash to spare, an entry-level $649 model is equipped with a Celeron P4500 CPU, 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. Pricing on the higher end models remain ambiguous, but these puppies should be available for pre-order on Lenovo's site soon enough, and then ship in what we expect to be very eco-friendly packaging early next month. Until that fateful day arrives, feel free to enjoy the gallery and press release below. %Gallery-91141%
MacBook Pro Core i7 review
While the MacBook Pro is just another Intel-based computer with standard internals, slightly inflated price tags, and a familiar (if legendary) design sense, Apple having the absolute corner on the market for building machines that legitimately run OS X can be a little rough on the upgrade obsessed. Waiting 10 months for a new computer, without an industry full of hungry competitors with wild alternatives to quench your thirst, can be difficult, and the January launch of Intel's new Core i5 and Core i7 chips for laptops further fueled the saliva. Still, Apple would like you to believe these new MacBook Pros with their 2010-ready internals and same-as-last-year good looks have been worth the wait. Find out for yourself in our full review after the break. %Gallery-90403%
Toshiba crams Core i3, i5 and i7 options into business-like Tecra M11
There's no mistaking the fact that this understated machine is aimed primarily at those rocking suits more often than pajamas, but just because the all-new Tecra M11's outfit ain't flashy, that doesn't mean there's not a party raging on the inside. In an effort to keep with the times, Toshiba has equipped its newest spreadsheet warrior with Intel's Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and just in case your company has yet to evolve its operating system, a copy of WinXP is thrown in alongside Windows 7. Other specs include up to 3GB of DDR3 RAM, integrated Intel HD graphics (or an NVIDIA NVS 2100M on the $1,229 model), a 320GB hard drive (7,200rpm), dual-layer DVD writer and a 14-inch LED backlit panel (1,366 x 768). You'll also get a webcam, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi, audio in / out, an ExpressCard slot and a three-year warranty, all for the low, low starting price of $899. Oh, and it's available today, junior! %Gallery-90430%
Apple refreshes MacBook Pro family with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors... at long last!
This transition from the last crop of Core 2 Duo chips (which Apple introduced in June of last year) to Intel's Core 2010 chips has caused quite the unprecedented wait, but at last we're staring down a fresh crop of MacBook Pros and all is right with the world. The 13-inchers are sticking with Core 2 Duo, but the 15.4-inch and 17-inch models are now Core i5 and Core i7 through and through. The higher end models are nabbing NVIDIA's GeForce GT 330M graphics with something akin to Optimus switching (though Apple just calls it "automatic graphics switching technology," and claims to be using its own tech), while the 13-incher get NVIDIA GeForce 320M scraps. Along with the faster 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz chips in the 13-inch, Apple claims to be able to squeeze 10 hours of battery life from the machine, but the real meat is in the Core i5 2.4GHz (520M), Core i5 2.53GHz (540M), and Core i7 2.66GHz (620M) processors in the larger models. The 330M graphics are twice as fast as the 13's 320M, but thanks to the magic of Optimus, er, "automatic graphics switching," which switches the GPU on and off on the fly based on the needs of the task at hand, Apple still thinks you'll manage 8 to 9 hours of battery life on these big guys. All machines come with 4GB of RAM, and while hard drives are standard (320GB and 500GB in the higher end), you're free to add a 512GB SSD to your machine if you so choose, for a mere $1,300. Interestingly only the 15-incher is getting that top Core i7 chip, with the sole 17-inch model is consigned to the 2.53GHz Core i5 (though you can choose Core i7 in the build to order options). Prices range from $1,799 on the 15 (up from the last-gen's $1,699 base price!) to $2,299 on the 17, with a $1,199 starting price on the 13. On the 15-inch you can pick between a 1440 x 900 "glossy" display, a 1680 x 1050 glossy display for $100 more, and an anti-glare hi-res display for another $50 on top of that (you 17-inch users are stuck with 1920 x 1200 and glossy). The biggest tweak outside of these beefy internals is "inertial scrolling" support for the trackpads, à la iPhone, though we're not sure why this couldn't have been added with just a software update. Everything's up on the Apple Store right now for your perusal, with the bigger models shipping "within 24 hours" and a 2-4 day delay on the 13-inch. Update: Ars Technica confirms that the autonomous graphics switching is indeed from Apple. The boys in Cupertino wrote their own code in order to extract the longer battery life. Unlike Optimus, Apple's solution powers down the integrated graphics when the discrete GPU is required -- something that happens automatically whenever an application requires advanced graphics frameworks like OpenGL, Core Graphics, or Quartz Composer. Optimus works off a master list of GPU intensive apps that NVIDIA maintains. Yeah, we can definitely see Apple not going for that.
