Acer are set to launch two new notebooks to coincide with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Official sponsors of the games, Acer are readying a limited edition of their Aspire 1410 CULV Notebook.

The 1410 notebook will be packing Windows 7 Home Edition with an 11.6-inch LCD LED back lighted screen displaying a 16:9 ratio. The Aspire 1410 will also feature an Intel GMA 4500MHD GPU, an Intel GS45 Express Chipset, up to 4GB of RAM and will come with a 250GB HDD.

While there are fewer details available for the Aspire 4810T Olympic special, the notebook is said to be a special edition release within the Acer Timeline series.

No word yet on whether the notebooks will ship with a chilly-weather battling thermos though.

Via: Akihabara News

ASUS and Toshiba's PC division are in partnership talks, according to ASUS chairman Jonney Shih.

ASUS have seen steady growth in the netbook market, and are looking to have completely overtaken rival manufacturer Dell by 2011, a move which would make them the third largest PC vendor.

Toshiba have an estimated 5% global share of the PC market, a sizeable portion which would certainly bolster the ASUS plans for expansion.

While Shih has admitted that talks with Toshiba have begun, no deals have yet been finalised.

First announced back in July, reports from Tech Crunch and Reuters are suggesting that the source-code to Google's Chrome OS could be released later this week.

Chrome OS is set to be stripped back affair. Its emphasis will be on speed and ease of use, and will initially be pitched towards the netbook market. There will also be a focus on cloud applications and internet use.

Google hopes that success in the portable market will build up a following loyal enough to take on the might of Microsoft's own Windows OS

While it will be interesting to get an early insight into what Google's Chrome OS will offer it's users, especially in relation to the fledgling cloud computing platform, we will have to wait until 2010 for a full retail release of the product.

If you're thinking of buying a new Windows 7 laptop, Toshiba are launching a new trade-in incentive that keeps not only the environment healthy but your wallet too.

Once a customer has purchased a new Toshiba laptop they login to the dedicated Toshiba Trade-In website, register their details and input information about their old laptop. Once the customer has registered, their old model is collected, the valuation is confirmed and a tidy sum of up to £150 is sent their way.

Toshiba vow to either remarket the traded laptop (with all your details safely wiped) or dispose of it in an eco-friendly way.

If you're interested in the scheme, check out www.toshiba.co.uk/tradein

Sony's new CW series is available in several different colours including blue, red, pink and white, as well as a gloss black step up model with Blu-Ray and 500Gb hard drive. There's a 16:9 14inch widescreen X-black LCD screen with LED backlight and an on-board NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor to handle HD video editing and 3D games.

Three buttons just above the keyboard give one-touch access to useful functions, including a button to start surfing in seconds without waiting for the PC's operating system to boot up and a VAIO button which launches Media Gallery, letting you browse digital photos, videos and music tracks.

Also on board is an HDMI output which connects the VAIO to any BRAVIA for enjoying big-screen movies on your HDTV and a web cam for video chatting with friends and family. The CW Series is available October 22nd. Other VAIO ranges that Sony has just announced include the L Series and X Series.

Billed as the world's lightest notebook (until the next one comes along that is) Sony's latest 11.1inch laptop tips the scales at just 655g and is 13.9mm slim.

Designed primarily for the business traveller, the X Series is available in three finishes: gold, black and premium carbon. Customers can choose the specifications that suit them best and create their own personal VAIO X with 'VAIO by you' custom ordering from Sony's website.

Sony claims that because the chassis is sculpted in tough, light carbon fibre it is both strong and incredibly light. The aluminium palm rest is designed to provide a stable base for comfortable, error-free typing on the keyboard while a new multi-finger touchpad simplifies navigation through your files.

The 11.1inch X-black widescreen LCD with LED backlight technology offers high contrast and true-to-life colours, reckons Sony, while thanks to its extremely low voltage processor and power-efficient LCD panel, the VAIO X Series offers approximately 8 hours of charge. An optional extended X battery accessory boosts stamina further still, up to 16 hours of battery life.

When away from a Wi-Fi hotspot, the VAIO Everywair WWAN lets users stay connected with high-speed access to 3G HSPA mobile broadband networks at download speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. Two USB, Gigabit Ethernet and VGA ports are complemented by 802.11 b/g/Draft n and Bluetooth connectivity. There's also a mic, headphone jack and card slots for Memory Stick and SD media. A 2.25mm Motion Eye camera is provided for videoconferencing with clients and colleagues.

The Vaio X series runs Genuine Windows 7 Professional while Energy Star 5.0 rating reduces your carbon footprint. Optional accessories include a luxurious slip case in genuine leather, external USB DVD drive and a wireless mouse.

The VAIO X Series notebook PC is available from November 2009.

KEY FEATURES
* VAIO X Series: just 6551 and 13.9mm slim
* Stay productive for longer with up to 162 hours of battery life
* Clear, bright 11.1inch widescreen X-black LCD with LED technology
* Stunning aluminium/carbon fibre design available in three finishes
* High-speed Mobile Broadband with Everywair Wireless WAN

Courier User Interface from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

Remember the Microsoft Courier from a week or so ago? If not it is a very cool looking tablet style PC with two screens that resembles a book. Well Gizmodo, which got the scoop on the Courier in the first place, now has a video from Microsoft which highlights how the manufacturer thinks we might use it.

It is not what you might expect either. Apparently the Courier is not all about content consumption, having a web page on one screen and video running on the other etc. It designed for content creation with the owner using a touch screen and pen to put together a kind of diary which can be re-created online. Interesting stuff.