Here at CES 2012 there are a number of new notebooks, but the glass loving HP ENVY Spectre 14 stands out in a crowded room with a design that incorporates glass on multiple sides.

I was able to go hands on with the new glass covered beauty at PepCom and came away impressed with the look and feel of the device, but hoping for a more intimate experience with the new HP ImagePad.

I was curious about the glass coverings, but after playing with the glass and seeing a Gorilla Glass demo next door, I enjoyed the looks of the notebook and have hopes for the resilience of the device. The glass isn’t just for looks though, HP tells us that this notebook enjoys better radio performance thanks to the glass lid, bezel and palm rest.

HP ENVY Spectre 14 Hands On Video

In our ENVY Spectre 14 hands on video, you can see a closer look at all the ports, including a little flip down Ethernet port that gives you access to corded connections without the need for a dongle.

I do like the look and feel of this notebook, which doesn’t borrow from the MacBook Air like many Ultrabooks have done. We’ll be paying close attention to this new notebook from HP, and hope to get a review unit in soon to put it through its paces.

HP ENVY Spectre 14 Hands-On Video is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

HP shined at CES 2012 with the introduction of the HP ENVY Spectre 14, a new Ultrabook that incorporates glass throughout the design, Beats Audio and a 14 inch screen inside a 13.3″ body.

HP’s big draw is the use of glass throughout the Spectre 14′s design. This includes a scratch resistant glass lid, as well as glass on the display, palm rest and the HP ImagePad (the glass covered trackpad), which is right below the backlit keyboard.

The 14 inch display is an HP Radiance Display which means you’ll enjoy better colors than a standard notebook monitor as well as a 1600 x 900 resolution.

The new HP Ultrabook features an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, 4GB of RAM up to 256GB of storage and has Intel Rapid Start for fast boot and resume times. You’ll also enjoy HP CoolSense to keep the notebook cool while it is in your lap.

The HP ImagePad is a new trackpad solution from HP that the company claims will offer, “precise multifinger touch navigation.” We’ll wait until we get our hands on with the ENVY Spectre 14 to declare their new touchpad a winner.

The HP ENVY Spectre 14 has BEATS Audio as well as HP Wireless Audio to stream music to four external devices, including a KleerNet compatible device.

Inside the Spectre, you’ll find NFC for transferring URLs from your phone to your computer, but perhaps you’ll be able to use it with MasterCard PayPass later this year.

There’s no MagicFlip Port cover, but you do get a full complement of ports including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort.

The glass covered beauty is 20 mm thick, weighs in at under four pounds and boasts a 9 hour battery life.

The notebook includes a collection of software including, full versions of Adobe Photoshop® Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10, two years of preinstalled Norton™ Internet Security.

The HP ENVY Spectre 14 is available in the U.S. in February starting at $1,399.

HP ENVY Spectre 14 Ultrabook is One Glassy Ultrabook is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Today at its press conference at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Intel announced a partnership with Nuance to bring that company’s voice recognition to Ultrabooks at some point in 2012. And while both companies were a bit light on the details, they did have a couple of things to share.

If there was one thing that Intel and Nuance were adamant about was that the voice recognition software was going to be deeply embedded in future Ultrabooks. From sending out Tweets, to checking your calendar, to composing emails, Nuance will help you accomplish all of that.

And maybe best of all, it all can be done without a headset.

Read: Awesome UltraBook Concepts

Nuance also made it clear that it’s working on language to language translation for nine languages, including English and Mandarin, but it said that that technology would not be making it out any time soon.

So, that could mean that at some point in the future, you could say something in English, and it would show up in Mandarin right in front of your eyes on your Intel-powered Ultrabook.

It’s a neat concept to be sure and one that would be extremely useful to those communicating with friends and family who don’t share a common first language.

And while we hope that it makes it to market soon, it appears that we’ll just have to settle for good old headset free voice control in 2012.

Not such a bad consolation prize.

