Laptops are the new desktops. While you can buy a solid tower PC for about $500, this price represents how little manufacturers care about the desktop world. Barring a few huge gaming rigs, laptops are where it’s at.
We have been arguably remiss in avoiding formal laptop reviews and so we’re trying to remedy that with a series we’re calling Laptop Week. This week we will focus on some of the… → Read More
If the huge profusion of mobile handsets, phablets and tablets on display at CES weren’t enough of an indicator, we now have some numbers from Gartner that spell out how the PC industry continues to decline in the face of smaller, cheaper, more portable, and more popular computing devices. Total worldwide PC shipments for Q4 totalled 90.3 million units, a decline of 4.9% over Q4 2011′s 95 million… → Read More
We have covered the one or the other Hello Kitty gadget in the past, but it’s been a while since the last notebook featuring the popular cartoon cat. But now Japan’s Mouse Computer is selling the so-called LuvBook S, [JP], an 11.6-inch laptop with Hello Kitty all over it. It has been co-developed with Hello Kitty maker Sanrio and luxury goods maker Swarovski.
Swarovski designed the body of the… → Read More
When it comes to gift-giving, there are a few presents that siimply go above and beyond. Getting a first car on your sixteenth birthday (if you’re so lucky) is one of those moments, and some young couples are even lucky enough to get a house as a wedding present. But after a house and a car, a brand new laptop is probably the best gift you can get. We’ve compiled a list of notebooks ranging in… → Read More
The current MacBook Pro design is probably going to be around until next year, but a minor update might be on its way in the coming weeks, according to a few factors that have telegraphed this kind of thing historically. Stock is low on many models, and more importantly, a few new items have appeared in Apple inventory listings. → Read More
The promise of the ultra-cheap ultrabook hasn’t quite been fulfilled yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a few sexy machines before the new ones hit. Acer’s Aspire S3 dropped yesterday, and we’ll have a review up soon, but the new Asus Zenbooks, rumored and pictured earlier but only actually announced today, are the ones I’ve been waiting for.
You’ve got two basic models: the 11.6-inch… → Read More
The Qosmio F755 3D laptop is now available for those who wish to live in the 2D world but – and only occasionally – may also want to view things in 3D. The laptop uses a “15.6-inch diagonal full HD TruBrite® display with Active Lens” to display both 2D and 3D images (sample shown here may not represent actual display, your results may vary, consult a doctor before playing 3D games, 3D gaming… → Read More
When Intel launched its Ultrabook initiative, we were excited: a full-on PC notebook the size of a MacBook Air? Promises of Adamos and Series 9s danced before our eyes, sexy but overpriced. Could this new spec be the one that makes our Air-toting friends jealous?
Unfortunately, few ultrabooks have surfaced, and those that have aren’t really competing pricewise. And just today we hear that Apple… → Read More
The rush towards lightweight, thin laptops — the “ultrabook” spec being promoted by Intel — has resulted in a major uptick in demand for thin metal chassis. Unfortunately, much of the aluminum milling capacity is being taken up by Apple, which is relying more than ever on the material for its laptop lines. Big players like Acer and HP can’t make do with the remainder capacity of the… → Read More
You could be forgiven (and are) for skipping over the LTE news of the last six months: the roll-out of the new 4G standard has been spotty and few consumers actually have any idea what it means, or whether they have it. But Verizon’s next big investment is starting to show up in more than small-run hot spots and high-end smartphones.
Today was a big day for LTE — the vanguard of really… → Read More
A few years ago I met a stockbroker who was telling me that someone should make a laptop with two screens so he could trade while on vacation. While I was slightly disturbed by his dedication to capitalism, I’m proud to say that his dream has been fulfilled.
We first talked about the gScreen Spacebook a few years ago and now the Alaskan company is actually going to start shipping their massive… → Read More
If the $1649 Samsung Series 9 is too rich for your blood, but you still want a Windows-based ultraportable (or ultrabook, whatever they’re calling them these days), consider… the Samsung Series 9. The 11-inch X1A version of Samsung’s Air-killer is now out, and it’s lighter by half a pound and a few hundred bucks. → Read More
Richard Nagy, creator of the Datamancer steampunk laptop, is offering his creations for pre-order for $5,500 and they will include cutting edge components and actually working accouterment including spinning gears and a real brass key that will lock the case against blaggards and thieves. → Read More
Intel is using the yearly Computex Taipei exhibition in Taiwan as a platform to pitch a new category of laptops. Dubbed Ultrabooks, these devices are supposed to have three distinct features: they are thinner (less than 20mm/0.8 inches) and lighter than most existing laptops, and they should be priced below $1,000 in order to become mainstream. → Read More
I present to you Acer’s latest salvo against the coming of the post-PC era – the Acer Aspire One Happy 2. These things have a 10.1-inch display and run an Atom N570 processor with an Intel 3150 GPU and come in delicious candy colors (Banana Cream, Blueberry Shake, Papaya Milk, and Strawberry Yogurt) with mice to match. The will cost 299 euro in Europe and probably $300 when they hit… → Read More
Analytics ninja Sean Power lost his laptop in Soho – it was stolen, although it may not have been stolen by the man who had it – and using Prey he was able to track it to a particular bar near City Hall in downtown Manhattan.
