Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Notebook PC Series
Acer today announced the Aspire Gemstone Blue notebook PC series is now available in North America. Unveiled in March 2008, the Aspire Gemstone Blue range features the PC market’s first 18.4- and 16-inch notebook form factors with true HD cinematic capabilities.
The 18.4-inch Aspire 8920 features:
* Intel Core2 Duo Processor T9500
* Mobile Intel PM965 Express chipset
* 1 or 2 hard disk drive, up to 320GB each
* Integrated Blu-ray Disc drive or 8X DVD Super Multi double-layer drive
* 18.4-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution Acer CineCrystal display
* Discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9650M GS or NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS
* 6-in-1 card reader
* Express Card/54 slot, HDMI port with HDCP support
* 802.11a/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, gigabit LAN, V.92 modem, integrated webcam
The 16-inch Aspire 6920 features:
* Intel Core2 Duo Processor T9500
* Mobile Intel PM965 Express chipset
* Hard disk drive up to 320GB
* Integrated Blu-ray Disc drive or 8X DVD Super Multi double-layer drive
* 16-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution Acer CineCrystal display
* Discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS
* 6-in-1 card reader
* Express Card/54 slot, HDMI port with HDCP support
* 802.11a/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, gigabit LAN, V.92 modem, integrated webcam
Both the Aspire 8920 and Aspire 6920 laptops include the second generation Dolby Home Theater technology with powerful audio technologies – CineSurround, Tuba CineBass booster, and up to five integrated speakers for True5.1 sound output – the new standard for the notebook sound and the ideal choice for Full HD movies and gaming.
The Aspire Gemstone Blue notebooks ship with Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Home Premium preinstalled.
The new Aspire Gemstone Blue laptops priced beginning at $1299 for the Aspire 8920 and $849 for the Aspire 6920.
Samsung to enter US laptop market
Samsung will pull out of the laptop market within three years unless it can triple sales, according to a senior manager.
Sukyong Hong, senior manager of overseas sales and marketing at Samsung, claimed that the company needs to ship 11 million laptops in 2011 in order for its notebook division to remain “sustainable”.
The Korean manufacturer currently enjoys 1.7% of the global laptop market, but will need to more than triple that to 5.7% within three years.
“We should meet the target,” claims Hong, explaining that a move into the US market and an as yet unnamed European country is expected to bring with it substantial sales growth.
Unusually for a laptop manufacturer, the company fabricates 80% of laptop components in-house, including hard disks, batteries, TFT panels and optical drives.
The company also manufactures TFT panels and memory for several large manufacturers, such as Apple and Acer.
Asus Eee PC 901 Images
Look at the first images of the new Asus Eee PC 901, the next version of Asustek’s ultraportable laptop.
The Eee PC 901 ports, slots, and dimensions look like a current 900 series.
The Asus Eee PC 901 will feature the Intel Atom processor, instead of the 900’s Celeron M CPU. Atom-based Eee PC is expected debut at Computex in early June.
Dell Vostro 1710
The Dell Vostro 1710 desktop laptop is available for purchase.
The newly designed 17-inch business-class Vostro 1710 laptop features an Intel Core 2 Duo or Celeron processor, up to 4GB of system memory, up to 640GB of storage using two 320GB hard drives, and a slot-load DVD burner or Combo optical drive. The Dell Vostro 1710 comes with the Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics or Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GPU. Display options include 1440×900 anti-glare and 1920×1200 glossy screens.
The Dell Vostro 1710 has built-in stereo speakers, a full-size keyboard with numeric pad, and optional 1.3MP web cam and microphone. The system provides a wireless and Bluetooth modules. The Vostro 1710 features a Gigabit Ethernet port, an optional external 56k modem, six USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, Firewire port, 8-in-1 media card reader, and VGA output.
This desktop replacement laptop starts at 6.5 pounds with a 6-cell battery.
