ultraportable
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Lenovo unveils 3000 V100 / C200 Core 2 Duo-powered notebooks
Joining the growing parade of manufacturers upping the innards of their notebook lines with Core 2 Duo chips, Lenovo is bumping the specs in its buget-minded 3000 series. While the N100 has already made the Merom leap, the newly-unveiled C200 now offers a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, 15-inch XGA display, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 80GB 5400RPM hard drive, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and a DVD Burner to boot. It also sports VGA / S-Video out, a 56k modem, Ethernet, 4-pin FireWire, four USB 2.0 ports, and a PCMCIA slot, but the 6.2-pound weight and 2.5-hour battery life may scare some away. On the ultraportable side, the 4-pound V100 now touts a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, 12.1-inch WXGA LCD, 100GB 5400RPM hard drive, 6-cell battery, and a dual-layer DVD burner, while sharing the remaining specs with its larger sibling. Lenovo also threw an ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 flash card reader, and snazzy fingerprint scanner in the little guy, but yanked the S-Video output and one USB 2.0 port in the process. Both units will be available in a plethora of configurations later this month, with prices starting at $650 for the C200, and $999 for the V100. Read - Lenovo 3000 C200 Read - Lenovo 3000 V100
Averatec goes dual-core with ultraportable 2300
After blessing its slightly larger offerings with that dual-core goodness, Averatec is finally looking after the little guy by upping the innards of its slim and trim 2200. The 2300 retains the same 1.3-inch thickness and four pound weight as before, while receiving a welcome upgrade in the CPU department. Still sporting the tantamount 12.1-inch WXGA AveraBrite LCD, the machine boasts an 1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 dual-core processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 100GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive, 802.11b/g, and a dual-layer DVD burner. It also packs a plethora of ports for its size, including gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, audio in / out, 4-in-1 flash card reader, VGA output, 4-pin FireWire, a trio of USB 2.0 connectors, and a snazzy ExpressCard slot to boot. To top it off, Averatec coupled the boosted specs with a drop in price -- the 2300 ranges from just $849.99 to $949.99, depending on those BTO add-ons.[Via Laptoping]
LG goes crazy small with new A1 and C1 XNotes
If we recall correctly, the last time we attempted a romantic romp with our laptop in a picturesque field of flowers and greenery, we got some killer allergies and ended up tripping over some hidden crap in the grass and busting up our computer -- but we're willing to give it all another go for a chance to hang out with these sexy new A1 and C1 XNote ultraportables from LG. We're unfortunately short on details, but both laptops sport 1.2GHz Core Duo processors, 64MB GeForce 7300 Go graphics, 10.6-inch 1,366 x 768 displays (with some swivel action on the C1), along with WiBro, HSDPA and DMB. The C1 version on the left weighs a mere 2.8 pounds, and does the Tablet PC, swivel screen thing, while the A1 goes for uber-svelte at 2.2 pounds. There's no info on anything crazy like price or availability, but now that these are out in the open, LG better not be keeping their ultralight goodness -- with a yummy, WWAN/DTV center -- away from us for long.
Dialogue's Flybook V33i reviewed
We've been salivating over Dialogue's FlyBook V33i for some time now. Finally, we've dug-out a review of this "dressed to kill" 2.6-pound tablet-style PC with smokin' suite of WWAN connectivity options including HSDPA / UMTS / EDGE / GPRS / GSM and EDGE / GPRS / GSM. Thing is, as the reviewer quickly points out, the V33i is not a tablet PC although you might be fooled by that rotating touch-screen. Instead, Dialogue goes with Windows XP and some Ritepen handwriting recognition software which, when coupled with the keyboard, means you "might not find that a disadvantage" -- just prepare to re-calibrate after each screen rotation. Although the 1.1GHz Pentium M is starting to show its age, the V33i includes a 64MB ATI Radeon XPress 200M which helps offset the load somewhat, albeit not enough for any serious gaming, but certainly enough for normal office-type usage. The Carrypad review also found the key pitch tight on the keyboard which took some getting used to and the stylus was just plain "terrible." Although they were stoked by the removable 2.5-inch hard disk which allows for DIY upgrades while the battery delivered an expected 2-2.5 hours under typical load. After four "privileged" days with the machine, Carrypad dubs the v33i a winner in terms of looks and performance particularly for those in need of an ultra-mobile PC with a full suite of fixed and WWAN connectivity options.
