The wait is over. Acer’s most mobile and responsive notebook ever is finally here. And it’s so much thinner, lighter, and faster.

The tech pioneer makes a compelling arrival in the Ultrabook market with the Acer Aspire S3: an ultra-slim, ultra-fast laptop with next-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, integrated Intel HD Graphics, high-speed 20GB solid-state drive (SSD), the Acer Green Instant On technology, and an impressive range of seamless connectivity options.

Sleek looks, speedy performance, instant connectivity
The magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis packing all these features looks and feels pretty sleek, too. The Aspire S3, representing a move by Acer to maximize the essence by minimizing the design, exudes a stylish industrial vibe and embodies the form-follows-function philosophy.

Measuring only 17.55-mm — thinner than a fashion magazine — and weighing less than 3 lbs, the laptop is designed for comfortable use, anywhere at any time, with a full-sized Acer FineTip chiclet keyboard and a large, pinpoint-accurate touchpad.

The innovative airflow design of the Aspire S3 prevents discomfort by placing warm components away from the palmrest and touchpad area, while a vent-free bottom ensures that you can tweet in bed with the laptop resting on the pillow but without the air flow getting smothered.

The aerodynamics-inspired case also includes a smooth yet tough metal-finished surface that makes the laptop easy to carry, as well as a soft yet sturdy bezel that frames an eye-popping 13.3-inch LED display.

The screen itself boasts of a 16:9 aspect ratio and high-definition (HD) 1366 x 788 resolution, with its clear, sharp visuals complemented by stereo speakers that are optimized by the professionally tuned Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancement suite, engineered for vibrant cinematic surround sound and enhance dialogue quality.

Open the lid and the Aspire S3 springs to life in an instant. Thanks to its cutting-edge specs — Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, SSD storage, and Intel HD Graphics — the notebook is able to deliver blazingly fast performance.

Moreover, with the new Acer Green Instant On technology, the Aspire S3 can resume from “sleep” mode in less than two seconds. After eight hours in sleep mode, or after the period you set, the notebook enters “deep sleep” mode, restoring data, remaining on standby, and conserving battery life for up to 50 days. When you’re ready to go back to work, the Aspire S3 turns right back on again.

Another technological innovation that Acer is introducing with the Aspire S3 is its “Instant Connect” feature, which allows you to reconnect to your most frequently used access points. So whether you’re sitting at your office desk and retrieving critical business data from the Web, or casually sipping your favorite brew at the café and keeping yourself up to date with everyone in your social networks, you can connect to the Internet at up to four times the speed.

To enhance the Web experience, Acer also equipped the Aspire S3 with the advanced Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED technology, as well as the latest-generation Bluetooth 4.0+HSR technology for quick, short-range wireless file transfers.

The notebook also integrates the Acer Crystal Eye 1.3-megapixel camera (with microphone) and the Acer Video Conference Manager, technologies that on-the-go users will certainly appreciate.

Data management on the lightweight Acer Aspire S3 is easy. Its ultra-slim frame manages to include vital USB and HDMI ports, plus a headphone connector and two-in-one card reader on the left and right sides.

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Microsoft’s plans to make its motion-sensing Kinect peripheral central to the Windows-based PC desktop experience may extend to laptops too.

The Daily claims it has seen two prototype ASUS Windows 8 laptops with integrated Kinect technology. Though there are no pictures to accompany the revelation, the website claims that the “ASUS netbooks running Windows 8 feature an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the webcam would normally be. At the bottom of the display is a set of what appear to be LEDs.” It claims that Microsoft has confirmed that the Kinect-enabled laptops are legit.

The first thing that springs to mind is: why would we want to wave our hands in front of a laptop screen when there’s a perfectly good keyboard that we've been gaming on and using to navigate our applications for many years? Well, Microsoft is still being cagey about its long-term plans for Kinect so we're still not entirely sure how the technology is going to improve our experience, but it has said - in reference to the Windows-based desktop experience - that its plans are "mind-blowing."

Indeed, the Kinect hardware and accompanying software is available from today for Windows PC allowing companies to integrate the technology and change the way we interact with our computers. One of the upcoming features that has been mentioned is how Kinect could change how we log onto our computers by using its voice and facial recognition capabilities for added security.

