Alcoa Consumer Electronics

Aluminum Helps Make New Line of Ultrabooks Thin, Light, Cool

Earlier this year at CES 2012, consumers got a preview of a new category of laptop--the ultrabook, which promises to be thin, light, and quick-starting.

Dell's first ultrabook is the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. The razor thin, ultraportable laptop features an edge-to-edge 13 inch gorilla glass display, and a top made of durable, cool, and lightweight aluminum.  Ranging from 6mm to 18mm thin and starting at a very light 2.99 lbs, the XPS 13 laptop is sleek in design, ultra-mobile and lightweight.

Pint-sized boombox packs punch

Gadget Lab has a nice review of an aluminum boombox (that works with your iPhone or iPad via airplay):

If there was ever a company that made great looking but hugely overpriced AV gear, it’s Bang and Olufsen. The company seems to have realized this, and while the new Beolit 12 portable speaker still isn’t cheap, you can probably at least afford one if you save up for a little while.

The speaker is the first in B&O’s new Beoplay range, and on paper it looks like a pint-sized monster. The 2.8 kilo aluminum box houses a pair of two-inch tweeters and a four-inch woofer, putting out a total of 120 watts. That’s the sort of power they put into stereos back in the 1980s, not the puny speakers of today.

The Beolit 12 also has a battery, which lasts for up to eight hours, or four hours if you use AirPlay. Yes, this speaker is AirPlay ready, and can also hook up via a minijack, USB or Ethernet.

The polish continues in the case design, with illuminated controls and a leather carrying strap.

Ever since the JamBox, which is also owned by pretty much every member of the Wired.com team, I have almost given up on wired, mains-powered speakers, despite the inevitable drop in audio quality. And if I wanted to drop the price of four JamBoxes ($800) on this one speaker, then I’d get convenience and great sound. It’s certainly tempting.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/01/bo-beoplay-beolit-boombox-with-airplay/

2012 CES Mid-Week Recap

• CES attendance well over 140,000; an all-time high as visitors form all over the globe attend the ultimate "gadget show".
• Ultrabooks are all the rage and most use aluminum.
• Latest TVs feature "glasses free" 3D viewing.
• Both Samsung and LGE touting new OLED technology. Sony has countered and promoting new "Crystal LED" technology.

And since we're currently perusing Sony's booth, here are some pics:

• Sony thumb drive made from Aluminum
• Sony Reader w/ brushed Aluminum
• Sony portable Hard Disk drive made with Aluminum
• Samsung Series 7 all Aluminum notebook

 

CES attendance of over 140,000 at an all time high as visitors form all over the globe attend the ultimate "gadget show".

 

Ultrabooks are all the rage and most that I have seen use aluminum.

 

Latest TVs feature "glasses free" 3D viewing.

 

Both Samsung and LGE touting new OLED technology. Sony has countered and promoting new "Crystal LED" technology.

 

Some more pics attached.

 

DSCF-1586-Sony thumb drive made from Al

Dscf-1588-Sony Reader w/ brushed Al

dscf-1590-Sony portable Hard Disk drive made with Al

dscf-1592-Samsung Series 7 all Al notebook

Dell Delivers

Arguably the best looking ultrabook unveiled here at CES 2012 is the Dell XPS 13 ultrabook.  The sub-three-pound ultrabook is 6mm at its thinnest point and made out of machined aluminum. The base of the machine is made out of carbon fiber.

The ultrabook supports Intel's Core i5 and i7 processors and gets almost 9 hours of battery life, and boasts special features such as location awareness.  Other notable features include the use of Corning's Gorilla Glass on the screen.

UBER UBER

UB3Rfun (pronounced "uber-fun") launched its UB3R, UB3Rdock, UB3Rgamer and UB3Rstand products at CES -- all are designed to enhance iPhone performance and ease-of-use.  And all are crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum alloy.

The UB3R itself, is a simple device that holds your iPhone, double as a business-card holder or simply brightens your desk.
 
The UB3Rdock, UB3Rgamer and UB3Rstand all enhance the smart-phone experience by amplifying the iPhone's audio without the use of electronics or battery-operated devices.  All four products are currently available on Kickstarter.com. 

CES Hits Vegas with Ultrabooks

From Fox Business News: “Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Electronics Association, says this year’s potentially world-changing innovations come from all walks of technology life. One item expected to be popular throughout the show is the “ultrabook,” an ultra-thin laptop (usually encased in a brushed aluminum body) with no optical drive. Shapiro says he expects between 30 and 50 ultrabooks to be launched at CES, most all of them with price points under $1,000.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/01/10/ces-hits-vegas-with-ultrabooks-tablets-and-oled-tvs/#ixzz1j4o4985h

New Vizio Laptops are Aluminum Sleek

Image credit: Vizio

Vizio, most known for their line of HDTVs, announced at CES they would introduce a line of laptops and PC’s in 5-6 months, but those who have had an opportunity to test them – such as PC World – are impressed.

