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!
Jan 13, 2012
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 that Trinity will offer Llano-like performance but at half the energy consumption. The Dirt 3 instance played with perfect smoothness throughout and we saw no stutter in the HD video being played back on the laptop. We were shown a Trinity APU with a 35W TDP, but 17W models will also be made available alongside desktop parts that can go as high as 100W.
Read Article >Jan 11, 2012
LG Z330 and Z430 'Super Ultrabooks' (hands-on)
Read Article >The Z330 has a single USB 3.0 port on the left edge (alongside the power plug), and a USB 2.0 port, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MicroSD card slot on the right edge. We weren't crazy about the particular aluminum finish on this ultrabook — it has a texture that makes it feel a bit like plastic and it makes the touchpad too "sticky." The Z430 felt significantly heavier in hand (about 0.6 pounds more according to the specs), and adds an additional USB 2.0 port and a pull-down Ethernet connection. Unlike its 13.3-inch brother, there's a full-sized SD card slot on the back. There's still no pricing information yet: all we know is that they'll come sometime in the first quarter of this year. Check our product database entries for each ultrabook to get a full rundown of specs.
Jan 11, 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 Series 5 laptops — it's mostly plastic, but feels relatively well constructed. Scrolling on the trackpad is unfortunately not the smoothest thing, though we're not sure if that's a hardware or software issue.
Read Article >Despite the modest specs, peformance was relatively decent in the few minutes we spent with the devices. The Verge homepage loaded quickly and without incident, as did our image galleries and some YouTube videos. Aside from the trackpad issues, it was a good web-browsing experience — but the situations in which you might use this as your primary computer still feel limited. As for a release date, Samsung says sometime in the middle of the year. There's no word on how much the Chromebox will cost, but we were told the new Chromebook shouldn't cost more than the original.
Jan 11, 2012
Samsung Series 5 notebooks stretch to 15 and 17 inches (hands-on)
Read Article >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 you updated as we get more information.
Jan 11, 2012
Samsung Series 7 Gamer notebook hands-on
The Series 7 Gamer can ship with either a 1TB or 2TB hard drive, plus 8GB of solid state storage on the motherboard. It can take up to 16GB of RAM, and has a manual dial to change between modes, including a high-power gaming mode. Playing Battlefield 3 on the highest settings in 1080p, we got excellent performance, as you can see in the video below. We'll keep you posted on any further news on pricing and release.
Read Article >Jan 10, 2012
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 case. At 2.9 pounds, the laptop is .71 inches at its thickest point and .24 inches at its thinnest, making room for USB 3.0, USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone, and MiniDisplay ports. The biggest oversight of this system may be the missing SD card slot.
Read Article >However, some may just be willing to look the other way on that point since the 13 seems to have a solid array of specs for the price. The $999 starting configuration has a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD. That package also includes the standard backlit keyboard and the 1366 x 768-resolution 13.3-inch display, which has been covered in Gorilla Glass. Sadly, there isn't a higher resolution display option. Dell's also bragging about its implementation of Intel's Smart Connect technology, which automatically joins a network and updates your email or calendar.
Jan 10, 2012
Razer Blade gaming laptop hands-on video
Read Article >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 SSD, and Razer's Switchblade user interface.
Jan 10, 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 — a scratch-proof glass lid and palmrest, a bright and high resolution display, and NFC integration. Below is a breakdown of everything you need to know about HP's new ultrabook.
Read Article >No, it's not as thin and light as others like the new Samsung's Series 9, but that's because the entire lid is layered with a piece of Gorilla Glass. That same glass covers the beautiful screen (more on that below) and the palmrest. It's a bit odd that the palmrest is elevated, but it seemed pretty comfortable when I set my wrists on it to type. Unfortunately, the glossy black glass lid attracts a ton of fingerprints.
Jan 10, 2012
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 looks and feels a lot like the IdeaPad U300s (or the new U310 / U410) until you realize you can push the screen back completely and morph it into a Windows 8 tablet.
