Acer America today announced the Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 line of Ultrabooks in the U.S. Slimmer and lighter than earlier generations of the Timeline series, the new Timeline Ultra models are just .81 inches thin, weigh as little as 4.3 pounds and offer the best of both worlds -- a slim, lightweight design, larger displays, all-day battery life, and powerful Intel and NVIDIA technologies - making them some of the most robust and versatile Ultrabooks on the market.

The ultra-thin profile of the Ultra M5 Series delivers a minimalist, modern look. The stylish silver cover is made of an aluminum alloy that not only looks modern and elegant, but adds to the system's overall sturdiness. The 15.6-inch models include a sleek edge-to-edge display that keeps the LCD screen smooth and streamlined. A full-size chiclet keyboard with an independent standard numeric keypad makes typing more comfortable and increases productivity.

Intel's Taiwan office quashed media reports of its Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" processor being launched in August, stating that the new 22 nm mainstream chips are on course for a June 24 launch. The company also reiterated that the targets Intel set for the proliferation of Ultrabook by the end of 2012, that of 40 percent of consumer notebook market consisting of Ultrabook, hasn't changed. Intel's 22 nm Core i3 processor could play a key role in that, since it facilitates cheaper Ultrabook designs. The Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" family consists of value dual-core parts based on Intel's newest processor architecture.

Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) 4-inch mini-PC concept is taking shape as more of a premium mini-PC, than an affordable mainstream PC. According to sources, the NUC will arrive some time in Q3 2012, priced at US $400. The base system will be powered by a Core i3 dual-core processor paired with HM65 chipset, about 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, 40 GB mSATA SSD, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The first-generation NUC hence sticks to mature previous-generation components, while 7-series chipset, and 22 nm processors could be part of its specifications a little later. The demo system at Computex was driven by a Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" processor, with a Turbo Boost speed of 2.70 GHz. A cheaper Celeron-powered version of the NUC is also on the cards.

Acer America today announced the Aspire V5 series, a new range of thin and light notebooks for students and budget-conscious consumers looking for impressive performance, style and full-featured mobility.

The Aspire V5 Series are 30 percent slimmer than previous value-based notebooks, making them extremely easy to handle on the go. Available in two display sizes, the 14-inch Aspire V5 model is just .79 inches thin and weighs a mere 4.6 pounds, while the 15.6-inch version is .83 inches thin and weighs just 5 pounds. The notebook's chassis has a soft and smooth surface making it comfortable to carry, with an elegant slim design available in four colors including purple, blue, silver and black.

Dell is reimagining the all-in-one computer with a new portfolio of solutions for consumers who desire beautifully designed systems for multimedia creation and entertainment. The new computers include the XPS One 27, Dell's largest ever all-in-one and part of the premium XPS performance family, and the Inspiron One 23 and Inspiron One 20 all-in-one computers for families. The three desktop computers are slim and stylish and reflect Dell's design aesthetic that places a premium on unique materials, form factors and experiences.

The XPS One 27 delivers a big-screen experience - from the diagonal to the resolution - with one of the most vibrant displays Dell has offered. The XPS One 27 is 27-inches of stunning 2560x1440 Full Quad HD clarity and color. The wide format 16:9 WLED display makes digital work, movies, games and photos appear crisp, colors vivid. It delivers optional high-performance graphics from NVIDIA and entertainment features such as Waves MaxxAudio 4 and Infinity-branded speakers, an optional slot load Blu-ray disc drive, and optional internal TV tuner, making it an entertainment and multimedia powerhouse.

Known more for its VIA Nano and Intel Atom-powered fanless IPCs (industrial PCs), Habey is readying BIS-6763, a new IPC model that is driven by a robust Core i3 "Sandy Bridge" dual-core processor. Measuring 190 x 190 x 67 mm, the IPC is made of a metal chassis, a portion of which is ridged, to double up as a heatsink. Beneath it is a pair of cylindrical heat pipes that transport heat to the top panel (heatsink), which cool the Core i3-2367M processor (dual-core, 1.40 GHz, 3 MB L3, 17W TDP), and Intel HM65 Express PCH.

