A few motherboard manufacturers (Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte) have started using the Killer NIC in their enthusiast class products, and now it’s Alienware’s turn to leap into the bandwagon.

Bigfoot Networks has been toiling away in an effort to get its gaming-optimized networking guts into just about everything — there’s also a VisionTek GPU with Killer innards, and a trifecta of mainboard makers announced that they too would be joining the bustling integration party earlier in the year.

Now, however, the outfit’s really got something to hang its hat on: a handshake with Dell’s Alienware unit. The Killer Wireless-N 1103 networking adapter will now be listed as an option for the Alienware M18x, M17x, M14x and M11x, promising data rates as high as 450Mbps as well as its Advanced Stream Detect to intelligently classify and prioritize network traffic. Mum’s the word on how much the upgrade will be, but based on prior reviews; we’d say the premium will be well worth it for the hardcore among us.

SOURCE via Alienware

While the details are scarce at this point, Taiwan-based part and component suppliers claim that HP will actually be the first to produce a mobile PC based on Intel’s “ultrabook” concept, beating the Asus UX21 (seen right) to the market. The HP-branded ultrabooks will be manufactured by Foxconn and may even arrive sometime this summer.

According to unnamed sources, HP’s upcoming ultra-slim notebooks will be packed with Intel’s 1.7 GHz Core i7-2637M and 1.8 GHz Core i7-2677M dual-core processors. Windows 7 will also be the OS of choice. Other hardware and software specs were not provided.

During Computex 2011, Intel claimed that its tablet-like ultrabook design guidelines would dominate over 40-percent of the laptop market share within the next six to nine months. The form factor itself will supposedly be under 20-mm thick (0.8 inches) while the overall notebook will reside under the $1000 pricetag. The first wave of these super-slim notebooks will run on Intel’s current Sandy Bridge processor platform, and then move to the Ivy Bridge platform next year. Read more…

Thursday Gateway said that it revamped its ID Series and NV Series of notebooks with “stylish designs” and the latest in mobile technology. But the company also said that it managed to cram a 14-inch HD widescreen backlit LED display – with full edge-to-edge glass thank you very much – into a chassis typically used for smaller 13.3-inch models. We’re not talking about clown car physics here, but close.

The laptop with the ultra-tight chassis is the Gateway ID47 and arrives in either an “Infinity Blue Liquid” or a “Brushed Platinum” design, depending on your fancy, both of which sport an aluminum cover with a stainless steel laser-engraved logo. There are also three tasty models to choose, ranging from $679.99 to $699.99. All three offer Windows 7 Home Premium, second generation Core i5 and i3 processors, 4 GB of RAM, integrated Intel HD graphics, Dolby Home Theater, HDMI output and more. Read more…

These days’ laptop market dashes forward like nobody’s business and every few months there are refreshes that makes your 2 month old laptop feels like 2 years old. Earlier this year Lenovo launched the ThinkPad x120e, and now the replacement has already arrived.

Lenovo just unveil the 11.6-inch ThinkPad x121e for Europe and the Japanese market — a clear preview of what’s on the horizon. This time around, it packs an Intel Core i3-2357 CPU, an AMD Fusion E-350 chip, or a Fusion C-50 APU. Other specs include a 1366 x 768 panel, up to 320GB in HDD storage (or a 128GB solid-state drive), HDMI and VGA out, three USB 2.0 ports (one of them powered), a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and, in some configurations, a WiMAX radio.

Depending on the model, it comes with a three- or six-cell battery, the latter of which promises a max of eight-plus hours of battery life if you pair it with an Intel-based system. It’s on sale now for Japanese business customers with general availability coming at the end of this month, and it’s also listed on various European sites. Regretting buying that brand new laptop in the previous PC Fair?

SOURCE via netbooknews

AMD’s Llano platform might not satisfy everyone’s power-lust when housed in a desktop, but stick one of these all-in-one beauties in a laptop and you’re good to go. The new HP Pavilion dv6z Quad notebook — one of 11 new Fusion-powered models from HP — is a case in point, having just arrived at the company’s online store.

The base model promises battery life of up to almost six hours, “discrete-class” integrated Radeon graphics with 512MB of video memory, and a 1.4GHz quad-core processor that can be clocked up to 2.3GHz using AMD’s Turbo technology.

