Android 5 Jelly Bean with Desktop Mode

Google is working on the release of a new flavor of its Android operating system, one that should arrive on devices as version 5 Jelly Bean, the latest reports on the matter suggest. 

The new OS version would bring along optimizations for use on tablet PCs, the same as we reported back in December. 

Recently, it was said to arrive with support for Windows 8 dual-boot, but it seems that this was nothing more than simple wishful thinking. 

Android 5 is now said to be en-route to devices with a desktop mode that will enable easy switching from mobile to desktop modes, and support for lapdocks such as those available for Motorola’s ATRIX smartphone. 

This is expected to be a native feature to the Android OS, and not a simple application loaded on it. Confirmation on the matter has yet to emerge, and specific on this should emerge soon, maybe before Google’s I/O conference in June.

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Panasonic P-04D Phone with Gingerbread and 1 GHz Dual-Core CPU Lands in Japan on March 31

Panasonic has just announced its entrance on the European smartphone market with the Eluga Android-based phone. Today, the company launched a new device, which is limited to the Japanese market, the P-04D.

As expected, the smartphone is waterproof and dustproof and comes with Google’s Android platform. However, Panasonic P-04D runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, which might not be a good idea for the device to be released so late in Q1.

In addition, the smartphone is equipped with a 1 GHz dual-core processor, a brilliant 4.3-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display (540 x 960 pixels resolution), as well as an impressive 8-megapixel rear camera.

Panasonic P-04D is only 7.8mm thin and weighs 103g (battery included). The phone will be delivered with a free 2GB memory card in the sales package.

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DROID Bionic 5.9.902 Fastboot Files Now Available

Those owners of a Motorola DROID Bionic handset who like to modify their devices can now revert their smartphones to its original state even after updating it to the latest official firmware, namely 5.9.902. 

The DROID Bionic 5.9.902 fastboot files have made it online recently, providing users with the possibility to bring their devices back to life even after they bricked them while installing unofficial software. 

All those who have been playing around with leaked ROMs on their devices are aware of the importance of these fastboot files, that’s for sure. 

DROID Bionic tweakers and modders can get some peace of mind now, as the files sporting system version 5.9.902 are up for grabs, corresponding to the latest over-the-air update that Verizon has made available for its users. 

More on the matter can be found in this thread over at the XDA-Developers.

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LG Announces Optimus LTE Tag with NFC Capability

Today, South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics announced to the world a new flavor of its LG Optimus LTE smartphone, namely the Optimus LTE Tag. 

The new device comes with specs similar to those included in the original, but also with the Near-Field Communication (NFC) capability and a variety of optimizations in this area.

In fact, the new handset is smaller than the Optimus LTE, which was made available last year with a large 4.5-inch touchscreen display on the front. 

The new mobile phone arrives on shelves with a large 4.3-inch touchscreen display on the front, an IPS LCD screen that can deliver 650 nits of brightness and a WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) resolution.

Moreover, LG has packed the smartphone with a fast 1.2GHz dual-core application processor inside, complemented by the usual 1GB of RAM for increased performance capabilities. It runs under Gingerbread, but LG promised an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. 

At the same time, the handset vendor included 16GB of internal memory inside this device, as well as a 1,700mAh battery for extended usage time. 

There is also a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with auto-focus, LED flash and support for video recording, along with a 1.3 megapixel front camera to enable video calling.

The device has a variety of modes that can be easily enabled via different NFC labels, including an Office mode or a CAR Mode tag to immediately switch to the in-car UI. It also comes with a Tag+ (or Tag Plus) application for reading NFC tags. 

According to LG, the new mobile phone was meant to arrive on shelves as a "cosmetically enhanced" version of the Optimus LTE, and even sports a new white finish.

The same as the recently launched LG Optimus Vu, the Optimus LTE Tag will arrive on shelves in South Korea in the near future. Unfortunately, LG hasn’t unveiled specific info on the phone’s availability outside the country, but might announce more on this at the MWC 2012 show in Barcelona next week.

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ONDA Readies Z77-Based Micro-ATX Motherboard

The Z77, one of the chipsets in the Panther Point family, has been used by a certain Chinese company in the making of a microATX motherboard.

