Laptops

G-Form has taken its expertise in protecting the bodies of cyclists and skaters and applied it to consumer electronics, first with a case for iPad that's tough enough to withstand a bowling ball attack and now with what's billed as "the world's most rugged case for laptops." Made from a flexible, lightweight material that hardens upon impact, the Extreme Sleeve for Laptop will ship at the end of May in 11”, 13” and 15" sizes. Could be just the thing if you're looking to drop your MacBook off a balcony ... Read More

Not too long ago, overclocking a processor to squeeze out every last drop of performance was the domain of relatively few dedicated hardware or gaming enthusiasts, but is now becoming more and more commonplace. We could feel the salivation at Alienware's announcement of a new gaming laptop that's factory-overclocked to 4GHz. Now ORIGIN has announced that its EON17-S performance notebooks are available with mobile processors overclocked to a world-beating 4.5GHz. Read More

Cameras, camcorders and smartphones have had it, now laptops are getting the in-built projector treatment. Fujitsu is about to release two LIFEBOOK notebooks in Japan which feature a mobile projector where you might expect to find an optical drive – giving those who regularly provide on-site training or pitch business proposals an always-at-hand option for displaying presentations. Read More

After a good deal of speculation, Dell has announced two new additions to its Alienware gaming brand and one updated favorite. The new flagship M18x desktop replacement notebook – modestly described by the company as the "most powerful 18-inch gaming laptop in the universe" – features a factory-overclocked second generation Core i7 processor, dual graphics and supports up to 32GB of DDR3 memory. The M14x comes in two display options, dual or quad Core i7 processors and an impressive eight hour battery life. The refreshed M11x gets treated to some new processors, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4 connectivity. Read More

Gateway has announced three new additions to its NV notebook family, each taking advantage of the latest AMD platform. The new models all feature a stylish satin black case, a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution LED-backlit display, Radeon graphics and run on Windows 7 Home Premium. There's also 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Gigabit LAN, and a full-size keyboard with dedicated numeric keypad and multi-gesture touchpad. Gateway has additionally included its popular social networking button to give users quick, one-touch access and log-in to sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Read More

Anyone in the market for one of Apple's new Thunderbolt-equipped 2011 MacBook Pros would be forgiven for thinking the machines only support up to 8GB (2 x 4GB) of RAM since that's what's listed on the tech specs and is the maximum build-to-order option available through Apple. However online store OWC says the new 2011 MacBook Pro models can actually support up to 16GB (2 x 8GB) and is selling the 8GB sticks you'll need to make it happen. The only catch is the price, which is more than the asking price for either of the two 2011 13-inch MacBook Pro models currently available. Read More

Eye-tracking and control technology manufacturer Tobii Technology has teamed up with Lenovo to produce a prototype notebook which the user can control with the blink of an eye. The integrated eye control technology allows the eyes to point at, select and scroll icons or objects on the screen, or can be used in conjunction with more familiar input methods to enhance the user experience or increase productivity. The company is currently demonstrating one of the 20 fully functional conceptual prototypes at CeBIT 2011, along with other eye-tracking examples from its portfolio. Read More

Apple's new MacBook Pro line-up might be grabbing all the headlines with its new Thunderbolt port, but the claimed battery life pales into insignificance when compared to that offered by HP. When running on the company's new Ultra-Capacity Notebook battery, the HP EliteBook 8460p is said to be capable of running for up to 32 hours between charges. It's one of a number of business notebook releases announced by HP, so let's take a closer look... Read More

I've had plenty to say about Apple's bizarre, pro user-hostile MacBook Pro I/O roadmap over the years - like the shock removal of FireWire 400 in late 2008 and the removal of ExpressCard from the 15" in 2009 - so it's incredibly refreshing to write about the inclusion of Thunderbolt, a decidedly "Pro" I/O interface with seemingly no downside, in the latest refresh. Read More