Isaiah's Tech

Two Lenovo notebooks are now available and it's the 14-inch T420s and the 15.6-inch W520. They're both packing Intel "Sandy Bridge" CPUs which should be no surprise. The T420s packs a 1,600 x 900 resolution display, an Intel Core i5-2520M 2.5GHz CPU, and Windows 7 Home Premium in the base model. That's pretty good but it doesn't look like there's an option for a Core i7 CPU which could be bad if you crave for more speed.

The other notebook is the W520 which starts at $1,449. Fortunately, the base model features an Intel Core i7-2620M 2.7GHz CPU, a Nvidia Quadro 1000M GPU, and Optimus technology. Unfortunately, the display only sports a 1,366 x 768 resolution which isn't amazing. Thankfully, you're able to customize it to a 1,600 x 900 or a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution if you want it. Whenver you're ready check out the T420s here and the W520 here.

[Engadget]

Acer is back at it again, this time unveiling a plain old ultraportable notebook. Dubbed the U36, this notebook features Intel Core i3 / i5 CPU options, Nvidia's Optimus tech, and a 4-cell battery that will reportedly last 10 hours thanks to Asus' Super Hybrid Engine (whatever that is). The body is said to be about 0.75 inches thick and it weighs around 3.2 pounds. The release date and price is unknown right now but we know that it'll be available in both silver and black colours.

[Electronista]

A fairly new netbook from Asus has just been made official and it's the Eee PC 1015PN. This netbook sports a 10.1-inch display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution, a dual-core Atom N550 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, Nvidia Ion 2 graphics, Optimus, and Windows 7. Apparently, you'll get as much as 9.5 hours of battery life which beats out the new MacBook Air's quite a bit but they're really not in the same league. This one's going for $429 right now so you can check it out on Asus if you want.

[Engadget]

Lenovo has just updated a couple of their notebooks and it's great news for everyone! The T410, T410s, and T510 notebooks are now available with Nvidia Optimus technology and NVS 3100M GPUs are inside. Since the Optimus will turn off the discrete graphics when you aren't using it you should be able to get about an hour of extra battery life. Other specs remain the same so you still get Intel Core i5 / i7 CPU options (with optional 3G / WiMAX options), which is still good for another couple of months - until CES 2011 rolls around. The T410 and the T510 are available right now for $1,299, while the T410s is going for $1,849.

[Slash Gear]

Asus has just unveiled two new notebooks, the 15.6-inch (1,366 x 768 resolution) N53JN and the 17.3-inch (1,600 x 900 resolution) N73JN. Both notebooks pack the same spec sheet, except for the displays, that is. They pack Intel Core i3 / i5 CPU options, Nvidia's Optimus technology, LED-backlit displays, Nvidia GeForce 325M / 400M GPU options, DirectX 11 support, WiFi b/g/n / Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB port, HDMI output, audio jacks, a possible Blu-ray drive, and Bang & Olufsen audio. In Europe, you'll be able to pick up the N53JN for anywhere between £649.99 ($1,000 USD) and £999 ($1,537 USD), while the N73JN will cost you £1,099 ($1,698 USD).

[Slash Gear]

MSI has officially put up two more notebooks on their site, the FX600 (pictured above) and the FR600 (here and here, respectively. Both notebooks aren't available yet but the release date should be soon since they now have a spot on their own site. Both of these notebooks share a similar spec sheet: Intel Core i3 / i5 CPU options, a 15.6-inch display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 320GB / 500GB / 640GB HDD options, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, HDMI / two USB 2.0 ports, and an eSATA / USB port. The main difference between the two is that the FX600 sports integrated Intel HD graphics along with Geforce GT 325M graphics so you'll be able to take full advantage of Nvidia's Optimus technology.

[Electronista]

Asus has just announced and released two new bamboo notebook models in the UK, the 13.3-inch U33Jc and the 15.6-inch U53Jc. Both of these notebooks sport an Intel Core i5-430M CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 2MP webcam, integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, and GeForce 310M graphics. You'll be able to switch between the graphics thanks to Nvidia's Optimus technology. The notebook also features other things like a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI / VGA output, audio jacks, a DVD burner, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. The only difference between the two models (besides the size of the display) is that the U33 sports a 500GB HDD, while the U53 has a 640GB one.

