Items tagged with ultraportable
ASUS rolls out cool stuff at Computex each year and this year has been no exception. The company already unveiled the ROG Gaming Phone that has 512GB of storage and ultrasonic triggers among its slick specifications. ASUS also rolled out a pair of gaming laptops at the show with the Strix Hero II and SCAR II Coffee Lake machines, and is now reaching out to the ultraportable crowd looking for a notebook with performance in an easy to tote package with an updated version of the ZenBook S. One of the most notable features of the ZenBook S is the new ErgoLift hinge that is designed to increase typing comfort, cooling, and audio performance. It does that by angling the keyboard at 5.5-degrees when...
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Huawei has lifted the veil on a new thin and attractive ultraportable laptop called the Matebook X Pro today, and it has impressive hardware specs packed inside its svelte chassis. The machined aluminum-clad MateBook X Pro notebook measures just 304mm x 217mm x 14.6mm and weighs in at 1.33kg (a little under 3 pounds). Huawei will offer the device in Apple-esq colors of Mystic Silver and Space Gray. Huawei Matebook X Pro This laptop looks solid on paper as a powerful little notebook with an option of having an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U or an i5-8250U processor under the hood. Its display is a 13.9-inch LTPS panel (3000x2000 resolution) with thin bezels thanks to a screen to body...
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HP is not one to let the weeds grow under its feet, at least not when it comes to its Spectre x360 line. The company it has no problem changing things up in an effort to keep its premium ultraportable hip and trendy. Having already gone through a few mild wardrobe changes over the past few years, the newest iteration of the Spectre x360 brings another slightly different look than last year's model -- one that is perhaps more refined and mature. It retains the gold accents introduced by its predecessor, but does not flaunt them quite as loudly. Other upgrades are not as subtle. HP continues to offer the Spectre x360 in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch form factors, the latter of which we're reviewing...
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With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft effectively encouraged its hardware partners to think beyond the confines of traditional PC design, giving them the nudge they needed to introduce bold new products. Lenovo embraced the challenge, and in 2012 it brought its first Yoga system to market, a multi-mode laptop that could fold back onto itself like a carnival contortionist. The design proved popular, so over the past few years Lenovo has added new laptops to its Yoga line. One of the newest is the Yoga 700, a 14-inch convertible that takes advantage of the latest technologies, pairing Intel's Skylake architecture with Microsoft's Windows 10 platform. It's a marriage of hardware and software...
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As ultraportable devices of various stripes proliferate, there's a corresponding need for extra-slim storage drives that still deliver in terms of performance and storage capacity. Western Digital has a pair of new products to address those needs with the WD Blue HDD and WD Black SSHD drives. Both of the 2.5-inch drives are just 5mm thick to give OEMs a solution that occupies as small a space as possible, leaving room for extra schock absorption and overall thinner computer chassis. WD says that thinner devices mean that the drives are more susceptible to damage, so they included "best-in-class" technology to reduce shock and noise, as well as StableTrac and dual-stage atcuators. The drives connect...
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Asus is making some major announcements today as IFA Berlin approaches. Among the new products being revealed is the Asus Zenbook U500VZ, which is a particularly slim ultra-portable, and the Zenbook Prime UX21A, which has a multi-touch display. New MX Series IPS Panels are also making news this morning. The Asus Zenbook U500VZ ultrabook. The Zenbook U500VZ looks to have some powerful guts, including an Intel Core i7 quad-core cpu and Nvidia GT650M graphics. Your hard drive options will include a smoking dual SSD configuration (up to 512GB total storage) or combination 128GB SSD and 500GB HDD setup. All this is packed into a system no thicker than 19.7mm. The U500VZ’s HD display is pretty...
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Hot on the heels of Origin and Maingear's 11-inch notebook announcements, Eurocom announced the new 11.6-inch Monster 1.0. This notebook offers a good amount of power in its small body including an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 2GB of video memory, Intel's i7-3820QM Ivy Bridge processor, 16GB of DDR3-1866 memory, and up to 1TB of SATA3, hard, or Solid State Drives. The Eurocom Monster 1.0 weighs approximately 3.96 pounds with the battery. Eurocom says this notebook will last for up to 410 minutes on a single charge. The Eurocom Monster starts at $817. The notebook does not come with an OS, but you can opt to have Eurocom install Windows 7 Premium for an extra $105. Eurocom ships the world's powerful...
