NewsDell Inspiron Mini 9 Now Official with Specs and Pricing
Posted 09/04/08 at 11:18:32 AM by Paul Lilly
If you've been waiting for Dell to officially release its Mini 9 notebook line, your wait is now over. On the high end, a starting price of $449 buys a Mini Inspiron 910 with an Intel Atom N270 processor (1.6GHz, 533MHz frontside-bus, 512K cache), 1GB of DDR2 RAM clocked at 533MHz, a 16GB SSD, and other odds and ends tied together with Windows XP. Cut the hard drive and RAM in half and you can knock $50 off the price, or drop down to the Inspiron 910u for $349. It comes with the same goodies as the higher end models, except with a 4GB SSD, 512MB DDR2, and Ubuntu 8.04 instead of Windows XP.
For those willing to wait one more day, Dell's blog claims that as of 6 a.m. Central tomorrow, "you'll be able to get a Mini for only $99with the purchase of a Studio 15, XPS M1530, or XPS M1330 laptop through 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 (U.S. only)."
Anyone feeling enticed?
NewsNvidia to Optimize Drivers for VIA Nano Machines
Posted 08/29/08 at 01:12:03 PM by Paul Lilly
Forget about daytime television, the real drama takes place in the tech industry. Intel and Nvidia's relationship can be described as rocky at best, and now the GPU maker has said it will make "a significant investment in optimizing software" for VIA's Nano processor. VIA's low power chip has already been spotted outperforming Intel's Atom CPU, making this latest announcement all the more interesting for anyone paying attention to the ultraportable market.
The announcement also puts to rest an earlier rumor alleging Nvidia of using its relationship with VIA as a bargaining chip with Intel. Recent speculation suggested Nvidia's motive all along was to convince Intel to let its Atom processor support Nvidia's MCP73 IGP chipset, and in return, the GPU maker would terminate its alliance with VIA.
With the ultraportable market seemingly exploding as of late, should Intel be worried about a more solidfied relationship between Nvidia and VIA?
NewsSamsung's New Ultraportable is Lighter than "Air"
Posted 08/28/08 at 01:25:16 PM by Paul Lilly
It might not be able to float, but Samsung can get away with claiming its new X360 laptop is lighter than "Air." MacBook Air, that is. At a scant 2.8 pounds, the X360 weighs a smidgen less than Apple's MacBook Air, while also touting a slightly larger screen at 13.3-inches (compared to 12.8-inches). With regards to body fat, the X360 measures 0.66-inches thick on the low end, and 1.2-inches on the fatter end.
Samsung's new ultraportable is based on a Centrino 2 ULV processor with 1GB RAM standard (upgradable to 4GB). For storage duties, buyers can choose between a 5400RPM 120GB hard drive, or a 64GB or 128GB SSD. Visuals are handled with the X4500 integrated graphics allowing the screen to run at 1280x800. Other features include:
- 7-in-1 card reader
- Three USB ports
- PCI ExpressCard/34
- HDMI / VGA inputs
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- Integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam
Noticeably missing is an optical drive. Samsung says battery life will be in the vicinity of 6 to 10 hours. No word yet on price or availability.
NewsIDF 08: Using Integrated Graphics May Boost Laptop Battery Life by 1 Hour
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:53:36 PM by Paul Lilly
One of the biggest sacrifices power users must make when picking out a notebook inevitably comes down to battery life. Lugging around a desktop replacement isn't just heavy, it also means portability becomes a PITA, as you better have a power outlet nearby when the battery loses its juice. But what if enthusiasts could have their portable cake and eat it too?
Intel looks to serve up such a dish as part of its Centrino 2 platform with switchable graphics. From within the OS, gamers and other power users will have the option of switching between discrete graphics during intense fragfests and internal graphics when hashing out that less demanding TPS report.
The power savings, according to Intel, will be as much as one-third, which in some cases could add up to an hour (or more) of battery life. More than just lip service, Intel held an onstage demonstration showing a laptop consume about 25 watts of power while using discrete graphics. Switching to integrated graphics dropped the consumption down to 15-16 watts.
