The Samsung-manufactured laptop and desktop PCs include processors based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology, addressing criticism that the launch models were underpowered. Chrome-based computers run all their applications through the firm's web browser and store their files online. Google has not released sales numbers for the previous range, but analysts said demand had been very low. Tech consultants IDC said that 50,000 Chromebooks had shipped in the US in the first three months of the year in a market that had absorbed about 10 million laptops over the same period. An earlier study by Gartner suggested there would be fewer than 300,000 Chromebooks sold worldwide this year. Google Drive Google says software updates had helped boost the computers' speed so that they ran 2.5 to 3.5 times faster than before. Improvements include greater use of the machines' GPUs (graphic processing units) and tweaks to ensure the system runs Javascript more efficiently. An upcoming software release will also enable the firm's Google Drive cloud storage service to act as the computers' file system, making it easier for users to manage their documents.

It will also allow users to edit Google Documents files when offline. The files will subsequently be synchronised when a network connection is restored tackling complaints that the machines were of limited use when not on the internet. The search giant's decision to build in a limited 16 gigabyte hard drive has helped it keep costs relatively low. The Chromebook laptop is marketed for $449/£379 while the desktop Chromebox is $329/£279. Low maintenance The firm highlights the fact that the devices need "zero administration" because files are stored in the cloud, system updates are controlled by Google and the computers have virus protection built-in. Linus Upson, Google's vice president of engineering, told the BBC that this had already encouraged more than 500 schools across 41 US states to "deploy" Chromebooks to their students. He said he hoped businesses would now follow. "From a security standpoint just about every major corporation in the world is under continuous attack by various governments around the world as well as criminal enterprises," he said "Probably the single most important thing companies can do to secure their network is to secure the PCs that their employees use because that's normally the way in. "Everything from a phishing email saying 'hey install this thing' to exploiting flaws in browsers or plug-ins. At Google we see deploying Chromebooks broadly as being one of the best ways we can protect our user data." He admitted that the computers were not suitable for people wanting to use traditional software packages such as Photoshop and Microsoft Office. But he suggested such programs were "legacy" products that would "decline over time" as users opted for the type of browser-based software available via the Chrome Webstore. Mixed reactions David Daoud, personal computing research director at IDC, is sceptical about the platform's prospects.

 "The issue with Chromebook is the fact that it is in a sort of grey zone," he said. "It has neither the power of a laptop in the productivity world, nor the appeal of an iPad or an Android tablet. "It is confined to a web environment that may not be so appealing in emerging economies where the wireless infrastructure may be limited. In such environments, characterised by tight budgets, consumers do not see why they would spend some $400 on a system that does not fully deliver on a more comprehensive user experience." But Frank Gillett, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said he believed there was a niche for the machines: first-time users looking for a low-cost simple device. "It's cheap, good enough for most of the things you want to do when you're starting out and it's just less complicated to figure out than alternatives out there," he told the BBC. "This is the first interesting version of the product - the launch models were more proof of concept. The Google Drive capability clears the bar to making Chrome-based computers useful to enough of the population to keep it going." Google says the computers will go on sale in the US and UK, adding that devices would come to other European markets "soon".












By Leo Kelion Technology reporter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18253961

Apple's boss has dismissed the idea of mixing laptops and tablets into a hybrid product.
 