“The laptops themselves are downright slick, all rigid unibody aluminum with high-res screens (1600 by 900 on the 14-inch thin-and-light, and 1920 by 1080 on the 15-inch models). The industrial design is clean and minimal, with almost no outward branding; there’s only a small glowing Vizio logo on the corner of the lid, and a small Vizio name in the corner beneath the screen. The company said there will be no stickers or labels: no “Intel inside” or “Nvidia GeForce” or anything of the sort. They’re still roughly 5 or 6 months from launch, but already there’s an immediate, apparent quality to it.,” said PC World.  That is yet another leading player in the consumer electronics market choosing to invigorate their brand using aluminum.

Here a quick Review of Lenovo’s New Ultrabook

From gamerlive: “Lenovo’s first business ultrabook, the ThinkPad T430u, equips business users with the same thin and light designs found in consumer ultrabooks without sacrificing business-class performance, and it comes at a mainstream price starting at $849. The stylish ThinkPad T430u ultrabook borrows some of the elements typically found on premium laptops, such as a matte finish that’s soft to the touch and an aluminum top cover that complement its small - less than 0.8-inches and less than four pound - frame. It also sports ThinkPad’s new modern and minimalist island-style keyboard.”

Image credit: Lenovo

New Samsung Series 9 notebook -- Aluminum intensive and pristine

Samsung launched the new Samsung Series 9 notebook here.  The new Series 9 represents Samsung's best-in-class innovation and craftsmanship in the premium notebook segment.

One of the thinnest, lightest laptops ever introduced, the Series 9 is weighs as light as 2.5 pounds and measures just a half inch thin, 37 percent thinner and 0.4 pounds lighter than the original Series 9, as well as more visually striking. The build is nearly seamless, using an aluminum single shell body and featuring a more pronounced Series 9 hallmark polished edge. Key components such as the LCD panel, keyboard, motherboard, cables, fans and battery have been customized with precision to fit into the Series 9's extra flat single shell body. Additionally, the Series 9 has been sand-blasted for fingerprint resistance, keeping the Mineral Ash Black colored body and natural matte aluminum sides pristine at all times.

The Thinnest so Far?

What did Fudzilla have to say of the newest tablet from Toshiba introduced at CES this week? 

“There is not much you can do with tablets other than making them as thin and as light as you possibly can. This is how Toshiba came up with X10 tablet that is supposed to start shipping by middle of Q1 2012, so let’s guess somewhere in February.

The specs are impressive, with a OMAP 4 4420 dual core chip with 1.2GHz core clock and 1GB memory. Toshiba claims that the tablet is the lightest on the market, weighing in at only 535 grams (1.2 lbs.) and is 7.7 mm or 0.3 inch thick. The resolution is the usual 1280x800, and the tablet has 2Mpixel front and 5Mpixel back camera. It uses the original gorilla glass not the latest gorilla glass two, which makes it's debut at CES this year.  The back is made of quite popular brushed aluminum.”

Smart-looking smartphone

The new Sony Xperia Ion smartphone was launched at CES this week.  The launch is a key element of Sony’s convergence strategy.  The new smartphone, which has a 12 megapixel camera, features a thin, light aluminum body according to Sony at their lanch event.

Acer Aces It

The new Acer Aspire S5 measures 15 millimeters at its thickets point and has a 13.3-inch LCD display. The device has an onyx black chassis and a magnesium-aluminum alloy cover and palm rest below the chiclet keyboard.

The ultrabook is one of what Forrester Research analysts estimate could be over 50 of its kind introduced at CES this week – many featuring the benefits of aluminum – light weight, strong and durable and fantastic finishes.  Many are featuring aerospace-grade aluminum alloys.

That Aluminum Looks Sharp

Among the 17 new 60-inch or bigger TVs being introduced by Sharp at CES are four new models of Sharp’s 3D Quattron TVs, in both 60-inch and 70-inch versions. These will feature 3D and an ultraslim aluminum design. These models, the 847/745 series, have edge-lit LED screens featuring 3D X-Gen panels that are housed in the company's "ultraslim and narrow-bezel design" that also have a brushed aluminum finish.

Image credit: Sharp

2012 International CES - the global stage for innovation

Tomorrow, as it does early each year, the world epicenter of innovation becomes Las Vegas in the form of International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow.

The 1.851 million net square feet of show floor will open tomorrow, as more than 2,700 companies debut the next generation of innovative products across all sectors of the consumer electronics industry. The 2011 show welcomed 149,529 technology attendees and spanned more than 1.6 million net square feet of exhibit space. The largest CES was in 2008, with a record-breaking 1.857 million net square feet of exhibit space.

