Lenovo today unveiled a new selection of laptops that is meant for small and medium businesses. The new ThinkPad E-series of business laptops and three new S-line desktop models.

The new E-series models, which comprise the E460/E465 and the E560/E565 will sport 14 and 15.6-inch displays respectively and will come with the usual features and hardware that Lenovo installs on its business-focused Thinkpad laptops. These include the latest Intel or AMD processors, 16GB of RAM and an optional fingerprint sensor.

Both models is said to last for up to 9 hours and can come with an optional discrete graphics. Just like other models in the ThinkPad series, these laptops can be beefed up with several add-on features like 16GB of RAM and an Intel RealSense Technology 3D camera.

As for the new desktop models – the Lenovo S200z, S400Z and S500z are all AIO desktops while the S200 and S500 are small form factor tower types. The AIO models will be available in three different screen sizes – 19, 21.5 and 23 inches respectively with optional touchscreen.

On the other hand, the S200 and S500 will be your typical tower-type desktop PC that provides larger storage capability in exchange of portability. Connectivity wise, all of the desktop models will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Lenovo E460 and E465 will be available starting November for a little less of $550 and $500 respectively. The ThinkPad E560 and E565 will arrive at the same time as the E460/E465 models and will retail for around $549 for the E560 and $479 for the E565 model.

AS for the desktops, Lenovo hasn’t indicated any pricing and shipping information, but we’ll likely see them again before the end of the week at IFA in Germany. 

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Microsoft’s “small gathering” event this week all pointed to the direction of the Surface Mini but contrary to people’s expectations the Mini tablet was a no show. Apparently, or at least according to a report by Bloomberg, Microsoft actually planned to unveil the Surface Mini during their event two days ago but company execs decided to pull the plug at the last minute.

According to the report, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella and EVP Stephen Elop decided to hold back the announcement of the Surface Mini saying that the device didn’t have any special features that differentiated it from other small-sized tablets in the market.

Earlier rumours indicate that the Mini will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset that lead people to believe that the device won’t run on a full version of Windows and instead will have Windows RT.

Having said this, it might have been the right move for Microsoft to withhold the announcement of the Surface Mini. A number of the company’s hardware partners for Windows 8.1 including Acer, Toshiba and Dell to name a few have small-sized tablets with 7- or 8-inch displays that run on the full version of Windows 8.1, so placing a Windows RT-running Surface Mini besides these devices will certainly make it a less attractive option for consumers.

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Multi-mode hybrid devices such as those from Lenovo and HP that we saw back in CES are now getting more traction with other manufacturers as Acer joins the clique of tablet and notebook makers with the Acer Aspire Switch 10.

Just like Lenovo’s Yoga, the Switch 10 features several form factors including a display mode where the screen is facing the user (and is most useful when doing a presentation), a tent mode (the device is placed upside down) and the typical tablet and notebook modes.

The device is powered by an Intel Atom Z3745 CPU and should last for around 8 hours of ordinary use. The 10.1-inch display of the Switch 10 is of the IPS nature and features the company’s Zero Gap bonding technology that promises less glare. The main unit of the Switch 10 connects to the keyboard dock using magnets and comes equipped with front-facing speakers and an aluminium chassis.

The keyboard dock comes with a USB port, a microSD card slot and miniature HDMI port. There will also be another dock with a built-in hard drive to complement the 32GB/64GB hard drive of the main unit.

The Acer Aspire Switch 10 will be running on Windows 8.1 and will be available by June for $380.

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Toshiba is one of the brands that made an announcement at this year’s IFA in Berlin, Germany. This year the company has introduced a Windows-powered tablet, an affordable notebook and a convertible.

The Toshiba Encore is the Japanese company’s answer to Taiwan’s Acer W3. It is an 8-inch tablet that runs on Windows 8. The device’s screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels with multi-touch with wide viewing angles.

The tablet measures around 0.42 inches thin and weighs around 479g. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor that delivers great performance and improved battery life. It also sports InstantGo capabilities, which enables the device to receive updates even when in sleep mode.

It also has an 8MP camera, a number of sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS and stereo speakers. Furthermore, there’s a 32GB worth of storage with connectivity essentials including a micro USB 2.0 port, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, a micro HDMI port and a microSD card slot that supports up to 32GB.

For those looking for a more traditional-looking computer, the Toshiba Satellite NB15t maybe the one that will suit your tastes. The NB15t sports an 11.6-inch TruBrite touch-enabled display optimized for Windows 8.

The notebook is powered by the latest generation Intel Celeron processor and complemented by 500GB worth of storage. There’s the usual plethora of connectivity options including Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Ethernet port, USB 3, HDMI ports and stereo speakers enhanced with DTS Audio.

