The biggest consumer electronics event of the year is around the corner, and by that we of course mean CES 2010. We'll all be there in Vegas scouting out the best of what's new, but you may find yourself asking: after Windows 7 and the launch of Core i7 laptops, what else is there to look forward to? Plenty, by our measure. Here are the trends we're expecting to see.
New Atom processors, new Netbooks
The star of the show will likely be Intel's new line of Atom processors for Netbooks. Previously codenamed Pine Trail, these new CPUs will give the Netbooks platform a performance push, we hope, making these popular laptops even more ubiquitous. Currently, Netbooks are great for some tasks, but can be frustrating to use if you need them for all-around computing. Look for added graphics and HD video performance in particular.
On a related note, hardware manufacturers will continue to try to "upscale" Netbooks, by adding features such as discrete graphics, touch screens, and HD displays--all in an effort to move prices past the low-margin $299 mark. We'll see increased stratification in Netbooks--a category previously notable for its commodity nature.
(Credit:
Qualcomm)
Here come the Smartbooks
If you don't know the term already, get ready to know it, as this will be one of the hot product trends of 2010. Consider them even cheaper and smaller Netbooks toting smartphone-level processors and a pared-down OS. Small CPUs such as the Nvidia Tegra and the Qualcomm Snapdragon are what will power this next generation of devices, and almost none of them will have an operating system that will be Windows or Mac.
Expect to see most of these hybrid devices with 3G antennas, sold in cellphone stores, and subsidized by mobile phone providers, much like some Netbooks already are. Economic realities have pushed computer makers to favor value over flash in designing new systems, and at CES 2010, we're likely to see a bigger focus on Netbooks and other low-cost PCs over the extravagant showstoppers of previous years. Smartbooks could help define a new low-end pricing zone, but it remains to be seen whether they'll offer enough computing power.
... Read more
Lenovo goes Core i7: the IdeaPad Y550P
(Credit: Lenovo)Windows 7 may have launched last week, but the Windows 7 party is just starting for companies like Lenovo. Their webcast today announced a variety of new desktops and laptops--most notably, high-end Core i7 consumer laptop as well as an expansion of their ultraportable U line of thin-and-light notebooks.
Are $1,000-plus consumer notebooks a smart move in this economy? Lenovo will find out, as the company releases its first Core i7 consumer laptop, the IdeaPad Y550P. A high-end multimedia/gaming laptop set to compete at the high end of the laptop market, it will have a 15.6-inch 16x9 1,366x768 screen, an optional Blu-ray drive, and according to Lenovo will start around $1399.
Maximum specs include:
- Intel Core i7 processor
- Nvidia GeForce GT 240M GPU
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 500GB hard drive
- upgradable to Blu-ray
IdeaPad U150
(Credit: Lenovo)The IdeaPad U350 was a system we really liked the look and feel of when we reviewed it, but were let
... Read more
With the Intel Developer Forum underway, one of the big stories has been Intel's official unveiling of its new high-end laptop CPU, the mobile version of the Core i7. Of course, everyone's been talking about Core i7 laptops for weeks now, so the only real surprise is which PC makers are jumping onboard right away to show off this pricey new technology. Here's a roundup of Wednesday's announcements:
>Toshiba revamps Qosmio line with Core i7 X505
>Dell welcomes Intel Core i7 with pair of laptops
>Alienware launches Core i7 M15x laptop
(Related: new Alienware desktops, too)
>Dell launches first laptop with Intel's Core i7
(Via CNET's Nanotech blog)
For more IDF news, keep an eye on this handy roundup page.
Even though consumers are flocking toward low-price Netbooks and other budget-friendly laptops, there's still room for the latest and greatest technology in Dell's lineup. The company is introducing three systems that use Intel's new high-end mobile Core i7 CPU (four, if you count the new Alienware m15x).
Here are spec details on the newly revamped 15-, 16- and 17-inch systems from Dell, featuring the 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM.
Dell's Studio 17
(Credit: Dell)- Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz
- Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)--eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
- 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
- 4GB shared dual-channel DDR3 at 1,066MHz
- 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive
- Slot load CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW)
- 17.3-inch HD+ (1,600x900) WLED display with built-in 2.0MP Webcam
- JBL-branded 2.1 audio solution with subwoofer
- Full-size keyboard with separate keypad
- 9-cell battery
- Black chainlink exterior color
Dell's Studio 15
(Credit: Dell)- Intel Core i7 720QM
(Credit:
Toshiba)
We've always liked Toshiba's high-end Qosmio systems, which are inventive desktop replacement laptops that experimented with add-ons such as Webcam-enabled gesture controls. Toshiba has wisely thinned the lineup down to one model, the new Qosmio X505, which features Intel's new mobile Core i7 processor.
Here are some specs for the Qosmio X505-Q850, which will have an 18.4-inch display, and come in a dark finish called Fusion Omega black. The high-end configurations will cost more, but the X505 should start at around $1,500, and will be available on October 22, along with Windows 7.
