NEC to Stop Production of Non-Japanese Comptuers
March 28, 2009
With the tough economic times, it looks like NEC will cease producing PCs and laptops for businesses and buyers outside of Japan. NEC is based out of Tokyo and has apparently told the Japanese media that by the end of this year, it will be focusing solely on Japanese buyers for its computing products. As CrunchGear points out, NEC has been selling PC-based products in Europe for 28 years.
Production may stop for countries outside of Japan as early as July, and in Europe, it will be stopped sometime during the summer.
No word on if this will affect sales/production of LCD displays and projectors, which are more well known in North America than their desktops and laptops.
Read:
- TechRadar UK
- CrunchGear
NEC VersaPro UltraLite VC Announced
December 11, 2008
Yesterday, NEC announced their new 12.1″ NEC VersaPro UltraLite VC. It’s a very lightweight laptop - less than two pounds with the SSD.
It’s a sequel to their previous 12.1″ Versapro UltraLite from a few years back, and it’s currently only listed as being available in Japan (and possibly other parts of Asia) with availability beginning in January of 2009.
There are a wide range of CPU options from Celerons all the way up to Intel’s Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage SU9300 (1.2GHz). You can also chose a conventional HDD or a Solid State Drive (SSD). Storage maybe a 1.8″ form factor. It features DDR3 memory.
Among the features:
- Withstands 150kg of pressure
- Magnesium Alloy frame
- Keyboard is water resistant
- 1.9 pounds / 868 g (SSD)
Announced Models:
- VY12A/C-6 (Base) Intel SU9300 CPU, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, No DVD Drive, 248,000 Yen
- VY12A/M-6, Intel SU9300, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Super DVD Writer, 262,000 Yen
Read: Press Release (Japanese)
via Akihabara News
NEC LaVie Light / Versa N1100 - Durable
November 12, 2008
The 8.9-inch Intel Atom powered NEC LaVie Light, aka the Versa N1100 (as it will be known in Asia) is turning out to be one of the most durable netbooks around. NEC won’t make the claim of the most durable or rugged netbook around, but it’s definitely able to hold up to a lot more than many others.
APC Magazine reports that it’s magnesium alloy-based and NEC claims that it can withstand up to 150kg of force (around 330 pounds). This was due in part to the initial target audience - commuters in Japan and elsewhere that were having durability problems with notebooks in tightly packed areas. The magnesium alloy frame should protect the netbook and its display for up to 5 seconds of such pressure.
They’ve also tested it with “artificial sweat”, as well as dropping it on a variety of surfaces (from wood to concrete).
It is slightly heavier than other netbooks, given the materials, at 1.1kg (around 2.5 pounds), but this could be a perfect match for those who find themselves in situations where their netbooks could be knocked around or even sat on.
Read: APC Magazine
NEC LaVie Light Announced
October 17, 2008
The Intel Atom-powered 8.9″ NEC LaVie Light netbook has been announced. So far it’s being listed as only available in Asia / Japan. This may change over time of course. It’s being positioned in a slightly more expensive area than most netbooks, at around $650 USD, but the design is definitely nice.
The documentation claims a maximum of 1GB of memory, with 0 slots free. Whether you can insert a 2GB DIMM in there, or it’s soldered directly to the systemboard is unknown at this time.
Specifications include:
- Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU
- Windows XP Home
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- Has some durability enhancements in case of falls
Read:
- NEC.co.jp/press/ (translated - Japan)
- Impress.co.jp (translated - Japan)
- Thanks to Tim for emailing us.
NEC LaVie J Series Available Soon, With Wireless USB
February 26, 2008
The NEC LaVie J Series should be available later this week.
It’s a 12.1″ widescreen, lightweight (under three pounds) ultraportable notebook with an Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 (1.2GHz, 2MB L2).
It’s unique in that it’s one of the first offerings with a Wireless USB hub (basically you have a wireless hub that you plug a USB mouse, printer, scanner, etc., into, and your notebook can automatically connect to the hub without any physical connections).
There are going to be three models:
- LJ750/LH - 2GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive, 802.11a/b/g/n
- LJ730/LG - 1GB Memory, 80GB Hard Drive, 802.11a/b/g
- LJ700/LH
Akihabara News mentions that the low-end LJ700 does not come with Microsoft Office 2007, implying the other two do. These will probably only be available in Asia (at least under the NEC brand).
Announced: NEC LaVie LA700/DD1F
February 21, 2006
Of note, it comes with some kind of a remote control, similar to what you see with Windows Media Center machines.
Source: Akihabara News
NEC LaVie G Type J Limited Edition - More Details
February 7, 2006
MobileWhack has a few more details about the NEC LaVie G Type J Limited Edition, that we just mentioned:
* Only 200 units of this black limited edition version
* Launch date of February 28th (Japan only)
* Rated battery life of around 6 hours.
NEC LaVie G Type J - Limited Edition (Black)
February 7, 2006
For pictures, please see Akihabara News. This version is, so far, only available in Japan.