“We are building the Kinect for Windows platform in a way that will allow other companies to integrate Kinect into their offerings and we have invested in an approach that allows them to develop in ways that are dependable and scalable,” said Microsoft during its keynote speech at CES last month.

One of the ways in which companies will be able to create a intuitive interaction between user and computer is through a new Kinect feature called “Near Mode,” a new “close up” application that Microsoft says will take it beyond the living-room scenarios of Kinect on Xbox 360. Microsoft has mentioned that Kinect will be able to enhance how data is captured and accessed within intelligent systems across manufacturing, retail, and many more industries.

"We're already working with over 200 companies on unique Kinect for Windows applications, including American Express, Mattel, Telefonica, Toyota and the United Health Group," confirmed Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer.

All of this, it seems, is still a long way off, though the reveal of Windows 8 later this year is undoubtedly going to tell us more about its long-term potential. As far as the prototype ASUS laptops go, sources suggest that an integrated Kinect device is extremely power-hungry on laptop batteries and needs further testing before its incorporated fully into the hardware; though it is believed that ASUS may well be one of the first to launch such a product.

Kinect’s hardware is certainly impressive, but so far game developers on Xbox 360 haven’t fully taken advantage of it, delivering a range of kid-friendly games that do little to harness its potential. An Xbox dashboard update in December has shown a glimpse of its potential, adding further functionality that allows users to navigate the interface with voice control, which has also paved the way for interaction between the console and Windows Phones via its Metro-inspired interface.

Nonetheless, we're still skeptical as to whether Kinect is going to take-off on Windows PC and really improve the experience. Though we have Kinect in our living-room, we still prefer to use our usual input method for navigating the Xbox 360 dashboard and we can't seriously imagine giving up our mouse and keyboard too easily either. Maybe we’re just stuck in our ways and Kinect really does have the potential to "blow our minds?"

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Apple has produced a latest model laptop that is added with a high quality processor like, 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, an HDD with storage capacity of 320GB space, and again adding a SuperDrive that is known as 8x DVD/CD SuperDrive, whilst it has 4GB DDR3 RAM.

This latest laptop that is produced by Apple is called as, Apple MacBook Pro MC700LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop, is offered on the listed price of USD1199.00.  This series is offered on USD1099.00 by Amazon.com (with USD100 super saver, as well as free shipping to the end user).

This series is having the resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. This series body is made up of aluminum, thus no need to worry about its strength.  It’s chunky enough to sustain the weight during the use. This series has an Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory, and using the platform of Mac OS X v10.6 Snow, high quality camera, and the best speed thunderbolt port.

This series has been started to dispense from July 27 to the offline, online vendors, and the end users.  The utility of its newly introduced Thunderbolt technology assists to link high-output accessories and higher-resolution screens. This series transferring speed of data or files is truly amazing it transfers the data entirely similar to a lightening velocity.

This MacBook Pro MC700LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop series that is supported with a FaceTime high quality camera, it will be helpful for you to get amazing high quality video calls.  Then what do you need more, I think all important features have been attached to this lovely product.

This series has a latest technique – Thunderbolt mechanism can again helpful to get bi-orientation channels with a finer transfer pace to equipments, such as hard drives – external as well as the servers, up to astonishingly 10Gbps.

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Asus now has a sleek business-oriented ultraportable dubbed the B23E. This 12.5-inch laptop is built to take the abuse that professionals and road warriors are known to throw at their notebooks. Part of the Asus Pro B Series, the B23E is constructed of magnesium-aluminum alloy on the cover and keyboard chassis, making it both strong and lightweight (at 3.4 pounds).

There are reinforced metal hinges, an anti-shock hard drive, a spill-proof keyboard--and the laptop has been drop tested, hinged tested, and pressure tested beyond consumer notebook standards, according to Asus’ product page. A fingerprint reader, motion sensor, and optional Trusted Platform Module chips for security round out the features that may make both business users and IT departments happy.

