HP EliteBook 2530p - Announced
August 18, 2008
It was just about a month ago that word came out about the HP 2730p. Now it looks like HP’s 12.1-inch replacement for the HP Compaq 2510p is good to go. It’s the HP EliteBook 2530p and it’s seen a fairly major upgrade.
It offers both Low Voltage and Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) CPUs, which extends the battery life quite a bit. On top of that, there are options of 3-cell, 6-cell, and 9-cell batteries. It also takes from 1GB - 8GB of RAM (2 slots) - note though, that you’ll need to be running a 64-bit version of Windows in order to take advantage of that.
It looks like they take both 1.8″ and 2.5″ Serial ATA drives, and they are offering an 80GB Solid State Drive (SSD) in 1.8″, which is a welcome addition from others offering 32GB or 64GB.
Going by the Korean page, HP is claiming the 2530p meets MIL-STD 810F standards (US military standards for temperature and dust) which means these have seen some durability improvements (or at least for outdoor conditions). They are very durable when the SSD is added into the mix.
They are also listed as compatible with SuSe Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (SLED 10).
You can view the Korean product page here:
- HP.com - Korea
Dell XPS M1330 - Ubuntu Linux 8.04
July 27, 2008
Last week, Dell announced an updated Ubuntu Linux offering for some of their laptops, including the Dell XPS M1330.
The version is Ubuntu Linux 8.04 and it will be offered on the “Dell XPS M1330N”.
Among the updates:
- Codecs for MP3, WMA, WMV.
- Biometric fingerprint reader is now supported. All software that is needed is installed and ready to go.
- HDMI Audio output supported with both NVIDIA and ATI graphics chipsets (does not yet work with Intel graphics).
Read:
- www.dell.com/ubuntu
- Direct2Dell - Technical Details
- Direct2Dell - Offerings
Acer Pushing Linux on Laptops
June 5, 2008
Acer is going to be pushing Linux “aggressively” on its laptop offerings. Earlier this week at Computex, they announced the 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One which apparently is the beginning of an effort to sell laptops with Linux (although the Aspire One fits more into the netbook category). They are doing so for financial reasons, given that licensing fees become a larger part of the price when it comes to lower-cost devices such as the Aspire One (which will start at $379 USD).
Vnunet is reporting on comments made by a couple of executives from Acer in regards to Linux versus Microsoft Windows on laptops:
Acer sees two killer apps with Linux on computers: operation and cost. Its flavour of Linux will boot in 15 seconds compared to minutes for Windows, and the open source operating system can extend battery life from five to seven hours.
At the same time, the company expects that the price differential of Linux will make the offering attractive for consumers at the low-cost end of the market.
Ubuntu Netbook Remix - Hands On (Ars Technica)
June 4, 2008
Yesterday at Computex, Canonical announced a new Linux distribution based on Ubuntu Linux, built especially for small-screened netbooks.
It’s a very important move for the netbook / sub-notebook market. Between Intel and VIA supporting this market on the hardware side, now you have Canonical/Ubuntu working towards applications optimized for the 7-inch to 10-inch devices (and lest we forget - Microsoft is even extending the life of Windows XP for these devices).
It’s being referred to as Ubuntu Netbook Remix and, in Canonical’s own words:
a reworked desktop image of Ubuntu built specifically for a new category of portable Internet-centric devices – netbooks. These affordable, power-efficient, small screen devices, based on the ground breaking low-power micro-architecture of the Intel® Atom™ processor, and Ubuntu allow consumers to enjoy email, instant messaging, Internet surfing and on-line access to photos, videos or music with an affordable, reliable device…..Canonical is also working with ISVs to ensure that popular desktop applications are certified on Ubuntu, and will run on the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
Ars Technica put together a hands-on preview of Ubuntu Netbook Remix and took a look at the launcher as well as the application switcher/manager (both very important given the limited screen size of these devices.
They point out that Intel and Ubuntu worked together to optimize the distribution for Intel’s Atom CPUs:
“At Intel, we see netbooks as an opportunity to expand basic Internet usage throughout the world through simple and affordable devices for consumers,” said Intel software and solutions group vice president Doug Fisher in a statement. “The combination of Ubuntu Netbook Remix with Moblin technologies optimized for the Intel Atom processor will deliver a good Internet and media experience on Intel-based netbooks.”
Read:
- Ars Technica
- Ubuntu Announcement
- Official Site at Launchpad.net
- Moblin Website
HP 2133 Mini-Note Review (TrustedReviews)
May 22, 2008
Andy Vandervell, of TrustedReviews, has posted a new review of the Linux powered version of the 8.9-inch HP 2133 Mini-Note, giving it a 7 out of 10. This version of the 2133 retails for between $500 and $600 USD (some places are changing the price almost weekly depending on supply).
A lot of people mention the HP 2133 Mini-Note as almost feeling like something Apple designed, and Andy commented on this, saying If the Eee PC borrows the MacBook’s iconic white finish, the Mini-Note PC feels far more like a product produced by the house that Steve Jobs built.
The biggest difference between this version of HP’s sub-notebook and the more expensive versions is the CPU, a 1.2GHz VIA CPU that Andy felt was underpowered when it came to video playback.
Read: TrustedReviews
Triple Booting the Fujitsu U810
May 21, 2008
Well, somebody has managed to install and triple boot three very different operating systems on their 5.6-inch convertible Fujitsu LifeBook U810 (which is being replaced later this year by the Fujitsu LifeBook U2010).
Yes, three separate operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows Vista
- Linux (Ubuntu)
- Mac OS X
They mention getting the touchscreen working wit Linux (as well as Mac OS X) as well as issues such as wireless drivers.
They’ve also posted a video of the U810 in action.
Read: GottaBeMobile Forums
Video: YouTube