Chief executive Tim Cook said the idea of combining the iPad and MacBook Air would "wind up compromising" both. Rival Asus already markets such products in its Transformer series. Intel has also been a vocal advocate of the idea. Mr Cook also said he hated litigation, signalling a willingness to settle patent disputes. It comes after Apple reported its profits almost doubled in the first three months of the year and it sold 11.8 million iPads, 150% more than the same period last year. Toaster-refrigerator hybrids When asked if Apple planned to build a notebook that closed "in a clever way" to let it be used as a tablet, Mr Cook attacked the idea. "Anything can be forced to converge," he said in a conference call after the results, as transcribed by financial news website Seeking Alpha. "But the problem is that products are about trade-offs, and you begin to make trade-offs to the point where what you have left at the end of the day doesn't please anyone. "You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user. "We're not going to that party... others might from a defensive point of view." The statements contrast with Intel's vision of the future. The chipmaker makes the processors that power Mac computers, but not its tablets and phones. Intel showed off a prototype laptop that converted into a tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Earlier this week its PC business chief told the BBC it still believed the concept would prove popular with users of Microsoft's next operating system. "As touch become more ubiquitous across Ivy Bridge platforms you don't need to carry both devices around," said Kirk Skaugen. "With Windows 8 coming you can get the best of a mechanical keyboard, which people are telling us they don't want to give up, but when you want to get into consumption mode and read articles or the newspaper you can switch into tablet mode." Patent lawsuit phobic Mr Cook was also quizzed about how "flexible" he would be about the idea of using part of the firm's $110bn (£68bn) cash pile to settle some of its patent disputes. Apple's former chief executive, Steve Jobs, famously told his biographer that he intended to "destroy Android" even if the attack on Google's operating system exhausted all of his company's savings. But since launching a series of lawsuits against Android handset makers, the firm itself has been sued. On Tuesday the US International Trade Commission issued a preliminary ruling stating that the firm's iPhones had infringed a patent for eliminating noise and other interference during calls, held by Motorola Mobility. Motorola - which is in the process of being taken over by Google - has already forced Apple to halt some services in Germany. Mr Cook sounded a conciliatory tone. "I've always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it," he said. "We just want people to invent their own stuff. If we could get into some kind of arrangement where we could be assured that's the case and a fair settlement of the stuff that's occurred, I would highly prefer to settle versus battle." The comments comes ahead of a planned meeting with the boss of Samsung. Mr Cook and Gee-Sung Choi, chief executive of Samsung Electronics, are due to appear in a San Francisco court before the end of July to discuss ending intellectual property disputes spanning nine countries.










25 April 2012 Last updated at 10:51
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17838180

Intel is expected to launch its next generation of processors, dubbed Ivy Bridge, on April 23. They will take over from the current Sandy Bridge range, and will start appearing in laptops from May.

According to DigiTimes, Intel has brought forward the date of the Ivy Bridge series launch slightly, from April 29 to April 23. This won't mean laptops featuring the new chips will start flying out instantly, but Ivy Bridge computers are expected to start appearing in May. Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo are reportedly all signed up to bring Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks to market this year.


Ivy Bridge uses a 22nm microarchitecture, which will make its processors far more efficient than the current 32nm Sandy Bridge chips. The range will also introduce Intel's new HD 4000 integrated graphics solution - Sandy Bridge uses HD 3000 graphics.


According to NotebookCheck, benchmarks show that the new GPU is a massive improvement, showing an "up to 84 per cent" improvement. It won't make your Ultrabook capable of cranking out Skyrim at full settings, and 60fps, but should enable playing games a couple of years old at respectable frame rates.

Intel exec Kirk Skaugen has predicted that 2012 will see Ultrabook prices drop significantly. During the Intel Developer Forum in China, he said that sub-$700 should arrive by this summer. Whether running Ivy Bridge chips or the older Sandy Bridge type, this would renew Ultrabooks' chances against the draw of the Apple MacBook Air










By Andrew Williams 13 April 2012
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/intel-ivy-bridge-processors-launching-on-april-23

According to the chaps over at Bit-tech, an accidental listing on Samsung’s US website has provided details of a forthcoming gaming laptop, with a specification full of as-yet unreleased technology.
The 17in laptop, apparently called the Samsung NP700G7C, will be based around Intel’s unreleased Ivy Bridge platform, the firm’s brand new line of processors, which are due for launch some time in the first half of this year. These chips are expected to run more efficiently than current technology, which could lead to improved battery life in laptops that use them.
The Ivy Bridge processor featured in this laptop will be called the Core i7-3610QM, a quad-core chip, which runs at 2.3GHz at idle but goes all the way to 3.3GHz with Turbo Boost.

The integrated graphics that come with Ivy Bridge are expected to perform far better than current Sandy Bridge processors, which are found in the Macbook Air, Ultrabooks, and a huge number of laptop computers, although as this is a gaming laptop, Samsung is using something more powerful. Nvidia hasn’t even announced its new GTX 600M mobile graphic s line yet, but they’re apparently on the way, since Samsung lists a GeForce GTX 675M with 2GB of memory in this laptop.
Other aspects of the specification include 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 and Intel WiDi, a wireless display technology. The screen size is 17.3in, and it will come with up to 2TB of storage, split between two 1TB hard disks, and up to 16GB of memory. One thing that isn’t mentioned is 802.11ac wireless support, the new, faster standard for wireless networking that was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas.
Samsung has since removed the page, but it seems NotebookCheck managed to pull some more details of it from the site before the listing was taken down. That includes details of an integrated Blu-ray drive, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. Apparently, there’s also an 8GB SSD included which is used to improve boot times.