Nuance Bringing Headset-Free Voice Control to Ultrabooks in 2012 is a post by Adam Mills from Notebooks.com.

Lenovo showed off their ThinkPad X1 Hybrid laptop at CES in Las Vegas, which evolves the veritable ThinkPad X1 hardware by giving the laptop more juice time in between charges thanks to two separate processors and a secondary OS. Thanks to an instant on mode, the Lenovo X1 Hybrid can go for 10 hours of run time on a single charge.

On the surface, the Hybrid resembles the vanilla Thinkpad X1. However, on the inside, you have up to an Intel Core i7 processor powering Windows 7. Additionally, the instant-on Instant Media Mode, which can be used for media, is powered by an Android-based OS to be a bit more conservative on the OS if you don’t need specialized Windows programs, and utilizes a more power-efficient ARM-based Qualcomm dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor. On the Instant Media Mode side, there is also 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage.

The 13.3-inch notebook weighs 3.73 pounds. The system has a rapid charge feature that allows you to quickly charge to 80% in just 30 minutes.

You can follow the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid more on this previous post.

CES: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Hybrid Hands-On (Video) is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

At Computex 2011 Intel announced a new plan to help usher in a new class of thin ultraportable notebooks that cost less than $1,000. Intel is calling these new notebooks “Ultrabooks” and wants to move at least 40% of the consumer notebooks to this thin form factor by the end of 2012. The new Ultrabook notebooks will measure under .8 inches thick and will come to market under $1,000 starting with the ASUS UX21 ultraportable in September and followed by other designs from major manufacturers.

What is the Ultrabook?

Intel is banking on the Ultrabook to deliver an ultraportable notebook with Intel Core i processors that breaks below the $1,000 mark into mainstream notebook pricing. These notebooks will arrive with low power Core i series processors later this year, with greater availability predicted in 2012. Future Ultrabooks will use the next generation of Intel processors, code named “Ivy Bridge” which is expected to be formally shown off at CES 2012.

Ivy Bridge uses Tri-Gate transistor design will continue the push for better visuals and a focus on power efficiency which will allow for thin and light notebooks to make fewer compromises. We anticipate that Ultrabooks will have at least one USB 3.0 port or one Thunderbolt going forward.

Why is the UltraBook Important for PC Notebooks

If Intel can drive the design of these thin and affordable notebooks, Intel stands to profit from increased sales, but there are also a number of other winners like major manufacturers and consumers.

The vision behind these new notebooks is to deliver performance and portability in an affordable package, an important combination that has been difficult for PC notebooks to hit. The current crop of ultraportable notebooks, like the Samsung 9 Series for example, meet the thin factor, but fail on pricing. The high prices of ultraportable notebooks are one of the key factors keeping them out of the hands of consumers.

Consumers will win with cheaper notebooks that bring greater power and longer battery life in a smaller package. While there are no shortage of ultraportable notebooks, most users are still stuck with larger notebooks due to their lower prices. The Ultrabook has a long road ahead to reach 40% of the consumer notebook and laptop market, but given the trend towards thinner and lighter smartphones, notebooks and tablets we expect to see consumers drawn to Ultrabooks class notebooks as the platform matures and prices come even lower than $1,000.

The Future of the Notebook and Laptop

With a desire to make the Ultrabook cover 40% of the consumer market in just 18 months, Intel has a lot of work ahead. Given the longer PC upgrade times and lack of additional Ultrabook devices currently announced it will definitely be a challenge. We expect to see additional Ultrabook class devices for the holidays of 2011, but CES 2012 will be the real showcase for the Ultrabook, and the chance for this new class to emerge and be defined by manufacturers.

As we move out into 2013, Intel tells us to expect Ultrabooks powered by a processor code named “Haswell” which Intel says will be part of, “reinventing the capabilities of the laptop.” The Haswell processors will cut the power needed by processors to half of what today’s processors use, allowing for even thinner and lighter designs.