Both notebooks have a battery life of up to 10 hours, in case you were interested. The U33 is going (here) for £849 ($1,297 USD) while the U53 (here) is £899 ($1,373 USD).

[Engadget, Slash Gear]

A bunch of new Gateway laptops are about to hit the US; these include the ID Series notebooks and the LT Series netbooks. The 14-inch ID49 and 15.6-inch ID59 notebooks will be available in a couple of weeks with a base price of around $800. They'll both be packing the awesome glowing touchpads and you'll find Intel Core i3 / i5 CPU options along with Nvidia's Optimus graphics. The LT23 netbook will be packing a 10.1-inch display, an Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, and Windows 7. This netbook will be available for $329 soon and Engadget has a bunch of pictures of all of the laptops if you check out their site.

[Engadget]

Well, people in Malaysia can now get the updated Alienware M11x notebook. This iteration comes complete with Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 CPU options along with Nvidia's Optimus technology. They're starting at RM 3,699 ($1,110 USD) right now (here), but maybe the US site will get it tomorrow - seeing how it's already Tuesday, June 8th in Malaysia already. We'll have to wait and see.

Update: Engadget has just updated their post and they've mentioned that the US has got the upgrade as well. You can now get this notebook with some better CPU options. For $949 you can get this notebook with a Core i5-520UM.

[Engadget]

We've heard about Asus' Eee PC 1215N netbook already and it looks like its younger brother has just been spotted at Computex. The 1015N actually isn't anything like the 1215N since it packs a 10.1-inch display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution and the entire spec sheet is turned down a notch. The 1015N is said to feature an Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. Thankfully, this netbook still has the good ol' Nvidia Optimus technology.

Update: jkkmobile has just got their hands-on with this netbook. Check out a 2-minute video below.



[Liliputing]

We heard about this netbook surfacing two weeks ago and it's gotten just a bit more details. So, netbook sales may be slipping due to the iPad and blah, blah, blah, but that doesn't really matter. The Asus Eee PC 1215N is stating that this netbook will be launching in July with Intel's upcoming dual-core 1.5GHz N500 CPU, Nvidia's next-gen Ion graphics, and Optimus technology to switch from integrated and discrete graphics automatically.

Of course, this netbook will have a 12-inch display and it'll have 1080p HD capabilities. The price will be pegged at anywhere between $550 and $600. This one could be on my list, we'll just have to see how powerful that CPU is when it gets benchmarked though.

[Slash Gear]

The Asus Eee PC 1201PN netbook is one of the first netbooks to launch with the next-gen Nvidia Ion graphics, but it looks like it won't be sporting the Optimus technology that Nvidia has to offer. If you were waiting for the next-gen Ion graphics along with the Optimus technology it now looks like the 1201PN netbook isn't the way to go. Instead a new Eee PC has popped up in Italy.

The Asus Eee PC 1215N will be hitting the shelves in the next couple of months - in June - and it'll be the successor to the 1201PN, which launches in May. The 1215N will be launching with Nvidia's Optimus technology, the next-gen Ion graphics, and the dual-core Atom N500 CPU.

[Electronista, Netbooked]

It looks like HP is looking to launch the Envy 17 notebook extremely soon seeing how it has just hit their website (here). Specs aren't mentioned yet, but it'll be surprising not to find some Core i7 CPU options along with Nvidia's Optimus technology - especially when it's set to go head-to-head with the new MacBook Pro 17-inch model that just got refreshed. Of course, it'll launch with Windows 7, but it may not have an integrated optical DVD drive.

[Engadget]

We heard about the Asus N82J notebook at CeBIT and it looks like it has just been announced again. It officially packs a 14-inch LED-backlit display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution, an Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz CPU (Turbo Boost for up to 2.8GHz), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT335M graphics, a 640GB HDD 5,400 rpm / a 500GB HDD 7,200 rpm, a 2MP webcam, USB 3.0, a DVD Super-Multi drive with a Blu-ray, an 8-cell battery, and Windows 7. Of course, this notebook packs Nvidia's Optimus technology to automatically switch from the integrated and discrete graphics.

