Ultrabooks–are they worth waiting for?

I just got my hands on the Toshiba Z820  Ultrabook that is just an amazing piece of technology. The WOW is in the the design and feel of the unit with the laptop. It is sleek and light and feels like a piece of tech art. When someone hands over the unit with the screen closed and you how thin and light it is and you still have the specs this system sports you can’t help but feel a little flush. I know, I am showing my geek side but I love where this technology is heading towards and I can’t wait until we see where it eventually settles into. Look below for specs and be sure to come and ask us what we thing about this wonderful product.

Ultrabook Theme at CES 2012

The MacBook Air has helped to create a new category of mobile computing where the manufacturers are offering systems that are small, light and powerful to give the ultimate road warrior a sexy machine to take out on the road with them. These devices are all going to hit in the upper end of the pricing scale start at about $850 and going up from there.

The first attribute that is striking is the thinness of the profile of these systems. Weighing in at around 3lbs their screen sizes vary quite a bit. Most of these devices are using Intel’s third generation Core processors or Ivy Bridge delivery more speed, more battery life and better graphics performance.

Most of these devices are missing optical drives, usually have around a 13 inch screen and usually either an SSD or gone big on the HDD side. The SSD versions usually drives the price a bit higher than the non-SSD version. The SSD will help with making it lighter and protect your data a little better with less moving parts.

So what systems are out there?

• Lenovo IdeaPad U300 – The Verge Review
• Lenovo T430u – 14 inch version CNET Review - engadget Review
• Samsung Series 5 – engadget Review
• Toshiba Portege Z830 and Z835 – Toshiba’s Site – engadget hands on report - Laptop Review
• Acer Aspire S3 and S5 – ARS Technica Report – PC Mag Report

The Toshiba Thrive will be shipping soon.

The Toshiba Thrive (strange name) will become available towards the middle of this month from which you can pick from one of three models (8, 16 and 32GB). Priced at $429.99, $479.99 and $579.99 respectively. This appears to be a WiFi only machine at this time and doesn’t show any 3g or 4g radios as part of the package. It is running Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) and touts having a bright responsive multi-touch, high resolution 10.1 inch screen. The LED-backlit display is well-sized for surfing the Internet, and engineered with exclusive adaptive display technology, which adjusts brightness and contrast to the surrounding light conditions. Thrive not only has a well-sized display, but really rises to the occasion when it comes to expanded entertainment. Use its built-in HDMI port to share on a big screen TV all the stuff you've captured and carried around - in up to 1080p Full HD resolution.

Main Specifications:

• Product Type: Tablet - black
• Operating System: Android 3.1
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 10.7 in x 0.6 in x 7 in
• Weight: 1.6 lbs
• Display: 10.1" TFT - LED backlight - 1280 x 800 - Multi-Touch
• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 1 GHz ( Dual-Core )
• RAM: 1 GB
• Memory (depending on model): 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
• Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
• Wireless Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 HS
• Digital Camera: Rear + 2 Megapixel front
• HD Video Recording: 720p
• Supported Digital Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
• Supported Digital Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, MIDI, AMR, AAC +, OGG
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor, gyro sensor
• Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty

Software - Clock, Calculator, Quickoffice, Virtual Keyboard, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, Adobe Flash Player, Swype, Google eBooks, Android Browser, Android Market, Android Music Player, Gallery, Google Music, Google Places, Google Latitude, Google Search, Google Calendar, Google Calendar Sync, Google Contacts, Google Contacts Sync, Google Voice Search, LogMeIn Ignition, Hardwood Backgammon, Hardwood Euchre, Hardwood Solitaire, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, MOG Music, Printer Share, Need for Speed Shift, Toshiba App Place, Toshiba Book Place, Toshiba Start Place, Toshiba Media Player, Toshiba Service Station, Toshiba File Manager.

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