Intel Attempts to Define Computing Future with Thin “Ultraboooks” Starting under $1,000 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The AMD Fusion processor family was announced at CES 2011 earlier this month and wowed us with the promise of a better graphics performance in affordable notebooks, netbooks and tablets thanks to a combined CPU and GPU.

On a 4th Quarter earnings call Thomas Seifert, AMD Interim CEO, announced that AMD had shipped over 1 million Fusion APUs by the end of 2010 to major partners such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.

This isn’t too surprising considering the Fusion APU had over 100 design wins by CES 2011 and was in 35 notebooks and mini laptops that debuted at the show, but it is great news for AMD and for users who will benefit from the re-emergence of AMD as a competitor in the processors space after several years of sub-par performance.

We gave the AMD Fusion APU our Best Innovation of CES 2011 award with the following to say, “With AMD Fusion APU powered notebooks ranging from 11.6″ up to 15.6″ and starting at around $329 it’s hard to imagine a reason why you wouldn’t pick Fusion over a standard netbook.”

The AMD Fusion APU powers two of our Best of CES winners, the Lenovo ThinkPad x120e and the HP Pavilion dm1z notebooks as well as many other devices.

You can learn more about the AMD FUsion APU from AMD Product Marketing Director Bob Grim in the video below.

via Liliputing

AMD Ships Over 1 Million Fusion Processors is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Consumer Electronics Show 2011 is in the record books and we were on hand to get a look at the various mobile and technology products being showed off to attendees. Here are our Best of CES 2011 awards in numerous categories.

Best Notebook: Alienware M17x

The notebook garnering the Best Notebook award for CES 2011 is the Alienware M17x. As we stated in our post, this notebook “leaped out of the crowd” because it is a “beast of a machine, providing an outstanding gaming and entertainment experience.” At $1,499 it is a premium gaming notebook with the option of  up to a second gen Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 460 graphics, and 3D capability. There is also the option of dual 256GB SSDs. With wireless HD movies and other video can be streamed to an external display.

Best Innovation: AMD Fusion APU

AMD Fusion APU is a new chip to compete with Intel’s second generation Intel Core i Processor family (see above). It also has both CPU and GPU integrated into what AMD calls an APU, for Accelerated Processing Unit. The result is HD video, multimedia, and long battery life, all in one inexpensive package for smaller mobile computing.

Best of Show: Powermat

Powermat is a mobile battery solution that allows users to charge their battery simply by placing the device on a charging mat. It is the simplicity of wireless charging that makes this product so special. Included is Powermat solutions for the car where users can place a Powermat enabled device in a special holder in their car and have it charge without connecting an adapter. The device must have either a built-in Powermat battery or a battery installed either inside the device replacing the factory battery or with an external case that has an integrated Powermat battery in it.

Best Affordable Consumer Notebook: HP Pavilion dm1z

The HP Pavilion dm1z gets our Best Of award for being a feature-rich 11.6″ ultra-portable notebooks with a Fusion powered AMD processor. It plays HD video, has up to 10 hours of battery life, and a reasonable price tag of just $449 or less with a 2-year contract from Verizon.

Best Premium Thin & Light Notebook: Samsung 9 Series

The Samsung 9 Series was built to compete with the popular new Apple MacBook Air. Compete it does in the area of looks, features, size and battery life. It has a powerful new Intel Core i5 Processor (see award above), a 128GB SSD,  USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 all in a package smaller than 3 lbs and running Windows 7. The base price of $1,599 is a little higher than Apple’s, but with more power it looks like it is worth it.

Best Premium Mainstream Notebook: Toshiba Satellite e305

The Toshiba Satellite e305 is our Best Premium Mainstream Notebook because it is a feature-packed laptop with the new Intel Core i5 processor, WiDi 2.0 and more. The Toshiba e305 will be available at Best Buy later this year as part of the Best Buy Blue Label 3.0 line of laptops which.

