Small laptops, also known as subnotebooks, ultraportables or netbooks, are extremely small and lightweight mobile computers, with screen sizes ranging from 10.1 to 13.3 inches and a weight of 2 – 4 pounds, approximately. Their thickness got reduced over time and today’s small-sized laptop measures around 1 inch thin. Some small laptops include features of standard notebooks, packed into smaller chassis, while the others – particularly netbooks – lack some components, such as built-in optical drive. Even in small notebooks category there are differences. Subnotebooks or ultraportables usually include processors with lower voltages and lower power consumption than those in standard notebooks. Netbooks’ CPUs consume even less power, but are somewhat slower than their subnotebook counterparts. Another difference is that the most of ultraportables in the market today come with Windows 7 Home or Pro OS, whereas netbooks run Windows 7 Home Basic edition. Finally, netbooks are mostly cheaper than standard ultraportables.
Sony has announced the new VAIO S-series 13.3″ and 15.5″ notebooks with the latest Intel 3rd Gen processors and thin cases in aluminum, magnesium, or carbon fiber flavors.
Design of the cases has changed, but not much, judging from the published image. The most notable change is a larger button-less touchpad, replacing the old one with physical buttons. The optical drive is now a slot-loading one, in a DVD and Blu-ray variant.
Alongside the affordable HP Envy 4 and 6, Hewlett-Packard has added the premium-class HP Envy Spectre XT to its Ultrabook lineup.
The 13.3-inch Spectre XT features an all-metal body, unlike the previously released glass-cladded Spectre 14. With a 0.57-inch profile, the XT is fairly thin even for the Ultrabook standards and it weighs about three pounds. Inside the silver aluminum case with chrome edges around the base and lid, the laptop houses the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors, 128GB or 256GB of mSATA SSD storage, and a battery good for “up to eight hours” of run time.
The first Sony ultrabooks, released last week in the form of the 11.6″ VAIO T11 and 13.3″ VAIO T13, will be available with the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors after all.
The official announcment of the VAIO T series included 2nd Gen Core CPUs only, but Tech Focus spotted last weekend a T11 sample with the 3rd Gen “Ivy Bridge”, which will be reportedly also used in the T13.
The recently launched Samsung Series 9 premium-class ultra-thin laptops are going to be available with the Intel Ivy Bridge processors, officially called 3rd Generation Intel Core.
The 13.3-inch NP900X3C and 15-inch NP900X4C are replacements for the 2nd Gen Core-based NP900X3B and NP900X4B respectively and the processor upgrade appears to be the only notable change on the new models. The latest-generation Intel Core i5-3317U ultra-low voltage chip is used in both known NP900X3C and NP900X4C configurations and that also means use of the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics instead of the 3000-series.
Months after its competitors, Sony today entered the ultrabook laptop market with the brand new VAIO T-series, including the 11.6″ T11 and 13.3″ T13.
Inside the cases combining magnesium and aluminum, Sony’s first ultrabooks incorporate the 2nd Generation Intel Core “Sandy Bridge” power-efficient ultra-low-voltage processors, but there is no word on availability of the forthcoming 3rd Generation chips. Sony has provided only a specs sheet of a 13.3″ model, the VAIO SVT1311M1E, revealing a Core i4-2367M CPU SKU, 4GB of RAM, and the Intel HD 3000 IGP. The pixel count on the display is 1366×768. Storage choices are SSDs and hybrid HDDs.
Just after Dell had announced the end of life for the Alienware M11x gaming ultraportable, Eurocom unveiled a new laptop in the same category – the Monster 1.0.
As same as the M11x, Eurocom’s small gaming notebook has a 11.6″ display. The screen resolution is 1366×768 pixels and the 4-pound 1.2″ thick laptop packs the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors, besides the older 2nd Gen Core CPU options. The currently available choices include the dual-core i5 and i7 “Sandy Bridge” chips, but exact “Ivy Bridge” parts and info on their availability date have not been disclosed. The laptop is based on the Intel HM76 chipset, which connects the Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 2GB DDR3 video card and two slots for DDR3 memory at up to 1,600MHz to the rest of the system. For better power efficiency, the notebook features Nvidia Optimus switchable graphics technology. Maximal data storage capacity is 1TB and the laptop doesn’t have a built-in optical drive.
