Look at this: The first 4K laptop, Toshiba's Satellite P55t, coming soon

PCWorld - Open your pocketbooks, 4K fans, Toshiba's first Ultra HD laptop is headed your way next Tuesday. The Tokyo-based electronics maker just announced that the Toshiba Satellite P55t will hit U.S. store shelves on April 22, starting at $1,500 for the base model.

For all that cash you'll get a 15.6-inch laptop with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (no word on the specific model), up to 16GB RAM, an AMD Radeon R9 M265X discrete graphics card with 2GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. Other niceties include Windows 8.1, four USB 3.0 ports, backlit keyboard, SD card slot, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, HDMI out, and some brand name speakers from Harman Kardon.

But the big feature for the P55t is the laptop's screen resolution, which is 3840-by-2160 with 282 pixels per inch. Astute 4K fans will note that Toshiba's new clamshell is using the Ultra HD version of 4K and not the 4096-by-2160 resolution favored by the film industry and available on some external monitors.

In addition to its Ultra HD resolution, Toshiba's laptop earned Technicolor Color Certification, promising more natural-looking colors and "true-to-life imagery." Toshiba is also bundling a free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 to take advantage of all that 'glorious Technicolor.'    Read More

Acer Chromebook C720P review: King of the budget Chromebooks

 

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars - Very good

The good: The Acer Chromebook C720P has a good keyboard, an SD expansion slot, USB 2 and 3 ports, and HDMI, plus a touch screen. It also has more onboard storage (32GB) than most entry-level Chromebooks, and better battery life than most previous Chromebooks.

The bad: Low-end price is matched by its low-end feel. Chrome OS has natural limitations. Touch isn't always that useful in Chrome.

The bottom line: The Acer Chromebook C720P manages to get better at all the key things, adding up to a little laptop alternative that's better than any budget Chromebook we've seen before.

Read the Full Review

Laptop buying guide 2013: How to find the right notebook for you

PCWorld - Anyone in the market for a new laptop this year has a lot to consider before parting with some cold hard cash. You still have to weigh the usual choices—display type, CPU, memory, graphics, hard disk, battery life and weight/footprint. But entirely new form factors give you even more to choose from. New mobile CPUs from Intel and AMD have upped the ante, too—not only in terms of processor speed, but with graphics performance and battery life as well. 

Most of the innovation this year appears in the thin-and-light notebook market, and one of the most exciting trends is the blurring of the lines between tablet and notebook. Some new laptops offer touchscreen displays that swivel, pivot, or detach from their keyboards to transform into tablets. Dell’s XPS 12 Ultrabook Convertible, Lenovo’s Yoga 11S, and Sony’s VAIO Tap 11 are three of the most interesting examples of this new form factor.

If you think you can live outside the Windows ecosystem, you’ll find some interesting Chromebook choices. These notebooks run Google’s Chrome OS as well as browser-based apps. The most interesting examples include the high-end Chromebook Pixel, the inexpensive HP Chromebook 14, and the dirt-cheap Acer C720 Chromebook (which is priced at just $199). 

Mainstream notebook prices, meanwhile, always seem to start at about $400 and rise to $1500-plus as they become thinner and lighter, or as their displays get bigger. And the sky’s the limit with mobile workstations and high-end gaming PCs. Still, for your 2013 budget, you can walk away with a computer that’s lighter, thinner, and more powerful than anything you could have bought last year. In the 2013 edition of our laptop buying guide, we’ll look at form factors first, and then do a deeper dive into specs.    More

Asus VivoBook V551LB-DB71T Review

Nice, but lacking for the price

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars - Very good



$902.13 to $1,070.80

The good: The Asus VivoBook V551L is a thin, attractive, and seemingly well-constructed laptop. Its midrange discrete graphics card and 4th-gen Core i7 processor give it overall very good performance and battery life. And it has a 1TB hard drive and DVD burner.

The bad: For the V551LB's near-$1,000 price, the screen is pretty disappointing, as is its slow-spinning hard drive. Also, its keyboard is not backlit, which, again, for the price it should have.

The bottom line: An attractive, solidly built 15.6-inch thin laptop with overall good performance, the Asus VivoBook V551LB-DB71T is held back by its lackluster display.

Read the Full Review

Apple Is Working On A 12-Inch MacBook That Will 'Redefine Laptop Computing'

Business Insider - Over the weekend, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities revealed that Apple has plans for a new laptop in 2014.