The platform is something that does not seem to put too much effort into standing out, save for an additional PCI Express-PCI bridge compared to peers.

Even that extra feature does nothing besides offering a pair of legacy PCI slots, which most consumers won't have much cause to use.

Nevertheless, this is still a mainboard enabled by the technology meant to support Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge CPUs (central processing units).

As such, the level of performance achievable by a PC when using this as the cornerstone should be considerable.

In fact, even if “just” a Sandy Bridge chip is utilized, the potential is significant, especially if the memory and expansion slots are put to work.

Speaking of which, there is a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot available, meaning that any new video card, no matter how strong, can be added, provided the case is big enough to fit it.

On the same note, ONDA implemented a 4+1 phase VRM, wired to four DDR3 memory slots with dual-channel compatibility.

Not only that, but there is a pair of SATA 6.0 Gbps ports present, along with four SATA 3.0 Gbps connectors. Furthermore, the company did not forget about USB 3.0 supports (four ports, two on the back panel and the others via headers).

The list goes on with the aforementioned legacy PCI slots, a PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot and multiple display outputs (D-Sub, HDMI and DVI).

Finally, since this is the Z77 chipset we are talking about, there is little doubt that Smart Response SSD caching is supported, as well as overclocking.

Unfortunately, no pricing information exists at the moment, nor availability dates. Just the official press shots on Expreview.

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Leaked Photos of Sony Xperia U Emerge

Sony is expected to bring to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week a new set of devices running under Google’s Android operating system, including the already leaked Sony Xperia U and Xperia P devices. 

These mobile phones, spotted at large before under the codenames of ST25i “Kumquat” and LT22i “Nypon,” respectively, are expected to arrive on shelves with the same Iconic Identity design that Xperia S was made official with last month at CES. 

In fact, as can be seen in the photos attached to this article, courtesy of ePrice, the Sony Xperia U (ST25i ‘Kumquat’) smartphone appears like a smaller version of the Xperia S device. 

The new mobile phone will arrive on shelves with a 3.5-inch touchscreen display on the front, while the already announced handset packs a 4.3-inch panel on the front. 

According to the guys over at XperiaBlog, the upcoming Xperia P (LT22i ‘Nypon’) will sport a similar design as well, although nothing has been official confirmed on the matter. 

The Xperia U hasn’t been officially unveiled for the time being, but some info on its possible hardware specifications has already made it on the web. 

Thus, the handset is expected to hit the market with a 1GHz dual-core application processor inside, as well as with the said 3.5-inch display, capable of delivering a 480 x 854 pixels resolution. 

The mobile phone is also rumored to sport a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with support for video recording (most probably in HD resolution). The usual set of connectivity capabilities will be packed inside this device too. 

Sony has already confirmed plans to unveil to the world a new series of Xperia smartphones at the forthcoming MWC 2012 expo, but hasn’t so far provided clues on what it might launch. Xperia U should become an affordable Android smartphone, but high-end Xperia devices might also be announced at the event.

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Kingmax Releases Nano Gaming Ram Memory

There is a new memory line running about, or there will be as soon as online vendors start listing it as available, if they haven't already.

Unfortunately, the prices of the products in the Nano Gaming Ram series, as the DRAM (dynamic random access memory) series is called, are still unknown, and listings are unavailable yet.

Two types of modules were revealed in Kingmax' latest press release, only one of which is Intel XMP-certified (Extreme Memory Profile).

More precisely, there are 8 GB modules with clock frequencies of 1,333 MHz and 1,600 MHz, and only the latter has XMP compatibility.

8 GB is the largest capacity any one module can reach in these times, on the consumer front at any rate.

What sets these new ones apart from most others is that they do not require heatsinks and still qualify as professional and enthusiast-grade PC components, or so Kingmax claims. 

The 240-pin DDR3 1,333 MHz Nano Gaming Ram Series module has a latency of 9-9-9-27 (CL=9). It is sold alone, or as part of 16 GB dual-channel, 24 GB triple channel and 32 GB quad-channel kits.

Meanwhile, the 1,600 MHz one, also a 240-pin module, has a CAS latency of CL=9 and the same bundle options as above.

The so-called Nano Thermal Technology is what makes heatsinks unnecessary, by boosting thermal performance by 10%.