But if you’re looking to have the best of both worlds, Toshiba’s Satellite Click combines the traditional look and feel of the NB15t and the innovative tablet design of the Encore. The Satellite Click is basically a convertible powered by AMD’s low-power A4 APU with Radeon 8000 graphics and 4GB of DDR3L RAM.

The device comes with 500GB of built-in storage and features a micro USB 2 and HDMI port as well as a built-in webcam, a microSD Card slot, an accelerometer and a gyroscope sensor.

The Satellite Click’s keyboard enables a seamless transition from tablet to notebook and features a hinge that allows the screen to be removed completely or tilted up to a 125-degree angle. The device sports a dual-battery setup that supports charging on both the dock and the tablet (with priority over the tablet) whether docked or undocked.

The keyboard dock consists of a full-size keyboard and a touchpad and a USB 3.0 port that features the company’s USB Sleep and charge technology.

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Asus recently announced its newest Zenbook that will make its debut at Computex 2013 next month in Taipei, Taiwan – the Asus Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook.

The Zenbook Infinity will sport dual-Gorilla Glass 3 protection, which is a feature never before seen in the notebook industry. The first layer of toughened glass will be found on the laptop’s lid and is fused with the aluminium panel of the laptop. So even with an extra layer of glass, Asus was still able to shave a few millimetres off the Zenbook Infinity making it 14% thinner than its predecessor at only 15.5mm.

Just like other Zenbooks, the Zenbook Infinity still features the metallic rippling pattern in the lid which is a trademark of the Asus Zenbook line of Ultrabooks, only now this pattern is protected by a layer of toughened glass.

The other Gorilla Glass 3 panel on the laptop will be found on the area surrounding the keyboard. This gives the keyboard area an added layer of protection that is resistant to scratches whilst maintaining a high-gloss finish.

The new Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has the same durability and thinness as Gorilla Glass 2 but uses the company’s NDR technology (Native Damage resistance). This new technology gives the glass superioir scratch resistance, reduced scratch visibility and improved toughness. Specifically, Gorilla Glass 3 has 3 times the scratch resistance of Gorilla Glass 2, gives a 40% reduction in the number of highly visible scratches and 40% improved retained strength if a deep scratch does occur.

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Taiwan’s Inhon brings the battle of the ultrathin notebooks to its mainstream competitors with the company’s Blade 13 Carbon.

The Blade 13 Carbon features a 13-inch 1080p HD screen and boasts a slimline frame of just 12.88mm which the company claims to be thinner compared to another ultrathin notebook – the NEC Lavie X. It weights around 1.9lbs (870g) making it a full pound lighter than the Apple MacBook Air.

The laptop will be powered by either an Intel Core i5 or i7 prcoessor, up to 256GB of SSD storage and 4GB of RAM. The Blade 13 Carbon will run on Windows 8 and will retail for around $1350 in Taiwan. There’s also a fibreglass-version with a 1600 x 900 display and will cost around $1000 and weigh an additional 2.6lbs.

No additional information has been provided about its full specs, nor is its international availability. Nevertheless, it’s a good sign to consumers that smaller brands are now coming up with similarly spec’d and similarly designed machines that can serve as a good alternative for more popular and at times more expensive brands of computers.

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Toshiba is trying to take on Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro head on with the introduction of its newest Ultrabook offering – the Toshiba Kira.

Toshiba’s Kira line of Ultrabooks looks incredibly similar to the MacBook Air and to some extent some of Asus’s Zenbook laptops in terms of design and profile. And as such are intended for the high-end consumer group.

The Kirabook is fashioned from an A791 pressed magnesium alloy combined with a honeycomb base structure that offers rigidity without adding in extra pounds. However, the Kirabook’s most promising feature is its display. Toshiba has incorporated its ultra-high resolution PixelPure display into the Kirabook giving it a native screen resolution of 2560x1440 pixels which rivals that of the MacBook Pro and Google’s Chromebook Pixel.

The display of the Kirabook also features a fingerprint-resistant and smooth 10-point multi-touch interface that maximizes the entire Windows 8 experience. The device also comes equipped with Corning’s Concore glass panel that provides additional protection for the Kirabook’s outstanding display.

Toshiba has also equipped the Kirabook with its own AirFlow II technology which is made up of a thin multi-phase fan cooling system, as well as a stabilizing hinge that increases the pliability of the lid when opening and closing the notebook which reduces screen bounce when using the touchscreen.

Other notable features of the notebook include high-quality Harman Kardon stereo speakers with DTS audio processing, 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, a high-capacity Li-Polymer battery that can last for up to 6 hours. The Kirabook also comes with Adobe Photoshop elements and Premiere elements preinstalled.

The Toshiba Kirabook line will be powered by 3^rd generation Intel Core processors and will come in either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor with prices starting from $,1599 for the Core i5 model and can balloon up to a whopping $1,999 for the Core i7 model. 

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