The laptops of CES 2012
Tablets may be seeing widespread adoption, but laptops aren't exactly on their way out. CES 2012 showed some nice machines from Samsung, HP, Dell, Lenovo, and even some beautiful debut entries from Vizio. Whether it's to find your next laptop or just for fun, you can peruse all of last week's laptop stories below.
A special thanks to Borrow Lenses, who provided us with cameras and lenses for the week!
Gaming
AMD Trinity demo: full HD gaming, video playback, and transcoding
AMD's next generation of Accelerated Processing Units, Trinity, was shown off to us at CES this year with an impressive multithreaded workload. One display was running Dirt 3 in DirectX 11 mode, another was on the Windows desktop with a video transcoding app in full flow, and the third — part of the laptop running the entire operation — was playing back a full HD movie. The upcoming Trinity chip was handling all three tasks simultaneously, offering compelling evidence for AMD's bold claim...
Microsoft
LG Z330 and Z430 'Super Ultrabooks' (hands-on)
We've just taken a look at LG's first ultrabooks, the recently-announced 13.3-inch Z330 and 14-inch Z430. LG is calling them "Super Ultrabooks" because they go "above and beyond" Intel's requirements. The two laptops are extremely similar — they're both made of aluminium, have (non-backlit) chiclet keyboards, and have thin bezels that let the company squeeze more screen real estate into a smaller frame.
The Z330 has a single USB 3.0 port on the left edge (alongside the power plug), and a...
CES 2012
Samsung Series 3 Chromebox and new Series 5 Chromebook hands-on photos
We just got a hands-on look at Samsung's latest Google Chrome OS hardware: the new Series 5 Chromebook and the Series 3 Chromebox. According to a Samsung rep, specs are identical for both devices: a dual-core Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of solid state storage. The Chromebox looks a bit different than the model Google showed off back in May, but there's still no word on pricing for this device. As for the new Series 5 Chromebook, it shares a lot in common with Samsung's other...
Microsoft
Samsung Series 5 notebooks stretch to 15 and 17 inches (hands-on)
We've already covered a solid number of Samsung Series 5 notebooks this week, but now we have a couple of other machines that are worth a mention as well. These mid-range notebooks, however, bear little resemblance to their Ultra counterparts. Depending on the model, you'll get a 15- or 17-inch screen, and up to 1TB and 2TB of hard drive space, respectively. We're light on specs, but the laptops can also be ordered with a Blu-Ray drive and fairly generous 2GB Nvidia graphics card. We'll keep...
Samsung Series 7 Gamer notebook hands-on
We've just gotten pictures and specs for Samsung's Series 7 Gamer notebook, a serious piece of hardware that the company hopes will compete with Asus' gaming offerings. The notebook will come in two slightly different builds, one for the US and one to ship internationally. Both have Intel Core i7 processors and 2GB graphics cards, an AMD Radeon HD6970M outside the US (as far as we can tell) and an unspecified Nvidia card domestically. International versions will also come with active 3D. The...
Microsoft
XPS 13: Dell launches its first ultrabook for $999 (hands-on pictures)
Dell told us "thin and powerful is where it's at" when it threw its netbooks in the grave, and it's living up to its word here at CES. It's no Adamo XPS in terms of design or thinness, but the XPS 13 ultrabook is definitely looking to fill that void in the company's line up. It might live along the other XPS models, but it's a much thinner and lighter option; similar to the XPS 14z, Dell's using a thin-bezeled display that allows the 13-inch display to fit in more of a typical 12-inch laptop...
Razer Blade gaming laptop hands-on video
Razer's Blade gaming laptop has spent quite a while in development, but it's finally coming in January for $2,799, and we were able to get our hands on it today at CES. We've learned that the laptop won't be customizable or upgradeable, so you'll have to be satisfied with the specs that Razer gives you. Luckily, those specs are pretty good: the Blade's got a Core i7 processor clocked at 2.8GHz, 8GB DDR3 RAM at 1333MHz, a 17.3-inch 1080p display, Nvidia GeForce GT 555M 2GB video card, 256GB...
CES 2012
Envy 14 Spectre: HP's Gorilla Glass covered, $1,399 ultrabook (hands-on video / pictures)
HP let our imaginations run wild with its Spectre teaser video last week, but it's time to put all those dreams of it being a flying, self-opening laptop to rest. The company is officially releasing its Envy 14 Spectre today, and while it may not be what you imagined, it's one heck of a machine. Termed a "premium ultrabook" the laptop takes everything we've liked about the Envy line and brought it to a .78-inch / 3.9 pound laptop. There's a lot to talk about inside and out of the Spectre —...
