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Gateway's new P-7811FX.

We've been waiting for August 14 to roll around so we could tell you about Gateway's new budget-minded gaming rig, the P-7811FX.

After all, we're big fans of the high-power, low-price 17-inch laptops Gateway's been putting out this year as Best Buy exclusives, offering Nvidia's powerful GeForce 8800 GPU for a mere $1,350 (or less, depending on retail discounts). Even though new products like this usually leak beforehand, it was a surprise to see the new system posted on Best Buy's Web site today, a day early.

It's a good thing, too, as the new P-7811FX manages to fix most of the issues we had with the earlier Gateway budget gaming laptops. It bumps the processor (previously a middling Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 or T5500) all the way up to a Centrino 2 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400, adds Nvidia's new GeForce 9800M GTS graphics card, and takes the screen resolution from 1,440x900 to 1,920x1,200.

The new P-7811FX does cost a about $100 more than the previous models (the 6860FX and the 6831FX), and is currently listed at $1,449 on Best Buy's Web site, but it still seems like a bargain, and is easily on par with the high-end gaming laptops Gateway has been offering recently (such as the $3,000 P-171XL FX).

We don't know how they do it, but for PC gamers on a budget, we can't think of a better deal on laptop right now. Stay tuned for a full review of the Gateway P-7811FX.

Hewlett-Packard will launch a 4-pound "ultralight" business notebook line based on Intel's Centrino 2 silicon this month.

HP 2230s business notebook starts at 4 pounds.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

The 12.1-inch HP-Compaq 2230s series packs Centrino 2 processors and Intel's newest GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, which HP lists as "Microsoft DirectX 10 capable."

The weight is listed as starting at 4.07 pounds. By comparison, the Via processor-based HP 2133 Mini-Note (8.9-inch screen) is listed at 2.63 pounds.

Models start at $999 with a T5670 (1.80GHz) Core 2 Duo processor and range up to $1,649 for a model with a T9400 (2.53GHz) processor, 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard disk drive, 802.11n wireless, DVD+/-RW drive, and Intel's 4500MHD graphics.

A model priced at $1,449 comes with a P8600 (2.4GHz) processor, 2GB of memory, and a 250GB hard disk drive.

HP lists other available processors, including the P9500 (2.53GHz) and P8400 (2.26GHz). The "P" prefix indicates a thermal envelope of only 25 watts, compared with the 35 watts spec'd for mainstream Intel mobile processors to date.

Other specifications include three USB ports, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a 4-cell lithium-ion battery, and a Marvell Ethernet (10/100/1000) network connection.

An HP spokesperson confirmed the upcoming product line.

This week was all about the deuce: after a short delay, Intel introduced its Centrino 2 platform late Monday evening. Laptop manufacturers were quick to adopt the new platform, and many took the opportunity to significantly revamp their laptop lines. Piggybacking on the Centrino 2 announcement were IdeaPads and ThinkPads from Lenovo, LifeBooks from Fujitsu, four new VAIO lines from Sony, three business systems from Toshiba, and two biz systems from Acer. HP will be offering the new platform in its recently-announced Pavilion models; Dell, on the other hand, told us there would be no immediate Centrino 2 offerings, but that the company is "committed to offering it on our notebooks in the future."

If you're wondering what the new platform means for you, check out our Centrino 2 explainer.

In Reviews this week, we had a look at the first Centrino 2 system to hit the Labs: the 16-inch (yes, sixteen) Sony VAIO FW140. We finally got our mitts on the long-awaited MSI Wind, and (but for a few flaws) liked it. And we continued our round-up of off-the-shelf laptops for students with reviews of the Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815, Sony VAIO NR430, and Toshiba Satellite A305D-S6848.

In other news, Acer officially announced U.S. availability of the Aspire One Netbook; Toshiba showed off some gaming laptops at E3; Dell added a 128GB solid-state drive to its list of laptop options; and AMD's new CEO discussed plans to compete with Intel's Atom chip.

Finally, The Cheapskate found a way to add Bluetooth to your laptop for eight bucks.

Have a great weekend!

AMD thriving in Intel Centrino 2 notebooks? At Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest PC maker, the answer is "yes."

HP 17-inch 6830s is offered with the AMD-ATI HD 3430 graphics chip.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Although consumer notebooks get most of the press, business notebooks get most of the sales. "The prime purchaser of notebooks still remains, as a segment, business," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said during the Intel earnings conference call earlier this week.

Among Hewlett-Packard's slew of upcoming business notebooks (HP Compaq 6730s, 6830s, 6530b, 6930b) with Centrino 2 processors, Advanced Micro Devices' ATI graphics chips figure prominently. And notebooks such as the HP Compaq 6830s and EliteBook 6930p are offered with comparatively high-end AMD-ATI mobile graphics.

