Updating…  Thanks for watching! We’ve stopped updating this post now. A lot happened so enjoy the read…

We’re expecting a lot to happen over the next 48hrs and to keep you updated on the latest from Ultrabook-land, this post will summaries events as they happen. You’re welcome to add news links in the comments below.

It’s 0550 in San Francisco as we kick of this blog and the official Microsoft event gets under way at 0815 but there’s already things happening around the world. We’re not at a launch event but will summarise that for you below along with other Ultrabook-related news items.

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Aiming to get a lead on other touchscreen Ultrabooks, Acer has decided to launch the Acer Aspire S7 before Windows 8. We’re not expecting the model to be available in large volumes though as this sounds like a marketing move.

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Sony has officially announced two Ultrabooks this morning. The T11, an 11.6” Ultrabook and the T13 13.3” Ultrabook are based on Sandy Bridge platforms which will surprise many but given that these devices will effectively be ‘budget’ ultrathins for the company, it’s not surprising.

Update: Both Ultrabooks now in the database. Sony T11 Sony T13.

An official press release is up for the T13 on the Sony UK page but Slashgear are also reporting on the T11.

Specs for the T13 are below. Processor and storage options will be available. Prices are unknown at present. now show below.

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Let the Gaming begin! Using the Ultrabook branding, Samsung have officially announced two interesting Ultrabooks that extend the category in a number of directions. The Samsung Series 5 Ultrabooks will offer a larger screen option, terabyte storage and AMD HD7550M discreet graphics in some models.

Samsung Series 5 Ultrabooks launched in homeland, South Korea today.

The press release  introduces two models…

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One of Acer’s Middle East country managers might have just let-slip the timeline for the next generation of Ultrabooks with a statement to press that a “slightly redesigned” Acer Ultrabook will be launched with a “new platform from Intel” early next year.

The timeline beats estimates that Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks may not appear until the 2nd-half of the year.

“Acer… plans to launch the second generation of Aspire S3 early next year that is expected to help double its sales, Acer Middle East country manager Grigory Nizovsky said.”

“I think in April next year we are having a new slightly redesigned version of S3 with slight adjustment in outlook,”

If this is the case, expect a range of phase-2 Ultrabook launches in April 2012 although availability still could drag on into Q3 if Ivy Bridge production doesn’t ramp up quickly enough.

Source

Ritchie’s Room has revealed the new HP Folio Ultrabook (not Foleo!)

Update: The HP Folio aka DM3, is now in the database.

It’s a 13.3” business-focused affair with a similar look to the Toshiba Z835/Z830.

Available in Core i3 or Core i5 versions it should be available in December. Hop over to Ritchies Room to see the rear side-mounted ports including Ethernet, full-size SD card slot and full-size HDMI along with a nice looking keyboard – and backight. The screen is 1366×768.

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Samsung Galaxy Note

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The curious case of the Samsung Galaxy Note, and it’s larger sibling, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, is one that we’ve been following closely. These two awesome devices were announced to great enthusiasm a few months back at IFA, but their official launch dates were left unspecified. Although I was put off by the Samsung Galaxy Note inititally, I must say that the idea of a pocketable device with accurate digital ink input is rather appealing, even if it wouldn’t work so well in one hand. The real issue, however, is how do we get our hands on one?

At the moment, the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7 go completely without mention on Samsung’s US site. Back during IFA, GottaBeMobile reported some dubious news from Samsung — that the company had “no plans” for a US launch of these devices. Some have interpreted this to mean that Samsung didn’t yet have specifics nailed down for the region, and others think Samsung is saying outright that they won’t be launching in the US. Whatever the case, it’s clear that they are taking a regional approach to distribution of the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

In the US, it doesn’t seem like the Samsung Galaxy Note, or the Galaxy Tab 7.7, will be launching — not immediately anyway. I’ve got a good feeling that Samsung knows that the Galaxy Tab 7.7 would be good in the US, after all, the original Galaxy Tab is considered to be one of the best selling Android tablets to date, and it was widely available in the US. As for the Galaxy Note, it would seem as though Samsung doesn’t want to push it into the region so soon after they made a big deal about the Galaxy S II which has recently become available across all major US carriers. There’s also the Apple patent cases to consider.

While we can’t be sure that it’s any indication of availability, a brief survey of some of Samsung’s regional sites shows that the device is at least sufficiently featured on their Germany, Finland, Netherlands, and Denmark sites.

For those of us in the US, we’ll need to rely on importers until Samsung decides that it’s time to bring the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the US for an official launch.

Tech importer Expansys has both devices available for pre-order, but neither are likely to be cheap enough for anyone but extreme early-adopters and ultra-niche users. The Galaxy Note is currently listed by Expansys at a steep $945. Expansys has not yet announced a price for the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but is accepting pre-orders.

I’m hoping to see these prices come down some by the time they are actually shipping imported and unlocked units to US customers, but without official sales channels (and thus carrier subsidies), it’s going to be hard to push the prices down on these bits of top-end hardware.

A quick search for some other imports reveals cheaper prices, however, you should always do your research before buying an import!

• Mobile City Online – $699
• Cell Hut – $799

In a Fox News TV segment (embedded below) the Ultrabook gets a very important airing with Intel CEO Paul Otellini along with commentary that made me sit up and listen. In–line with an interview we did early in September [5 more Ultrabooks coming], Paul says that there will be 11 companies offering Ultrabooks this Christmas, including Sony.

OK, Let’s count them. We’ve got Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba on board already. We believe that HP will have an offering in 2011 too. Add the revelation that Sony will offer a solution and you’re left with 4 missing from the list. Let’s assume Intel are pushing the boundaries out to include the Samsung Series 9 and the LG Xnote. Where are the other two coming from? Choose from MSI, Gigabyte (we believe that’s a 2012 product) , Fujitsu, Dell (also believed to be a 2012 product), Packard Bell and possibly some re-brands.

Paul went on to say that there were 60 designs in the pipeline that will launch with Ivy Bridge. That’s something to look forward to in Q2/Q3 2012 but surely he means SKUs. I can’t see 60 different designs being launched. If they are we’re going to nee help with the Ultrabook database!

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