Be aware this laptop may never be released in the UK, and its specifications could easily change before these technologies launch. If anything it’s a taster of the what we can expect from high-end gaming laptops later this year, and it will most certainly be enough to run the latest games, such as Battlefield 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
If it does see the light of day, expect to see a review in What Laptop.

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 12:52 pm under Laptops, News. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.









Jeff Parsons | Laptops | News | 15/02/2012 12:52pm
http://whatlaptop.techradar.com/2012/02/future-samsung-gaming-laptop-reveals-2012-tech/

Here at AMD's Financial Analyst day, the company had a little demo area which is where we spotted this little number -- an ODM reference unit from Compal stuffed with the company's upcoming Trinity APU. Serving as a proof-of-concept, what you're looking at is one of several units AMD is currently shopping to OEMs in order to demonstrate its APUs power-sipping frugality and outright performance. This particular design rocks a lower voltage variant of the APU (read: not the 35W part), allowing it to fit in a diminutive 18mm shell. Unfortunately build quality wasn't exactly what we'd call up to snuff, as it was prone to a lot of flex when we handled it -- significantly more than the existing flexing champion, Toshiba's Z830. Yet, with it scheduled to cost roughly half as much (at roughly $500 or $600), you'll have to decide exactly how much you value torsional rigidity. Other then that, viewing angles from the demo loop were good and it didn't disappoint in the the connectivity department, with two USB 3.0 ports, mini-DisplayPort and HDMI flanking its left side, and audio jacks, another USB and Ethernet on along its right. Thin and lights are about to get a whole lot more interesting later in the year, which, frankly is a good thing -- it's about time Chipzilla got some worthy competition.





By Dante Cesa posted Feb 2nd 2012 9:00PM
http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/02/compal-trinity-odm-reference-design-eyes-on/

By Amber Riippa, NotebookReview.com Contributor | 1/23/2012
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6376

Will a new group help to spur the creation of more and better software applications for end users? Now less than two weeks old since its launch at CES, the new Application Developers Alliance (ADA) aims to promote "innovation and performance" by providing collaboration, education, cloud hosting, and other services to folks on both the consumer and business application sides in the fragmented field of software development.
Looking to recruit thousands of developers to its ranks, the ADA is offering free membership to all of those who sign up by January 31. As of January 11, the second day of CES, 600 developers had already hopped aboard.

Applications (or apps) for PCs, tablets, smartphones, and clouds
Although initially focused mainly on mobile OS such as Apple's iOS, Android, and RIM's BlackBerry, the ADA is also wide open to developers specializing in PC- and cloud-based apps.


"The Application Developers Alliance serves developers of every type [and] any [programming] languages, and across all platforms. Our members are individual app devs and the companies committed to their success. Developers have unique needs as creators and business people -- and we aim to be your voice as both," according to a statement by the ADA.
Specific services include industry advocacy within governments, along with free or discounted industry research and price breaks on product testing services, Rackspace cloud hosting, and a range of offerings around education and certification in application programming, trends, and platforms.
In terms of platforms alone, for example, developers now face the task of learning the ins-and-outs of major new environments such as Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich) and Microsoft's Windows 8.

Consumer and business software alike
Members in the consumer software space look likely to be plentiful. As its first education offering, for example, the group will co-sponsor a year-long Music Start-Up Academy geared to those interested in breaking into musical app development, an area involving complex issues around content delivery, DRM (digital rights management) and potential piracy. ADA members will be entitled to a 20 percent discount on events in the series, which is set to begin on February 14 in San Francisco.


However, the ADA is also designed to deliver a support structure for business application developers in both the SMB and enterprise categories. Enterprise-oriented developers, in particular, seek mechanisms in the areas of "regulatory compliance and mission-critical levels of service," suggested Philip Clarke, an analyst at Nemertes Research, in a research note about the ADA.
Membership in the ADA is also open to software vendors and other corporations, which are supplying most of the initial funding for the group.




By Jacqueline Emigh, NotebookReview.com Contributor | 1/23/2012
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6375

Asus customers who have found a GPS fault with their Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet are to be offered a refund or an extension of the standard warranty from 12 months to 18 months, the company has confirmed.

