CentrinoDuo
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MSI releases the GX600 gaming laptop and GX700...for the ladies
Bringing back some of that 80's flair, MSI is showing off their GX600 gaming laptop at Computex. The black 15-incher is normally clocked at 2.1GHz, but hitting the 386-style Turbo button overclocks the Core 2 Duo to 2.6GHz. Apart from that, it's the usual Santa Rosa action: 800MHz bus, 802.11n, webcam, 512MB GeForce Go 8600M GT, and HDMI out. The GX600 also has some chintzy flame graphics, but they look positively half-hearted next to the GX700 MSI's also got at Computex: we saw this 17-incher back in January, but MSI has decided to throw a "feminine" mural on the lid. MSI's been experimenting with strange cases for a while, and we gotta say, it's not working for you, guys. Check the turbo button in action after the break.
Evesham intros Zieo N500-HD laptop
Evesham looks to be slowly expanding its line-up of Santa Rosa-based laptops, following up the pair of no-frills models released earlier this month with the higher-end Zieo N500-HD model. This one's aimed squarely at those in the market for a desktop replacement, boasting a 17-inch display (1680x1050), a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics, a 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, an Intel Turbo Memory cache card, a built-in TV tuner card, 802.11n WiFi, an ExpressCard slot, and an HDMI port, among other features. As you might expect, all that comes with the slight downside of a hefty carrying weight (nearly eight pounds), but if you don't mind the workout, you can grab one now for for about $2,180.[Via PC Launches]
Packard Bell sneaks into Santa Rosa with the EasyNote SB85 and SB86
While the name Packard Bell usually just conjures up images of hopelessly-broken Windows 95 machines in Radio Shacks, the company has been sold several times since leaving these shores in 1999, and though the specs on the new EasyNote SB line aren't exactly turning us green with envy, they're respectable enough to make us think that current owner Lap Shun Hui knows what he's doing. Both the EasyNote SB85 and SB86 feature Intel's Centrino Duo chipset with 802.11n support, 15.4-inch screens with integrated 1.3 megapixel webcams, 2GB of RAM, dual layer DVD±RW drives, and HDMI ports. The lower-end SB85 will set our European friends back €1199 ($1624) and comes with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo T7100, a 256MB GeForce 8600M GS, and a 160GB drive, while the €1499 ($2029) SB86 ups the processor to a 2GHz T7300 and the video card to a 512MB GeForce 8600 BS, while weirdly dropping the drive size to 120GB. Packard Bell says it'll be dropping the SB line later this month -- we're certain all of Europe is going crazy with anticipation. [Warning: PDF link][Via SlashGear]
BenQ rolls out Santa Rosa-based Joybook S41
BenQ isn't going as all out as some companies in jumping on the Santa Rosa bandwagon, but it's not entirely missing out on the action either, trotting out its new Joybook S41 series laptop while the going's still good. This one looks to fall squarely in the middle of the Santa Rosa pack, boasting a 14.1-inch widescreen display, a T7100 Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of RAM, a max 160GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS graphics, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, and an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, among other standard fare. BenQ has managed to squeeze in a few things to help it stand out from the crowd, however, most notably an HDMI output and a still-less-common-than-it-should-be ExpressCard slot. No word on price, unfortunately, although it should be available sometime this month.[Via PC Launches]
Santa Rosa: el rodeo completo
Well, the flood's slowing down to a trickle -- looks like most of the laptop manfacturers that are going to be jumping on Intel's Santa Rosa Centrino Pro / Duo bandwagon right away have gotten their machines out the door. We're still waiting on a couple stragglers -- hello, Apple -- and HP's really the only company to update across the board, but it certainly seems as though Intel's hit a home run here. A full list of updated machines after the jump.
Intel releases Santa Rosa notebook chipset
Our sister blog Engadget has the goods on Intel's newest notebook chipset which was released yesterday and is called "Santa Rosa." This chipset is the followup to earlier notebook chipsets which are presently powering the MacBook and MacBook Pro. This presumably means new and faster Mac portables sometime down the road. However, given that there was a delay of a couple of months between the first Windows PCs with the "Merom" Core 2 Duo and the first MacBook Pros sporting that processor, this doesn't mean that there will be new Macs in the immediate future. Whenever they do drop expect the top of the line to increase to 2.4 GHz (though it will remain a Merom Core 2 Duo chip), with front side bus speed increasing to 800 MHz over the 667 MHz of today. There's also a more powerful Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics chip, which should definitely help performance on a new MacBook or Mac mini. The chipset also supports more wireless networking standards, but of course there's no guarantee that Apple will use them.
