Though we saw dozens of new laptop models at CES this year, and despite the vast majority of them being next-step upgrades of existing models, there were a handful that really grabbed our attention, either because they brought something new to the game, or because they were excellent examples of their category.
Dan Ackerman
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
Looking to break away from the standard rules of laptop design, Asus has teamed with Danish consumer electronics maker Bang & Olufsen to create a slick-looking multimedia system that has two separate touch pads, situated on either side of the keyboard. Useful? Perhaps. But undoubtedly one of the most interesting designs at the show.
In a form approaching Netbook size, this 11.6-inch laptop comes packed with an Nvidia GT335M GPU, ULV processor, and 1,366x768-pixel resolution display. That makes it the most gamer-friendly system of this size we've ever seen, and an interesting new direction for Alienware.
Netbooks were the focus for HP at the show, and though there were not a lot of surprises, it was interesting to see HP upgrade the very well-made Mini 5101 to the Mini 5102, and add an Atom N450 CPU and optional touch screen to the sturdy aluminum-magnesium chassis. More details and photos here.
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HP Mini 5102
More of the HP Mini 5102.
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Sony Vaio Z
There's nothing like a premium-priced laptop to get the heart racing, and Sony's new 13-inch Z series aims to do just that with SSD-only storage and hybrid discrete graphics.
This revamped Netbook not only looks green (with a translucent green layer over its white base color), but it also is green, thanks to a body comprised of approximately 23 percent recycled CDs and DVDs. Even the case it ships in is made of recycled PET beverage bottles.
You're probably tired of hearing about this little marvel by now, so we'll just briefly mention that it takes a standard-looking clamshell laptop chassis and allows you to pop the screen off for use as a standalone tablet. The full system is a bit on the heavy side, but the tablet part feels light and looks slick--perhaps giving us an early taste of what an Apple tablet may look and feel like.
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