Every major technology company across the globe is participating in force at this year's CES, and Alcoa will be there to bring you the latest aluminum innovations and hottest trends in consumer electronics from our CES blog.

CEA expects this year's CES will be the most innovative show on record, with more than 20,000 new products slated to be announced this week. While the doors to the 2012 CES show floor officially open tomorrow, news has already started to leak highlighting new innovations and products before many of these companies have even held their press conferences:

• TV manufacturer Vizio is introducing a line-up of laptops and desktops, including two Ultrabooks.
• Nokia will debut the Lumia 900 smartphone, a Windows Phone with LTE support, to be sold at AT&T this spring.
• Lenovo enters the television market by unveiling the K91Smart TV running Google's Android 4.0.
• LG Electronics announced a variety of LED-based TVs with bezels under 5mm in width for a nearly all-picture look, as well as a 55-inch OLED TV.
• Specialty glass producer Corning plans to introduce Gorilla Glass 2, a harder, thinner and more scratch resistant glass that could pave the way for the production of thinner and sturdier tablets and smartphones.
• Intel plans to offer a slew of affordable Ultrabooks in partnership with HP, Asus, LG and others.
• OLPC announced the XO 3.0 tablet, a tablet for the world’s poorest children.
• Tobii Technology showed new eye-tracking technology that allows users to scroll, play and navigate using their eyes and without touching a mouse.
• Parrot AR Drone 2.0, which was first launched at CES 2010, once again wowed attendees at CESUnveiled last night with better location and orientation sensors.
• SolarFocus' Kindle e-reader case provides 50 hours of onboard reading light powered by a solar panel on the front of the case.
• 3M Touch Systems, a multi-user, widescreen touch table, allows for an impressive maximum 60 touch points and up to four split screens.

 

 

Apple's aluminum strategy aids shift to greener products

Reposting a blog post from Apple Insider.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/26/apples_aluminum_
strategy_aids_shift_to_greener_products_report.html

By Josh Ong
Published: 12:00 AM EST

Even as rumors have emerged that the next iPhone could transition back to an aluminum casing, Apple's move toward highly recyclable aluminum cases for its products has contributed significantly to the company's efforts to achieve environmental sustainability.

In 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs penned an open letter highlighting changes to the company's environmental policy in hopes of achieving "a greener Apple." In the letter, Jobs specifically noted the Cupertino, Calif., Mac maker's adoption of aircraft-grade aluminum in order to improve recycling uptake.

At the time, Jobs forecast that Apple would increase recycling effectiveness, which is measured by calculating the total weight recycled in a given year divided by the total weight sold seven years prior, from 9.5 percent in 2006 to 28 percent in 2010. The company has been remarkably successful in its efforts, achieving a 66.4 percent recycle rate in 2009 and setting a goal of 70 percent for 2010-2015.

Recycled aluminum requires just 5 percent of the energy needed to produce primary aluminum, while emitting 95 percent less green house gases. According to Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO of aluminum giant Alcoa, the metal is "infinitely recyclable," with 75 percent of all aluminum produced since 1888 still in active use today.

Apple Recycling Effectiveness

Alcoa sees rapid growth of aluminum in the electronics market, as evidenced by its recent acquisition of a minority stake in Electronics Recycling International, the largest recycler of electronics waste in the U.S. "Consumer electronics represents a fast-growing market for aluminum, with the aluminum content in laptops alone expected to increase 30 per cent by 2013 from a 2010 baseline," said Chief Sustainability Officer Kevin Anton.

Apple popularized aluminum laptops in 2003 with the introduction of the aluminum PowerBook G4. In 2008, the company outdid itself by implementing a custom-developed aluminum unibody enclosure for the release of the MacBook Air and later the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The unibody manufacturing process utilizes "computer numerical control" machines to carve a chassis out of one block of aluminum.

New Manufacturing Process

Aluminum has made its way to Apple's post-PC products as well, within an appearance in various versions of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Apple indicated in its recent Environmental Report for the iPad 2 that the device's aluminum casing is "highly desired by recyclers." Although, interestingly enough, the second-generation tablet requires slightly more aluminum (135 g compared to 125 g) than its predecessor, despite being 15 percent lighter.

iPad 2 materials

Some reports have speculated that the concurrent release of the white model of the iPad 2 was made possible because its aluminum back does not suffer from the same light leakage issues as the iPhone 4's glass panels. The white iPhone 4 was announced last year, but was delayed by Apple until this spring.

Given Apple's frequent use of aluminum in its products, speculation has emerged that the next-generation iPhone will feature an aluminum back. The original iPhone used an aluminum back, but was phased out in favor of a plastic back on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

The iPhone 4 currently sports front and rear glass panels and a stainless steel outer frame that doubles as an antenna. Apple's decision to use the frame as an antenna drew criticism last summer after some users reported dropped calls and reduced signal bars when gripping the phone.