Fujitsu LifeBook P1630 Introduced
November 5, 2008
Fujitsu has quietly introduced a replacement for the 8.9″ Fujitsu LifeBook P1620. It’s the aptly-named 8.9″ Fujitsu LifeBook P1630 and it retains much of the convertible form factor that the P1500 and P1600 series is known for.
It’s convertible in the sense that by pivoting the display, you can convert it from a laptop form factor into a Tablet PC form factor. While the P1630 runs Windows Vista Business (which has full Tablet PC/Touchscreen functionality), you can still downgrade to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.
Among the changes over the P1620:
- Upgraded chipset/platform (Intel GS45 Express)
- Upgraded CPU (Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300) Ultra Low Voltage
- Upgrade graphics chipset (Intel GMA 4500HD)
- Weighs slightly less.
- Upgraded OS to Windows Vista Business
Fujitsu claims that with the 6-cell battery, you can get just over 6 hours of battery life. The P1630 starts at $2,179, and for slightly more, you can upgrade to a 6-cell battery from the 3-cell, add Bluetooth 2.1, and get a slightly larger HDD. There is a 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) available.
- P1630 information
- Fujitsu LifeBook P1630 Gallery
Voodoo Envy 133 Price Drop
November 4, 2008
The new Voodoo Envy 133 has seen a price drop of $200 (starting at $1,899 now), and if you order one, HP will toss in a free second battery (battery life was not a strong point of the Envy 133).
It was originally touted as a MacBook Air killer. It turned out not to be the Air killer, but still definitely has its place. Gizmodo had a review of it just under a month ago (link below).
It’s strong, light, and then, and had some cool features (including novel uses of the A/C adapter and DVD drive (external of course) in regards to extra ports and the wireless networking.
Read:
- jkOnTheRun
- Gizmodo
VIA and NVIDIA Netbooks: Unlikely, Plus No More New Apple Hardware in 2008
November 4, 2008
It looks like NVIDIA and VIA Technologies won’t be working together on VIA Nano netbooks, as well as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) according to a report by DigiTimes.
Earlier this year, they had agreed to work on netbooks powered by C7-M and Nano CPUs produced by VIA, controlled by NVIDIA’s MCP79 chipsets (complete with integrated graphics).
Meanwhile, Macworld spoke with Apple and got a confirmation that Apple will not be releasing anymore new Mac hardware this year. An Apple spokesman, Bill Evans, told Macworld “Our holiday line-up is set,”.
Most of the rumors had to do with iMacs and Mac minis, but there were a few floating around concerning an Apple netbook.
Apple MacBook - 6GB of RAM
November 1, 2008
For those of you wanting more than 4GB of RAM with Mac OS X, and wanting to buy one of the new 13.3″ Apple MacBooks (or one of the 15″ MacBook Pros that came out last month, you might just be in luck.
Apple will tell you that the maximum amount of memory is 4GB of the 1066MHz DDR3 (aka PC3-8500) RAM. Mac Rumors is reporting that 8GB of RAM causes stability problems with OS X on MacBook Pros , however 6GBs works just fine (8GB is supported by the NVIDIA chipset).
If you are willing to pay $675 (one 4GB DIMM and one 2GB DIMM) RAMJET Inc. will set you up with the proper non-stacked DIMMs (which run cooler and require less power than normal stacked DIMMs).
This is tested on Model 4,1. You can find the memory and more information at:
http://www.ramjet.com/mbib.asp.
Read: ZDNet.com via Mac Rumors
Asustek: $200 Eee PC in 2009
October 31, 2008
Update: 7″ and 8.9″ Asus Eee PCs will continue to be manufactured.
A few weeks ago, Asustek’s CEO Jerry Shen discussed a $250 Eee PC netbook being launched sometime in 2009. Shen has since lowered that pricing, saying they expect to launch an Eee PC netbook for $200 in 2009.
DigiTimes published an article going over Asustek’s financial performance this year, including mention that in the third quarter, Asus Eee PC shipments hit 1.7 million units, and will hit 1.8 million units this quarter, allowing Asustek to hit 5 million units in 2008 (a goal they had set earlier this year). This doesn’t just include netbooks, there are some Eee PC-branded nettops, however the majority were netbooks (nettops were launched later in the year).
These figures were mentioned:
- Shen believes Asustek will get 30% of the 2009 netbook market (around 6 - 7.5 million)
- They believe the 2009 netbook market will see 20 - 25 million netbooks produced
- Hard Drive-based netbooks account for 70% of total netbooks shipped, with SSDs hitting 30%
- Eee PCs with Windows XP Home versus Linux-based netbooks is also around 7:3
This was really interesting: Shen believes that 7″ and 8.9″ Eee PCs will be phased out of the market in the future, in favor of 10″ models.
Read: DigiTimes
HP Mini 1000 Announced
October 29, 2008
HP’s new 10″ (and 8.9″) HP Mini 1000 was revealed over the weekend and it is indeed running on a different platform than its business-oriented predecessor, the 8.9″ HP 2133 Mini-Note. It’s powered by an Intel Atom which wasn’t available when the 2133 launched (the 2133 has a VIA C7-M).
They have unfortunately dropped the higher-resolution display (1280×768) that some of the 2133s had. You have the option of 8GB or 16GB Solid State Drives (SSD) or a 60GB HDD. Memory is the standard DDR2, with one slot and a maximum of 1GB (correction: 2GB).
On the other hand, it’s starting at $399, which is less than the original 2133, and it’s smaller and sleeker and weighs less with the 10″ display than the 2133 did with an 8.9″ display. It comes with a 3-cell battery, but 6-cell options will be available within a few months. The upgrade options are very reasonable as far as pricing. Initially it will be shipping with Windows XP Home (SP3) installed, with options for “Mobile Internet Experience” (built on Ubuntu Linux) available early next year (starting at $379).
This is unique: Up to 8GB of extra storage via the HP Mini Mobile Drive accessory, which is housed within the HP Mini. It’s basically an internal USB flash drive that can be removed, and allows for secured user data - when properly configured, it can be removed and no personal information will be left on the mini.
It is currently available for order through the HP Mini 1000 series page at HP’s Home and Office website and looks to be shipping November 11, 2008.
