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Jul 03

NEC’s LaVie Z Ultrabook has definitely lost weight: just 875 grams and priced from $1,600 in Japan

No one complained when we reported NEC’s initial claimed weight of 999 grams (2.2 pounds) for its LaVie Z Ultrabook, but it turns out that statistic is brutally unfair. The 13.3-inch laptop actually tips the scales at just 875 grams (1.9 pounds) thanks to the magnesium lithium alloy used in its 0.59-inch chassis — not bad when you consider that there are still 1.3kg netbooks wandering the planet. Of course, in line with Intel’s official Ultrabook spec, you’re getting a minimum Core i5-3317U processor (yes, that’s Ivy Bridge) and 128GB SSD, plus USB 3.0, SDXC slot, HDMI out and a claimed battery life of 8.1 hours. There’s no word on US pricing yet, but that base spec will set you back ¥130,000 ($1,600) in Japan, while the top model with Core i7-3517U and 256GB SSD will add another ¥30,000 ($375) to your bill.

NEC’s LaVie Z Ultrabook has definitely lost weight: just 875 grams and priced from $1,600 in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japanese | source NEC | Email this | Comments

Jul 03

Tablets to overtake notebooks in 2016 researchers predict

Posted in: Today's Chili

Tablet shipments will eclipse those of notebooks in just four years time, according to new research, as Apple’s iPad leads a slate storm that will overshadow traditional mobile computing. While the mobile market as a whole is expected to more than double by 2017, NPD DisplaySearch claims, that growth will be disproportionately driven by tablet sales, shipments of which are tipped to more than triple.

The research team suggests that notebook shipments will grow from 208m units this year to an estimated 393m units in 2017. Meanwhile, tablet shipments will grow from 121m this year to 416m units in the same period, with particular interest from the so-called “mature markets” of North America, Japan and Western Europe which are already showing traditional computing saturation.

“While the lines between tablet and notebook PCs are blurring, we expect mature markets to be the primary regions for tablet PC adoption” NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim says. “New entrants are tending to launch their initial products in mature markets. Services and infrastructure needed to create compelling new usage models are often better established in mature markets.”

Overall, the mobile PC market will grow from 347m units this year to in excess of 809m units by 2017. Tablet shipments will overtake those of notebooks sometime in 2016, it’s predicted.

Tablets to overtake notebooks in 2016 researchers predict is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Jul 03

NEC LaVie Z dubbed the world’s lightest ultrabook

Posted in: Today's Chili

NEC has announced a new ultrabook today called the LaVie Z that claims to be the world’s lightest with a weight of 875 g. NEC used a new alloy for the first time made from a lithium-magnesium die casting process to make the ultrabook thin and lightweight. Despite how light the machine is it still has a 13.3-inch display.

The special lithium-magnesium die casting process allows NEC to integrate the display enclosure housing to the display directly making for a narrow frame that is thinner and weighs less. The keyboard housing is also integrated into the design. The body is 14.9 mm thick at its thickest part. The machine uses a battery that can recharge to 80% capacity in one hour.

Other features include the ability to boot in about two seconds from sleep mode using Quick Power On feature. The display has a resolution of 1600 x 900, and the machine uses a Network Duet feature to share data storage space with another machine on the network. The ultrabook can be had with either a Core i7-3517U processor and 256 GB of SSD storage or a Core i5-3317U with 128 GB of SSD storage. Both versions use 4 GB of RAM and promise 8.1 hours run time per battery charge. The machines also feature integrated Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a 720p webcam. The ultrabook will launch on August 23 at an undisclosed price.