Intel's Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro Santa Rosa chipsets go live
If you haven't noticed by now, the laptop industry is going Santa Rosa crazy today, and for good reason: Intel's next-gen chipset is officially "out" as of now, following up the Napa / Yonah combo of last year. Intel is sticking with the Core 2 Duo "Merom" processor for the time being, but is releasing new, faster versions that take advantage of Santa Rosa's faster front-side bus, which is up at 800MHz, compared to 667MHz of prior versions. The new processors are odd-numbered to set them apart, and include the 1.8GHz T7100, 2GHz T7300, 2.2GHz T7500, 2.4GHz T7700, 1.4GHz L7300 and 1.6GHz L7500 -- with the latter two being low-voltage versions. As seen on many of the models announced today, or leaked in the recent weeks, the new Intel 965 Express Chipset includes more than the FSB goodies, with support for the new DirectX 10 and Vista-friendly Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics and the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN 802.11n chip. That's the gist of the consumer-oriented Centrino Duo, while the Centrino Pro adds in a Gigabit Network Connection that supports remote wake-up over WiFi. Unfortunately, while the processors and front-side bus are all ready to go, laptop memory is still stuck at 667MHz, and Intel hasn't made it clear whether the Santa Rosa platforms will be able to handle the 800MHz memory due to launch later this year.
Acer's HD DVD-equipped Aspire 9800 laptop released
Sure, LG's got a 15-inch laptop for HD DVD lovers, and Toshiba has a 17-inch model sporting one of those sweet HD optical drives, but if you want this tech in a 20-inch notebook, then Acer's Aspire 9800 is the only way to go. Just released today, the 9800 has a lot more going for it than just that high definition drive, including a Centrino Duo chipset, nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics, and a 1,680 x 1,050 CrystalBrite display. You're also getting up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 240GB worth of HDD storage (or 120GB in a RAID 1 configuration), a hybrid analog / DVB-T TV tuner, and for piping those HD DVD movies out to your big screen, an HDCP-enabled HDMI output. All in all, a pretty attractive set of features -- but really, you should expect nothing less from a $2,800 machine.[Via laptoping]
Asus W3J 14-inch Centrino Duo laptop reviewed
It might not be as fancy as the high-class Lamborghinis our pals at Engadget Chinese saw at Computex, but according to this review, the 14-inch Centrino Duo W3J is a winner. Weighing in around 4-pounds, it fits right into the ultra-portable category, but doesn't skimp on specs including a Core Duo processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 that maxes out at 512 MB when the HyperMemory kicks in (256MB onboard and 256MB shared RAM). It even has the Bluetooth 2.0 that its cousin the A8Jm was so tragically missing – at least here in the States. All that, plus Asus' signature brushed metal styling and a battery life of about 2.75 make this machine sound like a champ, but we still can't help but think about the slick Q35 we could buy with the £1029 asking price.
First International's slim, VIIV-powered GE2 multimedia PC
Ever since the Mac mini made its much-heralded debut, new small form-factor multimedia PCs have been popping up seemingly every day, so a new company called First International (FIC) has its work cut out for it if it hopes to top the likes of AOpen, Blueado, and Hi-Grade with the super-slim, VIIV-powered GE2 revealed at Computex. Not surprisingly, the specs on this machine closely match other models on the market, so features like a Core Duo processor, integrated graphics, slot-loading DVD burner, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, optional TV tuner, and DVI and S/PDIF outputs will probably sound quite familiar by now. Since neither pricing nor release date are known at this point, all we can hold onto is FIC's promise that the GE2 will be shipping "very soon."
