Many sites and DigiTimes as their news source today reported that Hewlett-Packard unveiled the HP Envy 15 Spectre series 15-inch ultrabook in Taiwan. Unfortunately, we think that this is a mistake and that the released laptop is actually the refreshed HP Envy 15, which is already available for some time in the US.
Since DigiTimes didn’t provide detailed info on the 15″ Spectre, we searched for its specs and found nothing. But, we spotted other reports from an HP’s event held yesterday in Taiwan, mentioning only the HP Envy Spectre 14 and the standard Envy 15 and showing off their images.
Some PC makers are expected to offer ultrabooks in the 15-inch form factor this year, but the only concrete announcement so far is made by Samsung. One of their Series 9 ultrabooks packs a 15″ 1600×900 screen and is expected to hit the US market on February 27th. We haven’t heard any rumor or announcement for an HP 15″ ultrabook, so we don’t expect it to hit the market, at least not anytime soon.
A screenshot of the Samsung NP700G7C-S01US product page.
The Samsung NP700G7C-S01US, a Series 7 17.3-inch laptop with 3rd Generation Intel Core processors code-named Ivy Bridge, has appeared again online and is available for pre-order.
The NP700G7C-S01US is the first known laptop model with Ivy Bridge. It showed up for the first time back in mid-January at the Best Buy store with expected shipping in “1 to 2 weeks”, but that was apparently a mistake since availability info is now removed. Back then we didn’t know that it’s a gaming laptop. This time, Samsung has published the official product page and specs for the NP700G7C “Gaming PC”, packing the 3rd Gen Intel Core i7-3610QM quad-core processor at 2.3GHz. The laptop can be pre-ordered via ABT for $1,900, but there’s no info on exact availability date. Besides the Ivy Bridge CPU, the offered configuration packs full HD resolution, 16GB of RAM, 2TB of storage using two 1TB HDDs, a Blu-ray optical drive, and Intel Wireless Display technology. On the ABT’s site there’s no word on the GPU, but Samsung’s official specs sheet includes the Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M 2GB GDDR5 dedicated graphics.
Another similarly specced Samsung Series 7 laptop was spotted at the CES Show in January, but it’s rather a standard than gaming laptop.
Note: Product images on the official and pre-order pages are not of the NP700G7C-S01US, but of a smaller Series 7 model.
The HP Envy 14 Spectre series, HP’s first consumer-oriented ultrabook, is now available for purchase in the US.
Outside, the Spectre has scratch-resistant Gorilla glass covering not only the 14″ thin-bezel screen, but also palmrest, touchpad and LCD lid. Inside the laptop, there are the Intel Core i5-2467M or i7-2677M ultra-low voltage processors from the current “Sandy Bridge” CPU line, as well as a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive with no HDD option, a fixed amount of 4GB of RAM, and a 4-cell battery good for “up to 9.5 hours” of operation. The display resolution is 1366×768.
The four-pound laptop is 0.8″ thin. It’s considerably thinner and lighter than the standard Envy 14 which measures 1.2″ in profile and weighs 5.5lbs but the latter packs full-voltage CPUs, dedicated graphics, an optical drive, and larger battery.
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre series starts at $1,400 at the HP Home Store. Units purchased today will ship on February 17th.
The Clevo P270WM, the first laptop with the Intel X79 chipset, is now available for pre-order via AVA Direct.
The “fastest desktop replacement in the world” supports desktop-use Intel Core CPUs, up to the six-core i7-3960X with a maximal 3.8GHz clock speed in Turbo Boost mode. The CPUs on this laptop are overclockable and are paired with single or dual mobile Nvidia GeForce GTX 580M. The Clevo P270WM supports up to 32GB of RAM and has three storage bays for HDDs or SSDs. Display size is 17.3″ and the resolution is full HD. The basic price is $3,122.
The Asus U47 is one of the upcoming laptops with Ivy Bridge Intel processors. The aluminum-cladded U47 belongs to the thin-and-light U-series and is a successor of the U46, retaining thin LCD bezel. The shape of the 3-pound Asus U47 has changed and it ditches hinge-forward design. The next-gen model is slightly thinner and measures 1 inch versus previous 1.08. Besides 3rd generation Intel Core processors, the new Asus will sport up to 1TB of hard drive storage, built-in optical drive, and an 8-hour battery.
The laptop will be available in two variants: the Asus U47A with the Intel HD integrated graphics, and the U47VC with an Nvidia dedicateg GPU.