Read Article >While the Yoga isn't going to be coming out until Windows 8 is release — likely in the Fall of this year — the version that Lenovo brought to Vegas was actually quite far along, at least on the hardware front. The hinge felt really sturdy when flipping the screen on the back of the keyboard, though the entire process of actually morphing it into a tablet is rather awkward, especially given the 13.3-inch screen size. I actually mistakenly hit the power button on the left edge when trying to get it into tablet mode. It's easier to flip it into an upside-down V-shape stand (tent mode, as Lenovo calls it) or use the keyboard as a stand for the screen. Even though the .67-inch thick / 3.1-pound Yoga is relatively thin and light for a laptop, it's thick and heavy for a tablet. Given that and the sheer size, I'd really envision this as more of a couch-centric device.
Jan 9, 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, Ethernet, full size HDMI, and two USB ports each.
Read Article >The entry level 14-inch ($949.99) and 13.3-inch ($899.99) versions of the systems have 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467 processors, 4GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 16GB SSD and 500GB hard drive combo, which Samsung says still allows for fast resume and boot times. They also have eight-cell batteries, 1366 x 768-resolution, 300nit displays, and integrated graphics in common. Sadly, the 14-inch model doesn't get an SSD-only variant, but the there will be a $1,099 version of the 13-inch Series 5 Ultra with 128GB SSD.
Jan 9, 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.
Read Article >However, Samsung hasn't just refreshed the line with new processors, though it's done that too. The duralumin material that wrapped the previous Series 9 has been replaced with a dark aluminum, and Samsung's using the new all-popular thin bezel trick, allowing it to fit a 15-inch display in a 14-inch chassis and a 13.3-inch display in more of a 12-inch case. Even better, the screens have also been enhanced: both versions have 1600 x 900-resolution, 400nit, matte displays.
Jan 9, 2012
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.
Read Article >The exterior touchscreen is a pretty interesting trick. It reminds me a lot of what Microsoft tried to do with SideShow a couple of years back, except this runs on top of Windows 7. When you close the laptop, a strip of tiles pops up on the actual laptop's display; the glass simply functions as a touchscreen overlay. The software looks very, very reminiscent of Windows 8, but it is not Windows 8. Intel was very clear about that; this is software they developed, and according to a rep on hand, even before Microsoft showed Windows 8 or tiles. Regardless, it seemed to work pretty well, you can bring up your calender, email and even a web browser without opening the laptop.
Jan 9, 2012
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!
Read Article >Jan 9, 2012
ASUS Eee PC 1225B goes official, available in February for $399
Read Article >ASUS is shipping the 1225B with a six-cell battery, which it claims will provide six hours battery life, and in black, white and red colors. The 1225B is priced at $399 and will be available in February.
Jan 9, 2012
ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C / CE and Eee PC X101CH 10.1-inch netbooks announced
Read Article >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 be priced at $299, 1025CE at $319 and the X101CH at $269. All three are powered by Windows 7 Starter edition and will be available in a variety of colors from February.
Jan 9, 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 won't tell us what processors or chipsets it's using inside — we're guessing it's Intel's Ivy Bridge. The 13-inch thin-and-light has a 1600 x 900 display, while the 15-inch has a 1920 x 1080 display — they're definitely nice and bright, and there's a neat display-off button on the keyboard so you can use shut it down while watching TV.
Read Article >There's also a "full-size" laptop with discrete NVIDIA graphics — once again, the specific chip hasn't been announced so Vizio wasn't saying what it was, but they were quick to point out that even the full laptop is thinner than the MacBook Pro. Hitting that goal was undoubtedly easier since it doesn't have an optical drive — Vizio's selling a separate slot-loading Blu-ray drive.
Jan 9, 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 this page which outline its first entry into the computer space.
Read Article >Vizio's also official unveiled the 10-inch tablet we heard about yesterday — details are again minimal, but based on the company's previous tablet offering we'd expect this to be another Android model. Here's hoping it has Android 4.0 onboard when it launches; unlike the computers, Vizio's not giving a timeframe for when that might happen. Lastly, the company's expanding its living room offerings with a new soundbar and 3D Blu-Ray player — we expect to get up close and personal with Vizio's new gear very soon and will keep you posted on our first impressions.