Specs
In terms of specs, the B23E is pretty configurable, with your choice of an Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i5 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 750GB of HDD storage (7200rpm). You’ve got your standard array of ports (Ethernet, Bluetooth, card reader, HDMI), although there’s only one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0. The anti-glare display is your typical 1366-pixel-by-768-pixel resolution.

Asus lists the B23E as having only a three-cell battery, which might be disappointing if you want all-day computing without needing to be plugged into an outlet. However, the company says the battery has three times the traditional Li-on battery life cycle thanks to its “Sonata” technology and that the battery quick charges to 90% in 90 minutes. A detachable docking station powers up and connects the laptop to up to three monitors at the office or home.

Ultrabooks may have stolen the show at CES this year, but clearly there’s a place and need for other types of ultraportables. The B23E is one option for professionals who don’t need the slimmest laptop possible but, instead, need something built for business. Intel Core i7 models of the B23E are available now on Amazon for under $1000.

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An instant turn-on. That’s how one might describe the appeal of Acer’s first-ever Ultrabook, the Aspire S3, codenamed “Hummingbird.”

Released recently by the company in an incredibly slim and light form factor, the Acer Aspire S3 sets bold new standards in how a laptop should look and feel, while also revolutionizing the way a laptop should work.

Only 17.5-mm thin and weighing less than 3 lbs, the S3 delivers ultimate portability without cutting corners on performance. It includes next-generation Intel Core i5 processors, integrated Intel HD Graphics, high-speed 20GB solid-state drive (SSD), the Acer Green “Instant On” technology, and essential USB and HDMI ports — making the Acer Aspire S3 every bit as powerful and fast as its thicker, heavier counterparts.

True to the essence of its design inspiration — the hummingbird — the S3 is extremely light and agile, perfect for use as an everyday laptop.

Thanks to Acer’s Green Instant On technology, it springs to life at once, and can resume from sleep mode in less than two seconds. It enters Deep Sleep mode after eight hours of inactivity, allowing it to restore data and remain on standby for up to 50 days without restarting or shutting down; once awakened from Deep Sleep, it snaps back to life in less than six seconds, bringing users back right where they left off.

The Acer Aspire S3 also connects to the Internet with lightning-quick speed. With the new Acer Instant Connect technology, it has the ability to remember favorite access points and allow users to connect to e-mails, instant messages, websites, social networks, and other Web-based tools and applications up to four times faster than on conventional laptops.

Cutting-edge SSD (solid-state drive) storage, meanwhile, enables the Acer Aspire S3 to deliver enhanced levels of reliability and energy efficiency. The laptop can run for up to six hours of continuous usage on a single charge of its long-life battery. And because its dynamic airflow design directs exhausted heat toward, then out, the rear side, users won’t ever have to worry about performance lags or overheated components.

The Acer Aspire S3 includes other aerodynamic design elements that optimize its performance and improve its durability. The sleek aluminum/magnesium alloy chassis — finished in fingerprint-free metallic silver — provides rigidity and strength while keeping the laptop’s weight at a minimum.

To enhance thermal comfort, Acer placed all heat-generating components away from the palm rest and multi-gesture touchpad. Vent gaps were also added throughout the full-sized chiclet keyboard, effectively funneling warm air away from the user.

Even the seamless profile of the Acer Aspire S3 is designed to stay clean and cool, with only a two-in-one card reader and a headphone port placed on the left and right sides; the rest of the connectors — one HDMI and two USB ports — are located at the back.

Contributing to the modern industrial vibe that the Acer Aspire S3 exudes are its extremely thin lid and aluminum bezel, both of which combine to frame and protect the 13.3-inch LED-backlit display.

With its 16:9 aspect ratio and high-definition (HD) 1366 x 788 resolution, the Acer Aspire S3 screen represents another design breakthrough; its visuals are so clear and sharp that they make users feel like they are looking at a bigger, wider screen.

The sound coming from inside the Acer Aspire S3 is equally impressive. That’s because its stereo speakers are optimized by professionally tuned Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancement suite, engineered for cinematic surround sound and enhance dialogue quality.

As an incredibly portable Ultrabook, the Acer Aspire S3 slips easily into a briefcase, purse or even a manila envelope. But just because it takes up less space doesn’t mean the laptop is thin on features.

