SAN FRANCISCO — Google announced a new generation of Chrome OS–based laptops at the company’s I/O developer conference.

The new device will be called the Chromebook, and its interface will be based entirely on Google’s Chrome browser. In other words, everything you do with a Chromebook will be on and through the web.

Google has formed partnerships with two manufacturers to build the hardware, Acer and Samsung. Each of the companies will produce one Chrome netbook.

Acer’s model will run on Intel’s dual-core Atom processor, with an 11.6-inch HD display. Google claims a 6-hour battery life, with instant-on capability. It weighs just under 3 pounds, and will come in Wi-Fi or 3G models, starting at $350.

Samsung’s model is similar, though a bit bigger. Its larger 12.1-inch display puts Samsung’s Chromebook at 3¼ pounds, so it’s also somewhat heavier. But the makers promise better battery life, at 8.5 hours. It will run on the same Intel Atom dual-core processor, and have the same USB and SD card slots that the Acer model will have. Samsung’s model will start at $430 for Wi-Fi, and $500 for a 3G version.

Google’s initial foray into this market launched last year with the CR-48 web-only laptop. Google said the pilot program had over 1 million participants. Initial feedback was generally positive, except for scathing reviews of the CR-48’s trackpad.

Google vice president of Chrome Sundar Pichai assured the developer audience that the new Chromebooks will come with “fully reworked trackpads.”

And in a hacker-friendly nod to its developers, Pichai said Chromebooks will come with “full jailbreaking mode built in, so you can play around with the kernel all you want.”

The Chromebook will be available to the public through Amazon.com and BestBuy.com beginning June 15 for U.S. customers. It will also be available in a small number of other countries: Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

The devices are made by both Samsung and Acer, and will likely be available in June.Prices are expected to be well under $500.

The manufacturers and timeline are within what Google said at the press conference last December announcing the Chrome laptop.

I used Google’s beta device, the CR-48, extensively. It was a good machine, with the greatest woes around hardware issues like battery and Wifi connectivity. Presumably professional manufacturers have addressed some of that.

Toshiba Corporation announced the introduction of the industry’s first notebook PC featuring playback of 3D content in the Blu-ray 3D format. The new “dynabook TX/98MBL” will be available from the end of July in the Japanese market. dynabook TX/98MBL features a 15.6-inch wide LCD display with LED backlighting and a 120Hz scan rate. It employs WinDVD BD for TOSHIBA to play back content in the Blu-ray 3D format and NVIDIA 3D Vision software and hardware to deliver a rich 3D experience.

The new notebook is called the Dynabook TX/98MBL and has a 15.6-inch 120Hz LED backlit screen ready for 3D. The 3D effects use the NVIDIA 3D Vision system and support 3D games and future 3D Blu-ray titles.

The machine has an Intel Core i7-740QM CPU and an integrated Blu-ray drive. RAM is 4GB and the machine has 640GB of storage. Toshiba also ships the notebook with a remote.

These are the specs that we know so far: a 15.6 display with 1,366 x 768 resolution and “Clear SuperView LED”, Intel Core i7 740QM CPU, 4GB of RAM (8GB max.), Blu-ray burner, HDMI interface, 4 USB ports, 3.3 Megapixel webcam, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Apple has, at last, updated its MacBook Pro Line with new CPUs and graphics. The 15-inch can now be had with Intel’s Core i5 and i7 chips and the 17-inch gets the i5 as standard and the i7 as an option. This speeds things up, although the clock speeds actually drop, maxing out now at 2.66GHz instead of the previous 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo (or 3.06GHz special order). There is also a KITT-style “turbo-boost” which will up the clock speeds of some chip cores when applications demand it.

The graphics chip has been bumped to NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, with a choice of graphics memory options. This replaces the NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT cards of the previous generation. The biggest change here is that you can now switch between the low power and the high performance modes without rebooting or logging out: the MacBook switches for you.

The 15-inch MacBook also gains the option of a higher resolution screen: 1680 x 1050 pixels against the standard 1440 x 900. This combines with the new NVIDIA chips to give proper HD video.

The other big change is battery life. All models get a boost of a couple hours, pushing the 13-inch MacBook Pro up to ten hours (although this is no iPad, so expect that to be lower in real life). The 15 and 17-inchers manage a respectable 8-9 hours.

Lenovo has launched a new series of notebooks, the Lenovo ThinkPad ‘L’ series, and they have announced two new models in the range, the ThinkPad L412 and ThinkPad L512.

According to Lenovo both models are designed to be environmentally friendly, with around thirty percent of each model made from post-consumer recycled materials.

On top of that Lenovo have said that the ThinkPad L series notebooks meet eight different military standard for ruggedness, meaning they are resistant to high and low temperatures as well as vibration, dust and altitude.

None of this fervor is lost on Lenovo which is now launching its new ThinkPad L-Series notebooks. The new ThinkPad L412 and L512 notebooks support EPEAT Gold, Energy Star 5.0, feature materials with up to 30 percent Post Consumer Content, and are shipped with 100 percent recyclable packaging material.