Pricing is yet to be determined and the notebook is expected to arrive in Q2, according to Notebook Italia.
The first wave of available Razer Blade units has been sold out within 30 minutes, according to the company’s post on Facebook.
Razer didn’t reveal how many units they sold, but they said that the company is working hard to meet the demand and get the notebook back in stock by mid February.
The long anticipated and expensive ($2,799) gaming laptop was announced back in August and expected to arrive in Q4 last year, but it was delayed. The 0.88″ thin Razer Blade has a 17.3-inch full HD display accompanied by a smaller secondary multi-touch screen. Inside there are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB dedicated graphics and the Intel Core i7-2640M dual core CPU, which are mediocre components when compared to those in other gaming notebooks. However, Blade’s design is unique and it’s certainly the thinnest 17.3″ mobile gaming rig.
This is how design of the Asus N6 N46, N56, and N76 Series looks like.
Besides the gaming G5 series, Asustek had on the 2012 CES show the Asus N6 multimedia-oriented laptops on display.
As same as the G5, the N6 will be based on the 3rd-generation Intel Core Ivy Bridge processors. The notebooks will be offered with the Ivy Bridge Core i5 and i7, Nvidia GeForce 500-series GPUs (not 600-series?), and optional Blu-ray optical drives. They will be delivered in three screen sizes, like the current N5 with 14″ N45, 15.6″ N55, and 17.3″ N75. According to the naming scheme for the N series, their model names will be Asus N46, N56, and N76.
In the video below uploaded by the laptop maker, you can see one of these models. The laptop has a case made of aluminum on both base and lid, and the design is simpler, sleeker and more elegant than on the N5 series. Since it’s optimized for multimedia and casual gaming, it has a glossy display finish for richer colors. In addition, the sound system is developed by Bang & Olufsen. The keyboard is chiclet style, which is another difference when compared to the N5.
The N46 / N56 / N76 will arrive in late Q2 this year. Prices are currently unknown.
A developer pre-beta version of Windows 8 OS for laptops, tablets and desktops based on x86 architecture was released a couple of months ago. In February, Microsoft will also launch the first developer Win 8 version for ARM-based devices, accoring to CNet’s sources.
ARM-optimized Windows 8 is expected to have a significant role on the tablet computer market, since it will enable Windows to run on cheap and power efficient chipsets such as Nvidia Tegra. The tablet market is currently dominated by Apple’s iOS and Google Android and Windows is currently used only on tablets with x86 Intel and AMD chips, which at this stage have much greater power consumption than ARM parts.
However, it’s not clear if current Windows software makers will widely support ARM platform, because in many cases it requires programs to be specially coded to run on ARM.
Maybe that will make Intel’s Medfield x86 smartphone and tablet platform, with hardware characteristics similar to those of ARM platforms, more competitive on the mobile computing market.
Intel has released the Celeron B815 dual-core processor for inexpensive laptops. With its clock speed of 1.6GHz it’s only a slight upgrade from the widely-used 1.5GHz B800.
The CPU is a 32nm “Sandy Bridge” part with integrated Intel HD Graphics, 2MB of L2 cache, 64-bit support, and a power consumption of 35W.
Toshiba Satellite C655 Laptop with Intel Celeron B815
In PasMark’s database, we have found a benchmark result for the B815 with a score of 1,346 points, but we doubt that the result is accurate, since it’s lower than B800′s score of 1,509.
The B815 can be already found in some entry-level Toshiba and Acer systems, with prices of around $400.
Alongside the B815, Intel has launched the single core B720, as well as ultra-low voltage Celeron 867 dual-core and 797 parts, but laptops with these CPUs are not available yet on the market. The previous similar Intel chips are used very rarely.
Like many computer-related sites, we’ve missed to report about the new Asus G5 Republic of Gamers (ROG) series gaming laptops which will be called the Asus G75 and G55 if they don’t digress from the naming scheme.
The 17.3″ Asus G75 and 15.6″ Asus G55 were captured in two separate videos at 2012 CES. Both notebooks will come with the Intel Ivy Bridge processors, officially called 3rd Generation Intel Core, and Nvidia’s next-gen GeForce “Kepler” gaming-class GPUs. It’s not exactly known which GeForce video card models will be used in the G75 and G55. The current G-series Asus laptops don’t come with the top-of-the-line Nvidia GTX 580M, so there’s a possibility that the G75/G55 won’t include the most powerful GPU option from the upcoming GeForce lineup either. (Note: If we understood the translation of a ComputerBase.de article correctly, the laptops will come with the GeForce GTX 670M.)
