Laptop Articles

At least several times each week, we get a reader inquiry via e-mail or Twitter asking which of the current crop of Windows 8 tablets is the best. The answer isn't so simple when you consider that tablets running full Windows 8 (as opposed to Windows RT: don't get us started) are split into two hardware classes: those with slower Atom processors, including the HP Envy x2, and those at the high end, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro.

What makes a high-end Windows 8 tablet? Generally, an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, giving it the performance … Read more

Razer's PR sends word that its versatile Windows 8 gaming tablet is due for a first-quarter launch as promised. Preorders being March 1, and the company says the units will ship out to customers "later that month."

As announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Razer Edge is due to ship with two configurations, the vanilla Edge, with an Intel Core i5 CPU and a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD) for $999, and a higher-end Razer Edge Pro with a Core i7 chip and a 128GB ($1,299) or 256GB SSD ($1,449).… Read more

In a special Valentine for PC gamers, one of the most sought-after classic PC games of all time is finally getting a re-release. System Shock 2, a scary 1999 sci-fi role-playing game, is coming to Good Old Games, an online game retailer that sells DRM-free downloads of new and vintage games, starting February 14 for $9.99.

Regularly cited as the game visitors to Good Old Games most wanted to see, the rights to System Shock 2 have been tangled up for years between Electronic Arts and the company that aquired the IP once held by the orignial developer, Looking … Read more

By some standards, the Microsoft Surface Pro is the best-ever hybrid of tablet and laptop, combining a full windows 8 OS with an Intel Core i5 CPU, and a best-in-class detachable keyboard cover.

But, at over $1,100 if you include a 128GB SSD and the keyboard, it's also very expensive, especially if a slim Windows 8 touch-screen ultrabook, Atom-powered tablet, or something non-Windows-based would work for your needs.

The following is a quick survey of the major alternatives to the Surface Pro, from other Core i5 tablets to Apple's new 128GB iPad.

Windows 8/Core i5 tablets (Example: Acer Iconia W700) … Read more

Sometimes, even if it's vaporware, it doesn't mean its maker isn't on to something.

Three years ago, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid caught my eye -- and many others -- at CES in Las Vegas. The idea -- a laptop that had its own detachable tablet -- seemed revolutionary, and at the time it was an idea ahead of even the iPad, which debuted just months later.

The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid was a great idea, with one problem: it never arrived. After surfacing again in 2011 as a Windows/Android detachable hybrid, it again disappeared from view.… Read more

Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it seems, of Windows 8 in general. Break down the barrier between tablets and PCs. Create progressive computing. The future is now. Well, the future was also four months ago, when Hewlett-Packard first started showing off the Envy x2 in public.

We marveled then that the device was well-built, comfortable to hold, and, when you think about it, pretty shockingly practical. After all, theoretically, this is the best of both worlds: … Read more

Windows 8 in a business laptop: well, it needed to happen sooner or later, but in the case of the Elitebook Folio 9470m, the execution feels premature and expensive. It's a shame, because the 9470m is a direct descendent of last year's HP Folio 13 ultrabook, a device I considered at the time to be among the best in its class and recommended to everybody.

A lot has changed in a year. Thin ultrabooks have given way to touch-screen, often convertible/tablet devices. And among ultrabooks, there are tons more to choose from. Touch isn't necessary to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Despite our early concerns that CES 2013 would be very light on laptops and other mobile computers, the show actually had plenty of new hardware to cover. That said, this year has been nowhere near last year's ultrabook-heavy lineup, which was a high point for laptops at CES.

While there have been a few standout laptops here at the show, almost more notable has been what's not here, from major announcements by some big brands to missing features on new products from others.

Here are some of the things that could have made CES 2013 an even … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Spotted at the Samsung booth at CES 2013 was an updated version of the company's Series 5 Ultra, a slim, midpriced ultrabook. Not getting a formal announcement, as the more high-profile Series 7 Ultra and Series 7 Chronos did, the updated Series 5 instead sneaked onto the show floor.

The new Series 5 will add a touch screen and backlit keyboard, and the overall design of the aluminum chassis is thinner, but still thick enough to hold an optical drive. The brushed-metal look is closer to the more expensive Series 7 and Series 9, making this look like … Read more