Like most notebook manufacturers, Lenovo is looking to add Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors to all of its professional-level notebooks. In the case of the new ThinkPad L-412 (14″) and L512 (15″), Lenovo gives users the choice of Core i3 or Core i5 processors with TurboBoost — the pair is available with processors ranging from the Core i3-300M (2.13GHz) to the Core i5-540M (2.53GHz).

Graphics duties are handled by an integrated Intel GMA HD graphics solution and a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 with 512 MB DDR3 memory.

Both machines come equipped with a 1366×768 LED-backlit display, support for up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, up to a 320GB HDD, fingerprint reader, GbE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and can be optioned with WiMAX. Base machines come equipped with 4-cell batteries, but users can choose to go with an optional 6-cell or 9-cell battery — battery life jumps to around 8 hours with a 9-cell battery.

Apple [AAPL] has finally updated its MacBook Pro range, all models have had a refresh with the 13 inch MacBook Pro featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce 320m graphics chip, which is designed to deliver up to 80% faster graphics and a 10 hour battery life.

The 13 Inch MacBook Pro now comes with 4GB of RAM as standard, a 250GB hard drive and a 2.4 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor or a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.Both the 15 inch and 17 inch MacBook Pros come with a choice of Intel Core i5 and i7 processor, 4GB of RAM as standard, and a range of new display options.

Here are the full specifications.

2.4 GHz 13 Inch MacBook Pro

* 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 1066 MHz front-side bus;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
* 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight® video camera;
* two USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
* SD card slot;
* combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

2.66GHz 13 Inch MacBook Pro

* 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
* 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
* 1066 MHz front-side bus;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
* 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight video camera;
* two USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
* SD card slot;
* combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
* 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
* 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight video camera;
* two USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire 800 port;
* SD card slot;
* audio line in (analog/digital);
* audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
* 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
* 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight video camera;
* two USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire 800 port;
* SD card slot;
* audio line in (analog/digital);
* audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro

* 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
* 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4MB shared L3 cache;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
* 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight video camera;
* two USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire 800 port;
* SD card slot;
* audio line in (analog/digital);
* audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

2.53 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro

* 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;
* 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
* integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
* 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
* AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* iSight video camera;
* three USB 2.0 ports;
* one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* audio line in (analog/digital);
* audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
* built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and
* 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eLSRrfXX38

Acer have introduced a new line of notebook computers called the Acer Aspire Ethos series. The new series of netbooks are designed to look good as well as have high performance chips inside letting them run good too.

The notebooks are called the Acer Aspire Ethos 8943G and the Aspire Ethos 5943G which come with a range of processors which includes the Intel Core i5 and i7 range of processors. The Acer 8943G is the higher end of the models (and the larger) and features an 18 inch screen with a full HD resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. The smaller 5943G model has a 15.6 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 786 pixels.

Powering the graphics in each Ethos notebook are ATI Mobility Radeon HD5000 graphics chips. Other features on the notebook computers include Dolby Home Theatre surround support which offers a 5.1 output. As well as utilising Dolby surround on external speakers the notebooks also have five speakers built in allowing for each channel to be replicated correctly.


The Acer Aspire Notebooks also have plenty of storage which reaches a capacity of 1.28TB by combining two 640GB hard drives in each notebook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w6muqp5Lq4

The device comes by way of Gigabyte (TPE:2376) with their T1000 netbook tablet. The T1000 comes powered with a 1.66GHz N450 processor with an optional n470 and sports a 10.1-inch LCD display with 1366×768 pixel resolution that is interchangeable between a netbook setup and tablet setup.

Along with this, the T1000 has 1GB DDR2 RAM
, 250GB 2.5-inch SATA HDD, an integrated microphone with two 1.5W speakers and a 1.3 megapixel web cam. For network connections, the T1000 includes full support for wireless 802.11b/g/n connectivity, wired 10/100 Ethernet and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.


There are also 2 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB combo (no USB 3.0 included), 4 in 1 multiformat card reader, audio in/out and an express card port.

Two versions of the T1000 are being offered and these are the T1000x and the T1000p. Where the units differ is in their battery which additionally affects the overall weight of the device. The T1000x comes with a 4 cell, 4500mAh Li-ion battery and an overall weight of 1.3kg whereas the T1000p has a 6 cell, 7650mAh Li-ion battery that results in a slight weight increase to 1.48kg. Users will need to make the decision of whether better battery life outweighs the reduced portability that comes associated with it.

Pricing was not announced but may be available during CeBIT 2010.

That’s strange, because so far we’ve not officially heard of those particular CPU variants being officially announced.  Intel debuted their Atom N470 chip over the weekend, and previous rumors suggested that the N455 and N475 versions would be updated to allow for the use of DDR3 memory.

Elsewhere there’s 1-2GB of RAM, a 250GB to 500GB hard-drive, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display and WiFi b/g/n together with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.  Bluetooth 3.0 is apparently optional.  There’s also a fingerprint reader, some bundled online Eee Storage, and the whole thing measures just 18mm thick.