The announcement highlights what has been a turbulent few months for the hybrid laptop / tablet, with users complaining about the device’s Wi-Fi and GPS functionality, leading to rumours that its UK launch would be delayed.

In a blog post, Asus said: "Any customers who have purchased a Transformer Prime TF201 and are dissatisfied with the performance of the GPS module are advised to return the unit to their point of purchase for a full refund as per standard consumer rights that apply in the UK."

Customers who want to keep their tablet will have their warranty extended by 6 months. But if they purchased it from a retailer who offered an additional 12 months warranty, it will remain at two years.

On the issue of Wi-Fi problems affecting the Transformer Prime , Asus said: "After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known Wi-Fi issue. Any customers experiencing Wi-Fi issues specifically are advised to contact our support hotline."

"Asus prides itself on delivering an unrivalled user experience, and we offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that our customers may have encountered," the company added.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is powered a quad-core CPU and 12-core GeForce GPU which allows for 1080p high-definition video playback. It runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb, packs an eight megapixel camera and comes with an excellent keyboard dock .




Fri, 20 Jan 2012
http://www.laptops.co.uk/news/2012/Jan/asus-offers-refunds-to-dissatisfied-transformer-prime-tablet-owners-92534331.html

HP’s dm1-3200sa is a decent enough ultraportable or high-end netbook let down by its somewhat discordant design and screen’s poor viewing angles. At its current price point of around £375, it’s worth spending a little more to get far superior alternatives.



Key Features
*11.6in 1366 x 768 glossy screen
*Dual-core AMD E350 CPU
*3GB RAM, 320 GB 5200rpm HDD
*Radeon HD 6310 integrated graphics

Design and Build

Straddling the line between laptop and netbook, budget ultraportables like the Lenovo X121e are a great option if you’re looking for something that does the basics and does them well. Unlike actual netbooks, little budget laptops like this can handle HD video playback and offer HD Ready screens, usually at 11.6 inches - a little larger than traditional 10in netbook affairs. This is exactly the kind of creature HP’s Pavilion dm1 is.


Based on AMD’s Fusion processors, in this case the dual-core E350, backed by up to 4GB of RAM (3GB is standard) and a 320GB hard drive while running Windows 7 Home Premium, specifications will be adequate for the daily needs of the majority of users. Price hovers between £300 and £400, though the cheapest we could find it at the moment was £375.

When it comes to style, the Pavilion dm1-3200sa seems to be suffering from dissociative identity disorder: on the one hand it wants to display the elegant touches of a classier, premium ultraportable (like curved sides and white LEDs for power and status), while on the other its cheapness becomes obvious the moment you examine it closely.


The lid at first appears to be the kind of glossy affair we love to hate, but as it turns out it’s actually far more resistant to fingerprints and smudges than most of its ilk and its unique pattern is reasonably attractive. Unfortunately things deteriorate from here. First off, the dm1-3200sa is rather bulky, tapering to a thickest point of over 3cm. It’s also quite heavy for a non-rugged 11.6in machine, at 1.56kg.

Opening the laptop up reveals a silver inside finish that attempts to give the impression of metal but fails miserably. It’s especially distracting on the bezel, which is already fairly large to begin with and is made to seem even more so by this finish. The black keyboard and touchpad look like they’re parts of a different machine altogether.


Build quality is decent, yet relative to the brick-like Lenovo X121e it just feels a bit Fisher Price, which is especially disconcerting when you remember that they weigh the same. We hope the Pavilion’s heavier battery will make up for the difference by lasting longer (a reasonable expectation as HP claims a whopping nine hours maximum!). To sum up, the dm1-3200sa isn’t unattractive or poorly constructed, but neither is it especially attractive or sturdy.





Reviewed by Ardjuna Seghers
23 January 2012
http://www.trustedreviews.com/hp-pavilion-dm1-3200sa_Laptop_review

No iPad 3, no iPhone 5, no iTV but - wait for it – we did get iBooks 2.

Yes, it's what we’ve all been waiting for, and Apple has finally been able to do it. iBooks 2 is a “new textbook experience” which takes advantage of the power of the iPad hardware to make learning more interesting.

At its education event in the illustrious surrounds of the Guggenheim Museum this afternoon, Apple unveiled the revamped iBooks, which will feature interactive animations, diagrams, photos, and will make use of 3D imaging, embedded video and multitouch gestures – just think of a boring version of The Daily.