Jan 9, 2012
Gigabyte intros T1006M convertible tablet and S1081 slate, both with Cedar Trail chips
Read Article >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 fancier laptop designs to the show: get an eyeful of the company's Booktop T1132N convertible (which transforms into an all-in-one desktop), the the Booktop M2432 (with a external Nvidia GT 440 GPU docking station) and the multimedia-centric P2532F below! Read Gigabyte's full descriptions at our source link, while we wait for Gigabyte to tell us when we can buy them and how much they might cost.
Jan 9, 2012
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 configuration for us, it does plan to use a hard drive and SSD combo to keep the cost down.
Read Article >I got a quick look at the ultrabook a few weeks ago, and it's definitely an option for those looking for a more mainstream laptop (read: budget). It doesn't have an optical drive like Samsung's Series 5, but it does have an SD card slot, three USB ports, Ethernet and HDMI jacks, and a mic and headphones sockets. The 14-inch 1366 x 766 screen is surrounded by a rather large bezel and the two mouse buttons from the Portege Z835 have been replaced with a ClickPad. Check out the pictures below and look forward to hearing more about this one come the spring.
Jan 9, 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.
Read Article >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 showing weren't working very well — we had to plug in an external mouse to navigate the desktop — but they did seem fairly well-built. The screen resolution (1366 x 768), the wide upper screen bezel, and lack of a keyboard backlight were quite a let down, though Lenovo says they will be adding a Thinklight to the top of the bezel.
Jan 9, 2012
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 SD card reader, it doesn't sound like much of an update aesthetically, but internally they will have Intel's next generation of processors. Expected to hit in May, Lenovo's not detailing the exact processors specs, but we do know that on a whole Ivy Bridge will provide faster graphics performance. If that's not enough, the U410 will be available with Nvidia GeForce 610M graphics. Lenovo tells us it is too early to know what the starting configuration will consist of, but it says the new U series will start at $699.
Read Article >We got a quick look at the new laptops today, and by and large, they look and feel a lot like the U300s out right now. The SD card slot addition sure does make us happy, but we really would have like to see a better quality touchpad and display here. You can check out the full specs of the models here.
Jan 9, 2012
Lenovo refreshes Y, G, and Z Series laptops
The G Series includes the G480, the G580 and the G780, which are 14, 15.6 and 17.3-inch laptops, respectively. The G Series have up to a Core i7 Intel CPU, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT630M graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and an up to 1TB SATA II HDD. There are options for a DVD player or a Blu-ray drive, plus 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and both optional Bluetooth and WiMAX. A six-cell battery comes standard, The Lenovo IdeaPad G Series will be available starting in June at $399.
Read Article >Finally, the Z Series refresh includes the Z580, the Z480 and the Z380, which are 13.4, 14, and 15.6-inch, widescreen HD display models. Like the previous models, the Z Series has CPU options up to a Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce graphics, and Dolby Home Theatre V4 enhanced audio. The Z Series also has Lenovo's large "Intelligent Touchpad," and optional DVD player or Blu-ray, a standard six-cell battery, and they come in a wide range of colors. The Lenovo Z Series laptops will be available in April starting at $599.
Jan 9, 2012
Lenovo debuts IdeaPad S200 and S206 netbooks with new Atom processors (hands-on)
Read Article >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 and S206 models also both have two 1.5-watt integrated stereo speakers, an 0.3 megapixel webcam, plus one each USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth. They also come with a 2-cell battery rated at about 4 hours of usage. The S200 can additionally be outfitted with an up to 32GB SSD, and comes with a dual core, Intel Atom N2800 processor while the S206 has a dual core AMD C60 CPU. Both the IdeaPad S200 and and S206 will be available in an array of colors in June with a starting price of $349.
Jan 8, 2012
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.
Read Article >Another unique addition to the S5 is the way you access its I/O ports. There are USB and HDMI connections next to the Thunderbolt port, all of which are at the back of the computer and accessible by a door that slides open and closed, dubbed Magic Flip by Acer. The cool thing about it is that the opening mechanism is powered and lifts the laptop up, accompanied by a futuristic noise.