2012

LAS VEGAS--Sometimes you just can't come up with a good angle on how to spin a laptop update.

In the case of the Lenovo IdeaPad Z, G, and Y series updates announced at CES, consider these more of the same, with better graphics.

That's not bad at all, but we expect little updates like these every year: these IdeaPads certainly aren't out to surprise. Because Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge mobile processors won't be available for laptops right away, these IdeaPad updates are indicative of what we're seeing on laptops that aren't ultrabooks: small tweaks, nothing fancy.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Ultrabooks are everywhere here at CES 2012. More importantly, a new class of ultrabook has emerged: the 14-incher.

Last year's Lenovo IdeaPad U300s was one of our favorites in an early first wave of ultrabooks. The new IdeaPad U310 and U410 alter the equation somewhat with the addition of standard hard drives instead of solid-state drives (SSDs), but that extra storage option could be exactly what attracts some buyers who might otherwise be turned off by the limitations of lower-capacity flash storage.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--The netbook's not quite dead yet. The Lenovo IdeaPad S200 features a next-gen Intel Atom processor, and it should offer a significantly better experience than previous-generation 10-inch Atom netbooks.

The rise of low-cost 11-inch ultraportable laptops began last year with a wave of affordable computers powered by AMD E-350 APUs. The colorful IdeaPad S200 series does include an AMD-powered version (the S206), but it's the Atom version that bears the most interest for us.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Today at CES 2012, Acer officially unveiled a poorly kept secret: two new ultrabooks.

One is being called the world's thinnest, and the other is an update to the TimelineX series. We got a chance to spend some up-close time with both for some initial impressions of Acer's latest.

The Aspire S5 uses the same numerology as last year's Aspire S3 ultrabook. Unlike that more budget-minded model, the S5 is 15mm thick--2 millimeters thinner than the last year's Aspire S3--weighs less than 3 pounds, and has a sleek Onyx Black magnesium alloy chassis. Its razor-thin design recalls the MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Well, it can only get better from here, right?

Acer informally kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show's wave of press conferences today with the unveiling of the Timeline Ultra and Aspire S5, along with a look at its cloud services.

Missing were any concrete details of its tablet, as well as any information on its planned Windows 8 products.

With its laptop announcements, Acer is doubling down on the ultrabook segment. The products underscore the company's need to find a hot new category to spark revenue, particularly with its key Netbook business cratering. The trouble is, the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Not content to rest on the laurels of its recently announced A200, Acer today unveiled a new Iconia Tab tablet, featuring a screen resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels (1080p).

Typically, tablet screen resolutions top out at 1,280x800 pixels, but thanks to the faster speed of quad-core processors (Acer didn't reveal which quad-core CPU the new tablet would be using), look for high-res screens like this (and even higher) to become a trend over the next year.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Acer unveiled the Aspire S5, which it boasts is the world's thinnest Ultrabook.

The Aspire S5 is the second ultrabook that Acer announced today at its press conference ahead of the official start of the Consumer Electronics Show. With ultrabooks looking very similar in size and shape to each other, thinness has been on the key differentiators. Acer boasts that the device is only 15 millimeters at its maximum point.

Like the Acer Timeline Ultra, it offers an instant-on connection, allowing it to turn on within 1.5 seconds. The device will also get the same access to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Acer is banking that the cloud will give the company an edge when pushing its line of Ultrabooks.

Chairman J.T. Wang wasted no time talking up AcerCloud, a service that allows the company's customers to sync files between a Windows-based device and Android devices.

"We're determined to make it very successful and sustainable," Wang said.

In July, the company acquired a cloud-services provider called iGware for $325 million, to help it build AcerCloud.

Cloud services will play a big part in the ultrabooks, Wang said. He added that AcerCloud wouldn't have worked without … Read more

Sure, the idea of augmented reality has some appeal.

Overlaid on your view of the real world, your Net-connected glasses show navigation instructions, prompt you with the name of the person you're talking to, and run an ad-blocker app to turn billboards into wallpaper with soothing nature photos. And with one display for each eye, you see in 3D, so you can turn the outisde world into an immersive videogame.

The only problem is that you look like a total dork walking around with bulky electronic devices stuck to your face.

Vuzix, which sells such products, says it's … Read more