The new Acer Clear.fi solution lets users wirelessly share files across home and social networks. The dual Crystal Eye 1.3MP webcams (one in front, one at the back) provide high-pixel density for quick snapshots and online video calls, while the built-in Bluetooth 4.0+ HSR technology applies the latest standards for wireless short-range data transfers.

With all these features, Acer’s new ultra-portable and lightning-fast laptop looks, feels and works to satisfy users’ every demand. In this sense, the Acer Aspire S3 is an instant turn-on — a technological fantasy coming to life in a head-turning, awe-inspiring package.

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News Group Newspapers has been ordered to allow a search of computers alleged to contain evidence that News of the World executives deliberately destroyed damning phone-hacking evidence.

During legal discussions on Thursday before a civil trial scheduled for 13 February, the company failed to convince Mr Justice Vos that the search of three laptops assigned to senior employees and six desktop computers was "disproportionate".

Dinah Rose QC, for NGN, said the search was unnecessary because there had been "no policy of deliberate destruction" at the paper. But Vos said that if he had "acceded to [NGN] suggestions back in early 2011 that disclosure was not necessary because admissions had been made, the phone-hacking history might be very different".

He said the material that might be found on the three laptops belonging to an unidentified senior employee of NGN "may well, on the evidence of the emails I have already been shown, contain documents or even emails which may bear on the policy of deletion.

"It seems to be a distinct possibility [that information on the laptops] could contain information relevant to the deliberate deletion of email and go beyond just 'colour' but indicate precisely what the deletion was taking place for, which may go far beyond scope of present admissions by NGN," he said. "I'm entirely satisfied that these laptops should be searched for purpose of relevant disclosure."

He said there were compelling questions about whether the paper had engaged in a campaign of deliberate destruction of evidence, had lied, deliberately concealed evidence, made payments to police, or had "actively tried to get off scot-free", including by destroying a "very substantial number of emails" and computers of journalists.

"The court has had an admission of sorts to the effect that NGN is content that aggravated damages should be paid on the basis of the somewhat startling admissions I have read out, but not that future claims should be assessed on that basis.

"I have been shown a number of emails ... which show a rather startling approach to the email record of NGN," he said. Three days after the solicitor for Sienna Miller had asked that NGN retained any emails in relation to phone hacking, "a previously conceived plan to conceal evidence was put in train by NGN managers".

Rose said so much had been disclosed and admitted by NGN that it was disproportionate to order the company to search the computers for further evidence. "There comes a point when we say we're three weeks away from trial and ... we can say enough is enough."

Her claim was robustly rebutted by Vos. "The day you can say 'that's enough' is the day I give judgment – although you can't even say it then because of the number of other cases waiting in the wings."

The trial, set to last three weeks, is intended to give guidance on damages for current and future lawsuits and out-of-court settlements in the five-year-old scandal.

But nine out of 10 of the claimants were still waiting for full disclosure from NGN, said their lawyer, Jeremy Reed. In the cases of three, including Tracey Temple, John Prescott's former lover, NGN had yet to even admit liability, he said.

"I want to submit that evidence of deliberate destruction is relevant," he said, pointing out that, since Vos ordered NGN to make a full disclosure of material on 20 December 2011, the company had released just 30 more pages of information.

"This is like a jigsaw. The claimants are trying to piece it together but we're not sure we've even got all the pieces. Much has been lost or deliberately destroyed."

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The good: The HP Folio 13 has everything that matters most in an ultrabook: very good battery life, an excellent backlit keyboard, all the requisite ports for mobile use, and a very comfortable feel, along with a competitive entry-level price.

The bad: The Folio 13 is no looker compared with other ultrabooks, and is a bit thicker and heavier than thin laptops such as the MacBook Air. The clickpad's just a bit too finicky for our tastes, too.

The bottom line: When it comes to Windows ultrabooks, the HP Folio 13 is the best of the bunch in terms of performance, price, and ergonomics, provided you can live with a less-than-razor-thin design. This laptop is targeted at small businesses but it's really for anyone who wants a reliable ultrabook that isn't a MacBook Air.