The Nano Gaming Ram is expected to perform best on Intel X79 motherboard, backing second-generation Intel Core i7 Extreme processors.

Finally, the newcomers are RoHS compliant and “credited for 100% compatibility and stability as well as outstanding overclocking performance from consumers,” plus sold with life warranties.

Of course, if enthusiasts really want to let loose with insane clock tweaking schemes, they may wish to consider something faster and with actual heatspreaders, or set up their own rigs with lots of liquid nitrogen.

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Intel's Upcoming Rosepoint Mobile CPU Integrates Wi-Fi

Intel really wants to prove itself as a competent maker of mobile CPUs, which means that it is looking ahead of the Medfield, far ahead in fact. 

The Santa Clara, California-based company is hurrying to launch a second Medfield chip, but its real game changer is a few years away, according to Wired. 

The Santa Clara, California-based company is considering a CPU (central processing unit) that includes the sort of functionality not commonly encountered in such a chip. 

Simply put, chipzilla wants to build Wi-Fi wireless connectivity capabilities right into the CPU instead of leaving that capability for a dedicated processor to handle. 

The name of this special chip is Rosepoint and the bottom line is that, though still a CPU, it will include 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio. 

Of course, to actually make this project a reality, the chip giant needs to come up with some way to miniaturize the wireless components. 

This is a daunting task all on its own, even without factoring in the coordination and interoperability requirements. 

Then again, if what Wired says is true, the Intel researchers already have an idea on how to make this happen. 

Unfortunately, since Rosepoint is little besides a good idea at this point, it will take years for something palpable to come of it, maybe even a decade. 

When it happens, though, smartphones and (probably) tablets will know what it means to truly need only the barest minimum of parts. Lower power consumption will be just one of the benefits. 

“Ultimately it would reduce the chip count on the cell phone, which would reduce the cost and the complexity of manufacturing of the phone and improve battery life,” says Kevin Krewell an analyst with semiconductor consulting firm The Linley Group. 

The largest issue will be to somehow nullify the interference that the CPU and wireless components will cause to each other, since each produces its own radiation.

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Windows Phone Tango to Arrive in China in March

Mobile phone users in China will soon be able to purchase in their country handsets that run under Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone Tango OS. 

The platform has been long rumored to arrive on devices during the first half of the year, and it appears that it might not be too long before it does so. 

In fact, rumor has it that March is set to bring Tango to smartphones, and that Chinese users will also get a taste of it at that time. 

Nokia, HTC, LG and ZTE are among the mobile phone users expected to bring to shelves devices that run under the Windows Tango platform, though no official confirmation on this has emerged so far. 

For those out of the loop, we should note that Tango would bring along support for low-end Windows Phone hardware, in addition to existing configurations.

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New Firmware for Asus Transformer Prime Available for Download

Asus dishes out new firmware for the successful (and good looking) tablet going by the name Transformer Prime. The initial release was sent over the air (OTA) immediately after launch, but with no automatic deployment.

Users had to first learn about the new release and then manually start the update. If you own a Transformer Prime TF201 and haven't installed the new firmware OTA, you can simply download the files and update your tablet using the PC.

The 9.4.2.14 firmware brings fixes for the issues reported with the previous version, namely the random restarts which bugged the users and made the Transformer Prime TF201 fairly unusable. Even more, updating to firmware 9.4.2.14 is fast and will let you install the new software before your tablet crashes and reboots.

All you must do is download the appropriate file for your tablet, install the USB driver on your PC and then initiate the update. Below are the US and TW versions; please check back soon as the WorldWide version is imminent and we'll list it online as soon as it surfaces.

Download the Transformer Prime Firmware 9.4.2.14 US

Download the Transformer Prime Firmware 9.4.2.14 TW

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New Official Android 4.0 ROM for Samsung Epic 4G Touch Leaks

Shortly after Ice Cream Sandwich ROM version FB09 for the Epic 4G Touch leaked a few days ago, a new build has just been spotted and is now available for download.

Android 4.0 version FB17 is more stable than the previous official ROM leaked last week, and brings more improvements and new features that were not available initially.

ACSyndicate forum users kc_NOTREALLY has just published the Samsung Epic 4G Touch FB17 ROM, along with a review and a “how to” that guides Android enthusiasts through the whole process of flashing this build.

