MSI’s new Intel CULV-based ultra-slim laptop – the 14-inch X-Slim X400 – is now available for purchase in the United States.

Mwave sells the black/gold MSI X400-060US and black/silver X400-061US, while Excaliber PC additionally offers the white/blue X400-029US model. Weighing at 3.3 pounds, the 1-inch thin notebooks come with the Intel Core 2 Solo SU2700 1.3GHz processor, the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 320GB hard drive with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed, and a 4-cell battery. The X400 doesn’t include a built-in optical drive.

Its 14-inch glossy display has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels and uses LED backlight.

The MSI X-Slim X400 sports a built-in 1.3MP web camera, stereo speakers, HDMI and VGA ports, support for dual headphone output, two USB connectors, an SD/SDHC/MMC media card reader, 802.11a/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, and a Gigabit LAN port.

The X400-060US, X400-061US, and X400-029US are priced at $800.

The HP Envy 13 Series thin-and-light 13.1″ laptop is now available for purchase.

Measuring less than an inch thin and weighing 3.7 pounds, the Envy 13 has a chassis made of aluminum and magnesium. The notebook is based on Intel’s low voltage SL9400/SL9600 or ultra-low voltage SU9600 CPU and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB dedicated graphics. It comes with up to 3GB of DDR3 system memory, up to 250GB of hard drive space, and a 4-cell battery with an optional 6-cell extended-life unit. The laptop doesn’t include a built-in optical drive.

The 13.1″ LED backlight “Radiance” display has a resolution of 1366×768 or 1600×900 pixels, depending on customer’s choice. With a brightness of 410 nits, the display is twice as bright as other notebook displays in its class, according to Hewlett-Packard.

The HP Envy 13 also sports a web camera with microphone, stereo speakers, an HDMI output, 802.11n wireless, a Gigabit LAN port, two USB ports, and a 2-in-1 media card reader.

Besides Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional operating system, the Envy 13 includes Envy Instant On Solution, a mini OS that provides quick access to some basic applications without booting into Windows.

The laptop starts at $1,700 and can be purchased through Hewlett-Packard’s official website.

Microsoft announced today the worldwide availability of Windows 7, its new operating system for PCs.

Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate Edition upgrade licenses are priced at $119.99, $199.99, and $219.99, respectively. There’s also Windows 7 Starter Edition, which can be found on new netbooks. The first Windows 7 laptops mostly come with Home Premium Edition.

Microsoft’s Press Release:

Today Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide availability of its new Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes.

“With Windows 7, there’s never been a better time to be a PC,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together with our partners, we’re bringing more choice, flexibility and value to the market than ever before. With Windows 7, you’re sure to find a PC that fits your life.”

Building Windows 7 has been a collaborative process from the beginning, with Microsoft’s engineers and designers working with customers and partners to build an operating system that delivers on the vision of the PC, simplified. In a speech in New York, Ballmer thanked the millions of volunteers who helped improve the product by testing early versions.

“A project with the global customer reach of Windows can only be done as a team,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, speaking at a launch event in Tokyo. “We are grateful for the valuable contributions from customers, partners and developers around the world that helped make Windows 7 such a collaborative project.”

On Sale Worldwide Today

The global availability of Windows 7 is joined by an unprecedented array of new PCs and software programs. With more PC options available for customers today at a wide range of price points starting under $300, customers can choose the PC that fits their personality, style and needs, from netbooks, ultrathin notebooks and highly interactive multitouch laptops to all-in-one desktops and high-end, water-cooled gaming machines.

A newly launched section of Windows.com called PC Scout will guide users through selecting and purchasing the right PC. Customers can purchase PCs with Windows 7 or software upgrades online or in-store from technology retailers or at the new Microsoft Store, launching today in its first retail location in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expanded online. Retailers and technology partners are also featuring a series of limited-time offers for customers looking for great deals on Windows 7-based PCs, devices and software. Information on these offers can be found at http://www.windows.com.

To show how Windows 7 simplifies the PC, today Microsoft is launching the next wave of its global “I’m a PC” campaign. The global enthusiasm of Windows users is also contributing to the way many people around the world will experience Windows 7 for the first time. Tens of thousands of customers have volunteered to host launch parties or meet-ups beginning today, showing off Windows 7 to friends and family members.

