HP Ships Ultraportable Laptop with Via Inside

Hewlett-Packard unveiled its Compaq 2133 ultraportable laptop, which uses a C7-M microprocessor from Taiwan’s Via Technologies instead of a chip from Intel.

The sleek device represents a significant design win for Via, which has struggled to win business from top-tier PC makers in the face of stiff competition from Intel. The win is even more remarkable because Intel just released its Centrino Atom package for handheld computers and will start shipping a line of low-cost Atom chips designed for laptops like the 2133 during the third quarter.

HP chose the C7-M because it met the thermal requirements needed for the 2133, according to Philip Devlin, a product marketing manager at HP Asia-Pacific, adding that Via has long provided microprocessors for HP’s line of thin clients.

Another important consideration was timing. The C7-M was ready when HP wanted to make the 2133 available, Devlin said.

The 1.19-kilogram 2133 has an aluminum-alloy case and is priced from US$499 to $899, depending on the configuration. The laptop comes with a C7-M processor running at 1GHz, 1.2GHz or 1.6GHz, and runs Windows Vista or SuSE Linux Desktop 10. Standard features include an 8.9-inch screen with a resolution of 1,280 pixels by 768 pixels, a nearly full-size keyboard, a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot, and an ExpressCard slot. It also has wireless interfaces for Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi.

When it comes to storage, users have the choice of a 120G-byte hard disk or a 160G-byte disk. A 4G-byte solid-state drive is available for Linux, and HP expects to offer an 80G-byte SSD as an option for both operating systems during the third quarter.

The 2133 gets around two hours of battery life with the standard 3-cell battery and four hours with a 6-cell battery, Devlin said.

Devlin declined to comment on whether HP plans to use Via’s upcoming Isaiah processor with the 2133, but said the chip is “a point of conversation” between the two companies.

Isaiah is expected to offer significantly more performance than the C-7M processor while offering the same thermal characteristics. The two chips are pin-compatible, which means that no work will be required to adapt the 2133 — or any other computer that uses the C7-M — for the new processor. Laptop makers simply swap the C7-M for the newer chip, when it becomes available.

Intel Gives Its Classmate PC a Makeover

Intel unveiled an updated version of its Classmate PC laptop at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Shanghai, but changes made to the device are largely cosmetic–at least for now.

The new Classmate PC has a sleeker look than its predecessor, and should appeal to a broader range of users. It also offers the option of a 9-inch screen instead of a 7-inch screen, and can have a built-in video camera.

However, most of the laptop’s internal components remain largely unchanged from the original Classmate PC. The new laptop also retains the soft plastic cover that does double-duty as a carrying handle.

Pictures of the updated Classmate PC slipped out ahead of IDF when a Malaysian PC maker unveiled the device at an event, and pictures appeared online last week. A product sheet for the new laptop was also leaked from a U.S. PC maker, giving observer a first glimpse of the machine.

Like its predecessor, the latest Classmate PC runs Linux or Windows XP and can include specialized software for schools.

One of the most useful improvements to the new Classmate PC design is the location of its memory-card slot. In the first version, this was located behind the laptop hinge and was hidden by the plastic cover.

This slot was moved to the right side of the chassis in the new version, where it remains protected from dust by a rubber cover but is more easily accessible.

The keyboard remains the same size on the new Classmate PC, and most adults will likely find the keys a bit cramped for extended typing. But Intel has added color to the function keys to make them stand out more. In addition, the trackpad is larger, making it easier to use for adult-sized fingers.

Both Classmate PC versions are based on the 900MHz Celeron M processor and available with either hard drives or solid-state drives, which use flash memory chips instead of a spinning magnetic platter. The solid-state drives are available in 1GB and 2GB capacities.

Multi-Touch Trackpad for Asustek’s New Eee PC

The next generation Eee PC laptop by Asustek Computer will come with a multi-touch trackpad in addition to the larger screen, better Webcam and increased data storage, a company representative said Thursday.

The Eee PC 900 boasts an 8.9-inch screen, larger than the 7-inch display on the original Eee PC 701 model, along with a 1.3 MP camera and 12GB solid-state disk drive (SSD). The Webcam on the Eee PC 701 is only 0.3MP and the largest SSD is 8GB.

The Eee PC 900′s oversized touchpad works similar to the Macbook Air. Using two fingers, a person can zoom in and out of documents and photos, scroll up and down, and more, an Asustek representative said.

A picture of the Eee PC 900 can be found on the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site, where details were submitted for approval by the U.S. government regulator.

