Posts in Notebooks
Fujitsu unveils the T2010 and N6460
Reuben Lee | Jun 28, 2007
At Fujitsu's recent launch event at Vivocity in Singapore, the Japanese PC maker also offered journalists sneak previews of two of its upcoming notebooks, the LifeBook T2010 and LifeBook N6460.
The LifeBook T2010 (left image below), which is expected to sport one of the brightest displays for a convertible tablet PC, will make its debut in August. The 1.5kg T2010 will also come with a 12.1-inch screen with bi-directional swivel, Bluetooth and fingerprint sensor, though it seems there will not be an onboard Webcam. It will be running on the Santa Rosa platform.
The Lifebook N6460 (right image below) will be targeted at the multimedia-centric users with its large 17-inch widescreen display, dual onboard hard drives (for up to 500GB of storage) and, get this, Blu-ray optical drive. From the demo unit at launch, the machine will also feature a full-sized QWERTY keyboard, fingerprint sensor and ATI graphics chipset. It is also expected to be available in August this year.
Click for larger images of the new Fujitsu laptops:
Dell notebooks: Boring no more 
Darius Chang | Jun 27, 2007
| Editors' note : More details of the latest Inspirons and XPS M1330 is available here. |
With rumors abounding long before anyone even had a peek at the unit, the XPS M1330 is Dell's first machine in the 13-inch category. And with a mere thickness of 23.1mm, it claims to be the world's thinnest 13.3-inch portable. Based on the Centrino Duo platform, it comes in a choice of a black, white or red chassis with a slot-loading optical drive and touch-sensitive media buttons.
Though we like the basic features such as the HDMI, mini remote control and integrated Webcam, we were even more impressed with the range of options offered. The M1330 can be configured with an Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS graphics processor, fingerprint biometric sensor, LED-backlit screen with 300nits brightness, 802.11n radio and a nine-cell battery. In some regions like Singapore, these options comes as standard.
Suffice to say that this XPS suits the needs of basic users all the way to power users. The XPS M1330 starts at S$2,699 (US$1,896.96).
The Inspiron range has become even more consumer-focused and undergone a name change to better reflect its screen size. The new lineup includes the Inspiron 1420, 1520 and 1720 with screen sizes of 14-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch, respectively. The most obvious change is with the color palette that these Inspirons now offer. Users have a choice of eight hues, complete with Wi-Fi catcher and optional Blu-ray optical drives.
Based on the Centrino Duo platform, other options include an integrated Webcam, nine-cell battery and 802.11n radio. The Inspiron 1420 starts at S$1,349 (US$948.13), while the 1520 and 1720 begin at the S$1,699 (US$1,194.12) and S$1,999 (US$1,404.98) price points, respectively.
According to Dell, the XPS M1330 is expected to be available in early July while the new Inspiron series will be on shelves by the end of the week. The XPS unit will, however, be available for preorder now.
Tronic slider-style UMPC
Darius Chang | Jun 20, 2007
Like the Sony VAIO UX series, the PMG UMPC by Singapore's Tronic International has a slide-out keyboard and weighs in at under 1kg. So how does it compare with the VAIO?
Despite the VAIO's small keyboard, the PMG UMPC's input device looks even harder to get used to as the keys are split into two sections. Presumably, due to its wider 6.5-inch touchscreen compared with Sony's 4.5-inch display, this design allows the device to be used thumbboard-style. It may not have a fingerprint sensor, but optional features include GPS, a TV tuner and TPM security chip. Using a VIA processor running at 1GHz, we do not expect blazing performance though it should have no issue running Windows Vista Basic Edition and simple productivity tools. Other features include two USB ports, VGA-out, an SD card slot and a 0.3-megapixel camera for video chatting.
The battery life is rated for up to 5 hours, with a footprint of 190 x 120.8 x 28.3mm.
The PMG UMPC is expected to hit Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia some time in September. The basic configuration starts at US$1,200 (S$1,843.08).
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More CommunicAsia coverage here
Sony's flash-based UMPC
Darius Chang | Jun 20, 2007
So what's the big deal about the flash-based harddisk used in the latest Sony VAIO VGN-UX38GN? Nothing at all, if you do not value faster performance, greater shock resistance and longer battery life.
The VAIO VGN-UX38GN is possibly the first notebook in Asia Pacific (outside Japan and Korea) to use flash storage technology. Similar to memory cards, flash drives have no moving parts, which make data access much faster than conventional magnetic platters. Moreover, this also means the unit is more resistant to damage due to vibrations and sudden shocks. Flash drives also consume less power, which gives the UX38GN an hour more of battery life than the cheaper VAIO VGN-UX37GN/L model with magnetic storage.
However, the downside is flash drives cost much more while offering a comparatively smaller capacity.
If a normal hard drive is fine and dandy for you, then the 40GB UX37GN is a grand cheaper at S$3,499 (US$2,459.24). However, a S$1,000 (US$702.84) premium for the 32GB UX38GN seems like a reasonable premium for greater performance and hardiness. We will be comparing both versions in the next two weeks. So stay tuned for the results.
ThinkPad "Reserve Edition" on the way?
Mike Yamamoto, CNET.com | Jun 15, 2007
| Editors' note : According to reports, the US$5,000 (S$7,691.50) ThinkPad reserve is a 12.1-inch portable based on the Santa Rosa platform with 2GB RAM and a 160GB harddisk. The three-year warranty offers support by instant messaging, phone or in person, and also promises a total system replacement in the event the system is destroyed. |
It's taken a while, but Lenovo seems to have caught onto the whole limited-edition marketing trend, especially for luxury laptops. Only a few weeks after introducing its "Cloud of Promise" laptop commemorating the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese PC maker has gone live with a Web site that cryptically teases with a "ThinkPad Reserve Edition".
Electronista notes that the site implies a leather casing, speculating that it will likely include features using the latest Santa Rosa technology, but no details have been confirmed. (What's the deal with leather these days, anyway?) It will be interesting to see if the design reflects any wildlife inspiration.
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