Laptops

In a world filled with painful delays, seeing ASUS' 10-inch Eee PC 1000H on sale this soon after being introduced at Computex is like a breath of fresh air. Or mildly stagnant air, considering we're not anywhere close to Taiwan. Nevertheless, said machine is indeed up for grabs for those on that side of the planet, and just as we expected, it's demanding NT$18,988 (or around $625). C'mon ASUS, you've got swarms of North Americans (and Europeans, etc.) just champing at the bit here....

Who makes a 160GB, 1.8-inch SATA disk spinning at 5400RPM? Nobody, until today. Toshiba just announced the industry's largest-capacity / fastest 160GB MK1617GSG disk for ultra-portables and netbook-class machines. While others have hit the magical 160GB mark in an 8-mm thick form factor, this is the first 1.8-inch SATA to reach 5400RPM. Oh, and because you're about to ask: no, it's too chubby for an iPod classic (where that speed wouldn't likely be noticed) or ultra-thin laptop like the MacBook...

We heard they were coming. Now it looks like we've got a second ultra-thin laptop sporting Intel's custom-built, 65-nm processor first unveiled in Apple's MacBook Air. At about 3:00 minutes into the Envy 133 video, Rahul Sood, Voodoo founder, says that his new Envy 133 uses an "off roadmap chip" of Intel design which consumes 20 watts of power. Looking at the Envy spec sheet reveals a processor running at either 1.6GHz (SP7500) or 1.8GHz (SP7700), with 4MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB. Right, those ...

We know you've been sitting on your hands since January, waiting for Samsung to ship this SpinPoint M6 500GB, 9.5mm laptop drive wonder. That whole "released in France" thing was just rubbing it in your face, and we apologize, but it looks like your wait is finally over: OWC's Woot! shop has the drive for sale as of now. You can't buy one sans enclosure, but the $310 USB 2.0 + eSATA version or the $350 FireWire 800 / 400 + USB 2.0 version (there's also a $320 model) should prove useful in housi...

Sure, we've sized these two up theoretically, but how well do Voodoo's Envy 133 and Apple's MacBook Air get along when sharing the same meatspace? There are certainly some striking similarities -- both have gargantuan trackpads, for instance, but Voodoo has taken things in an aesthetic direction all its own. We just hope these two decide to be friends instead of mortal, cake-cutting enemies....

Over at HP's Connecting Your World event, there's a lot more to see than a new color-critical display and ultrathin all-in-one PC. More specifically, the outfit has rolled out 16 new laptop models, so we'll just cut right to it. Up first is the business-centric EliteBook premium series, which now arrives in a new slate of sizes and configurations. You'll also find a new selection of Pavilion Entertainment notebooks (dv4, dv5 and dv7) with ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection, and there's even a f...

Suddenly the 13.3-inch ultra-portable market is looking a might bit crowded. At the same time, it's never looked better now that we have the choice of Lenovo's X300, Apple's MacBook Air, and Voodoo's just announced Envy 133. Decisions, decisions. #vistachart { border: 2px solid #333; border-collapse: collapse; } #vistachart td { padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; margin: 0; line-height: 1.3em; } #vistachart th { font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 4px; backgr...

Sure, checking out the benchmarks on the Puma-based Satellite A305 is all fine and dandy, but we just know you're craving more. Right? Good. Here we have a solid foursome of AMD Puma-packed notebooks, each one from a different walk of life. As expected, details were pretty limited at the kiosk, but at least it gives us hope that these machines (or something similar) should be hitting store shelves in the not-too-terribly-distant future. Go on down to the read link to check out the spruced up HP...

Oh my. First you're slicing cake with the MacBook Air, then you're looking to steal its market share. Lenovo, you can't afford to be too smug either. Voodoo's $2,099, carbon fiber Envy 133 isn't a gaming rig. It is, however, a 13.3-inch ultra-portable with LED-backlit display, 1,280 x 800 resolution, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP7700 processor, HDMI, 2x USB (1 doubles as eSATA) and hard disk or SSD option. It also features an instant-on Voodoo IOS mode that lets you surf ...

Here's an interesting one. That AMD netbook we spotted hanging around at Computex isn't a bona fide AMD product after all. According to the unit's device manager, it's actually an Everun, although the only Everun we know of looks drastically different that the thing pictured above. In all likelihood, that moniker is simply a placeholder, and AMD spokesman Phil Hughes even confirmed that "it Read - Device Manager photographRead - AMD spokesman comments...

The last time we saw this downsized Atom-based laptop, it was looking staid and proper in a press shot. Finally someone has gotten their hands on this thing, and we've got to say -- it looks pretty handsome (even if it is a rebadged, recolored MSI Wind, and a dead ringer for the Mini-Note). Specs seem unchanged, with a 10-inch 1024 x 800 display, 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and the price appears to be holding at €399 (or about $630) as well. Still no word on wh...

