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The Lenovo T410 is like that mild-mannered reporter working in Metropolis. Under it’s common, unassuming chassis, the T410 hosts Intel’s new Core i5 dual-core 2.53 GHz and a chipset that removes speed bottlenecks. When BusinessWeeks’s editor tested this laptop, it “took about half the time to download photos, music, and video as my six-month-old Sony (SNE) laptop, which has a comparable chip clock speed.”

With a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia 3100M video card, the T410 has impressive hardware in its plain chassis. It comes with 4 USB ports, onboard SmartCard, multi-card, and ExpressCard reader technology, a DisplayPort, a VGA-Out, and a FireWire port, and of course, 802.11n wireless Bluetooth and GPS. All of this in one solid package for $1484 direct.

Via BusinessWeek and PCMag.com

As this is a netbook-centric blog, we normally don’t write about laptops. Nevertheless, I took one look at the above picture and bugged my editor until he let me write about it.

Can you blame me? Sony offers a variety of colors to combine in the E series. Who could possibly resist a combination of Iridescent Blue and Hibiscus Pink? Other colors available include Caribbean Green, Coconut White, and Lava Black. If you’re one of those people who would prefer to have a laptop that doesn’t practically glow in the dark (though seriously, who wouldn’t want a laptop like that?) Vaio offers muted colors as well: Gunmetal, Silver White, and Maple Brown.

The Vaio E series laptops aren’t just beautiful to look at, they also offer up to 1080p HD quality on a 15.5 inch screen and an optional Blu-ray drive. Inside, there’s a dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon Graphics chip with up to 512 MB of video RAM, either an Intel Core i3 or Core i5 CPU, and up to 500 GB of storage. Plenty of space for high quality video.

Via CNet.

The S10-3t will function as a standard netbook, but users will also be able to pivot and fold the screen down, allowing them to use the device as a tablet as well. As demand for multi-touch support seems to be increasing these days, especially for tablet devices, the S10-3t also uses capacitive technology to offer multi-touch support. Lenovo is not the first company to release a convertible netbook, but it may be the first to release one that supports multi-touch technology.

The device itself comes with a full keyboard, 10.1″ screen with 1024 x 600 resolution, 3.5 hour battery life (optional six-cell battery provides approximately seven hours), 1GB of DDR2 memory and a 170GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive. Lenovo has not confirmed whether or not USB ports or a webcam will be present on the device, but rumors say they probably will.

Lenovo has cited the use of Windows 7 Starter Edition, which presumably does not offer touchscreen support. To compensate for this pitfall, the company has created its own multi-touch interface on the netbook, as well as included DirectShare, an app that allows users to sync their netbooks to PCs. An upgrade for the S10-3t is also underway, which you can read about here.

Features of the S10-3t, including ones mentioned above, are:

•    Processor — 1.66GHz Intel Atom N470
•    Chipset — NM10 I/O controller
•    Memory — 1GB of DDR2 RAM, expandable to 2GB
•    Display — 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution
•    Camera — n/s
•    Storage — 160GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive
•    Expansion:
•    2 x Mini PCI Express (1 likely filled by WLAN card)
•    SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MSPro
•    Networking:
•    LAN — 10/100 Ethernet
•    WLAN — 802.11b/g/n
•    Other I/O — USB (presumed)
•    Battery — Three-cell or six-cell, with 3.5 or 7 hours of operation, respectively
•    Dimensions:
•    10.55 x 6.61 x 1.22 inches (268 x 168 x 31mm) with three-cell battery
•    10.55 x 6.61 x 1.45 inches (268 x 168 x 37mm) with six-cell battery
•    Weight:
•    2.42 pounds (1.1kg) with three-cell battery
•    2.64 pounds (1.25kg) with six-cell battery

(From Windowsfordevices.com)

The starting price for Lenovo’s new device is the same as the iPad: $500.

Via WindowsforDevices

Lenovo’s new hybrid PC, displayed at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show this week, is reminiscient of the Always Innovating Magnetic netbook which featured a detachable screen for use as a tablet. Designated the Lenovo IdeaPad U1, the device is usable as both laptop and multi-touch slate tablet.