As well as the incredible interactive images, you’ll also be able to highlight text and take notes as you go along. These notes will be automatically turned into easily accessible study notes and glossary terms will also be turned into cards for easy access.


There will be a new textbook category in iBookstore where you will be able to get a free sample when you first check it out, and further textbooks will be able to be purchased using the one-click purchase system. And one of the main advantages of these textbooks over traditional paper-based books, according to Apple, is that the books will be up to date all the time - as well as weighing considerably less..

The iBooks textbooks will be US-based initially and Apple has been working with the three main publishers who publish 90 per cent of the high-school books available. The textbooks, which will be available in the iBookstore from today, will cost $14.99 each. Apple said it would be making textbooks for every subject and every level available.

As well as textbooks, interactive books will also be available and Dorling Kindersley Publishing launched four new books today.


Of course the textbook category would be pretty limited if Apple didn’t make it easy for publishers to create them and so it also unveiled iBooks Author, an app for Mac OS.

Opening the app, users will be faced with a template chooser and building a book seems to be a simple case of drag and drop for laying out pages with the program automatically resizing and reformatting your text, images and videos. If you want to do something more custom, you will be able to add HTML5 or JavaScript code to do this.

There is also a preview function to allow you to see your new iBook on your iPad before publishing it. Best of all however is that iBooks Author is going to be free for everyone in the Mac App Store from today.

there was no word however from Apple regarding a system making it easier (and cheaper) for students to purchase an iPad, which could cause some serious issues for the rich/poor divide in the States we imagine.

Let us know in the comments, if you would like to see Apple extend the new textbook platform to outside the US.




By David Gilbert 19 January 2012
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/apple-announces-ibooks-2

CES 2012: Sexy, if not the Series 9


Officially speaking, the Samsung Series 9 laptop is not an Ultrabook - at least, Samsung has chosen not to call it one much like Apple hasn't bothered including the MacBook Air either. Instead, Samsung announced a couple of lesser machines at CES 2012, so Pocket-lint went hands-on to see if they're still impressive enough.

The kindest way to describe the Samsung Series 5 is by not comparing it to the Series 9. The Series 5 should not, ever, under any circumstances go double dating with the Series 9. It makes it look plump, dowdy and touch dull. It would sit ignored in the corner while all eyes were reserved for the other laptop.


Like we say, it's rather unfair because the Samsung Series 5 is something you'd otherwise feel proud carrying around on your arm. There are two models to choose from. There's the 13.3-inch version with integrated graphics or the 14-inch model with a dedicated GPU and an optical drive to enjoy as well. The price you pay for the latter is really in the body mass department which takes it up from 1.38kg to 1.84kg and that's pretty heavy for an Ultrabook. One has to wonder whether the disk drive is really worth it in this day and age?

Each has 8GB of RAM to play with and 300nit screens which are certainly perfectly good. Naturally, there are also Intel Core i5 processors at the helm and the choice of SSDs up to 16GB in size with the ExpressCache system to ensure fast starting and launching of apps, as we've seen on previous Samsung notebooks.

Neither laptop is wildly thin, despite the 14.9mm measurement at their thinnest, but they do have decent looking isolated keyboards and standard two-button trackpads which are easy enough to use, if slightly underwhelming.


So, unfortunately, despite trying to avoid it, the only way to sum up the Samsung Series 5 is by saying that they're perfectly good but they're just not as exciting as the Series 9. You'd also have to look at what Acer and Lenovo offer in the Ultrabook space as well.

No word on prices just yet, but we'll update when we know. Placed at £800 or less and they could really kick up a storm. Cost any more and they might just get lost in the crowd.



source:
16 January 2012 15:17 GMT / By Dan Sung
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/44010/samsung-series-5-ultrabook-pictures

 The LG Z330 is pegged as the first Super Ultrabook. It features a 13.3in screen in a 12in form factor, a brushed aluminium chassis and is both thin and light. But does it do enough to earn the 'Super' moniker? We go hands-on to find out.







Key Features

13.3in 1366 x 768 LCD screen
1.8GHz Core i7-2637M
Up to 8GB RAM; 256GB SSD
Brushed aluminium chassis
LG Z330

Launching an Ultrabook in the past couple of weeks has been a treacherous task with so many coming out, it is easy to get lost in the sea of thin-and-light laptops.