Sony VAIO VGN-TXN10 brings the EV-DO Rev A
EDGE, smedge, prepare to taste the speed of EV-DO rev A folks as Sony and Sprint team-up on the ultra-portable VAIO VGN-TXN10. Previously, only available on Cingular's EDGE network, Sprint will be packin' their Power Vision network into this 2.8-pound, sub-incher giving subscribers 450-800 kbps downloads and 300-400 kbps upload speeds (on average) when they begin upgrading to Revision A. For their part, Sony brings that 11.1-inch widescreen display, Core Solo proc, WiFi, Bluetooth, up to 11-hours off battery, and dual-layer DVD burner with Instant Mode for soaking up media without the need to boot into XP. It's not clear when, exactly, this combo will all come come together, but the notebook will cost you about $2300 when this whole thing kicks off in Q4.
Panasonic gets ultraportable with three new Toughbooks
These three new Toughbooks from Panasonic, the CF-W5, CF-T5 and CF-Y5, aren't quite the type of laptop you can leave out in the rain or dropkick across the room, but they should handle a bump or three just fine with their magnesium-alloy bodies and shock-mounted hard drives. To start things off, the 12.1-inch CF-W5 sports a 60GB HDD, Core Solo processor and a purported 8 hours of battery. The 1.8-inch thickness isn't revolutionary, but the 3.1 pound weight isn't bad at all. Next up, the CF-T5 has a the same specs except for a touch sensitive screen, 3.5 pound weight, and a crazy-silly-fresh 10 hour battery. Finally, the CF-Y5 (pictured) hits up a 14.1-inch display, Bluetooth and a DVD/CD-RW drive, while still managing to weigh a mere 3.5 pounds. All three of the new Toughbooks have options for EV-DO or UMTS/HSDPA wireless modems, but sadly RAM is capped at 512MB for the W5 and T5, though the Y5 can scale up to and each max out at 1.5GB of RAM. The two 12-inchers should be dropping in October for $1,899, while the CF-Y5 is coming in December for $2,199.
BenQ's ultraportable, 7 megapixel DC E720
Tsk, tsk, BenQ. You know how we like to round up all your cookie-cutter cameras into one post, so we're a little disappointed that you didn't tell us about your new DC E720 at the same time you announced the other three new members of your consumer lineup yesterday. No matter, we're still committed to bringing our readers all that is new and exciting in the world of digital photography, even if the 7 megapixel E720 doesn't really stand out from the crowd in any discernible manner. With this model, you're basically getting a slimmed down version of the C740 -- they both sport a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 30fps VGA video mode, and SD card support -- but at only 130 grams and 19.5 millimeters thick, the E720 definitely takes home the "most pocketable" award. No word so far on pricing and availability for this model, but judging from the sparse, negative reaction that yesterday's releases got, we highly doubt that many of you will be seeking this one out, anyway.
Samsung Q35 ultra-portable, now with Core 2 Duo
Mmmm, that tasty Samsung Q35 just went Core 2 Duo. And from the looks of things, that's the only change you're gonna see; same 12.1-inch widescreen display, 80GB SATA disk, up to 1GB memory, and integrated Intel graphics swaddled in a sleek, 4-pound ultra-porable. Still, while the new proc won't be any more efficient with the juice than the Q35's former Core Duo, that promised 20% boost in performance ain't chicken feed. Most of all, kudos to you Sammy for not calling this the World's Smallest Core 2 Duo laptop held by a shoeless waif. Nice to see a bit of restraint on this one. Also announced is the less interesting 15.4-inch, R55 with that same 1.8GHz T5600 Core 2 Duo CPU, disk, and RAM but with GeForce Go 7600 graphics for that extra bit of oomph. Stay tuned for the deluge of Core 2 Duo lappies to come dear readers.
