Wireless Computing and Networks, Intel Core i7, Internet and TV Efforts, and Convertible Classmate PC Press Conference Lead Intel CES News Focus
If you've been watching the netbook market develop and perhaps even happen to own one yourself, you're likely interested in the idea of ramping up performance on them without sacrificing much of its “netbook” qualities.
One method that about every desktop and laptop out there has now gone through is increasing performance density by using dual-core processors. The dual-core Atom was Intel's answer to the question of how to get very low-power dual-core computing, but apparently the company does not want to see this processor end up in netbooks.
According to Fudzilla, Shmuel (Mooly) Eden, Vice President of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group stated that the dual-core Atom (model 330) was not designed with netbooks in mind, and will not offer the power reduction benefits necessary for them. Furthermore, he believes the processor is not suitable for such mobile devices because they require active cooling.
Dual-core Atoms have been on Intel's agenda for a while, with rumors and hints of the processor first surfacing early last year and a silent launch last quarter. If not netbooks, where will Intel aim dual-core Atoms in the longer run?
This configuration of the HP Compaq Business 6910p is a 5.1-pound, mainstream notebook computer.Compared to other mainstream consumer notebooks on the market, it is expensive at around $1,730.Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.Features ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 graphics with 128MB of video memory.
Specifications: Environmental & energy standards compliance: EPA Energy Star , EPEAT Silver ; Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.5 GHz) ; RAM installed: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM ; See full specs
Price range: $1,747.99 - $1,777.48
Not even a month has gone by since Google first took its new-fangled browser out of beta with version 1.0, yet the internet giant is ready to give us an early peek at Chrome 2.0. Released quietly via Google's Chrome developer channel, the new version overhauls the way the open source browser handles HTTP and adds functionality such as auto-complete in text fields – something rival browsers have had for a long time.
The 2.0 Chrome pre-beta also now correctly implements the zoom feature so that everything on the page scales together, according to Google's release notes, adds auto-scrolling, a new docking feature, better profile support and experimental support for Greasemonkey scripts. Lastly, the new version uses a more recent revision of the WebKit rendering engine that has support for some of Apple’s non-standard CSS features, including gradients, reflections, and masks.
Chrome 2.0 is an alpha release and as such it might not live up to your stability expectations just yet. At the very least, though, its ongoing development shows Google’s commitment to making Chrome a serious contender on the desktop. If you decide to give it a try and experience many crashes it isn’t hard to switch back to the stable version – just reinstall the earlier version.
Just two days after announcing a new series of SSDs specifically for netbooks, the company has unveiled yet more SSD technology they have coming down the pike with the introduction of their G3 series SSDs. SanDisk's new G3 drives are based on MLC NAND flash and are intended for use in notebooks, having the performance specs and larger capacities to prove it.
The new drives have read speeds as high as 200MB/sec and write speeds as high as 140MB/sec, and come in capacities of 60GB, 120GB and 240GB. To make sure these massive-capacity (relative to the SSD market) drives don't die prematurely, SanDisk claims that they have been built with endurance in mind, capable of writing over 160TB to the drive over its lifetime.
An important concern being price, SanDisk has actually come in with figures that aren't astronomical. The drives will be $149, $249 and $499 for each size. While the cost per gigabyte remains outrageous compared to mechanical disks, the SSD market has made huge leaps in size and reductions in price at the same time. $500 for a 240GB drive isn't where I'd like to put down my money, but it certainly brings it one step closer.
Posts
All Comments
