Laptop Industry - Parts Shortage
August 1, 2007
In light of the delays that are affecting Dell’s XPS M1330, PC World is running an article, Laptop Industry Faces Parts Shortage. They talk about shortages in LCD displays (LCD TVs have taken off sales wise) and small hard drives used in both notebooks and iPods and the like (I’m guessing 1.8″ hard drives to be certain). That’s on top of the huge battery recalls that have been ongoing over the past year or two, coupled with the huge demand over the past several months (back to school plus Intel’s Santa Rosa platform launching).
They point out that this current shortage is unlike most that the industry has faced in the past.
Excerpt from the article:
What normally happens during a component shortage is that PC vendors will adjust the makeup of the notebook PC to find savings elsewhere and ensure a constant price for users. For example, using less DRAM (dynamic-RAM) memory in a laptop can reduce the cost a tad, to make up for a higher priced laptop battery.
This time is a little different because there are shortages of several key components.
Demand for new laptop computers is far greater than predicted so far this year, and companies are scrambling to keep up. At the same time, the industry is trying to cope with component shortages caused by other factors.
Now they don’t explicitly mention the Dell XPS M1330 (nor do they mention other laptops by name/model), but considering the LED-backlit displays seem to be a big part of the delays, and considering that other laptop makers are pushing LED-backlit displays out, it’s probably fair to say that it’s tied into all that. Whether Toshiba’s Dynabook SS RX1 as well as Panasonic’s R6 Jet Black Edition are suffering from parts shortages is hard to say, since they haven’t provided details.
Reviews of the Panasonic ToughBook CF-30 (aka toughbook 30)
July 28, 2007
Okay, the Panasonic ToughBook CF-30 (or toughbook 30, as Panasonic seems to be slowly renaming their toughbook lineup), it’s not exactly ultraportable, at a whopping 8.4 pounds, with a 13.3″ non-widescreen (toughscreen optional) display, while there are several 13.3″ widescreen laptops popping up at four pounds and under. Even though it just started becoming available at the end of last year/earlier this year, because of the amount of work that goes into designing and testing these kinds of laptops, they are usually a generation behind on the current CPU/chipset technology - the ToughBook 30 is no exception, it’s got a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Low Voltage L2400 CPU. Keep in mind this has met the MIL-STD-810F standards for toughness/durability, including moisture- and dust-resistant LCD, keyboard and touchpad, as well as ports/connectors that are sealed with removable covers. The hard drive is shock-mounted (and removable), as is the laptop, which is drop and vibration resistant. Generally, the people who need these, really need them.
It’s also one of only a handful of laptops in the 10″ - 13″ range that are “semi-rugged” (or in this case, “fully rugged”), and as such we are including it. This month, there have been a couple of reviews of the Panasonic ToughBook 30.
First up: TrustedReviews (with a video you have to see):
If you’ve been reading TrustedReviews for a while, you will probably have seen some of the previous ToughBook reviews and know that I have a tendency to put them through the grinder. I generally take the machines out to the car park and drop them on the ground, stand on them and pour water all over them while they’re switched on. To date, every ToughBook has survived the abuse I’ve thrown at it, so this time I decided to turn things up a notch.
Having been to Japan and seen the ToughBooks being tested, I know that they are dropped from a metre high from multiple angles, but that doesn’t stop me wanting to do the same myself – just to be sure. As you can see from the video, the CF-30 didn’t break a sweat being dropped onto the floor. Likewise, the CF-30 didn’t seem in the slightest bit worried when Andy ran up and jumped on its lid – in both instances, opening the lid revealed that the machine was still running Windows XP and was oblivious to the punishment it had suffered.
Next I opened up the CF-30, switched it on and proceeded to pour a jug of water all over it. The CF-30 isn’t just splash proof, it’s pretty much waterproof – as long as you’re not planning on using it on a diving expedition! This is why The AA equips all its breakdown engineers with ToughBooks, since they can still use them in the pouring rain (which is often the case in the UK), without worrying about them blowing up.
The second review, from a few weeks ago, ZDNet.co.uk
On the outside, the Toughbook CF-30 looks less like a notebook computer than some sort of case for hazardous material. Its integrated carrying handle helps to create the illusion. Open the clamshell, and things start to look a bit more familiar.
