GUESS WHAT! THIS IS THE 500TH POST!

Lenovo Unleashes PC Beast on Mobile Workstation Market with ThinkPad W700
Delivers Industry’s First Built-in Digitizer and Color Calibrator Along with Ultimate Power, Multimedia and Display Technologies

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – August 12, 2008: Lenovo today introduced the ThinkPad W700, a 17-inch widescreen mobile workstation engineered with game-changing technologies and innovations to exceed the demands of the most data and graphics-intensive users. Lenovo brings the industry’s first built-in digitizer and color calibrator to a mobile workstation and combines these innovations with first-in-market technologies such as new NVIDIA® Quadro FX mobile graphics and supporting the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor. Other features such as optional dual hard drives with RAID configurations, up to 8 GB of high speed DDR3 memory, a range of wireless connectivity options and excellent multimedia capabilities including an optional Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player make the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation the standard-bearer for power and performance in a mobile workstation.

“Lenovo has engineered a new breed of mobile workstation with the ThinkPad W700,” said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Lenovo. “No other PC manufacturer has a mobile workstation that delivers the sheer power, performance and cutting-edge innovation that Lenovo has packed into the ThinkPad W700. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation flat out delivers the command performance our customers demand at the desk as well as in the field.”

According to IDC, the compound annual growth rate for the worldwide mobile workstation market has been more than 60 percent per year since 2002.1The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation extends Lenovo’s commitment to workstation users, complementing Lenovo’s W500 mobile workstation and ThinkStation S10 and D10 workstations. As workers in fields such as digital content creation, computer-aided design and manufacturing, digital photography and science fields including the oil and gas industries become increasingly mobile, they are demanding the full-featured performance of a desktop workstation in a mobile workstation.

First-in-Industry Engineered Innovation
The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation takes customer driven innovation to a new level with an optional built-in palm rest digitizer and color calibrator. Lenovo and Intel collaborated to integrate the color calibrator and digitizer into the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation. Designed for digital content creators and users, the mobile workstation’s digitizer helps them easily configure an image, either mapping it to the entire screen or to an area defined by the user. High performance users, especially digital photographers, will benefit from models with the built-in color calibrator as color continues to play an important role in their work. The calibrator automatically adjusts the display’s color in up to half the time of many external calibrators and with higher accuracy, resulting in the most accurate, true-to-life images in an integrated package. Together with the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor, multimedia designers and animators now have outstanding quad-core processor performance and true color replication that is critical for realistic digital creations and workflow efficiencies.

Super-Charged Performance Unleashed
Supporting the latest Intel processor technologies including the upcoming mobile quad core processor, the mobile workstation can be configured with up to 8 GB of memory with an additional 2 GB of Intel Turbo Memory. Lenovo also offers models with Intel® vPro™ technology for complete manageability. The mobile workstation can be equipped with dual internal hard drives, including solid state drive storage. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation offers both the NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 2700M and 3700M Open GL graphics processors with up to 1 GB of dedicated video memory for exceptional graphics performance in a 17-inch mobile workstation. The hard drives can be configured for RAID 0 to help users access and save their data faster than traditional disk-writing methods, or users can choose RAID 1 for mirrored data redundancy.

The mobile workstation includes WiFi wireless connectivity. Additionally, users can connect to other devices wirelessly using mobile workstation models featuring Bluetooth and ultra wideband technology. Models supporting WiMAX will be available later this year.

New Heights in Display Technology and Multimedia Excellence
As the company’s first product with a 17-inch display, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation delivers an unparalleled viewing experience with a combination of leading technologies. Its optional 400-nit WUXGA display provides up to twice the brightness of earlier ThinkPad mobile workstation models, and the 72 percent wide color gamut provides more than 50 percent greater color intensity. The high resolution, extreme brightness and wide color gamut coupled with the NVIDIA Quadro FX MXM graphics solution results in a user experience unequalled in a mobile workstation today. For external connectivity, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation provides support for Dual Link DVI, Display Port and VGA. A 7-in-1 multicard reader, and five USB ports give users flexibility in transferring and accessing digital content. Additionally, the workstation comes with an optional compact flash reader and Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player. An optional mini-dock extends the mobile workstation’s capabilities with eSATA and digital audio ports as well as convenient cabling for power, external monitors and peripherals.

Packed for extreme performance, the mobile workstation also features BIOS/port disablement and an optional fingerprint reader, a smartcard reader and hard drives with full-disk encryption. It will carry more than 20 certifications from independent software vendors.

