New Acer Aspire Ethos laptops embrace Sandy Bridge

Acer has this week provided quite a few details on its updated Aspire Ethos laptop line which is based on Intel's Huron River platform and promises to deliver 'ultimate user experience in terms of entertainment and performance.'

Coming in two sizes - 15.6-inch (5951G) and 18.4-inch (8951G), the new Ethos models feature a frameless CineCrystal (1366 x 768 for the 5951G, 1920 x 1080 for the 8951G) LED-backlight display protected by Gorilla Glass, a brushed aluminium-magnesium alloy cover, a backlit chiclet keyboard, and a detachable touchpad that can be used as a media remote.

Acer's laptops are powered by a 2nd generation Core processor, and come equipped with one HDD (or one HDD plus an SSD on the 8951G), up to GeForce GT 500M series graphics, a DVD or Blu-ray drive, a multi-in-1 card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0 connectivity, a Crystal Eye HD webcam, two (5951G) or five (8951G) built-in speakers, and a PowerSmart long life battery that can retain 80% capacity for over 1000 charge cycles (apparently that's 3 times more than 'traditional' notebook batteries).

The fresh Aspire Ethos duo also makes use of the clear.fi cross-platform media sharing system. No word from Acer on pricing but we did find a 8951G unit up for pre-order at €1,699 . This one runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit and boasts a 2.0 GHz Core i7-2630QM CPU, 16GB of RAM, a GeForce GT 555M graphics card and both a 120GB SSD and a 750GB hard drive

ASUS Eee PC 1015PX 10.1-Inch Netbook

Asus Eee PC 1015PX netbook is powered by a 1.66Ghz Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor,  a 10.1-inch matte LED display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, 1GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, and Intel GMA 3150 graphic.

This netbook is equipped with a 0.3-megapixel webcam, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, LAN, VGA port, an SD/MMC card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, a 48W/h or 56W/h battery, and Windows 7 Starter pre-loaded.

Specifications
Processor	Intel Atom Processor N570 (1M Cache, 1.66 GHz)
Main Memory	1GB DDR3 SODIMM, max 2GB
Graphic system	Intel GMA 3150
Display	10.1-Inch Matte WSVGA LED Display, 1024 x 600 pixels
Hard Disk	250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Webcamera	0.3-megapixel
Audio	stereo speaker
Wireles	802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 3.0
Input/Output Port	3 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x VGA 1 x Ethernet LAN
Expansion Slots	2-in-1 Card reader (SD/MMC)
Operating System	Windows 7 Starter 32 bit
Battery	48W/h battery, Up to 11 Hours of Battery Life 56W/h battery, Up to 11 Hours of Battery Life
Dimensions	10.31 x 7.01 x 0.93 – 1.43 inches
Weight	2.76 lbs
Warranty	1 year
Price	$346-$389 at the Amazon

Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 16GB

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 is based on the Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor, 10.1-inch WSVGA (1280×800) IPS Capacitive LED Touchscreen, 16GB of storage capacity, and a 1GB DDR2 memory. It runs an Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system.

Other specifications include a front 1.2-megapixel and rear 5MP web camera, stereo speakers, wireless-n and Bluetooth connections, GPS, gravity sensor, e-compass and gyroscope, an SD card reader.

The Transformer Keyboard Docking Station features a full QWERTY keyboard, a touchpad, 3.5mm audio jack, two USB ports, a built-in SD Card reader, and extends battery life up to 16 hours.

Specifications
Processor	NVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor
Main Memory	1GB DDR2
Graphic system	Intel GMA 3150
Display	10.1″, IPS Panel w/ WXGA 1280 x 800 Resolution
Hard Disk	16GB
Webcamera	Front Camera: 1.2 Megapixel Rear Camera: 5.0 Megapixel
Audio	SRS Sound technology Dual hi-definition audio CODEC stereo speakers
GPS	Yes
Wireles	WLAN 802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4GHz
Bluetooth	Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR
Input/Output Port	two USB 2.0 ports (docking station) HDMI 1.3 (mini) 2-in-1 audio jack (headphone out / mic in) docking port
Expansion Slots	Micro SD card reader
Operating System	Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Battery	24.4 W/h Li-Polymer battery, 9.5 hrs 16 hrs w/ optional dock
Dimensions	10.7 x 6.7 x 0.5″ (27.1 x 17.1 x 1.3 cm)
Weight	1.5 lb (680 g)
Warranty	1 year
Price	$825 at the Amazon

HP ProBook 5330m, EliteBook 2560p Laptop and 2760p Tablet PCs

HP has official unveils the ProBook 5330m, the EliteBook 2560p, and the EliteBook 2760p. They are is designed for professional and business users.

The HP ProBook 5330m measures less than 1-inch thick, weighs 3.9 pounds and sports a 13.3-inch diagonal HD screen for exceptional portability. It also features an Intel Core i5 and i3 dual-core processors, Beats Audio system, a fingerprint sensor, and a brushed aluminum chassis paired with a backlit keyboard.

The HP EliteBook 2560p smallest and lightest laptop includes a 12.5-inch diagonal HD display, high-performance Intel processor, and integrated optical drive.

The HP EliteBook 2760p convertible tablet has a 12.5-inch (1280 x 800) LED-backlit display and supports for stylus and finger touch, a Core i5 (2410M/2520M/2540M) or Core i7(-2620M) processor, up to 16GB of RAM, Intel HD 3000 graphics, up to a 500GB hard drive or 160GB solid state drive and a DVD writer.

Price of HP ProBook 5330m starts at $799, the HP EliteBook 2560p starts at $1,099, and the HP EliteBook 2760p starts at $1,499. The HP EliteBook 2760p and 5330m are expected to be available on May 9 and the HP EliteBook 2560p will be available on May 23.

Panasonic introduces the Toughbook 53 semi-rugged notebook

Panasonic today announced the Toughbook 53 semi-rugged notebook, this new ToughBook lineup offering optional 4G LTE mobile broadband and other enhanced features designed to maximize productivity for mobile professionals.

The Panasonic Toughbook 53 is designed to survive 30″ drops on six faces, features a spill-resistant keyboard and passes nine MIL-STD-810G tests.

The next-generation Panasonic Toughbook 53 is powered by a second generation Intel i5 or i3 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, a hard drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD). Toughbook 53 is support a 14-inch high definition LED display and offers an optional 2-800 nit sunlight-viewable Panasonic CircuLumin touchscreen plus.

The Toughbook 53 also offers a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, optional Bluetooth 2.1, Gobi2000 3G mobile broadband, USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI, an SD card reader, an ExpressCard slot, and, a fingerprint reader. Starting at only 5.6 pounds and delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.

The Panasonic Toughbook 53 i5 model will ship in June at an estimated street price of $1,899, the Toughbook 53 i3 model will ship in August at $1,599, while the touchscreen version will ship in July and is available at an estimated street price of $2,449.