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Among the myriad of other products, like the Padfone, Asus has just unveiled and will likely continue to unveil at Computex this week were a pair of exciting ultraportable notebooks and netbooks that are sure to pique the interest of the discerning road-warriors out there. The just announced Asus UX Series ultraportable notebooks prove that thin is most definitely in this year and the upcoming Asus Eee PC X101 reinforces that assertion. Asus UX Series Notebook--Notice The "Spun" Finish On The Lid According to Asus, the new UX Series ultraportables have been developed in close cooperation with Intel. The machines are extraordinarily thin, which was made possible through the use...
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MSI's X-Slim lineup garnered industry-wide praise when launched a couple of years ago, and now the line-up is stepping up to Fusion. The X-Slim X370 is the company's newest ultraslim machine, and while it doesn't look too different than X-Slim machines of the past, the internals are definitely deserving of a closer look. The X370 is powered by a dual-core E-350 Accelerated Processing Unit, and it's joined by a very nice list of extras... MSI X-Slim X370 13.4" Fusion Powered Ultraportable Review...
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There was a period of time last year where it seemed like every other ultraportable was based on Intel's CULV platform. At the time, we figured that was just the way it was going to be for a while with ultralight notebooks. But then, AMD finally got around to shipping some Fusion based APUs. And since then, the mobile space has been hopping with new activity. Consumers have never had such a wealth of notebook options to choose from, and with Fusion, prices are remaining reasonable and battery life is improving too. MSI's X-Slim lineup garnered industry-wide praise when launched a couple of years ago, and now the line-up is stepping up to Fusion. The X-Slim X370 is the company's...
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If the only thing preventing you from picking up a MacBook Air is the Core 2 Duo foundation, hang tight, things are about to get better (and significantly faster). According to reports, Apple is getting ready to refresh its MacBook Air line with Intel's Sandy Bridge platform and Thunderbolt interface. New models will be ready to launch in June or July. This is according to news and rumor site DigiTimes, which feels pretty confident in its sources behind the scenes in Taiwan. Apple, of course, is keeping mum on future product releases, as the Cupertino outfit always does. "Main supply chain makers for the new models remain about the same as for the existing MacBook Air, with Quanta Computer solely...
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Samsung's Series 5 Chromebook stole the show last week, but it's clear that the Series 9 is a more premium machine. Samsung's new ultraportable flagship is finally on sale in America, with a stiff starting price of $1160. The company just launched pre-orders on the device last month, and now they're shipping. Great news for those who pre-ordered! The body is aluminum, and inside there's a Core i3-380UM processor, 2GB of memory, and a 64GB solid state drive. It weighs 2.3lbs., and has a 1.3MP webcam, Bluetooth 3.0, WiMAX support and a screen resolution of 1366x768. Enough to warrant a nearly $1200 price tag? Up to you, but boy, it does look beautiful....
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What began as a trickle -- as AMD finally introduced a shipping version of the long-awaited Fusion platform -- has turned into a steady stream, and we're definitely excited to see APUs, as AMD calls the product, finally making an impact. AMD had played up the idea of an Accelerated Processing Unit for years, and now, it's clearly a reality. Lenovo's ThinkPad X120e, which we reviewed a few months ago, instantly became one of our favorite ultraportables, and now HP has what appears to be a rival machine, of sorts. The HP Pavilion dm1z is an 11.6" machine, that is a touch larger than the myriad 10" netbooks already on the market, and honestly, we're struggling with what to classify this machine...
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At this point, there's no shame in saying it: the floodgates have opened up for AMD's Fusion. What began as a trickle -- as AMD finally introduced a shipping version of the long-awaited Fusion platform -- has turned into a steady stream, and we're definitely excited to see APUs, as AMD calls the product, finally making an impact. AMD had played up the idea of an Accelerated Processing Unit for years, and now, it's clearly a reality. Lenovo's ThinkPad X120e, which we reviewed a few months ago, instantly became one of our favorite ultraportables, and now HP has what appears to be a rival machine, of sorts. The Pavilion dm1z is an 11.6" machine, that is a touch larger than the myriad 10" netbooks...
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Wow, talk about dying out quick. Dell's XPS 14 has only been on sale for less than half a year, but already the company is confirming that it has been discontinued. This news comes just days after HP decided to cancel the Envy 13 while letting their 14" ultraportable pick up the slack. Clearly, Dell's not having the same story running with its ultraportable lineup. The XPS 14 was a fairly well-regarded machine, offering a nice mix of power/performance while still being more mobile than most of today's larger, bulkier 15.6"+ notebooks. According to a statement released by the company, sales weren't a problem. The 14 managed to beat sales expectations, in fact. So, why cancel it? Here's their quote:...