“Our engineers use Lenovo ThinkStation workstations to help them design the next-generation Williams – Toyota FW31 race cars, aiming to make them faster and more agile, with greater performance than the competition,” said Chris Taylor, IT manager, AT&T Williams. “We’re
thrilled to see Lenovo deliver the workstation performance we’ve come to rely on – now in a mobile, portable solution.”

Pricing and Availability2
The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation will be available beginning in September with models starting at $2,978. It is available through Lenovo Business Partners and www.lenovo.com.

Hardware Specifications

• 1.2GHz, VIA C7®-M Processor ULV
• 512MB DDR2 533MHz, SDRAM
• 30GB Hard Disk Drive
• 7″ WVGA TFT Display (800 x 480)
• VIA UniChrome Pro IGP Graphics
• VIA High-Definition Audio, 802.11b/g
• (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port
• (1) DVI-I Port, (2) USB 2.0 Ports
• (1) 4-in1 Media Card Reader
• (1) .3MP Webcam
• (1) Headphone/Line-Out Port
• (1) Microphone/Line-In Port
• (1) Set of Stereo Speaker
• (1) Touchpad
• (1) 4-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery

(Source)

Click on Thumbnail for Full Size Image

• Connects most Bluetooth devices.
• Supports A2DP up to 30 meters Enables wireless connectivity between computers and devices
• Enables connectivity to 7 Bluetooth devices at one time
• Enables Wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) connectivity
• Bluetooth 1.1 compliant
• Bluetooth class 2, compatible with Bluetooth class 1
• USB 1.1 compliant
• More than 33 feet wireless networking range
• Up to 723 Kbps data rate
• Dimensions: 14 x 19 x 6mm
• Weight: 2g

LinuxDevices.com:

• Performance:
  • Access time — 30 to 100 microseconds
  • Burst transfer rate — 300 MB/sec.
  • Sustained transfer rate — up to 100 MB/sec.
  • I/O operations per second — Up to 20,000
• Environmental specifications:
  • Operating temperature 0-70 degrees C (“commercial” range), -40 to +85 degrees C (“industrial” range)
  • Shock (operating) — 1,250 G
  • Vibration (operating) — 16.4 G rms
• Reliability:
  • MTBF — 1.9 million hours, minimum
  • Error correction — corrects up to 9 random bit errors per 528-byte block
  • Data integrity — up to ten years
  • Read endurance — unlimited
• Physical specifications:
  • Form-factor — 2.5-inch HDD
  • Dimensions — 2.75 x 3.95 x 0.93 inches (69.85 x 100.45 x 23.55 mm) maximum, storage capacities 64 GB and below are 0.33 inches thick
  • Weight — 2.9 to 7.8 ounces (83 to 221 grams)

Intel Core 2 Quad (or Duo Extreme) X6800 running on a 1066 MHz FSB – Triple 250GB SATA 300 Hard Drives with RAID 0,1 or 5 – Up to 4 Gigs of 667MHz DDR2 RAM, Dual SLI NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GPUs each with 512MB DDR3 VideoRAM.

The price of this beast starts at $2,400 and can be configured to well over $10,000.

Photos –

Laptop: Closer Look and Pricing of Asus’ DIY Notebook – Gizmodo

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Well just the other day Palm announced the interesting Foleo ultra-portable laptop and now it seems that other company’s are starting to unveil more laptops based on this new style of computing. Today VIA introduced the NanoBook Ultra Mobile Device and to be honest this editor was excited to use Palm’s new Foleo but now i cant wait to get my hands on one of VIA’s new Ultra Mobile Device. The NanoBook simply adds a significant amount of hardware to the device and allows for a much broader range of uses as opposed to the Foleo’s strictly business approach. The NanoBook runs on either Windows XP or Vista (I’ll believe it runs Vista when i see it), weighing in at just under two pounds it features a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor with up to 1GB of RAM Also included is a 30GB hard drive, 7-inch WVGA display, 802.11g WiFi , Bluetooth, and a DVI-out port and even comes in at a price of $600. Along side the 7-inch screen is a secondary slot to add the function of GPS, VoIP, or even WWAN which grealy increases the capabilities of this tiny laptop as opposed to the non-upgradeable Palm Foleo. Currently this is only a reference design but with Packard Bell and another unknown company already signed on, the prospects of bringing his incredibly versatile laptop to the US market seems to be fairly good.