Sadly, the IPC does not take advantage of the processor's dual-channel DDR3 IMC, there's just the one DDR3 SO-DIMM slot, supporting up to 8 GB of DDR3-1333 MHz memory. For expansion, there are two mini-PCIe slots. The sole storage option is a 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s SSD/HDD bay. Connectivity includes one serial RS232 interface, six USB 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, and Intel HD 3000 graphics that gives out an HDMI, and a D-Sub display output. With 2 GB of DDR3 memory included, the BIS-6763 is expected to be priced at US $499. A variant that's powered by Intel Celeron 857 (dual-core, 1.20 GHz, 2 MB L3, 17W TDP), is also expected to be available, at US $299.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced its new additions for the high-end SMB market segment with two 16-drive 3U rackmount Turbo NAS models with up to 64TB storage capacity using 4 TB drives. The TS-EC1679U-RP and TS-1679U-RP, powered by the Intel Xeon processor and the Intel Core i3 processor respectively, are the highest capacity and highest performing NAS products ever developed by QNAP. Both models feature optional 10GbE networking and 6Gb/sec SATA interfaces, achieving incredible 2,000 MB/sec and 200,000 IOPS throughput; delivering sustained ultra-high performance suitable for demanding data center & high-end SMB environments. The new models feature cable-less disk drive backplanes, hot-swappable power supply, and cooling fan modules for maximum reliability and uptime.

Although at a much "smaller" scale, Raspberry Pi did to mini computers what iPad did to tablets (wake up a nearly dead product segment), and now a section of the market likes computers to be as small and potent as the ARM-driven Raspberry Pi. Although at a different end of the price and performance spectrum from the Raspberry Pi, Intel has reason to believe its NUC mini computer could achieve market success. NUC (Next Unit of Computing) is a mini box computer for the retail channel, which is roughly the size of a modern wireless router, but as powerful as a mainstream laptop.

The NUC owes its computing power to Intel Core i3/i5 "Sandy Bridge" dual-core processors (probably in the BGA-1023 package), with Intel HD 3000 graphics, and dual-channel DDR3 memory (SO-DIMMs). The logic board measures 100 x 100 mm, and has all the essential connectivity crammed into it, including umm...10 Gb/s Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n, and HDMI with multi-channel HD audio. This board is smaller than VIA's NANO-ITX (120 x 120 mm) form-factor. The rest of the ABS plastic enclosure's volume is spent housing the cooling assembly. Informed sources predict that while the NUC won't be priced in the hundereds or thousands of Dollars, it most certainly won't be priced at $25. A starting price of $100 seems realistic.

Lenovo today launched its latest effort to eliminate slow boot up times with Lenovo Enhanced Experience 3 (EE3) for Windows 7. As the third version of an exclusive certification only available on Lenovo Think and Idea-branded PCs, EE3 certified products feature supreme Windows start-up performance and other optimization features. Lenovo EE3 will come standard on a wide range of Think and Idea-branded PCs shipping beginning in April.

Customers using traditional spinning disk hard drive (HDD) Lenovo PCs can start their PC on average 40 percent faster than typical Windows 7 PC1 users, thanks to Lenovo's RapidBoot technology, featured on all EE3 certified Lenovo PCs. RapidBoot uses optimized processes and hardware settings to allow Lenovo PCs to boot up faster.

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer and subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., announces new CPU support for the S5515 and S5517. These embedded motherboards now support the 3rd Generation Intel Core processor product family (codename: Ivy Bridge) with a quick bios update. These two platforms now deliver the benefits of Intel's 22 nm Core i3/i5/i7 processor architecture with stronger performance, consistent reliability, and low cost in small form factor that targets various applications in the embedded industry.

