ultrabooks

Get an Asus Zenbook Prime 13.3-inch ultrabook for $699

I've found that sometimes -- sometimes -- it's worth spending a little extra.

For example, when I decided to buy an ultrabook a couple months back, I opted for the cheapest model I could find -- and ended up regretting a few things. It wasn't as thin or light as I would have liked, and its hybrid hard drive didn't blow me away with its performance.

Thankfully, you can now get a reasonably priced model without compromises. For a limited time, and while supplies last, "adoramacamera" (via eBay) has the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31ADH51 13.3-inch Ultrabook for $699 shipped. … Read more

Lenovo unveils convertible Windows 8 tablet, IdeaPad Touch devices

Lenovo is banking heavily on touch as a key consumer trend, and has launched a new range of devices with this in mind.

The Chinese PC maker has announced several new touch-enabled Windows laptops: the IdeaPad S400 Touch, S500 Touch, S210 Touch, U330 Touch and U430 Touch. Each laptop is part of the company's S Series and U Series, all of which designed to be lightweight and with thin bodies.

The new Lenovo S Series laptops on offer are the S400, S500 and S210. The S400 and S500 Windows laptops can be configured to include Intel Core i3 processors … Read more

Fujitsu unveils 14-inch ultrabook with 3,200x1,800 display

Fujitsu will soon launch a new 14-inch ultrabook that boasts a screen resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels.

The upcoming Lifebook UH90/L uses Sharp's IGZO technology to attain its high resolution. Equipped with a density of 262 pixels per inch, the display offers 2.7 times the detail of a full HD screen. Text appears sharper and is easier to read, and photos are more vivid, according to Fujitsu.

Outfitted with Windows 8, the touch-enabled notebook is powered by a fourth-generation Intel "Haswell" Core i5 chip. It also offers a 500GB hybrid hard disk that combines … Read more

Intel's new fourth-gen 'Haswell' processors: What you need to know (FAQ)

Intel has officially revealed its next-generation lineup of desktop and mobile processors in the Core i3, i5, and i7 family, also known as "fourth-generation" or code-named "Haswell." The two-part announcement started over the weekend with Intel's quad-core enthusiast-level processors, and now the veil has been lifted on dual-core desktop and mobile processors, too.

This FAQ will mainly focus on the dual-core processors and what they'll do for mobile systems. For a detailed rundown on the quad-core processors, check out our hands-on look.

What is it? Haswell is Intel's code name for the fourth … Read more

Dell to challenge Lenovo's Yoga with 11-inch convertible laptop

Dell plans to offer consumers its own flavor of an 11.6-inch convertible laptop with Windows 8 by year's end.

Due out in time for the 2013 holiday season, the Dell XPS 11 ultrabook will sport a hinged keyboard that allows it to transform into a Windows 8 tablet, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Demoed at the Computex computer show in Taipei on Monday, the XPS 11 will offer a high-resolution screen with a 2,560x1,440 IPS (in-plane switching) display, say the folks at Engadget who checked out one of the prototypes. The IPS screen ensures that … Read more

Cause of PC malaise? Designs not 'compelling,' says Intel

PC designs have been lackluster, offering no good reason to upgrade, according to an Intel executive speaking at the company's Spring Analyst Summit in London.

Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of the Mobile Client Platform division, was responding to a question from an analyst when he said the following on Thursday:

We think the usage patterns aren't the driver for elongation [of the PC upgrade cycle]. It's more that we haven't had products in the marketplace that were compelling in any way to the existing product, either from a form factor point of view, … Read more

Intel kicks off ultrabook road trip in New York

NEW YORK -- Intel on Friday kicked off its ultrabook world tour in New York, hoping to make consumers excited about the latest PCs and curb a drop in the computing market.

The chip giant opened a temporary pop-up shop in Manhattan's Meatpacking District from May 17 to 19 to give New Yorkers the chance to try out new computers firsthand. The "Experience Intel: Look Inside" world tour will move on to Chicago and Tokyo next month, Beijing and London in July, Sao Paulo in late August, Moscow in September, and Sydney in October.

"When consumers … Read more

Lenovo's Windows 8 Yoga 11S convertible now up for sale

Consumers awaiting the Lenovo Yoga 11S convertible can now order one through Lenovo or Best Buy, though they'll have to wait at least a month before it ships.

Available through Lenovo's Web site as of Thursday, the Yoga 11S is an 11.6-inch ultrabook that can close to transform itself into a touch-screen tablet or bend over backward into "tent mode" or "stand mode" to act strictly as a display. The new Yoga is outfitted with Windows 8, upping the original Yoga 11, which offers Windows RT. Buyers also have a choice of two … Read more

Boost your password strength, win an Ultrabook

You've probably heard that regularly changing your password is an important part of protecting your personal information. Even more critical is choosing a password that is difficult to crack. Intel aims to educate and hopefully inspire users to create safer passwords with their just-announced Password Win contest. 30 first prize winners will receive McAfee All Access 2013 and three grand prize winners will be given Intel Ultrabooks.

Entering is easy. Head to Intel's official sweepstakes page and input a password that you think is difficult to crack. Intel will then tell you how long it would take hackers … Read more

Get a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 convertible laptop for $549

An ultrabook ultraportable PC priced at $549 must be considered, especially if it's a convertible -- a system with both a keyboard and a touch screen, the latter able to swing a full 360 degrees into tablet mode.

And I'd say no convertible has received more press than the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which was rightly celebrated for its slick design -- if not its operating system.

Update: I tweaked the headline to reflect that the Yoga isn't technically an ultrabook, which is Intel's designation for a system with a particular set of specs.

For a limited … Read more