Acer's latest lappy, the Aspire 5755, sets its sight on the hearts of multimedia lovers looking to get their entertainment fix on the go.

Featuring Intel Core chips (with the i7-2820QM available in the premium configurations), graphics processing comes courtesy of a Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics with Nvidia's Optimus tech included too.

8GB of DDR3 memory is backed by as much as 1TB of storage, making it suitable for most games and high quality video files, though the 15.6 inch Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD screen has a max resolution of 1366x768, so dont expect full HD visuals.

In a particularly nice touch, the laptop is ready for wire-free flatscreen TV hookup straight out of the box thanks to built in Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) tech, rounding off the laptop's well rounded entertainment capabilities. As you'd expect, there is also a HDMI-output option, as well as Acer's clear.fi connectivity too if WiDi doesn't float your boat.

Available in brown, red, black and blue, Acer's Aspire 5755 machines start at £899.

AMD have just revealed the Radeon HD 6990M, claiming that it's the world's fastest single mobile graphics processor.

Set to hit a string of high-end gaming rigs including the Alienware M18x, it comes just weeks after NVIDIA claimed the same title with their recent GeForce GTX 580 chip. AMD claim that their new GPU offers a 25% benchmark increase over their nearest rivals in top gaming titles such as Metro 2033 and Dragon Age 2, as well as with DirectX 11 games such as Aliens Versus Predator.

"There's always been a belief that when it comes to mobile computing you need to make performance compromises. Today AMD demolishes that myth," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU division, AMD.

"The AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPU, which not only packs AMD Eyefinity technology with unprecedented specs, also provides full Microsoft DirectX 11 and Stereo 3D support. Bottom line, this processor is epic and it's here - now."

Specs-wise, you're looking at an engine clock speed of 715MHz, with 1.7 billion transistors, compute power of 1.6TFLOPs and 2GB GDDR5 256 bit memory configuration at 900 MHz.

"As the PC gaming technology leader, AMD is dedicated to delivering the fastest technology and industry support needed to help create the best possible gaming experience on the PC," continued AMD.

"Whether it's driving up frame rates, extending quality settings or pushing clock speeds8, the AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPU is the ideal notebook for hardcore gamers looking to run the industry's most demanding DirectX 11 games such as Dragon Age 2, DiRT 3 and Shogun 2."

Sony have revealed their new Vaio Z laptop, and it has one target squarely in its sights; the svelte Apple MacBook Air.

The 13-inch 1600 x 900 resolution machine weighs just 1.8kg and is 16.65 mm thick, which compares favourably with the MacBook Air's 1.32kg heft and 17mm thickness.

Get into the inner workings of the Vaio Z and you've got an Intel Core i7-2620M at 2.70GHz, with Turbo Boost overclocking pushing that up to 3.40GHz. 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM and as much as 256GB SSD RAID storage can also be factored into configurations.

A Quick Boot option fires up the laptop in seconds, while a backlit keyboard is another bonus over the Air. The Vaio 'everywair' feature uses 3G WWAN to connect up to mobile broadband operators in optional set-ups too. A HD web camera with Exmor tech is also included, while a full HD 1080p LCD screen can also be added on.

The size of the laptop does mean that battery life and DVD drives take a hit, but Sony have a get-around fix for those issues in the shape of a "Sheet Battery" add-on, bringing the laptops regular 7hour battery an extra 7 hours of juice, and the "Power Media Dock", which adds a DVD or Blu-ray drive alongside HDMI, VGA, Thunderbolt connectivity and a 1 GB RAM boost.

So what's the catch? That'll be the price; at £2,699 it's almost double the cost of a MacBook Air. Spot this one in shops from July.

Apple's ultra-slim MacBook Air portable computers could be getting a revamp this month. According to new claims from Taiwan's Economic Daily, Apple's sleek notebooks could touch down in stores during the back-end of June.

An initial shipment of 380,000 units is expected alongside 80,000 older MacBook Air models. Siting what appear to be the same "industry sources" that Apple Insider also referred to, the MacBook Air revamp is expected to employ Sandy Bridge processors which should see them make a considerable jump in horsepower.

Slightly away from MacBook Air news, but keeping firmly in the Apple stable, the Economic Daily also suggest that we may see a brand new iPad launch before the year is out too, one that features an iPhone 4-style retina display five to six times higher in resolution than the iPad 2.

We'll keep you posted on any new MacBook Air news, but for now check out our review of last years model.

