Fujitsu intros world’s third HD DVD notebook
11th — Fujitsu introduced the world’s third notebook to feature an HD DVD-ROM drive. The FMV-Biblio Loox NX95S/D (yes, that’s what it is called) is a 17″ notebook, expected to appear around . Specifications are as follows:
Specs:
- 17″ WXGA+ display
- Intel Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz)
- HD DVD Drive
- Intel 955PM Chipset
- 1GB Dual-channel DDR2
- ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 256MB HyperMemory
- 320GB Serial ATA hard drive
- Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g WiFi
- Dual-mode analog/digital TV Tuner
- PC Card Slot + ExpressCard 34/54 Slot
- 3-in-1 memory reader
Fujitsu expects it to ship at the end of . If you can’t wait, you can pick up the 90S/D model, which has slightly different specifications (512MB RAM, 160GB hard drive) and a DVD+/-RW DL in place of the HD DVD drive. Another model, the 70S/D, has a 1.66GHz Core Solo processor instead of the Duo. The lower-end models go on sale in Japan for ~$2,368 (90S/D) and ~$2,114 (70S/D) on 27th. The top-end NX 95S/D is expected to be around ~$3,383.
Link to Reg Hardware
Averatec notebooks to ship with ZoneAlarm Security Suite
13th — Zone Labs announced that Averatec notebook computers, including the new 7100 series, are shipping with a trial of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite. President of Averatec, Saeed Shahbazi, says:
We are very pleased to offer the best-of-breed comprehensive protection software from Zone Labs with our new 7100 Series notebooks. Not only are we committed to providing value and uncompromising productivity to our customers with our products, we are also committed to safe-guarding their data through the use of the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite,
Zone Labs general manager, Laura Yecies, also made a statement:
Averatec builds advanced, high-value notebooks for people on the move, and ZoneAlarm is the perfect complement for anyone looking to protect their PC and their personal information both at home and on the road, said Laura Yecies, vice president at Check Point and general manager of Zone Labs. We are excited to be working with Averatec to bring peace of mind and safe Internet surfing to their customers.
The 30-day trial of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite will ship with Averatec notebooks beginning in .
Link to Article
Averatec AHI UMPC / Tablet Device Revealed
And in more Averatec related news, the company has pre-announced a tablet / UMPC device with a 5-inch screen, smaller than the 7-inch screen of others such as the upcoming Samsung Q1, making it more easily portable
The AHI has another feature potential UMPC buyers might be interested in: a built-in keyboard. This can be hidden behind the SXGA (1280 x 1024 pixel) screen.
Technically, though, this won’t really be a UMPC, as it won’t run the version of Windows specially crafted for this class of devices. It will, however run the Tablet Edition of Windows XP.
Users of the AHI will have many connectivity options, as it will include Wi-Fi (802.11g), Bluetooth, Ethernet, and a modem.
It will also sport two USB 2.0 slots, an SD/MMC card slot, and a 2 megapixel camera.
When not being carried around, this computer can put put into a dock which includes a DVD player.
Averatec plans to have the AHI out by Christmas
The Dell De-Crapifier — Remove System Junkware
How do you like booting up that brand new computer and having your desktop plagued with advertisements and free offers? Well, if you bought a Dell recently, you would know what I’m talking about. Removing all the so-called crapware is a long and annoying process.
Well, it doesn’t have to take as long anymore — a script, called the Dell De-Crapifier, eliminates the going in and out of Add/Remove Programs to get rid of unwanted programs. It was designed to be used on a Dell Inspiron 1300, but should work fine on other Dell PCs, too.
You can find the program here — use at your own risk.
Read More . .
Intel pushes for conformity among notebooks
At the Intel Developer Forum Taiwan, vice president and general manager of the channels platform group, Bill Siu, said during his keynote that, unlike desktops, there are no component standards for notebook computers. This leads to higher support costs and uncompetitive pricing.
In 2004, Intel introduced the Common Building Block (CBB) program for specifications in hard drives, optical drives, and LCD panels. The aim is to create consistency in components used in notebook computers, regardless of the manufacturer. Assembly cost and time-to-market can be reduced. The CBB has added four new specifications this year: keyboards, customizable notebook panels, power adapters, and battery packs.
Siu says that the first group of notebooks to be using the new specifications should begin to ship within the next two weeks. The 11 models are by Asus, Compal, and Quanta, the biggest three manufacturers in Taiwan. They can then be adopted and used by companies such as Dell and HP.
In short, the CBB program will ensure that components will deliver optimized performance on Intel machines, and hardware makers can go to more than one supplier for components. The technology is designed to span across multiple generations of technologies.
Link to Cnet
ATI Catalyst Mobility 6.4 Released
ATI has released its update to its Catalyst driver software. Big news — this edition brings Linux support to the X1000 series, including the X1300, X1400, X1600, X1800, and X1900 GPUs. In addition, they bring changes to the Avivo video processing engine to improve standard definition video playback.
The text below is clipped from ATI’s release notes:
Catalyst Mobility 6.4 introduces Dynamic Clock Switching. This feature automatically adjusts the memory clock to balanced mode, when playing a DVD or game. The feature is available on systems containing an ATI Xpress 200 series product and becomes active when using DC power mode.
Discuss it in the forums here, and the direct link to download the Mobility drivers is here.
Solving Front-Side Bus headaches with HyperTransport answers
This is a good read for those tech-savvy among us. It’s from The Inquirer, not a bad article. Link to The Inquirer
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