And might also serve to inform investors in Royal Dutch Shell what the full costs may be of continuing to pursue its snafu-prone Alaskan drilling campaign.

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It offers the full protection of a hard-shell case with an ultra-thin, light-weight, low-profile design.

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The system also has more or less the same book-inspired shape as Lenovo's U-series Ultrabooks, meaning when the notebook is closed, the top and bottom edges protrude ever so slightly beyond the sides, sort of like a hardcover shell cradling a spine full of pages.

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"When he did disconnect, the nice thing was we were still transmitting through the shell of the capsule, and we still had full communication, " Thompson explained.

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It sports a sturdy aluminum shell, built-in wi-fi and a full-size keyboard, and it weighs just three pounds.

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Shell published a summary of the report's final version on Monday, along with the news of Ms Boynton stepping down. (Shell says it was asked by American regulators not to reveal the full report, raising speculation that the Department of Justice may be planning criminal prosecutions).

ECONOMIST: Another head rolls in the boardroom | The