In a bid to stand out from the crowd, LG decided to launch the Z330 Ultrabook ahead of CES last week so we knew what to expect when we visited the LG booth in Las Vegas. Calling it a 'Super Ultrabook', LG said it went above and beyond the standards laid out by Intel for the Ultrabook platform, but does it live up to this claim? Let's see.

On first viewing the first Ultrabook from LG doesn’t seem to be much different from the offerings from HP, Dell, or Samsung. LG has gone for the brushed aluminium look - on the outside and inside – as well as a familiar wedge-shaped design.

From the first moment we picked up the laptop, we felt this particular aluminium finish did nothing to help make the laptop feel premium. Indeed we thought the finish felt rather plasticky, especially the palmrest and touchpad – which all feature the same brushed aluminium finish.




The large touchpad also doesn’t feature a separate button and at first glance you almost wouldn’t notice the touchpad as it is integrated seamlessly with the palmrest – which is a design choice we’re not sure really works.

The LG Z330 is 14.7mm thick and weighs just 1.21kg which is 100g less than the 13in MacBook Air. The laptop features a 13.3in LCD screen with LED-backlighting and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. While we were not able to see video running on the screen, it certainly looked comparable to the screens on offer from most Ultrabooks.



Along the left-hand-side of the laptop you’ll find one USB port and a network port which can connect to an Ethernet connection via a supplied adapter. Also on the left-hand-side of the laptop you’ll find a rather large vent which is a strange design decision but one which seems like a good idea.

On the right-hand-side you’ll find a second USB port, an HDMI port, a headphone jack and a microSD card slot. The lack of a full SD card slot is a major omission in our opinion and we just can’t understand the thinking behind it.


Inside the Z330 will be powered by up to Core i7 Sandy Bridge processors which will be paired with up to 8GB of RAM. The Z330 only has an SSD option up to 256GB with no HDD option, like its older brother, the Z430.

As you would expect the LG Z330 will have Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and also Intel’s wireless display technology, Wi-Di, letting you wirelessly stream video from your laptop to your TV.


The Z330 will also features Super Speed Boot, restarting from cold in under 10 seconds according to LG.

The LG Z330 is due to arrive in the next couple of months but pricing has yet to be announced by LG.


While the Z330 is certainly an attractive-looking Ultrabook, the rather plasticky feel and unimpressive connectivity mean it will have to rely on aggressive pricing if it wants to really stand out in the Ultrabook market.

Let us know in the comments what you think of LG’s latest laptop.





Reviewed by David Gilbert
16 January 2012
http://www.trustedreviews.com/lg-z330_Laptop_review

TrustedReviews Awards 2011 -
Find out which product won Laptop Of The Year 2011

We take a look at the best laptops of 2011 and ask which brands provide the best laptop choice for your needs from the best notebooks, to netbooks and MacBooks to desktop replacements. Laptops are quickly taking over from desktops as the PC of choice, and haven't been slowed down too much by the rise of the tablet – after all, for anyone who wants to use Windows, needs some serious power or even just have a proper keyboard they're still the only choice. But which one is right for you? From powerful desktop replacements and gaming machines to affordable all-rounders that get the job done; whether you're after a premium ultraportable laptop or a cheap and cheerful netbook, we present our top picks including the best laptops from 2011.

In this Round-up

Sony VAIO S
MSI GT680
Samsung Series 9 900X3A
Toshiba Satellite R830
Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet (X220T)
Apple MacBook Air 11-inch (mid 2011)
Toshiba NB550D
Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Dell XPS 15z
Dell XPS 15
Asus N53SV
Samsung RV720
Acer Aspire 5750
Sony VAIO Z Series (VPC-Z11Z9E/B) - 13.1in Laptop
Asus Eee Pad Transformer
Dell Vostro 3350
Medion Erazer X6813 (MD97762)
Apple MacBook Pro 15in (MC723B/A)

Summary
All of the Laptops listed in this article have been nominated for this year's TrustedReviews Awards powered by Duracell.

Why not vote for your favourite laptop here and be in with a chance of winning a bundle of gadgets from this year’s award winners worth £2000

Check out all the best technology products from 2011 in the TrustedReviews Awards 2011 powered by Duracell



By Ardjuna Seghers
http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-laptops_round-up

The new Samsung Series 9 may be taking all the attention, but the company has released a second, slighty-more practical, range of super-slim laptops at this year's CES. The Series 5 is officially classed as an Ultrabook, but it's surprising how much Samsung has packed inside the sleek chassis.

