ACER PLANNING LAPTOPS WITH NVIDIA ION 2 CHIPS?

Nvidia hasn’t released its ION 2 platform yet. But according to a report in DigiTimes, Acer has placed an order with Nvidia for the purchase of ION 2 chips.

Unlike the existing ION platform which has an Intel Atom N270/N280 processor and Nvidia GeForce 9400 GPU, the ION 2 platform is designed to work with Intel’s upcoming Pine Trail processors which have memory, graphics and processor functions integrated onto a single chip. As a result of this, Nvidia will not be able to totally eliminate Intel’s graphics solution. So the ION 2 chips are more likely to function as discrete GPUs and users will be able to switch between integrated and dedicated graphics solutions.

The ION 2 chipsets are also expected to be available with VIA chips. Nvidia isn’t sharing any details but more information may emerge at CES in January.

LENOVO IS PLANNING NOT ONE BUT THREE NETBOOKS

We have already heard about the ThinkPad X100e, Lenovo’s first ThinkPad-branded netbook. Now an FCC filing by Realtek indicates that Lenovo may be launching three, and not one, netbooks named ThinkPad X100e, ThinkPad Mini 11, and ThinkPad Mini10. No further details are available, but the Mini 10 is likely to have 10 inch display and the Mini 11 an 11.1 or 11.6 inch display.

Earlier reports suggest that the ThinkPad X100e will have an 11.6 inch display. It will be powered by an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor and will run Windows 7. Prices may start at $449.

The Thinkpad notebooks are aimed at businesses and feature a professional design. The company also has a consumer-oriented IdeaPad S-series notebooks. But Lenovo is yet to release a netbook which is a small laptop with entry-level specifications and an affordable price tag.

MICROSOFT PLANNING TO RETIRE WINDOWS XP

Microsoft plans to stop offering Windows XP to netbook makers in about a year. The operating system is nearly a decade old, but is still being used in cheap, low power machines like netbooks. Now that Windows 7 has arrived Microsoft has realized that it is time they retired XP. And the new OS runs just as well on netbooks.

While Microsoft doesn’t plan to immediately retire XP, statistics shows that its market share is steadily shrinking with more and more netbook makers offering PCs with Windows 7 Starter edition. Plenty of netbooks with XP are still available in the market, but they are older models that arrived a year or so ago.

Is Windows 7 better than XP?
Well, the Windows 7 Starter Edition (which is the version used on most netbooks) is better than XP in many aspects, but it still doesn’t incorporate the best features of Windows 7. In fact, the Windows 7 Starter Edition won’t even allow you to change the desktop background. So it is safe to assume that Windows XP netbooks are more capable than the netbooks running Windows 7 Starter. Of course, buying a netbook with Windows 7 Home Premium will solve these issues, but they generally cost more and are less common. Another option is to upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium by paying $80.

AT&T PLANNING TO EXPAND NETBOOK SALES

For those who are just hearing, phone companies are planning to actually sell netbooks on contract. That said, AT&T is at the head of the pack saying they plan to expand their contract netbook offerings Nationwide by this summer.

LENOVA PLANNING TO LAUNCH 12-INCH IDEAPAD-S20 NETBOOK

Planning is the keyword. There is nothing official but according to a report by DigiTimes, Lenovo is all set to expand its netbook lineup and unleash a 12-inch netbook. There are very few netbooks in the 12-inch category and hope we can look forward to this one.

This rumored IdeaPad S20 will be powered by N280 Atom processor with Intel's GN40 chipset. It is also reported that Lenovo has lost its preferential N280 Atom processor's pricing with its decision to put the N280 in a 12-inch netbook. According to Intel's standards a netbook's screen size is restricted to 10 inches and so Lenovo will end up paying the full non-preferential price for the N280 Atom CPU, which will be an extra $10.

The IdeaPad S10 is likely to come pre-installed with Windows XP. Though there is no news on its release date, the 12-inch IdeaPad S20 is reported to be priced at about $586.

PLANNING TO TRAVEL MUCH MORE AFTER NEW YEAR ? THEN READ THIS !

The Dell Precision M2400 with its 14-inch screen is the smallest notebook of the series of powerful computer workstations from Dell. Because the size of the chassis has a direct impact on the capacity of reserves in terms of performance, because the hardware has to be incorporated finally cooled sufficiently, the performance of the Precision M2400 is also the lowest in this line of models.

At the time of publishing, Dell offers three mobile work stations of various sizes. For example, the Precision M6300, a desktop replacement 17 ", which is still based on the Intel platform Santa Rosa, or its successor, the Precision M6400 with Intel Centurion technology 2.
The Dell Precision M4400 is a powerful mobile computer with a panel of 15.4 inches.
For all those who are often moving Dell also offers the Precision M2400 with 14-inch screen.

The quality level is set quite high in terms of performance for the Precision M2400, because it is clearly a representative of the workstations Dell, and therefore a high rudiment of the product line. Endure powerful Intel processors up to T9600 CPU with 2.8 GHz and 6 MB of L2-Cache; this hardly makes Precision something desirable in this aspect. Apart from the Core 2 Extreme CPUs are hardly feasible within the notebook of 14 "because they require a lot of ventilation and are not reasonably mobile laptop because of its demand for energy.

Like the Latitude and Precision comparable and this notebook is also convincing in terms of the chassis, and manufacturing. Weighing only 2.4 kilograms around the Precision M2400 is very good for traveling.

SAMSUNG PLANNING TO BUY OUT SANDISK

The Samsung Electronics Corporation, the memory chip manufacturer, supposed Friday that it may procure a flash memory producer, SanDisk, in a transaction that may possibly restructure a struggling industry. A getting hold of of SanDisk would swell Samsung’s bazaar share at a time when prices for flash memory, utilized in products like digital cameras, cell phones and music players, are diminishing piercingly. The agreement would also trim down Samsung’s licensing costs. “We are seeking at an assortment of opportunities regarding SanDisk, but not anything has been sure yet,” a Samsung spokesman, James Chung, revealed. In an authoritarian filing soon after, Samsung told one of its alternatives would be to get hold of SanDisk.

SONY IS PLANNING TO LAUNCH THE LILLIPUTIAN IN THE BATTERY WORLD

Sony has productively shaped a miniature fuel-cell gadget for portable electronics. Sony has fashioned a first of its kind fuel cell that is minute adequate to fit in your palm. The piece of equipment is a combination of lithium-polymer and backup battery, as well as a power circuit intended for yet-to-developed portable devices. "We have been aiming to swell (a fuel-cell system) in portable campaigns and in conclusion have reached an echelon of saleable design." The trial product uses the combination of methanol as its prime energy resource and just 10ml of the latter is capable of powering 14 hours value of movie screening.

ACER PLANNING TO GO THE WI-MAX POWER WAY

One of the computer manufacturing giants Acer today revealed that it will produce a Wi-Max-powered notebook to match the Sprint's X ohm network. Sources reported that a Wi-Max element will be spooked into the Aspire 5920 laptop later this year. Acer revealed the move at a Wi-Max information conference held in Taipei. An Acer spokesman expressed that the laptop would be given off with a Wi-Max service agreement, the same conceptual method of how mobile phones now are sold. Intel allegedly has indentured to purchase some of the laptops for testing purpose. Acer ventures into a growing list of computer producers that have preparations to bring forth the Wi-Max enabled gear to marketplace before the princely time by end of the year.