HP showed of updated notebook models and guys from NotebookReview were lucky to had some hands-on time. All the updates are sure to be at Santa’s disposal this Christmas and we can’t say wouldn’t mind to get one of them in our stockings. First one is HP Envy 17 that brings 3D display technology to the table and there is another addition to the Envy series with HP Envy 14 Beats Edition that will come in black and with bundled high quality headphones. Going away from the premium notebooks the HP Pavilion dm3 notebook series will also get a much needed refresh with latest ultra low voltage Intel Core i-series that will offer much better performance and battery life then current dm3 series that pack AMD processors. Another great feature worth mentioning is the “intelligent cooling system” which will enable the user to control the heat of the notebook that it will be more comfortable to use when in lap. Finally also the HP Mini netbook series will get a new arrival in form of the HP Mini 210 HD will also feature a new chassis design that matches the bigger dm3’s design and will come in a variety of colors. Read the full story for more photos and details.

Today we have another Sony notebook up for review. But unlike the Sony VAIO F12 MOE/B we posted couple of days ago the Sony VAIO VPC-Y21S1E/SI is not a large multimedia laptop but a 13.3 inchj thin-and-light portable notebook. It packs a 1.2GHz Intel Pentium dual core processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 320 GB hard drive and Intel GMA HD integrated graphics. It is an attractive looking notebook weighing in at 1.8kg and retails at RRP £699.

Sony has always been good at making multimedia notebooks and the Sony VAIO F12 MOE/B 16.4 inch Notebook priced at £1,159 looks to follow the standard. It packs a 1.73GHz Intel Core i7 740QM quad core processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 1GB nVidia GeForce GT 330M dedicated graphics and Blur-ray ROM drive. There are some small issues and the battery life at 2.5 hours isn’t exactly inspiring but to be honest who is looking for a notebook with long battery life shouldn’t be looking at 16.4 inch notebooks anyway. Overall another great multimedia notebook from Sony that can easily be recommended.

HP recently launched the refreshed Pavilion series that feature a very attractive design and latest Intel Core i-series and AMD processors. The HP Pavilion dv6-3085ea is a new addition to the 15.6 inch dv6 series that along the sleek brown design also brings a 1.6 GHz MD Phenom II P920 quad core processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM and 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 dedicated graphics that according to test carried out by Cnet deliver PCMark05 score of 5,244 and 3DMark06 score of 6,809 which isn’t all that bad and will run latest games without any problems if you turn the quality settings down a bit all for under £730. It’s not all great though as we have come to expect from AMD platforms the battery life isn’t impressive so if you are after long battery life you will have to look for a different model featuring one of Intel’s Core i-series.

We have already witnessed the HP Envy 14 going through tests and is its bigger brother’s turn as guys over at Cnet posted a review on the HP Envy 17. It packs a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7 720QM processor, full HD 17.3 inch screen (1920×1080 px), 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 dedicated graphics, 4GB DD3 RAM, 500GB hard drive and Blu-ray drive that posted an impressive 10,200 score in 3DMark06 which is already in gaming notebook category. All of that weighing in at 3.4kg and costing £1,300. Oh did we mention that it looks great too.

Acer’s TimelineX notebooks were a big success for Acer as they had decent looks, great battery life, solid performance and affordable price. Let’s see if it’s Travelmate series that is geared more toward business users will enjoy the same success. Hardware wise the Acer Travelmate 8172T-33U4G32N is very similar to it’s 11.6 inch Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T brother as it features a 1.2 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, Intel GMA HD integrated graphics and a 6-cell battery providing up to 9 hours of use. It does however add couple of features into the mix such as the anti-glare screen and Bluetooth 3.0. No wonder guys at NotebookCheck were generally impressed with it.

HP has always been producing great looking notebooks and the HP Pavilion dv7-4050ea is no exception. It features stunning design that can only be shadowed by HP’s own HP Envy 17 notebook. But it’s not all just looks the HP Pavilion dv7-4050ea packs some decent hardware as well. It is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7 720QM quad core processor, 4GB DDR RAM and 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 dedicated graphics. No wonder that guys over at Cnet were pleased with its performance although they did complain about its battery life or rather lack of.

Asus UL20FT-A1 brings 1.2GHz Intel Core i3 330UM to the ultra portable Asus UL20 series. According to the guys over at NotebookReview the ASUS UL20FT offers a more powerful processor then its predecessor Asus UL20A for just a few more bucks. It also adds a better display and bigger hard drive. Unfortunately omits the USB 3.0 and eSATA ports so let’s hope Asus will add those in the next refresh. With all the nVidia Optimus packed laptops appearing lately it definitely isn’t exactly the most exciting but for under $650 is not much more expensive then your average netbook but offer a lot better performance so it is definitely great value for money.

While having strong presence in the corporate world Lenovo is trying to breakthrough the consumer market with its IdeaPad notebook series and the new Lenovo IdeaPad U160 is the latest testament. It packs an Intel Core i5 520UM running at 1.06 GHz, 2GB RAM, glossy 11.6 inch display, weighs just under 1.4 kg and costs €799. Did we mention that it got some style too although that bright red will not fit everyone’s taste. According to guys at NotebookCheck it is a fine device that offers great performance for such a small notebook and a decent 5 hour battery life. Read the full review for more details and photo gallery.

MSI added a new model to their gaming notebook line the MSI GT660. Looking at the specifications it is set to be one of the most powerful 15.6 inch gaming notebooks but don’t take our word for it check the full story for more info.

MSI GT660 features:
- Intel Core i7 720QM quad core processor
- Windows 7 Ultimate
-  Integrated 2.1 speaker system by Dynaudio
-  Exclusive TDE+ Technology & ECO Engine Power Management System
- 1GB DDR3 nVidia GeForce GTX 285M dedicated graphics card
- 15.6 full HD LED-backlit display (1920×1080)
-  Integrated HD Webcam, WiFi b/g/n & Bluetooth
- up to 500GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive and up to 12Gb RAM
- Size: (W x D x H) 374 x 246 x 26.8-35 mm, Weight: 3.5kg
- VGA, HDMI, 2xUSB 2.0, 2xUSB 3.0, 1xeSATA
- 9 cell battery