It’s a heavyweight, coming in at 3.8 pounds, and it rocks an 11.6-inch LED screen and the Windows Relevant Products/Services 7 OS. It has a videocamera, two stereo speakers, and an integrated microphone for voice chat and other activities.

According to Lenovo Senior VP Liu Jun:

“By fusing the functionality of a notebook with the slate tablet’s rich multi-touch entertainment and mobile Internet experience, U1 provides consumers the freedom to choose the device they prefer for any activity.”

When used as a laptop, the Lenovo U1 actually accesses a second processor within the keyboard for synchronized use. When you remove the 1.6 lb multi-touch tablet you can continue computing in portrait or landscape mode with the ARM CPY running Lenovo’s Skylight OS.

The Ideapad U1 Hybrid can deliver more than 5 hours of 3G web access and should be available this June for $999.

Via NewsFactor, image via Engadget.

Haier is a Chinese firm that makes refrigerators and air conditioners. Starting on CES 2010, it will make netbooks, MIDs, and laptops as well.

The company is sending off three swivel screen netbooks running Intel Atom CPUs. The first is the Haier X220, a 10-inch tablet netbook with a 1024 x 600 pixel screen, Atom N270, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM and Intel GMA 950 graphics, selling for $450 with a 3-cell battery.

The other two netbooks are very similar. Labeled the Haier X210 and X107H, these netbooks will start out with Atom N270s but get 1.7 GHz Pine Trail Atom N450 chips at a later date. Other specs include 10-inch 1024 x 768 pixel screens, a 160 GB HDD, 1.3 Megapixel webcam, and cramped 85% screens. They include mouse buttons integrated into the touchpad, much like you’d see in the Dell Mini 10v netbook. These netbooks will sell for $330 and come with EVDO and WCDMA 3G cards.

Haier also says it’s planning a 9-inch smartbook running Google Android and packing an Nvidia Tegra chipset and ARM Cortex 650 CPU. Despite its smaller screen, the keyboard on the Haier smartbook will be the same 85% size.

Lastly, Haier will be unveiling its Haier T3C and Core i5 laptop computers at CES 2010. The T3C is a 13.3-inch widescreen CULV laptop with the Intel Core 2 Duo U3500 chipset, 2 GB of DDR2 RAM 250 GB HDD, and 10 hour battery life. The Core i5 laptop will have similar features and a 14-inch widescreen display.

Via PCMag, image via Haier.

HP has released updated versions of a number of its notebook and desktop computers and added a touch screen netbook to its HP Mini lineup, designated the HP Mini 5102.

The netbook has a 10.1-inch touchscreen, $399 price tag, and HP’s TouchSmart multitouch software. We’ll be able to get our hands on it later in January.

HP also tweaked its other netbooks in the $300 range and added a new HP TouchSmart tablet – the TouchSmart TM2 – for $949, available January 17th.

Via BusinessWeek.

ASUS has added its UL30 CULV notebook to Amazon, available for pre-order for a hefty $849. Officially designated the ASUS UL30Vt-A1, ASUS’ new machine is a tier above the netbook market in both pricing and power.

The ASUS UL30 features an Intel Core 2 Duo chip at 1.3 GHz, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500 GB HDD, and Nvidia G210M graphics with 512 MB of VRAM. The 13-inch UL30 comes with 64-bit Windows 7 as well.

Shipping dates for the ASUS UL30 are so far unknown.

Via Nexus404.

The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) charity organization has ambitious plans for its latest netbook design. Earlier this month, the organization announced its plans to create the impossibly thin OLPC XO-3 tablet in two years time.  Now OLPC is hoping to distribute the XO-3 touchscreen laptop to impoverished children around the globe by the year 2012. Note: the projected price range of the device is less than a hundred dollars.

The original OLPC XO netbook is already out in the market and has been distributed to 1.4 million children in 35 different countries. The charity’s new creation will have a 9-inch touchscreen and will contain neither a mouse nor keyboard.  It is also planned to be extremely sturdy and run an ARM processor.