Asus G75, G55 Laptop Design
The specifications sheets show that the 2012 mobile gaming rigs by Asus will include up to 1.5TB of traditional or hybrid HDD storage using dual-hard drive setups. There’s also a 256GB SSD option, as well as maximal 16GB of 1600MHz memory, and DVD burner, Blu-ray combo, and Blu-ray writer options. Display resolution choices include FHD and HD+, 1920×1080 and 1600×900 translated to pixels, and there’s a 3D screen option. Other specs include 5.1-channel sound support, and an HD webcam.
Design hasn’t changed much. It’s still inspired by stealth aircrafts and sports large dual vents on the back.
We’re not sure if weight of these laptops is a concern for gamers, but let’s say the G75 and G55 weigh 4.3 and 3.8 kilograms, respectively.
Of course, there’s no word on pricing at this time. Asus is expected to release the laptops in April.
In addition, Asus showcased at the CES some standard laptops, such as the new K and N series.
Lenovo has launched the IdeaPad Y470p 14” laptop, aimed at multimedia and gaming.
The IdeaPad Y470p shares the same design and most of the specs with the standard Y470, but packs the AMD Radeon HD 7690M 1GB dedicated graphics instead of the Nvidia GeForce (up to the GT 550M 1GB). The Y470p offered via Lenovo.com is a non-customizable configuration with the Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, DVD burner, Bluetooth, and Win 7 Home Premium OS. The display resolution is 1366×768.
This is the Lenovo IdeaPad Y470p.
According to Notebook Check’s laptop video card comparison, the Radeon 7690M is only slightly faster than the GeForce GT 550M. In another comparison, the Y470p with the coupon code WKLYDEALSY470P applied costs $799, whereas the Y470 with the GT550M and a Blu-ray combo instead of DVD writer is $849 after the WKLYDEALSY470 coupon.
Overall, no big news this time, but it’s nice to have another option available for those who don’t want to wait for the IdeaPad Y480 to hit the market. Additionally, it’s questionable if the Y480 will bring any significant improvement over the current Y470/Y470p series. So far we know that the Y480 will come with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M GPU, but it’s neither clear if it will be a much faster graphics option than the current GPU offerings nor if the laptop will ship with the next-gen Intel Ivy Bridge laptop processors.
Lenovo has put on sale this week the ThinkPad X130e, a 11.6-inch ruggedized ultraportable for the education market. Aimed at K-12 students, the ThinkPad X130e has a durable chassis with a top cover rubber bumper, spill-resistant keyboard, and strengthened corners, hinges, and screen bezel. The laptop is available with AMD or Intel processors with their integrated graphics.
The AMD-based X130e is cheaper, with prices starting at $429. It comes with the AMD Fusion E-300 or E-450 APU, whereas the Intel-powered version starts at $549 and ships with the Core i3-2367M ULV processor. Both come with up to 8GB RAM, up to 500GB HDD or a 128GB SSD, Windows 7 Home Premium or Pro, and optional mobile broadband connection.
The estimated ship date for the laptop is 02/13/12. Although its designed for students, it’s also offered to businesses and consumers.
Microsoft’s motion sensing Kintect technology will be incorporated into future laptops, according to The Daily.
The Daily says they have checked out a Windows 8-based Asus laptop prototype with an array of motion sensors built into notebook’s top bezel, while on the lower bezel there’s a set of what appears to be LEDs.
“In terms of functionality, there are hundreds of different ways that motion control could be leveraged in a portable. Gaming has the most obvious applications, but a Kinect-enabled laptop could also toggle between programs with the wave of a hand, or media controls could be tweaked with the wag of a finger. What’s more, motion-controlled portables could offer a new way for disabled individuals to interact with their devices,” The Daily reports.
At the Kinect for Windows launch at the 2012 CES, Microsoft said the device will be capable of recognizing movement gestures from distances of 50cm (suitable for laptop and desktop use), whereas the original gaming-only oriented Kinect for Xbox was capable of doing it only from larger distances.
By the way, Kinect for Windows device will go on sale starting next month, so you can purchase it and connect to your laptop. But, the problem is a lack of available software for utilizing Kinect’s capabilities.
Check out in the video below a presentation of some Kinect abilities when paired with a PC.
According to Fudzilla’s sources, Nvidia prepares discrete graphics processors specially designed for ultra-thin laptops, also known as ultrabooks.