Toshiba goes small with 12.1-inch dynabook SS S30
While not the smallest of ultraportables, Toshiba's new dynabook SS S30 should be plenty portable for most. The 12.1-inch lappy measures 1.1-inch thick, and weighs a mere 2.7 pounds, while managing 7.7 to 9 hours of battery life based on HDD speed selected. The keyboard has a waterproof seal beneath it for extra durability, and the laptop features a fingerprint reader along with SD, PC card and an optional CF card reader. Both configurations of the laptop are based on Core Solo U1300 processors, with 512MB of RAM, Intel 945GM Express graphics, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and gigabit Ethernet. The main difference between the models is the 1.8-inch 4,200rpm 30GB in one (which makes room for the CF slot and all that battery life) and the 2.5-inch 5,400rpm 40 gigger in the other. The S30 should be launching in September for around 252,000 Yen -- about $2,168 USD.[Via Impress]
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Ultraportable Acer Ferrari 1000 reviewed
Acer's Ferrari 1000 is likely to be nominated for sexiest ultraportable, but even if not, this 12.1-inch widescreen machine looks pretty impressive; not too far back we announced that this thing was hitting the street, and now it's been properly test-driven. As expected, the Ferrari 1000 utilizes the AMD Turion 64 X2 and comes stuffed with 1GB of RAM, 120GB SATA hard drive, 1.3 megapixel webcam, external DVD+/-RW optical drive (where are the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray drives?), ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics chipset, 1,280 x 800 WXGA screen, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and reads practically every flash card we've ever heard of. cNews in Russia found very little to grumble about: the 3.7-pound machine wheeled through benchmarks, but apparently left reviewers disappointed by fingerprints showing on the carbon fiber. Going for about $4,000, this notebook ain't cheap, but if you want an ultraportable to match your Enzo, you can take delivery later this month.
Averatec's almost ultra-portable AV2260-EK1 reviewed
PCMag got their hands on the top dog in Averatec's "ultra portable" – although at 4.2-pounds and 1.43-inches thick, we would classify it as more of a thin-and-light – 2200 series, and the verdict seems to be a resounding "meh". The AV2260-EK1 sports some solid specs, like a built-in DVD burner, 1GB of RAM, 80GB of storage and a 12.1-inch WXGA screen with Averabrite, but the AMD Turion 64 MT-32 can't keep up with most of the new Core Duo machines and dropped battery life to a pitiful 1 hour 42 minutes with the included cell. You can add an extended life battery for an extra $100, but that puts a hurt on the $1079.99 retail price, bumping it to about the same level as the thinner, faster Macbook or Dell's shiny M1210. All that plus a "cramped" keyboard lead us to believe we should keep scrimping and saving until we have enough for something truly ultra-portable.
Hands on with Sony's would-be UMPC killer, the UX180P
Sony is never a company to back down from raising a few eyebrows or ruffling a few feathers in the standards game, and so shall it be with the not-quite-UMPC UX180P. There's little question that the UX whips up on the current crop of UMPCs in the marketplace, sporting a more powerful processor, higher-res screen, integrated keyboard and EDGE -- but at $1800, it needs to. And right there lies the million-dollar question: at almost double the cost of a UMPC, does the UX serve its function? And what exactly is its function, for that matter? Read on for our take on the answers, along with some in-depth imagery.
C1's not-a-UMPC UMPC
When's a UMPC not a UMPC? When it's a Micro PC, like the Vaio UX. But when's a UMPC a UMPC... that's not a UMPC? Well, C1 claims to be one, but from what we understand it's not running Tablet with Touch Pack -- just XP -- so while you're getting a very small 2.6 pound 1.6-inch thick device with a 1GHz Via Eden, 80GB drive, 1GB DDR RAM, 8.4-inch SVGA display, PC slot, 3-hour battery, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, and Ethernet, what you're not getting is an ultramobile PC / Origami / whatever you want to call it. But if those otherwise decent specs weren't enough to convince you of this $1,900 US device's merit outside the UMPC space, peep all those feature logos. Audio recording, MP3 playback, and freakin' 360° rotation, dude! This thing is so obviously an EUMPC; hells yes that E is for "extreme."[Via TabletPCBuzz and JKOTR]
Dell's new D420 ultraportable
Dell's got a bit of a hit and miss history with ultraportables -- especially in the last couple of years, with the sleeper X1 (a rebadged Samsung Q30), and the 700m, a successful machine by all accounts, but one we just never really bought into. Their latest foray into the form factor comes as the D420, a three pound widescreen that appears to fall some place in between the D410 and the X1; expect a 12.1-inch display with Cingular or Verizon support (as expected) in the US and Vodafone overseas, as well as "802.11n ready" status (whatever that means), the Wi-Fi Catcher switch (that turns your shut-down computer into a hotspot finder), SD slot, three USB ports, one FireWire port, a Core Solo ULV processor, seven hour battery, and $1,379 base price tag. Not too shabby, but is it enough to take on Gateway's NX100X?
