ultrabooks
Latest
Ask Engadget: best 'real' 11- to 13-inch laptop, with a focus on thin?
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 inquiry is coming to us from Raymond, who seems to have the ultraportable itch. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "Hey, what's the best thin 11- to 13-inch laptop for portability? I need to bring it everywhere but it has to be light!" Light. Light like that question. The world of ultrabooks is about to crack itself wide open, but if you're not looking to wait, what's the best non-netbook in the 11- to 13-inch category? Anyone have a particular rig that they've fallen for? Chime in below!
McAfee and Intel partner up to put anti-theft tech in Ultrabooks
Intel has long provided hardware-level anti-theft technology, primarily for its enterprise customers. But, as users become increasingly mobile, the need to extend those protections to average consumers has become more and more apparent. McAfee is teaming up with Chipzilla to create a consumer-friendly software package that will interact with the chip-level anti-theft tech that will be packed into every Ultrabook. Details about the software are pretty slim for the moment, but we know it'll feature remote lock, remote wipe and location tracking to help you recover you precious lappy and keep your personal data out of the hands of ne'er-do-wells. The suite will start shipping alongside the tiny notebooks next year, but while you wait, check out the PR after the break.
Ultrabooks invade IDF 2011, Toshiba Portege Z830 makes cameo (video)
While we've already seen Ultrabooks from a bevy of brand name manufacturers -- Toshiba (which we caught on video below), Lenovo, ASUS and Acer -- ODMs are now joining the thin and light party here at IDF. There's one catch, however: this row of Ultrabooks from the likes of Pegatron, LG, Invetec and Foxconn aren't nearly as svelte as their branded counterparts, leading us to believe that Intel's specs aren't quite as rigorous as we'd originally thought. Video proof after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-133549%
We're live at Intel Developer Forum 2011!
Not ready for a bevy of chip related news from Chipzilla? Tough noogies, because we're here, live at IDF 2011 in sunny / cloudy San Francisco! Go on and prepare yourself for a healthy helping of Ultrabooks, chipsets, fireballs and of course, music by Katy Perry. Or Smash Mouth. The jury's still out on all but the last two, but you know where to stay locked to find out.
Acer Aspire Ultrabook S3 officially announced, starts at 799 euros
And the march of the Ultrabooks continues. Following on the heels of Toshiba and Lenovo, Acer just announced the Aspire S3 at its IFA press conference -- confirming that unequivocal leak we spotted earlier a few days ago. The machine, made of magnesium-alloy, measures an anorexic 13mm thin and weighs just 1.4 kilograms. We're told it promises not just instant on access, but near-instant connectivity -- Acer says it will wake from sleep in 1.5 seconds and register and connect to hotspots in about two. Other specs include a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) display, ultra low voltage Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs, a choice of solid-state storage or HDDs, Bluetooth 4.0 and a vent-free bottom so that you're not left with first-degree burns. Depending on the configuration, the battery life is rated for up to seven hours or up to 50 days in sleep mode. So far we're just hearing European pricing (€799 to €1,199), though Acer confirms it'll arrive stateside by the end of September. Update: Yes, we know we made a typo regarding the weight. The correct spec is 1.4kg. Thanks to all of you who pointed that out.
Acer's Ultrabook S3 up for pre-order on Italian site, is this the Aspire 3951?
We caught a sneak peek of Acer's Aspire 3951 Ultrabook in the wild a few days ago, and now we have some unofficial specs and pricing to complement the svelte laptop. A report over on Notebook Italia points to an Italian retailer's live pre-order page for an Ultrabook S3 -- naming that matches the Aspire S branding on the company's IFA booth. The notebook, listed as retailing for around 786 euros (or $1,133), is purported to include a Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB of storage and an additional 20GB SSD. Much has been made of ASUS' and Intel's desire to hit the Ultrabook market at a sub-$1000 price point and, currency conversion aside, it's looking like Acer could also hit that target for its planned 13.3- and 11-inch ultraportables. With the Taiwanese electronics maker's official IFA presentation just two days away, expect to get the full skinny on these anorexic notebook entries.
Intel betting big on 'Ultrabooks' after Apple threatens to dump it
According to the Wall Street Journal, Intel is investing heavily into "Ultrabooks" -- thinner and lighter PCs similar to the MacBook Air. The company has made a US$300 million commitment to the technology and hopes to "define" the category the same way it defined the netbook category a couple of years ago. Two of the chief requirements for the Ultrabook label are a thickness of no more than 21 millimeters and a wake-from-sleep time of seven seconds or less. By contrast, the MacBook Air's maximum thickness is 17 millimeters, and any newer Mac that takes more than seven seconds to fully wake from sleep probably has something wrong with it (or is experiencing a relatively widespread Wi-Fi bug introduced in OS X Lion). Intel's new focus on Ultrabooks goes alongside a renewed focus on reducing power consumption in its CPUs. Reportedly, Apple threatened to switch to another chipmaker if Intel didn't drastically reduce the power consumption of its chips. The threat of losing one of its main customers has prompted Intel to refocus its product roadmap on reducing power consumption from its current level of 35-40 watts all the way down to 15 watts. Intel's Ultrabooks will be arriving in three phases, tied to ever-lower power consumption in successive chip generations. The first Ultrabooks should be debuting later this year. While they'll likely be marketed as competitors to the MacBook Air, Apple will have access to the same technology and will likely use it to focus on improving the battery life across its entire notebook range.
