Jun 15

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook now shipping in Arctic White — Titan Silver edition still to come

Posted in: amazon, BestBuy, Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, laptop, netbook, notebook, now shipping, NowShipping, samsung, shipping, Today's Chili, ultraportable
Samsung Series 5 Chromebook now shipping in Arctic White -- Titan Silver edition still to come

We already knew it was coming — Samsung hasn’t been particularly shy about its teasing — but the big day has finally arrived, and the Series 5 Chromebook is now officially shipping to those eagerly awaiting the Google-powered laptop. If you weren’t among the high-end coupon clippers who snatched one up during the surprise sale at Gilt a couple of weeks ago, you can now pick up a Chromebook of your own. At least for now, however, it looks like you’ll have to settle for a white exterior — the “Titan Silver” (also known as black) edition is still in pre-order mode at both Best Buy and Amazon.

Samsung Series 5 Chromebook now shipping in Arctic White — Titan Silver edition still to come originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 10

Samsung Chromebook Series 5 review

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, review, samsung, Today's Chili, ultraportable, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video

For almost two years now, Google’s been talking up the idea of always-on, always-connected laptops based on a version of its Chrome browser. Local storage, of course, was not an ingredient in the equation. And while a lucky few developers got to put the concept to the test with the help of the CR-48, it never surfaced as an honest to goodness consumer product. At last, though, the Chromebooks are here, starting with Samsung’s Series 5, a cute little number that promises instant-on access, 3G connectivity, and long enough battery life to web surf with the best of ’em. But is this new class of computers — and this solidly built one, in particular — poised to make an impact? Let’s find out.

Gallery: Samsung Series 5 Chromebook review

Continue reading Samsung Chromebook Series 5 review

Samsung Chromebook Series 5 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 06

ASUS UX21 to be priced at less than $1,000, says Commercial Times

Posted in: ASUS, laptop, price, pricing, rumor, speculation, thin and light, ThinAndLight, Today's Chili, ultraportable

The ASUS UX21, that 11.6-inch cake slicer that doubles up as an ultrathin laptop, is coming in September with a price tag of less than $1,000. That’s according to the Commercial Times, which cites supplier sources in identifying ASUS’ aggressive pricing strategy. Word is that the Taiwanese company is aiming to price the UX21 at 80 to 90 percent of the cost of Apple’s competing products, namely the MacBook Air family. Of course, with a second-gen Intel Core i5 (or i7) CPU inside it, ASUS’ new laptop has a significant spec advantage over Apple’s similarly aluminum-encased laptops, so we’d argue simply matching the MBA’s price will ensure the UX21 flies off store shelves. ASUS has a fine recent history of breaking through price barriers, as shown by the $200 Eee PC X101 that was announced alongside the UX21 at Computex, so if anyone was going to give us a 17mm-thick slab of up-to-date gorgeousness for less than $1,000, it probably had to be Jonney Shih’s crew.

ASUS UX21 to be priced at less than $1,000, says Commercial Times originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 01

LG P220 ultraportable hands-on at Computex 2011 (video)

Posted in: CoreI7, hands-on, intel, LG, Microsoft, Today's Chili, ultraportable, video, windows 7, Windows7

What would happen if you took a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and shrunk it down a notch into a 12.1 or 11.6-inch ultraportable but decided to keep the box shape instead of using a MacBook Air-like wedge design? We’re pretty sure you’d end up with something like this sexy LG P220. We saw this light and thin laptop at the Intel booth at Computex and came away rather impressed. While the materials used (plastics) don’t live up to the lofty standards set by Apple’s popular notebooks, the innards appear to pack a serious punch. We don’t have any specs, but the unit we handled was equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, and LG’s gorgeous super slim bezel-hating Shuriken display. We’ll keep you posted with more info as soon as we dig it up — in the meantime, why not take a look at this hot little number in our gallery and hands-on video after the break?

Gallery: LG P220 ultraportable hands-on at Computex 2011

Continue reading LG P220 ultraportable hands-on at Computex 2011 (video)

LG P220 ultraportable hands-on at Computex 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 26

Some Lenovo ThinkPad X220 owners report downthrottling, reduced performance

Posted in: lenovo, problem, Today's Chili, ultraportable
No matter how much time we spend with a laptop while we review it, there are some things that are just harder to gauge — namely, what happens once you’ve owned the thing for a while and the Sandy Bridge-fueled honeymoon comes to an end. That couldn’t be more true of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220, one of our favorite ultraportables at the moment. We’re seeing assorted reports from folks whose machines keep downthrottling to 800MHz, even when they’re plugged in, set to the maximum performance profile, and not overheating. The result, they say, is slower HDD and SSD performance and reduced random read / write speeds, among other pernicious side effects. Worse, the only reliable solution so far seems to be shutting down the system and performing a cold boot. (For some — but not all — disabling Intel Speedstep and / or CPU Power Management in the BIOS works, too.) Judging by the threads in Lenovo’s user forum, the company is definitely aware of the problem, though it’s unclear if it’s found a fix yet. We’ve pinged Lenovo for comment and will let you know what we hear. In the meantime, how’s your X220 treating you?

