thin-and-light

New Core i3, i5, and i7 ultralow-voltage processors have officially been announced by Intel. Consuming less power than standard-voltage Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, they're also slightly less powerful. We saw a similar move last year with Core 2 Duo ULV chips such as the SU7300, which wasn't as fast as a standard Core 2 Duo, but helped smaller laptops attain a higher battery life. We saw that processor in laptops ranging from the Alienware M11x to the 13-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Edge.

Though the spin on the news so far has emphasized "ultrathin" laptops, it'… Read more

Thin-and-light laptops were a major trend in 2009, but is that still the case in 2010? A recently circulating series of photos from Vietnamese tech Web site vozExpress show what looks like a soon-to-be-announced Toshiba laptop, one that promises to be both the thinnest and lightest 13-incher on the market. Based on the corner we can see, it certainly looks attractive. As to whether it's truly useful remains to be seen.

We've gone down this road before with the Dell Adamo, MacBook Air, MSI X340, and the Dell Adamo XPS. Being extremely thin and light can be attractive … Read more

While optical drive-free larger-screened thin-and-light laptops are not always ideal for the average consumer, they could be the killer app for business travelers. Dell has formally announced the Latitude 13, described as "the world's thinnest 13-inch commercial client laptop," as a solution for businesses that might want to incorporate a device as thin as a Netbook, but with significantly more processing muscle.

With a look that's nearly identical to the recently-released Vostro 13, the Latitude 13 has a look evolved somewhat from the Adamo school of thin-and-light design, with metallic angles and a clean profile. What … Read more

One of the more notable moments at CES this year for me wasn't a flashy new notebook announcement or a weird concept device demonstration. It was a quiet reveal at the Acer/Gateway suite of the upcoming Gateway EC14D, an 11.6-inch dual-core ULV mininotebook that has a DVD drive. It's a big deal, for several reasons.

Many readers have written in regarding laptop purchases they'd like to make, and it seems that the capability to play DVDs still ranks high on many lists. A laptop is often an entertainment purchase, and DVDs are still more widespread … Read more

Today, Dell announced the availability of the Vostro V13, a new addition to its small-business Vostro line of laptops. The big news here is that it's the company's first ULV thin-and-light for the business sector, an area that seems to be a big focus factor in a down economy when lots of small business entrepreneurs are looking for affordable portables. We had the chance for a quick up-close hands-on look at one, and it's definitely an attractive little laptop.

With an industrial design that's heavy on anodized aluminum and borrows a lot of what was eye-catching … Read more

I had a hard time coming up with a title to this post: Intel processors are confusing? Dual-core ultra-low-voltage processors make a difference? How about, what a difference a config makes? All could apply to the Toshiba Satellite T135, a Windows 7 thin-and-light that we've reviewed two configurations of here at CNET. Although similar in design and shape, the small shift from an SU2700 to an SU4100 Intel Pentium processor in the slightly more expensive Satellite T135-S1310 makes a world of difference. Here's why it's worth a look.

First of all, the Intel Pentium SU4100 in the … Read more

We have a bit of a beef with a trend that's currently happening in full-size (by that we mean 13-inch and above) thin-and-light laptops, the machines that as of late have shaved thickness at the expense of optical drives and often processor power. While the battery life on thin-and-lights generally exceeds expectations, the compromise that's often been used is incorporating a single-core ultra-low-voltage processor, which provides marginally better performance than the Atom processor on any Netbook.

Unfortunately, thin-and-lights are more expensive than Netbooks--often by several hundred dollars at the least--and other than increased screen size, they run the … Read more

Whether CULV thin-and-light laptops will ever fully find a spot between the Netbook world and the full-featured laptop world, they are most definitely a category that's growing every day. Dropping an optical drive and throwing a low-voltage processor alongside a long-lasting battery is the trend of 2009, although the low-voltage laptops we've seen so far have often sacrificed either build quality, performance, or value-for-dollar.

It's relieving to say, therefore, that the 13-inch Asus UL30A-A1 is a thin-and-light that we'd gladly carry around in our bag for a long time to come. With a sturdy frame, a … Read more

While it's hard for us to put design over performance when looking at a laptop, products such as the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 make it a little easier. As another entry to the growing field of affordable CULV thin-and-lights, the compact and really great-looking U350 is Lenovo's MacBook in terms of design. Lighter than it is thin, the Pentium U2700 processor-packing machine is clad in minimal silver and black and aims to keep a stylish low profile. And while the U2700 processor is both low power and low performance by Core 2 Duo standards, this thin-and-light is perfectly capable … Read more