If the success of its XO netbook is any indicator, OLPC will likely reach its goal and continue to provide valuable education to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

Via TechWatch, image via Guardian.

It is rumored that Asus will release a new gaming laptop early next year, which will allegedly use Intel’s powerful dual-core i5-430M Processor. Another supposed feature of the Asus laptop is an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 GPU that can surely handle the most advanced graphics.

The Asus X77 laptop’s features include:

• 1,600 x 900 17.3-inch LED screen
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 GPU with DDR3 Memory
• Two 500GB hard drives
• 4GB of RAM
• eSata Port
• HDMI Port

This new machine is a full-fledged gaming laptop that should run most of the latest games. The Asus X77 will be priced around $1435.

Via Engadget.

This uber-thin netbook is yet to be officially unveiled by LG, but some images and vague specifications have leaked.  It is speculated that since the LGX30 has been given to the FCC for review, already well into development. It will likely be released sometime next year. The netbook is equipped with:

• An 11.6 inch LCD screen
• An unspecified Intel Atom Processor
• Intel GMA 500 graphics card
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• Built-in webcam

LG is a newbie to the netbook business, but at 1.76 pounds the LGX30 will be a strong competitor to Dell’s newly released Vostro V13.  We will have to wait for an official release by LG to learn more exact details on the LGX30.  As of now it seems to be another addition to the stylish, economical, and razor-thin netbook category.

Via Softpedia

Image Via Softpedia

The legal battle has officially begun over the Joo Joo, formerly known as the CrunchPad. TechCrunch owner Michael Arrington announced on Thursday that he had filed a lawsuit against former business partner Chandra Rathakrishnan, CEO of Fusion Garage. The suit alleges many wrongdoings on Fusion Garage’s part, including a number of charges that include the theft of money and property owned by TechCrunch. Rathakrishnan is not backing down, claiming that Arrignton’s allegations are false, and that her company owes absolutely nothing to TechCrunch.

The Joo Joo tablet notebook is priced at $500 and will be available for purchase at midnight tonight on the company’s website. If you want in, I’d suggest acting quickly, in case the lawyers get ahold of this thing before you can.

Via Cnet

Image Via TheMobiler

Alienware offers one of the best gaming laptops out there, but ‘one of the best’ doesn’t seem to be good enough anymore. It’s now testing out the possibility of a lighter and more portable laptop, which might be considered to be setting a foot in the netbook bandwagon. The result is the M15X, which harbors a 15-inch screen with a lighter magnesium casing.

Pros:

• Extremely customizable
• Weighing in at 9.2 lbs, it’s lighter than the M17X
• 9-cell battery option
• Starting price of $1499
• Lower heat and noise emissions than predecessors
• Intel Core i7 processor

Cons:

• Only contains one video card, so it cannot deal with SLI graphics
• Smaller 15 inch display may cause some gaming inconveniences
• Keyboard doesn’t contain a number pad
• Not as powerful as the M17X
• Offers less options than previous laptops

Via Geek

Image Via Geek.

LCD screens are regularly used in many technologies though they are in many ways inferior to newer but less popular, LED screens. LCD screens are a component of almost all laptops currently manufactured. QD Vision, a small company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced that they have developed new technology that could improve the efficacy of LCD screens by up to 40%. They also claim to be able to improve color contrast on the screens, resulting in a more vivid display.

The new technology has been dubbed quantum light optic. It is projected that the innovation will be passed along to three large LCD manufacturers by 2011. Quantum dots are the main component of this technology. When the dots are augmented to the light emitting diodes of LCDs they consequently reduce the amount of diodes needed to reach the same level of brightness. Quantum light optics looks to be extremely promising, because they may be able to drastically improve the quality of LCD displays, meaning thatlaptop screens will be getting brighter and bolder in the near future.

Via TechnologyReview

Image Via CyberIndian

The insanely low prices that HP and Dell constantly churn out for their regularly sized laptops may be to blame for the slow growth of the ultra-thin laptop segment. According to Acer chairman J.T. Wang, this has caused consumers to steer clear from the thinner varieties in favor of lower prices. It has also lowered sales on Intel’s CULV processors, giving Intel less of an incentive to manufacture parts for the ultra-thin laptop market.