Apple's annual WWDC conference for 2011 kicked off with the usual fanfare we've come to expect from the cult of Mac. As well as the launch of the iCloud service and iOS 5 update for mobile devices, OS X Lion for Macs was also demoed by SVP WW Product Marketing Phil Schiller. Stating that PC growth is declining by 1% every year while Mac sales grow by 28%, he stated that it wasn't just the hardware catching consumer's eyes, but the Apple software too, with OS X Lion hopefully continuing the trend.

Over 250 new features will hit OS X Lion, of which Schiller showed off 10. First up was improved multi-touch with gestures, giving tap-to-zoom, pinching and two finger swiping "an incredible, physical realism that's never been possible in a PC operating system before." Apple have learnt a lot from iOS it seems and are looking to integrate as many suitable IOS features as possible to Macs for an increasingly converged software ecosystem.

Full screen applications were then demoed in OS X Lion, with Safari (now featuring iOS' tap control), iMovie and dozens of others packing out a screen with a simple swiping gesture.

Mission Control too was demoed, accessible by a single gesture and allowing for multiple desktops and dashboard widgets. Gestures let you swipe through each separate element and app displayed by Mission Control, with animations seeing them cascade off the screen. From what was shown, it seems a more fluid way of scrolling through your applications and desktop content than ever before, with gesture controls that genuinely seem intuitive.

The Mac App Store also gets a revamp with OS X Lion, with Schiller stating it's quickly become the number one online portal for buying PC software. The store is now built directly into Lion, with updates including in-app purchasing and push notifications. Delta updates, allowing for easier app patching, will also be included.

The new Launchpad gesture was also demoed. For those who are now more used to iOS than OS X, a simple pinch of a touchpad will pull all your apps and applications into a grid-like display, further showing the convergence between Apple's mobile and desktop software.

A new Resume function for apps was shown too, bringing you right back to the exact point or function of an app you were last at when the app was closed. Likewise, auto-save functionality will now come as standard, allowing you to browse multiple versions of documents as they are incrementally saved. Allowing for simple "versioning", you don't end up with multiple files either as only the deltas are saved.

Airdrop was another new feature introduced. It acts as a replacement for Sneakernet, allowing for peer-to-peer sharing and ruling out the need to courier thumb drives between pals' houses. Working a lot like Dropbox, the application will let you see a list of your pals, allowing you to quickly share files, fully encrypted with next to no set up needed.

The final addition is a totally revamped Mail client, which received rapturous applause. Two or three column views as well as full screen are now available, with a favourites bar for quick access to regularly viewed contacts, messages and folders. Search is also improved, recognising repeatedly used subjects or contacts, allowing you to build rules for specific search criteria too. Just like text messaging or the Gmail client, a conversation view is now available in the OS X Lion Mail tool too, hiding all the FWD and RE clutter that lengthy messages create.

Other features mentioned but without any details being revealed were a Windows Migration assistant, FileVault 2, built-in FaceTime and a Lion Server add-on.

Pricing comes in at $29.99, which is remarkably $100 cheaper than previous upgrades, with the whole package around the 4GB download mark. Interestingly, OS X Lion will only be available via the Mac App Store, so be prepared for a hefty download unless Apple ever decide to ship a boxed version. It'll touch down in July. The iCloud features also revealed will be supported by OS X Lion too.

The first commercially available laptop to feature Google's Chromium OS has just popped up for sale online. The Australian made Kogan Agora will set you back £269 and is available now.

Chromium could be considered the open-source little brother of Google's refined Chrome OS. As an open source project, it will have constant tweaks and updates applied by the wider development community at large, but may also be a little bit buggier as a result too.

In terms of hardware, the Agora features a 1.30 Intel Celeron M with 1GB of RAM, backed by a 30GB solid state drive. Portable at 1.32kg, the 12 inch laptop only manages 3.5 hours of batter life, though does squeeze in a webcam for VoIP calls.

"While Chromium is still in its early stages, we know the operating system is innovative technology which represents the future of computing" said Ruslan Kogan, boss of Kogan.

"It may take some getting used to for some to operate entirely in the cloud, but the massive benefits for the end user are driving acceptance of entirely web-based services.

"What we've found from talking to our customers is that many of them are already using cloud services without even realising it. They're uploading photos to services like Flickr, storing all their contacts in Gmail, and even hosting files on DropBox."