A few things the Eee PC 900 will not have include a touchscreen and GPS (global positioning system), the Asustek representative said, despite some news reports to the contrary.

The Eee PC 900 will come pre-loaded with either Microsoft Windows XP or Linux OSs, the representative said.

The first devices will likely hit some markets by June this year. Pricing will vary by country, but in Europe, the new Eee PC will cost around $626.

Intel Classmate PC Now Available To Consumers

Intel’s Classmate PC isn’t just for students in emerging markets anymore. The low-cost laptop will be made available to companies that want to sell it to consumers in developed countries, an Intel executive said Wednesday.

“During the last quarter, we have seen tremendous interest in the Classmate PC from customers outside education,” said Tom Rampone, an Intel vice president and general manager of the company’s Channel Platforms Group, adding that Asustek Computer’s Eee PC helped stoke wider interest in low-cost laptops.

Originally designed for schools in emerging markets where computer access is rare, the Classmate PC uses a low-power version of the Celeron M processor and a 7-inch screen. Intel is working on a second version of the Classmate PC, earlier revealing plans to use its upcoming Atom processor in the new laptop. Detailed specifications of the device have yet to be revealed.

Intel sees the Classmate PC as just one of a range of low-cost laptops now being developed that the chip maker and others call “netbooks.” These laptops are generally expected to cost between $250 and $300, depending on how they are configured, when they hit the market later this year.

The move to expand the availability of Classmate PC to PC vendors in developed markets follows a push to make the Classmate PC more widely available to consumers in emerging markets. For example, HCL Infosystems of India announced a laptop, called MiLeap X, earlier this year that is based on the Classmate PC design but marketed as a low-cost computer for consumers and businessmen instead of students.

The second version of the Classmate PC will be available to PC vendors in a range of configurations, but will retain the same basic design when sold by different vendors, Rampone said. In addition to versions for consumers, running either Linux or Windows, the laptop will be available in configurations, complete with educational software, aimed at schools in developed countries, he said.

LG Launches Widescreen Entertainment Notebooks

LG announced the launch of its new range of widescreen entertainment notebooks — the E200 and the E300.

The latest range of entertainment notebooks come with a 12.1-inch (E200) and 13.3-inch (E300) widescreen along with power saving module which offers extended battery life.

The notebooks are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processor technology. The E200 as well as the E300 notebooks have a curl-fit design with LG Fine Bright LCD technology that delivers vivid and life like images.

The notebooks include ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 chipset and an 1.3MP LG Smart Cam. The new notebooks also feature a 5-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader (XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro), an Express Card Slot (34) and a built-in DVD Writer.

The notebooks have a glossy look and are currently available in black color. The High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) technology provides uncompressed, crystal-clear digital video and audio via a single cable. The user just needs to connect an HDMI cable to digital TV or LCD monitor and can experience an improved quality of digital entertainment contents on the notebook.

The E200 and E300 are available for Rs. 51,500 and Rs. 57,000 respectively.

Intel Plans To Launch 160GB Laptop SSDs

Intel plans to introduce 1.5in and 2.5in solid state drives (SSDs) for laptops offering between 80GB and 160GB storage during the second quarter of 2008.

Intel had demonstrated the high-performance SSD prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. At the time, an Intel spokesman said the manufacturer had not decided whether to sell the drives directly to retailers or through laptop and PC makers.

The spokesman said in January that the solid state technology would be shown off again in April at the Intel Developer Forum, where some observers say it may be officially released.

Intel currently offers ultra-small low-power solid-state storage offerings for mobile devices. These include the 2GB Z-P140 PATA and the 4GB Z-U130 USB offerings. The company has made no secret of its desire to significantly broaden its solid state portfolio along with boosting flash performance for customers.

Last month IM Flash Technologies, a joint venture of Intel and Micron Technology, unveiled a new high-speed NAND flash memory they said offers data transfer speeds that are five times faster than conventional NAND technology.

An aggressive move into the laptop flash disk drive business would catapult Intel into direct competition with hard drive manufacturers such as Toshiba and Samsung who are trying to spark demand before their SATA-based offerings are released in the coming months. Samsung said it will ship a 2.5in 128GB SSD in Q2 while Toshiba has announced plans to produce SSDs ranging in capacity from 32GB to 128GB for laptops by May.

Although analysts expect that businesses will begin to seriously consider the benefits of SSDs during 2008, the high price tag for the technology may keep sales in check for a few years.