Best Affordable Business Ultraportable: Lenovo ThinkPad x120e

The Lenovo ThinkPad x120 is our Best Affordable Business Ultra-portable. For just under $400 you get an 11.6″ antiglare screen and more than six hours of battery life in very slim size. It has an AMD Fusion E series APU and will play full HD video. It also has the quality ThinkPad keyboard, which we like.

Best Gadget for the Family: Sony Bloggie 3D

The Sony Bloggie 3D is a $249 compact video camera that records in 3D. It brings both HD video recording and 3D video recording to the average consumer. Even if you don’t have a 3D television yet, you can enjoy the videos by uploading them to YouTube, which allows viewers to watch 3D videos from the Bloggie using a normal TV or monitor and traditional red/blue 3D glasses.

Best Mainstream Experience Improvement: Intel 2nd Generation Core i Processor Family

Intel’s second generation of Core i Processors is a nice advancement for computer hardware with the “biggest impact on how consumers use their computers in 2011″ according to our editor, Josh Smith. It comes with integrated graphics and processor on a single chip. Add Intel’s WiDi 2.0 to the mix and you get a nice bump in HD video wireless streaming from a notebook to an external display like a TV.

Best Mobile Productivity Accessory: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 is a portable scanner with dimensions of 10.74″ x 1.87″ x 1.33″ and weighs 12.3 ounces. This makes it no bigger than a can of soda. Despite its size, the feature set is extensive making it a bargain and a useful mobile scanning tool for under $200.

Best 4G Network Speeds & Rollout: Verizon Wireless LTE

With a fast download and upload speed, reliability in the face of a horde of users at CES and a rollout that will bring 4G to a large number of users in 2011 we chose Verizon Wireless’s new LTE 4G network as our top pick for network speed and rollout.

Best Notebook Accessory: Novatel 4G MiFi from Sprint/Verizon

In conjunction with Verizon’s new LTE network rollout (see previous award), Novatel announced new MiFi Mobile Hotspots taking advantage of big red’s faster network. There is also one coming to Sprint. These are fast, mobile hotspots, which share a network connection with up to five other devices or via USB with a single device.

Best Storage and Sharing Solution: PogoPlug Video

PogoPlug makes great network attached storage devices. Their new PogoPlug Video, which shares and streams video content over a network and even over the Internet — transcoding hard to stream video formats to a format your device can play, from your computer to the iPhone and more. The PogoPlug Video is our pick for Best Storage and Sharing Solution.

Best Phone of CES: Motorola Atrix 4G and Laptop Dock

Among the slew of new phones announced at this year’s CES the Motorola Atrix 4G stood out in part because of it’s 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 16GB of storage and 960×540 qHD display. But what really grabs attention is the laptop-like dock which accepts the phone and allows the user to work on it as if they had a small “webtop”, as Motorola calls it, with a browser to get online. There is also a desktop dock. This could replace a notebook.

Best Mobile Lifestyle Accessory of CES 2011: ContourGPS Cam & Contour Mobile App

When it comes to capturing your life on the go it’s hard to find a solution that’s more versatile than the ContourGPS Camera which comes with an app that allows you to use your iPod or iPhone as a viewfinder and to adjust settings on the fly. Wether you’re a geek, an athlete or a little of each you’ll be impressed with the ability to attach the ContourGPS camera to almost anything and to record HD video and GPS coordinates.

Best of CES 2011 Awards for Notebooks.com is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Mobile batteries always seem to die at the worst times. Wouldn’t it be nice if your phone would just charge automatically every time you weren’t using it? Powermat is doing its best to make the dream of wireless charging a reality. While the Powermat products at CES 2011 were certainly impressive, its the proliferation of Powermat’s platform that got us really excited.

There are two parts essential to making the system work. Mobile devices need to be outfitted with backs or cases that receive energy wirelessly, charging the devices’ batteries. The mobile devices must be placed on a mat that’s hooked up to a power source.