The 13.3in. screen has a somewhat old-fashioned XGA (1024 by 768 pixel) resolution rather than the wide aspect ratio that’s now common on both business and consumer notebooks. The display is bright and designed to be read outdoors in direct sunlight. It’s also touch sensitive, with passive touch-screen electronics that allow you to use a fingertip as well as the provided stylus, which stows neatly in the carrying handle. The idea is to allow the CF-30 to be used in a range of unusual environments where using the keyboard and touchpad is not feasible. Imagine dust, dirt and mud, for example, or situations where the user is wearing thick gloves.
Panasonic R6 - Jet Black
July 18, 2007
The Jet Black Edition of the Panasonic R6 is starting to show up (or rather will be).
The Panasonic R6 Jet Black is a true ultraportable laptop, weighing in at just barely over 2 pounds (no internal optical drive) and it has a 10.4″ 1024×768 LCD display. They are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) CPUs running at 1.06GHz, with 1GB of memory, and running Microsoft Windows Vista (XP Editions of the other R6 models are available as well as the Jet Black edition, at least within Japan). Combine all of that and you end up with a 7.5 hour battery life.
Unlike some of the other R6s, the Jet Black R6 has a 160GB Serial ATA (SATA) drive (most of the others have 80GB SATA drives). The Jet Black R6 has a black LCD bezel, keyboard, palm rest, and battery (there are several colors to choose from in the R6 series, however they aren’t colored to the extent that the Jet Black R6 is).
Akihabara News has several great photos of the Jet Black edition of the popular R6. It’s produced for the Japanese market, however is imported elsewhere in the world (see GeekStuff4U and Dynamism below for more information).
Photo: GeekStuff4U.com
Dynamism.com is also carrying it with a ship date of August.
Article: Tour of Panasonic’s ToughBook Testing Facility
February 7, 2007
Trusted Reviews has published a tour of the place where Panasonic puts their ToughBooks to the test, the Panasonic factory in Kobe, Japan. There they put the ToughBook through it’s paces.
The ToughBooks differ from most other notebooks by being, well, tough. Panasonic has built a reputation for itself by creating notebooks that can function in the most inhospitable environments.
Ever since I’ve been reviewing ToughBooks I’ve heard stories about the rigorous testing regime that goes on at Panasonic’s R&D facility in Osaka and at the ToughBook factory in Kobe. I never really doubted those reports, since the end products certainly lived up to the hype, but even so, there’s nothing quite like seeing something first hand. I therefore jumped at the chance to nip over to Japan and see Panasonic’s setup in person.
Panasonic manufactures all of its notebooks (bar the CF-51) at its plant in Kobe, Japan. Unlike the vast majority of notebook vendors, Panasonic doesn’t buy base hardware from manufacturers in Taiwan. Instead each ToughBook is created from scratch at the Kobe plant, allowing Panasonic to maintain its exacting quality control. It’s this quality control that makes the ToughBooks harder than your average notebook. In fact, I was slightly shocked to find out that between the R&D and Q/A departments, over 1,000 ToughBooks are damaged every year in Panasonic’s quest for the near indestructible notebook!
Update/Videos of the Panasonic Toughbook Y5 Series
April 26, 2006
In a quick update to the article about the new Y5 series from Panasonic, that claims to be waterpoof, Akihabara News has a lot more information about the new 14.1-inch Toughbook series.
Pictures/Initial Announcements
HD Video of water being spilled on the Toughbook.
Announced: Panasonic Toughbook CF-Y5
April 26, 2006
Panasonic has announced a Japanese-only (at least for now), notebook in its Toughbook lineup, that they claim to be waterproof. While it’s not ultraportable, with a 14.1-inch display (non-widescreen), and weight that’s a bit more than similar notebooks (due to the fact that it’s got a reinforced chassis that can withstand forces of over 200 pounds), it’s noteworthy for the waterproof claim. Not just water resistant, but they claim you can spill water on it, or have it exposed to a light rain, and still function.
The CF-Y5 is powered by Intel’s Core Duo platform (L2300 1.5GHz Lower Power), with a built-in Dual-Layer DVD burner. It’s due to go on sale in May, for around $2100 (pricing set to change).
Product page (in Japanese).
Via: MobileWhack
