ASUS TO LAUNCH EP121, EP101, EP102 AND EP71 TABLETS AT CES

Like every other PC maker on the planet, Asus is also set to unveil a new line of tablet computers at CES next week. Asus released a teaser video of its 12.1 inch EP121 last week. A couple of days ago, the company also released some close-up shots of its tablets.

We already knew that the EP121 will have a large display and a keyboard docking station although it is not clear whether that keyboard part is optional. There will also be a few smaller models. One of the machines- the Eee Pad EP102 - seems to have a slide-out keyboard. Another model, the EP101, appears to have a detachable keyboard much like the larger EP121. Both models are expected to have 10 inch displays.

The EP71 doesn't seem to have any sort of keyboard. It has a stylus which probably means that it has a resistive touchscreen display or an active digitizer. This model will probably have a 7 inch screen.

DELL TO LAUNCH LATITUDE 2120 WITH DUAL CORE ATOM PROCESSOR

The Dell Latitude netbooks are aimed at the education market. What makes them suitable for use in the classroom are their rubberized case and anti-microbial treatment.

Dell has been giving minor updates to these netbooks for a while, and now sources report that the company will launch a new model called the Latitude 2120 at CES next week.

The Dell Latitude 2120 will be available with an Intel Atom N550 dual core Atom processor and an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator. It has a 10.1 inch display. A touchscreen display is available as an optional feature. Other specifications include 3 or 6-cell battery, 1 to 2GB of RAM, USB, Ethernet and VGA ports. No word on pricing or availability at the moment.

ASUS TO LAUNCH G73SW AND G53SW GAMING LAPTOPS WITH SANDY BRIDGE PROCESSORS

Asus will soon launch two new gaming laptops with Intel's upcoming 2nd generation Core series processors, codenamed Sandy Bridge. Intel is expected to officially launch the Sandy Bridge platform at CES in January.

The Asus G73SW and the G53SW have 17.3 inch and 15.6 inch displays respectively. They will both have Intel Core i7-2630QM quad-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M discrete graphics with 1.5GB of dedicated video memory, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, full HD displays and hard drives combined with solid state storage.

Other specifications include WiFi 802.11b/g/n, USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth, webcam with microphone and Blu-ray drive. Windows 7 Home Premium is the operating system onboard.

The Asus G73SW with Blu-ray will be priced at around 2,000 Euros ($2,650).

ASUS EEE NOTE EA800 PREVIEW

The Asus Eee Note EA800 is one of the most interesting devices to hit the market in 2010. the tablet / note-taking device is not yet available for purchase in the US, but it has started shipping in Taiwan.

The Eee Note EA800 has an 8-inch 64-shade grayscale display. It is designed for note-taking. While popular tablets like iPad and Galaxy Tab have colorful multi-touch displays, the Eee Note uses a stylus and a custom OS to provide a better writing and drawing experience.

The folks at Laptop Magazine have published their first impressions of the tablet. The Eee Note looks more like an eBook reader with a grayscale display than a tablet. But the device also has a high-resolution display and a stylus for pressure sensitive input. You can also surf the web, take photographs or record audio notes with the tablet.

According the Laptop Magazine, the best feature of the tablet is its battery life. It also stores your notes well. On the flip side, the notes are stored as GIF images. Unfortunately the tablet can't convert your hand-written notes to text. And that might put off some buyers.

HP PAVILION DV7-4290US: FIRST INTEL SANDY BRIDGE LAPTOP TO HIT THE US

The HP Pavilion DV7-4290US, which is in stock at eCost, is the first Intel Sandy Bridge notebook to be available in the US.

The Pavilion DV7-4290US has a 17.3 inch display with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. It is powered by a 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM Sandy Bridge processor. Other specifications include 6GB of DDR3 memory, 1TB of hard drive space, Blu-ray Combo drive and a 9-cell battery. The laptop runs Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The new Pavilion DV7 also has a built-in webcam and mic, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11n, Gigabit LAN, audio system with subwoofer, 4 USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 media card reader, HDMI, VGA outputs and a fingerprint reader.

The HP Pavilion DV7-4290US has a brushed aluminum case. It is priced at $1,129.99 (eCost).

VERIZON DROPS SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB PRICE TO $499

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is now available from Verizon for as little as $499. If you purchased the 7 inch tablet within the last two weeks for $599, you are eligible for a $100 refund. What's more, Verizon is giving free movie rental credit worth $60 to new customers. You can use this credit to buy movies from the Samsung Media Hub or the Blockbuster app store that comes with the US version of the tablet.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, front and rear facing cameras, Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G. It runs Android 2.2. Although,Galaxy Tab is the best Android tablet on the market at the moment, it is expensive for a 7 inch machine even after this price drop.

It looks like the new price hasn't started showing up online, but it is reportedly available in some Verizon stores.

LENOVO LAUNCHES THINKPAD EDGE E220S AND E420S NOTEBOOKS WITH NEW CORE SERIES PROCESSORS

Lenovo has made two new additions to its ThinkPad Edge series. The new Edge E220s and E420s notebooks are available with Intel's second generatin Core series processors. They also sport HD webcams, edge-to-edge displays and matte lids.

The ThinkPad Edge E220s has a 12.5 inch display. It measures 1 inch in thickness and weighs less than 3.5 pounds. The Edge E420s weighs 4.1 pounds with its slot-loading optical drive. The E420s will also have AMD's Radeon HD 6630M switchable graphics option. Other specifications include WiFi, optional mobile broadband, 4G and 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm hard drives.

Pricing and availability
The ThinkPad Edge E220s and the E420s will start shipping in April. The base model of Edge E220s will run $899 while the E420s will have a starting price of $749. Lenovo will also offer a cheaper E420 and E220 worth $599.