ultrabook

How big can an ultrabook be before it stops seeming like one? Back at CES, the Acer Timeline Ultra M3 looked like a lot of other Acer Timelines: thin and full-featured, but not particularly "ultrabooky."

A few months later, we got some in-depth hands-on time with the Acer Timeline Ultra M3-581TG, featuring impressive Nvidia graphics and last-gen Intel processors. It turns out that that M3 won't see the light of day in the U.S., but its successor -- the Timeline Ultra M5 -- will, and it'll be available to order by the end of June.

Read our first take of the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5.… Read more

Seeing all the attention (and unexpectedly lavish praise) heaped on Microsoft's just-announced Surface tablet reminds me of all the great Windows tablets I've tested and reviewed over the years.

Wait, that's not right. The vast majority of Windows-powered tablets I've tried have been terrible. Some hit minimum levels of functionality, but nearly all were underpowered, lacked touch-centered software, were too expensive, or had terrible input hardware.

It's interesting to note that many of these examples date from the pre-iPad era. Once Apple's tablet hit the scene, there was a sharp drop-off in Windows tablets. … Read more

Get your battle gear on. It's time for tablet wars and food fights:

What could Microsoft be unveiling Monday afternoon at its mysterious L.A. press event? Some new music or movie product? A tablet or e-reader? The rumors are centering on a new tablet that would go head-to-head with Apple.

Vizio is bringing its television talents to computers with a new line of desktops and laptops, all starting at just under $900. The all-in-one desktop can be its own entertainment hub with a remote and HDMI ports for connecting a cable box or video game system.

According to … Read more

NEW YORK -- Vizio, a company best known for making TVs, is officially throwing its hat into the PC arena.

The company is taking the wraps off three distinct lines of Windows computers: ultrabooks, mid-size laptops, and all-in-one desktops.

Vizio had previously announced its plans to jump into the PC market at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but today's New York press event was the official coming-out party for the new systems.

While the company has previously dabbled in tablets, Vizio is known primarily as a scrappy competitor in the TV space. It's perhaps best … Read more

The upgradable computer is under attack.

In case you haven't noticed, Apple and every other first-tier PC maker on the planet are pushing thin laptops, not to mention even thinner tablets. Problem is, really thin computers are, by design, "sealed." That means, fewer and fewer upgradable computers.

In fact, these days the only chance you'll have to upgrade most ultrabooks and MacBooks is when you order them online. After that, you're stuck with the configuration.

As is the case with the Retina MacBook Pro. "Unlike previous generations of MacBook Pros, the MacBook Pro with … Read more

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is Apple's new high-end flagship laptop. It's thin and powerful, includes an Nvidia graphics card and solid-state storage, and even has a unique (on a laptop) high-res Retina Display.

But it also costs $2,199, making it a sizable investment, even for a MacBook (the least expensive being the 11-inch MacBook Air, starting at $999).

With expanded configuration options, including new Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs and larger-capacity SSDs, you can also take that same $2,199 and spend it on just about any other MacBook. Depending on your needs, you might even end up with something that's a better overall deal for you.

Presented below are a few different ways we found to configure various MacBooks to cost (roughly) $2,199.… Read more

The new MacBook Airs and Pros unveiled at WWDC promise to make life harder for ultrabook vendors.

The MacBook Air received several key improvements, including the new Intel Ivy Bridge processor, higher-end graphics, and options for more memory and a larger solid-state drive. But beyond the specs, the new prices will prove appealing to the average consumer.

Prices remained the same for the lower-end 11-inch and 13-inch units but were trimmed by $100 for the higher-end models -- $1,099 for the 11-incher and $1,499 for the 13-incher. In a consumer market where every dollar counts, even that $100 … Read more

Apple's cheaper-but-better MacBook Air isn't good news for ultrabooks.

Ultrabooks surfaced last year as a niche product in response to the Air. And now Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, at el are trying to mainstream the skinny laptops.

There's one problem. Apple just cut the price and upped the processor specs on the MacBook Air today.

So, is Apple still standard bearer and ultrabooks just pretenders to the lightweight laptop throne?

Only time and market-share numbers will tell.

Spec check: $1,099 11.6-inch MBA: The high-end model has dropped to $1,099 from $1,199 and packs … Read more

During the upcoming WWDC conference in San Francisco, Apple is expected to announce updates to its Mac line of desktop and laptop computers. This may include the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, Mac Pro desktop, iMac all-in-one, and perhaps even the Mac Mini small form factor desktop.

Rumors, leaks, alleged lists of part numbers, and blurry photos of spec stickers have all surfaced in the past weeks. Some of these sources seem more reliable than others, and Apple prognosticators are wrong at least as often as they are right. The leaked part numbers and spec sheets found here and … Read more