ultraportable

The Samsung Series 9 laptop: sexy, yes. Expensive, heck yes. Starting at $1,199 for the 11-inch model, it's not for the faint of wallet. Yet, the very same Samsung surprised us at New York press event with a 12.1-inch laptop, part of the Series 3, that feels nearly as lightweight and, according to Samsung, will cost far less: about $749.

The Series 3 will actually represent a vast range of laptop sizes, from 11.6 inches all the way up to 15 inches and higher. However, the 12.1-inch Series 3 on display caught our eye the most. Its metallic trim and clean lines almost give it the feel of a Sony Vaio or an Asus ultraportable, brands we continually see reflected in Samsung's laptop looks.

The unit felt surprisingly lightweight in our hands. Even more surprising? According to Samsung reps on-hand, this little 12-incher has a full-voltage Core i5 CPU, unlike the low-voltage Core processors in the Series 9. It will also be enabled for Intel Wireless Display. … Read more

Yesterday's formal introduction of Chromebooks marked yet another category of portable computing gadget in a landscape that's starting to feel overrun.

For $499, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook has its work cut out for it--namely, because tablets and "high-end" 11- and 12-inch laptops and Netbooks (some with faster processors) have already occupied the same landscape.

It's a question we've been pondering for a while now, writ again: what truly constitutes the perfect small-screen portable? Suddenly, instead of one or two OSes to consider, there are four: Windows 7, Apple's iOS, and Google's Android and Chrome.

While the high end of the computer spectrum remains relatively stable (desktops, laptops), the increasingly fertile (or, perhaps, unstable) ground between laptops and smartphones has bred a variety of tech forms that all, in some way, are portable. Options have never been more diverse, or confusing.

Which one would you rather spend about $500 on? Well, let's see what you get.… Read more

So my daughter is starting middle school next year (but...but...she's just a lil' punkin!), and that means she's going to need a laptop for the school's laptop program. I think I just found the perfect system.

It's the Dell Vostro V13, a superslim, easy-to-tote model that has more than enough horsepower for a student. Or a business traveler. Or pretty much anybody.

For a limited time, Dell has the Vostro V13 ultraportable laptop for $349. Shipping will run you around $8, and you may be on the hook for sales tax as well.

I … Read more

Laptops and coach seats don't mix. I was reminded of this the other day while trying to contort myself in strange and painful ways at 33,000 feet. Never again.

A Netbook would have been a much better fit, but I find most models too small for my taste--and too underpowered as well.

Where's the happy medium? Right here: HP has the Pavilion dm1z ultraportable laptop for $419.99 shipped (after applying coupon code SAVE30HP). That's a total savings of $130.

The dm1z may look like a Netbook, with its 11.6-inch screen, absent optical drive, and … Read more

What's this? Another laptop? Normally I wouldn't do the same kind of deal two days in a row, but hear me out.

See, yesterday's system was a 17.3-inch, 8-pound colossus, not so much a laptop as a lap-crusher. It was fine for anyone needing a desktop replacement, but not the right choice for folks looking to travel light.

If you're in the latter category, today's your lucky day. Dell is offering the Vostro V13 ultraportable laptop for $399 (plus $8 for shipping and sales tax in some states). The system is new, not refurbished, … Read more

They may not be shocking, but they're certainly sleek. Lenovo's new 10- and 11-inch IdeaPads feel like a side-by-side comparison of where ultraportable laptops are heading in 2011. 11.6 inch is the new 10, and we'd better get used to it.

Announced today, the IdeaPad S205 is yet another 11.6-inch laptop using AMD's Fusion CPU series. The design looks a bit like a ThinkPad, with a 98 percent full-size "Accu Type" keyboard that's new to Lenovo this year. An AMD dual-core E-350 CPU comes with integrated graphics and promises more of … Read more

The unofficial Lenovo-tracking site thinkpads.com has a believable-looking report of a new ultraportable. The 12.5-inch IdeaPad U260 purportedly has ULV Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, a four-cell battery, a pair of USB ports, Bluetooth, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive.

As part of the consumer-targeted IdeaPad line, the colors are a little more friendly than the usual ThinkPad black, including Mocha Brown and Clementine Orange. Interestingly, the report says this system will have an antiglare screen--an unusual feature in a consumer laptop; you typically only get very glossy displays in those.

No word on price … Read more

Acer's series of 11.6-inch TimelineX ultraportables comes in several processor configurations, including a Core i3 ULV, Core i5 ULV, and Core i7 ULV.

We reviewed a similar model of the TimelineX 1830T with a Core i7 ULV processor. Read our review of the Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T-68U118.

The 13-inch version of Apple's revamped MacBook Air doubles the USB ports (to two) and adds an SD card slot, but it still lacks an optical drive. And it's not alone--other recent DVD-free 13-inch systems include Toshiba Satellite T235D and the Asus U35JC.

In smaller 11- and 12-inch laptops, we're used to not having an optical drive, although they do occasionally turn up. But to some, the optical drive is becoming like the telephone modem jack that used to be standard on every laptop--a bit of legacy hardware that rarely gets used.

The main reasons we used … Read more