Samsung Series 9 notebooks are well known products, you can fetch one right now at Amazon, for example. This past week at CES 2012, we saw the second generation of this notebook, a totally revamped Series 9 Macbook killer.

This time, Series 9 notebook from Samsung has an amazing Duralumin (aircraft grade aluminum) unibody with a total thickness of just half an inch. That might just fit inside a brown paper envelope.  Samsung is setting the bar for the new ultrabook class, although Samsung doesn’t like the “ultrabook” moniker, we’ll just let it be the Samsung Series 9 notebook to make them happy.

It’s powered by a hefty Intel Core i5 processor and comes with USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and an SD Card slot. As shown, it has a 13.3 inch matte screen sporting a 1600×900 resolution and weight of just 2.5 pounds. Original Series 9 notebooks had 2.8 pounds, even if it was outfitted with plastics here and there instead of the aluminum unibody shell like here.

What was not shown off was their 15-inch version of the same notebook.  Described as the fitting the same form factor, this model sports the same 1600×900 resolution. But with a bigger screen brings more weight, it’s still just 3.3 pounds, and the thickness is still that awesome half of an inch.

This new generation of Samsung’s Series 9 notebooks may try to suck air out of Apple’s MacBook Air. But they will need to improve on a few things before that ever happens, for one: battery life of these Samsung models is still a mere 3 hours compared to the Air’s 6 hours. Pricing of $1399 for 13.3 inch model and $1499 for 15 inch model could be just a $100 or so less than equally equipped MacBook Air, which could prove insufficient incentive to buy Samsung Series 9 notebook instead of the Mac OS X totting Air.  Expect it next month through Samsung’s typical channels.

Update: To straighten out any confusion, Samsung is taking an Apple-esque approach to their names.  We’re used to PC manufactures incrementing and updating their model numbers every time a new version is released.  Not with Samsung and the Series 9, the model discussed in this post is the 2012 version.  Jump here to press release for unconvinced eyes.

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Most devices these days sure use smaller (and slower) SD Card technology, but high-end DSLR cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Sony still keep CompactFlash alive for performance and capacity reasons. The new XQD format as a variation of CompactFlash and follows in the same direction, trying to keep ahead of SD by borrowing the PCI Express (PCIe) high-speed serial communications link interface from computers. Using the PCIe interface, Sony’s XQD memory cards are capable of achieving a stable, continuous, fast shooting and recording of very large RAW images as well as deliver blazing fast data transfer rates of up to 1Gbps. This translates into about 125MB/s, write and read. Sony believes this could support 100 FPS RAW image captures.  Nowhere near the military’s 1.8 Gigapixel imaging system at 10FPS, but hey, we’re not the military are we?

To make sure you are well equipped right from the get go, Sony has also introduced a USB 2.0/3.0 compatible XQD card reader, a $44.99 MRW-E80 card reader model that plugs in with USB 3.0. Then, there’s also a $44.99 QDA-EX1 adapter that plugs into laptops with ExpressCard slot.

Pricing for XQD cards are QDH16 ($129 USD) and QDH32 ($229 USD). XQD will be able to exceed 2 terabytes capacity eventually, according to the the CompactFlash Association, which developed the format.

XQD will also be able to exceed 2 terabytes capacity eventually, according to the the CompactFlash Association, which developed the format. Second and third generation versions of PCIe double and quadruple transfer speeds to 250 MBps and 500 MBps. The initial cards will use the first generation interface, but PCIe provides for backward compatibility so that newer devices will be able to use older XQD cards.

[Sony]

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It was never a hit when it was launched in September of last year, but now the Sony Tablet S has had its price slashed by $100, that means the 16GB model can be purchased for $399, and a 32GB tablet costs just $499. In the rare case that someone might be interested in this weird-looking wedge-shaped tablet, here are some specifications that may entice you:

• 625 gram of Tegra 2 250 1 GHz Android 3.2 platform, 1 GB of RAM;
• 9.4″ 1280×800 screen;
• WiFi, cell, GPS radios;
• USB 2.0 Host/OTG client, SD card slot, IR control;
• 5 MPix rear camera and 0.3 MPix front camera.

Here’s a thorough video review of the tablet:

That wedge could easily hide a slider keyboard, if you ask me. But obviously it doesn’t.  Sony, slash another $100, then I may be somewhat interested.

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