For those who are planning to buy new notebooks, it might be good to hold off that plan until Spring as Acer plans to launch Blu-ray notebooks by then. These come with 16-inch and 18.4-inch LCDs. To know more about these cool babies, check out the full article via the "read more" link below.

Looking for a new laptop to replace your aging system? Well, you might want to consider Averatec's latest offering from its 2500 series. This new laptop sports a 12.1-inch LCD screen and some pretty decent specs.

Want to find out what the system is packing under the hood? Head on over to the full article for more details!

A team of Scottish, German, and Italian researchers have collaborated to subvert the limits of the silicon chip and have come up with a way to create nano-sized wires and intricate nano-chips that can turn handheld phones into an equal of high-end computer laptops. This new discovery will be published in the next issue of the scientific journal Science.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), and the University of Rome (Italy) have speculated that their new findings will pave the way to more powerful computers just about the size of your palm. "This will help to make small devices much more powerful in the future," said Dr. Michael Zaiser of the University of Edinburgh.

While many an enthusiast rambles on how great AMD processors are better than Intel or vice versa, soon there would be little to fuel the bickering when handheld supercomputers have come to be realized. "Holding a supercomputer in the palm of your hand will one day be possible - and we are going to make sure all the wires are in the right place," Zaiser said. That is, of course, once engineers and scientists have overcome the issues that come hand in hand with nano-miniaturization.

"What we found is when we made these wires smaller and smaller they started to behave in a very funny way," said Zaiser. The different behavior cued the researchers to use computers to predict these unconventional behaviors, which could help engineers understand the new phenomena and how to work around them.

In the experimental front, STI (Sony, Toshiba, IBM) have previously voiced out plans for a 45-nm iteration of the 1x8 core CELL Broadband Engine, while Intel is still secretive about developments on its 80-core prototype (codenamed POLARIS) which still has a couple of years before entering commercial production. AMD in the meantime has previously released news of its new Phenom processor, a multi-core on single-die architectural marvel.

Toshiba has announced the Satellite P205D series, the newest addition to its lineup of AMD-based notebook computers. This notebook is available in two flavors: the Satellite P205D-S7479 and Satellite P205D-S7438.

The 250GB P205D-S7479 is equipped with AMD's Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Gold Edition TL-64 processor. This particular model also comes with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 graphics processor.

The 160GB P205D-S7438 is cheaper, but it's no pushover, either. It comes with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TK-55 processor and an ATI Radeon Xpress X1200M graphics processor.

Both models also sport a DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash technology and 17-inch widescreen monitors. The P205D-S7479 also comes with a built-in Webcam and two built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers and a sub-woofer. The P205D-S7479 is available for US$ 1,349.99 while the P205D-S7438 has an US$ 849.99 retail price.

Acer has announced through a recent press release that it's bringing the new Ferrari 1100 laptop series to the market. True to the sports car maker's reputation, the notebook line will feature speed, style, and portability at its core.

The Ferrari 1100 series is powered by an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual core processor, an ATI Radeon X1250 integrated 3D graphics card with up to 960 MB of HyperMemory driving a 12.1" WXGA display with Acer CrystalBrite technology, and a hard disk drive of up to 250GB.

Acer's InviLink technology assures users that communications will be smooth sailing on the Ferrari 1100. An an integrated slot-loaded DVD SuperMulti DL adds to your multimedia pleasure without adding weight and the system comes with Microsoft Windows Vista variants of your choice pre-installed.

Pricing was not announced, but Acer should reveal it around the time that the launch date draws near. If you love the Ferrari cars and you want a notebook to match, this could be what you're looking for.

There has been talk that The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) and Microsoft has teamed up to put Windows XP Starter Edition on the systems. It was inevitable that some people would have drawn this conclusion given the fact that Microsoft has joined the some 1,500 developers who will be working on this project; the company having access to the XO prototypes only added more fuel to the fire. However, all these rumors were debunked by the Software and Content president of OLPC Walter Bender.