Also, there’s the real benefit of switching to AMD: that base configuration costs just $650, versus a minimum of $999 for the Intel-equipped dv6t. For the money, you’ll also get 6GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB 5400rpm HDD, a 1366 x 768 display (yes, a glossy one), HDMI output, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports in addition to two of the USB 2.0 variety.

We ought to clarify that the sexy steel gray version on the left will cost you $25 extra, but hey, it’s totally worth the extra to look slightly different from all the zerglings around.

SOURCE via HP

It’s only been three months since we drooled over the thin, powerful, expertly built — and expensive! — Samsung Series 9. Of course, that’s dog years in the world of consumer electronics — the company has just refreshed its premium 13-incher, adding a Core i7 processor option, a 256GB SSD (up from 128GB), and 6GB of RAM to the highest-end model. While Samsung was at it, it pulled an Apple, expanding its line of MacBook Air competitors to include an 11-inch model, which starts with a Core i3 processor, 64GB SSD, and 2GB of RAM. All told, you’ll find two 11-inchers and three 13-inch models, ranging in price from $1,049 to $2,049, leaving the initial one three months ago $300 cheaper.

11-inch configurations:

• NP900X1B-A01US ($1,249, available in August) Intel Core i3-2357M CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD
• NP900X1B-A02US ($1,049, available in August) Intel Core i3-2357M CPU, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD

13-inch configurations:

• NP900X3A-A05US ($2,049, available now) Intel Core i7-2617M CPU, 6GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• NP900X3A-B02US ($1,649, available now) Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD
• NP900X3A-B01US ($1,349, available now) Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD

Given that it’s not 2008 and all, it’s not every week that we tell you about a new Atom-powered-netbook — not that any of the usual suspects seem likely to throw in the towel anytime soon. Acer just announced availability for the Acer Aspire Happy 2, that rippled, Easter Egg-colored number that reared its head back in April.

As expected, it runs on a dual-core Atom N570 CPU — a small upgrade over the N450 the last generation offered. And while it still has the usual 10.1-inch display, 250GB hard drive, and WiFi radio, it oddly steps down to 1GB of RAM from 2GB. Aside from the predictable specs, Acer is clearly trying to make dented laptops happen, in case that wasn’t already obvious.

That and pastels. “Banana Cream,” “Blueberry Shake,” “Strawberry Yogurt,” and “Papaya Milk” sound like your tall glass of crushed fruit? This expensive fruit juice with electronic chips is yours for $269.99.

Yesterday, the W Hotel in Taipei hosted over 700 members of the media from across the Asian region that was in town to witness the launching of a new line of notebooks from ASUS.

Called the special edition N-series, or the ASUS N-series Jay Chou Special Edition (N43SL) in full, this new machine is endorsed by and also designed by Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou.

Read more…

NVIDIA’s gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards yet again! The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA’s bragging that it’s the “fastest notebook GPU ever,” capable, we’re told, of besting the Radeon HD 6970M’s tessellation performance by a factor of six.

The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA’s saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that’s not why y’all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs.

You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you’ll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN.

Sony has finally let their ultraslim VAIO Z laptop into the light, as they’ve unveiled this super slim laptop for the UK market. The specs reveal a 13.1-inch “ultramobile” notebook that comes in at under 1.2kg with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 1600×900 screen (the press release mentions an optional Full HD display) and sheet battery borrowed from the earlier VAIO S for up to 7 hours of computing.

Onboard it features only Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 solution but the VAIO Z beats other ultralights with its Power Media Dock, which contributes the power of an AMD Radeon 6650M GPU with 1GB of dedicated memory connected via Light Peak when more polygons have to be pushed. The dock sports one USB 3.0 hookup plus additional USB, VGA and HDMI ports, and a slot for either a DVD or Blu-ray drive.

There’s no word on price yet, but it is promised to ship by the end of July in Europe so if the full specs are appealing then you don’t have much time to save up. Pricing starts at £1,434 ($2,294) with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and no PMD. The dock is a £400 ($640) option with no optical drive included, while upgrading to a 1080p 13.1-inch LCD is a mere £40 extra.

Read more…