Looking for the world's smallest, thinnest, ultralight, notebook or tablet PC? This article is updated any time we receive new news about Ultraportable Notebooks. The world of light weight computers is rapidly changing. In fact, it is not even clear what to call them. The terms Notebook, Laptop, Ultraportable, Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), Ultra PC, and Ultra Light PC (or ultra-light or ultralight) have become interchangeable. For consistency, this article refers to them all as Ultraportable Notebooks provided they are under 3 pounds and have a full size keyboard and 10 inch or larger monitor. Tablets are included if they have a keyboard (or maybe some day if they have a functional virtual keyboard). The reason we have cut this review off at 3 pounds is because 4-5 pound notebooks are fairly standard now and
Are you looking for an ultralight, tiny, thin cell phone? I am constantly updating this page with the latest news in the smaller-is-better phone world. I like to keep my phone in my pocket. Being an ultralight enthusiast, I don't want my pockets weighing me down. For several years I have been satisfied with my 3 ounce (85 gram) Nokia 3200b. But cell phone features have advanced so far in the last few years, that I really had to get updated. Cell phone manufacturers are waffling between producing phones that are ultra-thin and those that have ultra-features. If you decide to focus on features, expect a larger, thicker, heavier phone. The newest feature-rich phone, the iPhone for example, weighs 4.8 ounces.
Sony expects to begin shipping the new VAIO® TZ Series Notebook PC on July 31, 2007. Customers may order online direct from Sony for August delivery. The lightest configuration of the TZ Series will weigh 2.6 pounds thanks to the optional ultra-quick flash memory that replaces the traditional hard drive. Billed as a "Limited Edition" the TZ body is constructed from ultralight carbon-fiber. The carbon-fiber casing provides superior protection against impact shocks and torqued movements. Carbon fiber, the same material used on jets and sports cars to keep them lightweight yet sturdy, is much stronger than the magnesium used on standard notebooks.
Winner: Toshiba Portégé R500, 2.4 pounds. The Toshiba Portégé R500 is the world's lightest widescreen 12.1" notebook PC. Being the lightest also means thinnest. The R500 is only 0.7 inches thick. The Toshiba Portégé R500 has a full-size keyboard, a 12.1-inch widescreen display, a 120GB hard drive, and a CD/DVD drive. Its battery life of 3 hours is skimpy, but that is the only significant weakness in this breakthrough ultralight product. Price direct from Toshiba starts at $2,000 and goes up as you add RAM and optional features. At only 0.7 inches thick, the Portégé R500 is one of the thinnest laptops on the market today. This is made possible by Toshiba’s LED backlighting technology, producing a screen that is less than a quarter of an inch thick.
This notebook is under 2.5 pounds. Not only that, Toshiba has announced that in late 2007 the weight will be reduced to 1.7 pounds when they replace the hard drive with a 64GB solid state drive. That beats all other 12 inch notebooks by a long shot. I pulled this article from a press release issued by Toshiba in early June 2007. I have edited the release slightly by removing some of the BS. Here is a LINK to the full release. New Portégé® R500 Series Incorporates World’s First 7mm Optical Drive, World’s First Widescreen 12.1-inch Indoor/Outdoor Display and World’s Longest Battery Life in Ultraportable Form Factor
Laptops are finally getting to the point of being light and powerful! Don't buy a laptop now if you think you can hold off until the end of 2007. This looks to be the most powerful and well designed ultralight laptop yet. This article is from Business Week, 5/24/2007. I have removed the sexist comments from the article (about blonds, supermodels, etc.) but otherwise left it as published. If Business Week editors complain about that, I will let you know.
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