With just one year before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," Lenovo announced plans for a major philanthropic auction, with limited-edition notebook computers inspired by their 2008 Olympic Torch.

From February 8th next year, the "Cloud of Promise" notebook PCs will begin, with several of the PCs autographed by athletes.

Some manufacturers are having some difficulties shipping their hottest machines (cough, Dell, cough), but Alienware will ship you a mediocre, moderately configured Area-51 M5550 "Quick Ship" version. It’s nothing to get that excited about, with no Santa Rosa, a T7200 Core 2 Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (not the best performer), 2Gb RAM, a 15.4" LCD, typical optical drive, and a 160GB HDD. Pricing is $1,699, and they’re promising a 48-hour shipping time. So, if you’re will to trade time for performance (something of a contradiction, if you think about it), here’s you’re deal.

More news on Dell’s first tablet – the Latitude XT – and specs include: single or dual-core Intel ULV CPUs (with integrated graphics) – LED-backlit WXGA 1280 x 800 display option – Outdoor viewing WXGA 1280 x 800 display option – Pen and touch support (digitizer and touchscreen) – (3) USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, 1394, VGA out – Wi-Fi options up to 802.11n, optional Bluetooth – Optional 3G (HSDPA, EV-DO Rev. A) – ExpressCard slot, optional Smart Card slot, fingerprint reader.

Sorry, that title’s unforgivable, but I couldn’t help myself. Looks like those hankering to get their hands on Asus low-priced Eee PC quasi-notebook may have to wait a few months. And, specifications are subject to change. So, you’ll just have to be patient, darn it!

Let’s face it: if you could get everything you need in a notebook, then the desktop computer becomes–as it should–obsolete. Eurocom has come pretty darn close, I think, with the DC900C Phantom-X, which sports some crazy specifications. Let’s just list them out, shall we?

• Intel Quad-core processors
• Up to 750GB HDD space
• Up to 4GB of RAM
• Blu-Ray optical drive
• nVidia GPU options, both singular or dual SLI
• All the ports one would expect
• Both optical and analog audio in and out
• All meaningful wireless options (except 802.11n, oddly)
• Optional TV tuner

The video can be upgraded, as well. Perhaps the only drawback for those looking for a true desktop replacement is the 17" widescreen. And for those wondering, pricing starts at $2,999 for the base model. So start saving those pennies.