HP has introduced a batch of new ultraportable laptops including the top-line Spectre XT.

Following on from the original HP Envy 14 Spectre, the XT slots in above the also-new HP Envy 14 and Envy 15.

HP also introduced us to a new and bound-to-confound word –Sleekbook. You see, it seems the Envy 14 and 15 will be available in both AMD and Intel versions – and since Intel owns the Ultrabook name, HP has used Sleekbook as the name for the AMD versions.

Confused? You’re not alone; it took us a fair while to get our heads around the crazy marketing when we were introduced to the new laptops at an HP event in Shanghai this morning.

There was also something for business users, too; HP also took the wraps off the 14-inch, 1.6Kg HP EliteBook Folio – also an Ultrabook, it features a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip so it can be remotely managed.

Thin, but not too light

The Spectre XT is 14.5mm thick and weighs in at 1.4Kg – as with the original Spectre, this is pretty heavy for what is a premium Ultrabook. The various versions all feature one of the latest Intel Core processors.

In terms of other specs, the 13-incher features up to 256GB SSDs and up to eight hours of battery life plus an impressive four speakers. There’s also a full array of ports, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and HDMI. The Spectre XT also offers two years of Norton Internet Security plus full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10.

The new Envy models are from 19.8mm tick and weigh from 1.79 kg. Again, these feature the latest Intel Core processors or the latest AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) and boasts up to eight or nine hours of battery life. All also feature two speakers and a subwoofer,

All the new Envy and Spectre models feature Beats Audio and Intel variants have the company’s Rapid Start Technology.

The Envy 14, Envy 15 and Spectre XT UK release date is June. Prices clock in from £899 for the Spectre XT.

When it comes to near field communication (NFC), we’re still relatively early on in its evolution, but BlackBerry handsets are leading the way in Britain.

According to the latest statistics from the first quarter of this year, RIM says that 80% of all NFC enabled devices in the UK are BlackBerry handsets.

RIM sees NFC as a big market opportunity and has taken the plunge into the technology to help aid its growth in the mobile world.

NFC on every device

The number of NFC enabled handsets is expected to rise rapidly this year and RIM is going to be at the forefront of the boom.

Speaking to TechRadar at BlackBerry World 2012, Geoffrey MacGillivray, Manager for Security, Services, Payments and NFC at RIM said: “We are looking to put NFC technology into every upcoming BlackBerry handset.”

MacGillivray went on to point out that this would depend on the technical capabilities and financial implications for each handset, but confirmed that RIM was indeed keen innovative with NFC, bringing a physical nature back into the electronic world.

RIM is also trialling a new NFC system at its headquarters, which sees NFC enabled BlackBerry handsets used to unlock doors to gain access to various parts of its office complex.

Lookout Mobile Security identified an industry first this Wednesday, discovering a malicious software package specifically designed to download to Android phones from hacked websites.

The trojan, called NotCompatible, comes in the guise of an automatically downloaded update file (Update.apk), which requires user confirmation to install.

Once allowed to run on the device, the trojan acts as a TCP relay that can use its host as a mask to send traffic like a proxy.

The URLs of infected sites have yet to be released, and the number of affected domains seems to be up in the air.

Lookout argues that these sites number in the tens; Symantec claims thousands could be compromised.

Also unknown is the purpose for this apparently “well-written and stable” infectious code, though Lookout speculates that the attacks are aimed at enabling anonymous hosting for criminal activity.

“There are a couple of ways [the hackers] can profit from this,” said Kevin Mahaffrey, co-founder and CTO of Lookout Security. “One is general online fraud. The other is targeted attacks against enterprises.”

Lookout said they haven’t seen any attacks aimed at specific companies, but are tracking purchasing activity related to this trojan.

Ice Cream Frontier

Hacking is old news, but NotCompatible represents the inception of what could be a new wave of malicious software distribution via websites.

According to Mahaffrey, “This is the first time that [hackers] have used legitimate websites to serve Android malware,” though it’s far from being the first downloadable, Android-specific trojan.

“We see Android malware all the time,” added Mahaffrey, “but it’s usually served using social engineering.”

And it’s no surprise that hackers are turning their attention towards these devices. With the recently-unveiled Samsung Galaxy S3 hitting markets later this month, the Android platform is poised to take 50 percent of the mobile market share.

Lookout is still investigating NotCompatible, but is using this attack to begin adapting to the changing landscape of mobile device vulnerabilities.

For now, Android phone manufacturers may only find solace in the timeless words of Notorious B.I.G., “Mo’ money, mo problems.”

Via PCWorld, Lookout Security

Best Ultrabooks: 16 of the best

Many of this year’s hottest new laptops are all about one word: Ultrabooks.

The term Ultrabook is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new generation of portable PCs featuring its technology.

Like Centrino but unlike Viiv, it’s starting to stick as a catch-all term for thin and light laptops, or ultraportables as they’re sometimes classified.

