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So, what's an ultrabook, again?

LAS VEGAS--Ask Intel, ask any laptop manufacturer at this year's CES what's going on, and ultrabook is going to come up. It's all anyone can talk about, it seems. Intel's entire 2012 CES press conference was about them. Acer, Samsung, Toshiba, HP, Lenovo--go down the list, and it's what they're showing at the convention.

So, what are ultrabooks, exactly?

That's the kick, and the rub, and the problem I see for ultrabooks at the moment: just when we're beginning to figure them out, the line defining them is completely blurring. How the … Read more

The Asus ET2700 all-in-one joins growing roster of 27-inch all-in-ones

LAS VEGAS--Now I'm starting to wonder what it means for the vendors that have not announced a 27-inch all-in-one.

Asus joins HP, Vizio, and Lenovo in introducing a Windows all-in-one with a new large-screen display at CES. The ET2700 will appear this month at Best Buy with a 27-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution display built in. Like HP's Omni 27, also available now, the Asus model doesn't have a touch screen. Asus reps told me at the company's booth that it will add touch in a midyear update. I've asked for pricing information, and will update when I have it.

The screen size is really the only significant news for this system. The Core i5 CPU and GeForce 540M graphics chip should come as no surprise, and the array of ports--USB 3.0, HDMI in, eSATA--is in keeping with its competition.

I'd only note that the design of the ET2700, with its edge-to-edge glass and pedal-style support foot, joins Lenovo in borrowing liberally from Apple's iMac design language. A vendor copying Apple is also not especially newsworthy, but at least the trend remains healthy.… Read more

Toshiba goes very big, very small with oddly sized, shaped tablets

LAS VEGAS--Toshiba is apparently ready to show off very large and very small tablets at CES.

Though there's no other labeling on the two devices yet, they're clearly marked as 13.3-inch and 5.1-inch tablets--both are unorthodox sizes.

And both are concept Android tablets, a Toshiba spokesperson told CNET.

More later when we find out what makes them tick.

Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 joins march of the 27-inch all-in-ones

LAS VEGAS--HP was first, then came Vizio. Now Lenovo has a 27-inch all-in-one with its new IdeaCentre A720.

Beyond the large screen, Lenovo has also taken inspiration from HP and Samsung, offering a unique hinge that lets you use the A720's display in full horizontal mode.

Other than the hinge, the design of the A720 will of course look familiar to Apple fans. The edge-to-edge glass and CNC-tooled aluminum chassis borrow egregiously from current-generation iMacs. Lenovo even went so far as to ape the default Apple wallpaper.

Whether you demand originality in your all-in-ones, it's hard to … Read more

Hands-on with the Samsung Series 5 Ultra: Like a Series 9, but affordable

For those who have been craving a more affordable Samsung ultrabook, here's your savior: the Series 5 Ultra.

Last year, the Samsung Series 9 nearly stole the show as one of the must-have laptops at CES, but the thin 13-incher--an ultrabook before the name ultrabook was coined--cost more than a MacBook Air.

This year, the Series 9 survives, in an even sleeker yet still expensive iteration. The Series 5 Ultra, which comes in both 13 and 14-inch varieties, starts at $899. That's the price we've come to expect from a Windows ultrabook, and surprisingly enough, the Series 5 Ultra looks like it hasn't made too many concessions to get there.… Read more

Sharp's large-screen 3D Quattrons are its brightest ever

LAS VEGAS--Sharp continues its 2012 Quattron onslaught with four new models, in 60-inch and 70-inch versions, featuring its brightest Quattron panels with 3D and an ultraslim aluminum design.

The 847/745 series features edge-lit LED screens with 3D X-Gen panels housed in Sharp's "ultraslim and narrow-bezel design," with a new brushed aluminum finish.

The televisions feature Wi-Fi onboard and come with a new "smart TV" interface offering both full-screen and dock views. The TVs feature DLNA, browsing and search functionality, and more than 100 apps, including Netflix and Vudu. They come with four HDMI ports … Read more

LG's 55-inch OLED TV packed with 3D bells, smart TV whistles

This article has been updates since initial publication, and this product won CNET's Best of CES award.

LAS VEGAS--Television manufacturer LG says that by 2016, its organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, televisions will cost the same as an LCD television.

This year, the company is working toward reaching that goal with the release of its first OLED TV in the American market, the 55-inch 55EM9600.

LG announced the TV in the week before CES 2012, but it wasn't only big OLED screen announced at the show; Samsung will ship its own OLED TV this year as well.

While … Read more

Toshiba teases a 14-inch ultrabook prototype, we go hands-on

LAS VEGAS--While Toshiba usually has a flood of new laptops every year, the company surprised us this CES by highlighting a single model.

Even more unusual, instead of a ready-to-ship product, it is a still-unnamed 14-inch ultrabook prototype. The unit we saw had a Satellite logo on it, rather than the Portege branding we saw in last year's Z835 (a 13-inch ultrabook currently available for a rock-bottom $799).

Otherwise, it looked very similar, with Toshiba's standard business/consumer crossover look of a gray brushed-metal lid, rounded corners, and an inset screen with a too-thick black plastic bezel.

The keyboard was a standard island-style design, with Toshiba's custom row of page navigation keys along the far right side. We haven't had a chance to use it more than briefly, but the large clickpad looked interesting, with small left and right clickzone indicators etched into it. … Read more

Lenovo ultrabooks add colors, larger hard drives, and a 14-inch version

LAS VEGAS--Ultrabooks are everywhere here at CES 2012. More importantly, a new class of ultrabook has emerged: the 14-incher.

Last year's Lenovo IdeaPad U300s was one of our favorites in an early first wave of ultrabooks. The new IdeaPad U310 and U410 alter the equation somewhat with the addition of standard hard drives instead of solid-state drives (SSDs), but that extra storage option could be exactly what attracts some buyers who might otherwise be turned off by the limitations of lower-capacity flash storage.… Read more

Don't call it a Netbook! Atom-powered 11-inch Lenovo IdeaPad S200 is 'mini notebook'

LAS VEGAS--The netbook's not quite dead yet. The Lenovo IdeaPad S200 features a next-gen Intel Atom processor, and it should offer a significantly better experience than previous-generation 10-inch Atom netbooks.

The rise of low-cost 11-inch ultraportable laptops began last year with a wave of affordable computers powered by AMD E-350 APUs. The colorful IdeaPad S200 series does include an AMD-powered version (the S206), but it's the Atom version that bears the most interest for us.… Read more