In a note picked up at 9 to 5 Mac, Kuo says Apple is planning a high-resolution 12-inch laptop that will be as portable as the 11-inch MacBook Air, but as productive as the 13-inch MacBook Air.

This new MacBook will "redefine laptop computing" according to Kuo, just like the current MacBook Air redefined laptop computers when it was introduced in 2010. (The original MacBook Air was out in 2008, but was flawed. The 2010 version fixed the flaws and became the industry standard.)

This new laptop will be thinner and lighter than the current MacBook Airs, per Kuo.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-is-working-on-a-12-inch-macbook-2013-10#ixzz2hiZsnr00

IFA - Sony launches a trio of new hybrid Vaio PCs

The Vaio Flip, Tap 21, and Tap 11 all combine elements of a PC and tablet.

CNET - At Sony's pre-IFA press conference, the electronics giant announced a trio of new Vaio PCs. Unlike previous years, none of the the three new systems highlighted here are traditional clamshell laptops. Instead, each combines the features of the PC and tablet, following the industry wide trend towards hybrid devices.

The Vaio Flip, Tap 11, and Tap 21 are all touch-screen Windows 8 devices that should be available later in 2013, although there are no set price and release date details yet. Each is briefly profiles below, with a link to more extensive hands-on coverage and photos.

View the PCs

Sony Vaio Pro 13 vs. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch

Sony Vaio Pro 11 - Lighter-than-Air ultrabook

 

 CNET - 

The good: The Sony Vaio Pro 11 weighs less than 2 pounds and uses a fourth-gen Intel Core i5 to deliver long battery life and very good everyday performance. It has an excellent 11.6-inch 1080p touch screen and is competitively priced for its features.

The bad: The Pro 11, like its competition, has a nonremovable battery (though you can add an external battery), few ports and connections, and integrated graphics only. System memory is maxed out at 4GB.

The bottom line: The superthin, superlight Sony Vaio Pro 11 is everything we expect from an excellent ultrabook.

Read the Full Review

Best Laptops - CNET Guide

You can dive into the various subcategories here for detailed suggestions for every need and budget, but on this page, we present the current laptops that are our personal favorites, because of style, power, value, or just because we like them. 

 

Best high-end laptop

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed.

Price: $2,079.98 - $2,199.00 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review

 

Best ultra-thin 13-inch

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Summer 2012)

This year's MacBook Air opts for gradual improvements rather than anything revolutionary, but lowered prices continue to make it the go-to mainstream recommendation for any MacBook owner-to-be.

Price: $1,099.99 - $1,199.00 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review

 

Best convertible laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is a convertible touch-screen laptop/tablet that most importantly doesn't compromise the traditional laptop experience.

Price: $989.99 - $1,199.99 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review

 

Best laptop under $800

Toshiba Satellite U845t

While it's not going to dazzle anyone, the Toshiba Satellite U845T is a great example of exactly how much laptop $799 should buy in 2013.

Price: $779.99 - $799.99 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review

 

Best gaming laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500

For those looking for something more than a feature-light ultrabook, the gamer-friendly Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 is close to brilliant, and several configurations are currently available at a deep discount -- but I can't believe it doesn't have a touch screen.

Price: $999.00 - $1,611.00 (check prices)

4 stars Excellent Read full review

 

Best Windows 8 tablet

Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro (64GB)

The Surface Pro's gutsy design successfully reinvents the Windows 8 laptop by cramming an ultrabook experience into the body of a 10-inch tablet. Those wanting to go all-in on the tablet experience won't regret buying the Surface Pro, but we're holding out for a future, more polished generation of the device.

Price: $959.00 (check prices)

4 stars Very good Read full review

 

More Laptop Reviews

Dell XPS 13 Review

 

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars - Very good

$1,599.99 

The good: The Dell XPS 13 has a sharp new 1080p display, updated Intel processors, and the same sleek design as before.

The bad: Few ports; a high price; no touch-screen option.

The bottom line: Attractive and compact, the new Dell XPS 13 ultrabook isn't that much different from last year's model, aside from new processors and a higher-res non-touch screen.

Read the Full Review 

Hewlett-Packard joins Chromebook fray with 14-inch browser-based laptop

PCWorld - Hewlett-Packard on Monday said it’s officially jumping into the Chromebook fray after persistent rumors about the company launching one surfaced in late January. HP joins Samsung, Acer, and Lenovo selling PCs loaded with Google’s browser-as-OS.