NEC LaVie Z dubbed the world’s lightest ultrabook is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Jul 02

NEC New LaVie Z Ultrabook now officially official! Act 2, Scene 1

Posted in: Today's Chili

Announced early May, then officialized early June, Today (Early July) NEC finally gave its LaVie Z its definitive launch date and price line-up. So technically speaker nothing much has changed here, the LaVie Z is still an ultrabook and still comes with a Core-i7-3517U or Core i5-3317U, SSD, a 13.3″ screen with a 1600×900 resolution and lithium-magnesium alloy but comes now in an even lighter package and now weight just 875g instead of the 999g previously announced!
Anyway the first …

Jun 29

Sony drops VAIO T from free PlayStation offer, hikes real cost of entry to $970

Posted in: Today's Chili

Remember how it seemed too good to be true that Sony’s back to school promo would let you buy a VAIO T and get a free PlayStation 3 or Vita worth a third of the value of the Ultrabook you just bought? Well, it was. Sony has quietly dropped the $750 laptop from the PCs that qualify for the deal, raising the real qualifying price to $970 for a 15.5-inch VAIO S. Some will cry foul at being denied such a killer bargain without warning, but it’s easy to see why Sony backed out: that’s a lot of gear to give away for little in return. Dreams of heading to class with an ultraportable in hand and a PS3 at the dorm will have to be postponed, then, even if it’s still an ample discount.

[Thanks, Gabriel]

Sony drops VAIO T from free PlayStation offer, hikes real cost of entry to $970 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source Sony | Email this | Comments

Jun 29

Ultrabook sales up in first half of 2012, Windows 8 waits patiently

Posted in: Today's Chili

We’ve seen so much Ultrabook news recently we’re beginning to think they’re catching on. Market research firm the NPD Group has stepped in to confirm our suspicions, reporting a 39 percent jump in sales of premium Windows laptops (900 bucks and up) during the first five months of this year, compared with the same period in 2011. Despite a three percent drop in sales of $700-plus Windows notebooks, the Ultrabook share of this bracket increased steadily to nearly 11 percent. The analysts predict sales of these lower-end models will pick up as back-to-school purchases sooth the post-summer blues, with a general boost to the whole Ultrabook market expected when Windows 8 arrives. One thing the figures don’t tell us is what impact these sales are having on the revenue of Apple’s skinny flagship, but we’d sure like to know. If numbers are your thing, the PR is past the break.

Continue reading Ultrabook sales up in first half of 2012, Windows 8 waits patiently

Ultrabook sales up in first half of 2012, Windows 8 waits patiently originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET | source NPD Group | Email this | Comments

Jun 28

VESA’s Mobility DisplayPort standard links smartphones to PC displays, jabs MHL

Posted in: Today's Chili

If you own a modern Android smartphone, there’s a reasonable chance you’re familiar with MHL for video out to a TV. The format saves the trouble of adding an extra port, but it’s really only intended for HDMI-based destinations and occasionally runs into compatibility issues. VESA is hoping to settle all that with its newly available Mobility DisplayPort standard, or MyDP. Existing micro-USB ports will still serve as the output, but you’ll have the option of plugging into DVI or VGA displays with the right adapter, in addition to HDMI and full-size DisplayPort. Picture connecting to an older projector and you’ll see why that might make sense. The new spec will charge up your device like with MHL, but it also has about 1Mbps of bandwidth for input, such as keyboards and trackpads in some future lapdock. Video still tops out at 1080p and 60Hz, so there’s no hooking into a 4K display here. The real advantage, for many, is simply in having a broadly-adopted standard in the first place: VESA backing sees 180 companies tacitly endorsing the idea, producing a big improvement over the patchwork results that we’ve seen from MHL’s much smaller alliance. The chief obstacle is the wait for the first smartphones, Ultrabooks and tablets with MyDP, which could be months or more away.

