While Apple announced it’s going to start using LED-backlit displays on its MacBook Pro line of laptops really soon, it seems they are not the only ones to do this. In fact, while we weren’t able to find out when this is scheduled to happen, Asus seems to know where, when and what, and so do we.

CeBIT, the world’s largest computer expo, is held on the fairground in Hanover, Germany and this year’s edition is expected to have over half a million visitors, so it sounds like a good oportunity to launch a new product, don’t you think? It seems Asus agrees with me, and if you’re going to be there between the 15th and the 21st of March, you should encounter their upcoming U1F laptop.

The details available at this time about Asus U1F sound really interesting, since the notebook weighs only 2.2 pounds, featuring an 11.1 inch WXGA+ LED-backlit screen, black motif, steel edges, leather-clad palm rests and an ultra-low voltage Intel Core Duo processor under the hood. Fortunately for some, unfotunately for others, the U1F will come with Windows Vista pre-installed. (read more)

When you get to hear about a company going up, you think about a market share growth or an improvement of the services and products it has to offer to its customers, but when the truth is different, most chances are that you won’t get any good news…

Unfortunately, this is exactly the case with Acer, a Taiwan-based company which became by 2004 one of the world’s top five branded PC vendors. In its country of origin, Acerland, the retail chain of the company, is the second largest, coming right after Asus, but since the profits didn’t seem to be high enough, they just took a decision that doesn’t seem really right to me, but whatever - Acer is going to rise its prices!

According to Semmy Levit, UK country manager, Acer is looking to get more SKUs on the shelves of its partners, with higher prices. While the 17 and 20 inch notebooks seem to be the right tools to get more money from the customers, Acer is also trying to scoop up more SMB customers. (read more)

According to a press release issued today, Dell and Absolute Software got together to make available theft recovery services to Dell’s US consumer customers. This way, Dell becomes “the first PC manufacturer to deliver a higher degree of peace of mind by combining theft recovery measures with accidental damage protection”. OK, this sounds excellent, but I am sure you all need to hear more than just words, so here’s the real thing…

From now on, once you have purchased a Dell Inspirion notebook and added the CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service to your order, an option priced between 99$ and 139$, you will also receive the Computrace LoJack for Laptops theft recovery service, having a value ranging from 49$ to 119$. (read more)

Dell is one of those companies that wouldn’t have been around if IBM wouldn’t let the others clone its original IBM PC, but since this happened, everything that followed is now history, and I am not here to teach you history. After all, I have in front of me a gorgeous Dell P991 CRT monitor that makes my hours spent in front of my computer a real pleasure, so I must admit that I may be a little subjective in my review, because I love Dell’s products, especially since this is not the only Dell product that I had to face so far, but enough with the chatter and let’s get down to business, shall we?

Today’s target is Dell Inspiron 6400, a laptop that can handle multimedia tasks for you, your family and friends without breaking a sweat, while keeping the performance flag up at the same time. With a weight of around 3 kilograms, the Dell Inspiron 6400 is available in a variety of user defined configurations, being able to fit your needs and your budget like a glove. (read more)

VAIO is an acronym for Video Audio Integrated Operations, and Sony uses this as a subbrand of many products, including notebooks, desktop systems, and even a hard-disk-based audio player that comes in both 20GB and 40GB versions, called VAIO POCKET player, as well as network media solutions.

Today, we’re going to talk about Sony VAIO SZ, the laptop from the VAIO series that has the best balance between size, weight, keyboard size and screen resolution. With a weight of 3.8 pounds, the SZ comes between the 2.8 pound TX and the 5.5 pound FJ, having all the features needed by a business user, including a fingerprint scanner for security and an integrated webcam and microphone for videoconferencing.

Featuring a capable processor, a comfortable keyboard and a high quality display, the Sony VAIO SZ manages to offer a decent battery life at the same time, making it a good choice for people that need to take their office on the road.

Best features:

• 13.3 inch WXGA display having a native resolution of 1280X800 pixels
• big keyboard, with smooth keys and comfortable touchpad
• can switch automatically between the integrated Intel video chipset and the more powerful built in nVidia GeForce 7xxx series adapter
• 1.3MP resolution webcam integrated on top of the screen
• fingerprint scanner

(read more)

After launching its first ultramobile unit for Windows XP, the VGN-UX50, last spring, Sony takes a big step forward to follow the industry, releasing its first minilaptop for Windows Vista, Microsoft’s latest operating system that finally made it to the public only four days ago.

Sony’s ultramobile PC for Vista comes with high hopes, targeting the business users in search for minilaptops. Although no reference to the price is being made in the official press release, the UX1 is expected to have a price around $3,800 U.S. (£2,000). The sources say that this price comes from the Sony officials, but until it becomes a reality, we can’t consider it more than just a rumor.

The little Vista-capable laptop from Sony is known as Vaio VGN-UX1XN, or shortly UX1, and has only 95 by 50.2 by 32.2mm (4 by 2 by 1.3 in.), featuring a slide-screen over a full Qwerty keyboard. If you don’t workout often, it won’t be a problem carrying it around, since it weighs less than half a kilo (a little more than a pound). These being said, we can award it the title of “Smallest Vista capable laptop” without any worries that we’ll be wrong! (read more)

On Tuesday, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista, officially hit the stores. Many PC manufacturers—including Dell—have started to preload their PCs with Vista. Dell CEO Kevin Rollins said that Dell has experienced a great demand for their new Vista-loaded laptop PCs. In fact, on Saturday and Sunday of last week, thousands of orders were placed for the new Dell laptops.

Dell laptops with Windows Vista have greater capabilities. Users of these new laptops can record and watch high definition videos, organize photo and music libraries and many more things. The Vista experience is vibrant, high-lighted by great graphics and a good user interface.

To accommodate the anticipated demand for Vista support, Dell has hired more employees.

“Because Dell sells direct, we’re among the first to see just how excited customers are about Windows Vista,” said Mr. Rollins. “To ensure a great customer experience, we’ve trained thousands of contact center representatives on Windows Vista. They’re ready to help our customers as they transition to this great new operating system.”

(read more)