[Akihabara News]

It looks like Apple has finally updated their MacBook Pro line-up and the 15 and 17-inch models are now sporting Intel Core i5 / i7 CPU options. Unfortunately, the 13-inch model - as you can see in the photo above - is stuck with Core 2 Duo CPU options, but the speed was bumped up slightly. It's packing 4GB of RAM in the base model now and it comes with Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics along with a 10-hour battery life. You can get the 13-inch model for $1,199 and $1,499.

The 15-inch model is where it gets interesting. The base model sports an Intel Core i5 2.4GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM (up to 8GB), a 320GB HDD (up to a possible 512GB SSD), Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics, and up to a 9 hour battery life. You can get the 15-inch model for anywhere between $1,799 and $2,199 for the Core i7 (2.66GHz) model. The 17-inch model (Full HD resolution) goes for $2,299 and that'll get you an Intel Core i5 2.53GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM (up to 8GB), a 500GB HDD, Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics, and up to a 9 hour battery life. Of course, these both feature Nvidia's Optimus technology, which is great news.

Update: According to Apple Insider, Nvidia has mentioned that the Optimus technology is not used in the new MacBook Pros. Instead, Apple came up with their own automatic graphics switching technology, but it basically does the same thing.

Update: It looks like all of these CPU refreshes are dual-core CPUs. There are no quad-core CPU options in any of these notebooks which is a let down. Of course, they needed to do this to make the notebooks last so long. So it's up to you if you want performance or battery life.

If you're going to pick up a new MacBook Pro you know where to point your browser to.

[9 to 5 Mac, Engadget, Electronista]

Apparently, Alienware could be updating their M11x gaming notebook. This notebook sports an 11.6-inch display and it could be sporting new Intel Core CPUs by June / July of this year. However, that's not all. It could also be sporting Nvidia's new Optimus technology so it'll be accompanied with the GeForce GT335M CPU. This is just a rumour right now, but it would greatly improve the performance and battery life of this notebook.

[Engadget]

Apple Daily (here) has just mentioned that Apple is looking to refresh their MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro notebooks later this month. Apparently, all of their notebooks will be getting Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 CPU options, while the 13 and 15-inch variants will have a battery life of up to 8 hours. They'll also be sporting 640GB HDD and even 256GB SSD options. Of course, these notebooks will feature Nvidia Optimus technology so that you can make your battery last a bit longer. Let's just see if it really happens.

Update: According to Mac Rumors, this update could come as soon as April 13th which is this coming Tuesday!

[Electronista]
Picture Source: 9 to 5 Mac

Asus has just announced and released the U30jc notebook. This notebook comes packed with a 13.3-inch LED display (1,366 x 768 resolution), a chiclet keyboard, an aluminum body, and Nvidia Optimus graphics which automatically switches between the integrated Intel graphics and the discrete Nvidia GeForce G310M graphics. Along with that, it also has an Intel Core i3-350M 2.26GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, WiFi b/g/n, a 320GB HDD, an optical drive, VGA / HDMI ports, an integrated 0.3MP webcam, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Apparently, this notebook can last for up to 9.5 hours with its 8-cell battery. Check it out on Amazon here for $899.

[Slash Gear]

You may know the Acer Aspire One 532G netbook and it looks like they just found a possible price tag for it. Apparently it'll be launching for 379 Euros ($516 USD) sometime soon. Besides the Ion 2 with Nvidia's Optimus technology it's a fairly standard netbook. Sadly, early benchmarks stated that this netbook actually has a lower graphics benchmark than the old Ion.

[Slash Gear]

MSI has just shown off their first notebooks at CeBIT that will use the new Nvidia Optimus technology. There'll be two models right now, the 14-inch FX400 and the 15.6-inch FX600. Both of them will have GeForce 300M graphics cards and I'm actually liking the way they look. MSI has the tendency to use their boring old models over and over again so I'm actually loving this new look that they've come up with. Inside you'll find the Core i5 CPU and up to 4GB of RAM. The release details and pricing hasn't been mentioned yet, so you can just adore the pictures for now.

[Electronista]