Ultra-thin laptops offer many advantages. These laptops are more powerful than netbooks, while being similarly portable and offering an incredibly long battery life. Consumers have showed interest in the ultra-thin segment, so now it’s up to manufacturers to market the product and offer deals to get the public to purchase these laptops.

Via PCWorld

Image via DotKam

The $1000 dollar price tag on Onkyo’s dual-screen laptop is causing many an excited consumer to do a double take.  It’s surprising to have a laptop offering two 10.1 inch screens clock in at less than one grand, but Onkyo has made it a possibility. This laptop will compete closely with Japanese manufacturer Kohjinsha which also offers a dual -screen laptop, for a marginally higher price.

The only letdown is that the Onkyo DX is only available in Japan for now.  The laptop is reasonably priced at ¥84,800 (approximately 960 USD).

Features Include:

• Two 10.1 inch 1,366 × 768 pixel LCD screens
• 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor
• ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics
• 2GB of memory
• 320GB hard drive
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Windows 7 Home Premium

Via MaximumPC.

Image Via MaximumPC.

Overheating can be a major problem when using laptops in places other than a hard surface like your desk.  Improper ventilation is dangerous as it can cause the device to unhealthily overheat and possibly short circuit. This problem is worst while using your laptop from places such as the comfort of your bed. Who doesn’t enjoy unwinding with a pillow behind their head and laptop in tow to watch a favorite flick?

This is where AViiQ’s laptop stand comes to the rescue. The stand not only prevents your laptop from overheating, but is also incredibly portable. The stand is constructed of aluminum with plastic connecting panels, allowing for the panels to fold over one another, which permits the stand to fold up conveniently for storage.

The only setback for this convenient accessory is the price tag: a hefty $80.

Via Wired.

Seagate announced that it will reveal a hard disk drive substantially thinner than any of its current models. Most hard disks today are around 9.5 mm or 12.5 mm thick, but Seagate’s new drive will be a mere 7mm.The hard drive will be an appropriate addition to the Momentus Thin series and is currently being tested.

The main factor making thinner drives a possibility is the invention of magnetic data storage. Magnetic data storage allows the drive to require just one storage platter instead of the standard two.

This announcement is great news for laptop manufacturers constantly battling to engineer thinner laptops. The new drive will allow them to create much thinner models, to the applause of consumers.

The capacity Seagate’s new drive is still unknown, but Seagate did reveal that it will have a lower cost per gigabyte than its current solid state and 1.8 inch drives.

Via ZDnet.

After scrapping its Larrabee graphics processor, Intel has now decided to switch its focus to a different generation of graphics cards.  The new card will be added to a laptop’s CPU instead of standing alone as a separate component.  Consumers have already shown a preference for Intel’s lower priced graphics options, so this new line of cards will likely be favored over those of other manufacturers. “Pine Trail” will be the first line of graphics cards to make use of this advancement. It will likely be unveiled in late December. “Pine Trail” will be immediately followed by the “Arrandale” line, which will be displayed to the public next month.

More efficient transcoding of video files from PC to iPod format and the ability to use DirectX-11 multimedia acceleration technology, each on Windows 7, are features that will be supported by the card later on in its production.  Intel assures that this does not signify the end for advancements on its more traditional graphics technologies.

Via Cnet

The Dell Vostro V13 is a 13.3-inch designed for business owners who need the power of a regular laptop with a more convenient packaging.

Everything from its design, to its memory capabilities are aimed to please small business owners who need the size of a netbook paired with the power of a larger sized laptop computer. Dell hopes that the Vostro will minimize tradeoffs between a laptop that is compact enough for travel and one that has all the necessary components for business owners.

The V13 is yet another well designed addition to the Vostro collection, and will start off at a no nonsense $1,299.

Features Include:

• Core 2 processor
• 16.5mm thick
• Weighing in at 1.59kg (6-cell battery)
• high-quality brushed aluminum surface for durability
• Webcam, microphone, and Bluetooth
• 802.11g/n wireless LAN
• 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM memory

Via BtoB.