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 S5 can be woken up from a smartphone, and will immediately log into email and social network accounts. There's a Thunderbolt port inside, capable of 20Gbps speeds, along with USB 3.0 and HDMI ports — all are hidden below the S5's hinge, and can be accessed by pressing Acer's new MagicFlip key. The computer is powered by an Intel Core processor (though Acer didn't reveal which one), has SSD storage, uses Dolby Home Theater audio, and has a PowerSmart battery pack that Acer says will have a life cycle three times longer than normal batteries.

The S5 will start shipping in the second quarter of this year, though pricing was not announced. Its Thunderbolt support means this must be an Ivy Bridge machine, meaning we won't be seeing it until at least May or June.

Thanks, Babyfacemagee!