HP have got a new ultrabook coming out, which is literally made of glass.

Apparently, around 50 ultrabooks will be announced at this year’s CES, so get used to this kind of news. HP’s most recent offering in this new(ish) market is the Envy 14 Spectre, a pretty stonking-looking 14 inch laptop that sports innovative design and the popular Beats Audio technology.

One of the most interesting things about this laptop is the fact that it’s got a layer of black, scratch-proof glass on the outside of the lid. On the inside, it resembles a MacBook Pro with its matte silver tones and black, isolated keys. The bezel has been kept as thin as possible, so that the rest of the body remains similarly slight in weight and size.

The keyboard is backlit and comes with a neat little twist: there are individual LEDs for every key, and there is a sensor that lets each key light up when you come near them. It will have the latest Intel Core processors and SSD hard drive storage, as well as the renowned Beats Audio technology with powerful speakers and an analog volume control. Users will apparently be able to use their Envy 14 Spectre as a streaming device for all kinds of audio, wirelessly hooking it up to external speakers. The HP Envy Spectre weighs 1.8kg and 20mm thin, according to HP.

The HP Envy Spectre 14 will be available in the UK from the end of March onwards, for a price of around £1,199.

Check out other HP laptops on PC Site.

HP is the first out of the stalls, letting us all catch a glimpse of their new ultrabook, the HP Envy Spectre.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoXFDtYeMfA

There are a couple of distinguishing features between an ultrabook and your run of the mill laptop. We could sum it up with the phrase ‘essentially they’re better’ but that doesn’t really do anyone any good now does it?

With portable devices becoming all the rage, we saw the release of netbooks which offered a significantly reduced CPU on a portable platform that had a long-lasting battery. Developments in processors lead to the release of Intel Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge which in effect bridge the CPU and the GPU taking up less power and therefore improving battery power. Port developments like the USB 3.0 and HDMI lead to smaller ports that do a more effective job, thus reducing chassis size.

You therefore get a computer like the ultrabook, capable of supporting more powerful processors like Intel’s i7 second generation, with a spacious screen (larger than the 11 inch netbook screen) which weigh less than 1.4kg and have a width under 2cm.

You’ll also find that ultrabooks have a long battery life – well over 5 hours – and for portable purposes they favour Solid State Drives (SSD) which have less movable parts thus reducing risk to data when on the go.

We anticipate the ultrabook market to turn fierce this year. Manufacturers will be on a more level playing field then we saw with the Tablet Wars, since they are used to building laptops and Apple won’t have too extreme an advantage when it comes to sales.

Image credit: HighTechDad

Acer announced the release of their new tablet at the end of last week. The 10.1 inch Iconia Tab A200 is billed as a kind of all-round, family-friendly, social and entertainment gadget. The version that is out to buy now runs on Android 3.2,with a 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) version available in early 2012.

Judging by the specs sheet, it’s fair to say that Acer are going for the middle range of the market. At 720g, the tablet is not among the ultra-light elite, and the Bluetooth version available is of the 2.1 rather than the 3.0 variety.

Acer’s own SocialJogger feature aims to pull together social network feeds, and there is a front-facing 2MP web cam (but no second, back-facing camera).

UK users looking to put the Android 3.2 version of the Iconia Tab A200 under their Christmas tree will be disappointed, however – it’s currently not out to buy in the UK, but the 4.0 model will be.

We have just entered the “Back to School” season and we here at PC Site know that every student needs to find the perfect laptop.

You may be looking for one that is powerful enough to hold all of your work and entertain you when it’s time for a break. Or a laptop that is affordable, but that keeps going as long as you do. Maybe you just want a laptop that is stylish and not an embarrassment to be seen with in the library!

PC Site has some great laptop offers in store for you – powerful, portable, affordable, we have it all. We have studied the market for you, searching through our brands for the very best in student laptops.

We have lined up six contenders, one from each brand, and pitted them against each other for the prize of best student laptop. Have a look at the infographic – above and see which one would suit you best!

To find out more about Special Back to School Offers:

1. Find the cheapest Dell laptops

2. All the best MacBooks from the MacWarehouse

3. Find Acer laptops at PC World

4. Special Back to School Offers from Comet – including great Sony and Samsung offers

5. Best prices on HP Pavillions

6. Latest Back to School offers on Lenovo laptops

Toshiba Portégé

The Portégé line of laptops offers the latest in lightweight, mobile computing. They are portable, stylish laptops that pack all the power and features of products twice their size.

The Portégé series has a perfect balance between function, style, weight and ultra-portability and they all come with Toshiba EasyGuard technologies, making them tough and secure too.

