Lenovo has announced the 15.6-inch IdeaPad Y560d, the company’s first notebook with a 3D display.

The entertainment-oriented IdeaPad Y560d features the TriDef 3D technology solution with a 3D screen, software and glasses, the Intel Core i7-620M processor, switchable graphics combining an integrated GPU and the ATI Radeon HD 5730 1GB dedicated video card, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 750GB HDD, optional RapidDrive 64GB SSD, and optional Blu-ray optical drive.

According to the press release, Lenovo Enhanced Experience RapidDrive technology “seamlessly combines SSD and HDD storage solutions to deliver even faster Windows 7 boot-up times and significantly improve application performance”.

Lenovo’s 3D laptop also includes JBL speakers, Dolby Home Theater surround sound, 802.11n WiFi, optional Bluetooth, and an HDMI output.

The IdeaPad Y560d runs Windows 7 Home Premium OS and will be available by the end of June for a starting price of approximately $1,199.99.

Clearwire has announced the latest suite of devices, the CLEAR Spot 4G, CLEAR Spot 4G+, and the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB, supporting new 4G mobile broadband connectivity.

“The CLEAR Spot 4G offers the speed and flexibility of a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, simultaneously connecting multiple Wi-Fi devices at 4G speeds, while the CLEAR Spot 4G+ adds the option of allowing users to easily and securely use nationwide 3G coverage when outside the 4G coverage area. In addition, the CLEAR 4G+ Mobile USB modem is the first dual-mode mobile USB from CLEAR to deliver 4G and nationwide 3G Internet coverage to the MacBook and MacBook Pro along with other non-Mac devices,” Clearwire’s press release says.

The company says it offers unlimited 4G plans and that users can experience “average mobile download speeds of 3 to 6 mbps with bursts over 10 mbps”.

In most markets, unlimited 4G coverage from CLEAR starts at $30 for the home, while unlimited mobile plans start at $40.

The Acer Aspire One AO721 (721) 11.6-inch AMD-based ultraportable netbook is now on sale in the US.

The first model offered is the Aspire One AO721-3574. It features the AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor at 1.7GHz, ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive with Windows 7 Home Premium OS pre-installed, a LED-backlight display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels, and a 6-cell battery for up to 5.5 hours of run time.

The 3.1-pound 721-3574 also includes a built-in 1.3MP web camera, HDMI and VGA outputs, microphone, 802.11n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB ports, a multi-in-1 card reader, and a multi-gesture touchpad.

Th Acer Aspire One AO721-3574 is available via Amazon.com for $480.94.

The configurable Clevo D900F and Clevo W880CU gaming laptops can be ordered now in the US with the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M video card.

Sager, AVA Direct, and Malibal offer the 17-inch D900F-based notebooks which include the desktop-use Core i7 six- and quad-core processors, up to 12GB system memory, and up to three hard or solid state drives, besides the optional DirectX 11-compatible GTX 480M with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM, a 256-bit memory interface, and 352 CUDA cores.

The 17.3″ Clevo W880CU is sold by the same companies and comes with the Core i5 and i7 laptop CPUs, up to 8GB RAM, and optionally dual HDDs/SSDs.

When configured with the GeForce GTX 480M, the Clevo 900F and Clevo W880CU start at around $2,500 and $2,000, respectively. The 480M GPU choice is approximately $500 more expensive than the GeForce GTX 285 option.

The new Acer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 entertainment notebooks are now available in the US, the company has announced.

The Aspire AS5745 has a 15.6-inch 1366×768 display, whereas the AS7745 Series touts a 17.3-inch 1600×900 screen, both with LED backlight. The laptops come with the Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, discrete graphics options, Dolby Home Theater audio, and a multi-touch display in select AS5745 models.

Acer highlights the Acer Aspire AS5745G-6538 with the Intel Core i7 720QM quad-core CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M dedicated graphics, the multi-touch Acer Aspire AS5745PG-3882 with the Core i5 and GT 330M, and the Aspire AS7745G-6214 with the i7 720QM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics, dual hard drives for up to 1TB storage, four SODIMM slots for up to 16GB RAM, and a Blu-ray drive.

The standard AS5745 and AS7745 start at $699, while the AS5745G, AS5745PG, and AS7745G start at $1,049, $899.99, and $1,399, respectively.

Acer has announced the US availability of the Aspire TimelineX thin-and-light laptop series, including the 11.6-inch Aspire 1830T, 13.3″ 3820T, 14″ 4820T and the 15.6″ 5820T.

