Asus have unveiled their new netbook, the Intel Sandy Bridge powered U30S.

No pricing has yet been confirmed for the 13.3 inch device, and Asus are also yet to confirm when the device will be officially launched.

While vital information on pricing and release dates was left out of Asus’ unveiling, they did furnish us with key specifications for the device.

Along with the Intel i5-2410 Sandy Bridge chip – which clocks in at an impressive 2.3 GHz – the U30S will also feature Nvidia 520M graphics chips, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB 7200 rpm hard-drive and three USB 2.0 slots.

Connectivity wise, the device sports WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a VGA slot and a HDMI lot. An 8-cell 84Wh battery keeps everything running under the slick charcoal aluminium hood.

The compact body is certainly nice looking, although the thick bezel is made from glossy plastic that could be prone to scratching.

It will be interesting to see what sort of price tag Asus slap on the U30S when they finally roll it out, as restraint in this department could see the netbook do well. More news on when we can expect to see the U30S make an appearance on our shelves will follow when we receive it.

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Following on from their Lamborghini branded hard-drive, Asus are tantalising us with more flashy accessories.

The raft of accessories includes new USB drives, mice, carry cases and even new power adaptors, some of which are designed to slot into the existing Lamborghini and Karim Rashid ranges.

This time the famous sleek lines of the super-car are gracing the chassis of a wireless mouse with a customisable cursor speed that can be set to anywhere between 800 and 2500 dpi.

It’s an attractive bit of kit with an impressive 10m wireless range, but at nearly 40 quid it probably matches the Lambo in price, pound-for-pound.

Another new Asus release is the Karim Rashid external hard drive, offering the same FlexSave feature of the Lamborghini hard drive and is advertised as “shock resistant” for a longer lifespan.

The Karim Rashid hard drive is available in hot pink and terran brown, both of which feature the shimmering finish of the Karim Rashid designed netbook range.

In addition to these more stylish releases, Asus have also released a handy accessory bundle which gets you a mouse, a carrying case and a DVD drive.

All the above devices are available in the UK from now.

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PC makers Acer have released pictures of their stylish new AZ5750-F54, a product that looks better than it sounds.

The sleek, flat-screen unit is a far cry from the chunky tubes of olden-day desktops, and is instead designed to save as much space as possible in your working environment.

The HD screen of the AZ5750-F54 is 23 inches in size and sports a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. Under the hood, you will find a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5-650 dual-core processor along with 1 terabyte of storage and 4 gigabytes of memory.

The device runs the latest edition of Microsoft’s Windows 7 Home Premium and comes complete with WiFi, a web cam and a SD card reader. The AZ5750-F54 will also feature a TV tuner for when you get bored of working away on your desktop.

News of this product comes hot on the heels of a major headache for Acer, as problems began to surface with devices powered by Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors. Acer have promised to “stand by their customers”, offering free of charge exchanges for devices of “comparable value” to any Acer user affected by the malfunctions.

There is as yet, no planned release date for the device in Britain but it is expected to launch very soon in Japan. Projected retail price for the AZ5750-F54 is expected to be around the trifling sum of £900.

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Samsung have unveiled their reduced power, 30nm DDR memory at the CeBIT event in Hannover.

The company have been quick to play up the green credentials of their new memory, as tech-firms begin to feel the pressure of government initiatives to reduce domestic carbon emissions.

In addition to the low power consumption, the 30nm, ‘green’ memory also runs at a lower temperature than standard memory units, which tend to set the mercury flying to around 59 degrees Celsius. The 30nm memory remains at a cool average temperature of 51 degrees Celsius.

It is this feature, that Samsung believe will help overcome the problems mentioned at CeBIT’s ‘cloud conference’, in which a panel of experts debated the pros and possible cons of cloud computing.

While the panel were, on the whole, optimistic, they offered some words of caution to anyone getting too excited by cloud technology, stating that the less than 100% reliability of current internet services, coupled with the insane amount of work servers and data centres would have to do to handle the requisite data could delay the development of the tech.

Whilst not ticking all the boxes, the low running temperature and energy consumption of Samsung’s new memory could be a step in the right direction, and will definitely be welcome news to server operators anticipating a meltdown when cloud computing finally takes off.

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HTC have revealed the 7 inch version of their Flyer tablet at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

The Flyer sports an attractive aluminium finish, similar to the smaller HTC smartphones, but comes with the curveball that it runs Android 2.4, rather than the 3.0 we are coming to expect from new tablets.

The device is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which makes the decision to unveil the tablet with Android 2.4 rather than Honeycomb – an OS optimised for use with dual core processors – a mystery.

Other specifications for the device include 1024 x 600 pixel resolutions, 1GB RAM and 32GB of storage. A 5 mega pixel rear-facing camera is built in, as is a 1.3 mega pixel front facing lens for videochat. Connectivity wise, the device is equipped with Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11n and GPS.

HTC have said that its own software – such as HTC Watch and Scribe – will be pre loaded onto the device.

The 7 inch Flyer weighs in at 420 grams and is HSPA+ ready. The device will be available in the second quarter of 2011.

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Acer have unveiled their Iconia Tab A500, a 10.1 inch tablet computer which runs Google’s latest operating system; Android Honeycomb.

The launch – at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress event – represents Acer’s first foray into the possibilities Android 3.0.

The A500 will support HD streaming on its WXFA screen, a capability that will be backed up by a muscular dual-core NVidia Tegra 2 processor chip. The HDMI output of the device also allows content to be streamed through HD tv screens and monitors.

Acer have stated that these features were developed deliberately with a gaming audience in mind, a statement supported by the expansive viewing angles and high colour accuracy of the device.

Other features include a 5 mega pixel rear-facing camera, front-facing HD lens, WiFi and 3G connectivity and Bluetooth 2.1.

The device also comes equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GPU which will support Flash 10.1.

The item is a looker as well; the 13.3mm thick tablet boasts sleek lines, glossy finish and laser engraved textures making this a stylish bit of kit, as well as a powerful one.

While there is no official pricing for this item, Acer have hinted that it will be hitting British shelves in April 2011.

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 On a busy day in Barcelona, LG have unveiled the Optimus Pad – a Honeycomb running tablet – and the Optimus smartphone, a 3D handheld device.

The double unveiling at the Mobile World Congress event constituted a display of strength from LG, who are obviously not willing to fall behind the leaders in 2011’s tech wars.

The 8.9 inch tablet weighs in at 630 grams, 100 grams less than the iPad, and, according to LG, “hits the sweet spot between portability and optimal screen space”.

The Optimus Pad packs two separate rear-facing cameras for shooting 3D video as well as a 2 mega pixel camera on the front. A dual-core Nvidia chip provides the processing power for all this 3D wizardry.

The smartphone mirrors the tablet with its double 5 mega pixel cameras for 3D filming and is capable of shooting 720p 3D video. The camera is also able to shoot 1080 HD video in 2D, for playback on its 4.3-inch VGA screen.

The device also features an HDMI output for streaming content to HD TVs and monitors. LG have also hinted at a deal with YouTube allowing the uploading of 3D video via a special app.

LG have given no provisional release date for either item.

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