Simplifying the PC

Over the past 18 months, feedback from more than a billion opt-in customer sessions and 8 million beta testers validated Microsoft’s research on how to simplify everyday tasks. Here are a few of the many ways users will experience a more simplified PC with Windows 7:

Simplifies Everyday Tasks
• Taskbar. The go-to spot for launching programs and switching windows, the taskbar has been completely redesigned to help users work smarter, cut clutter, and get more done, with features such as thumbnail previews of Web pages, documents — even running video.
• HomeGroup. Users can easily share their files and printers with other PCs running Windows 7 in their home.
• Windows 7 Device Stage. This shows the status of all connected devices such as cameras and mobile phones, and makes it easier to synchronize and manage them.
• Photos and videos. Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker (available via download) offer customers great, free options to edit photos and videos and easily share them with loved ones.
• Snap. Users can drag an open window to the screen’s border to automatically re-size it. Snap two different windows to the left and right borders for a perfect comparison.
• Shake. Users can click on a window pane and shake the mouse to minimize all other open windows, then shake the pane again to restore the windows to their original sizes.
• Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft’s fastest, easiest and safest browser ever offers smart new features such as Instant Search, Accelerators and Web Slices to help users get more out of the Web.

Works the Way Users Want
• Faster on, faster off. Every Windows 7 user will benefit from the focus on underlying performance, faster startup, resuming and shut down time, and enhanced power management.
• Mobile made easier. All of a user’s mobile computing settings are in one place with the Windows Mobility Center.
• Protecting the PC. Safeguarding the data on a PC is easier with advanced backup capabilities and the free Microsoft Security Essentials download to help protect users against viruses, spyware and other malicious software.

Makes New Things Possible
• Windows Touch. Users can interact with the PC with a touch-screen monitor, using their fingers and multitouch gestures.
• PlayTo. Users can stream their digital music, videos and photos to other PCs or devices such as an Xbox 360 console connected to the TV.
• Internet TV. New content providers and an improved interface make it even easier to watch TV on the PC.
• Rich gaming and graphics. Windows 7 includes performance enhancements that take power gaming and entertainment to a new level, with 64-bit support and DirectX 11 graphics.
• Location-aware printing. Documents are sent to the right printer whether it’s at home or at the office. And with Offline Files users can work offline and automatically synchronize between a PC and documents on their office network.

Partners Rally Around Windows 7

Along with increased customer involvement, Microsoft’s partners had a closer, more involved role in the product vision and planning process with Windows 7. The collaborative approach to engaging partners to inform development efforts has resulted in improved performance for PCs as well as compatibility with a broad range of software and hardware across the Windows ecosystem. More than 50,000 developers from 17,000 companies are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program to build solutions for Windows 7. Together, these partners are developing hardware, software and services capable of reaching more than a billion PCs around the world.

You can purchase the new Windows at Microsoft, Amazon, and other stores.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook models with the NVIDIA Ion multimedia-oriented platform are now available for purchase.

The Ion-based IdeaPad S12 features a 12.1-inch 1280×800 display, a 256MB dedicated graphics card supporting full HD video playback, the Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz CPU and Windows 7 OS. The first two released models – the 29595FU and 295954U – include 2GB and 3GB of DDR2 RAM and 250GB and 320GB hard drives, respectively. Both netbooks have a 6-cell battery, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a black chassis.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 29595FU and 295954U are priced at $599 and $649, respectively at Lenovo.com.

Google has introduced the Chrome Operating System, an open source, free of charge, lightweight OS that will initially be targeted at netbook computers.

“Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010,” a post on Google’s official blog says.

The Chrome OS is based on web applications and a Linux kernel. It runs on x86 and ARM processors and has a minimal user interface. According to Google, the OS is designed to boot up in a few seconds.

The company also explains differences between Chrome OS and their Android operating system:

“Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.”

Google currently cooperates with companies such as Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba, to design and build Chrome-based devices.

Lenovo has announced that its eight ThinkPad laptops passed the “Tough Test”, meeting Military Specifications for semi-rugged computing.

“The ThinkPad X200, X301, X200s, X200 Tablet, T400, T500, R400 and SL300 laptops meet a barrage of military specifications tests and are enhanced with uniquely-designed durability features such as an airbag-like protection system and a roll cage in select models,” the company says.

These laptops met tests for low pressure, humidity, vibration, high and low temperatures, temperature shock, and dust.

Lenovo has also added a new optional 680-nit high brightness display to its the ThinkPad T400 14.1-inch laptop. The panel for outdoors use features LED backlight and is “nearly four times brighter than previous ThinkPad laptop screens”.