News Release

VIA to Define Mobility 2.0 with Revolutionary New VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design

Provides rich computing, Internet, and multimedia experience in a light, ultra portable notebook delivering up to five hours of battery life

Taipei, Taiwan, 05 June 2007 – VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and device platform solutions, will unveil the new VIA NanoBook UMD (Ultra Mobile Device) Reference Design at VTF2007 on 6 June 2007 in Taipei.

Designed to meet the needs of today’s Mobility 2.0 lifestyle, the VIA NanoBook packs the performance, connectivity and functionality of a notebook PC into a sleek and light ultra portable clamshell form factor that weighs less than 850g.

The VIA NanoBook is powered by the ultra low voltage 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor and delivers up to 5 hours of battery life. Powered by a choice of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista Basic operating systems, it comes with host of advanced features, including a full keyboard, a crisp 7″ WVGA screen with touch panel, up to 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, and a minimum 30GB HDD, as well as 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet support, plus a DVI and two USB 2.0 ports.

To provide users with additional flexibility when they are on the move, the VIA NanoBook also features a USB slot next to the screen that will enable the snap-in integration of a variety of World Time Clock/Calendar, GPS, VOIP, and broadband wireless modules.

“The VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design turns my dream of creating a full featured Ultra Mobile Device that delivers a rich computing, communications, and Internet computing experience into a reality,” said Wenchi Chen, President and CEO of VIA Technologies, Inc. “With its highly-functional yet ultra compact form factor and extended battery life, it will enable people to enjoy the Mobility 2.0 lifestyle at any place and any time.”

Recognized Manufacturing Quality

The VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design has been designed and manufactured in collaboration with First International Computer, Inc (FIC), a world leader in the design and production of computing and other electronics devices, ensuring world class levels of quality and reliability, rapid time to market, and a flexible response to customer needs.

“The unrivaled portability and functionality of the VIA NanoBook makes small screen PDA devices seem hopelessly obsolete,” stated John Villejo, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for FIC. “Users searching beyond cumbersome laptops will also find familiarity with the ergonomics of the VIA NanoBook but with the added benefit of extreme mobility.”

With its innovative design, long battery life, and rich feature set, the VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design has been adopted as the basis for the forthcoming EasyNote XS from Packard Bell, one of the leading PC brands in the European market.

“The EasyNote XS is a ground breaking new device that combines the functionality of a PC with the convenience of a handheld,” commented Roger Yuen, Asia Pacific Vice President of Packard Bell. “We are very excited about the potential of this new category of Ultra Mobile Devices in the market.”

VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design

Weighing less than 850g and measuring just 230mm x 171mm x 29.4mm, the VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design makes all day mobile productivity and entertainment a reality with up to 5 hours of battery life.

Powered by the 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor and the VIA VX700 chipset featuring the VIA UniChrome Pro II IGP integrated graphics core, the VIA NanoBook delivers all the performance and functionality for a rich Windows and Internet experience. Despite its small size, it also comes with a complete set of productivity, multimedia, and connectivity features, including a full keyboard, a 7″ WVGA screen with touch panel supporting 840×480 resolution, up to 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, a 30/60GB HDD, and a 4-in-1 card reader, as well as 802.11g WiFi and Bluetooth support, plus an Ethernet, a DVI and two USB2.0 ports plus Mic-In/Speaker-Out ports. The device supports Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista.

To further extend the device’s functionality, the VIA NanoBook is also equipped with a USB slot next to the screen that can be configured to include a World Time Clock, GPS, DVB, VoIP or even 3G/CDMA wireless broadband modules. The standard model has a smart silver finish, though greater personalization is possible with a variety of shell colour options.

Targeted at aggressive consumer price points, the VIA NanoBook is ideally suited to the consumer, business and education markets and versions of it will be available through leading global OEMs and SIs in the second half of 2007. For the full VIA NanoBook UMD Reference Design specification, please visit the VIA website here:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives/spearhead/nanobook/

Mobility 2.0

Mobility 2.0 moves people beyond today’s limited mobile Internet to a full-featured Web 2.0 browsing and computing experience at their fingertips through the next generation of Ultra Mobile Devices. Weighing under a kilogram, UMDs are based on the x86 architecture and bridge the gap between the notebook and the mobile phone, bringing the benefits of a PC with all the applications, information and entertainment users require to an ultra portable form factor.

