Today, Dell officially introduced it’s new notebook called Adamo. With its 0.65 inch profile, which Dell claims to make it the world’s thinnest laptop, and weighing only 1,81 kg, it is certainly a very slim product, targeting the same customers as Apple’s MacBook Air.

Its dimensions are: 16,39 x 331 x 242mm (H x W x D). Available in two colors: black and white, Dell calls “pearl” and “onyx”, it has a 13.4-inch widescreen 16:9 HD display with edge-to-edge glass.

Some of its other features are:

* 1.4Ghz/1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with Centrino 2 technology
* Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit with Service Pack 1
* 4GB/2GB 800MHz DDR3 dual channel memory
* Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1, one RJ-45 port and optional Mobile Broadband
* More than 5 hours of battery life on a full charge
* Machined, torsion-tested aluminum chassis
* Backlit, scalloped, full-size keyboard
* Cool, quiet, solid state drive
* Ultra-compact power adapter

The basic version (1.2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM) of the Adamo is going to be available in 24 countries, among others in the USA for 1,999 USD and in Germany for 1,899 Euros, March 26th.

Intel demonstrated 10Gbps Light Peak at the IDF in San Francisco, the company said chips for the optical interconnect will be available in 2011 and the first computers with Light Peak could hit the market in 2012.

One big question is what this means for USB 3.0, but a spokesperson of the chip giant told EE Times that Light Peak and USB 3.0 could serve complimentary roles. The Intel spokesman said Light Peak and USB 3.0 could both be used on future systems and serve complimentary roles. USB 3.0 supports rates up to 5 GigaTransfers/second and data transfers of at least 300 Mbytes/second.

A representative from Texas Instruments estimated as many as 40 million notebooks could ship with USB 3.0 next year. The company will sample before the end of the year a four-port USB 3.0 controller that requires no external flash and will sell for about four dollars in 100,000 unit quantities.

Intel is expected to deliver chip sets supporting USB 3.0 by 2012, driving the technology into mainstream systems.

ZOTAC announces an ION platform with the processing power of Intel consumer low-voltage, or CULV, processors for new platforms with superior performance capabilities while maintaining class-leading energy-efficiency. The new ZOTAC ION platforms powered by Intel CULV processors include the new ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21 mini-PCs, ION-ITX N series and ION-ITX P series mini-ITX platforms.

An Intel Celeron SU2300 processor powers the ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 and ION-ITX P series with dual-cores clocked at 1.3 GHz for multi-threaded processing power that delivers unprecedented performance levels in an energy-efficient mini-PC for demanding users. A Single-core Intel Celeron 743 processor powers ZOTAC ZBOX HD-NS21 and ION-ITX N series platforms for outstanding single-threaded CPU performance.

“Intel CULV processors have previously been exclusive to ultra-portable notebooks, but not anymore. We’ve taken the award-winning Intel CULV processors and paired them with our award-winning ION platforms to produce the world’s first mini-PCs and mini-ITX platforms that combine the power of Intel CULV processors with NVIDIA ION graphics processing for the perfect combination of CPU and GPU performance with superior energy-efficiency,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.

NVIDIA ION graphics empower the Intel CULV-powered ZOTAC ZBOX and ION-ITX platforms with outstanding 3D capabilities and support for Microsoft DirectX 10, DirectCompute and NVIDIA CUDA-enabled applications for energy-efficient GPU computing. NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology delivers flawless GPU-accelerated high-definition video playback with breathtaking clarity and details.

ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 and HD-NS21 mini-PCs with Intel CULV processors feature class-leading flexibility with an easily customizable tool-less chassis and room to accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD or SSD, two DDR3 SO-DIMM memory slots, integrated 802.11n WiFi and four different placement positions – flat, on a stand, on the back of a monitor or on a wall with the included VESA75/100-compatible mount. External expansion options include plenty of USB 2.0 ports, a 6-in-1 memory card reader that supports SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and xD memory card formats, and an eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port for plug ‘n play expansion.

ZOTAC ION-ITX O and P series are world-class platforms that combine the miniature size of mini-ITX with big-system expansion capabilities including a PCI Express x16 slot, two DDR3-1066 DIMM slots, three SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, up to 10 USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port. Onboard 802.11n WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet port enables lightning-fast network transfers for stutter-free high-definition video streaming.

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The Germany based tech site Computer Base seems to have their hands on a Intel’s 32nm Sandy Bridge roadmap for the desktop and notebook market.

It seems Intel plans to launch Sandy Bridge as the Core i7 2000 series. Several processors will have a suffix to identify special features of the processor, such as the “K” for unlocked chips, “S” for energy-efficient versions, “T” for dual-core 35W TDP models, “M” for laptop processors, “QM” for quad-core laptop CPUs and “XM” for the fastest laptop chips.

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AMDs Fusion processor will be a merge between a GPU and a CPU, there’s a new ETA. Currently, Fusion 32nm is scheduled to debut sometime during 2011.

According to AMD, the Barzos platform that will be paired with the Fusion processors will be targeted at ultra-thin notebooks. They will supposedly operate on less power than current solutions, which means that the chip and platform might be very suited for tablet PCs. This fact comes even though AMD is “currently not painting a strategy” around such devices. The Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit) will be codenamed Ontario and will integrate the CPU and GPU on a single die, similar to what Intel’s 32nm CPUs do.

All APUs will be made based on the 32nm manufacturing process. They will target not just ultra-thin and ultra-mobile systems, but the line will also feature desktop PC offerings. The company will still monitor the “exciting” tablet market and will watch out for an opportune moment to enter it.

