Hasta La Gadget!

[CEATEC 2012] Windows 8 is just around the corner, and it’s no surprise that here at CEATEC 2012 we’re seeing tons of laptops and tablets running on the operating system. Panasonic is one of the manufacturers that will be competing for your dollar bills when Windows 8 goes on sale, and at their exhibition booth we managed to catch a glimpse of its AX Series ultrabooks. What’s neat about these ultrabooks is the fact that it features both a touchscreen and a regular keyboard. Let’s not forget an unconventional hinge that will let you flip the display all the way back, turning the ultrabook into a tablet. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Panasonic shows off foldable Windows 8 Ultrabook, Panasonic Smart Apps aim to make life easier,

You can more or less blame the MacBook Air for fast tracking the Ultrabook market, in fact, causing PC manufacturers to buck themselves up and come up with something interesting to compete with Apple on a similar level, although it is rather safe to assume that the Ultrabook segment has not really picked itself up to date in terms of sales figures, never mind the fact that it is still growing steadily. Well, Acer intends to keep their hands on the mantle of having the thinnest Ultrabook in the market for some time to come with the release of the Acer S7 Ultrabook which is touted to be nearly as thin as a tablet.

The Acer S7 Ultrabook starts to sound more and more Apple-ish when you read on about it, considering how it boasts of an all-aluminum unibody design (can you say that this is going to be way too easy to damage or get scratched?), you know for sure that this is not going to weigh you down, making it one of the more ideal devices to carry around whenever you are on the showfloor. Don’t be fooled by its exceptionally thin and light form factor, as it is said to be resilient and durable at the same time. Depending on the model of your choice, it measures as thin as 0.47” and tips the scales at a mere 2.29 pounds.

You will be able to choose from either a 13.3-inch or 11.6-inch full high-definition (1920 x 1080) touch screen display, where it will be amply protected by rigid lids made of white Gorilla Glass 2 or aluminum. The S7-391’s lid is able to tilt back a full 180 degrees, so that you can use it flat against a table or desk, similar to how you would make use of a tablet. Not only that, a hotkey is able to rotate the view ny 180 degrees, making it a snap to share what you are viewing with other folks.

Underneath the hood lies a 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317UB or i7-3517U processor, an SSD, an embedded Li-Polymer battery that delivers up to 6 hours of battery life, and an optional second battery that doubles computing time. There is also a micro HDMI to VGA cable and a USB to RJ45 port. The Aspire S7 Series 11.6” and 13.3” models will retail for $1,199 and $1,399, respectively from the end of this month onwards.

Press Release
[ Acer S7 Ultrabook is thinnest of its kind in the market copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Announced early September, the Satellite U925t, a Sony Vaio Duo like ultrabook powered by a Core i5 Ivy Bridge is now making its debut in Japan under the Dynabook series. While Toshiba did not gave any specific price and specification details on this Japanese version of the Satellite U925t is schedule to hit Japanese stores within a few month with identical specs as its North American cousin.

Back at Computex, Acer announced the Aspire S7 series — the company’s third line of Ultrabooks, and the first of the bunch to sport touchscreens. At the time, we were told they’d go on sale once Windows 8 started shipping and sure enough, Acer just sent out a press release confirming they’ll be available October 26th, the day Win 8 officially launches. Prices will start at $1,200 for the 11-inch model (the S7-191), but you’ll pay either $1,400 or $1,650 for the 13-inch version (S7-391), depending on which configuration you choose.

For those who missed the initial June reveal, the laptops all have 1080p IPS screens and backlit keyboards. The 13-inch model in particular has a display that can lie completely flat. Another key difference: the 11-inch version has an aluminum lid, while the 13-incher’s is fashioned out of Gorilla Glass. Whichever you choose, the S7 comes with a USB to Ethernet adapter, a micro-HDMI to VGA dongle and a carrying case — a first for Acer. They also make use of Acer’s TwinAir cooling technology and are set up to work with AcerCloud, the company’s free online storage service, which you can use with mobile apps on iOS and Android.

Inside, the SSDs are all arranged in RAID 0 configuration, which means you can expect the kind of absurdly fast I/O speeds we recorded on the Aspire S5. (The lack of redundancy in that RAID 0 setup also means you might want to be extra vigilant about backing up your stuff.) The battery life is rated for six hours on both models, but the 13-inch version will be available with an external cell that can supposedly double the runtime. Meanwhile. RAM is fixed at 4GB, and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics are the standard. All told, just the kind of specs you’d expect on a high-end Ultrabook.

Again, these will ship on October 26th, starting at $1,200 for the smaller 11-inch model. In the meantime, we’ve got a few additional specs after the break, and you can always revisit our hands-on from Computex if you want to re-live the magic of a crowded press conference.

Continue reading Acer’s Aspire S7 Ultrabooks coming October 26th, starting at $1,200 for the 11-inch version

Filed under: Laptops, Acer

Acer’s Aspire S7 Ultrabooks coming October 26th, starting at $1,200 for the 11-inch version originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nothing really breathtaking happened on Fujitsu’s booth this year but Fujitsu was still kind enough to unveil its latest Windows 8 wonders including the Lifebook UH75 a 14.4” super thin ultrabook with a thickness of just 15.6mm and a weight of 1.44kg and a new Arrows Tab that was just until recently being only made available in Japan running on Android 4.0.
No specs details, price information or launch date was made available to us at today’s CEATEC launch.