Acer Aspire 9510 and 9110 HD-DVD-sporting laptops
Along with the 15.4-inch 5670 and 20.1-inch 9800 notebooks that we'd already known about, Acer formally unveiled at Computex two other HD-DVD- and Centrino Duo-toting models from the Aspire line that we hadn't seen before: the 17-inch 9510 and 15.4-inch 9110 (pictured). All four models are being billed as all-in-one multimedia centers, and with all but the 5670 sporting 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions, S/PDIF and HDCP-capable HDMI outputs, optional analog and DVB-T tuners, and of course those high-def, backwards-compatible optical drives (still waiting on those Blu-ray models, though), it sure sounds like Acer knows what it's talking about. Both of the new-new notebooks also offer up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and nVidia graphics cards, but the 9510 rocks the GeForce Go 7900 GS with 512MB of RAM and up to 240GB of hard drive space, while the 9110 has to settle for the GeForce Go 7600 with 256MB of RAM and a HDD that maxes out at 120GB. Unfortunately, Acer was so busy selling us on the benefits of all these new machines that they forgot a few important details, so both pricing and release dates for each and every one remain a big fat mystery for now.[Via Notebook Review]
Dell XPS M1210 gaming notebook on sale in Japan
Not that we really doubted that the specs and pictures were fake, but now we have confirmation that Dell's XPS M1210 gaming laptop is indeed real, and already on sale in Japan. NotebookReview, who's been following this 12.1-inch UXGA model ever since it was leaked onto the web last month, reports that Dell Japan is offering the M1210 in configurations that max out with a 2.0GHz T2500 Core Duo processor, a hefty 4GB of RAM, 120GB of HDD space, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 graphics, an ExpressCard slot, and the usual assortment of ports and wireless radios. Using our superior knowledge of feature sets, we had predicted that this model would be cheaper than its 17-inch big brother, the $5,000 M1710, and sure enough, you'll be able to shell out at as little as $1,189 for the opportunity to become a proud member of the XPS club.[Via NotebookReview]
LG's dual-core, super-slim 14-inch XNOTE T1 laptop
Here's another dual-core ultraportable to add to your drool-list (probably just due to its looks): LG's latest superslim XNOTE laptop, the 14.1-inch T1. Unfortunately you'll probably never see this piano black, 21.5-millimeter thick notebook over here in the States, which is a shame considering how many features they managed to cram into just a 4.2-pound package, most notably a dual-layer DVD burner, 5-in-1 media card reader, plus Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g. Performance, though, is nothing to write home about, with the low end L2300 1.5GHz Centrino Duo processor, integrated graphics, and pokey 4200RPM 60GB or 80GB PATA drives probably making this model a non-starter for gamers or serious multitaskers. For simple web browsing, emailing, or DVD watching on-the-go, however, the 512MB to 2GB of RAM and optional 1,440 x 900 WXGA+ screen should prove more than adequate.[Via Core Duo News]
Three from HP: dv2000 and v3000 laptops, tc4400 tablet
You could say that we're a bit "lappy happy" today (ugh, that was terrible), as we have two more notebooks -- and one convertible tablet -- from HP to show you, to join the Toshiba Qosmio, Sony VAIOs, and pair of Alienwares we brought you earlier. Both 14.1-inch laptops are replacements for previous HP models -- the redesigned dv2000 (pictured, left) replaces the dv1000 in the Digital Entertainment Center line and the Compaq Presario v3000 (pictured, right) puts the v2000 out to pasture -- with the main upgrades coming under the hood, where each model now offers you a choice of Centrino Duo or Core Duo processors from Intel or the Mobile Sempron or Turion 64 X2 from AMD. Also rocking Core Duo (in three flavors: 1.83GHz, 2.0GHz, or 2.16GHz) is the Compaq tc4400 tablet, which sports a 12.1-inch XGA display with digitizer, integrated graphics, 512MB to two gigs of RAM, 60GB, 80GB, or 100GB hard drive, WiFi, PC Type I/II and SD card slots, and the usual assortment of inputs and outputs. The tablet, which you can peep after the jump, will be available on May 22nd for an undisclosed sum of money (but it's safe to assume that it'll be more than the $1,550 Pentium M-sporting tc4200), while the Intel-based notebooks will ship this month -- with the AMD models following shortly after -- all starting at around $1,049 after rebates and junk.Read- dv2000 and v3000Read- tc4400