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Is it the end of the era? Or just the foreshadowing of a new beginning? It's hard to say what the death of HP's Envy 13 means for the category, but it's not hard to realize what it means for the here and now. The Envy 13 was one of a kind in the PC world. It was a direct reaction to the MacBook Air, but rather than just copying Apple, HP added a discrete GPU and loads of power, making it perfect for gamers on the go. It was sleek, thin and sexy, and it had more power than most ultraportables of that size. The problem, like many others that tried, was the price. At around $1700 (or over $2000 with an SSD), the machine was destined to be a niche product from the start. Just like the Alienware M11x,...
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Maingear is a custom PC builder that's been making some noise lately, and for good reason. The competition is intense in this space, with a number of companies (CyberPower, Maingear, Falcon Northwest, Digital Storm, Origin, etc.) elbowing each other in order to grab the hard-earned dollars of those in need of a new machine. Maingear, like the others mentioned here, has done an excellent job staying on the cutting edge, and making sure that their lineup is full of new components just as soon as they hit the market. Back in October, Maingear revealed two notebooks in a new series: Clutch. Today, we're taking a closer look at the smaller of the two, the 13.3" Clutch 13... Maingear 13.3" Clutch 13...
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Maingear is a custom PC builder that's been making some noise lately, and for good reason. The competition is intense in this space, with a number of companies (CyberPower, Maingear, Falcon Northwest, Digital Storm, Origin, etc.) elbowing each other in order to grab the hard-earned dollars of those in need of a new machine. Maingear, like the others mentioned here, has done an excellent job staying on the cutting edge, and making sure that their lineup is full of new components just as soon as they hit the market. Back in October, Maingear revealed two notebooks in a new series: Clutch. Today, we're taking a closer look at the smaller of the two, the 13.3" Clutch 13. This machine is...
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The ultraportable notebook marketplace is hotter than ever before. In years past, buying a sub-14" machine generally meant a couple of things: low power and higher relative price. Today, it's still fair to say that ultraportables are generally less powerful and more expensive than the standard-sized 15" machines that sit above them, but the gap is closing fast. Toshiba's 13.3" Portégé R705 is one of the sleeker, more potent ultraportables on the market today, and in general, we have always admired the Portégé design scheme. The R705 keeps a good thing going, with its 3.2lb. chassis and its rigid, high quality construction ensuring a solid feel throughout. We'll...
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The ultraportable notebook marketplace is hotter than ever before. In years past, buying a sub-14" machine generally meant a couple of things: low power and high price. Today, it's still fair to say that ultraportables are generally less powerful and more expensive than the standard-sized 15" machines that sit above them, but the gap is closing fast. Intel's Core i3 and i5 line of processors has ushered in an entirely new segment of thin-and-light machines, and we're getting to the point where 13.3" machines can finally be taken seriously from a performance standpoint. Toshiba's 13.3" Portégé R705 is one of the sleeker, more potent ultraportables on the market today, and in general,...
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Wow. The 13" ultraportable market just might be the new battleground for price. For months on end, the real price war was ongoing in the netbook sector. Companies kept pushing the barrier lower, with a few machines selling for under $200 at times. But now, the 13" market is heating up. Apple's new MacBook Air, Maingear's Clutch 13, and HP's Envy 13 are just a handful of the ultra-mobile machines that are vying for your dollars. As more and more people consider a powerful, mobile machine for their travel arsenal, companies seem more eager than ever to compete at this level. We remember a time when the 13" ultraportable market was catering mostly to the affluent, and to companies where price wasn't...
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The ultraportable market gets more interesting by the day. For years, 11.6" machines were very, very expensive, mostly because it was costly to squeeze components into a shell so small. But then netbooks were introduced. Recently, some 11.6" netbooks have creeped up into a higher range category, with prices hovering between $500 and $600. Not exactly a bargain netbook, but these machines are usually plenty capable for most common users. Now, Gateway is looking to revive the high-end 11.6" machine with the EC19C-A52C/S laptop. It's a sleek new ultraportable that pulls no punches, and it's not afraid of charging a lot despite a wealth of netbook options being available as well. There's a 1.33GHz...
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