As ultrabooks become a major part of the laptop landscape this year, the key to finding a good one won't be specs--since so many have identical innards--so much as look, feel, and bang for the buck. The HP Folio 13 is a small business-targeted ultrabook that should be equally at home in the hands of a mainstream consumer. Aside from TPM support, the "business" differentiation is cosmetic and arbitrary: the HP Folio 13's hardware--a Core i5 low-voltage CPU, 128GB SSD storage, 4GB of RAM--befits any laptop in the 13-inch ultrabook universe circa 2012.

The Folio 13 is a thicker laptop, and a heavier one, too, than the MacBook Air and any of last year's ultrabooks, but not by much. It's a little over 3 pounds, and still thinner than any standard laptop. It's just not wafer-thin. However, the HP Folio 13 only costs $899, which undercuts a lot of the ultrabook competition by at least $100. And consider the battery life: in our tests, the HP Folio 13 had the longest battery life among Windows ultrabooks thus far. I'd give up a bit of thinness to gain more battery life any day, and at 0.7 inch thick, the Folio 13 is still plenty svelte enough for compact travel.

Are there sexier ultrabooks, and even laptops, than the HP Folio 13? Certainly. I'd be hard-pressed, however, to find one as practical, affordable, and solidly performing as the Folio 13. And, if I were currently picking an ultrabook out of a lineup to go to war with, the HP Folio 13 is the one I'd take in my backpack.

On a whole, the sense of deja vu I felt when using the HP Folio 13 is justified: it comes across as an evolved sibling of the HP Pavilion dm4, a laptop I loved just a year or so ago. To lovers of superslim laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, the HP Folio 13 may seem thick and less responsive. To mainstream laptop owners, the HP Folio 13 will feel sleek, fast, and very portable. It's all a matter of perspective.

In fact, I'd say that the whole laptop looks a little bit like a Hewlett-Packard throwback. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, especially since I've liked the feel of HP's recent designs. It's not likely to grab the eye on a table at Starbucks--its brushed-aluminum back lid and palm rest and black keyboard will probably blend right in amid a jungle of laptops and venti lattes--but to those who don't want to treat their laptops like Ferraris, that might be a good thing.

Brushed aluminum gracing the back lid gives the Folio 13 a "professional" air, while the smoothly opening lid and rigid construction makes it feel safe to wedge in a backpack--the Folio 13 has barely any flex in its chassis.

A rubberized bottom surface feels smooth to the touch, and has excellent grip on a desk surface. Heat vents along the bottom might get uncomfortable during lengthy use on a lap, but I never noticed a problem in my week or so of lap and desk typing. That, combined with the smooth palm rests and comfy keyboard, make this a laptop to love working on. No, it doesn't feel like an ultrabook...but credit HP with the decision to stay with its own design philosophy and not bend over backward to make its own version of the MacBook Air.

A single, small power button above the keyboard boots up Windows 7, and if I have one complaint about this laptop's ergonomics it's that this small button is nearly thin enough to require using a fingernail.
The wide, raised backlit keyboard is excellent, beating shallower keyboards on other ultrabooks. This keyboard feels more generous in terms of its key space than the ones on the MacBook Air and Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, which are already excellent. The design is reminiscent of HP's ProBook laptops, with keys that are soft to the touch, but respond crisply when depressed. They feel like they have more travel. I'm a keyboard fetishist, and the Folio 13's surprised me with its quality. The top media-control function keys are function-reversed, so hitting volume up doesn't mean fumbling for the Fn key. All laptops should have this, and yet they still don't.

The touch pad, or rather clickpad, beneath is comfortable and easy to use in tap-to-click mode--my preferred way of working--but it's still not as good as the pad on a MacBook Air. I found myself making fewer errors than on other Windows laptops, but the pad was still prone to occasional sensitivity quirks that can slow down a highlight-cut-and-paste process. The touch pad has marked-off zones on the lower third for left- and right-clicking, which adds useful surface area to the pad, although I found locating and clicking by feel was more difficult than engaging tap-to-click. The responsiveness of two-finger scrolling is passable, but hardly what would be considered great.