- Intel Core i7-720QM
- Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M
- 6GB DDR3 1,066MHz
- 320GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA hard-disk drive
- optional 64GB Serial ATA solid-state drive
- Blu-ray Drive
- Windows 7 Ultimate
- 18.4-inch diagonal wide-screen TruBrite TFT LCD display at either 1,920x1,080 pixels or 1,280x720
- Backlit keyboard
It's a largely new system on the inside, but Alienware isn't digging up a new name for its powerful 15-inch gaming laptop. Featuring Intel's new mobile Core i7 processor, the Alienware m15x debuted today, the first of several Core i7 laptops we expect in the near future.
According to Alienware, this new system is for "enthusiast and hardcore gamers that require a high level of mobility while still requiring an exceptional gaming experience." Which sounds like it's not exactly going to be inexpensive. It's also not going to be lightweight--this is a 15-inch laptop that starts at nine pounds.
While sure to be highly configurable, as are all Alienware systems, these representative specs seem like the highest-end options available. We suspect an m15x outfitted as below would run several thousand dollars.
- Processor: Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz
- Graphics: 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M1
- Memory: Up to 8GB DDR31 1,333MHz
- Hard Drive: Up to 500GB3 7,200rpm or 256GB solid-state drive
- Optical Drive: Slot-loading dual-layer Blu-ray Disc combo
HP's new Envy laptop: is this the MacBook clone you've been waiting for?
(Credit: HP)HP announced its fall lineup today, which included new Windows 7 laptops, an Ion-powered Netbook, SmartMedia network storage products, an all-in-one desktop, and an assortment of business-centric monitors.
HP gets an Ion-powered HD Netbook
With a Nvidia Ion processor and a 1,366x768 11.6-inch screen, the HP Mini 311 looks to be the type of souped-up HD Netbook we've been waiting for.
(Posted in Crave by Scott Stein)
September 14, 2009, 9:06 p.m. PDT
HP 13-inch laptops bring on aluminum and affordability
Just in time for Windows 7 comes HP's new Windows 7-preinstalled 13-inch thin-and-lights.
(Posted in Crave by Scott Stein)
September 14, 2009, 9:04 p.m. PDT
HP's new business monitors not bad for nonbusiness people
HP announces entertainment-supporting business monitors.
(Posted in Crave by Eric Franklin)
September 14, 2009, 9:01 p.m. PDT
HP launches new SmartMedia network storage servers
HP launches new home servers with ... Read more
HP's slick new Envy 13.
(Credit: HP)Ditching the Voodoo branding of the first Envy laptop, HP is aiming at the very upper ends of the market with its new Envy 13 and Envy 15 laptops, both announced today.
HP calls the 15-inch version, "the company's fastest consumer notebook PC ever." The 1-inch-thick, 5.18-pound system will feature an Intel Core i7 CPU, four RAM slots for up to 16GB of memory, dual SSD hard drives, and ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics. The display resolution is 1,600x900.
If that sounds like a lot of laptop, you're right--and it has a price to match, starting at $1,799 (and the highest-end CPUs, graphics and SSD drives could push it well beyond that).
The Envy 13 will offer the Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400, a 1,366x768 display, ATI Radeon HD 4330 graphics, and support an external DVD burner. At 3.7 pounds and a bit less than 1 inch thick, it starts at $1,699.
The 13-inch Envy starts at $1,... Read more
One prolific manufacturer of computers has announced what we had already known for a while: Core i7 laptops are ready to hit soon. And by soon we mean September. MSI has confirmed a series of 15.4- and 17-inch mobile Core i7 laptops that will hit just before the launch of Windows 7.
The question is, will you buy one? For those who aren't familiar, Core i7 processors are excellent at multitasking and hard-core gaming, but are hardly power-friendly. They're the chips that will populate the next generation of eye-popping gaming laptops that will, in most instances, also come with eye-popping prices.
That's not to say this power won't be passed down the laptop food chain. Intel's platform code-named Arrandale will produce Core i3 and i5 mobile processors next year, set to replace more mainstream laptop processors.
For now, though, these MSI Core i7 super-laptops will be top-of-the-line desktop replacements, far from the budget categories that have been the fastest-growing part of the marketplace. And the real question will be ... Read more
Normally, when you're reading off specs for laptops, an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor isn't listed--for gaming laptops, desktop replacements, or otherwise--and with good reason. We've had a few quad-core systems in the past, like the Toshiba Qosmio X305, but those Q9000 CPUs were made for these notebooks. So, what do you get when you cram a desktop processor into a notebook? A beast.
AVADirect will be the first reseller in the U.S. to offer a notebook using the Intel Core i7 quad-core desktop processor. The Clevo D900F 17-inch gaming notebook can pack up to 12GB of DDR3, 1.5TB (500GB times three) of storage with RAID support, Nvidia GTX 280M graphics with 1GB GDDR3, and a 12-cell battery.
(Credit:
AVADirect)
Unfortunately, the spec sheet doesn't say how long you can expect that 12-cell battery to last when you're running this thing. Suffice it to say you'll be plugged in most, if not all, of the time. And at 11.9 pounds of hardware meat--excluding adapter plug--I don'... Read more