The HP Chromebook features a 14-inch display with 1366-by-768 resolution, step up from most Chromebooks that feature 11.6-inch displays. You also get a 1.1GHz Intel Celeron processor, 16GB solid-state drive, 2GB RAM, and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. For ports, the device offers 3 x USB 2.0, HDMI, Ethernet, headphone/microphone combo jack, and a media card reader.

HP is promising a paltry 4 hours and 15 minutes for battery life, and the laptop is also a little heavy at just under four pounds, and measures 0.83 inches thick. The Chromebook 14 is available now from HP and sells for $330, but you also get 100GB of free Google Drive storage for two years--usually an extra $120.

It’s not clear how well Chromebooks are selling overall, but there are indications that the concept is catching on with American PC users as more people move their digital lives online. Acer recently told Bloomberg that Chromebooks have, since November, accounted for 5 to 10 percent of Acer’s U.S. shipments . Samsung’s 11.6-inch Chromebook is currently the top-selling laptop on Amazon , and Lenovo believes its $429 ThinkPad-branded Chromebook will appeal to schools looking to make bulk purchases.

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HP Elitebook Folio 9470m Review

 

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars - Very good

$1,237.65 to $1,356.75

The good: The HP Elitebook 9470m has a solid, lightweight design, great battery life, and lots of ports and security features.

The bad: There's no touch screen, it has a non-high-res display, and there's a general lack of unique features to justify its high price.

The bottom line: The HP Elitebook Folio 9470m does a serviceable job at being a good thin all-around Windows 8 business laptop, but it doesn’t rise from the pack, and it doesn’t take any chances.

Read the Full Review

HP Envy Spectre XT Review

 

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars - Excellent

$999.99 to $1,009.99

The good: Slim and lightweight, the HP Envy Spectre XT is portable, well-built, and easy to use, with a great keyboard.

The bad: The design doesn't stand out as much as the original Spectre's did, and its battery life won't get you through an entire day. From a premium product, we'd expect a higher screen resolution.

The bottom line: A high-end laptop at a mainstream price, the HP Envy Spectre XT gets much of the look and feel right, with only a few missteps.

Read the Full Review

Acer Aspire S5 Review: A Serious MacBook Air Challenger

PCWorld - If you're looking for an Ultrabook with the superslim good looks of a MacBook Air, enough computing oomph to handle multimedia and general business tasks, plus a good-enough battery life, take a long hard look at the Acer Aspire S5. Especially the superslim good looks part.

The S5 is less than three quarters of an inch at its thickest and weighs 2.6 pounds--impressively light for a notebook with a 13.3-inch display. In almost every way, the S5 fulfills the promise of the Ultrabook as articulated by Intel: It's extremely portable, very fast, and endowed with decent battery life.

True, you can find several Ultrabooks with better battery life, and maybe one or two with superior performance--and the Aspire S5 has its fair share of minor drawbacks. But none of the ones we've seen are thinner.

That's thanks in no small part to an innovative motorized panel that Acer calls the MagicFlip, which rolls down to conceal ports on the rear bottom edge. This both protects them when not in use and slims down the S5's profile so it's both thinner and lighter than the current 13.3-inch MacBook Air.

But the motor makes a somewhat grating noise, and sometimes it seemed to roll up of its own volition. Also, I worry that the motor, activated by a button on the top right of the platen, adds one more part that could break.

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IFA Berlin Highlights - Samsung, Dell, HP & Toshiba

Samsung @ IFA: Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Camera and more

 

Dell teases new XPS Duo 12 convertible tablet

Hands-on with the HP Envy x2's tablet and keyboard

Sony Alpha NEX-5R: Major changes for midrange cameras








Toshiba outs three new Satellite Ultrabooks 






 

Acer Timeline U M5-481TG 6814 review

CNET -

5 Stars -  Excellent

 

$779.99

The good: The slim Acer Timeline U M5-481TG ultrabook combines Nvidia graphics, an optical drive, and plenty of extra features, including a backlit keyboard, in a shockingly affordable package.

The bad: A clean but generic design and its heavier weight make the U M5 feel less like an ultrabook and more like a regular mainstream laptop; the screen quality is mediocre, too.

The bottom line: Yes, it's heavier than the average ultrabook, but if you're looking for an excellent value in a full-featured thin laptop, the Acer Timeline U M5 is hard to beat.

Read the Full Review

Vizio meets the MacBook

Both the Vizio ultrabooks and display take design cues from Apple.

(Credit: Vizio)

CNET - Vizio is the latest to make a run at Apple's MacBook. So far, I like what I see.

The Irvine, Calif.-based company's ultrabooks are front and center at the Los Angeles Microsoft store these days.