Wait a second -- you mean ASUS actually had something other than subnotes at Computex? Tucked away in some surely obscure corner were these two gems: the 15.6-inch G50V and 17-inch G71V. The first of the two rigs was packing a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT graphics card, a WXGA "3D display," Intel's Centrino 2 platform, support for 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a pair of 320GB SATA drives and a sturdy keyboard built for gamers. The larger sibling was said to posses the same GPU and platform, though it was s...

Hang on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen -- we've got a preposterously large helping of ThinkPad news coming at you tonight. We're talking details and photographs of the forthcoming X200, SL, T, and R series laptops, so without further adieu, let's get to know the X200 a touch better. Preliminary slides are hinting at the following hardware: 12-inch WXGA panel 45nm Core 2 Duo CPUs up to 2.4GHz Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology SSDs up to 64GB WiMAX / WWAN / GPS / WiFi...

There's no denying it: Lenovo's ultrathin X300 grabbed its fair share of attention earlier this year, due in large part to its estranged rivalry with the MacBook Air. Now that a few months have passed since the first wave of adopters welcomed the 13.3-inch ultraportable into their homes, we figured the time was right to ask you all how things have been coming along. Do you still feel like a proud papa when checking out those three USB ports? Is there really enough horsepower in there to churn ...

ASUS's new Eee PC 901 has already gone before the cameras at Computex, but if you're the type that's just not satisfied 'till you something unboxed you may want to head on over to Laptop Magazine, which has not only done the usual honors but provided a few initial impressions as well. On the whole, they seem to think it's a worthwhile upgrade, with the extra keys across the top a particularly welcome addition, although they did have some slight problems with the keyboard, which they ultimately ...

OCZ wasn't exactly forthcoming about pricing or release details when it announced its DIY gaming laptop last month, but it looks like those intrigued by the idea of (partly) building their own system can now get their hands on one courtesy of Buy.com, which is offering up the barebones system for $670 (after a $50 rebate). That'll get you the base 15.4-inch laptop complete with an Intel PM965 chipset, a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card and a DVD burner, but you'll have to supply your...

The folks at Tech Digest got a look at the new Acer Aspire One, and they seem to like what they see. High points abound, but of particular note is the solid "it's almost like a real laptop" build quality, the Atom processor that runs cool enough to require zero fan usage in the time they've been testing, and the strong battery life. The rest of the quite-lovable specs we're sure you all know by heart -- either that or you're so sick of looking at netbooks by now that you're contemplating a mona...

Although everyone and their first cousin twice-removed has dished out their own netbook at Computex, Dell's wee darling (it's still unnamed, officially) still has the attention of most. At a recent media briefing at Dell's HQ, APC Mag was able to get a little time with the unit and grill execs with a flurry of questions -- many of which weren't answered. Still, a few key tidbits did seep out, like the "due out by the end of this summer" thing and the omission of Fn keys on the keyboard. Wait, w...

Microsoft sits alone at the cafe as Acer walks out, peering into its empty coffee cup, thinking, "I don't need her anyway." What are we getting at? Acer VP of Marketing Gianpiero says the computer company is seeing a big future with Linux. He says the cost of Windows over Linux -- especially in its low-cost products like the Aspire One -- is the biggest reason, and offered this meta explanation: "We have shifted towards Linux because of Microsoft. Microsoft has a lot of power and it is going to...

What's this? An Asus laptop with built-in projector above the monitor? This curious computer was spotted plopped unceremoniously in a corner at Computex by PC Perspective. They report that the unlabeled machine's camera -- installed right at the top of the monitor bezel -- rotates and that the projector's performance is uncertain given the show's bright conditions. If this is something other than a floor prototype, we're awfully curious about battery life. Until then, we'll just have to fantasi...

In case it wasn't completely obvious already that Toshiba had a thing for AMD's latest line of notebook processors, here's all the confirmation you need. Tosh has just made official that the next-generation of Athlon, Turion and Turion Ultra CPUs will be "available throughout" its Satellite lineup. If you're hunting specifics, we're talkin' about the P300D, A300D, M300D, U400D, L300D and L350D series -- all of which are scheduled to go on sale sometime this summer from a variety of fine retailer...

Well, would you look at this? Toshiba's Puma-equipped Satellite A305 hasn't even left the floor of Computex and it has already been benchmarked. Kudos to NotebookReview for snagging some quality hands-on / testing time with the 15.4-incher, which came stocked with a 2.1GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD writer, 1.3-megapixel camera and Windows Vista Home Premium. You know you can't wait for all the dirty details and pics to boot, so head on down to the read link and sa...