Continue reading VESA’s Mobility DisplayPort standard links smartphones to PC displays, jabs MHL

VESA’s Mobility DisplayPort standard links smartphones to PC displays, jabs MHL originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 27

Acer launches 11.6-inch Sandy Bridge TravelMate B113

Posted in: Today's Chili

4GB of RAM, half a TB of storage, Sandy Bridge and an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 panel starting at €450 (about $563), sounds like a pretty sweet deal on a last-gen ultrabook right? Well, Acer’s TravelMate B1113 is actually brand new and, as you dig a little deeper into the specs, this one sounds more like a rather hefty netbook. And we do mean hefty — this laptop apparently tips the scales at 1.88 Kg, which puts it a touch over the four pound mark. 4.1 pounds certainly isn’t shoulder busting, but it’s a solid half a pound more than you’d expect from a machine of this size. Then there’s the fact that the base model ships with a 1.4Ghz Celeron, and the top shelf €560 version (roughly $700) only sports a 1.5GHz Core i3. We haven’t been able to dig up the dimensions on this sucker, but the press pics don’t make it look particularly bulky. We can only assume, given its considerable weight and diminutive size, that the chassis is made of cast iron. On the plus side, it does have a matte screen… that’s gotta count for something, right?

Acer launches 11.6-inch Sandy Bridge TravelMate B113 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Softpedia | source Notebook Italia, Fudzilla | Email this | Comments

Jun 27

Ultrabook manufacturers reportedly facing metal chassis shortage due to Apple hogging the bulk of the supply

Posted in: Today's Chili

The next time you’re planning to get your hands on an ultrabook, don’t be surprised if the retailer informs you that you might have to wait as the product is out of stock. According to a report by DigiTimes, they are claiming that metal chassis supply used for ultrabooks are currently suffering from shortage. The reason? Apparently the shortage is due to Apple buying most of the supply which they are then using for its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lineup, both of which features aluminum unibody designs. Two of the largest metal chassis manufacturers, Catcher Technology and Foxconn are reportedly installing new CNC machines but will not be able to meet the full demand at least until the end of 2012. With the Retina display MacBook Pro reportedly dropping to 2-3 weeks in its estimated shipping time, we guess that Apple’s products are certainly in high demand, although we cannot verify if they’re truly that desired to the point where other manufacturers are suffering from material shortages. What do you guys think? Is Apple really snagging up all the metal they can get?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple rumored to refresh the majority of its Mac computers at WWDC, Redesigned MacBook Pros to disrupt the notebook market?,

Jun 26

Dell unveils new XPS 14 and XPS 15: Hands-on

Posted in: Today's Chili

If you’re a fan of Dell’s XPS 13 but want something a little bigger with extra connectivity, the newly announced XPS 14 and 15 might just be for you. Both laptops have seen a redesign that sees the chassis’ making use of aluminium while giving the models a much needed thinner profile, and you can expect to see the latest internals with Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors and optional discrete NVIDIA graphics.

The base model of the XPS 14 will come with a 400-nit brightness 1600×900 display, an Intel Core i5 processor with HD 4000 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. Just about everything can be configured, so you can bump the CPU up to a Core i7, the RAM up to 8GB, add in NVIDIA’s GT 630M GPU, and swap out the standard hard drive for a 512GB SSD at the top end. Ports for the laptop includes two USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and an SD card slot. Overall thickness isn’t too bad at 0.81-inches, and all in all it weighs around 4.6lbs.

The XPS 15, meanwhile, adds in an optical drive and a few additional ports, but thickness increases to 0.91-inches and weight to 5.79lbs. The base configuration comes with a Core i5 processor, NVIDIA GT 630M GPU, 6GB of RAM, 1920×1080 display and a 500GB hard drive with a DVD optical drive. The maxed out XPS 15 includes a quad-core Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GT 640M graphics, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage plus a 128GB mSATA, and a Blu-ray drive.

Both the XPS 14 and 15 are available to order starting from today. The XPS 14 pricing starts from $1,099, while the XPS 15 will start at $1,299. If you spec out both models to their maximum, expect the price to hit a cool $1,999. If you’re in the UK, the XPS 14 starts from £1,049 while the XPS 15 starts at £1,149.