Asus W3J 14-inch Centrino Duo laptop reviewed
It might not be as fancy as the high-class Lamborghinis our pals at Engadget Chinese saw at Computex, but according to this review, the 14-inch Centrino Duo W3J is a winner. Weighing in around 4-pounds, it fits right into the ultra-portable category, but doesn't skimp on specs including a Core Duo processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 that maxes out at 512 MB when the HyperMemory kicks in (256MB onboard and 256MB shared RAM). It even has the Bluetooth 2.0 that its cousin the A8Jm was so tragically missing – at least here in the States. All that, plus Asus' signature brushed metal styling and a battery life of about 2.75 make this machine sound like a champ, but we still can't help but think about the slick Q35 we could buy with the £1029 asking price.
NEC's VERSA L1100 13.1-inch ultra-portables
Maybe you've noticed that we likes our laptops small, powerful, and foxy 'round here. NEC looks set to indulge our whims with their new VERSA L1100 series of ultra-portables. Weighing in at 4.4-pounds, these widescreen 13.1-inch (1280 x 768) laptops feature dual-layer DVD writers, 802.11b/g WiFi, up to 2GB DDR2 memory (256MB shared with graphics), 100GB disk, a 5-in-1 card reader, and scads of expansion and multimedia outs. Systems can be configured with either Intel Celeron or Pentium M processors -- by the latter we assume NEC means the Intel Core, be that Single or better yet, Duo processors which are based on the Pentium M micro-architecture. If not, then we'll just have to pass when these drop in mid-June. [Via MobileWhack]
Sony's Vaio TX3 lineup launched
Sony just revealed the details on their TX3 lineup of ultraportable, wide-screen Vaios. The TX72 finally brings these hotties into Core Duo Solo land by dropping the 1.2GHz U1400 CPU into that fine chassis. The TX72 also features a OneSeg digital TV tuner with iEPG programming guide for scheduling Japanese TeeVee recordings to that 80GB disk. Other than that, she still sports that same great 11.1-inch widescreen LCD with LED backlighting, now up to 10 hours off battery with the Core Solo at the wheel (7 if configured with 1.06GHz Celeron M), dual-layer DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth in a sleek 1-inch wedge still weighing less than 3-pounds. Expect to see 'em around Japan later this month for ¥229,800 nicely spec'd or about $2000 of the green stuff. Click-on to see 'er dressed-up in blue.
Fujitsu-Siemens' Lifebook Q2010 poised for release
We're a little too excited to type straight right now, but you would be too if you'd just found out that the "world's most desirable laptop" will be available in a mere sixteen days. That's right, the $5,000 Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook Q2010 -- yes, the one with HSDPA and that snazzy piano black finish -- is a little over two weeks from seeing the light of day, according to a rather uninspired "teaser" site recently posted by the company. Besides the inclusion of wireless 3.5G networking and a fashionable exterior, however, it's still not clear what makes this machine so desirable; for our five grand, we're hoping to see something like AMD's "4 x 4" platform packing four GPUs and two dual-core processors into this hot little 2.2-pound ultraportable -- is that really asking too much?[Thanks, wolwol]
MSI releases 12.1-inch, dual-core S271 laptop
MSI has just released another 12.1-inch dual-core laptop, and the specs seem very similar to their S262 ultraportable that we spotted earlier this year, except that the Core Duo processor has been replaced with an AMD Turion 64 X2. Like the S262, the S271 ships with integrated graphics, 256MB or 512MB of RAM (expandable to 2GB), 4-in-1 memory card reader (really just 2-in-1, as it accepts only SD/MMC and MemoryStick/MS Pro formats -- where's the xD love?), and a "Super Multi DVD" drive, but manages to shed a few ounces and add a 200GB HDD option. Available immediately, this model will set you back around $1,500.
Evesham releases 12.1-inch, dual-core Quest A230 laptop
Our favorite UK laptop rebadger is back with a new 12.1-inch member of their Quest series, called the A230, that offers dual-core technology for around $1,500. Featuring AMD's Turion 64 X2 processor, Evesham's A230 also comes with 1GB of RAM under the hood, integrated two-flavor WiFi, a built-in ExpressCard slot, and almost certainly, integrated graphics. British shoppers looking for an ultraportable around 4-pounds (that refers to the weight, not the price, wiseguy) can pick up their very own A230 immediately.[Via Core Duo Info]
