Archive for January, 2007

Gateway unveiled the NX270S notebook with Windows Vista Home Basic operating system.

The 14.1-inch widescreen Gateway NX270S provides the 1280 x 800 display resolution, and comes with Intel Celeron 430 processor and 512MB of main memory achieved with two 256MB modules. The 512MB of RAM is the minimal requirement for running Vista Home Basic. If you want to upgrade to Vista Premium, Microsoft and laptop vendors advise you to use at least 1GB of RAM.

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Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system and Office 2007 suite, the company’s two flagship products, are available starting today for consumers worldwide.

Major laptop PC vendors such as HP, Dell, Lenovo and Toshiba have already started to sell Vista-powered computers. The purchase of a laptop with Microsoft’s new OS may increase the unit’s overall price when compared to the same notebook with Windows XP. However, the impact of preloading Vista on a system’s price vary depending on particular vendor.

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Toshiba today announced Satellite P105-S9337 and the Satellite P105-S9339, the latest additions to its 17-inch widescreen P105 gaming laptop PC series. The P105-S9337 and P105-S9339 feature the Microsoft’s Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate Edition, respectively.

Based on Mobile Intel 945PM Express Chipset, the new P105 laptops come with Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processors at 2.00GHz and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics card with 256MB of dedicated memory enabling 1440×900 screen resolution. Both have 2048MB of DDR2 main memory, 200GB SATA hard drives with 4200rpm rotational speed and dual layer DVD burner.

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Intel will launch the first gaming laptop-use Intel Core 2 Extreme processor in Q2/Q3 2007, according to the Chinese HKEPC.

The HKEPC’s report based on Intel’s plans says that the first Core 2 Extreme mobile CPU will be the X7800 model featuring 2.6GHz speed, 4MB of L2 cache and a 800MHz front-side bus. It is said that these Intel’s next generation dual core CPUs for mobile gaming will be overclockable, and will be 64-bit capable like current Core 2 Duo processors for notebook’s (codenamed Merom).

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Corsair today unveiled 2GB memory modules, designed for use in laptop and small form factor PCs. The new 2GB DDR2-667 (PC5300) ValueSelect SODIMM memory is immediately available through Corsair’s worldwide authorized distributors, retailers, resellers and e-tailers, with the suggested reatail price of $489 .

“Current notebooks typically support up to 4GB of system memory when using a 64-bit operating system but feature only two memory slots. With this limitation in mind, it means users have to use 2GB SODIMM modules in order to maximize memory capacity. Having more memory in the notebook is vital in delivering a faster system response time and a smoother user experience,” said Richard Hashim, Director of Product Marketing at Corsair. “For those looking to transition to Windows Vista OS, the 2GB modules allows instant upgrade of current notebooks to be Vista Ready and delivers Vista premium experiences.”

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Intel today announced the use two dramatically new materials to build the insulating walls and switching gates of its 45 nanometer (nm) transistors. “One of the biggest advancements in fundamental transistor design” allows the company to achive record-breaking PC, laptop and server processor speeds, while reducing the power consumption, according to the press release.

The breakthrough technology will be inside the next generation Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors. The company also said it has five early-version products up and running – the first of fifteen 45nm processor products planned from Intel.

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The use of LED backlighting, the display enhancement technology currently implemented in only a few notebooks by select manufacturers, will surge in 2008, Digi Times reports.

The average power consumption of 12.1-, 13.3- or 14.1-inch widescreen laptops that feature LED backlighting is one to two watts less than similar-sized notebooks that use traditional cold-cathode fluorescent lighting (CCFL) as the source, notebook business unit general manager at Asustek Tony Chen told to DigiTimes.

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As Windows Vista debut in retail stores on Thursday approaches, the online retailers offer discounts on Microsoft’s new operating system, along with other related deals. We have checked and found Vista deals at BestBuy, Amazon, Buy, CompUSA, Wal-Mart and NewEgg.

If you purchase Windows Vista at Best Buy, you can get Kingston’s 512MB DDR memory for free, as same as H&R Block TaxCut Premium Federal + State software or Microsoft Live OneCare software. BestBuy also offers discounts on some graphics cards and consumer electronics products, if you order Vista. There is also a free shipping on select notebook and desktop PCs with Vista OS preinstalled.

