First the rumor mill revealed ASUS had plans to refresh Ultrabooks with Ivy Bridge and 1080p IPS displays. Then the company confirmed the news itself when it brought some new Zenbook Prime laptops out for a demo and promised they’d go on sale in ASUS’ native Taiwan. Now ASUS has just confirmed it’s bringing four models to the states: the 11-inch UX21A, the 13-inch UX31A / UX32A and the UX32VD.

What’s the difference between the UX31A and the UX32A, you ask? It all comes down to storage: the UX32A uses hybrid hard drives, while the UX31A packs an SSD. Meanwhile, the UX32VD is nearly identical to the UX31A except that it packs an NVIDIA GT 620M GPU.

As rumored, the lineup includes Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processors, with 1920 x 1080 IPS displays offered even on the 11-incher. (If you don’t need that kind of pixel density, 1366 x 768 displays will be available as well.) Another thing they all have in common: ASUS has tweaked the touchpad and re-tooled the keyboard, making the pitch 12 percent deeper. Also, the keys are now backlit, for what that’s worth.

Tentatively, ASUS is saying the 13-inch variations will start at $999 with Ivy Bridge (that lone $799 13-inch model comes with a Sandy Bridge CPU). Still no word on pricing for the smaller UX21A, though we know it will be offered in two flavors: one with Core i5 and a 128GB SSD, and one with Core i7 and an optional 256GB drive.

Of course, ASUS is careful to warn that these prices are subject to change, though we’re presuming they’re at least in the same ballpark as what you’ll ultimately pay. Additionally, ASUS isn’t saying when, exactly, these models will be available, but it’s obvious that Intel needs to formally unveil its remaining Ivy Bridge CPUs before these laptops can see the light of day.

Batteries apparently have become the focus in an effort to reduce the system cost of Ultrabooks. According to a report out of Taiwan, Intel is apparently looking at Sanyo’s and BAK’s 16650 cylindrical battery as well as prismatic lithium-ion batteries.

The cylindrical battery seems to be the device of choice due to its low cost, but its diameter of 16 mm makes it a challenge to be built into Ultrabooks, which, by Intel’s definition, need to be less than 21 mm thick. A problem may also be that the market for these batteries is controlled by Sanyo and BAK and the supply is very limited. Prismatic are more expensive, but are only 5 to 6 mm thick, while using a greater footprint of 60 x 80 mm.

Digitimes noted that Acer is using the 16650 cylindrical batteries in its Ultrabook while Lenovo is using a prismatic battery in its IdeaPad 530.

SOURCE via DigiTimes

It’s far from official, but from the looks of things, an update to Dell’s Latitude line may be incoming. According to Dutch site Tweakers.net, the outfit’s 14-inch refresh, bearing model number 6430u, will purportedly sport a 1366 x 768 display, dual-core i3, i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge processor and measure in at a slightly chunky 20.9mm thick. For the business-minded types that it’s being aimed at, this enterprise-ready Ultrabook will also run Intel’s vPro platform, giving IT departments worldwide easy access for data management and remote wipes, in addition to supporting a smartcard reader and an optional fingerprint scanner. As for its SSD innards, the unit should be available in configurations up to 256GB with a maximum of 8GB RAM allotted. Since this fella exists in a grey zone for now, there’s no official pricing or release date to speak of, though rumors do point to a June bow. Check out the source below for a translated take on this pre-release kit.

SOURCE via Tweakers.net (Translated)

Intel may be reacting to criticism that its processors are simply too expensive to support the lower price tags of Ultrabooks. According to Digitimes, the company will soon be offering two ultra-low voltage Celerons that could be used as CPUs for cheaper compact notebooks. The Celeron ULV 877 and 807 will reportedly be sold for $86 and $70 respectively.

Meanwhile, Intel is planning the second wave of Ivy Bridge processors, set to land on June 3, according to Digitimes. The new lineup will include the quad-core CPUs Core i5-3570, i5-3470, i5-3570S, and i5-3475S for desktop applications with prices ranging from $184 to $205.

There will be one new dual-core desktop chip (i5-3470T, $184), two new notebook CPUs (i7-3520M, i5-3360M and i5-3320M for $346, $266 and $225, respectively), as well as the Core i7-3367M and i5-3427M for Ultrabooks ($346 and $225).

SOURCE via DigiTimes

Toshiba is announcing a slate of new machines that all sport Intel’s Ivy Bridge internals. The more austere Dynabook Qosmio T752 sheds the color-changing shell of its predecessor in favor of brushed aluminum. The AV-centric machine sports a TV Tuner and Blu-Ray drive in addition to its 15.6-inch LED-backlit 1366 x 768 display, a 1TB HDD and 8GB of RAM — all playing second fiddle to that 2.3GHz Core i7 CPU. You can also pick up the glasses-free 3D Qosmio T852 with an autostereoscopic display and a Dynabook T552, with all of those fun features stripped out, but promising a slightly (five hour) more longevous battery life.

At the same time, the company is outing a Regaza home-entertainment PC that comes hitched to a 23-inch 1920 x 1080 display, the same 2.3GHz Ivy Bridge chip and a pair of TV tuners, one analog and one digital. We’ll see these arrive in stores in Japan starting May 25th, with pricing and availability over here currently in the wind.

