AMD Puma leaping into Asia

SINGAPORE--When Puma was officially launched at Computex Taipei last month, one of the key questions was how AMD expect to competed with the then upcoming Centrino 2 platform. After all, having the best platform in the world is pointless if vendors are willing only to offering one or two models in a sea of Intel laptops.

In response, the chipmaker claimed that the Puma platform had twice as many design wins as the preceding technology, giving more choices than ever to consumers. At the local rollout of the new chipset, a total of five models from HP and Acer were ready to market, a stark contrast to Centrino 2 machines, and certainly far more than in previous launches by the Sunnyvale company.

New products

Model name	In a nutshell
HP Pavilion tx2515AU Click for more details	Wow factor: Possibly one of the cheapest tablet PCs in the market, the Pavilion tx2000 series is also decked out with strong entertainment features. Notable features: Turion X2 RM-70 2.0GHz processor 12.1-inch touchscreen display DVD writer ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics Mini remote control Webcam Windows Vista Home Premium Edition Expected: Available now in Asia Price: S$2,499 (US$1,839.89)
HP Compaq 6535b Click for larger image	Wow factor: A midsize business machine with strong security features and hardy magnesium-alloy chassis. Notable features: Turion X2 processor 14.1-inch display DVD writer ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 graphics Fingerprint sensor and TPM chip Windows Vista Business Edition Expected: August 2008 in Asia Price: Starts at S$1,399 (US$1,030.02)
Compaq Presario CQ40 Click for larger image	Wow factor: An inexpensive performance laptop for those who don't require entertainment or security features. Notable features: Turion X2 processor 14.1-inch display DVD writer ATI Mobility Radeon graphics Windows Vista Home Premium Edition Expected: August 2008 in Asia Price: Starts at S$1,299 (US$956.39)
Acer Aspire 5530G	Wow factor: Based on the new Gemstone Blue design, this attractive laptop has discrete graphics power and yet doesn't break the bank. Notable features: Turion X2 RM-70 2.0GHz processor 15.4-inch display DVD writer ATI Mobility Radeon HD3470 hybrid graphics Webcam Windows Vista Home Premium Edition Expected: Available now in Asia Price: S$1,598 (US$1,176.53)
Acer Aspire 4530	Wow factor: A lighter Puma-based machine, the Aspire 4530 goes with an Nvidia graphics engine instead of the expected ATI video card. Notable features: Turion X2 RM-70 2.0GHz processor 12.1-inch display DVD writer Nvidia GeForce 9100M G graphics Fingerprint sensor Webcam Windows Vista Home Premium Edition Expected: August in Asia Price: To be announced