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Computer vendors HP and Dell start to sell notebooks with Windows Vista operating system this weekend.

HP includes Windows Vista Home Premium Edition in Pavilion notebook’s price, while Business and Ultimate will increase the computer’s price for $40 and $115, respectively. Select Pavilion models include Home Basic Edition, which decreases the overall price for $35 when compared to same laptops with Home Premium.

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Acer Aspire AS3050, the 14.1-inch widescreen laptop powered by AMD Mobile Sempron 3400+ processor at 1.8GHz, is available at NewEgg for $523.99 after $25 mail-in rebate.

Windows XP Media Center Edition AS3050 notebook is equipped with ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 integrated graphics providing 1280×800 display resolution and comes with 512MB of DDR2 main memory. This affordable Acer Aspire incorporates modem, LAN and wireless connection.

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Samsung has introduced the world’s first 1.8-inch hard drive with a 60GB capacity on one HDD platter. It is designed for use in ultraportable computers and other consumer electronics products.

“Until now, two disks (platters) were required to reach a 60GB storage capacity in a 1.8-inch drive, which increased the height and size of the drive. Samsung’s N-series utilizes perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to offer 60GBs on a single disk. As a result, Samsung is the first to offer a 60GB solution in the slimmest available 5-millimeter form factor. This makes the drive ideal for use in small portable media centers and mobile music devices,” the company says.

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Toshiba announced the Satellite U205-S5057 and Satellite U205-S5067 ultra-portable notebooks, which will feature either Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Home Premium operating systems.

Toshiba Satellite U205 series notebooks, with a 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen, are 1.34-inches thin and have a starting weight of 4.1 pounds. The Satellite U205-S5057 includes a 160GB hard drive and 1024MB PC4200 DDR2 SDRAM memory for an estimated single unit price (ESUP) of $1,299. The Satellite U205-S5067 features a 160GB hard drive and 2048MB PC4200 DDR2 SDRAM memory for an ESUP of $1,599.

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Toshiba announced that its new Satellite P105-S6207 and the Satellite P105-S6217 laptops will ship with Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Home Premium operatig systems starting on January 30.

The first Vista laptops in 14.1-inch widecscreen Toshiba’s P105 series incorporate the Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 2GB of DDR2 memory and integrated Intel Graphics Media Acceleratior 950. Toshiba Satellite P105-S6207 and the Satellite P105-S6217 feature 160GB and a 200GB SATA hard drive, respectively.

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VIA Technologies today announced the launch of the VIA VN896 Digital Media IGP Chipset, designed for use in notebooks and ultra-mobile PCs. The VN896 chipset incorporates the VIA Chrome9 HC IGP (integrated graphics processor) featuring a DirectX 9.0 and is “Vista Basic-ready” certified.

The new chipset supports VIA C7-M mobile processors as well as Intel Pentium M, Core Solo, Core Duo and Core 2 Duo CPUs. It has 800/667/533/400 MHz front-side bus, and includes two PCI Express ports: one 16-lane PCI Express and one single lane port. The VN896 can be used with DDR2 667/533/400 or DDR 400/333 main memory, with a maximum of 4GB.

VIA VN896 also features versatile LCD panel, CRT and TV-out support, to as high as 1080i high definition, while separate display engines enable two outputs to display at the same time, with different information at different resolutions, pixel depths and refresh rates, according to VIA.

“By passing the Microsoft Windows Vista 32bit/64bit Basic logo tests, customers can integrate the VIA VN896 PCI Express chipset into their products with the assuredness of digitally signed drivers and trouble-free installation of Microsoft Windows Vista, including Ultimate, Enterprise, Business, Home Premium and Home Basic editions,” the company announced.

Press Release

Intel today officially introduced the Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection, an upgrade to the wireless component found inside Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology and other Intel-based laptops.

“Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N technology offers users up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range – while providing up to an extra hour of notebook battery life when compared to existing Draft-N products,” according to Intel.

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