There’s no telling how many official ROMs will leak before the final version is pushed by Samsung, but this appears to be a nearly done build so we can expect the Epic 4G Touch to receive the update within the next several weeks.

For more details on how to download and install the latest official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (build FB17) ROM for Samsung Epic 4G Touch head over to the original thread.

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Fujitsu to Enter European Market with Android and Windows Phones

Fujitsu is expected to bring to the market in Europe new Android and Windows Phone-powered devices in the near future, the latest reports on the matter suggest. 

The company is expected to announce plans on the matter as soon as next week, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Financial Times suggests. 

The news site also claims that numerous smartphones from the company will arrive on shelves running under either of the two OSes, although specifics on this are not available for the time being. 

Fujitsu has already launched a wide range of Android and Windows Phone smartphones, but they will be available only in the company’s homeland market, Japan. Among these, we can count the Arrows ES IS12F with Android, and the IS12T running under Windows Phone. 

In Europe, Fujitsu might launch both existing devices, as well as newer, more appealing handsets.

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Leaked DROID RAZR Ice Cream Sandwich ROM Shows New BLUR UI

Motorola already promised Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX, but the company has yet to announce an exact release date for the updates.

Nevertheless, new official ROMs leaked by the community show how much Motorola and Google advanced with the work. 

The latest Android 4.0.3 ROM leaked recently courtesy to DroidRzr forum users dragon974 shows how close Motorola is to release the final version of the update.

Although the ROM is not available for download yet, a dozen of screenshots taken from this build have been posted on DroidRzr forum. These pictures show how Motorola changed its BLUR UI to match Google’s Android 4.0 operating system.

The current BLUR build 6.7.407 looks almost complete, but it still needs a few things for minor issues to be fixed. For more details on the current leak, head over to the original thread.

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[UPDATE] ASUS Transformer Prime Actually Fixed by 9.4.2.14 Update

The latest firmware update to the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet has finally reached outside the borders of the United States.

We wrote about the 9.4.2.14 update last week, but the fix had yet to be deployed in Europe.

Now, we can safely say that it has reached out dear old continent as well and, based on what we have put this tablet through so far, the whole “restarts in one or two minutes” problem is finally gone.

We left the slate running for ten minutes and it didn't flicker or shut down once. We can actually use the thing now!

As always, just go to the Settings > About Tablet > System Firmware Update section in order to initiate the update, since this is not an automatic over-the-air process.

UPDATE: You can download the firmware from Asus official site for manual installation, in case your Prime cannot link to the web on its own for whatever reason (the WW version will be added shortly).

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Firmware 9.4.2.14(US)
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 Firmware 9.4.2.14(TW)

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iPad 3 A5X Prototype Chip Revealed

An image showing an Apple-branded A5X chip is floating around the Internet as leaks intensify in wake of an impending Apple event for the much-rumored iPad 3.

A WeiPhone forum poster has obtained and published the image to the left (click to enlarge) with claims that the hardware belongs to an iPad 3 prototype unit.

Apple was apparently testing a new iteration in the A-series of processors - not the rumored quad-core A6, but an A5X version allegedly boasting just two processing cores.

The poster himself points out to the code naming, starting with the original iPad’s A4 chip (S5L8930X), the iPad 2′s A5 silicon (S5L8940X), and now the A5X (S5L8945X).

The emphasized jump of only 5 increments between the A5 and the “A5X” should lend credence to recent rumors that Apple is not equipping the iPad 3 with a quad-core silicon, but a two-core A-series processor with improved graphics.

People familiar with the next-generation iPad have been quoted by The Verge as saying that Apple ordered a double resolution display — “a true iPad Retina Display, clocking in at 2048 x 1536,” and that “the A6 CPU the iPad 3 is likely to sport will include a significantly more powerful GPU.”

According to the February 8th report, the same people specifically said that “the A6 will not be a quad-core chip, but will remain dual-core.”

And a recent discovery by Patently Apple revealed that Cupertino had recently trademarked the term “Macroscalar,” which Extreme Tech’s Joel Hruska related to 3D transistors as part of a new A-processor architecture.