Is this the feature power users have been waiting for?
NewsAnalysts Say You Want Mini Notebooks, 50 Million Expected to Ship in 2012
Posted 08/19/08 at 03:20:22 PM by Paul Lilly
With Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, MSI, and everyone else offering mini-notebooks, it might be easier to list which companies aren't jumping on the netbook bandwagon than vice versa. But is the recent hype surrounding ultraportables just a passing fad, or is it here to stay?
If it is a passing fad, research firm Gartner says to expect the craze to stick around for at least a little while. The firm reports that worldwide mini-notebook shipments are on pace to reach 5.2 million units in 2008, with 8 million expected to ship in 2009. However, by 2012, Gartner says the market could balloon to nearly 10 times the size it is today with the potential to see as many as 50 millin units sold.
"The demand for mini-notebooks will be driven by several factors: by their small form factor and small screen, their light weight, their price, their ease of use and their basic, but sufficient, PC functionality," said Annette Jump, research director at Gartner. "Mini-notebooks are likely to attract a variety of users with different usage scenarios."
If Gartner's predictions hold true, the ultraportable market will have shifted from low-cost education PCs to consumers in both mature and emerging markets, including some business buyers. The research firm says the largest growth opportunities for mini-notebooks are in the consumer subcategory, which will eventually account for about 70 percent of all ultraportable sales.
Are mini-notebooks here to stay?
FeaturesDell Announces 10 New Laptops, 19-Hour Battery Life, Linux “Latitude On” OS – Hands-on plus photos!
Posted 08/14/08 at 03:30:58 PM by Norman Chan
The torrent of business laptop announcements continue. Earlier this week, we took a look at the new Lenono Thinkpad W700 and HP Elitebook 8730w 17” mobile workstations announcements, and now Dell is making itself heard with a completely revamped Latitude Business notebook lineup. We attended the Dell Mobility press conference event in San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art to check out the new laptops, which are infused with some very interesting technologies: 19-hour battery life and an always-on Linux-based OS frontend.
Click through for more saucy details, our hands-on impressions, and of course, high res photos!
NewsHP Eyes the Ultralight Business Notebook Market
Posted 08/06/08 at 10:56:53 AM by Paul Lilly
What weighs 4 pounds and measures 12.1 inches? The answer has nothing to do with John Holmes and everything to do with Hewlett-Packard's upcoming "ultralight" business notebook line to be built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform.
Cost of entry for the HP-Compaq 2230 series will start at $999 and include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 (1.80GHz) processor, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB hard disk, 802.11n wireless, a DVD burner, and Intel's GMA 4500MHD graphics. Users looking for a bit more power have the option of moving up to an Intel T9400 (2.53GHz) processor, bringing the starting price up to $1,649. All models will also come equipped with three USB ports, an HDMI port, and a 4-cell lithium-ion battery.
No release date has been given for the new subnotebook line, but according to Cnet, they should start shipping later this month.
NewsAsus Preps Launch of High-End Fashion Eee PCs, Prices to Start at $700
Posted 08/03/08 at 01:25:46 AM by Paul Lilly
Low cost ultraportables are starting to veer out of their budget pricing tier, a trend that will soon include Asus and its Eee PCs, the netbooks many consider to be responsible for popularizing the recent trend.
According to Asus president Jerry Shen, the company will launch more Eee PCs designed to address different market segments, including the high-end. Helping them to do it will be Intel, who Shen said is expected to keep shipping Atom N270 CPUs through the first half of 2009. So much for the Atom shortage.
Adding to the existing lineup of 11 Eee PC models, Asus will introduce two new categories, Ultimate and Pro Fashion, for a 2008 release. Both new models will come equipped with dual-core Atom processors and either a 120GB hard drive or a 32GB SSD. Models equipped with a solid-state drive will also feature a 10.1 inch 16:9 LED backlit panel, 4-5 hours of battery life, and command between $700 and $900, making them the first Eee PCs targeted at the high-end market.
Can netbooks still hold their appeal when approaching the $1,000 mark?
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