Click here for more info on the Kogan Agora.

Sony's VAIO notebook family gets an update today, with both their S-Series ultra-portable range and F-Series machines boasting powerful innards thanks to the addition of i7 processors.

Looking at the S-Series first, the i7 included features Turbo Boost overclocking, and is backed up by a DVD Burner, and optional SSD and AMD Radeon HD 6630 GPU upgrades.

Screen size is 13.3 inches, running at 1600 x 900, with a battery life of 15 hours if you cough up for the $150 optional "slice" battery. There's also the choice to upgrade to an optional Blu-ray drive too.

"Users these days want a laptop that will last for hours without charging, is small and light enough to carry around with you but doesn't sacrifice any of the performance and power that you'd find in a full-sized PC," said Mike Lucas, senior vice president of the Networked Technology and Services Division at Sony Electronics.

"You can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo or attend a full day of classes on just one charge with this S Series laptop when combined with the optional sheet battery."

Per-orders for the new S-Series open today, starting at $1,350.

Sony's VAIO F-Series gaming machines also go on order today. With a 16.4-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display, quad-core Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (1GB) or 520M (512MB) graphics and as much as 750GB of storage, they're looking to stand alongside ultra-portable gaming rigs from the likes of Alienware.

A backlit keyboard, USB 3.0 connections, a HD webcaman and S-Force Front Surround 3D technology along with Dolby Home Theater v3 support round out the machines, available from $1,100.

As if college kids on campus weren't having a wild enough time as it is, Microsoft are launching a pretty incredible deal to ensure new and continuing US students work hard and play hard during the next academic year.

If you can prove your student status and head down to a participating retailer, picking up any Windows 7 desktop PC or laptop worth $699 or more will also bag you an Xbox 360 Slim edition with 4GB of storage.

"Are you about to head to college this fall for the first time? Planning another year on campus? Worried what next year has in store? Wondering what you'll need, how you'll succeed or what fun adventures will be around the corner? We can't predict the future but here at Microsoft, we've come up with a way to help you succeed in the coming year, while building on the fun and friendships that are key to your life," said Microsoft's Kristina Libby of the deal.

The offer begins on May 22nd, and while retailers set their own end date, they all roughly end around the first week of September.

No word on a UK equivalent of the deal right now, though French and Canadian readers should keep their ears to the ground as Microsoft are said to be planning something similar in those territories too.

Click here for more info.

Three have announced that they will be the 3G network of choice when Google's Chromebook laptops launch in the UK.

"I'm sure by now that lots of you will have heard the exciting news from Google. Over in San Francisco at the Moscone Convention Centre, Google announced the arrival of Chromebooks, and we're really excited to be their 3G connectivity partner in the UK," said Three's David Kerrigan over on the company blog.

"Three is delighted that we've been selected as the 3G connectivity partner for the Chromebook launch in the UK. We'll have more details to share in the next few weeks so stay tuned."

Three have grown in popularity thanks to their generous data packages, which would obviously be of benefit to a mobile pretty-much-online-only machine. IT'll be interesting to see whether Three will offer subsidised Chromebook hardware to go along with their data contracts, but as yet no details have been revealed. We'll keep you posted as and when announcements are made.

Samsung have just posted an official preview clip of their Series 5 Chromebook computer, one of the first machines to hit stores this summer running Google's web-based Chrome OS. Revealing that a white model is also on the way, click the video above to give it a look.

Thin and light, the 12.1 inch machine runs on an Intel Atom dual-core processor, and is designed to make use of cloud storage and apps (hence the relatively small 16GB SSD). As a result, you'll get faster boot times, heightened security and more timely system updates.

Set to touch down in June on the 24th, you'll be able to pick up the Wi-Fi only model for £349 and the 3G variant for £399.

Samsung have become the first company to reveal a Google "Chromebook" netbook computer, the Series 5, running the search giant's Chrome web-based OS.

The core specs read as:

. CPU: Intel N570 1.66Ghz Dual Core

· I/O Ports: 2 x USB, SIM Card Slot, 4-In-1 (SD, SDHC, MMC), VGA Dongle, DC-in

But that only paints half the picture. Running Google's web-centric new OS, it has the potential to be far more secure than a Windows PC as all programs and definitions are constantly updated from a central location. You also need less local storage as so much info is stored in the cloud, also resulting in near-instant boot times.

