Company manufacturers are hoping that 2012 will be the year of the ultrabook, instead of the dragon.
At Consumer Electronics Show – over last weekend – every PC maker showed off at least one device, and Intel’s Robert Mantell has said that they “expect there to be 75 more (ultrabook) models to come to market in the near future”. There was also a glut of tablets – some of which are really cool.
Looks like you shouldn’t have forked out for that iPad 2.
Let’s take a look at some of the cooler ultrabooks and tablets that debuted at CES.
The HP Spectre
It’s made of glass.
That’s right.
It’s made of glass.
The Hewlett-Packard Spectre is marketed as a ‘premium’ Ultrabook, and contains a crazy amount of glass in the design. Even its touchpad is covered with Gorilla Glass – the same thing that coats your iPhone screen. Only the keyboard and base frame is left alone. Snazzy, huh?
Project Fiona
Not the manliest name for a sleek, machine-of-my-dreams tablet, but certainly a fitting one. Who would expect Razer to code name a project after a woman, given its penchant for reptiles and other creepy crawlies?
While Fiona does look like a glorified (black) Wii-U, it runs on Windows 8, and is supposed to include a surround sound system and an Android overlay. Best of all, it has been promised to cost less than US$1,000.
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Fujitsu Arrows
They might have gotten their grammar wrong, but their technology is unbeatable. Fujitsu’s found a way to stand out from the tablet crowd, by making theirs waterproof. Now you can bring your tablet into the tub! Yay! Make way, iPad!
Intel’s Nikiski
…What? A see through notebook?
The Nikiski was showed off at Computex last year but is pretty much a real product now, since it’s slated to ship before Windows 8 comes out. Here’s how you use it: use it like a laptop, and that gigantic glass panel that spans the entire base is a trackpad. Close it and turn it over, and the touchpad becomes a touchscreen layer that lets you browse key info like your email.
Sony’s Concept Tablet
It’s so cool it hasn’t even got a name.
Actually this is a concept tablet, and looks like something out of a space-aged society. CNET reported visitors to Sony’s booth as having more questions about it than they got answers, so we’re assuming this isn’t really go to go yet. Regardless, that little keyboard would be a dream to have around. Now if only the both of them could float in sync.