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga: a Windows 8 laptop that bends backwards into a tablet (hands-on video)
Lenovo has indeed saved the best for last here at CES 2012. After days of interminable laptop announcements, the company has one more to share: the 13.3-inch IdeaPad Yoga, which opens like a normal laptop but can then flip backwards to become a tablet. Yes, it's as crazy as it sounds, and even better it's running Windows 8. This is the sort of thing that is really best seen in video, so I suggest you scroll on down as soon as possible, but what I can tell you is that the .6-inch thick laptop...
CES 2012
Samsung Series 5 Ultra officially heads to the US on January 30th for $899 (hands-on pictures)
J&R let Samsung's Series 5 Ultra out a bit early last week, but today Samsung's officially confirming that its 13.3- and 14-inch ultrabooks are headed to the US on January 30th. Just like the overseas model, the 14-inch Series 5 has an onboard optical drive, yet still only weighs 3.9 pounds and measures .82 inches thick. The .58-inch thick 13.3-inch version has a similar design, but weighs just 3.24 pounds since it drops the disc drive. Although, both make room for an SD card reader,...
CES 2012
Samsung Series 9 gets a complete makeover, coming February 27th for $1,399.99 (hands-on and video)
At last year's CES, a time before every single laptop manufacturer was releasing ultrabooks, Samsung unveiled its extremely thin Series 9 laptop. So how is the company planning to maintain its lead this year? With two brand new Series 9s. While Samsung's not calling the 13.3- or 15-inch laptops "ultrabooks," the laptops are astoundingly thin and weigh just 2.5 and 3.5 pounds, respectively.
However, Samsung hasn't just refreshed the line with new processors, though it's done that too. The...
Microsoft
Intel Nikiski laptop prototype with see-through touchpad hands-on pictures and video
Sure, Intel revealed a lot about its future ultrabook platforms at its press conference a few minutes ago, but its prototype Nikiski laptop was the star of the show. The laptop has a transparent touchpad that spans the length of the palmrest. It's a clear piece of glass that does double duty as a touchpad for the Windows 7 laptop, but also transformers into a exterior touchscreen when the laptop is closed.
The exterior touchscreen is a pretty interesting trick. It reminds me a lot of what...
Intel shows 'Nikiski' laptop prototype with full-width, see-through touchpad
This is wild. Intel won't say who it's partnering with, but it just showed off a "Nikiski" laptop prototype at its CES 2012 keynote. It's mostly a regular laptop, but the whole palm rest is a glass touchpad. Outside of being full-width (hopefully with great palm rejection), the LCD can shine through the wide strip of glass when it's closed — turning the bottom of the laptop into a Windows 8-like widget display. Check out our hands-on right here!
CES 2012
ASUS Eee PC 1225B goes official, available in February for $399
We've seen specifications for ASUS' latest ultraportable, but the company announced pricing and availability on Monday. The ASUS Eee PC 1225B is powered by AMD's 1.6GHz E-450 dual-core processor, includes 2GB of memory (upgradable to 4GB), and a 12.1-inch LED backit display. ASUS labels its latest Eee PC an "UltraPortable" instead of the traditional netbook branding, and has even supplied Windows 7 Home Premium over the usual Starter edition.
ASUS is shipping the 1225B with a six-cell...
CES 2012
ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C / CE and Eee PC X101CH 10.1-inch netbooks announced
ASUS continues to push its netbook PCs in 2012, announcing three new models today. The ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C and Eee PC X101CH both feature Intel's new Atom N2600 dual-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz, 1GB of memory and a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, whilst the 1025CE gets a processor bump to the 1.86GHz N2800 Atom.
ASUS has packed in a six-cell battery on the 1025C / CE models and a three-cell on the X101CH, resulting in cheaper pricing on the X101CH entry level netbook. The 1025C will...
CES 2012
Vizio thin-and-light laptops first hands-on!
Don't call them "ultrabooks" — Vizio says they're thin-and-lights that meet or exceed Intel's ultrabook specs, but the company isn't using the name. Whatever they are, they're certainly thin, and that keyboard is something else. Vizio CTO Matt McRae told us the company is doing extensive testing on it to make sure it's comfortable, and we found it easy enough to type on, although the individual keys felt sort of huge. The build itself is nice and sturdy, with unibody construction, but Vizio...