Sean got some snaps of the guy and his browsing habits and asked that some of his Twitter followers visit the bar to wait for the police. When the police refused to come… → Read More
Ever since late last year, LG has been struggling against the worldwide menace of LCD bezels. I think it’s great, personally — thin-bezel displays means nice multi-monitor setups, more efficient use of space, etc. Their new Blade notebooks mostly use it to look cool, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that, either. → Read More
That was quick: on Tuesday, Fujitsu unveiled the world’s smallest and thinnest palm vein sensor used for authentication purposes (which is sized at just 29mm on a side and 11.2mm high). And now the company announced [JP] the LIFEBOOK E741/C, a notebook that will come with said sensor on board (as an option). → Read More
It took them a while, but PC makers are finally building notebooks with integrated pico projectors: that’s the main bullet point the LIFEBOOK S761/C that Fujitsu announced [JP] for the Japanese market has to offer. The projector replaces the space an optical drive would occupy in the notebook. → Read More
If your IT department doesn’t love you, chances are you’re going to be stuck with a fleet laptop, one of the models that everyone has to carry and is about as exciting as a bowl of melted vanilla ice cream. Thankfully, Toshiba kind of has your back. Their new Tecra and Portege laptops feature a new “ultraportable” design with some rugged build features that will keep your… → Read More
Laptop Magazine has their 5 Best Sub-$500 Notebooks post out right now, including the HP Pavilion dm1z. Laptop Mag is known for pretty good laptop reviews and their post is short and straight to the point. Sort of like this one. → Read More
A new technology that we’ve been hearing about for a few year finally is getting unveiled today at CeBIT in Germany. Tobii Technology has partnered up with Lenovo to create a laptop with integrated eye tracking control. It is said that it will add to the functionality of a keyboard and mouse, rather than killing them. → Read More
HP is taking things in a bold new direction, with design decisions that can only have been made by a peyote-addled design team locked in a room with nothing but soap and knives. Wait, no. Looks like things are actually pretty similar to last year, but with Sandy Bridge Intel Core processors and better audio. There’s been a bit of trickle-down from the higher-end Envy series. → Read More
The world gets yet another 3D device. Today, NEC in Japan announced [JP] a new 3D notebook, as part of the company’s spring line-up of PCs for the local market. It’s the last in a series of 3D-enabled laptops we’ve seen in the last few months. → Read More
Like so many companies nowadays, Toshiba is betting high on 3D. The company has announced [JP] the dynabook T551/D8B, a 3D-enabled laptop that boast quite a few impressive features (glasses are required to view pictures in 3D). → Read More
Fire sale! It looks like Dell is trying to clear out inventory of the sexy Adamo line of laptops. Perhaps they’ve got something else cooking? Something thinner and Sandy Bridge-ier? At any rate, they cut the price by $200 a month ago, and it just went down another hundred today. $799 is really a good price for this thing, guys. But at this rate, they might drop it to $699 in February. Buy… → Read More
I don’t suppose this news will really rock anyone’s world, but if you’re in the market for an ultraslim laptop, this $200 price drop might be the factor that pushes the Dell up to the top of the heap. The Adamo (not the XPS, but the vanilla Adamo) laptop has decent specs except for the video card, and is a fairly slick-looking and compact machine. Check out the specs here; even… → Read More
According to a ComScore report, computer hardware sales rose 25% this holiday thanks in part to the popularity of the iPad. This buoyed laptop and mobile tech sales considerably over the last few weeks. Free Shipping Day aka December 17 saw $942 million in sales out of a total $27.46 billion sold this season. → Read More
Acer has unveiled a new “concept device” that they think represents the future of laptopping. I’m not so sure. And while some of all this depends on how well the keyboard and gestures are executed in their custom UI, I don’t think people are quite ready to go all-touchscreen just yet. For a smartphone it’s one thing, but when you’re trying to put all your computing on a touchscreen, it could get… → Read More
A little more than a week ago, it was reported that MacBook Air retail supplies were dwindling. This has historically indicated a new product or refresh, and now there is chatter suggesting that the new version will indeed be the 11.6″ version we heard about back in July.
A source credited with “pinpoint accuracy” in the past by Apple Insider claims that the new 11.6″ laptops have been in… → Read More
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Boston, MA
Disrupt Europe: Berlin Hackathon
Berlin, Germany
