Hewlett-Packard has released the HP G62t series, a 15.6-inch consumer laptop.

The G62t comes with the Intel Core i3-330M, i3-350M, i5-520M, i5-540M or i7-620M dual core processor, and integrated graphics. The G62t features up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, up to 500GB of hard drive space, and a DVD burner or Blu-ray combo drive.

The LED backlit display has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels.

HP’s G62t also sports a web camera and microphone, stereo speakers, 802.11n WiFi, Ethernet LAN, optional Bluetooth, three USB ports, and a 5-in-1 media card reader and HDMI output in select models.

The 5.5-pound notebook has a matte surface and runs Windows 7 Home Premium.

The HP G62t can be purchased now for a base price of $599.99 at the HP online store.

The recently announced Asus G73JH 17.3-inch G Series gaming laptop is now available in the US.

Newegg offers the G73JH-X1 model that includes the Intel Core i7 720QM quad core processor, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB graphics, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD burner, an 8-cell battery and Windows 7 Home Premium OS. The G73JH-X1 utilizes LED backlight for its 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel display.

Other features include built-in stereo speakers, a 2.0MP web camera, 802.11b/g/n wireless, an Ethernet LAN port, HDMI and VGA outputs, four USB ports, and an 8-in-1 media card reader.

The Asus G73JH-X1 weighs 8 lbs and has a futuristic chassis design.

The laptop is currently priced at $1,429.99 at Newegg.

The Samsung R430, a recently unveiled notebook with a 14-inch display and an Intel dual core processor, is now available in the US.

The offered R430-BLACK uses the Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor at 2.2GHz and the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. The laptop has 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a 6-cell battery.

Its widescreen LED backlight display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

There are also a built-in web camera, stereo speakers, numeric keyboard, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet LAN, three USB ports, HDMI, VGA and a 3-in-1 media card reader.

The 4.98-pound Samsung R430 runs Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The notebook is available at Buy.com for $649.95.

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.

Hewlett-Pacakrd’s new high-performance entertainment notebook – the Intel Core i7-based 15.6″ HP Envy 15 – is now available.

Besides the Intel Core i7 i7-720QM 1.6GHz or i7-820QM 1.73GHz quad-core mobile CPU, the 1.04-inch thin Envy 15 features the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 1GB gaming-class video card, four memory slots for up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and a 6-cell battery with an optional 9-cell extended unit. The laptop doesn’t include a built-in optical drive. Its 15.6″ full HD 1920×1080 display uses LED backlight.

HP’s Envy 15 also includes a web camera with microphone, stereo speakers, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, a Gigabit LAN port, HDMI output, three USB connectors (3rd shared with eSATA port) and a 2-in-1 media card reader.

The notebook weighs 5.2 pounds with the standard battery and has a magnesium chassis with a metal-etched surface design.

Besides Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional operating system, the Envy 15 includes Envy Instant On, a mini OS that provides instant access to some basic applications without booting into the Windows.

The HP Envy 15 Series start at $1,800 can be ordered through the Hewlett-Packard online store.

Lenovo has released the IdeaPad U150, a new 11.6-inch ultraportable laptop.

The Intel CULV-powered IdeaPad U150 measures 0.75-inch thin and weighs under 3 pounds. The first two released models are the red U150 690968U featuring the Intel Pentium Dual-Core SU4100 1.3GHz CPU, 3GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and the black U150 690969U with the Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 at 1.3GHz, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB HDD, and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Both Windows 7 Home Premium-based notebooks come with 6-cell batteries and do not have built-in optical drives. Their displays use LED backlight and have a resolution of 1366×768 pixels.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad U150 also sports a 1.3MP web camera, stereo speakers, a multi-touch trackpad, HDMI and VGA outputs, two USB ports and an eSATA/USB combo port, a multi-in-one media card reader, and a LAN port.

The IdeaPad U150 690968U and U150 690969U are priced at $699 and $849 respectively at the Lenovo online store.

Intel has announced four new laptop processors – the high-performance Intel Core 2 Duo T9900, P9700, and P8800, and the ultra-low voltage Pentium SU2700.

The Core 2 Duo T9900, with a TDP of 35 Watts, runs at 3.06GHz and has 6MB of L2 cache, whereas the 25W P9700 and P8800 are clocked at 2.83GHz and 2.66GHz respectively. The P9700 has 6MB of L2 cache, while the P8800 has 3MB. All three CPUs have 1066MHz front side bus and are designed for use in standard-sized Centrino 2 notebooks.

On the other side, the new ULV Intel Pentium SU2700 single-core processor, with a 10W TDP, will be used in affordable ultra-thin laptops. The SU2700 features a core clock speed of 1.3GHz, 2MB of L2 cache, and a 800MHz FSB.

In addition, Intel announced the Mobile Intel GS40 Express Chipset for the new ULV-based notebooks. The new chipset features a hardware-based decoder of HD video, Windows Vista Premium support and native support for integrated HDMI.

Intel released its Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors, desinged for use in ultraportable notebooks, according to announcements in April.

MSI has released the x340 ultra-slim laptop with the Intel CULV Core 2 Solo SU3500 CPU in April. The chip is clocked at 1.4GHz and has 3MB of L2 cache.

In May, MSI offered the X340 with two additional CULV processor options: the 1.3GHz Core 2 Solo SU2700 (2 MB L2 Cache) and the Core 2 Solo SU9600 (clock speed unknown).

DigiTimes earlier reported that the CULV platform, Intel’s response to the AMD Yukon, will be used in ultraportables priced between US$699-899.

The higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pro model now comes standard with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz processor, which is an upgrade from 2.53GHz, Apple Insider reports.

The 2.66GHz MacBook Pro MC026LL/A, priced at $2,499, can be additionally upgraded to 2.93GHz for $300. The 2.93GHz option replaces the previous 2.8GHz upgrade.

The standard lower-end 2.4GHz MacBook Pro MB470LL/A remained unchanged. It’s priced at $1,999.

Apple Insider also revealed that the 15 MacBook Pro and 13-inch aluminum unibody MacBook can now be configured with a 256GB solid state drive. Previously, the 256GB SSD had been optionally available only in 17-inch MacBook Pro.

“The prices for the 256GB drive upgrades are as follows: 2.0GHz unibody MacBook ($900), 2.4GHz unibody MacBook ($825), 2.4GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro ($825), 2.66GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro ($750), and 17-inch MacBook Pro ($750),” the report says.

Intel is readying Centrino ” Montevina Plus “, an updated version of the existing Montevina laptop platform.

The new platform, expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2009, will include Penryn-based processors running as fast as 3GHz or more, and greater high definition multimedia capabilities. In addition, the Montevina Plus will include new ultra-low-voltage chips for inexpensive ultraportable laptops.

Montevina Plus is likely to be Intel’s most important update to its notebook platforms before the company starts shipping the new 32-nanometer Arrandale chips for laptops later this year.