The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a MacBook Air that isn’t made by Apple, a netbook that isn’t underpowered or a laptop that’s been on a crash diet. Ultrabooks all feature a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, plus fast SSD storage and USB 3.0 connectivity.

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According to Intel, Ultrabooks also have “ultra-capabilities” – security features, battery power, instant-on and quick standby. They’ll provide a lightweight alternative to tablet devices for people who just can’t work without a full QWERTY keyboard.

Intel has announced a massive $300m (£185m) fund to help develop Ultrabook hardware and software, and it’s confident that Ultrabooks will make up 40% of the market by 2012.

The first models are shipping with current generation Sandy Bridge Core processors, which will be replaced this year by a new generation of Ivy Bridge chips.

Intel set an initial price target of $999/£999 for Ultrabooks, though many have been more expensive – expect serious in-roads on the cheaper £600-£800 market this year.

But what’s the best Ultrabook to buy? Check out the best Ultrabooks we’ve reviewed, as well as those we’ve got hands on with.

1. LG Z330 and Z430 Super Ultrabooks

Rather than a tapered design, the chassis on the 13.3-inch LG Z330 Super Ultrabook is 14.7mm thick from front to back. It runs Windows 7 (for now) and has a bigger brother, the LG Z430, which comes with a 14-inch display. Why is it ‘Super’? Because LG says so.

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Read our Hands on: LG Z330 and Z430 Super Ultrabook review

2. Asus Zenbook UX31

Asus has done a terrific job with the Zenbook’s design – even if you have to acknowledge that the designer took more than a sneaky glance at Apple’s ultraportable first.The 13-inch Zenbook is fantastic to look at. When closed, the wedge-shaped laptop measures 17mm at its thickest point and a mere 3mm at its thinnest.The same design thinking even stretches to the Intel Core and Windows 7 stickers. We wonder who it was that proposed they were silver and black – Intel? Asus? – but whoever did has made a difference.

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Read our Asus Zenbook UX31 review

3. Samsung Series 5 Ultra

Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra is small but perfectly formed. Available in 14-inch or 13-inch models, the 13 incher is 17.6mm at its fattest point, narrowing to 14mm.
It comes with a 128GB/256GB SSD or a 500GB hard drive (alongside a small 16GB flash drive) and incorporates an LED SuperBright screen. The only worry? Battery life is low at around three hours in our tests. Not to be confused with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Which is definitely not an Ultrabook.

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Read our Samsung Series 5 Ultra review

4. Samsung Series 9

While the original Series 9 was one of the world’s thinnest laptops, the new Samsung 9 Series Ultrabook is even thinner.

The design team has shaved off another 4mm, giving this 13-inch (1600 x 1200) laptop a waistline of only 12.9mm. Inside, a 1.7GHz Core i7 chip does all the hard work, ably assisted by up to 8GB of memory and SSD storage.

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Read our Samsung 9 Series review

5. HP Folio 13

As the moniker suggests, the HP Folio 13 is yet another 13-inch Ultrabook. It’s not much of a looker and, at 18mm around the middle, it’s not the slimmest Ultrabook at CES.

But HP is claiming a 9-hour battery life for the Folio 13, which will be ideal for regular mobile workers who value staying power over pretty design.

Read our HP Folio 13 review

6. Lenovo IdeaPad U300S

Lenovo hasn’t obsessed over aesthetics, and this laptop is no Apple MacBook Air clone. It seems chunky next to the wafer-thin Asus Zenbook, which features a wedge-shaped design that tapers off to a thin, blade-like point.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U300S retains its 16mm thickness across the chassis, giving it the impression of being squat. The body is aluminium, and weighs 1.4kg, the same as the Acer Aspire S3, but much heavier than the Toshiba Portege Z830 and the Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U. If you’re looking for an ultrabook that will turn heads, you will most likely look elsewhere, but can the Lenovo IdeaPad U300S impress with power?

Read our Lenovo IdeaPad U300S review

7. HP Envy 14 Spectre

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is a little bigger than your average Ultrabook and a little fatter because of it. Intel specifies a sub- 18mm chassis for 13-inch models, but 14-inchers like this can bulk up to 21mm.

With a Core i5 (or i7) processor and 128GB HDD inside, HP claims a 9 hour battery life for the Spectre. And… that’s really the only appeal.

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Read our: HP Envy 14 Spectre review

8. Dell XPS 13

The Dell XPS 13 might be a little late to the Ultrabook party, but it’s one of the prettiest portables we’ve seen.

Amazingly, Dell has squeezed an Intel Core i5 or i7 inside the trim chassis, along with 4GB of memory and a 128/256GB SSD. How thin is it? 6mm at its slimmest point.

Read our Dell XPS 13 review

Ultrabooks from Toshiba, Acer and more

9. Asus Zenbook UX21

The Asus Zenbook UX21 is the first 11-inch ultrabook to hit the shelves. Of course, comparisons will be immediately drawn with the Apple MacBook Air, which is one of the best ultra-portable laptops money can buy, and these two 11-inch portables are very closely matched. The Asus Zenbook UX21 matches the Apple MacBook Air in every respect. It’s just as well-built, made out of a single piece of aluminium, just as light and oozes the same head-turning style and class that makes people cast admiring glances while you work in public. It also has the same Intel Core i5 low voltage 1.6GHz processor, and a 128GB solid state hard drive, which keeps the system really responsive and fast.