Available from Amazon and PC World on the 24th June, the 3G Wi-Fi model will retail at £399 and the Wi-Fi model has a price point of £349. With current exchange rates as they are however, thats roughly £100 more than our US counterparts will be paying. Poor show, Samsung.

Alienware have just revealed two new gaming laptops, the M18x and M14x. Easily capable replacements for desktop machines, they're two of the most powerful portable gaming rigs we've ever seen.

Starting with the flagship M18x, it's an 18 inch Full HD machine, billed as the "most powerful 18-inch gaming laptop in the universe". And not without good reason too; under the hood is an Intel Core i7 Extreme Quad-core CPU overclocked to 4GHz, dual GPU options from both AMD and NVIDIA with GDDR5, with the graphic options in Crossfire X and SLI respectively. There's the potential to upgrade with a whopping 32GB 1333MHz memory too.

HDMI Output and Input are both supported, with wireless HD and 3D output also supported.

Moving on to the more compact M14x, second-generation four and two-core Intel Core i7 CPUs take pride of place beneath a 14 inch HD screen. Discrete graphics are paired with an optical disk drive, great for those with big libraries of physical games. NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M chip with 3GB of memory, with up to 8GB of 1600MHz Extreme-Performance system memory. HDMI v.1.4 support is flanked by 7.1 digital audio.

We're still waiting on pricing on the M18x, but pricing for the M14x starts at £1098.99.

It must have been a rough day for the Samsung PR department when security researcher Mohamed Hassan brought forward allegations of keylogging software coming as standard with certain notebooks.

Hassan claimed to have found the StarLogger keylogger software in factory-fresh Samsung R525 and R540 notebook. The researcher claimed, according to SlashGear, he was told by a Samsung tech support agent: "We just put it there to find out how the computer is being used."

Said Hassan: "This key logger is completely undetectable and starts up whenever your computer starts up. See everything being typed: emails, messages, documents, web pages, usernames, passwords, and more. StarLogger can email its results at specified intervals to any email address undetected so you don't even have to be at the computer your[sic] are monitoring to get the information. The screen capture images can also be attached automatically to the emails as well as automatically deleted."

Samsung has responded by denying the presence of this software, explaining that the result is a false positive due to security app VIPRE mistaking a Slovenian language file folder as StarLogger.

Read Samsung's response here.

Rumour has it Asus is planning a new, cheap-as-chips netbook that will run on the Google Chrome operating system - and that it will be released as early as June.

$200 is the suggested price for the new Eee netbook - a price that undercuts even the cheapest netbooks on the market. Running it on a Chrome OS, or potentially and Android OS, means not having to pay any Windows licensing fees and this helps the price.

Critics are questioning the viability of the netbook market, however, with tablets being the undisputed gadget of the season. But if the speculation about the pricing of the new Asus is true, there should be a market for such a product. Not to mention the fact that many people still want a keyboard with their online browsing gadgets, and for those the netbook is perfect.

The Intel Atom-powered netbook from Asus is expected to be 10-11 inches big with built-in 3G capabilities. Asus has stated it wants to ship 6 million netbooks this year, including a new mid- and high-end range of computers too.

Together Intel the chipmaker and Lenovo the PC maker will deploy 158,000 laptops to students in Argentina. What started out as a reference design for affordable laptops for the developing world from Intel, will now be given a proper launch with Lenovo onboard.

For schools
The Classmate+ model is the same as existing Classmate PCs, but the new portable computing system is specifically targeted at the educational segment, and especially the students in grades K-8.

Furthermore, the involvement of Lenovo will add benefits of scale, and the possibility for multiple hardware configurations. Specs include an Intel Atom processor, Windows 7, and solid-state drive or hard-disk drive options of up to 250 gigabytes. There is also Ethernet and WiFi connections, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit screen, multiple UBS ports, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a 4-in-1 card reader to support multimedia viewing. Multiple battery options are available, with choices of 3-cell or 6-cell power packs.

The laptop will likely be kept affordable, with pricing suggested at around $300-$400.

Rugged design
The purpose of this laptop is to help students in developing world with learning, meaning the kit will not be available to buy by the general public.

"Our work with Intel to offer products like the Lenovo Classmate+ PC will create more opportunities for K-8 [grade] administrators, teachers and students to realise the benefits of technology-enriched 1:1 learning experiences," says Michael Schmedlen, director of Worldwide Education at Lenovo.