TYAN's S5515 and S5517 embedded motherboards now offer support for 3rd Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors. Existing motherboards will only need a BIOS update to support the new processors. Intel's 3rd Generation Intel Core processors offer greater performance with multiple expansion options such as PCI-E x16 Gen.3 slots, SATA 6G/3G controllers, U-DDR3 1600/1333/1066 w/o ECC memory slots and USB 3.0 ports. These two products deliver enhanced computing performance, greater 3D (tri-gate) effect and more RAM support. This makes them the ideal platforms for customers with critical requirements from telecom, networking, storage, medical imaging, embedded severs, security and surveillance appliances.

Acer America today announced a new commercial offering, the Acer AC100 micro-server. It delivers the latest server-class features and utilities in a compact form factor to suit the needs of small and medium businesses.

Featuring an easy to configure micro-tower enabling quick upgrades, the new Acer AC100 not only reduces the time and costs associated with maintenance, but also provides excellent expandability in its class. In addition to Energy Star certification, it boasts a high-efficiency 200W 80 PLUS power supply, which makes the AC100 more than 80 percent energy efficient at 20, 50 and 100 percent rated loads, reducing electricity use and bills.

Although slated for June, Intel's budged 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" processors, under the Core i3 brand extension, matter a lot to system builders, small businesses, and enterprises. Three of its first models to be launched are priced. These include the Core i3-3220, priced at 113€ (US $149); Core i3-3225 at 130€ (US $172); and Core i3-3240 at 132€ (US $172).

The i3-3220 succeeds the current-generation Core i3-2100, it is clocked at 3.30 GHz. The i3-3225 has the same clock speed, but a faster integrated graphics (HD 4000 vs. HD 2500 on the i3-3220). The i3-3240 is clocked at 3.40 GHz, but retains the slower HD 2500 graphics from the i3-3220. All three chips are dual-core, lack Turbo Boost, but feature Hyper Threading. The PCI-Express root complex is thrown back to PCI-Express Gen 2.0, they lack Gen 3.0.

Intel is preparing to phase out six entry-level mobile processor models across its Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron brands. The phase-out is part of Intel's natural product development cycle, as scores of new processor models will be introduced this year. Intel announced the phase-out of the following six models in its latest product change notification: Celeron P4600 (PGA988, 2.00 GHz); Pentium P6100, P6200, P6300 (2.00, 2.13, 2.20 GHz, respectively); Core i3-370M, i3-390M (2.13, 2.20 GHz, respectively).

The PCN mentions that customers can continue to place orders for these chips with the option to cancel orders, till 10/16/2012, beyond which orders can't be cancelled, the last shipments of these chips will be out in 2013.

Although Intel will launch its first 3rd Generation Core processor family, based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon, towards the end of this month, it will not be in a position to launch Core i3 desktop processors until Q3. These include 3.40 GHz Core i3-3240, the 3.00 GHz Core i3-3240T, the 3.30 GHz Core i3-3225, the 3.30 GHz Core i3-3220 (slower IGP) and the 2.80 GHz Core i3-3220T. All these chips pack two cores, four threads (with HyperThreading enabled), and 3 MB of L3 cache.

The standard models have 55W TDP, with the energy-efficient "T" models bearing just 35W rated TDP. Introduction of these chips was originally slated for June, but the delay to Q3 may have been caused due to a variety of factors, such as undigested inventories of current-generation chips or even lack of 22 nm production volumes (with a bulk of them being allocated to mobile chips). Q3 begins in July.

A-Tech Fabrication, a company that specializes in hand-crafted HTPCs, unveiled the HeatSync 1200 fanless HTPC. The part that makes it fanless is the chassis itself, which is made of aluminum, with fins on the sides, that dissipate heat. Copper heat pipes transfer heat from key components such as the CPU and chipset to the sides of the chassis, which takes care of the rest. Although most of the chassis is anodized black, with its front-panel, you can choose between silver and black options.