This is the 13in of the Series 5 Ultra

There are two versions of the Series 5 Ultra, with 13in and 14in screen sizes. Both have 1,366x768 resolution displays with 300nits of brightness. These looked pretty typical to us, and a definite step back from the super-bright display on the Series 9. They do have the same matt finish though for working on the go, although there's no backlit keyboard here.





Both can come with Core i5 or Core i7 processors and up to 8GB of RAM. Storage options include 128GB and 256GB SSDs or alternatively 500GB or 1TB drives (13in and 14in respectively) with 16GB ExpressCache for fast boot times.

The 13in slopes from 14mm up to 16.7mm in depth and weighs 1.38kg. The 14in is 20.9mm thick bt that extra space has been put to good use with an optical drive fitted and the option of AMD Radeon HD7750M dedicated graphics.





The 13in is well equipped for a laptop of its size, wih full-sized HDMI port, USB3, 2x USB2 and an SD card reader, Ethernet port (without any adaptor needed) and a webcam. That makes it one of the more practical Ultrabook options. The 14in taks this further still with a full-sized VGA output (a first we believe for an Ultrabook) and an additional USB3 port at the expense of a USB2 one.






With the Series 9 taking the high end, Samsung has given itself room to create an Ultrabook with more features than most. The 14in model in particular squeezes a practically full-sized laptop spec into an Ultrabook-sized chassis. Pricing will be critical, and none has been discussed yet but we're looking forward to its release in the next few months.



Posted on 16 Jan 2012 at 00:46
Author: Seth Barton at CES in Las Vegas
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/ultraportables/1289521/samsung-series-5-ultra-13in-and-14in-hands-on

The original Samsung Series 9 notebooks pre-dated the Ultrabook format and the boom in super-slim designs. There's a lot more competition in this area now, not just the MacBook Air, but this updated 13in Series 9. Now Samsung itself doesn't class this as an Ultrabook, but it certainly ticks all the boxes as far as we can see.

The 13in weighs just 1.16kg and is a minuscule 12.9mm thick, Samsung calculates that it's 28% smaller in total than the previous models. This should make it the world's smallest 13in laptop. As you can see below the laptop has a slight bulge near the hinge simply to give it enough width for a USB port without any silly doors or adaptors.



Samsung claims that this 13in model has the best screen it has ever used in a laptop - and it's hard to argue. The IPS panel has a large 1600x900 resolution and can produce 400nits of brightness, a lot more than most laptop displays from Samsung or anyone else.



The screen has a matt finish, so you won't get strong screen reflections from lights or the sun. While the backlit keyboard lets you work when the lights are down, making this a very flexible portable computer. For working on the go, the Lithium-Polymer battery pack has a claimed life of seven hours.

To hold and use it feels impressively sturdy despite its slender appearance. The upper surfaces of the aluminium chassis are sand-blasted to give a pleasing, fingerprint-resistant finish.



Specifications are still are a little vague, with Core i5 and Core i7 processors both possible and options for 4GB or 8GB of memory. This model will come with a 256GB SSD, though, it boots in just 9.8 seconds and wakes in just 1.4 seconds.

It's a remarkable piece of engineering and one that sets the standard for other laptops in this area. we look forward to getting our hands on it for a full review, though there's no date for release yet beyond a vague Q1 of this year. Check out the gallery for more images.



Posted on 11 Jan 2012 at 00:23
Author: Seth Barton at CES in Las Vegas
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/ultraportables/1289509/samsung-series-9-13in-2nd-generation-hands-on

Dell has finally revealed its take on Intel's UltraBook platform at CES in Las Vegas - weighing less than 1.4kg and as thin as 6mm at its tapered point, the XPS 13 is about as sleek and stylish as they come, and we were lucky enough to have a hands-on with it before it appeared on the show floor today.

Slotting into Dell's existing High-end XPS line-up, the XPS 13 uses the same brushed metal alloy chassis as its too larger brothers, but uses tough carbon fibre to add rigidity to the main chassis. Add to that some smooth curves and a brilliantly minimalist design, and you've got one of the best looking UltraBooks we've seen so far.