The laptop has full PC functionality and is rugged in design, with a drop-resistant case and a spill-resistant keyboard.

Apple's MacBook Pro range has recieved a substantial upgrade today, with lightning fast quad-core processors and Thunderbolt tech now included in the sleek unibody laptops.

The 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pros now feature quad-core Intel i7 processors, with the 13 inch kit getting dual core i5 and i7 ones instead, making all models doubly as fast as their predecessors.

Intel's Light Peak tech gets revamped, renamed and thrown in under the Thunderbolt moniker, allowing for 10GB/s data transfer speeds, while each model also gets a HD webcam for the new FaceTime Mac app.

An integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip comes as standard across all models, while graphics intensive applications on the 15 and 17 inch models get a boost from AMD Radeon HD 6490M or AMD Radeon HD 6750M cards.

Prices for the 13-inch models start at $1199, $1799 for the 15-incher and the 17-inch model starting at $2499.

Click here to grab yourself one, and click below for some more images of the new Apple gear.

Sony up the portability stakes with their newly revealed S Series notebooks. Titchy at 24mm thick at the thinnest point and relatively light at 1.75kg, the 13.3 inch computers are travel-friendly without scrimping on features.

For instance, the S Series feature a novel dual-battery concept that can boost on-the-go power time to up to 14 hours. Sony explain in the range's press release:

"The VAIO S Series introduces a smart new battery concept that lets you keep working day and night without a pause. The internal lithium polymer battery provides power for up to 7 hours of on-the-go computing (in Stamina mode). It's partnered by a second thin, flat optional lithium polymer extended battery that can be charged separately from the PC and added without removing the internal battery. The second battery attaches without having to switch off the PC, boosting stamina to up to 14 hours if you're far from mains power."

In terms of specs, there's an integrated GPU and high-performance AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series card (with either 512MB or 1GB VRAM) which can be switched on the fly through the Dynamic Hybrid Graphic System when those power-intensive components aren't necessary. 500GB of storage come as standard, while a copy of Windows 7 Professional is thrown in too.

Optional configurations also embedded VAIO "everywair" 3G WWAN, allowing you to connect to a mobile data provider at up to 7.2Mbps when a Wi-Fi signal or wired connection isn't available.

S Series notebooks will hit stores by the end of March.

Sony have today released info on a colourful new range of notebooks under the VAIO C Series banner.

Available in a range of pastel shades, Sony say:

"The latest VAIO C Series showcases a radical style direction by Sony that stands out from run-of-the-mill notebook PCs. A choice of fashion colours include two special orange and green 'light emitting' options. This audacious design scatters light along edges of the translucent PC lid and other key surfaces to create a dramatic glow effect."

All well and good, but what's going on under the hood? Well, each 14-inch notebook comes with an Intel i5 Core, 320 GB of HDD space and 4GB of RAM, complete with a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium edition installed.

4 USB ports are included, while a 3D compatible HDMI-out means you're only ever a cable away from pushing the 1366x768 display onto a bigscreen TV.

These notebooks will touchdown in March, exclusive for three weeks to John Lewis and Sony Centres from the 21st onwards.

...Carrie Steers from Reading in the UK! Carrie has bagged herself a brand new limited edition Jolibook netbook by Vye, running Jolicloud version 1.1 (for those few of you still mulling over the competition's question).

And after a quick chat with Carrie, it looks like it's going to a good home too:

"I have a daughter who's due to start secondary school later this year", said Carrie. "It will make an enormous difference for her to be able to have a netbook to use for homework and school projects (and no doubt social networking in due course!). This is a fantastic win for me."

Keep an eye on www.techdigest.tv/promotions and the Tech Digest Facebook page, for chances to win more prizes in the future!

Apple are said to be gearing up for the launch of their latest range of MacBook Pro models by sending sealed shipments of the computers to their official resale partner stores.

Each store that receives the palattes are under strict orders not to tamper with the protective casing until Apple gives the go-ahead, for fear of losing their reseller rights. With the shipments expected to hit stores on the US holiday President's Day, a federal holiday on which Apple traditionally avoid making major announcements, it seems the company are safegaurding against any premature leaks.

If a mysterious Apple delivery isn't proof enough of a new gear-line up, then how about this tidbit of info; many European Apple distribution channels are said to have sold out of MacBook Pros, but are been unable to restock. Looks like Apple are holding out for the nex models to come in before re-filling shelves with legacy units.

Via: Apple Insider