With the release on Intel’s latest generation of processors, codenamed Ivy Bridge, comes Quick Sync Video 2.0. This is an enhancement to Intel’s original Quick Sync Video technology which provides hardware encoding and decoding of video directly on the processor. All second-generation Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks feature Quick Sync 2.0 which is up to twice as fast as Quick Sync found in first-generation Sandy Bridge Ultrabooks. In order to take advantage of Quick Sync 2.0 you need to be using software that is designed to use it; a number of companies […]

Our pal Avram Piltch of LaptopMag got his hands on Acer’s new Aspire S5 Ultrabook and has an in-depth review available for your perusal. Does the S5 stand up to the competition? LaptopMag rated it 3 stars out of 5, but certainly not because of its record breaking SSD array.

At 875 grams, the NEC Lavie Z is the world’s lightest laptop with a 13.3″ screen. You’ll need to put up a pretty penny for the privilege of owning the world’s lightest 13.3″ computer, it has been priced by Dynamism at $1799. NEC is expected to launch the Lavie Z in mid-August and we’ve got full official specifications.

A warning for those of you who have had your eye on the UX31A Zenbook Prime and UX32VD with 1080p IPS display, early reports indicate that there may be some light-bleed issues on the display. You may want to hold off on your purchase until this is sorted out.

We’re big supporters of what Dell and Canonical are doing with project Sputnik. It’s not just another Ubuntu-based Linux distro, it’s a Linux distro with funding and a defined hardware target and the fact that the hardware target is an Ultrabook makes it even better. If you’re a Linux fan, check out our first post on the subject and then, read-on here…

Sorry Gigabyte, before your ‘lightest notebook on Earth’ has become available, NEC have not only reduced the weight of their LaVie Z LZ750/HS, they’ve done it with a 13.3” screen. This is a stunning bit of engineering – just on weight alone. The last time we reported on the NEC Lavie we had ‘official’ specs which have turned out to be slightly wrong in the weight department. NEC have succeeded in reducing the weight from an already impressive 999gm to a mind-blowing 875gm. How did they do it?

How could I resist that title? A bit of laughter is in the air as I hear the official news that the ASUS UX32VD is not coming to the UK. Is it a model naming issue or perhaps just a big mistake? The ASUS UX32VD is #2 device on the site here, a device that is getting a huge amount of coverage and already building a big community, often a huge advantage for a buyer. The UX32VD combines a lower-cost Ultrabook chassis and hard drive with a full HD screen […]

Use the European comparison engine Skinflint.co.uk today and do a search for Core i5 Ivy Bridge laptops with a screen size up to 13.9” and a weight of under 1.5KG [link] and you’ll find about 32 solutions. 5 of them are Apple MacBook Air solutions, 11 of them are Ultrabook alternatives over 1000 Euros and the rest are Ultrabooks…apart from one which sits nearly 30% cheaper than any other offering. Take the screen size limit down to 11.6” and the Acer V5-171-53314G50 is about half the price of any 11.6 […]