laptop

With the release of the Windows 8 Surface Pro, Microsoft has reclaimed some of the good will it lost with the Surface RT. Unlike the earlier Surface product, the Pro features the full version of Windows 8, uses a powerful Intel Core i5 CPU, and can install and run just about any software app that a standard laptop or desktop PC can.

But while it's probably the single best example of a Windows tablet we've seen to date, it's far from perfect. The modest battery life, high price, and lack of features all mean the Surface Pro … Read more

People looking to buy Lenovo's Helix laptop may not have to wait that long after all.

The convertible Windows 8 laptop will begin shipping in early March, a Lenovo spokesman told CNET today, though he couldn't say exactly when it will hit retail stores. The Helix will be sold worldwide, but availability will vary by country.

This bit of news follows a Facebook post on Monday from a Lenovo representative saying that the Helix would be delayed until March or April. The rep added that more details would be announced soon.

Demoed at CES last month, the Helix … Read more

By some standards, the Microsoft Surface Pro is the best-ever hybrid of tablet and laptop, combining a full windows 8 OS with an Intel Core i5 CPU, and a best-in-class detachable keyboard cover.

But, at over $1,100 if you include a 128GB SSD and the keyboard, it's also very expensive, especially if a slim Windows 8 touch-screen ultrabook, Atom-powered tablet, or something non-Windows-based would work for your needs.

The following is a quick survey of the major alternatives to the Surface Pro, from other Core i5 tablets to Apple's new 128GB iPad.

Windows 8/Core i5 tablets (Example: Acer Iconia W700) … Read more

Updated: Lenovo has since told CNET that the Helix will start shipping in early March.

Anyone looking to pick up Lenovo's new Helix convertible laptop-tablet may have to wait another month or two.

Unveiled at CES last month, the ThinkPad Helix was slated to reach consumers late this month. But a post on Lenovo's Facebook page indicates a possible monkey wrench in those plans.

An anxious customer posed the simple question: "It's February. Where is the Helix?" In response, an apparent Lenovo rep with the initials CB broke the news that "unfortunately we received … Read more

Sometimes, even if it's vaporware, it doesn't mean its maker isn't on to something.

Three years ago, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid caught my eye -- and many others -- at CES in Las Vegas. The idea -- a laptop that had its own detachable tablet -- seemed revolutionary, and at the time it was an idea ahead of even the iPad, which debuted just months later.

The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid was a great idea, with one problem: it never arrived. After surfacing again in 2011 as a Windows/Android detachable hybrid, it again disappeared from view.… Read more

Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it seems, of Windows 8 in general. Break down the barrier between tablets and PCs. Create progressive computing. The future is now. Well, the future was also four months ago, when Hewlett-Packard first started showing off the Envy x2 in public.

We marveled then that the device was well-built, comfortable to hold, and, when you think about it, pretty shockingly practical. After all, theoretically, this is the best of both worlds: … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Computers and related hardware are rarely the top category at the annual CES, with last year being a possible exception, thanks to ultrabook hype. In 2013, we found laptops, desktops, and tablets in shorter supply than usual, with the main culprit being the October 2012 release of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system and the flood of new systems that went along with it.

The following are some of the big-picture trends and ideas we took away from the show, while a breakdown of our Best of CES nominees in this category is here.

Ultrabook DNA is everywhere Even … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Despite our early concerns that CES 2013 would be very light on laptops and other mobile computers, the show actually had plenty of new hardware to cover. That said, this year has been nowhere near last year's ultrabook-heavy lineup, which was a high point for laptops at CES.

While there have been a few standout laptops here at the show, almost more notable has been what's not here, from major announcements by some big brands to missing features on new products from others.

Here are some of the things that could have made CES 2013 an even … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Intel's CES 2013 press conference lacked the hard sell of last year's version, which was almost entirely devoted to all things ultrabook. But even as the grand ultrabook experiment -- a massive branding campaign to create a new laptop category from thin air -- shared the stage with smartphones, Atom chips, and tablets, the ultrabook idea continues to be one of the most influential ones I've seen in many years of laptop-watching.

The catch is, it's the ultrabook's ideas that have spread to nearly every corner of the laptop ecosystem, not the name itself. … Read more