I counted six Vizio ultrabooks. That's more -- a lot more in most cases -- than any other single vendor in the store.

And the Vizio ultrabook display setup screams Apple. Walk into any Apple store and you'll see display tables full of the newest MacBooks. For instance, the MacBook Pro Retina is currently displayed six to a table.

Ditto Vizio. In another nod to Apple, Vizio has only two basic ultrabook models -- 14-inch and 15.6-inch -- and the Los Angeles Microsoft Store had six of the same 15.6-inch models side-by-side.

Throw in the fact that Vizio has a minimalist metal (anodized aluminum) design similar to the MacBook and you have the makings of an Apple experience.

But enough about the store logistics. I've spent enough time in the LA store lately using Vizio's ultrabooks to appreciate what the company is trying to do: Deliver a laptop that competes head on with the Air and Pro but with better bang-for-the-buck.

Vizio 15.6-inch ultrabook offers a 1,920-by-1,080 display and 256GB solid-state drive for $1,249. While it doesn't match he MacBook Pro's 2,880-by-1,800 pixel density display, for a metal unibody design, it's a pretty solid configuration.

(Credit: Vizio)

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Sony Vaio S Series SVS1511AGXB Review

$1,349.99

 CNET -

The good: Powerful, thin, and reasonably lightweight, the Sony Vaio S includes a quad-core CPU, Blu-ray, and a good package of preinstalled software.

The bad: This is still an expensive laptop that's caught in the middle, with other premium laptops outperforming it, and less expensive ones catching up in terms of design. Also, the touch pad felt especially finicky.

The bottom line: The 15-inch Sony Vaio S does gaming, Blu-ray, and a lot more, all while keeping the design thin and light.

Read the Full Review!

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon: The Ultralight, Semi-Rugged Carbon Fiber Ultrabook

Gizmodo -

Tablets may be the next big thing in mobile computing, but don't count out ultrabooks just yet. At least not until you've given Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Carbon—a feather-weight, carbon fiber workhorse a closer look. It's tough, it's light, and you don't have to be an office drone to crave it.

The X1 Carbon it the latest addition to Lenovo's popular X1 series. Despite a spacious 14-inch screen, the X1 Carbon tips the scales at a scant three pounds—making it the lightest rig of its size—thanks to its carbon fiber roll cage. The screen displays at a native 1600x900 resolution. The system supports up to 8GB of integrated DDR3, runs 64-bit windows 7 Pro, and has that Intel Ivy Bridge goodness you've been hearing so much about.

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On-the-Go Power: Mobile Chargers Keep Your Devices Alive

If you depend on your smartphone or tablet to keep up with a full day’s activities, one of these mobile chargers will make sure you have a recharge handy, even with no power outlets in sight.

 

Mobile battery chargers

It’s inevitable: At some point during a busy day of business travel, your smartphone is going to run out of juice — usually when you don’t have access to a wall outlet. While some smartphone owners can drop in a spare battery, others (who use, say, Apple’s iPhone or Motorola’s Droid Razr) don’t have that option. Their best plan is to get a mobile charger.

Mobile chargers vary greatly in capacity, size, style and price. Most can charge your phone and other small devices, and some can also handle tablets (but not laptops). Arranged from largest capacity to lowest, here’s an array of chargers to get you and your phone through the day.

 

Iogear GearPower High Capacity Mobile Power Station

Many of us carry more than one mobile device around, and the Iogear GearPower High Capacity Mobile Power Stationlets you charge a couple at the same time using its two USB power ports. It can, for example, charge a tablet and a phone, or two phones; it can also handle a digital camera and most MP3 players.

You can use either your own device’s power cable or the Micro-USB cable that comes with the GearPower. The GearPower recharges via a wall socket or a computer USB port, and comes with its own carrying case.

Price: $79.95
Capacity: 6600mAh
Dimensions & weight: 4.4 x 3.5 x 0.6 in.; 12 oz.

 

myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000

If you’re a power user — in both senses of the word — you might want to try out the myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000. This compact battery pack comes with three built-in connectors for Micro-USB, Mini-USB and Apple devices; it also has a standard USB port so you can plug in any USB charging cable.

According to the company, the Power Bank is capable of charging the average smartphone four times, and giving an iPad a nearly complete battery boost. Have more than one device? You can charge up to four simultaneously.

Price: $99.99
Capacity: 6000mAh
Dimensions & weight: 4.4 x 2.9 x 1.0 in.; 6.5 oz.

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