Laptops

Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have teamed up with two universities to build research centers that will focus on advanced research on parallel computing which will enable developers to make full utilization of resources offered by the latest multi-core processors.
Both the companies evaluated 25 institutions before selecting University of California, Berkeley and University of Illinois to build research centers which are estimated to cost around $20 million.
Parallel computing is basically splitting one big task into smaller parts which can be processed on different processors present in the system to handle the task more efficiently.
As companies like Intel, IBM and AMD are introducing more and more multi-core processors in the market and hardware market is already seen moving from single-core processor to multi-core processors, it became a priority from software point of view to optimize the software technology to make full utilization of the resources offered by these new processors, without software optimization there will be very less or almost no benefit of multi-core processors.
Data and software developed by the researchers will be made available to the technology community which will enable software developers to make software for the next generation hardware which will unlock the power of parallel computing.

Fujitsu has launched their latest smallest screen laptop LifeBook U810, which is a step-up from a smart phone and a step-down from high end laptops. This may be a small machine but it comes with enough specifications which will allow users to run Windows Vista.
LifeBook U810 comes with 5.6 inch Crystal View touch screen which gives resolutions upto 1024 x 600 pixels, Intel Processor, 1 GB DDRII RAM, 0.3 MP integrated camera, 40 GB hard drive, RealTek audio, Intel Graphic Card, Bluetooth, 56 keys keyboard, Fingerprint Sensor, 1 USB port and a RJ 45 connector.
The small size may have made this laptop handy when on move but at the same time it has also made reading and typing a lot more difficult as it is not possible to read comfortably on such small screen and type rightly on such cramped keyboard. There are many customers who are really disappointed from this major problem.
Battery life, which once was a problem for many portable device is not an issue with this laptop as it has a good life of 5.5 hours once fully charged.
Fujitsu has rightly priced LifeBook U810 at $999 which is something a lot of customers will be looking forward to as it is a great machine at right price with some little hard to use features but it is expected that users will get used to those features really fast.

All notebook manufacturers are facing shortage of notebook batteries due to fire which broke out at LG chemical and has affected all of its production lines that has slowed down the booming low-cost notebook market.
Asustek is said to be badly hit with this shortage as they were experiencing a rapid increase in sales of their first low-cost notebook “Eee PC”. Before the fire broke-out, Asustek was expecting to sell 1 million units this quarter but after this incident they are expected to miss a lot of shipments which will stop them from achieving their target.
All notebook manufacturers are presently trying to assign all batteries to their high priced notebooks to minimize the impact on their revenue.
HP which was soon going to introduce their first low-cost notebook in June this year is also expected to delay all the plans. HP is said to be the most badly affected company as it is the biggest buyer of batteries from LG and counts for over 52 percent of the LG batteries sales.
LG Chemicals also announced that they are going to run all other factories at full capacity to meet the demand and minimize this shortage.

Luvaglio, a London based ultra-luxury goods maker has made world’s first million dollar laptop. This laptop is not like any other luxurious laptops which are just embedded with expensive diamonds but have no advanced or unique technology.
Luvaglio, makers of this one million dollar laptop have also introduced some unique technologies which are not available in any other laptop.
Since, full details of this laptop were not disclosed for security reasons but it is said that this laptop is loaded with all latest and unique technologies such as 17 inch LED widescreen with specially designed glare coating which clean the screen and also provide brighter and clearer view, 128 GB SSD (which is not available in any other laptop) and a slot for blu-ray drive.
The power switch of this laptop is made with a very rare coloured piece of diamond which also acts as a security identification device.
Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio, CEO of Luvaglio in an interview also said that first these laptops will be available to some of the selected customers who will have an option to fully customize their laptop with selected rare diamonds and ultra-luxurious finish.

Apple made the world’s slimmest laptop but this laptop was not the only end, they also needed a case to protect this magnificent creation. What Apple came up with was pretty much amazing, as it revealed an “envelope” type case to protect this precious machine.
This envelope type case is called “The Manila Case” which measures 0.07 inches at its thinnest point when fully empty and can go to a maximum of 6.9 inches when loaded with stuff. This case is basically a fake envelope which has Apple logo and a red tag to close the opening of the case.
This case went through certain stages before it became a reality. The first stage it went through is “demo-ware” when this case was introduced by Apple. After this stage it came to its next stage “humor-ware” where this case was taken as a joke by the people. After going through the stage of “humor-ware” this case came to its final stage “hardware” when Apple included it in it’s online shopping catalog.
This case is presently priced at $29.99, which have some additional upgradable options which include Apple 2B Pencil and Woz’s One Big Honky Eraser.

