Hasta La Gadget!

That X series refresh we’ve been waiting on from Lenovo seems to have become imminent as the company’s website has published the latest version of its maintenance manual, which now includes the models X201, X201s, X201i and X201si. The X201 will come with Intel CPU options ranging all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M — a true powerhouse with 4MB of cache that is already available on T410 and T510 models — while the slimmer X201s will plump for the lower-volted Core i7-640LM, clocked at a reputable 2.13GHz but also consuming 10W less power than its chunkier sibling. The X201i and X201si will likely prop up the pseudo-affordable part of Lenovo’s range with Core i3-330M parts. And oh yes, touchpads are now an option — not being excited about this upgrade, however, is not.

ThinkPad X201’s official maintenance manual reveals new models’ specs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For your viewing pleasure, we present the latest Apple rumor doing the rounds this Saturday afternoon — namely, GeekBench results for a “new” Core i7 MacBook Pro. According to the results, what you’re looking at above are the numbers for the MacBook Pro 6,1, sporting a nastified Intel Core i7 (dual core, not quad) 620M (Arrandale) percolating along at 2.66GHz. Other curious points here are the 4.8GHz FSB, which sounds a little screwy to us, and a final GeekBench score of 5260, which makes current MBPs clocked at the same speed look like your grandfather with a walker (those ranges hover around 3700-4000 on average). The laptop in question is also allegedly running a fresh version of Snow Leopard (build 10C3067 of 10.6.2), which certainly makes sense if someone is out there benching a new Apple product, though it’s not a number we can verify. Still, if you were using a new Apple product, would you be dumb enough to publicly share this info? Probably not, which of course raises the question that this might just be a hackintosh or some other clever spoof (even if we did see a suggestion of new MBPs on the way recently). In the meantime, you can dream of having your pants burnt off by the above monster, and we’ll let you know if this thing starts looking a little more real.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Is a Core i7-based MacBook Pro strutting its specs in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For some among us, the VAIO E series is the pinnacle of modern mobile computing design. Then there are other, saner individuals, who prefer the understated aesthetics of what are commonly termed business laptops. For that latter group, we have a whole glut of new Toshiba notebooks to look at, highlighted by the delectable looking Portege M780 above. Much in the vein of HP’s 2730p, it’s a 12.1-inch convertible tablet PC, with a spill-resistant keyboard and rugged features (tested to withstand drops from up to 1 meter), but its biggest attraction will still likely be the Core i5 heart thumping inside. Also undergoing upgrades are the Tecra A11 (already available in the US), M11 and S11, which will come with up to 8GB of RAM, 802.11n wireless, SSD options, and of course Intel Core i7 CPUs. Check them out after the break, and expect them to arrive in Europe, the Middle East and Africa this quarter, with the M780 close behind them with a Q2 2010 release.

Continue reading Toshiba Portege M780 highlights business laptop refresh to Core i-series CPUs

Toshiba Portege M780 highlights business laptop refresh to Core i-series CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Notebook Italia (Portege M780), (Tecra A11, M11, S11)  | Email this | Comments

HP promised us a mobile workstation refresh in February, and sure enough, today we are staring down the retail pages for its quartet of upgraded business laptops. The new top of the line EliteBook models come in 14- (8440p/w) and 15.6-inch (8540p/w) varieties, with the w-appended models sporting appropriately beefed up NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics with up to 1GB of dedicated GDDR5. If you want to grab one for under a grand, you’ll have to make do with the reasonably powerful Core i5-520M / 2GB DDR3 RAM combo, but we’re most excited by the future customization options, which include a low-voltage Core i7-820QM CPU with 8MB of internal cache, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB in SSD storage. Course, we can’t put prices to these spectacular beasts just yet, as HP is still only offering preconfigured rigs, but we think it’ll be less than five figures.

[Thanks, Jared]

HP’s 8440 and 8540 EliteBooks ready to ship with Core i7 inside originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  HP (8440p), (8440w), (8540p), (8540w)  | Email this | Comments

Alienware didn’t drop too many details about how it was revising its M15x and M17x gaming lappies back at CES, but now both of those are finally ready to be ordered by the drooling masses. The “little” guy is available with a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processor, your choice of a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M or 1GB GeForce GTX 260M, a 1,600 x 900 or 1,920 x 1080 15.6-inch WLED panel, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 250GB HDD (or a 128GB / 256GB SSD for those with the coinage) and plenty of lights to go around. The big brother can be ordered with a Core i7-920XM processor, dual 1GB GeForce GTX 280M GPUs (or a pair of Radeon Mobility HD 4870s), optional Blu-ray drive and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Follow the links below if you’re eager to be first in line — the M15x gets going at $1,199 (and should ship early next month), while the M17x starts at $1,799 with a Core i7.

[Thanks, Joshua]

Alienware’s Core i7-equipped M15x and M17x now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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