It remains to be seen which of these rumors holds water when Apple unveils its third-generation of iPad computers (hopefully, early next month).

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Sony’s Xperia S Gets Unboxed, Shows the New Branding

Sony has completed the purchase of Sony Ericsson, which means that newer Xperia devices will arrive on shelves with the company’s branding on the front. 

That includes the Xperia S smartphone that was made official in January during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and which can now be admired in an unboxing video, courtesy of XperiaBlog. 

The handset packs a dual-core application processor, along with a large touchscreen display and a 12-megapixel photo snapper on the back. This makes it one of the most appealing Android smartphones unveiled to date. 

The hype around this smartphone has been pretty high, and it should increase even more as the device approaches market availability. Today, however, enthusiasts can have a look at the video embedded above to see the phone and at its new branding.

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Fully Assembled iPad 3 Leaked

A Chinese source claims to have obtained photos of a fully assembled iPad 3 model, touting slight design alterations, such as a more gradual tapering of the back shell, a higher resolution camera, and a Retina display.

Apple Daily previously reported on leaked iPad 3 parts, but this is the first time a Chinese blog / site (or any blog / site in the world, for that matter) obtains photographs of a fully assembled iPad 3 tablet computer.

As the images show, the third-generation Apple iPad seems to be slightly sharper and thinner around the edges. The display is said to feature the same size - 9.7-inches - but its pixel density is said to be increased to Retina-level.

A bigger camera module can be seen on the back of the tablet device. Leaving these changes aside, the iPad 3 looks pretty much identical to the current-generation of tablet computers from Apple.

The company run by Tim Cook is expected to unveil the new iPad at an event scheduled for March 7.

Checks with the schedule of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco indicate that the Wednesday that falls on March 7 should be the day Apple booked a stage for its iPad 3 unveiling.

In addition to the aforementioned features, the iPad 3 is expected to boast LTE (long term evolution) wireless technology. There have been some leaks that pinpointed AT&T as one of the carriers of the LTE-capable iPad 3, but nothing has been confirmed so far.

The tablet device is also said to be a tad thicker than the current generation of iPads. One millimeter thicker, to be precise. The reason seems to be a new backlighting mechanism for the new Retina display.

Finally, the battery in the iPad 3 is said to be slightly larger. Its autonomy should remain at 10 hours because of the A6 processor it needs to power, rumors say.

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iOS 5.1 Brings Rich Text to Notes App

A screenshot allegedly stemming from iOS 5.1 aims to reveal that Apple is bringing bullets, links, underlined text, new fonts, and colors to the iOS Notes app.

Put in the simplest words possible, the Notes application in Apple’s mobile operating system is getting rich text formatting.

Conveniently, rich text is also part of the new Notes app in OS X 10.8 aka Mountain Lion, which Apple seeded to developers last week as a preview. The new cat will make its debut late this summer, Apple said.

iOS 5.1, for its part, is set to arrive sometime next month during or around the unveiling of the third-generation iPad. What do you guys think of the new Notes app? How would you put it to good use now that it has rich text formatting?

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Intel's Second Medfield Chip Comes to Light

Intel's Medfield chips still haven't won the company any fame on the mobile consumer electronics device market, but promotion efforts aren't waning, with a second chip on the way. 

Medfield is the codename given to Intel's latest series of Atom central processing units (CPUs), of which the Atom Z2460 was the first to appear. 

The second one, called Atom Z2610, has now made its existence known, even if indirectly. 

VR-Zone has the information, but the so-called spec sheet does not paint the upcoming item as any different from the Z2460. 

Measuring 12 x 12 mm, it boasts a POP (Package-on-Package) chip package and a maximum clock speed of 1.6 GHz. 

Speaking of clock frequencies, the single-channel 32-bit LPDDR2 memory supported by the Medfield can work at 800 MHz. 

Not only that, but the PowerVR SGX540 graphics is also available, with its own clock of 400 MHz. Consequently, 1080p30 video encoding is fully supported. 

Here arises the one and only clear difference compared to the Z2460: the Z2610 is (probably) going to operate at max speed all the time. 

The former, during normal operation, runs at around 1.3 GHz, while the 1.6 GHz mark is achieved only for short periods of time, during a burst state. 