Toshiba Qosmio

The Toshiba Qosmio laptops are made for entertainment. They give users the most powerful multimedia and gaming experiences available on a laptop.

They can be used for TV, music, video and gaming, and have clear, bright screen technology, surround sound and one-touch controls to access all multimedia content.

Some models include High Definition DVD-R for a cinematic film experience, and hard disk drive recording with which you can record TV programmes directly to your laptop.

Toshiba Satellite and Satellite Pro

The Satellite range from Toshiba is the perfect everyday performance laptops. They are affordable but powerful, and sport features and portability that will impress even the fussiest of users.

The Satellite Pro range means businesss combing performance, portability and great features; they are the all-rounders. They enable you to stay connected wherever you’re working – as well as offering the very latest in multimedia for when you’re relaxing out of the office.

Toshiba Tecra

Toshiba’s Tecra laptops are work laptops that are built to last. They are tough, secure and to keep you always connected, they are the ideal companions for business people on the road. All Tecra products have built in wireless connectivity and come with the unique Toshiba EasyGuard features for added security, protection and durability.

An Everyday Notebook

The Samsung R Series has some great “everyday laptops” that are reliable, affordable and powerful at the same time. You have for example the R530 15.5 inch notebook that comes with an Intel® Pentium Processor T4400, 4Gb of RAM.

You also have the R730 and R520 which make great laptops for students and families, looking for an affordable and reliable notebook.

A multimedia laptop

The Samsung R780, R580, R620 and R522 laptops are ideal notebooks for entertainment. They are larger than the every day models and Samsung does a lot with the extra space.

With the popular R530 laptop you get an Intel iCore processor (i3 or i5), a 500Gb hard drive, 4Gb of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics card. On top of this is has a multi-touch trackpad, a 17 key numerical pad and a unique USB Sleep-and-charge feature.

Ultraportable laptops

If you are on the move a lot and are in need of mobile yet functional laptop, you need to look at the Samsung X Series thin and light notebooks.

You can choose from the X125, the X520. The X420 and the X120, al of which have their own unique selling points. The X125 is an 11.6 inch notebook with an AMD Athlon™ II Neo Processor K125, 3Gb of RAM and a LED HD, 1366 x 768 pixel resolution glossy screen.

These notebooks are designed to be slim, with the X125 measuring 24.5mm thick, and fast too, with high speed Bluetooth 3.0.

Business laptops

Samsung knows that when it comes to business, laptops need to be top notch and this is can be seen in its P Series range of laptops. There is the P580, P530, P410 and the P560, all of which make great business partners.

The P580 15.6 inch business notebook comes with an innovative hard disk drive free fall sensor, which detects movement and protects your hard drive in event of a fall. Not only is it robust for the mobile businessman, it contains performance-enhancing innovations such as an Intel® Core™ i3 processor and a 3D graphics processor.

Samsung Netbooks

Samsung is rather famous for its affordable, long last power netbooks. The Samsung N Series lets you work or play faster and longer and in style.

The Samsung N150 with its rounded edges and durable design make it the ultimate travelling companion. It has between 8 and 12 hours battery life, depending on its usage, and a brilliant 10.1 inch anti-reflective display.

These are perfect little machines for anyone into cloud computing, or those who are looking for an affordable and portable PC.

Everyday computing

If you are looking for a laptop that is an all rounder, one that you can do a bit of work, play and entertaining on, the ASUS has you covered with the K Series.

You can choose from the K50 and K70 range, both of which hare designed to provide no-frills computing. In the K50 range there is the K50C, K50ID, K50IJ and K50IN, which all have their own special features including the unique IceCool Palm Rest.

The K70 range currently consists of the K10IJ, a Super Hybrid Engine laptop that is more powerful and customisable.

Gaming machines

The ASUS G Series is the range of gaming monsters that will have you happily shooting aliens and diving into trenches.

The range includes the G51, G60 and G73 lines; each more packed with power than the next.  The G51 offers a new class of gaming interaction, with its GeForce™ GTX 260M graphics card and NVIDIA’s PhysX Technology.

The G60 range (G60J G60Jx G60Vx) step it up a gear with night vision mode, and Power4 Gear Hybrid technology which allows users to boost their system performance with a user interface by selecting “Extreme Turbo” Mode.

The G73 Series are for the gamers out there who prefer a more unstated appearance. The G73J comes with an amazing 17.3 inch full HD screen, and made even better by the ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD5870 with 1Gb GDDR5.