MacBook Pro updates almost upon us? Screenshot of new model numbers offers hope
It seems silly to give up all expectation for a MacBook Pro refresh. After all, isn't a spec bump for Apple's flagship laptops a total inevitability? Still, the arduous wait has begun shake our faith, and we're happy to see even this sliver of evidence to snap us from our stupor. An internal Microcenter system is listing four new laptops with new part numbers, which, if legitimate, almost certainly harbor new Core i5 and Core i7 processors (maybe even those NVIDIA Optimus graphics if we're lucky). According to the Microcenter employee who sent this out, a similar thing happened in November with a correct model number and price for the new MacBook. Mac Rumors claims to have been able to receive independent confirmation on the numbers, so we might really have something here. Now, as for a specific launch date, the best we have so far is that April 13th rumor, but with a tips box buzzing with rumors, we're starting almost feel confident in seeing a new MacBook Pro this century. [Thanks, Ross W.]
Dell refreshes Latitude E series with latest Intel chips
Targeted at the enterprise, there's plenty of stuff in the Latitude E series (which has been floating around here and overseas, but is finally official) that Joe Consumer couldn't care less about, like "Distributed Device Management" and "Client Configuration Toolkit" to handle massive rollouts of identical computing environments across a company. Still, there's plenty of Latitude left over for those of us with simpler, lower volume tastes. The new E6410 (14.1-inch, pictured) and E6510 (15.6-inch) start at $1,129 and $1,164, respectively, with a rugged version of the 14.1-incher, the E6410 ATG rounding out the crew. All the laptops offer Core i5 and Core i7 processors and DDR3 RAM, with options for discrete NVIDIA NVS 3100M 512MB (non-switchable) graphics and the Latitude ON instaboot auxiliary system. Of course, outside of those basics you can go wild with the configuration options Dell is so well known for. 4-cell batteries come standard on the 1-inch thick systems, but you can ramp up to a 9-cell, or even add on a 12-cell battery slice, and Dell promises roughly an hour per cell with the integrated graphics. The ATG model can be configured exactly like the E6410 outside of a lack of discrete graphics, but adds in MIL spec STD 810G for shock, vibration, temperature, humidity and altitude resistance. Check out a family press release after the break. %Gallery-89986%
ASUS U30Jc on sale today, come get your Optimus-ized Core i3 in a thin and light package
Lusting for the ultimate compromise between a desktop replacement and an ultraportable computer? The ASUS U30Jc might -- in spite of its generic name -- be just the ticket for you, since it packs in a 2.26GHz Intel Core i3-350M CPU plus an NVIDIA GeForce GT310M graphics chip, which will be used in the most efficient fashion possible thanks to the addition of that newfangled Optimus auto-switching technology. ASUS also manages to fit in an optical drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard disk (5,400RPM), HDMI-out, WiFi, and the usual webcam and mic. The 5,600mAh battery is rated to last 9.5 hours according to ASUS (sounds pretty optimistic to us) and the display's resolution is 1366 x 768. That last spec is the only thing we can find wrong with this package, and the $899 sticker and immediate availability should garner plenty of fans out there. If you need a little extra convincing, keep an eye out for our forthcoming review. Full PR after the break.
