Apple makes waves with Mavericks, iPad Air

Published on 22 Oct 2013 | Apple releases its OS X operating system update for free and unleashes new hardware. CNET's Bridget Carey has the roundup on the new iPads, MacBook Pro laptops, the Mac Pro desktop, and more.

Microsoft Surface Window RT / 8

OVERVIEW

Surface with Windows 8 Pro is Microsoft's bold attempt to take on not just the iPad and Android, but the entire laptop market, and bring desktop-strength tablets — a niche-product for decades — to the masses. In doing so, the company has built on its years of experience with pen and touch interfaces, and created a tablet that offers multiple input methods — including fingertip, stylus, and keyboards — right out of the box. Running on Windows 8 Pro, this tablet will be able to run all Windows desktop applications. Microsoft says it will be priced to compete with Ultrabooks, and will also be able to take them on when it comes to performance and versatility.

source :  >>>

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by ABCNews : Microsoft Surface RT Video Review  Does Microsoft's first Windows 8 tablet live up to the hype?

Acer Aspire S7

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m6 : HP Pavilion

The good: The HP Pavilion m6 adds some high-end details from HP's more expensive laptops, while keeping the price down. This is a highly configurable system, with options for discrete graphics and fast CPUs.

The bad: This is just not as solidly built as HP's Envy laptops. The keyboard isn't great, and the low screen resolution feels clunky on a 15-inch laptop.

The bottom line: This near-ultrabook packs in processing and graphics power, along with an optical drive, at a reasonable price. The only real knock against the Pavilion m6 is that some of HP's higher-end systems hardly cost more.

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Samsung New Series 9 vs. Vizio Thin+Light CT14-A2

Published on Sep 5, 2012 by CNETTV : It's a Prizefight punchout between two of the top premium ultrabooks on the market. Does the new kid on the block, Vizio, have what it takes to take down Samsung? Let's do this!

HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook

One thing nearly every PC maker has in store for the launch of Windows 8 is a touch-screen laptop. That's apart from all the hybrid and convertible laptops we've seen, which will also be nearly universal. Those hybrid systems have a screen that either flips around or snaps apart from its keyboard, while touch-screen laptops are traditional clamshell systems, just with a touch-enabled panel added.

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Dell Inspiron 17R a basic 17-inch

Published on Aug 23, 2012 by CNETTV : If you need maximum screen size at a minimum price, this basic 17-inch Dell Inspiron 17R is powerful enough for everyday tasks.

 
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Acer's ultra-affordable Timeline U M5-481TG ultrabook - First Look

Published on Aug 8, 2012 by CNETTV : For under $800, this 14-inch ultrabook packs a Core i5 processor, Nvidia graphics, a DVD drive, and a backlit keyboard. It's a back-to-school special that's extremely tough to beat.

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Mossberg Reviews New Lenovo and H-P Laptops

Published on Aug 8, 2012 by WSJDigitalNetwork ; The relatively pricey Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook and the much cheaper H-P ENVY 6-1010us "Sleekbook" powered by an AMD chip both have their strengths, says WSJ's Walt Mossberg. But neither has very impressive battery life.

     

Toshiba Satellite U845-S406 review

The Satellite U845-S406 does have a backlit keyboard and all the basic ports (Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, SD card slot), plus a slightly larger-than-average 14-inch screen, but it weighs more than a Toshiba Portege R935 (the CPU-upgraded update to the Portege R835 CNET has reviewed), even though the Portege R935 also includes an optical drive and a faster processor. Even more oddly, some models of the new Portege are more affordable.

 

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Simply put, Toshiba has too many laptops, but that's an argument for a different day. The Satellite U845-S406 offers what amounts to, for mid-2012, a solid, standard set of ultrabook specs and features, but in a rather generically designed package, and not at a standout price. It doesn't stand out from its peers. I'd try to get one for as little as possible and pay down for the entry-level model. This type of laptop should cost $750, not $879.

Starting price / Price as reviewed	$749 / $879
Processor	1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U
Memory	4GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	500GB, 5,400rpm + 32GB SSD hybrid
Chipset	Intel HM77
Graphics	Intel HD 4000
Operating system	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD)	13.4x9.1 inches
Height	0.8 inch
Screen size (diagonal)	14 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	3.7 pounds / 4.3 pounds
Category	ultrabook

31 July 2012 |  read more

Apple’s Wedge Design Patent

 Apple has been awarded a patent for the wedge design of the MacBook Air. The definition of the design is broad enough to cover many ultrabooks, extending Apple's apparent ownership of black rectangles to thin, vaguely katana-like triangles. 

 The design is defined by the solid lines in the patent drawings—the dotted lines are what Apple deems irrelevant to the overall patented design. So really, any laptop that is wedged could fall into this category. Even machines like the new Lenovo X1 Carbon, or the Dell XPS 13, both of which are substantially different from the MacBook Air, but are shaped kinda the same sort of a little. Ugh. 

 Here's the thing, though. 

If we take Tim Cook at his word—which, let's do that for the sake of argument—he doesn't want to bludgeon everyone on patents. But given the landscape, it's obliterate or be obliterated. It's Larry Holmes beating up Muhammad Ali, begging the ref to call the fight. Or, you know, take the fight out back and blow it up with a nuclear warhead. [Verge] 

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Microsoft playing active role in ultrabook development?

The software company is reportedly spending time with ultrabook vendors to ensure that the designs of those devices will work well with touch-enabled Windows 8 environments.

Mooly Eden, head of Intel's PC unit, shows off an ultrabook with 

a transparent touchscreen last year.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Microsoft might only be a software vendor, but the company is playing an active role in hardware, according to a new report.

Digitimes is reporting today, citing sources, that Microsoft is "actively involved" in ultrabook product designs. The reason the company is so involved revolves around Windows 8's touch-enabled features. When displays are touched in traditional clamshell notebooks, the screens will shake and move a bit, making it difficult to handle tasks. Microsoft has now placed more stringent specifications on vendors, according to Digitimes' sources, to ensure that the touch screens will deliver a more reliable experience.

The combination of ultrabooks and touch screens is something many vendors believe could be a key ingredient in the form factor's success. Last November, Intel CEO Paul Otellini, whose company developed the ultrabook specification, said that touch-based options will become increasingly important as the devices try to compete against traditional notebooks and Apple's own iPad.

Full report