"It reflects new design wins," said Dean McCarron, principal at Cave Creek, Ariz.-based Mercury Research.

"Those design wins were locked down last year," new AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said in the company's earnings conference call Thursday, referring to AMD graphics-chip design wins on the Centrino 2 platform. "So, now is when they will start to pay off. (We're) getting 60-plus percent design win share on (Centrino 2)."

The Centrino-2-based EliteBook, for example, packs an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450 with up to 256MB of memory. This kind of robust graphics configuration for a business notebook was almost unheard of a year ago when Intel's integrated graphics garnered most of the design wins.

Though Intel's new and improved GMA 4500HD Centrino 2 graphics is offered alongside AMD-ATI graphics in many new HP business notebooks, HP is also selling AMD-only business notebooks based on its Puma platform--AMD's answer to Centrino 2. The upcoming HP Compaq 6735s, for example, offers the AMD Turion X2 Ultra (2.2GHz) with integrated AMD graphics.

Overall, AMD-ATI graphics dominate HP's mainstream business notebook line-up. Out of 16 models listed on HP's "Balanced Mobility" notebook page, a whopping 10 systems are offered with AMD-ATI graphics. And five AMD-only systems appear in the line-up using AMD Turion and Athon X2 processors.

Here are the Intel and AMD processors used in new HP mainstream business notebook PCs:

Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel® Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)

AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-82 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache)
AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core RM-70 (2GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-60 (1.9GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
AMD Sempron SI-40 (2GHz, 512KB L2 cache)

Summer is the season for sequels, and Intel's hoping to match the blockbuster success of Centrino Duo with the latest iteration of its mobile platform, Centrino 2. Essentially a marketing term, Centrino 2 (code-named Montevina) is used to describe a raft of new technologies from Intel, including a handful of new Core 2 Duo processors; a new chipset with a faster front-side bus; a new graphics solution with support for high-definition content and switchable graphics; and updated wireless and wired connectivity.

But do you need to run out and buy a Centrino 2 laptop? What are the expected benefits? After the page break we run down the new features and what they'll mean to you.

Sony VAIO FW, one of many laptops unveiled last night

(Credit: Sony)

Last night, while the East Coast was crawling into bed and the West Coast was tucking into dessert, Intel was officially launching its new mobile platform, Centrino 2. In addition to new processors, the platform includes an 802.11n wireless card and new integrated graphics with support for high-definition content. The platform also supports graphics switching, which lets you choose between integrated graphics (for longer battery life) and discrete graphics (for better performance).

Laptop manufacturers were quick to adopt the new platform, and many took the opportunity to significantly revamp their laptop lines. For your convenience, the first five major announcements, which describe a few dozen new laptops, are linked below:

Lenovo announces small-biz laptops, updates ThinkPads
Fujitsu launches LifeBooks with Centrino 2
Sony unveils four new VAIO lines
Toshiba's Centrino 2 offering: 3 business laptops
Lenovo adds color to IdeaPads

Over the coming weeks, stay tuned to Crave and our laptop reviews page as we highlight and review even more systems that feature Centrino 2.

On Monday, Toshiba celebrated the release of Centrino 2 by announcing three new business laptops built on the new platform: the Tecra M10, Tecra A10, and Satellite Pro S300.

Designed for large businesses, the 14-inch Tecra M10 and 15-inch Tecra A10 incorporate Centrino 2 components and vPro technology for remote management, plus a common motherboard and image that the company claims will make service and support easier for IT departments. Both Tecra systems also offer the option of a 64GB or 128GB solid-state drive, and they incorporate Toshiba's EasyGuard technologies, which include hard drive protection, spill-resistant keyboards, fingerprint readers and Trusted Platform Modules.

The small-business-oriented Satellite Pro S300 also incorporates the EasyGuard technologies--a first for the Satellite Pro line. In another first for the Satellite Pro line, the S300 has built-in support for Toshiba's express port replicator.

All three laptops include an eSATA port for high-speed data transer, and Toshiba's "Sleep-and-Charge" USB ports, which let you charge USB devices (cell phone, MP3 player) even if the laptop is in sleep or hibernate mode, or is powered off, as long as it's plugged into an outlet. Another new addition: a tweak to the integrated Webcam that lets you scan and store business cards.

All three systems will be available starting in early August.

