What's Your New Year's Resolution?

Now is the time of year when many of us start to think about how the next year is going to be different to the last. And whether it is to spend more time with family, exercise more or learn new skill, the end of one year and the beginning of another definitely makes us think. If your New Year's Resolution is to spend less time waiting for your PC, Intel has good news for you.

2012 is being called the Year of the Ultrabook. In a nutshell, Ultrabooks are a new breed of device, inspired by Intel, which combine the best features of a PC in a package which is thinner, lighter and more responsive---all without breaking that that other popular resolution to "save more'. The good news is Intel has designed an industry-wide blueprint for Ultrabooks which mean, among other things, they are more zippy than the computer you are probably using right now. So switching to an Ultrabook will mean you'll spend less time waiting for your PC to catch up with you in 2012.

In order to carry the name, Ultrabooks, no matter then brand name they wear, must wake-up from deep sleep in less than seven seconds. Your current laptop probably takes up to a minute to do that. How they do it, well ¦ do you really care? All that matters is that they do, right?

Ultrabooks are powered by Intel Core processors, so they have the power of a full PC, but they use a special chip which only sips power, so your battery lasts longer and you can stay on the go, and use your notebook like it was intended, for longer. Ultrabooks also take advantage of a bright idea called Intel Turbo Boost technology. Just like the turbo in your car, this cleverly provides a short burst of computing power only when it's needed, allowing the chip to conserve power when it is not.

All three technologies are designed to make sure your Ultrabook is where you need it, when you need it. An Ultrabook can't yet call your mother more often for you, or remind you not to have the second piece of chocolate---but two out of three New Year resolutions isn't bad, right?

How long do we spend waiting for our PCS?