The method is similar to the Turbo Boost technology of the chips utilized by desktops and notebooks. 

The reason why Z2160 will function at a faster clock is that, in a tablet, it is easier to implement a strong cooling mechanism compared to phones. 

As part of this distinction between the Medfields, the Z2460 has a minimum clock of 100 MHz, but the Z2610 can only drop to 600 MHz, according to VR-Zone. 

For this reason (inability to power down enough during idle times), it won't do that well in phones and probably will never be adopted by any smartphone company. 

Medifield tablets could appear at Computex 2012, in June, but the first ones should show up earlier during Q2.

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Specs Exposed for Intel Executive 7-Series Motherboards

Besides the drama-causing Ivy Bridge CPUs that didn't get delayed after all (well, mostly), Intel is working on the 7-series Panther Point-based motherboards, of which some have been specifically detailed. 

It is Intel's line of business platforms whose hardware details have been uncovered, courtesy of a report on the part of VR-Zone. 

Though the 7-Series will include many others, these three are the ones that office computers will benefit most from utilizing. 

The most unique of the Executive line, as the trio is called, bears the name of DQ77KB (codename Kearnens Bend) and uses the Q77 chipset. 

Featuring the mini-ITX form factor, it uses just 19W to power a PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot (linked straight to the CPU), two DDR3 memory slots (1,333 MHz), two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, three SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, eDP (embedded DisplayPort), four USB 3.0 connectors, five USB 2.0 ones and Gigabit Ethernet, plus DisplayPort and HDMI. 

Taking everything into account, this thing is an especially appealing option for people who want to make their own all-in-one PC. 

On the other end of the spectrum lies the DB75EN (Elkhorn Creek), a B75-powered micro ATX board with a PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot, one PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot, two legacy PCI slots, one SATA 6.0 Gbps port, three SATA 3.0 Gbps, four memory slots and headers for two USB 3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 ports. 

Additionally, this product boasts 5.1-channel audio, a DVI-D video output, a D-Sub connector, Gigabit Ethernet and eSATA. 

Finally, the third board, also a micro ATX platform, is called DQ77MK, relies on the Q77 chipset and has the Moccasin Peak codename. 

It is more or less similar to DB75EN, save for a single PCI slot, one PCI Express 2.0 slot and an open-ended PCI Exppress 2.0 x4 slot (x16 slots can be fitted into it). There is also a mini-card PCI Express slot that enables SSD caching when in mSATA mode. 

Windows 7 and 8, plus RedHat and SUSE Linux, are supported on all three, as is the Intel Rapid Storage technology with RAID, albeit only on the Q77 models. Unfortunately, while the release is planned for April, prices are still a mystery.

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Intel Delays Only Some Dual-Core Ivy Bridge CPUs

The fuss stirred by the recent rumors going around about Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs can go ahead and settle down at last, or so a new report suggests. 

It has been stated that Intel is, in fact, delaying some Ivy Bridge central processing units, but not the most relevant ones. 

Last week, a rumor arose, saying that Intel had decided to delay the Ivy Bridge series of 22nm CPUs until June 2012. 

Upon our inquiry into the matter, Intel denied having changed the product plans it had in place. 

Now, VR-Zone has practically corroborated the response we got, though it also added that, while most of the chips were still on the same track, the dual-core laptop units were an exception. 

More precisely, due to the large supply of Sandy Bridge central processors, the Santa Clara, California-based company is putting off the release of dual-core mobile units. 

That means that all the desktop components will be up for sale as planned, and the same goes for most of the notebook platforms. 

Nevertheless, both standard voltage and ULV (ultra-low voltage) dual-cores are subject to the delay, while the Core i3 chips have been pushed back even further, all the way to August or September instead of May/June. 

The supply of Sandy Bridge CPUs is said to be so high that not only are vendors overstocked, but also even Intel's own warehouses still have shipments that, had sales been better, would have been sent out quite a while ago. 

For those that know about the different sorts of notebooks out there, this all means that strong consumer and business PCs will be updated soon enough, but ultrabooks won't be so lucky. 

This puts a damper on the hopes that the new, super-thin machines would drop in price. While they will, eventually, become cheaper, this will happen at a slow enough rate that only in 2013 will they be considered affordable.

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