Check out that 16:9 aspect ratio

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Not one to be left out of the Centrino 2 fun, Sony released details about its newest VAIO laptops on Monday evening. The announcement included multiple configurations within four lines: the 16.4-inch VAIO FW, the 13.3-inch VAIO SR, the 13.1-inch VAIO Z, and the 15.4-inch VAIO BZ.

Among the new systems, the VAIO FW certainly wins the award for novelty. Its 16.4-inch display is still somewhat unusual, though thanks to a push from display manufacturers we expect to see more laptops in this size going forward. The screen provides the 16:9 aspect ratio that's perfect for playing HD content from the optional Blu-ray drive (there's also HDMI-out if you prefer to watch on an HDTV). Even with the larger screen, the VAIO FW weighs just over 6 pounds, about the same as the 15.4-inch VAIO FZ series. Models in the VAIO FW series will be available later this month at prices starting at $1,000; we've posted a full review of the Blu-ray-less VAIO FW140 ($1,150).

Available in five colors (including two shades of pink), the VAIO SR series features a 13.3-inch backlit-LED display and weighs just over 4 pounds. This strictly consumer line incorporates a Webcam and microphone as well as hard drive shock protection. Pricing starts at $1,400, and configurations will be available at the end of the month.

The 13.1-inch VAIO Z series is the ultraportable of the bunch; its carbon-fiber case weighs just over 3 pounds. As might be expected from a laptop for road warriors, the VAIO Z features hard drive shock protection, a fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module, and a password-protected hard drive. Less expected for such a small machine are the Blu-ray drive and HDMI-out port. A 128GB solid-state drive and WWAN round out the available options. Pricing for the VAIO Z series starts at $1,800 (solid-state versions start at $2,300) with expected availability in August.

Finally, for the mainstream business user, Sony announced the 15.4-inch VAIO BZ. Weighing in just under 6 pounds, the VAIO BZ series includes such business-friendly features as hard drive shock protection, a spill-resistant keyboard, and a magnesium-alloy case. It's also the only VAIO announced today to incorporate Intel's vPro management software and ship with Sony's small-business-focused VAIO Care support package. The VAIO BZ series will become available later this month, with prices starting at $1,000.

Full specs and more details are available at the company's Web site.

ThinkPad, now in shiny

(Credit: Lenovo)

As Intel officially launched its long-awaited Centrino 2 platform, Lenovo was announcing a boatload of laptops, all of which will feature Centrino 2 components. The wave of new systems includes nine ThinkPad models: three in a brand-new SL series targeted at small and medium businesses; a new X series ultraportable; updates to the existing R series and T series; and a portable workstation in the newly minted W series.

The SL series is arguably the biggest news of the launch. Occupying the middle ground between more-corporate ThinkPads and the ultra-small-business-oriented Lenovo 3000 line, ThinkPad SL series laptops feature a glossy black cover (gasp) and otherwise familiar design. The famed ThinkPad keyboard and TrackPoint are there, as are the Webcam, WWAN, and Bluetooth options you'd expect on a business-oriented laptop. Less expected, but still welcome, are the optional GPS (which we saw with the ThinkPad X300 earlier this year), HDMI port, and optional Blu-ray recordable drive.

All three SL series models are built on the latest Core 2 Duo processors, with a choice of Intel X4500 or 128MB Nvdia GeForce 9300 graphics. The 13.3-inch SL300 (prices starting at $899), which adds a backlit-LED display to the list of features, will be available August 5. The 14.1-inch SL400 and 15.4-inch SL500 (prices starting at $799) are available today.

Also of note in today's announcement is the long-awaited update to the ultraportable ThinkPad X series. The 3-pound X200 ditches the standard-aspect display of its predecessor, replacing it with a 12.1-inch wide-screen display. The wider case means room for a wider keyboard; the X200 incorporates the same keyboard as (larger) ThinkPad T series laptops.

Additional features include WWAN, Webcam, and GPS options, plus the option for a 64GB solid-state drive. As with its predecessor, the ThinkPad X200 sacrifices the optical drive to achieve maximum portability (though you can get a DVD burner in the company's UltraBase docking station). And the little guy really is meant to be carried everywhere, considering Lenovo's promise of a 9-hour battery life with the the new 9-cell battery. The ThinkPad X200 starts shipping on August 5; no word yet on pricing.

Other ThinkPads announced today include the 14.1-inch R400 and T400, the 15.4-inch R500 and T500, and the 15.4-inch W500 workstation, with starting prices ranging from $799 to $1,999.

In addition to new hardware, Lenovo also unveiled the ThinkPlus Secure Business support package, which incorporates next-day on-site warranty service, product repair or replacement in the event of spills, drops, or electrical surges, and online data backup. More information is available at the company's Web site.