Free laptops, part of the future

An increasing portion of laptops will now come with embedded SIM to allow customers to instantly access internet wirelessly via mobile service providers without using an unsightly dongle, according to Mobile Today.

Last week, Carphone Warehouse announced that it was in talks with big laptop manufacturers to sell heavily subsidised laptops with wireless internet access.

Likewise, Vodafone and T-Mobile have signed agreements with several laptop manufacturers although numbers are yet to add up as the T-Mobile head of OEM and IT puts it bluntly.

Manufacturers, on the other side, are banking that the future business model will be selling laptops bundled with wireless internet access.

BT could be the biggest loser if more customers move from desktop to laptop and away from landlines and fixed-line revenues still account for £10.3 billion annually, mostly paid to one company, BT, charging each landline owner, more than £130 annually.

New Asus EEE Windows-based Laptops to sell like hot cakes

5 million EEE laptops will be sold this year according to Asus's own estimates; the Taiwanese manufacturer is bullish about the sales figures that its little gadget will generate.

Of those, around 3 million are expected to be XP-based and the rest running on Linux; meaning that Windows XP might undergo an unexpected revival once again.

Windows XP Home has apparently been chosen to power non Linux computers; a surprising decision given that Microsoft's own Windows XP Fundamental for legacy systems would probably be better suited.

The EEE was designed to be compatible with Windows and even the first EEE models had their own Windows XP Drivers.

Asus has also revealed that the cheapest Windows XP model will cost $408, including a 4GB SSD storage, 512MB memory while the more expensive EEE PC 4G XP will come with an additional 4GB SD card, a more powerful battery and a 3mp webcam; all for $473.

Dell starts US Blu-ray war on laptops, UK customers have to wait

The high-definition format wars are over - and you won: Dell customers can now get a Blu-ray laptop for under a $1,000.

Available today on dell.com, movie buffs can pick up the Inspiron 1525 with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $899.

UK customers will have to wait a bit more though as only the Inspiron 1720 ships with an optional Blu-Ray drive, in a package that costs a eye-popping £918.99, with the Blu-ray drive accounting for more than a third of the price, more than twice the price.

As retailers and video rental companies expand their high-definition offerings, Blu-ray is the new "must-have" technology to help get the most out of your viewing experience.