The ultrabook-use Nvidia graphics chips from their upcoming Kepler family will have low power consumption and thermal dissipation in order to meet requirements of thin laptop designs, but there are no specs or details available at the time of this writing.
AMD has already showcased technology which can be an answer to both Nvidia’s rumored GPUs and next-gen Intel ultrabook processors. It’s their Trinity A-series APUs for “very ultra-thin” designs, which will deliver a respectable 3D graphics power.
However, Samsung has already released a thin laptop or “ultrabook”, as they like to name it, with the current AMD Radeon HD 7000-series 7550M GPU. In addition, Lenovo’s upcoming ThinkPad T430u is also claimed to include optional dedicated Nvida GPU, but it’s not known if it will be Kepler.
Anyway, Intel HD integrated graphics will certainly not be the only GPU option in 2012 ultra-thin notebooks and/or ultrabooks.
This is the Open Pandora. (Click for the photo gallery)
The Open Pandora, a laptop-like handheld computer based on an OMAP processor and Linux OS will go into mass production next month, after four years of waiting, and is available for pre-order now.
Pandora’s design and features are based on suggestions and requests by open source comunity gathered on the gp32x forums. The device runs a modified version of Angstrom-Linux distro and is primarily oriented toward game emulations. It has a 4.3″ resistive-touch screen and game controls on the base, alongside the QWERTY keyboard.
Here are the Pandora specs:
Texas Instruments OMAP3530 processor at 600MHz (officially)
256MB DDR-333 SDRAM
512MB NAND FLASH memory
IVA2+ audio and video processor using TI’s DaVinci™ technology (430MHz C64x DSP)
ARM® Cortex™-A8 superscalar microprocessor core
PowerVR SGX530 (110MHz officially) OpenGL ES 2.0 compliant 3D hardware
integrated Wifi 802.11b/g (up to 18dBm output)
integrated Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (3Mbps) (Class 2, + 4dBm)
800×480 resolution LTPS LCD with resistive touch screen, 4.3″ widescreen, 16.7 million colors (300 cd/m2 brightness, 450:1 contrast ratio)
Dual analog controllers
Full gamepad controls plus shoulder buttons
Dual SDHC card slots (up to 64GB of storage currently)
headphone output up to 150mW/channel into 16 ohms, 99dB SNR (up to 24 bit/48KHz)
TV output (composite and S-Video)
Internal microphone plus ability to connect external microphone through headset
Stereo line level inputs and outputs
43 button QWERTY and numeric keypad
USB 2.0 OTG port (1.5/12/480Mbps) with capability to charge device
USB 2.0 HOST port (480Mbps) capable of providing the full 500mA to attached devices (examples include USB memory, keyboard, mouse, 3G modem, GPS)
up to two externally accessible UARTs and/or four PWM signals for hardware hacking, robot control, debugging, etc.
un-brickable design with integrated boot loader for safe code experimentation
Power and hold switch useful for “instant on” and key lockout to aid in media player applications on the go
Runs on the Linux operating system (2.6.x)
Dimensions: 140×83.4×27.5mm
Weight: 335g (with 4000mAh battery)
The handheld costs 375 EUR (for international customers) or 445 EUR (for EU-Customers, incl. 19% VAT).
This is the current (first generation) Alienware M14x.
On dell-lab.posterous.com, you can often find rumors about Dell’s future products and from our past experience, info provided there is pretty accurate. This time, software engineer Eric G. says the Dell Alienware 2012 gaming laptop lineup will include (starting from the smallest) the M14X R2, M17X R4, and M18X R2.
There’s no a lot of details in his blog post, but here they are:
- The Alienware M14X R2 will feature something unusual for classic gaming notebooks. The graphics processor with 1GB or 2GB of dedicated video memory will be a part of the motherboard, so it wont be a classic discrete laptop video card. The M14x R2 will come with red or black chassis.
- Video card options in the M17X R4 will be the currently unreleased AMD Radeon 7970M, Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M, and the GeForce GTX 675M.
- There are no details for the M18X R2 other than its color options: red or black.
Eric doesn’t say anything about the next-gen Alienware M11x (R4?).
The previous generation models – the M14x, M17X R3, and M18x – have 14″, 17.3″ and 18.4″ displays respectively, as well as Intel’s “Sandy Bridge” dual- and quad-core processors and GPUs by AMD and Nvidia. Assuming that the new Alienware laptops will come with the Intel Ivy Bridge processors, we don’t believe that these mobile rigs will arrive before Ivy, hopefully in the Q2 2012.
