5 Most Awaited Laptops & Netbooks of 2011

We list some of the most-awaited laptops and netbooks of 2011. With them come new technologies that promise to take mobile personal computing to a new level. So let's check out what cool laptops and netbooks are coming your way in 2011.




Apple MacBook Pro
Apple has got the ball rolling with the new MacBook Air ultraportables and Steve Jobs even went on record proclaiming the new Air to be the "future of notebooks." Not iPad 2 or iPhone 5, but with the Mac App Store launching next week, Apple's MacBook family is under immediate scrutiny come 2011.

We don’t expect the entry-level MacBook to sport fancy innards, but we may see some interesting features first on the MacBook Pro: Intel's Sandy Bridge processors, SSD-only models, even LightPeak. Also expect the new MacBook Pro to give greater battery life.
Expected release date: April 2011

Chrome OS Netbooks
Will everyone buy into Google's idea of a PC running on a Web browser aka Chrome OS? Only time will tell, but that doesn’t stop the first round of Chrome OS netbooks to start hitting stores. Early manufacturers include HP, Acer and Samsung.Chrome OS Netbooks

Google Chrome OS netbooks make for a simple computing experience, downloading apps from the Chrome Web Store. The netbooks will have 10-inch or 12-inch screen with 3G and Wi-Fi support. The early Google Chrome OS prototype CR-48 is getting mixed reviews at best.
Expected release date: Mid-2011

Toshiba NB550D, Acer Aspire One 522: AMD Fusion Arrives
Although there will be several more, the two Toshiba and Acer netbooks are one of the earliest that will finally debut AMD’s Fusion chips platform. AMD Fusion promises to pack in a lot more firepower than Intel’s existing Atom chips for netbooks -- including dual-core versions.

Acer Aspire One 522 AMD Fusion netbookBoth the Toshiba NB550 and Acer Aspire One 522 netbooks will feature a dual-core AMD C-50 1-GHz processor and integrated Radeon 6250 graphics with DirectX 11 support and 1080p HD video playback. The Acer netbook will reportedly have a 10-inch screen with a 1280x720 pixel resolution. So yeah, look forward to a netbook with a lot more firepower.
Expected release date: Q1 2011

MSI U270, X370: Slim yet powerful
The MSI Wind netbooks and X slim series laptops have had interesting products launched over the years -- MSI Wind U160, Wind U210, MSI X430, X600, and more. And the respective product lines are expected to launch new products circa 2011.

Engadget MSI Wind U270previewed the MSI Wind U270, which is a 12-inch netbook sporting AMD’s Zacate 1.6-GHz processor. It comes with 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a USB 3.0 port, and a glossy 1366x768 display screen. The MSI X370 will run on Intel's new Sandy Bridge chips andwill debut at CES 2011. Expect greater performance from this thin and light laptop.
Expected release: CES 2011

Asus U36: Gunning after MacBook Air, Dell Adamo XPS
The ultrathin, ultraslim Asus U36 ultraportable laptop is already announced earlier this month but it will only hit stores in 2011. The 13-inch Asus U36 -- part of the U series which features Asus U43Jc Bamboo laptop -- will give the MacBook Air and Dell Adamo XPS a serious run for their money. It features very good internal hardware for a slim, light ultraportable laptop weighing 1.6-kg.

The Asus U36 has a magnesium shell, comes with Intel Core i5-460M, 2GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm drive, Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics with 1GB memory. It will also have an HDMI port, USB 3.0 port, support for Nvidia Optimus graphics switching. The Asus U36 will ship with Windows 7 Home Premium OS and expected to cost $999 in the U.S.
Expected release: Early 2011

Source [http://www.pcworld.in]