An Asus U32U-ES21 front view.
The 13.3-inch Asus U32U-ES21 is a new ultraportable laptop on the US market and with its price of $450 is a cheap alternative to ultrabook computers.
A black IdeaPad S206.
Lenovo published today a promo video for the Ideapad S206, a small laptop aimed at “entertainment on the go”.
The AMD Fusion dual-core-based IdeaPad S206 sports a 11.6″ display, a glossy interior, metallic lid, curved edges of the 21mm thin case and Lenovo’s AccuType keyboard with ergonomic isle-style keys. According to the video, the S206 has a glossy HD display (most likely 1366×768), a 4-hour battery life, and Instant On feature for quick access to web via a lightweight secondary OS.
Besides the V3 series, Acer has unveiled the Aspire V5 thin-and-light notebook line at the CeBIT show. According to Acer, the V5 will be avialable in 11.6″, 14″, and 15.6″ form factors, all powered by unnamed Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce GT video cards.
This is the Dell XPS 13 L321x ultrabook.
The Dell XPS 13 L321x, the company’s first ultrabook, is now available. There are three configurations of this 0.7″ thin laptop on the Dell website. The cheapest costs $1,000 and comes with the 2nd Gen Intel Core i5-2467M processor and a 128GB solid state drive. The mid-range variant retailing for $1,300 uses a 256GB SSD instead of 128GB, while the top-of-the-line $1,500 configuration includes the i7-2637M and the 256GB SSD.
Lenovo IdeaPad U300e and U300s look the same.
A budget version of the Lenovo Ideapad U300s ultrabook, the U300e, is now available for pre-orders. The IdeaPad U300e doesn’t look different than the U300s. We’ve found three differences between the two laptops: processor and storage choices and pricing.
Samsung NP900X4B-A02US
The thinnest 13.3″ and 15″ laptops so far, the NP900X3B and NP900X4B from the 2nd generation Samsung Series 9 are now available for pre-orders.
The Series 9 NP900X3B measures 0.51 inches in profile, while the NP900X4B is 0.58 inches thin. As it was announced last month, the laptops are priced at $1,399 and $1,499, respectively. The models offered at J&R are lower-end configurations with the Intel Core i5-2467M 1.60GHz processors and 128GB SSDs, but include high-res 1600×900 displays, Intel WiDi technology, and backlight keyboards. The smaller of the two notebooks – NP900X3B-A01US has 4GB of RAM, while the larger NP900X4B-A02US has 8GB.
DigiTimes reports that Asustek and Acer plan to unveil convertible touch-screen ultrabooks this summer.
We can expect innovative convertible laptop designs, like on the 360-degree flip-and-fold Lenovo Yoga, scheduled for release in the second half of 2012. Also, DigiTimes says we could see sliding screens like on the Toshiba Portege M950, showcased at the CES Show last month.
Windows 7 isn’t designed with touch-screens in mind, but touch-enabled laptops could be pretty useful with upcoming Windows 8, which solves touch input shortcomings of Microsoft’s current OS. However, size and weight of convertibles are apparent disadvantage when compared to keyboard-less tablets.
Fujitsu Laptop and Tablet Roadmap for 2012
Fujitsu has on its 2012 roadmap ultrabooks, Android tablets, and a laptop / tablet hybrid, according to a leaked slide.
In May, Fujitsu will unveil “two new ultrabooks”, followed by a “Slimbook” laptop and a “mainstream Android media tablet” in June. A “performance slate” with a detachable keyboard like on the Asus Transformer or Lenovo S2 will come in September and this could be the most interesting Fujitsu mobile computer this year. Unlike Android tablet, the slate has no green robot logo, so it could be a Windows slate with a fast Intel processor like on the Samsung Slate 7.
According to the slide, Fujitsu expects Windows 8 to arrive in Q4.
Source: Notebook Italia
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