About the VIA C7-M Ultra Mobile Platform

The VIA Ultra Mobile Platform is based on the low power drawing VIA C7-M ULV x86 mobile processor specifically designed for small form factor Ultra Mobile Devices. The VIA C7-M ULV Ultra Mobile Processor utilizes advanced VIA CoolStream architecture and is manufactured using IBM’s 90nm SOI process for high levels of power efficiency. VIA C7-M ULV processors are available at speeds from 1.0-1.5GHz with a maximum thermal design power (TDP) as low as 3.5 watts, and idle power as little as 0.1 watt, ensuring unparalleled battery life. This is complemented by a low profile nanoBGA2 package measuring just 21mm x 21mm, enabling designs with drastically reduced weight, size, and thickness. For more details on the VIA C7-M ULV processor, please visit the VIA website at:
www.via.com.tw/en/products/processors/c7-m_ulv/

About VIA Technologies, Inc.

VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia and networking silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA’s global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world’s top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. www.via.com.tw

[Source: ASUS News]

Foleo Mobile Companion Brings Large Screen and Full-size Keyboard to Smartphones

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 30, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Building on its vision that the future of personal computing is mobile computing, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the Palm(R) Foleo(TM), its first smartphone companion product. The Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected on its paired smartphone and vice versa. Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day or at the touch of a button. This powerful combination is for productivity-minded business people who want a more complete mobile solution for email, attachments and access to the web.(1)

The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact and elegant design, and a battery that lasts up to 5 hours of use. Its applications include email, full-screen web browser, and editors or viewers for common business documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. The Foleo stays synchronized via Bluetooth(R) wireless technology and uses the smartphone’s radio or the Foleo’s built-in Wi-Fi radio for general Internet connectivity.

“Foleo is the most exciting product I have ever worked on,” said Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm, Inc. and the visionary behind the Foleo’s concept and definition. “Smartphones will be the most prevalent personal computers on the planet, ultimately able to do everything that desktop computers can do. However, there are times when people need a large screen and full-size keyboard. As smartphones get smaller, this need increases. The Foleo completes the picture, creating a mobile-computing system that sets a new standard in simplicity.”

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Credentialed media plus industry and financial analysts are invited to join a streamed webcast today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Hawkins will discuss Palm’s vision for this new category and demonstrate the new product’s capabilities, followed by a Q&A session. The live webcast can be accessed using the following link: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=39613)

Foleo mobile companions work with Palm’s Treo(TM) smartphones (Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) versions). However, Palm believes that most smartphones based on Windows Mobile should work with little or no modification. Smartphones based on operating systems from Research in Motion, Apple, and Symbian likely can be supported with a modest software effort. The Foleo’s synchronization architecture is open, and Palm expects to work with third-party developers to support as many smartphones as possible.

“As we did with the PalmPilot more than a decade ago, and more recently with the Treo smartphone, Palm is driving innovation and capitalizing on emerging opportunities in mobile computing, a market full of potential,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. “The Palm Foleo represents our first product in a new line of solutions that will redefine how people work while away from their desks. It starts today with a focus on wireless email, and we expect the Foleo to grow in features and expand its capabilities as the platform grows.”

Skyrocketing use of mobile email creates demand for a new way of mobile computing. By the end of 2007, an estimated 24.2 million wireless email accounts will be in use worldwide, and by 2010 wireless email accounts will soar to 199 million.(2) The rapid growth of smartphone sales, the faster speeds of wireless networks, and the increasing digitization of content make this the right time for the introduction of Palm’s first mobile companion product.

Although designed primarily as a companion to a mobile phone, Foleo is a powerful computer on its own. Its Linux-based operating system and built-in Wi-Fi radio make it easy for developers to create new applications that can be installed with a single click in the browser. The Foleo has a USB port, video-out port, headphone jack, and slots for SD and compact flash cards for memory expansion. This combination of capabilities in a low-cost design is new in the industry. Palm has opened its design and is actively supporting third-party software developers.

(NOTE: Video and images of the new mobile companion are available from Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5410999) and from Palm’s Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary).)

Primary Capabilities and Attributes of the Foleo Mobile Companion

– One-button access to full-screen email

– Instant on, instant off

– Rapid access to various applications

– 10-inch screen and full-size keyboard

– Web search and browsing via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi

– Editors for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus a PDF viewer

– Compact, stylish design that fits on an airline tray table

– Lightweight at 2.5 pounds

– Fast, simple and intuitive navigation

– 5-hour battery life

– Linux OS for easy application development

Wireless Email on the Big Screen

Email users have become increasingly dependent on smartphones to remain connected and productive.