Bender spoke to ars technica saying that "we are a free and open-source shop. We have no one from OLPC working with Microsoft on developing a Windows platform for the XO.  MS doesn't get any special treatment from OLPC." It's good that he clarified this because the program at its core has been about open source.

The program has really gotten a lot of attention, and rightly so. This US$ 100 laptop seeks to bring affordable systems to children around the world. The laptop features a 400Mhz AMD Geode processor and an SD slot. The project has been met with some skepticism but looks to be on its way.

 

Alienware makes developers drool and accountants pat their pockets as the extreme gaming PC brand tout their latest Banzai runners catering to the people attending the 2007 Game Developers Conference. While these puppies were made to roll-over for developers, you can't quite shake off the feeling that the system would be a nasty addition to your computing collection.

Workstations, playstations; with quad-core Intel Xeons, Core 2 Duo Mobile, and AMD Opterons, the MJ-12 8550i, m5790, and MJ-12 8550a (resectively) all pack the multi-core powerhouse needed for creating games and playing them. Graphics are powered by FireGL and Quadro FX cards, with the Radeon X1900 for the laptop. Seeing CryEngine 2 on one of these is bound to be a visual tart. And what about those SAS drives? SATA never had it this good.

Of course, these things cost an arm, a leg and your noggin', so we guess you could always settle for the cheaper options. For more info, click the "Read" link below.

TGDaily reports that AMD currently has plans to bring "Xbox quality graphics to handheld devices." AMD plans to do this by utilizing their next gen mobile graphics technologies.

While specific details have yet to be released, AMD is reportedly "working with content developers now in preparation for the arrival of phones." These should be made available to handset manufacturers through "discrete media processors as well as through IP licensing agreements with semiconductor suppliers."

A developers toolkit that includes OpenVG 1.0 and OpenGL ES 2.0 support has already been released. The toolkit will also incorporate the same Unified Shader Architecture found in the Xbox 360. There's still no word yet on which companies have already signed up, but keep checking back here on QJ for more updates.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), one of the leading manufacturers of processors and graphics technology, has recently announced that it will be developing and licensing graphics core technology to semiconductor manufacturers in the handheld industry.

This decision is a major move in advancing the company's plans toward its goal of developing "the ultimate visual experience". AMD has been providing its technology to PCs and gaming consoles for years now, so it has a solid background in the field.

STMicroelectronics has already licensed AMD graphics technology. Included in the deal are the 2D and 3D vector graphics engine and software which are compliant with OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG 1.0. OpenGL ES is used for creating user-interfaces while OpenVG is used for rendering graphics, both of which are geared toward mobile handheld devices and cellular phones. STMicroelectronics has decided to integrate AMD’s handheld unified shader architecture graphics technology with its Nomadik platform.

AMD has been working with different fields involved with developing handheld platforms such as semiconductor suppliers, OEM, and application developers. They are hoping to push for improved graphics on handhelds through the use of their technology in conjunction with the latest APIs.

FiringSquad reports that the Press Preview event for this year's Consumer Electronics Show was a bit of a misnomer. They say that because many of the products displayed by the exhibitors have already been released.

It is reported that more than one exhibitor has said that they will show off and announce all of the new products when the CES actually begins this Monday.

Hotseat Chassis showed off a PC flight simulator set up that puts the player in a chair and harness while the game is played. Super Micro Computer showed off a dual PC server rack set up. AMD displayed some unique notebook and PDA like devices that ran their chips. ASUS was proud about their notebook lineup which includes a unit that has a special small screen on top of its case that allows you to check things like e-mail before you even open up the laptop. Hitachi was proud about its first 1 TB PC hard drive.

Many major companies will hold press releases including Sony and Netgear. Bill Gates is set to deliver the conferences keynote speech. As always, we'll be sure to keep you folks updated. Stay tuned.

Here are some images of the event taken by the folks from The FiringSquad:

More images after the jump!