CES 2012
Vizio officially unveils all-in-one PC, laptops, and 10-inch tablet
We saw this coming a few days ago, but Vizio's officially announced its new all-in-one PC and two new laptops, all destined to arrive this spring. As promised there's a "thin + light" model as well as a model simply known as the Visio Notebook. There's no technical specifications available yet, nor is there confirmation of two different screen sizes for the all-in-one PC, but it's clear Vizio's focused on the aesthetic and experience with these products. The company's posted five videos to...
Microsoft
Gigabyte intros T1006M convertible tablet and S1081 slate, both with Cedar Trail chips
Gigabyte's bringing its A-game to CES, assuming Atom is its name: Intel's new Cedar Trail family of Atom processors features in both the new T1006M convertible tablet and S1081 slate. Both run Windows 7, the former a 10.1-inch netbook with a swiveling 1366 x 768 screen, with USB 3.0 and an antenna for cellular data, while the latter has a 500GB hard drive, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and VGA ports and even an optical trackpad inside its tablet frame. The company's also bringing some of its...
Toshiba's 14-inch Satellite ultrabook coming in May for $799
Samsung already kicked off the trend of 14-inch ultrabooks, and now Toshiba's joining in. Or it will, when it brings its 14-inch Satellite ultrabook to the US this May with Intel's third generation Core processors (or Ivy Bridge). The .78-inch thick Satellite laptop is different than Toshiba's existing Portege ultrabook in two important ways — it's a bit thicker and it's more affordable. The $799 laptop is the cheapest ultrabook to date, and while Toshiba didn't detail the exact starting...
Toshiba Qosmio F755 finally adds glasses-free 3D gaming support
Toshiba's Qosmio F755 laptop launched back in August missing one key feature — namely, gaming support for its glasses-free auto-stereoscopic 3D screen. After missing its initial projected November update, the company has announced "Optimized for NVIDIA GeForce 3D support" currently available via download from Toshiba’s Service Station utility. (According to 3D Vision Blog, this already came out days ago — sounds more like a ceremonial announcement to a soft launch.) The 17.3-inch...
CES 2012
Lenovo ThinkPad T430u ultrabook and ThinkPad Edge S430 hands-on
Lenovo just hasn't been able to stop announcing laptops here at CES 2012, but amongst them all, the ThinkPad T430u ultrabook and ThinkPad Edge S430 have stuck out. Both laptops won't be available until the spring when Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are available, but Lenovo did bring two early prototypes to the show.
The T430u is really liked a slimmed down X1. It's got a very classic ThinkPad look, with the same comfortable chiclet keyboard that's on the X1. The early samples Lenovo was...
Lenovo IdeaPad U310 / U410 ultrabooks: next-gen Intel processors in colored cases coming in May (hands-on)
And you thought it wasn't possible for Lenovo to announce another ultrabook. While the more business minded got the ThinkPad T430u last week, Lenovo's also announcing plans at CES 2012 for its updated U Series ultrabook — the 13.3-inch U310 and 14-inch U410. An update to the IdeaPad U300s, the U310 and U410 have similar all-aluminum book-cover styling, chiclet keyboards (still with no backlight), and thin bodies (.7 and .83, respectively). Beyond the new colored lids and the addition of an...
Lenovo refreshes Y, G, and Z Series laptops
Lenovo has just announced its CES 2012 offerings, and among them, the Y, G and Z Series laptop refreshes. Up first, The Y480 and Y580 are 14 and 15.6-inch full HD display varieties, respectively, featuring up to an Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce graphics (the Y480 with the 650M and the Y580 with GTX660M DirectX 11 2GB graphics. The Y Series also has up to 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and an up to 1TB HDD, plus two 1.5 watt stereo JBL-designed speakers with Dolby Home Theatre V4 Enhanced audio,...
CES 2012
Lenovo debuts IdeaPad S200 and S206 netbooks with new Atom processors (hands-on)
Dell might be leaving netbooks behind, but Lenovo's not of the same mind. Joining the flood of its new laptops is the Lenovo S200 and S206, which are some of the first netbooks to be powered by Intel's Cedar Trail Atom processors. Sure, Lenovo also has the new Cedar Trail-powered IdeaPad S110, but these have 11.6-inch with 1366 x 768 resolution displays. Other than that these have fairly run of the mill specs, including up to 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM and up to 500GB (7,200 rpm) hard drives. The S200...
