Technofile: Sony has released a new series of Vaio notebooks in the AR series, described by the electronics maker as "the ultimate HD entertainment notebook". Why? Well, probably because this is the first laptop ever to play the new Blu-ray High Definition discs, along with full HD capture, editing and playback. An HDMI output means it will connect to a HD Ready TV. The flagship model is the AR11S and features a 17-inch screen, Intel Core Duo processors up to and including the 2GHz T2500 and a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600. It can also take a huge hard drive: up to 200GB. A digital camera and microphone, Digital TV-Ready tuner caps off an impressive range of features. Starts at €2,200.
Speaking of laptops, Apple has completed the switch to Intel for its laptops, bringing out the new Macbook (no "Pro" at the end of the name here). Designed to appeal to consumers and business alike, the Macbook comes in traditional white, and the new sleek matt black, and starts at a reasonable €1,119. Included is the Intel Core Duo chipset, inbuilt iSight camera, Front Row software, iLife '06 and a 13-inch display that Apple boasts is nearly 80 per cent brighter than the old iBook's. Pick the 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz processor, 60 or 80GB hard disk drives and a CD or DVD writer. The basic 512MB of RAM expands to 2GB. With thin dimensions and a lightweight 2.36kg, it looks like a good package.
Want to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries? Buy a mobile phone. Motorola has brought out a special edition red version of the SLVR mobile, proceeds from which will go to Bono's humanitarian venture, Product Red, designed to support the The Global Fund. See Motorola.com.
Tennis fans may enjoy the new Roland-Garros branded My700x mobile from Sagem, named after the famous French Open. It sports Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, mp3, FM radio, and Edge network support.
A while back you might have seen the Soundbug that, when stuck to a flat surface, turned it into a speaker. Now the Nimzy Vibro Blaster (shame about the name) has come along to take the crown of the most portable speaker. It turns sound into vibrations to produce 15 watts of sound to rival bulkier competitors. Compatible with laptops, MP3 players, it's available online for about €102.
Something of a cult following in some business and technology circles, the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet has had a makeover. New Google Talk and a thumb keyboard have come out in the form not of a hardware upgrade but free software - which existing owners can download to enhance their 770. The new Linux-based OS will also support SIP-based VoIP solutions, which means it will use the Gizmo Project client not Skype.
Palm owners will be interested to hear of the launch of the new Treo 700p running the Palm OS. However, it won't reach Europe for a while longer, with US customers getting the first hands of the upgrade to the popular business smartphone.
Disappointed in the new Microsoft "Ultra Mobile Personal Computer" models coming out? So are we. The upgraded Microsoft Tablet software is not that amazing and the lack of a keyboard something the size of a house brick is tedious. So it may be worth waiting to get a good look at the new palm-sized Sony Vaio UX Micro PC.
It has a slide-out keyboard and, incredibly, Windows XP Professional. It includes Bluetooth, WiFi, Edge, a fingerprint reader, a front and back camera and a 4.5-inch screen that takes stylus input. It even plays video and MP3s. Out in July for around $1,800 (€1,400), it could almost replace your phone, your camera, your iPod and your laptop. Almost.
