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The Santa Rosa shuffle

We've compiled a handy list of the biggest system announcements being made today, in case you're looking to be the first on the block with a Santa Rosa laptop.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
4 min read

Every major PC manufacturer is announcing a lineup of new laptops this morning. These systems are all part of Intel's new Santa Rosa platform, which to the laptop-buying public means they'll have either a Centrino Pro or Centrino Duo sticker on them somewhere.

Our colleague Michelle Thatcher will go into further detail on the Santa Rosa specs later today, but for the most part, it involves having one of several new mobile Intel CPUs (From the T7000-series), support for Wireless N networking, Intel's new 965 chipset, and some additional onboard memory--Intel calls it Turbo Memory--for faster booting.

We've compiled a handy list of the biggest system announcements being made today, in case you're looking to be the first on the block with a Santa Rosa laptop (of course, most of this info already leakedlast week). Note that while some of these are available immediately, others may not ship until as late as July.

Dell
Latitude D630
This new system, bordering on the thin-and-light category, has a 14.1-inch screen, integrated wireless N, and a smart card reader. Options to be added in the near future include Nvidia Quadro 135M graphics, and solid state hard drives.

Latitude D830
Similar to the D630, but with a more familiar 15.4-inch screen. This is a successor to the Latitude D820, just as the new D630 replaces the, you guessed it, D620.

Latitude D531
Not technically a Santa Rosa system, but we can't let Intel have all the fun today. Dell clearly agrees, and is also launching this budget-minded AMD system, which will also include wireless N as an option.

Gateway
E-475M
This 15-inch business system has a sleek design that'll work for home users as well, plus a cool optional docking station that'll charge a spare battery. Starts at $1,399. Read our full review here.

E-265M
A slightly more portable 14-inch version of the E-475M. Starts at $1,399.Read our full review here.

Lenovo
R61
New addition to the mainstream R-series. Besides the new Santa Rosa CPU and chipset, it also has a new internal roll cage behind the LCD display. Starts at $1,299. Read our full review here.

T61
The Santa Rosa version of Lenovo's high-end T series is thinner and lighter than the R61, and adds Intel's Active Management Technology, which lets IT guys update a system remotely, even if its in a suspended state. Starts at $1,399.

HP
HP Pavilion HDX
What's 15.5 pounds, got a 20-inch screen and is a laptop in name only? HP's hot new Pavilion HDX, that's what. This mobile home theater has a huge screen, a dockable remote control, and should come with a weight belt. Prices start at $2,999, and it should ship around July. Read more about this beast here.

HP Pavilion dv9500t
HP updates its time-tested dv9000 series desktops replacements with the latest Centrino CPUs. Read our full review here.

Sony
VAIO SZ
A Santa Rosa version of the popular 13.3-inch SZ series, a stylish PC alternative to the 13-inch MacBook.

VAIO AR
This is Sony's 17-inch desktop replacement series, so adding the latest T7000-series Intel CPUs, plus an optional Blu-ray drive should make it a mobile home theater that's a little easier on the back than the HP HDX.

VAIO FZ
This 15-inch "entertainment laptop" offers all the new Intel mobile CPUs, plus an optional Blu-ray drive. Starts at $1,400, or $2,000 with Blu-ray--if you think you can really tell the difference between a DVD and a Blu-ray movie on a 15-inch screen.

Toshiba
Tecra A9
Successor to the business-friendly A8 includes options for daft 802.11n and Nvidia's Quadro NVS 130M GPU, plus a spill-resistant keyboard.

Tecra M9
Superseding the existing thin-and-light M series, this new model features the higher-end Centrino Pro sticker for added IT oomph, and the all-important spill-resistant keyboard.

Fujitsu
LifeBook T4220
The thin-and light is a sequel to the T4215 convertible tablet, which we liked very much, thanks to its indoor/outdoor screen and tablet screen that swivels both ways. Adding the new Centrino Duo specs should boost both performance and battery life.

E8410
A 15-inch business laptop that goes for the more IT-friendly Centrino Pro sticker, the E8410 (and the Centrino Duo E9430) features Intel's top-of-the-line 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T7700 processor and high-resolution screen options, but skips the 802.11n.

LifeBook A6030
A consumer version of the 15-inch E8410 (and a notch up from the LifeBook A6020), with the same high-end CPU, but with only a 1,280x800 screen resolution, and, so far, no 802.11n.

There should be even more laptop launches announced today, so stay tuned and we'll update this list with the most interesting ones.