Besides LED-backlit displays, TimelineX notebooks include the Intel Core i3 or Core i5 full-voltage processors, except the 1830T with a Core i3 ultra-low voltage chip. The laptops have Intel’s integrated GPU or swithcable graphics with an ATI Radeon dedicated video card, 3GB or 4GB of memory, up to 500GB hard drive space, optical drives in 14″ and 15.6″ models, and Windows 7 Home Premium OS.

The TimelineX systems are less than one inch thin and are housed in black brushed aluminium cases. The laptops’ weight ranges from 3 to 5.5 pounds.

According to Acer, the new notebooks are desinged to deliver “eight hours of battery life”.

Prices of the Acer Aspire 1830T and 3820T start at $599.99 and $729.99, respectively, whereas the 4820T and 5820T both start at $749.99.

Gateway has released the ID thin-and-light notebook series, including the 14-inch ID49 and 15.6-inch ID59.

Around 1-inch thin, the 5.07-pound ID49 and 5.5-pound ID59 laptops feature the Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, Intel’s HD integrated or switchable Intel HD/NVIDIA GT330M graphics in select 14″ models, 1366 x 768 LED-backlight displays, up to 8GB RAM, up to 500GB hard drives, DVD burners, stereo speakers, Dolby Home Theater audio, 1.3MP web cameras, 802.11n Wi-Fi, up to 6 hours of battery life, and Windows 7 Home Premium OS.

The notebooks have a “sleek silver casing that is punctuated by a unique aqua-blue touchpad that glows when touched, acting as a beacon for accessing entertainment and information”.

The Gateway ID49 and Gateway ID59 start at $679.99 and $799.99, respectively.

Intel has launched Core i7-940XM, i7-840QM and i7-740QM quad-core laptop processors priced at US$1,054, US$546 and US$364, respectively.

The company also plans to release more 2010 Core mainstream notebook CPUs – the Core i7-640M, i5-580M and i5-560M priced at US$332, US$257 and US$225, DigiTimes reports.

Regarding ultra-low voltage chips for thin-and-light laptops, Intel has launched the Core i7-660UM (US$305) and i5-540UM (US$241), and plans to release dual-core Core i7-680UM and i5-560UM models at the end of September. The company will also release several low-voltage CPUs including the Core i7-660LM in September, according to DigiTimes.

“For entry-level processors, Intel recently launched the dual-core Celeron U3400 (US$134) but has no plans to release any more upgrades before the end of 2010. In September, Intel will launch the 32nm Celeron P4600 (US$86) and 45nm Pentium T3500 (US$80), while the Celeron P4500 will be phased out of the market and the Pentium T3300 will see its price drop from US$86 to US$80,” the report says.

DigiTimes also writes that Intel’s next-generation notebook platform Huron River is scheduled to launch in January.

All the prices listed in this post are in 1,000-unit tray quantities.

Hewlett-Packard has announced the HP Mini 100e 10.1-inch netbook designed for primary school students.

The kid-friendly Mini 100e features the Intel Atom N455 processor with GMA HD integrated graphics, 1GB of DDR3 memory expandable to 2GB, 160GB of hard disk space, a 3- or 6-cell battery, Windows 7 Starter, XP, or SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 OS, and an optional external DVD writer.

Its LED-backlit display has a resolution of 1024×600 pixels.

HP’s Mini 100e also includes an integrated web camera, mono speaker, microphone, optional 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, a modem, two USB ports, an SD card slot, a spill-resistant keyboard, and a VGA output.

The Mini 100e has a built-in carrying handle and weighs 3.19 pounds.

It will be available in July with an expected price under $300.

Samsung has unveiled new laptop PCs, including the latest R40 R440 and R540 series and the updated R530.

The 14-inch R440-11 features the Intel Core i3-330M processor, Intel GMA integrated graphics, up to 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and up to 4 hours of battery life, whereas the 15.6-inch R540-11 includes the i5-450M CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon HD545v dedicated graphics, up to 500GB HDD, a DVD writer or Blu-ray Combo drive, and a battery that provides up to 4.5-hour run time on a single charge.

Both laptops come with 1366×768 LED-backlight displays, 4GB DDR3 RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium OS, 0.3MP web cameras, multi-gesture touchpads, 802.11n wireless, three USB ports, and HDMI outputs.

The upgraded 15.6″ Samsung R530-11 now includes the Core i3-330M CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce 310M discrete GPU, instead of a Core 2 Duo chip and GMA HD integrated graphics in older R530 models. The laptop has 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB HDD with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed, 1366×768 screen, a maximal battery life of 4 hours, a 0.3MP webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and 3 USB ports.

Samsung’s R440, R540, and R530 will be available through resellers in July for $729, $999, and $799, respectively.