Acer Introduces High-Powered AS8950G Gaming Laptop

Looking for sheer horsepower when it comes to a desktop replacement notebook? You have a lot of options these days, but now Acer is getting into the same game that has been dominated by Alienware, Asus and other high-end outfits for years. The company’s new Aspire AS8950G is its most potent yet, and it has the specifications to rip a hole right through the most intense 3D game out there. This machine is also being launched alongside Intel’s Sandy Bridge platform, boasting the latest CPUs from the chip giant.

HP Unveils CES 2011 Notebook And Desktop Lineup

The CES website may tell you that the trade show doesn’t begin until the 6th of this month, but don’t tell that to Lenovo or HP. Both companies are offering up something new today, with Hewlett-Packard having the most lengthy list of announcements between the two. At least for today. Let’s dive on it!

First, HP’s Pavilion dm1 has been updated with an AMD Fusion APU that offers smooth 1080p multi-media playback, an 11.6″ HD BrightView display, a full-size keyboard, a battery good for up to 10.75 hours of life, up to 750GB of storage, an optional GPS module and an optional external Blu-ray player. It’ll go on sale in the U.S. on 1/9 for $449.99 and up.

Lenovo introduces IdeaPad S205 ultraportable laptop with AMD Zacate chip

The Lenovo Ideapad S205 is one of the first thin and laptops to pack an AMD Zacate chip. Like the IdeaPad S100 netbook, the S205 is expected to begin shipping in March, but this model packs a larger display, far more power, and a heftier starting price of $499.99.

The S205 features an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and Windows 7 Home Premium. It has 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, an integrated Webcam (0.3MP or 1.3MP), and optional 3G. It will be available with up to an AMD Dual Core E-350 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and up to 750GB of hard drive space.

The laptop measures 10.6″ x 6.6″ x 1.1″ and weighs just under 3 pounds.

 

HP introduces dm1z 11.6 inch notebook with AMD Zacate chipset

HP has introduced its first portable laptop based on AMD’s new Fusion technology. The HP Pavilion dm1z is a notebook with an 11.6 inch display which weighs about 3.5 pounds. It sports an 18W AMD E-350 (Zacate) processor with AMD Radeon HD6310 graphics, providing support for HD video, 3D graphics acceleration, and DirectX 11. The dm1z will be available starting January 9th for $449 and up.

In many ways the HP Pavilion dm1z is an updated version of the dm1 which HP introduced last year. But the new model has been tweaked in a number of ways. In addition to the new chipset, the laptop now has a 100% full sized keyboard (instead of 93%), a clickpad with a ridge near the clicking areas to make them easier to detect, and a base plate which is the same color as the lid — and which can be removed without any screws.

Lenovo introduces Ideapad S100 10 inch netbook

Lenovo is updating its netbook line today with the introduction of the IdeaPad S100. Like the S10, S10-2, and S10-3 that preceded it, the Lenovo IdeaPad S100 features a 10 inch display. But this will be the first netbook model from Lenovo with support for a dual core processor.

The S100 will be available with up to an Atom N570 dual core CPU. It will also be available with an Atom N455 or N475 single core chip. The netbook also  supports up to 2GB of DDR3 of memory, and up to 320GB of hard drive space. It will have Integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics, a 2MP wecbam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth.

The mini-laptop has a redesigned keyboard which Lenovo says is 98% of the size of a full-sized keyboard, which is pretty impressive for a 10 inch netbook. The keyboard actually looks a lot like the chiclet-style keyboard Lenovo has been using for its 11.6 inch and smaller ThinkPad laptops.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S100 will be available in March for $329.99 and up.

 

Lenovo introduces ThinkPad X120e business laptop with AMD Fusion

Lenovo is launching a new version of its 11.6 inch ThinkPad laptop. At first glance, the new ThinkPad X120e looks an awful lot like the Thinkpad X100e which has been available for much of the past year. But the new model has a few new features under the hood:

• AMD Fusion chipset
• HDMI output
• 65% faster graphics
• 30% better battery life

The ThinkPad X120e will be available starting in February, for about $400 and up. It features an AMD Fusion E-240 or E350 chip, an 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 pixel anti-glare LED display, AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics stereo 2W speakers, WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional 3G.

The X120E will be available with up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 5400RPM or 7200RPm hard drive or a 128GB SSD, and 3 or 6 cell batteries for up to 6.5 hours of battery life. The laptop measures 11.1″ x 7.4″ x 1.2″ with a 3-cell battery. It’s a bit bulkier if you add the 6-cell option.

 

Lenovo unveils ThinkPad Edge E220s thin and light business laptop

Lenovo has unveiled a new thin and light laptop called the ThinkPad Edge E220s which features a 12.5 inch display and Intel Core i-series chipset. The ThinkPad Edge E220s is only the third laptop I’m aware of to have a 12.5 inch screen. The others are the recently introduced LG Xnote P210 and thee Lenovo Ideapad U260, which features similar specs, but a different case design. Lenovo’s IdeaPad series is also aimed at consumers, while ThinkPad models are targeted at business users.

The ThinkPad Edge E220s measures less than an inch thick and weighs 3.5 pounds. It has an aluminum-magnesium lid with a matte finish, and a keyboard that looks similar to the one you’d find on other ThinkPad laptops — as well as Lenovo’s TouchPoint system.

Toshiba slips out NB550D AMD Brazos-powered netbook

Toshiba Germany jumped the gun and exposed on its website the upcoming NB550D 10-inch netbook which is based on the same design as the NB520 model but makes use of AMD’s new Brazos platform and is powered by the C-50 (Ontario) APU boasting two Bobcat x86 cores and DX11 Radeon 6250 graphics.

Coming in three colors – Lime Green, Brown and Orange, the NB520 weights 1.32kg, and has a metallic finish, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, LAN, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a VGA webcam, a HDMI output, two Harman Kardon speakers, and a 6-cell battery enabling up to 9.5 hours of operation.

Toshiba will pre-load its first Fusion machine with Windows 7 Starter and release it in Q1 (2011).

 

Acer Iconia dual-touchscreen laptop to launch in Spain next month @ €1,499

Acer’s eye-catching Iconia notebook which rocks two 14-inch (1366 x 768) LED-backlit touchscreen has been announced in Spain where it’s planned to become available on January 28 (2011), bearing a starting price tag of €1,499.

Unveiled last month in New York, the keyboard-less Iconia is powered by a Core i5 (480M/560M/580M) processor, and has 4GB of RAM, Intel HD graphics, a 320/500/640/750GB hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ WiFi, Bluetooh 3.0, optional 3G, a webcam, a HDMI port and runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. Time to save up?

 

MSI Launches Stylish FX700 and FR700 Notebooks

The latest fad in mobile PC design is to slap on a high-gloss finish, which admittedly looks terrific but also serves as a magnet for smudges and fingerprints. MSI claims its new FX700 and FR700 won’t tolerate such nonsense with their anti-smudge and anti-scratch raised totem seal coating technology. Sounds fancy, and should we get one in to play with, we’ll let you know if it works.

In the meantime, we have a handful of specs to share. The more powerful of the two, the FX700 comes equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor, up to 80GB of DDR3 memory, Nvidia GeForce GT 425M graphics with a 1GB frame buffer, 320/500/640GB hard drive, DVD burner, 4-channel speakers, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, 5-in-1 memory card reader, HDMI, VGA, Bluetooth, Windows Home 7 Premium, and a 6-cell battery.