Microsoft
Acer Aspire S5 hands-on video and pictures
Acer's new ultrabook, the Aspire S5, is living up to the "ultra" in its name: it's the thinnest ultrabook yet, which is a feat for a category defined by its thinness. It also offers a Thunderbolt port, a first outside of Apple's Mac computers. Acer describes its design as inspired by a razor's edge, and the reason for it is clear to see, the sides of the Aspire S5 come down to a sharp edge, sharper even than on the MacBook Air.
Another unique addition to the S5 is the way you access its I/O...
Acer unveils Aspire Timeline Ultra at CES 2012
Acer's today announced its CES 2012 offerings. Up first, the Aspire Timeline Ultra. While we do not yet have full details (or even an image!) we do know that the ultrabook will come in 14 and 15-inch varieties, with as-yet-unspecified Intel Core i CPUs, Dolby Home Theatre v4 Surround Sound speakers, and they will feature Acer instant on, and be rated for up to 8 hours of battery life. We also hear that the Ultras will be just 20mm thick, and will have both HDMI and USB 3.0 ports. Acer says...
CES 2012
Acer announces Aspire S5, 'world's thinnest ultrabook' with Thunderbolt port
Ahead of its press conference at CES, Acer has just announced the new Aspire S5 ultrabook, which the company says is the world's thinnest — it's only 15mm at its thickest point. It's a black, magnesium-alloy and brushed-metal 13.3-inch laptop, weighing 1.35kg (2.97 pounds) and featuring Acer's Instant On technology that brings the computer back from sleep in 1.5 seconds. It also uses Acer Always Connect, which lets users manage data on their computers even when the machine is asleep — the...
CES 2012
Vizio enters the Windows game with all-in-one PCs, ultrabooks this May (update)
Last night, a little bird told us that Vizio's Rose Bowl ad wasn't for a TV: it was actually the company's first all-in-one PC. We didn't believe it at first, but that's exactly what Vizio is about to do: enter the Windows PC business. The company has a slew of machines in its arsenal, including a 24- and 27-inch all-in-ones and 14-inch and 15.6-inch ULV-powered ultrabooks, and Vizio told the Financial Times that they will "exceed ultrabook specifications." (In fact, Vizio tells us it won't...
MSI introduces new GT783 and GT783R quad-core gaming laptops
MSI is stepping things up with two new additions to its line of gaming laptops: the GT783 and GT783R. The specs on both Windows 7 machines are quite similar for the most part: 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 display, 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor, Nvidia's GeForce GTX 580M graphics card, Blu-ray disc burner, and a fully programmable keyboard backlight for customized gaming. They diverge when it comes to storage: the GT783R comes with dual 7200RPM hard disks in a RAID 0 configuration...
CES 2012
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge S430 is the first Windows laptop with Intel's Thunderbolt; Edge E430 and E530 also announced
Lenovo figured you might just not be content with the new ThinkPad ultrabook or the dual processor / dual operating system ThinkPad Hybrid X1, so how about a smattering of ThinkPad Edge laptops? First up is the ThinkPad Edge S430, which is one of the first Windows laptops we've heard of to have Intel's forthcoming third generation Core processors (or Ivy Bridge) and Intel's Thunderbolt I/O technology. Lenovo's not sharing many other details on the spec front (we expect because Intel hasn't...
Lenovo ThinkPad Hybrid X1: two operating systems, two processors, one laptop
Two years ago, Lenovo showed up to CES with a little laptop called the Skylight which was powered by a Qualcomm ARM processor and ran a customized Linux OS. That product never made it to the market, but its legacy lives on in a laptop that Lenovo is announcing today: the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid. The Hybrid X1 looks exactly like the current ThinkPad X1 — the Gorilla Glass display, extremely comfortable keyboard, and .6-inch case have been kept intact. It even has very similar specs to the...
CES 2012
LG's Z330 and Z430 'Super Ultrabooks' coming Q1 2012, as well as P535 and A540 3D laptops
LG's bringing its first two MacBook Air clones to CES 2012 this year, and it's going downright hyperbolic with the naming scheme: the previously-announced 13.3-inch Xnote Z330 and its larger 14-inch brother the Z430 will be "Super Ultrabooks" when they launch in the first quarter of 2012. We don't have prices yet, but on paper the ultrabooks sound generally like more of the same, with up-to-Core i7 Intel processors, integrated Intel graphics, 1366 x 768 resolution screens, a small array of...