At CES 2011, Powermat showed how its technology will look in cars. Simply throwing your smartphone into a cup holder or center console will charge it, eliminating the need to fumble with tips and cords at 65MPH. GM invested $5 millon in the company and is planning on offering Powermat in the Chevy Volt by 2012.

Teknion has a line of office furniture accessories that has Powermat technology built in, which means phones can charge on the base of a lamp, a shelf or the desk its self.

PowerMat is teaming up with Arconas to provide wireless charging stations at more than 130 airports around the world. Hunting down a power outlet at an airport can be a painful (and costly) proposition, especially if you’re in a foreign country and don’t have the proper adapters handy.

Powermat’s power! Dual 1850 is an external battery pack that can charge on any Powermat surface. It features a retractable iPhone tip and Micro USB tip to charge your mobile devices in a pinch. The power! Dual 1850 can also be recharged via any USB port when a Powermat isn’t available.

Powermat is working on something more than charging mobile phones. The company is partnering with a top-tier manufacturer (Powermat reps wouldn’t disclose which one) to build Powermat compatible notebooks.  From the looks of it, the Powermat receiver will be built into the bottom of notebook batteries.

When we first saw Powermat at CES 2009 the company’s first products weren’t even ready to ship. Fast forward a couple of years and we’re starting to see Powermat live up to its potential. Charging batteries wirelessly might not be the sexiest business, but it can solve a real consumer problem. For its current and soon to be released products, Powermat earned Notebooks.com’s Best of Show Award at CES 2011.

Best of Show CES 2011: Powermat is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

We found one device at CES 2011 that that combines the excitement of extreme sports and mobile technology. The ContourGPS, an HD camera that can be mounted just about anywhere, is gaining the ability to work with mobile phones thanks to Bluetooth and some new apps.

With apps, GPS module, microsSD, Bluetooth and a Lithium-ion battery, the ContourGPS’s spec sheet read more like a phone’s than  a camera’s at first glance.

The new ContourGPS, which shoots beautiful 1080p video, comes with Bluetooth to connect to iOS and Android devices. The Contour app will make it possible for skiers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, auto enthusiasts and other adventurers to preview and fine tune their shots. With Bluetooth enabled, an iPhone can become the viewfinder for a ContourGPS camera. This will allow users to adjust the composition and settings before attempting to capture moments that are difficult, if not impossible, to repeat.

The ContourGPS can be mounted on just about any surface or object imaginable. Contour sells adapters to make it easy to mount the ContourGPS onto handlebars, automobiles, helmets and even weapons.

The $349 CountourGPS is well built and packs a lot of technology into a tiny package. The ContourGPS will allow both geeks and athletes shoot movies like never before. Bluetooth and the Contour Mobile App make the Contour GPS the Best Mobile Lifestyle Accessory of CES 2011.

Best Mobile Lifestyle Accessory of CES 2011: ContourGPS Cam & Contour Mobile App is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

There was no shortage of gadgets at CES 2011, but the Sony Bloggie 3D stood out as something the entire family will enjoy in the new year. Starting at $249, the Bloggie 3D will make it easy and affordable for families to capture all those precious moments in 3D.

Until now, producing 3D video has been a complex and expensive proposition. Anyone that knows how to use a simple camera will be able to use shoot 3D video, which can be played back on any 3D HDTV. Don’t have a 3D TV yet? That’s ok. YouTube can automatically play videos shot with the Bloggie 3D in 3D on any normal 2D display. All you need to do is bring your own red/blue 3D glasses. You can even watch 3D videos on the screen of the Bloggie 3D.

The demo of videos shot with the Bloggie 3D that we saw at CES 2011 were impressive to say the least. While the Bloggie 3D won’t instantly turn you into the next James Cameron, it’s simple enough for any family member to shoot with and everyone will appreciate seeing themselves in 3D.

The Sony Bloggie 3D is Notebooks.com’s Best Gadget for the Family at CES 2011.

Best Gadget for the Family at CES 2011: Sony Bloggie 3D is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.