The HeatSync 1200 internally packs an Intel DH61AG thin mini-ITX motherboard, which seats an Intel Core i3-2100T dual-core 35W processor, clocked at 2.50 GHz. 4 GB Corsair Vengeance SO-DIMM memory comes standard. Also standard is the Intel SSD 310 40 GB mSATA SSD. Considering there are no mechanical hard drives, or a PSU with active-cooling (a 160W power-brick does the job), the HeatSync 1200 is literally silent. A consumer IR (CIR) receiver with Windows Media Center remote, and Windows 7 Home Premium make for the rest of it.

Intel's first Pentium processors based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon will arrive in Q4, 2012. One of the first models in the series, is the Pentium G2120. Specifications reveal that the chip will be quite generously designed as far as specifications go. To begin with, it is a dual-core processor, with a clock speed of 3.10 GHz. It lacks HyperThreading, so 2 logical CPUs is all that the OS will see; as well as Turbo Boost, so the clock speed won't normally scale beyond 3.10 GHz. Interestingly, the chip has 3 MB of L3 cache, on par with some Core i3 dual-core chips. The instruction-set has SIMD instructions up to SSE 4.2, but lacks AVX. Further, the PCI-Express root hub only supports PCI-Express 2.0, lacking PCI-Express 3.0 support. Its TDP is rated at 65W.

As soon as Intel rolls out its Ivy Bridge mobile processors ASUS' ultrabook offering will be updated through the release of two Zenbooks, the 11.6-inch UX21A and the 13.3-inch UX31A. Design-wise, these upcoming models are expected to resemble their predecessors (the UX21 and UX31) but they'll feature more juicy specs like (optional) Full HD IPS screens (the UX21A will have a 1366 x 768 display by default, whereas the 'base' UX31A comes with a 1600 x 900 panel), and one of three Ivy Bridge CPUs - the 1.8 GHz Core i3-3217U, 2.4 GHz Core i5-3317U or 2.8 GHz Core i7-3517U, with a 17 W TDP.

While we're fairly certain about the launch-schedule of Intel's "Ivy Bridge" Core processor family and 7-series chipset from an older article, which pin-points at April 29 to be the day full-fledged reviews (including overclocking performance, and benchmarks that cover new features) can be published, there's still a looming doubt over that day being the one on which you could buy say, a Core i7-3770K off Newegg.com. A latest slide, probably sourced from Intel's Retailedge, lays that doubt to rest. April 29 is indeed the day you will be able to buy most significant "Ivy Bridge" Core i7 and Core i5 models. Certain other models are slated for June 3. Dual-core Core i3 and Pentium processors based on Ivy Bridge silicon are slated for "Holiday". As on April 29, you also be able to buy motherboards based on 7-series chipset, which support Ivy Bridge processors out of the box.

GIGABYTE today introduced an extraordinary lineup of computers that are redefining mobility and powerful performance. The U2442V is a sleek and stunning 14" Ultrabook that provides fantastic performance with a 3rd generation Intel Core i5/i7 ULV processor, while the U2442N features the same incredible form factor, but has a powerful 3rd generation Intel Core i5/i7 standard voltage processor. Both models feature an excellent NVIDIA GeForce GPU, which provides remarkable graphics performance for multimedia and games.

Other models to be introduced include the P2542G, which is a 15.6" powerful gaming notebook with an exciting race car design; and the Q2542N, an excellent 15.6" mainstream notebook that delivers terrific versatility. Also to be showcased at CeBIT 2012 is the S1081, a 10.1" powerful business slate; the Booktop T1132N, an 11.6" revolutionary 3-in-1 notebook, tablet and desktop; the Booktop M2432, a sleek 14" notebook that provides desktop graphics performance through its unique docking station; and the AC21, an all-in-one PC that simplifies the desktop experience.

Intel confirmed specifications of what could be its entire 3rd Generation Core processor family, based on the "Ivy Bridge" silicon, slated for Q1~Q2, 2012. These include details of its desktop Core i7, Core i5 processor models, notebook Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and their corresponding ULV variants, and so on. Specifications include model numbers, clock speeds, Turbo Boost 2.0 speeds, and basic features such as Built-in Visuals (integrated graphics), caches, HyperThreading, and fab process. These details are meant for retailers and distributors to update them on the upcoming product lineups, so they could fine-tune their inventories.Notebook lineup details follow.