As it is already known, there is a big battle going on between the new and old storage technology. Flash Drive which is the new way of storage drives are presently finding hard to keep up against the “old” hard drive technology mainly because of the price and technical problems.
Flash drives are much faster than traditional hard drives and are said to be the future storage technology by leading drive manufacturers such as Seagate, Samsung and Western Digital (WDC).
Presently, prices of flash drive are sky rocketing which is stopping this new technology from becoming more common. Seagate CEO Bill Watkins also admits this facts but covers everything up by saying that it will take some time before Flash drives become more common, as present prices of the these drives are the biggest hurdle in its path.
An example of this thing can be seen in the prices of the Apple new MacBook Air which comes in two models. The first model comes with an 80 GB hard drive which costs $1,800 and second model comes with 64 GB SDD which costs whooping $3,100.
Many leading storage drive manufacturers say that prices of Flash drives will see a big downfall in coming years which will put it on the highway to success. Some of the leading PC manufacturers such as Dell also say that Flash drive is a new technology and presently is facing some technical issues but as the time passes they expect this technology to become the perfect option for the way of data storage.
So, as seeing the trust of leading IT brands in this new technology it is expected that it will surely win this battle and take over as the new option of data storage.

Microsoft had been trying really hard to move all of its customers from Windows XP to latest, Windows Vista. To further speed up the movement, Microsoft announced deadline of Windows XP which was first due in January, but this deadline was extended due to no good response from its customers. Now deadline is due in June which is also expected to be extended further.
The main reason which makes many analysts think the possibility of another extension in the deadline of Windows XP is the emergence of low-cost computers market, which is rapidly increasing.
Many low-cost computer manufacturers such as Asus, Everex etc. are getting good response for their cheap Pc’s which enable users to do basic computing. These low-cost Pc’s are capable of running operating system such as Linux or Windows XP because of their low configuration and Windows Vista is not even an option in this category as it require a lot of system resources.
So, as Microsoft’s Windows Vista is completely out of this category, Windows XP is the only option left for Windows users and if Microsoft stops Windows XP then, Microsoft itself will be out of this category which can act as a big blow to the company.
Microsoft does realize this fact and it did announced that Windows XP “Starter” Edition will continue to be available till 2010, but this edition of XP does not give all features which a normal Window users will be looking for. So, there is another possibility that if Microsoft does this then most of its customers will move to Linux, which does not require high system configurations such as Windows does and also it has a lot more options then Windows XP “Starter” Edition can offer which can also have a negative effect on Microsoft.
Thus, it is expected that Microsoft will further extend the deadline of Windows XP for sometime till it develop another alterative operating system which will be capable of competing Linux.

First there were desktop computers, and then came the laptop which is something that many people use instead of the desktop computers. Laptops are very useful and the most important advantage point of them is that they are portable and can be taken anywhere in the world. For business people having a laptop is important as they have many important files and documents in their laptops and can carry on with work from office to their home. It’s also an easy way to watch movies, listen to music and play games, it’s the complete package for entertainment and work.

HCL’s leaptops, as HCL prefers to call its laptops, have been designed with an eye to enhance your multimedia experience. HCL Notebook K21-K2101 is one of such leaptops.

The laptop comes equipped with 1.73GHz Intel Pentium dual-core T2080. It has an ATI X300-based 3D graphics engine. With its View Perfect screen technology and two 1.5W stereo audio systems, it promises to enrich your gaming and movie watching experience.

It comes with Windows Vista Home Edition. It also brings with it applications such as Nero, Microsoft Works 8.5, Leaptop Companion DVD, Driver CD, and PowerDirector.

The laptop is packaged with a 12-month valid antivirus. The laptop is accessorized with the Reliance Internet data card claim pack, tips for notebook battery pack, a driver CD for notebook, a user manual, a 3 pin power cord, an RJ-11 modem cable, an AC adapter and antivirus license sheet.

With a 512 MB RAM, upgradable to 2GB, a 2 MB cache and a 120 GB of HDD, it is similar to a range of other laptops currently available. However, its software accessories, graphics engine, screen technology, built-in camera and Bluetooth make it a product worth buying. The laptop weighs 2.8 kg. It is priced at Rs. 45,588.

In the fourth quarter last year, Zenith launched its range of budget laptops. Zenith’s Director laptop is the most economical in this range. Priced at mere Rs. 24,990, the laptop is much more than its price.

The laptop is powered by 1.86GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor T2130 and equipped with 1 MB cache and 533MHz FSB. It comes with Windows Vista Starter operating system with the flexibility of upgrading the OS to Windows Visa Home Basic or Windows Vista Home premium at an additional cost.

The laptop is equipped with an upgradable RAM, from 512 MB to 2 GB and a 120 GB HDD. Its other features include an 8/4/8/5x super multi DVDRW, integrated 10/100 LAN, integrated wireless card, and a 56K modem with V 90/92 support. Its accessories include a system driver CD-title, a Kensington lock hole and a carry bag.

I think, with its regular features and its dual core processor, it can beat similar, but costlier laptops hands on. The only glitch that is seen with this laptop is its battery life. Estimated to be about an hour, the battery life can spoil its image in comparison to other similar laptops.
The laptop comes with a warranty of 12 months.