Some Lenovo ThinkPad X220 owners report downthrottling, reduced performance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLenovo (forum), NotebookReview (forum)  | Email this | Comments

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May 25

ASUS preparing an ultraslim Eee PC ‘with a twist’ for Computex

Posted in: ASUS, laptop, leak, netbook, Pre-Release, teaser, thin and light, ThinAndLight, Today's Chili, ultraportable

ASUS’ week of merciless teasers continues today with a silhouette of what the company calls a “super-slim sensation [with] a twist.” It’s an Eee PC and there are no doubts about it being a netbook, but something about this evolutionary product won’t be quite the same as on its predecessors. Notebook Italia has dug up the above image, which looks like a match for ASUS’ shadow-obscured teaser and shows what may very well be the thinnest Eee PC we’ve yet seen. Last time ASUS was touting anything laptop-shaped that was quite so slim, it was the Neo smartbook prototype that never made it out of the labs, but this here cheese slicer looks very likely to be hitting the market shortly after Computex. Naturally, we’ll be in Taipei getting the lowdown for you, whatever happens.

ASUS preparing an ultraslim Eee PC ‘with a twist’ for Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNotebook Italia, ASUS (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

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May 18

Apple’s MacBook Air duo to receive Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt upgrade in June or July?

Posted in: Apple, intel, laptop, macbook, macbook air, MacbookAir, refresh, rumor, sandy bridge, SandyBridge, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, ultraportable, update, upgrade

We’ve already seen Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt reinvigorating the MacBook Pro line, so it’s only logical for the MacBook Airs to eventually follow suit — presumably they’ll pick up Sandy Bridge’s 17W mobile processors to match the current 10W and 17W Core 2 Duos. So when can we expect this to happen? Well, according to DigiTimes’ sources within the supply chain, Apple may receive shipment of the refreshed Airs in late May ahead of a June or July launch — this echoes earlier reports from Apple Insider and CNET that cited the same time frame. Additionally, DigiTimes says Quanta will continue to assemble Apple’s ultra-portable laptops, with Simplo Technology and Dynapack supplying the battery packs. As always, we shall remain open-minded about such rumors, but you’ll know the real deal as soon as we do within the next couple of months or so.

Apple’s MacBook Air duo to receive Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt upgrade in June or July? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 16

Lenovo adds ThinkPad X1 to laptop comparison guide, outs IPS screen, USB 3.0, and optional SSD

Posted in: leak, lenovo, multitouch, official, sandy bridge, SandyBridge, SSD, thin and light, ThinAndLight, thinkpad, Today's Chili, ultraportable, usb 3.0, Usb3.0, windows 7, Windows7

If you’ve somehow not heard of the ThinkPad X1 yet, you join us at a good time. The well leaked laptop has shown up at an X Series comparison site, put together by Lenovo itself, where yet more specs have been made known. The 13.3-inch display is dubbed a SuperBright HD inifinity panel, which to you and us simply means it’s built using IPS technology. There’s also an integrated fingerprint reader, a buttonless touchpad, USB 3.0 connectivity, and a promised 10-hour battery life with a slice battery. Weighing in at 1.36kg (3lbs) and measuring about 16mm (0.625 inches) in thickness, it’s described as Lenovo’s thinnest ThinkPad yet. Last time we heard, we were told to expect it on May 17th, guess those webmasters are getting the show started a little early. One more glamor shot of the X1 can be found after the break.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Continue reading Lenovo adds ThinkPad X1 to laptop comparison guide, outs IPS screen, USB 3.0, and optional SSD

Lenovo adds ThinkPad X1 to laptop comparison guide, outs IPS screen, USB 3.0, and optional SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 02:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

Ask Engadget: best full-size laptop without an optical drive?

Posted in: AskEngadget, laptop, notebook, Today's Chili, ultraportable

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Garren, who isn’t ashamed of being picky about his next laptop. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m a college student looking for a new laptop, but almost all of my media I receive digitally. I’m looking for a laptop, not a netbook, without an optical drive, and budget sensitive. The optical drive will just be a waste of space, when I can have thinner laptop. What’s out there?“

Any of you digital junkies care to chime in? If so, comments are welcoming one and all down below.

Ask Engadget: best full-size laptop without an optical drive? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 12

Google I/O 2011 recap: Chromebooks, Music Beta, Movies and more

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, GalaxyTab, Google, laptop, Movies, Music, netbook, samsung, Today's Chili, ultraportable, YouTube

And that, as they say, is a wrap. We’ve departed a shockingly sunny San Francisco, but not without a huge helping of Google news to mull over on the long ride home. In typical Goog fashion, the outfit served up a double-dose of keynotes this year, both of which seemed to delight both developers and media alike. Sure, no new superphones used the show as a launching pad, but plenty of other nuggets were unearthed. From the reveal of Music Beta to the official introduction of the world’s first commercial Chromebooks, the 2011 edition of Google I/O packed plenty of punch. If you missed even a second of our continuous coverage, we’ve got you covered — the best of the best is recapped below. We’ll see you next year, I/O… you bring the tiramisu, we’ll bring the Ice Cream Sandwich.

Keynotes / liveblogs:
Day 1: Music Beta, Android 3.1, Ice Cream Sandwich, Open Accessory, ADK
Day 2: Chrome, Angry Birds, Chrome OS, Chromebooks

Editorials / previews:
Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video)
Editorial: Engadget on Google Music and Movies for Android
Google Music Beta versus the titans of the streaming music space: a chart
Editorial: Google clarifies Chromebook subscriptions, might have just changed the industry

Hands-ons:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition (white) hands-on from Google I/O!
Samsung Series 5 Chrome OS laptop hands-on at Google I/O
Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video)
Hasbro’s experimental Nexus-powered robot toy hands-on at Google I/O (video)
Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on)
Google’s Arduino-based ADK powers robots, home gardens and giant Labyrinth (video)
LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video)
iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform hands-on at Google I/O (video)
Groupme’s group messaging app demoed at Google I/O, complete with data / location (video)

Head on past the break for more!

Continue reading Google I/O 2011 recap: Chromebooks, Music Beta, Movies and more

Google I/O 2011 recap: Chromebooks, Music Beta, Movies and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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