With slimmer notebooks thanks to the Ultrabook platform, the demand for low-power ULV processors is expected to go up, so will Intel's need to stratify the lineup to capture more price-points. Details of three new Core "Ivy Bridge" models were scored by VR-Zone, which reports them to be Core i3-3217U, Core i5-3317U, and Core i7-3517U. The i3-3217U is Intel's cheapest Core ULV processor in the next generation, clocked at 1.80 GHz. It lacks CPU Turbo Boost, and so the TDP limit stays at 17W, which can be lowered to 14W, when the CPU is on low loads, and when it's clocked all the way down to 800 MHz.

Next up there's the Core i5-3317U, with a native clock speed of 1.7 GHz, which has no option to increase the TDP, but which can be lowered to 14W. It supports Turbo Boost speeds of up to 2.40 GHz for both its cores, and 2.60 GHz for one of its cores. Lastly, there's the Core i7-3517U. Clocked at 1.90 GHz, this chip supports increasing its TDP from 17W all the way up to 25W to accommodate higher Turbo bins. At its native TDP, the chip supports Turbo speeds of 2.40 GHz, but with the bump in TDP, it supports Turbo bins as high as 2.80 GHz for two cores, and 3.00 GHz for single-core. This model differs from the other Core i5 ULV models in having 4 MB L3 cache (vs. 3 MB). We will be hearing more about these chips only after Intel kickstarts the mobile Ivy Bridge lineup in mid-2012.

Regardless of whether you'll be able to get an "Ivy Bridge" Core processor till the second week of April, motherboards that are compatible with it out of the box, based on Intel's Z77 chipset (successor to Z68), will start selling in early-April. Sources told OCWorkbench that most motherboard vendors have in fact begun shipping orders to their distributors, while some are waiting for the green light. Motherboards based on the Z77 chipset feature LGA1155 CPU socket, are compatible with today's "Sandy Bridge" Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors; and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" ones, out of the box. The new chipset offers features such as some native USB 3.0 ports, and support for certain Ivy Bridge-exclusive features, beyond which they're functionally identical to 6-series. Enthusiasts might not find the need to upgrade their motherboards to use Ivy Bridge, if their current motherboards have BIOS updates that let them support the new processors.

Details of desktop Core i7 and Core i5 "Ivy Bridge" processors in the LGA1155 package have been detailed at lengths, in the past. Core i3 parts based on the same 22 nm Ivy Bridge silicon, however, were relatively known. Tables listing out updated information about the lineup points out that Intel has as many as five Core i3 "Ivy Bridge" desktop processors in the works, all dual-core, and among which two are low-power parts.

The table also suggests that these Core i3 chips will have reduced features, importantly, the lack of PCI-Express 3.0 bus. When connected to these chips, PCI-E 3.0 add-on cards (such as graphics cards) will function in PCI-Express 2.0 mode. Further, these chips will lack support for AES-NI (accelerates encryption), VT-d (enhanced virtualization), and TXT (security). Certain models in the lineup have faster integrated graphics, denoted by a "5" in the end of the model number. These chips also lack Turbo Boost for the x86 cores, but feature HyperThreading.

Since it needs to make way for 22 nm processors (codename Ivy Bridge) Intel has decided on discontinuing two more 32 nm chips, the 3.2 GHz Core i3-550 and the 3.33 GHz i3-560.

Released back in 2010, these 'old timers' will be available for new orders until June 29 and will continue shipping till December 7th (for the tray SKUs) or until supplies are depleted (boxed SKUs).

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC barebones, today announces its new top-of-the-range XPC Barebone model SZ68R5.

It is the first time a Shuttle Mini-PC integrates Intel's Z68 high-performance desktop chipset with Smart Response Technology (SSD caching). An SSD is used here to speed up the boot process and to ensure ultra-rapid application startup. Space-saving mSATA-SSDs can be fitted in the corresponding Mini-PCIe slot on the motherboard.