When everyone thought that the ASUS UX21 will be the first “Ultrabook” to hit the market in September, here comes the rumor that says HP might launch an ultrabook even earlier than ASUS. According to Digitimes, HP is likely to release 2 or more models of Ultrabooks, which will be running on either Intel Core i7-2677M or i7-2637M, before ASUS. Foxconn Electronics, the manufacturer of HP ultrabooks, is said to have begun shipping the Ultrabooks to HP but both companies refuse to comment about this.

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The Acer AC700 Chromebook is now on sale at Amazon.com for $349. It’s the second Chromebook to hit the market after Samsung’s Series 5. Currently, the 3G model of Acer AC700 is not yet released to the market, so consumers can only opt for the Wifi model with the following specs:

• 11.6-inch  (1366 x 768) resolution screen
• Dual-core Intel Atom N570 Processor
• 2GB DDR3 RAM
• Intel Integrated GMA 3150 Graphics
• 16GB Solid State Drive
• 1.3 Megapixel HD Webcam (1280 x 1024)
• Two Built-in Speakers
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 2- USB 2.0 Ports
• 1- HDMI Port
• Memory card slot for storing photos, music, and video
• Up to 6 hours of battery life

The Samsung Series 9 laptop is definitely one of the best ultraportable laptop around, but its $1,149 price tag sure scares a lot of people away. Now for those who couldn’t afford the Series 9, here’s the good news — Samsung is going to introduce the new Series 3 laptop which will be in the mid-level laptops range, but with similar premium finishes, solid keyboards, and pleasant touchpads as the Series 9.

The Series 3 laptops will be available in various sizes ranging from 11.6 to 15.6 inches, and in terms of CPU, there will be an option for Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD processors. Starting price will be $599 for the Core i3 version. Details specs and availability are yet to be announced but you can check out the hands-on video for these laptops in the video below by Laptop Magazine.

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Besides Cedar Trail netbooks, ASUS is also planning to launch the UX21 “Ultrabook” on September. What’s an “Ultrabook”? It’s a new category of ultraportable laptop that Intel recently announced. And what’s special about it? Intel claims that it has longer battery life, are less than 0.8-inches thick, and priced under $1000. If you want to learn more about Ultrabook, PC World has a great article here that explains it in more details.

The ASUS UX21 will be the first “ultrabook” to be released to the market, and Digitimes reported that it will be launched by ASUS on September this year. The laptop is super thin with only 0.12 inches at its thinnest point and 0.67 inches at its thickest point, and weight only 2.4 pounds. Its whole body is covered with brushed-metal finish making it looks super stylish and feels very solid. Specs wise, it will features an 11.6 inch display, second generation Intel Core processors, and solid state drives. ASUS has not announced its price yet, but it’s expected to be priced under $1000.

Here’s a hands-on video of the ASUS UX21 ultrabook by Engadget at Computex 2011:

While ASUS has been very successful with their Eee PC Transformer in the tablet segment, they certainly have not forgotten about the netbook / ultraportable segment. Digitimes reported that the company will be launching Cedar Trail netbooks on September, and is targeting six million units of sales.

There will be 2 models of Cedar Trail netbooks that ASUS will be launching — the Eee PC 1025CE and 1025C. Both models come with a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution, a Cedar Trail Atom processor (N2600 or N2800), up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 500GB HDD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, Windows 7 Starter, and a choice of 3-cell or 6-cell batteries.

So what’s the difference between the Eee PC 1025CE and the 1025C? The 1025CE is the higher end model with a metal finish, a better webcam with 4x zoom, a USB 3.0 port, and a sleep-and-charge USB 2.0 port. The 1025C doesn’t have those features and is built from plastic instead of metal. The starting price of the Eee PC 1025C and 1025CE will be $249 and $279 respectively.

Below are the hands-on video for both netbooks by Nicole from Netbooknews.com at Computex 2011:

ASUS recently announced the Eee PC X101 MeeGo netbook on Computex 2011. The netbook is super thin and light, weighing just 950g (2.09 pounds) and measuring 17.6mm in thickness. The best part is that it will cost only $200 for the base model. In terms of specs, it will comes with an Intel Atom N435 processor, a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 matte display, and a 2600mAh 28Wh battery. There’s a higher end model called X101H which will feature a “hybrid hard drive” (SSD + HDD) and choice of Windows 7 or MeeGo.

Below is a hands-on video of the Eee PC X101 on Computex 2011 by Engadget:

Google just announced the Chromebook, and Samsung and Acer are among the first two companies to release a Chromebook. For Samsung, it’s called the Series 5. It’s already listed on Amazon and it comes with the following specs:

• 12.1″ (1280×800) 300 nit Display
• 3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg
• 8.5 hours of continuous usage 1
• Intel® AtomTM Dual-Core Processor
• Built in dual-band Wi-Fi and World-mode 3G (optional)
• HD Webcam with noise cancelling microphone
• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• 4-in-1 memory card slot
• Mini-VGA port
• Fullsize Chrome keyboard
• Oversize fully-clickable trackpad

Below are the official promo video from Samsung and a hands-on video of the Series 5 from Engadget:

Johannes from NewGadgets.de has get his hands on the upcoming Acer Aspire One 722, which is a 11.6-inch AMD Fusion netbook that runs on the C-50 processor, and with a unique water drop design on its lid. Check out the hands-on video below. Other specs of the Aspire One 722 includes Radeon HD 6250 graphics, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 640GB HDD, webcam, optional Bluetooth 3.0+HS, optional UMTS 3G and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

HP is updating one of their flagship netbook, the Mini 210, with a better design, a larger battery, and Beats Audio for better audio quality. Specification remain unchanged — it still features the same dual core Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, integrated GMA 3150 graphics and the usual specs that go along with it. The updated version of HP Mini 210 is expected to be released on June 15 with a starting price of $299.99.

Here’s the video of Chuck Schalm, the marketing manager of HP consumer notebook group, introducing the new HP Mini 210:

via: Netbook News

After the Acer ZGB Chrome netbook, here’s another 2 Chrome OS devices found from the recent bug reports within the Chromium testing community — the Samsung “Alex” netbook, and the “Seaboard”.

The Samsung “Alex” netbook will have the following specs:

• Screen Resolution : 1280X800
• Intel Atom N550 Processor with 1.5 GHz
• 2 GB RAM
• Realtek ALC272
• P3 Board SanDisk SSD Storage
• Bluetooth, 3G, Wifi
• Qualcomm Gobi Chipset 2000
• Card Reader
• USB Ports
• VGA Output
• Namuga Webcam

The “Seaboard” is a more interesting device running Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset and has an Atmel MXT touchscreen, 1GB of RAM, two USB ports, and HDMI. It could either be a tablet, or a convertible netbook.

Source: Chrome Story