Drawing on Palm’s world-class usability and responsiveness, the Foleo mobile companion gives Palm OS and Windows Mobile based smartphone customers more power and flexibility while retaining the most-loved features of the Treo smartphone. For example, customers open the Foleo, press a button, and it turns on instantly. There is never a delay or boot-up time. A dedicated button provides access to email. All work is saved, so there is no need to close applications or take actions in order to save files. When the Foleo is turned on again, it resumes where the user left off.

New users follow a simple process to pair a Foleo with their smartphone. From then on, email stays synchronized on both devices.

Web Browsing

It is easy to view the web through built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, using the Opera browser. Using Bluetooth, a Treo smartphone acts as a wireless modem for the Foleo. Alternatively, customers can use the Foleo mobile companion’s built-in Wi-Fi for fast web browsing anywhere Wi-Fi is available, including more than 50,000 hot spots open to the public in the United States.(3)

Attachments To Go

The Foleo mobile companion also supports the most popular types of attachments. As on the Treo smartphone, the mobile companion uses a version of Documents To Go(R) customized by DataViz(R). People can create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint compatible documents. The Foleo also includes a Palm-developed PDF reader.

Mobile professionals will find that just as their smartphones are ideal for use while on the move, the Foleo mobile companion is a perfect fit for use while commuting by mass transit, in meetings or on business trips. The mobile companion’s size is ideal for working from an airplane seat, and its instant on/off capability makes it easy to comply with flight restrictions on electronics.

Elegant and Thoughtful Design

The Foleo mobile companion’s hardware design features elegantly clean lines and forgoes excessive latches and connectors. An innovative scroll wheel, clever forward and back buttons, and a convenient track point enable easy navigation without requiring the user’s hands leave the full-size keyboard.

By building the Foleo on an open Linux-based software platform, Palm hopes to replicate earlier success with developers by drawing a large community to create new applications that will extend the mobile companion’s capabilities. Palm already has partnered with DataViz and Opera Software, demonstrating the ease with which exciting technology and applications can be ported to the Foleo mobile companion. Palm also will produce tools to allow smartphone manufacturers to make devices compatible with the Foleo mobile companion.

Foleo Pricing and Availability

U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. The price of the Foleo mobile companion is expected to be $499 after an introductory $100 rebate. For more information on the Foleo mobile companion, please visit www.palm.com/seefoleo. To sign up for notification about Foleo availability, please visit www.palm.com/foleonotify.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people’s hands so they can access and share their most important information from anywhere. The company’s products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphones, Palm Foleo(TM) mobile companions and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

(1) Requires compatible phone with Bluetooth wireless technology. Email requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. ISP and/or VPN may also be required. Within wireless service coverage area only. A dial-up networking plan from a service provider may be required at an incremental cost above and beyond the service provider’s regular smartphone data plans.

(2) Source: The Radicati Group, Inc., Wireless E-mail Market 2006-2010, November 2006

(3) Source: JiWire: http://www.jiwire.com/hot-spot-directory-browse-by-state.htm?country_ id=1&provider_id=0 (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser’s address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Broadcast Video and Other Palm Materials

Broadcast video and other materials are available online from Palm’s Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary). Press can register at the site, which is hosted by The NewsMarket (www.TheNewsMarket.com), a web-based news and video archive, to browse and preview an extensive content library and order footage directly from their desktops. Registration and ordering on the site is free.

Also, a social media news release version of today’s announcement is available at http://socialnews.palm.com/. The social media news release contains “Web 2.0″ features, including subscription via RSS, multimedia downloads, commenting, track-backing, links to social bookmark sites and other resources.

Palm, Palm OS, Foleo and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

• Processor Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor T5600 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
• Display 12.1″ WXGA(1280×800),Fine Bright Technology
• Graphics ATI® Mobility TM Radeon® X1350 (up to 512MB)
• HDD 120GB
• Wireless Intel® Pro/Wireless 3945ABG(802.11a/b/g)
• Bluetooth Yes (BlueCore™4)
• Multimedia Card Slot 5-in-1 (XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro)
• Audio SRS WOW HD, SRS TruSurround XT, 5.1CH Dolby Digital, 24bit High Definition

[Source: Gizmodo]