Most speculations around the APU deal with the actual graphics capabilities. Considering the extensive graphical know-how from ATI, there is little doubt that AMD should be capable of making APUs capable of running even the most modern games, even with all the difficulties of combining the two technologies into a single die. However, making such a super powered chip might actually threaten AMD’s graphics card sales. As such, while the Fusion is expected to surpass Intel’s 32nm chips, a high-end graphics performance may be out of the question.

Seagate today announced channel and OEM shipments of the Momentus XT drive, the world’s fastest 2.5-inch laptop PC hard drive, combining SSD-like performance with the massive capacity and much lower cost of HDDs.

The Momentus XT drive also features Adaptive Memory – a groundbreaking new technology from Seagate that learns and optimizes the drive’s performance to each user by moving frequently used information into the flash memory for faster access. The Momentus XT solid state hybrid drive boots up to 100 percent faster than traditional 5400RPM drives, the mainstream spin speed for laptop PCs, and sets new benchmarks for real-world system performance for laptops and gaming systems.

Today’s high-performance SSDs for mobile computing cost as much as 10 times more than hard disk drives of the same capacity, with the price of a 250GB SSD outstripping even the cost of many laptop PCs. As a result, most consumers and system builders are unwilling or unable to pay the high price for the greater speed and quiet operations of SSDs. Additionally, SSDs offer fewer capacity options than hard disk drives.

The Momentus XT drive is a best-of-both-worlds solution that combines a 7200RPM spin speed, 4GB of solid state memory and Seagate’s Adaptive Memory technology to deliver unprecedented hard drive performance. The unique Adaptive Memory technology works by identifying patterns in how often certain digital data is used, and then moving the most frequently used information to the embedded solid state memory for faster access – effectively tailoring hard drive performance to each user and their applications.

Momentus XT Drive Brings Unprecedented Speed to New ASUS Gaming Laptop PC
ASUS has also announced that it will offer the Momentus XT drive as an upgrade option for its new Republic of Gamers (ROG) G73Jh notebook. The system is powered by an Intel i7 720Qm quad-core processor, 8GB of DDR3 memory, and DX11 capable ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870.

Fudzilla has managed to dig up some more information on NVIDIA’s ION 2 chip that is expected to come sometime in the last few months of the year.

The ION 2 is said to have at least double the sharders of the ION. This means that have at least 32 and it will more than likely have more. ION 2 users should enjoy better GPU performance do to this increase.

Despite the increase in shaders, it is expected that the chip shouldn’t hardly put off much more heat. This is probably due to NVIDIA shrinking things down and perhaps optimizing things even further.

AMD’s Congo is coming and it looks like it will not be the “Atom-Smasher” that many are calling it. Rather it will enter Intel competition with Intel’s thin and light segment.

AMD has maintained that netbooks will eventually fade and be assimilated by the notebook market. There are some indications of this happening as netbook makers play a game of technological leapfrog with netbooks each one offering a more powerful (and of course more expensive) version.

I have to wonder if the netbook will eventually fall to the level of the MID. And the Thin-And_Light will be the next big rush.

Read more here.

AMD thinks netbooks are a bit of a fad, and is laying down a roadmap for thin-and-lights while keeping its distance from any sort of “Atom killer.” The existing Yukon platform — featured in HP’s dv2 — just got an upgrade in the form of a dual-core AMD Neo chip, but things will really start to get exciting later this year with the introduction of Congo, which will pair a dual-core Neo with much better graphics and a more modern chipset. Perks in Congo, which is based on the M780G chipset and sports ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP graphics, include hardware decoding for HD formats, DirectX 10 gaming

Alienware had originally planned to unveil its new “all powerful” notebook at the launch of Computex however it seems that they have jumped the gun just a little.

The new notebook is dubbed the M17x, taking its name from last year’s M17. The base model starts with the GeForce 9400M IGP and GTX 260M, utilizing NVIDIA’s Hybrid Power to save on the battery. It will also come with a 250GB HDD, a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a nine-cell battery.

While the base model will set you back $1,799, there will be a number of options to crank the price up and suit your mobile needs. These will include a 512GB SSD, GTX 280M’s in SLI, up to 8GB of memory, and a 1920×1200 LCD. You can even throw in a quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, but sadly there is no Core i7 available.

NVIDIA’s ION chipset has been having a lot of success lately after Zotac announced their ION based motherboard and Acer decided the Revo Nettop would use it. Now Lenovo has announced the IdeaPad S12, a compact 12″ laptop which also features the NVIDIA ION chipset.

(Click the above image for the large version)

Accompanying the ION chipset will be the Intel Atom N270 processor packed in a small and lightweight package featuring a 12″ screen and a full size keyboard. For those concerned about aesthetics, The S12 will be offered in both black and white. The IdeaPad S12 isn’t expected until much later this summer and should hit the market under $600.

(Click the above image for the large version)

Lenovo used NVIDIA ION’s revolutionary design to create a thin, lightweight, low-power laptop with a 12-inch screen and improved application compatibility. The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 has the graphics horsepower to support high definition media and many PC games which will not run on most low-cost small PCs. NVIDIA ION enables these capabilities with the industry’s best graphics performance for low-power CPUs.

“NVIDIA ION is one of the latest technologies available for the PC industry for small, low cost laptop PCs, and we’re excited to be among the first to use it,” said Stephen DiFranco, vice president and general manager of consumer and commercial channels, Americas Group, Lenovo. “With its 12-inch display, full-size keyboard and rich multimedia options powered by ION, the IdeaPad S12 balances an improved computing experience along with the size and affordability many consumers are looking for today.”

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