As its name would suggest, the XPS 13 has a 13.3in widescreen LCD display - it uses Dell's WLED backlighting to create more vivid colours, and has a 1,366x768 resolution protected by ultra-tough gorilla glass. Unlike other 13in laptops, however, Dell has managed to squeeze the screen into a chassis the size of most 12in machines, creating a much more compact system - this is several centimeters less than its rivals, which could be enough to make the XPS 13 the ideal companion for frequent travelers.




Unfortunately, this has left little room for extra connectivity - two USB ports, a combined 3.5mm audio jack and a mini DisplayPort video output are all you get. A Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor is included in the box, and one of the USB ports supports the faster USB3 standard, but there's no room for extra ports such as Ethernet.



Thankfully, there's still room for a full-size backlit keyboard, which is made of Chiclet-style keys that are comfortable to type on thanks to their responsive, bouncy actions. A glass touchpad is perhaps the only throwback to the laptop that kicked off the UltraBook revolution - the MacBook Air - but it works incredibly well, recognising our inputs without the twitchiness we've come to expect from integrated touchpads.




The XPS 13 will be available to buy through Dell's website in Mid-March, in a range of different hardware specifications, including Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, and 128 or 256gb SSDs. Dell also promises an eight hour battery life, although we weren't able to test this claim during our brief hands-on.

As always, we'll be taking a closer look a little closer to the launch date, but from what we've seen so far, there are very few other ultrabooks out there that are quite so refined and stylish. We'll know for sure a little later in the year.



Posted on 11 Jan 2012 at 00:31
Author: Tom Morgan
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/ultraportables/1289497/hands-on-dells-first-ultrabook-the-xps-13

Lenovo's new IdeaPad Yoga, unveiled today at CES, bolts together a Windows 8 Ultrabook and a multitouch screen on a 360-degreen hinge to make a versatile tablet PC.

First it's an Ultrabook

The Yoga's main specs are all Ultrabook: an Intel Core low-voltage processor, SSD storage, eight hours of battery life and a chassis that weighs just 1.4kg and is just 16.7mm thick. However, once you see that you can fold the screen all the way around to be flat against the back of the keyboard you realise that it is no ordinary laptop.



The 13.3in display supports eight-way multitouch, and turns your laptop into a Windows 8 tablet for drawing, stock checking, watching films or simply surfing the web while leaning back in your favourite chair.



The price will be around £800, but specifications and release dates are not yet final; according to Lenovo it depends on Windows 8's release schedule, so we're unlikely to see the Yoga before the autumn.



Posted on 10 Jan 2012 at 03:16
Author: Chris Finnamore
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/ultraportables/1289464/lenovos-ideapad-yoga-is-a-windows-8-ultrabook-and-multitouch-tablet-pc-in-one

CES 2012: LG joins the Ultrabook party with some tasty efforts

Not renowned for their PCs, Korean behemoth LG has released two Intel Ultrabooks here at CES 2012. And these aren't just Ultrabooks, the press release refers to them as Super Ultrabooks.

We're not quite sure why this is, but we'll go along with it. After all, we're in Las Vegas, where everything is supposed to be Super.

There are two models, the Z330 and the Z430 and as you can see the chassis of this model looks very nice indeed – what's more, they're among the slimmest and lightest Ultrabooks on show.


The 13-inch Z330 is the model shown here. LG has gone for the top of the pile with these models (and therefore they will be highly priced) and features the top-line Core i7 processor.


As with many other Ultrabooks, LG says it has managed to get the 13-inch display into a compact 12-inch chassis. Rather than being tapered at one end, the Z330 is 14.7mm thick across the whole chassis – gven that many Ultrabooks are 17-18mm thick, the Z330 really appeals. It's also among the lightest Ultrabooks around 1t 1.21kg.

We also really liked the keyboard on the model we saw, although the trackpad was a bit slippy for our liking.


As you can see, the 13-inch model pictured here has HDMI out and three USB ports - you only get two and mini HDMI with a lot of the tapered Ultrabooks. There's a drop down bit for the Ethernet port and one USB 3.0 port.



According to LG, the Z330 requires less than 10 seconds to complete booting and has a latest-class SATA3 SSD, too.


The 14-inch Z430 weighs 1.5kg is equipped with SSD and HDD, meaning storage capacities of up to 500GB. This is similar to the Series 5 from LG's great rival Samsung. But unlike that model, it's not clear if the Z430 can be bought with just SSD, or whether it comes with the two drives as a default.


January 12, 2012
By Dan Grabham
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/hands-on-lg-z330-and-z430-super-ultrabook-review-1054095