Intel Ultrabooks get $300 million investment fund, prep for low-carb diet
Intel Capital has stumped up $300 million to "drive innovation" in the burgeoning Ultrabook market. The cash will go to projects that refine user interaction (hint: more touchscreens), reduce power consumption and create devices no thicker than 21mm (0.8-inches). Intel is clearly hoping to lure back all those customers who have ditched laptops for tablets by undercutting the popular Samsung Series 9 and Macbook Air. The company's new mantra? "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".
Intel Ultrabooks to sell for under $1000, take a page from ASUS' design book?
Back at Computex, Intel whipped out its magic 8-ball to predict a "you may rely on it" 40 percent share for the upcoming Ultrabooks market. While we can neither confirm, nor deny the company's powers of retail clairvoyance, we can point you to a purported bill of materials that would usher its line in at a sub-$1000 price. The report from Digitimes doesn't lay out the specific assembly costs, but pegs the chipmaker's 18mm and 21mm thick laptops at $493 - $710 and $475 - $650, respectively. Intel is also reportedly meeting with manufacturers in Taipei next week to figure out a way to deliver on the budget-friendly goal, aimed at producing 11 - 13-inch models for the thinner entries and girthier 14 - 17-inch models. If you're wondering what sort of form factor the company's after, take a glance at ASUS' UX21 and UX31 ultrabooks -- supposed reference designs for the svelte, Ivy Bridge-powered computers. We hope that's the only bit of strategy Intel cops, otherwise we're all in for a disappointingly priced ultraslim future.
Intel Ultrabooks must compete with MacBook Air on price, parts suppliers say
Apple is used to setting the standard in the laptop industry. Before Apple eschewed 4:3 screen for 16:9 ones, widescreen laptops were virtually unheard of. The 17" laptop market only exploded after Apple unveiled their first 17" PowerBook G4. And now that Apple's MacBook Airs have become a huge hit, all the naysayers that bemoaned you couldn't offer laptops with non-removable batteries and no optical drives are doing just that with Ultrabooks -- MacBook Air-inspired PCs. Intel, who is pushing the Ultrabook platform, feels like sales of the slim notebooks could make up 40% of the laptop market by 2012 and PC manufacturers like ASUS and HP originally said that users could expect Ultrabooks for under $1000 in time for Christmas. However, now PC manufactures, who are used to selling laptops at much cheaper prices than app to rope in as many customers as possible, are finding that the technology and manufacturing necessary to create the MacBook Air-like Ultrabooks are costly, and they will not be able to undercut the MacBook Air's pricing. That could mean defeat for the PC Ultrabook initiative, according to Digitimes.
Ultrabooks to start arriving in September, more expensive than expected
Looks like those skinny Ultrabooks Intel was trying to sell us on at Computex will all be hitting the market at roughly the same time. Despite earlier suggestions that HP would beat ASUS's planned September launch, DigiTimes reports the Palo Alto company's Air competitor may not actually ship until as late as Q1 of 2012, thanks to LCD supply issues. Those problems scoring enough panels are also holding up similar systems from Acer and Dell. To make matters worse, it seems those promised sub $1,000 price points were a bit optimistic. ASUS told the Taipei Times that its UX line would only be able to hit such a price using slower Core i3 chips -- upgrading to a Core i5 and sticking in an SSD would push the price towards the $2,000 mark. [Thanks, Marco]
Intel reveals skinny Ivy Bridge 'Ultrabooks,' Moore's Law-defying Atoms
Intel took the opportunity at Computex to update the tech-loving world on its processor plans, and it looks like those whispers we heard about low power and an accelerated Atom roadmap were spot on. Executive VP Sean Maloney didn't divulge specific TDPs but did confirm that we could look forward to reduced power consumption and sleek designs in 2012. The Intel exec declared that new class of PC, dubbed "Ultrabooks," will make up 40-percent of the market by the end of 2012. These machines, powered by the 22nm Ivy Bridge, will be less than 0.8-inches thick and start at under $1,000 -- which sounds just like the lines we were fed about CULV chips back in 2009. Maloney also confirmed that, going forward, the Atom line would be getting a die shrink every year, as opposed to every two. The upcoming, 32nm Cedar Trail will usher in the new Moore's Law-smashing era with promises of a 10 hour battery life and weeks of standby, and will be succeeded by 22nm and 14nm models. Intel even talked up Medfield, it's Atom variant designed specifically for smartphones and tablets, and showed off more than 10 tablets based on the Oak Trail-flavored Z670. With AMD merely a fading blip in the company's rearview mirror it looks like Chipzilla is gunning for all those ARM-touting manufacturers. Check out the full PR after the break. %Gallery-124884%
