Laptops are highly fragile. And for those careless people Asus has got a Rugged B51E notebook which can withstand all the nastiness a normal laptop suffers. B51E’s chassis consists of magnesium alloy with rubber bumpers on the edges and protective film on LCD to prevent scratches. Military specifications were used so that it can withstand drops from a height of 75cm. Water spills are no problem too.
Specifications:
Intel® Centrino Procesor Technology
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T8300/T8100/T5850/T5750
Mobile Intel® GM965 Chipset, Intel Int. GMA X3100 Gfx
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG/4965ABGN Network Connection
Genuine Windows® Vista Business
RAM DDR2 667MHz, up to 4GB (2 slots)
SATA HDD up to 320GB & ODD S-Multi
Built-in webcam 1.3M pixel (Optional); Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR (Optional)
36.5cm (W) x 27.3cm (D) x 3.82 cm (H), 3.1KG (with 8 cell battery)
So what does Dell do if people want something in between Inspiron and XPS line? Well, launch a new line with the name Studio. The colorful 15” and 17” notebook range starts from a decent $799 & $999 respectively and goes higher as you add more bells and whistles. The basic config includes Intel C2D processor, slot loading DVD burner (BD optional), 2 gigs of RAM, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with an option to load 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450, Wi-Fi and 6 cell battery. The notebook will come in Jet Black color but there are 7 different colors to choose from.
The much rumored Dell’s MID range has got a name. It is reported that these new devices will be pitched under the ‘E Series’. The two variants under this series will take a shot in two different markets with Dell E trying to penetrate the 8.9-inch netbook market and Dell E Slim in a niche one where Macbook Air, Voodoo Envy and others share the space. Dell has further segregated the ‘E’ into three flavors which will target different types of users.
The rumor turns out to be true. Voodoo has announced the world’s thinnest notebook, the Envy 133. The notebook is just 0.7” thick which is just 0.06” thinner than Macbook Air. Envy 133 has 13.3” backlit display with Intel Core 2 Duo processor onboard, SSD or HDD option, HDMI and 2 USB ports all housed in a carbon fiber casing. There’s also an instant-on option which lets the user to surf the web, watch videos or listen to music without booting of the Windows. Available from June 20 and pricing starts from $2099.
Was Rahul Sood’s infamous act really made to poke a fun of Apple’s Macbook Air? Or there was a hidden motive behind it? We don’t know but we think otherwise after this conversation between a guy and Sood who diplomatically hinted at a thinner laptop than MBA is in the offing.
Now that’s interesting. Asus has been showing off a laptop at the Computex which has integrated a projector. It sits on the top of the display and can be rotated as per the user’s liking. It seems to be a prototype and we reckon it could dual up as a camera too.
It would seem a bold statement but Asus, the makers of the miniscule Eee PC says that the Windows variant of Eee will outsell the currently available Linux version with the ratio of 3:2. The windows Eee PC was unveiled at CeBIT and is priced more than double of its original version.
The Windows Eee will have a 7†screen with 4GB NAND flash, 512MB RAM and costs $408 whereas the highest version priced at $473 will have a battery able to run up to 3.5 hours, 4GB SD card apart from the NAND flash and a better 3 megapixel camera.
Lenovo has got the slimmest Thinkpad out of its arsenal. The X300’s thin factor is identical to Apple’s Macbook Air but X300 takes the cake when it comes to features. It is the thinnest in its class and is clearly aimed at users seeking portability. The 13.3-inch display is a LED backlit one powered by an Intel low voltage processor, 64GB SSD, up to 4GB RAM, integrated webcam and a battery life of up to 10 hours.
Lenovo has taken lessons from Apple and unlike MBA, the X300 pakcs an ultra thin 7mm DVD burner. It also has 3 USB ports, WLAN, WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth 2.0. All in all the Lenovo’s offering is convincing if you’re not going by the looks or want a Mac powered notebook. Pricing starts from $2500.
A month back HCL announced its MiLeap series and today we got a chance to play with its tablet PC (Y Series). The Y series tablets come loaded with a 7″ screen, 800 MHz Intel processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 USB ports, LAN and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The model which we fiddled with is priced at Rs. 33,000 ($822). The leaptop has a good build quality and keys are nicely spaced out. To use its tablet functionalities, you can either use a stylus or the controls given besides the screen.
Come Valentine’s Day and we see a plethora of gadgets available which you can gift to your loved one. And add to that list is HCL’s MiLeap Laptops which will be available in Pink starting from Rs. 13990 ($354).