SOURCE via Toshiba

Acer made something of a splash when it trotted out its Timeline Ultra series of Ultrabooks at CES; those waves are just now hitting the shore with a full-on release in the UK under a tweaked Aspire M5 name. Both the 14- and 15-inch models are now known to be packing Intel’s Ivy Bridge-era third-generation Core processors, and the “dedicated” video we heard about in January is NVIDIA’s Kepler-based GeForce GT 640M, which we saw in the Timeline Ultra M3. Either new PC is still under 20mm (0.8 inches) thick with the option of an SSD, like the M3, but slapping the M5 badge on top means a much narrower display bezel, a backlit keyboard and other more upscale touches that show where your money’s going. Picking the 15-inch model adds an optical drive along with a keypad for number-crunching. Mum’s the word on exact specs and that all-important pricing, but those questions will be answered by the time the M5 hits British shops in mid-June. Now all that’s left is to know when the new Aspire reaches the other side of the Atlantic.

SOURCE via Acer

Sony began introducing its new Ivy Bridge lineup last month with the VAIO E Series 14P, a multimedia laptop complete with gesture controls. Today, the company announced two larger models to round out that family, the VAIO E Series 15 and 17. Unlike the 14P, these notebooks don’t come with Ivy Bridge power, but then their larger displays (15.5 inches and 17.3 inches, respectively) and an optional Blu-ray player on the larger model should be enough to tell you that these are entertainment-focused machines rather than next-gen powerhouses. Both the VAIO 15 and 17 run Intel Core i5-2450M CPUS and handle graphics with a AMD Radeon 7650M GPU and either 1GB or 2GB of VRAM depending on the model. Each also has a 750GB hard drive spinning at 5,400 RPM, plus a built-in webcam, USB 3.0 with a sleep-charge feature, HDMI, Bluetooth and WiFi. The main difference between the two is screen resolution: while the 15.5-incher sports a 1366 x 768 display, the 17.3-inch version has a more brilliant 1600 x 900 pixels. Pricing info is still MIA.

While the VAIO E 15 and 17 didn’t make the Ivy Bridge cut, Sony’s business-focused VAIO S and VAIO Z lines will get the processor update. The VAIO S will be available in 13.5- and 15.5-inch flavors, each sporting backlit keyboards and a thin design featuring aluminium, magnesium or carbon fiber (depending on the model). While the 13.3-incher’s display resolution is yet to be determined, the 15.5-inch model will ship with a 1080p IPS screen. And while we simply know that the VAIO S 13 will come with a choice of Core i5 or Core i7 processors, the VAIO S 15 runs a Intel Core i7-3612QM with 8GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GT640M LE GPU (along with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 chip). On the storage side, the 15 has a 1TB hard drive. Both the VAIO S 13 and 15 will have SSD options, and Sony will offer a separate sheet battery for up to 14 hours of longevity. Weight-wise, the outlet is short on specifics, though both models will tip in at less than 4.4 pounds.

The 13.1-inch VAIO Z will have the same Core i7 CPU and 8GB of RAM as the VAIO S 15, but it switches out the 1TB hard drive for a 256GB SSD. Sony is positioning this model as its fastest notebook ever, and certain configurations will offer 3G/LTE connectivity. The optional Power Media Dock will add an optical drive an AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics (the notebook itself is limited to Intel HD Graphics 4000). The Z is even lighter than the VAIO S, weighing less than 2.6 pounds and measuring less than 0.7 inches. As with the previously mentioned models, pricing and availability info has yet to be released.

Intel’s been playing the slow tease with its Haswell microarchitecture as far back as 2008. But today, we finally have a glimpse at what devices running that 22nm core might look like. Shown off at IDF 2012 down in Sao Paulo, the company’s Brazilian prexy, Fernando Martins, was photographed brandishing an Ivy Bridge-loaded Windows 8 Ultrabook powered by that next-gen CPU, replete with touchscreen functionality. While it remains to be seen if such hands-on features will make it into the final consumer product, this reference design does at least tip us off to a potential form factor. When those chips do make their official market debut, you can expect a line of svelte laptops that will reportedly consume 20x less power and last up to ten days on standby. That’ll make for some nice computing kit, for sure. Now you just have to endure the wait.

SOURCE via ZTOP

To pair nicely alongside that beastly Let’s Note B11 we showed you last week, Panasonic’s now also selling its J10 netbook series in Japan. Aesthetically speaking, the new Let’s Note J10 isn’t much different than its predecessor, the J9, though it has changed a bit (as expected) in the specs department. The entry level 10.1-inch (1366 x 768) J10 gets you Intel’s Core i3-2350M CPU with 320GB of hard drive storage as well as 4GB of RAM, while the higher-end model sports an i7-2640M chip (sorry, no Ivy Bridge here), up to 8GB of memory and you can choose between a 256GB SSD or a 1TB HDD. Additionally, each unit’s packing a hefty amount of ports, including two USB 2.0, one USB three-dot-oh and an HDMI out. Those looking to grab one of these J10s best have deep wallets, as pricing ranges from 120,000 yen (about $1,500) all the way up to around 267,000 yen.

SOURCE via Panasonic

The Lenovo ThinkPad has always been quite a sturdy, dependable notebook. We have already seen one of their best, the X1 last year, but since Ivy Bridge has rolled into town, the X1 has gotten quite a kick ass refresh. First of all, the new X1 has grown 1inch into a 14inch ultraportable laptop and is being marketed as an Ultrabook. Even though it’s gained an inch, it hasn’t beome thicker, instead it has been trimmed down. What’s the secret you may ask? Carbon Fibre.

Lenovo have gone all out with the new Thinkpad X1 Carbon, bumping up the resolution to 1600 x 900, tweaked the backlit, spill-resistant keyboard and added 3G connectivity as an optional extra. Under the hood you will also get Intel’s new ivy Bridge processor with the new vPro management technology and integrated graphics.

What do you think? While the specs are still quite up in the air, we can’t wait to actually try one out!

SOURCE via Engadget