The glossy, bright 13-inch display has a 1,366x768-pixel resolution and looks very good head-on. At side angles, the image deteriorates as on the average screen on the average mainstream laptop. For the price, the screen is more than adequate, although it's not a stunner.

Now, a word on laptop screen resolution: some might drool over 1,600x900-pixel, 13-inch displays, but 1,366x768-pixel resolution is standard for any mainstream laptop, and I've never wished for a better resolution. A larger resolution at this screen size would sacrifice text size for virtual desktop space, a compromise I don't need. I wish my iPad had a finer resolution for displaying full pages of text, but on a laptop, that isn't a concern at the viewing distance you're likely to be at from the screen.

A built-in Dolby Advanced Audio-branded stereo speaker bar above the keyboard is louder than I expected, and more than suitable for video playback or Web chat in noisy rooms. An HD Webcam offers better-than-average video quality (1,280x1,204-pixel capture).

The other aspect of the HP Folio 13 I appreciated was its ample selection of ports: a single USB 3.0 port, plus one USB 2.0, HDMI, an Ethernet jack (a rarity among ultrabooks), and an SD card slot. Bluetooth is also included--maybe not surprising in a $900 laptop, but it's a feature often inexplicably absent in many mainstream machines.

There are no upgrades available on HP's Web site per se--you can have any HP Folio 13 you want, as long as it has an 128GB solid-state drive, 4GB of RAM, and a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467M CPU. There are no graphics options other than the included integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, which are fine for most basic needs, photo editing, and even video editing and some casual gaming. As an ultrabook, the HP Folio 13 doesn't have a DVD drive. For $150 extra, you could always upgrade to Windows 7 Professional instead of the included Windows 7 Home Premium OS, but the typical consumer won't need to.

The HP Folio 13 feels fast in everyday use, and especially in terms of startup and wake-from-sleep time. A cold boot launched in about 20 seconds, and a lifting-the-lid wake from sleep took only 4 seconds. It felt just as fast as a MacBook Air, but wasn't as silent; I heard a gentle operating whine from the Folio 13 most of the time, although it's possible that toying with the HP CoolSense controls might have helped.

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Gigabyte has confirmed the impending launch of three new laptops, as it looks to expand its markets beyond its traditional motherboard and graphics card manufacturing.

"Gigabyte has long been a leader in the gaming motherboard market and we have taken our expertise to design high-end notebooks", explained Richard Ma, senior executive vice president of Gigabyte. "With the P2532 series, we have developed a line of premium products that feature exceptional performance, but at an affordable price to achieve the best value for users."

The first of the three laptops is the P2532F gaming-class laptop, which boasts an Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor and Nvidia GT 555M graphics processor with 2GB of dedicated memory for smooth gameplay. Borrowing from the company's multimedia notebook line, the P2532F also includes a Blu-ray combo drive, a Full HD 1080p display and an audio system boasting THX TruStudio Pro technology, four stereo speakers and a single woofer speaker.

The design of the laptop includes a clever dual vent and dual heat-sink design which, Gigabyte claims, offers a powerful cooling effect for the system's components even during prolonged use, extending the lifespan of the device.

The P2532F is to be joined by the P2532H and P2532S, a pair of multimedia notebooks offering an Nvidia GT 555M or GT 550M graphics processor respectively, along with the same Full HD 1080p display and Blu-ray combo drive of the gaming equivalent. An included HDMI 1.4 output will also allow the device to play back 3D Blu-ray content, Gigabyte confirms, although this will require connected to an external display.

Although Gigabyte claims that all three laptops are ready for sale in international markets now, it has yet to provide official UK pricing; early pre-order details from selected retailers suggest that the company is keeping the cost low in order to compete with better-known laptop brands like Dell's Alienware.

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Instead of hosting its usual giant press conference and hotel suites full of products to demo, Dell instead introduced a single laptop, the XPS 13 ultrabook. If it was going to highlight just one laptop, Dell certainly picked the most relevant one, but last year's CES saw several systems across different categories. Dell's sister brand, Alienware, had nothing new to show, despite scoring big at past CES events with systems such as the M11X.