Asus has quietly released the Asus Eee PC R051BX, a budget 10.1″ netbook with an AMD processor and HDMI output.
The R051BX has the first generation AMD Fusion C-series C-50 1GHz dual-core processing unit with integrated Radeon graphics and full HD video decoder. The downsides of this laptop are RAM and battery. The memory size is 1GB and it’s solidered on the motherboard, so RAM on this netbook is not upgradeable. The battery is a 3-cell unit, without 6-cell option. The R051BX has only two USB ports, a webcam, and media card reader, besides HDMI.
The Asus Eee PC R051BX belongs to the older Seashell Eee PC series, instead of the new Flare, and has a glossy black finish, while the display is matte.
In Germany, the netbook costs EUR 259,00. It’s not available in the US and the question is if it will ever be, because not all Eee PC netbook models are aimed at the States-side market.
Here’s a great Windows Tablet PC deal. Microsoft Store is offering the Samsung Series 7 Slate XE700T1A-A04 for $999, with its docking station included and a $200 Microsoft Store coupon for future purchase.
The Samsung XE700T1A-A04 has a 11.6″ 1366×768 display with multi-touch and Wacom-powered pen input support. It includes the dual-core Intel i5-2467M 1.6GHz processor with Intel HD graphics, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB solid state drive, a 2MP front and 3MP rear camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, microSD, micro HDMI, and a USB port.
Overall, the XE700T1A-A04 is a fully-featured PC system and one of the best specced tablets on the market. Its original price at launch was $1,349 for a model with Windows 7 Home Premium. The Win Pro-based XE700T1A-A04 can not be found currently for less than $1,249 and that’s a price for the tablet without docking station.
In the US, Hewlett-Packard has launched the HP Mini 110-4100 series, the latest addition to their netbook line. The new HP Mini 110-4100, also known as 1104, is aimed at the business and education markets. It’s based on the Intel Atom “Cedar Trail” N2600 1.6GHz dual-core processor with the GMA 3600 graphics and has a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display.
Hardware-wise, this Atom-powered 10.1-incher is obviously a netbook, but HP avoids to call it that way. The company says the 1104 is a “full-function notebook” instead. However, on the software side, the Mini exceeds standard netbooks, since it optionally comes with Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional, alongside netbook-use Win 7 Starter.
Other features include a 3- or 6-cell battery, 93% full-size spill-resistant chiclet keyboard, up to 320GB of hard disk storage, 1GB RAM expandable to 2GB, built-in VGA webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and optional mobile broadband.
Judging from the images, the 1104 has the same chassis shape as the Mini 210, but it comes with a simple black finish.
According to the specs, the Mini 110-4100 is a basic netbook, which doesn’t have an HDMI port or USB 3.0. Instead, there are three USB 2.0 connectors and VGA port, besides a media card reader.
Regarding pricing, we have spotted a $399 configuration with 2GB RAM, a 320GB HDD, 6-cell battery (“up to 9 hours” run time), and Windows 7 Home Premium. Lower-end configurations will be apparently priced below that.
HP is also expected to release a consumer version of the 110-4100, as well as a Cedar Trail version of the Mini 210.
Sony has announced refresh of their laptop line, including new configuration and color options for the VAIO Z, new internals choices for the S and E series, and new finish designs for the VAIO C.
Here’s what’s new:
Sony VAIO Z Early 2012 Refresh
- Expanded 2nd gen Intel Core i5 and i7 CPU choices, now with up to the i7-2640M.
- Added 4G LTE option, alongside the old 3G choice.
- Carbon Fiber Silver chassis choice added.
The latest options are available now and the laptop’s price starts at $1949.99
Sony VAIO S 13″ and 15″ Refresh
- New CPU choices, up to the i7-2640M.
- IPS display technology and full HD 1920×1080 resolution is now standard on the 15″ S-series models.
Both 13″ and 15″ with updated components will become available in early February, with prices starting at $799.99 and $979.99, respectively.
Sony VAIO E-Series Refresh
- New 2nd-gen Core processor options.
No info on availability of the new configs.
Sony VAIO C Refresh
- New pattern designs, including Kaleidoscope Pink and Geometric Black.
15.5″ and 14″ Series C VAIO laptops with the latest designs included start at $999.99 and $799.99 and are available now.
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Microsoft’s motion sensing Kintect technology will be incorporated into future laptops, according to 
