Logitech unveiled today the Speaker Lapdesk N550 stand for sub-14″ laptops and netbooks.

The Lapdesk N550 has two built-in stereo speakers with maximum 2W of power, a heat-shielding design, ten-degree angled riser, and dedicated volume control buttons.

The speakers are powered through a USB connector.

Logitech’s Lapdesk N550 is available now for $59.99.

Samsung has announced the SE-S084F external DVD writer for laptops and netbooks.

The SE-S084F portable DVD burner weighs less than one pound and is powered through a USB port.

“The new external drive is smaller, lighter and faster than its predecessor, the SE-S084C. The SE-S084F provides a variety of speeds across different data media types including: 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD±R recording, 5X DVD-RAM recording, 6X DVD+R Dual Layer recording, 6X DVD-R Dual Layer recording, 8X DVD+RW recording and 6X DVD-RW recording,” the press release says.

Samsung’s optical drive includes WriteMaster technology, which enables multitasking on the PC and high-speed writing, even in lower performance PCs.

The SE-S084F (SE-S084F/RSBS) is available now at various e-tailers for around $50. The best price we have found is $39.49 at SuperBiiz.

Kensington has introduced the ClickSafe Keyed Laptop Lock.

The ClickSafe lock makes it easy to lock down a laptop, “as easy as buckling and unbuckling a seat belt”.

“The lock simply attaches to a laptop with one easy motion. Kensington’s smart made simple philosophy has eliminated the need to first insert a key and then follow multiple steps to engage a lock. There’s no learning curve or hassle to use it, so productivity is never compromised. ClickSafe’s firm, anti-theft engagement mechanism pairs with cable made from superior carbon strengthened materials to deliver the best security available in a cable-style lock,” the press relase says.

Kensington’s ClickSafe Keyed Laptop Lock is available in two versions: as a single lock priced at $38.98, and as a twin lock with dual lock heads for $69.99.

Can your notebook survive global warming or increased heat output from higher speed processors and increased memory capacities? Last year I reviewed the highly recommended Antec USB Notebook Cooler 200 and today I am going to tackle Choiix’s Air Through Stash Notebook Cooling Pad that is suitable for notebooks up to 15″ in size and that also adds a USB-to-SATA 2.5″ drive dock as well as a 3-port USB hub. Can Choiix trump Antec’s design in both performance and design? Read on to discover the whole truth.

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.

NVIDIA unveiled today five new video cards for laptops – the mainstream GeForce G210M, the “Performance” GT 230M, GT 240M, and GTS 250M and the “High-Performance” GTS 260M.

These GPUs will fill in the gaps between the existing GTX280M, GTX260M, and GTS160M, the company says.

The GeForce G210M features 16 processing cores, 512MB of video memory and a 64-bit memory interface, whereas the GT 230M, GT 240M, GTS 250M, and GTS 260M have from 48 to 96 cores, 1GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory interface.

Nvidia’s new notebook chips are based on a 40nm production process and support DirectX 10.1, SLI, CUDA, and PureVideo HD technologies. In addition, every card but the G210M supports PhysX.

The “fastest, highest capacity Crucial SSDs to date” are available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, currently priced at $169.99, $329.99, and $599.99 respectively. The drives use MLC NAND flash technology and a SATA2 3Gb/s interface.

The Crucial M225 SSDs can be purchased at Crucial.com and through select retailers.

Nvidia announced today the GeForce GTX 280M and 260M GPUs for enthusiast laptops, as well as the GeForce GTS 160M and 150M GPUs for high-performance, sleek notebooks.

“GeForce GTX 200M and GeForce GTS 100M Series GPUs make playing the latest HD games on a portable platform a reality by delivering blistering frame rates that are up to 50% faster than the previous generation products they are replacing, all without increasing overall power consumption. Using NVIDIA SLI technology, which enables close to double the graphics performance over a single GPU, two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs can be paired to offer the fastest notebook graphics solution available today,” Nvidia’s press release says.

The new chips support NVIDIA HybridPower swithcable dedicated/integrated GPU technology and NVIDIA CUDA computing architecture.

ASUS, Clevo and MSI are all showing notebooks based on the new GeForce GTX 200M and GeForce GTS 100M Series GPUs at the ongoing 2009 CeBit Show in Hannover, Germany.

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.