Macworld, CES… January brings a lot of newcomers to the laptop scene. As I’m out of time, I’m going to comment briefly the models I think are the most interesting:
Apple
The long-awaited 17″ Macbook Pro refresh was launched with the expected upgrades: unibody chassis, dual GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics with Hybrid SLI… The new model promises up to 8 hours of battery life, that is a lot for such a big laptop. It can be preordered immediately from 2799 USD (1949 GBP), to be shipped in 3-4 weeks. You can watch some videos and pictures at Engadget.
Asus
Two tablet-Eee PCs have been released: Eee PC T91 (8.9″) and Eee PC T101H (10″). Besides the tablet-PC features, the rest of the configuration is typical of a netbook. They are expected in the following 3-6 months. There are a few hands-on published.
Asus also presented the first laptops in the market with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4600 graphics:the N81VP (14.1”) and N51Tp (15.4″).
It is not a laptop but I found it nice, the Eee Keyboard is a computer integrated in the keyboard, much like most personal computers in the 8-bit era!
Dell
Dell launched the Studio XPS 13 (AKA 1340) and Studio XPS 16 (AKA 1640), with new graphics cards, DDR3 memory… Immediately available from 1199 USD (849 GPB) the Studio XPS 13 and 1199 USD (799 GBP) the Studio XPS 16. There are already reviews available for the Studio XPS 16 at Notebook Review, PC World and PC Magazine.
HP
For me, the most interesting laptop released by HP is the Pavilion dv2: the first laptop with an AMD Neo processor, a single-core, low-power CPU offering a performance between an Intel Atom and a Core 2 Duo. The laptop is 12.1″ and weights 1.7 kg, with an starting price of 699 USD. Optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 graphics card and external BD drive make it one of the best multimedia options below 2 kg. Available in the US from April. You can see the first look at Notebook Review.
Also the Mini 2140 was launched. It is essentially an update of the 2133 with Intel Atom processors and 10″ screen (keeping the size of the netbook the same). There is a review at Laptop Magazine.
In addition the Pavilion dv3 and dv6 were released, being 13.3″ and 16.4″ versions of current dv4, dv5 and dv7.
MSI
The X-Slim X320 is very similar to a Macbook Air, but sports an Intel Atom processor. Rumors point out that it is based on Nvidia’s Ion platform, so the graphics card would be a GeForce 9400M, but this is not confirmed at the moment. Small Laptops put together a good deal of information, including pictures comparing the X320 with an Air. The price of the X-Slim seems to go up to 900 USD.
The GT725 was also presented. It sports an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850, but there are no data about pricing or availability. More information at MSI.
Sony
There was a big expectation about a 8″ ultraportable with 1600×768 screen resolution, and the Sony Vaio P is already at the Sony sites (US link; UK link). It weights less than 0.7 kg and is 25 cm long. It uses Intel Atom processors and has 2 GB of RAM, 60 GB HD or 128 GB SSD and Windows Vista. You can get one from 899 USD (849 GBP in the UK). You have pictures and videos at Engadget.
