by We are always waiting impatiently for the next big technologically advanced product to come along. No doubt you have already heard about ultrabooks. These are the latest laptop computers hitting the market and the newest trend. Intel Corporation came up with the trademarked name for the thinner and lighter laptops after reviewing user research. The public stated what qualities the perfect laptop should possess and the branded name is the result. Laptop users are looking for top performance, a slim and sleek design, long battery life, easy navigation and a quick start.
What makes a notebook an ultrabook?
The MacBook Air was the first ultrabook but it is just for Mac platform lovers, the floodgates are of course now open for the Windows versions. Companies cannot label their laptop as an ultrabook however, unless it meets certain criteria. So what does it take to become a member of this elite group?
- Needs to be slim – An ultrabook has to measure 18mm or less for displays that are 14 inches or less and 21mm for screens bigger than 14 inches. An ultrabook has no weight limit but generally they are between three and five pounds.
- Awake quickly without coffee – Ultrabooks are required to snap out of sleep mode within seven seconds. To make this happen they use flash memory or solid state drives.
- Must have Intel’s core processor which is called Ivy Bridge.
- Must have a 3.0 USB and/or Thunderbolt port. The 3.0 port guarantees high transfer rate for external hard drives. Thunderbolt is in its infancy but showing up more and more – it will one day be a standard. The new technology can transfer a feature movie in roughly 30 seconds.
- An Intel approved ultrabook must have a battery life of at least five hours. Dell claims that their brand will last eight hours.
The ultrabook is geared toward busy business people on the run. Close it up quick and run to the next meeting, it’s ready to work again in seven seconds or less. It is excellent for frequent fliers or the college student lugging around a backpack. In general, who wouldn’t want a full-featured laptop which is slimmer and lighter than their current one?
Five of the top ultrabooks on the market now
1) HP Folio 13 – Has pretty much everything you would want in an ultrabook. It has a backlit keyboard, outstanding battery life and all of the ports needed for mobile use. Its design can’t really be labeled razor thin, but it is comfortable and the first choice in most folks opinion. The leader of the pack in performance, ergonomics and price.
2) HP Envy 14 Spectre – Covered with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass made by Corning, the Spectre is very unique looking, but it shows in the price tag. Awesome ultrabook however, that has turned heads everywhere, a fully featured laptop.
3) Sony Vaio T13112FXS – Much more affordable and still possesses quality features. Intel i5 processor with a four or eight GB memory. It’s pretty cool at this price.
4) Dell XPS 13 – Very sophisticated looking with an affordable price. Supports a 128GB solid state drive. The body is made of aluminum, carbon fiber, and magnesium alloy which are very green materials.
5) Toshiba Portege Z835-P330 – A clear alternative to the Apple MacBook Air. This ultrabook has a 3.0 USB port and HDMI. The hard drive is 128GB and it has 4GB of memory.