The Vostro 1710 ships with Windows Vista or Windows XP OS. It is available through Dell’s online store and has a base price of $799.
HP 2133 Mini-Note Now with XP
Hewlett-Packard now optionally offers Windows XP OS on its HP 2133 Mini-Note PC low-cost ultraportable laptop.
The new OS option is available as a downgrade from Windows Vista to Windows XP Professional for bussiness only. A specification sheet of the HP 2133 says that “to qualify for this downgrade an end user must be a business (including governmental or educational) and is expected to order annually at least 25 customer systems with the same custom image”.
The Hewlett-Packard now also allows users to configure the HP 2133 based on their needs, instead of only buying preconfigured models.
Crystal Case for the Asus Eee
Laptop case makers Proporta have developed a case for the Asus Eee PC. Constructed of shatter proof and shock-absorbent polycarbonate plastic, the Eee Crystal Case has a secure closure catch and a 360-degree double hinge, which allows you to open the Eee at any angle.
Personally, I could use about another 15 degrees of tilt on my Macbook Pro—not for my own use, but for every time a friend checks their email and attempts to push the screen beyond its natural bounds. Ooh, I get shivers just thinking about it.
Microsoft Offers Mega-Discount on WinXP to Low-Cost Laptop Makers
Microsoft is launching a program to promote the use of its Windows OS in ultra low-cost laptops. Microsoft plans to offer PC laptop makers steep discounts on Windows XP Home Edition to encourage them to use that OS instead of Linux on ultra low-cost PCs.
In order to be eligible for the price cut, tech firms need to be making low-cost PCs that limit their screen sizes to 10.2 inches and hard drives to 80GB and under. The laptops must also not have more than 1GB RAM or a 1.0 GHz single-core processor, and come without touch-screen technology. These limitations help ensure that the ultra cheap laptops won’t eat into the market for mainstream PCs running Windows Vista.
Microsoft will charge $26 for XP in emerging markets such as China and India, and $32 for developed markets like the United States.
Microsoft has said it plans to stop selling new Windows XP licenses after 30 June, but it has made exceptions, including for the use of XP Home in ULPCs.
Asus Eee PC 900 Now Available
Asustek’s Asus Eee PC 900, the low-cost ultraportable laptop, is now in stock at select retailers.
Along with a 8.9-inch 1024×600 display, the offered EEEPC900-W017 model features Intel’s Celeron M 430 processor at 1.7GHz, a 12GB solid state drive, 1GB of RAM, and a built-in 1.3MP web camera.
The 2.5-pound Asus EEEPC900-W017 runs Windows XP Home operating system and comes in white color.
The specifications sheet says that Asus Eee PC 900 battery run time is around 2.5 hours.
Dell Inspiron 1525 Art Edition
Dell announced the Special Art Edition of its Inspiron 1525 laptop, featuring two exclusive artworks by Brooklyn-based artist Mike Ming.
The 1525 with Ming’s “Bunch O Surfers” or “Sea Sky” designs on the lid is available now for purchase through the company’s website. The Special Art Edition starts at $699.
The Dell Inspiron 1525 features a 15.4-inch display and Intel’s processing technology.
ASUS Eee PC 900 Available for Pre-Order
ASUS announced the availability of the long-awaited ASUS Eee PC 900. The US is the 3rd in-line to offer the 8.9-inch ASUS Eee PC following its release in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Both Linux and Microsoft Windows operation system will be available for the pre-order.
This new generation of ASUS Eee PC includes a package of new features. The new 8.9-inch (1024 x 600) is equipped with a 1.3 Mega Pixel webcam, 1GB of memory, and has a FigerGlide feature which enables users to zoom in and out of pictures with simple finger movement.
Where to place an order online:
Online:
Amazon.com
Buy.com
Costoco.com
Directron.com
Mwave.com
Newegg.com
Pcmall.com
Tigerdirect.com
Zipzoomfly.com