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Hands on Asus Zenbook UX21 review

10. Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410

The Lenovo IdeaPad U310 has a distinctly MacBook Pro vibe to it but these Ultrabooks are expected to be at the cheaper end of the scale, around £600 or so. Packing a 13-inch display, the U310 tips the scales at 1.7kg and is squeezed into an aluminium chassis that’s 18mm thick.

A Core i5 chip is expected to provide the processing grunt, with the choice of a 64GB SSD or 500GB hard disk for storage. There’s also a U410, boasting a 14-inch display.

Read our Hands on: Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and IdeaPad U410 review

11. Toshiba Satellite Z830

The Toshiba Satellite Z830, priced at £999 in the UK (the US price isn’t yet available).

At its thickest point, the Satellite Z830-10U measures only 16mm across, but Toshiba has still packed in Sandy Bridge power and given us one of the best trackpads we’ve yet seen on an ultrabook. It’s not without niggles, however, and we found parts of the chassis to be inferior to stronger machines such as the Asus Zenbook.

It’s the lightest Ultrabook chassis we’ve yet seen, but also an excellent battery life, this could be the answer for frequent travellers who need a long-lasting machine full of performance for under £1,000.

Read our Toshiba Satellite Z830 review

12. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

We’re loving the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. This flexible, foldable Ultrabook also converts into a 16.9mm thick tablet with a 13.1-inch (1600×900 pixel) touchscreen.

Running Windows 8 you get the best of all worlds – a QWERTY keyboard for heavy duty working and a tablet experience for after hours net sessions on the sofa. The downside? It probably won’t be cheap.

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Read our Hands on: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga review

13. Acer Aspire S3

The 13.3-inch Acer Aspire S3-951 is an appealing prospect for regular travellers. The Intel Core i7 2637M version we tested is priced at £900 in the UK and costs $1300 in the US (where it has the more specific name of Acer Aspire S3-951-6432), which is enticing, considering the impressive specs list.

A less powerful Core i5 model can be bought for £700 in the UK, while in the US there are three cheaper Core i5 machines, two of which cost $900, while one retails at $1199.

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Read our Acer Aspire S3 review

14. The Intel Nikiski concept

While not technically an Ultrabook, Intel tells us that a Ultrabook version of the oddball Nikiski is on the cards for later this year.

What makes it stand out is the glass touch pad that turns into a touchscreen layer to enable you to browse a slimline view of key information such as new emails.

15. Acer Aspire S5

Thin (15mm) and light (1.35kg), the new Acer Aspire S5 isn’t much of a design departure from the older Acer Aspire S3.

But it takes advantage of its Ultrabook DNA with a 13.3-inch display, Thunderbolt technology, SSD storage and a fast (but as yet unspecified) Intel CPU. Are we excited? Meh.

Read our Hands on: Acer Aspire S5 review

16. Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus review

The Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus is the first Ultrabook we’ve seen that isn’t from an established, global computer company. That isn’t to say Novatech is small.

The British firm has been selling both components and customised PCs for a while, and in keeping with tradition, there’s plenty of choice with its Ultrabook range, with the option of an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, and varying quantities of storage and memory.

The Core i3 Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus model that we were sent is priced at just £625, and comes with 4GB of memory, a 128GB SSD and Windows 7.

Read our Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus review

A few months later than promised, Google brings maps to the world of play in an effort to promote its navigation service.

Teased back in January for a February release, the Google Maps tilting game, called Cube, launched meekly under the technology radar.

It was discovered by Fusible when checking in on the registered domain, and has since begun to spark a renewed interest in the far-reaching capabilities of Google’s maps services.

The game spans eight levels which take intrigued navigators from Paris to San Francisco to Japan to the interior of Mall of America.

Players roll through each of these locales as a blue ball (signifying humanity) on a tilting cube, finding paths through traffic, shifting landscapes, and London’s infamous subway system.

From A to ubiquitous

After conquering Cube, players are navigated to links offering even more insight about Google Maps.

One video shows off a real, physical prototype of the cube, complete with barber shops, Google-enabled phones, a bowling alley, and a typically plucky soundtrack.

It’s a small example of Google’s recent marketing efforts pushing for consumers to adopt Google-ready phones and tablets.

Another link will take committed mappers to a collection of interactive demos for Google Maps, explaining particularly the underutilized customization tools in the service.

Saving locations, planning trips, and defining new destinations (Wikipedia approval style) are among the activities displayed here.

Consumers may not have been clamoring for deeper navigation experiences, but this recent bout of edutainment certainly cements Google’s domination in the digital mapping space.

For intrepid mappers looking to seal their own place in Google Maps history, the current record play-through of Cube is 2:45.