Multimedia laptops

If you want to use your laptop as a mini home entertainment system, or simply as entertainment when you’re on the road, then you need one if the ASUS N Series.

In the multimedia range you have the N71 and M61 Series’ to choose from. Both are packed with notebooks that have the very best components for entertainment, from SonicMaster sound systems and Full HD viewing to Intel iCore processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics.

Ultraportable laptops

Asus understands the need for a light load, one with as much power as you need when you are out and about. The UL50, UL30 UX510 and the N10 Series’ are all designed to be ultraportable, sleek and powerful.

The UL50 Series is equipped with slim, stunning notebooks that are the perfect blend of form and function. The UL50Ag, for example, supplies users with SRS Premium Sound™, Altec Lansing® high definition speakers and ASUS Power4Gear technology for power customisation.

Special Edition laptops

If you want a laptop with a bit of va-va-voom, then you need the special edition ASUS-LAMBORGHINI VX5.

This notebook is just like the glamorous car, stylish and speed with a 1TB hard disk drive, an Intel® Core™2 Quad Q9000 processor, and NVIDIA® GeForce™ GT 130M with GDDR3 1G VRAM graphics card.

Here at PC Site we are fans of the weird and wonderful, so when we came across this amazing USB gadget, we had to share it with you!

Introducing… Pepper Mouth

Pepper Mouth is a USB device that creates a stench if you use “bad language” your computer. It is the brainchild of “anarchic designer” Ozge Kirimlioglu, at the Ultra-Modern-Life Training Lab.

This unique laboratory of “digital exploration” is working on a series of devices that “visualize the new kinds of surveillance online which people are not fully aware of,” according to Ozge.

Devices like these are used to alert people, namely younger people to the consequences of typing offensive language, for example, on social media sites.

The actual concept of a smelly USB came from Ozges’ grandmother, who apparently used to put pepper into her mouth if she used bad language when she was younger.

Creating something that could physically shove peppers into your gob may be a little difficult, so instead of taste, Ozge used the sense of smell to get to all you foul mouthed typers!

So how does it work exactly?

Well, when you plug it into a USB port on your laptop/desktop, it monitors what you type. When you type a bad word, a red LED light shines through the cut out in the middle of the device.

If you ignore the warning and continue, you better prepare you nostrils for a stench! The odour is designed to linger, to emulate the lasting damage that can be done when bad words are typed and sent in a message.

The Pepper Mouth is such a great little gadget, especially for those who wish to stop their children swearing in every medium!

For more images, visit ultramodernlifetraininglab.com.

With thanks to Ozge Kirimlioglu.

The Acer Aspire One 531 is small but packed with power and battery life, inside its sleek little chassis, while the Dell Precision M6500 is the heavy weight and reigning champion in the industry.

So what will be the winning factor, the price the size or the power? Check out our infographic below to see the final result.

We in the tech world seem to love nothing more than watching a Darwinian struggle between rival forces. Whether it’s PCs versus Macs or Flash versus HTML5, we just can’t resist choosing sides and baying for blood. It’s my firm belief that all tech geeks are descended from medieval bear baiters.

Apple Innovation

Unsurprisingly Apple features quite a lot in these bloodthirsty battles – which is testament to its incredible innovation over the last 15 years. So it is hardly surprising that it’s latest game-changing product, the iPad, is the driving force behind the latest punch up – but I have to say I think it’s one it isn’t really going to win.

There’s much discussion about the way Tablets will change computing, and there’s little doubt that they already have. But expecting them to somehow replace the PC, and the netbooks in particular, seems a stretch too far for me.

CES 2011 is Tablet time

Ok so Apple has sold three million iPads in the last few years, and next January CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, will unveil more jealous rivals than Shakespeare could have ever stomached. Already we’ve seen the Dell Streak make a noble charge at the beast, if not exactly landing anything that resembles a killer blow. Many more young hopefuls are being hurriedly prepared to enter the fray.

Netbooks matter most

But in that time over 85 million people have gone out and bought a netbook. Why? Because most people favour price, portability and practicality over a nice shiny toy and until Apple and everyone else manages to convince us otherwise that’s the way it’s going to stay. Could I write this article on an iPad? Maybe. Do I really want to type on a touchscreen? Nah.

Netbooks bring the Internet and the power of computing to the masses, they bring the freedom to work remotely to people who previously had to go to the office or an Internet Café just to check their emails. Tablets are cool, fun things to play with, great multimedia devices for the world’s affluent minority. They’re the tech world’s show pony, but most of us still wake up every day in need of a reliable work horse.

Image Credit: dpstyles™