HP likewise stuck to a single major new laptop, the Envy 14 Spectre. It's an innovative system with a cool design (and our Best of CES winner in the computers and hardware category), but HP's other new laptops, the revamped Envy 15 and Envy 17, and the Folio 13 ultrabook, had already been released last month. Toshiba typically has new models spilling from its various Satellite, Qosmio, and Portege laptop lines. But at CES 2012, it only had a single product to show off, an unnamed 14-inch ultrabook prototype.

Also missing in action were new systems from Sony's Vaio line and anything notable from Asus, a company that typically brings several boundary pushing laptops to Las Vegas. Sony displayed a couple of potential future laptop/tablet prototypes under glass, and Asus brought a single new laptop, a fish-out-of-water Netbook (something that's kind of hard to get worked up about these days).

Of the major laptop makers that serve the U.S. market, only Lenovo and Samsung came through with traditional full slates of new laptops. Why the lack of new systems? Talking to the various PC makers, a few themes developed. First, the double play of Windows 8 and Intel's next-gen CPUs is reportedly close, but not reliably dated. Any new products shipping soon face the danger of being outdated in six months, and showing off a laptop that relies on one or both of those new technologies means that full spec details and release dates are impossible to provide.

Second, and more troubling for future CES shows, the big sales seasons for laptops--back to school and the holidays--are increasingly important, but don't lend themselves well to previewing products six-to-nine months early at a January trade show.

Fortunately, despite not having a high volume of specific new models to talk about, PCs, and laptops in particular, still managed to be the most talked-about part of the show, thanks to Intel's relentless ultrabook hype. You can catch up on our wrap-up of all the 'computers and hardware' category highlights right here.

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The trend in laptops at CES 2012 is clear: It’s all about thinner and lighter laptops made with premium materials and slick design. Intel’s attempt to brand exceptionally thin and light laptops as “Ultrabooks” has been very successful, with nearly every laptop vendor jumping on board. Even laptops that don’t meet the requirements of Ultrabook branding, such as those using Intel Atom or AMD CPUs like the Asus Eee PC Flare, are slimmer, lighter, and better-looking than the comparable systems of the last few years.

Some vendors are simply forgoing the Ultrabook brand name. Vizio’s dramatic entry into the PC market seems quite impressive, and while its thin-and-light 14 and 15-inch laptops meet the requirements to be called Ultrabooks, the company says they’ve been working on them since long before such a brand existed, and prefer it not be used. Dell’s sleek XPS 13 is the same story. What do these systems, and many of the other hot laptops of CES have in common? They’re a lot thinner, and they’re made with premium materials, such as solid blocks of aluminum, carbon fiber, or in the case of the HP Envy 14 Spectre, lots of Gorilla Glass.

In fact, this CES marks the introduction of the thinnest laptops we’ve ever seen. The Aspire S5 from Acer and the new Series 9 from Samsung are so skinny they make Apple’s Macbook Air look positively chunky. Acer claims the Aspire S5 is the world’s thinnest laptop, but the new Series 9 will ship several months sooner. The Blade laptop from Razer may not be especially skinny (at 0.8-inches) or light (at 6.6 pounds), until you realize that it’s a 17-inch gaming laptop. For products in that class, it’s like a runway model.

Some of these svelte laptops will ship this spring, but many more will hit the market in the summer and fall, after Intel’s third-generation Core processors (code-named Ivy Bridge) hit the market. These smaller, faster chips should operate more efficiently than the current Core processors, making them easier to cool in these tight laptops, while delivering longer battery life.

Though we have seen laptops with touchscreens in the past, we’re seeing a few more now that Windows 8 is on the way with a greatly improved touch experience. Most of the touch-enabled laptops at CES are concept models designed to convert into tablets. With Windows 8 half a year away or more, we’re not likely to see many finished products tailor-made for the OS just yet.

If CES 2012 is any indication, this year will mark a push away from the commoditization of laptops. Yes, the cheap, heavy, thick, plasticky laptops of the past few years will still be out there, but all the buzz will be around laptops that look great, run cool and quietly, and are easier to carry. There will be more of these to choose from than ever before. If the last few years were a race to the bottom to see who could make the most affordable laptop, 2012 is a race for quality to see who can make the most desirable laptop.

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