Looks like Japan does not mind suffering from Galapagos Syndrome. After all, it's not their problem that they are technologically-advanced, it is the problem of other countries that they are lagging behind. Proof of this is the growing market for dual-screen laptops. After Kohjinsha unveiled its DZ-series dual-display model, Onkyo developed their own as well.
Price: Starting at $699
Info: www.toshibadirect.com
Asustek Computer Inc. has prepared one of the first notebook PCs to use SideShow, a small display on the outside of the case that works with Windows Vista to allow users to scan e-mails and other information without booting up the laptop.
Dubbed the Asus W5Fe, it could be a hit with users who need to check some information on the go but don't want to waste battery life or take the time for a full system boot-up. It also could end up adding little extra cost to a laptop. PortalPlayer Inc., which designed the technology used in the W5Fe, has said it only increases production costs of each laptop by around US$30 to $40.
SideShow periodically wakes up the sleeping computer, gathers information stored on the computer's hard disk from Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista, Outlook and other applications, then returns the computer to its sleep state. The information, including recent e-mails and current calendar appointments, can then be consulted on the low-powered external display.
Tip: Bids Adieu to unnecessary lap-top opening
http://event.asus.com
Samsung already has some cool UMPCs (that is Ultra Mobile Personal Computers for the non-geeky personas), like the Q1 that was launched in 2006, and its big-brother Q2, but the latest news are about the SPH-P9200 - a beauty in terms of design and features - that was presented earlier this year at the 4G Forum 2007 that took place in Korea.
Like you can see on the image, the keyboard on this UMPC can be unfolded for all the occasions when you actually want to use a QWERTY styled keyboard. And when you want to make it smaller + compact, just fold the keyboard and you’re good to go - your choice.
In terms of technical specifications, the Samsung SPH-P9200 which is also known as Deluxe MIT, comes with a small 5-inch touchscreen display that provides a “normal” 800×480 resolution. Not too shabby, but not brilliant either, I guess it is good enough for its size. The processor is powered by a VIA C7-M that runs at 1GHz, and the RAM memory includes 512MB, while on the hard-drive there is space for 30GB.
 | Asus Eee PC Shipments Get Delayed Sourabh Kalantri | Sunday, September 30, 2007 5:55 AM
Delays and affordable laptops continue to go hand-in-hand; this time Asus wants to improve its Linux-based application suite. |
The Eee PC sub-notebooks were initially excepted to make it to retail markets in second-half of September 2007.
Asustek, the makers of the Eee PC laptops, wants to improve its software applications which are bundled with these systems. They've decided to offer improved Linux-based application suite on the Eee PC.
As a result, the official launch of the Eee PC has been postponed. It's interesting to note that the $400 scheme on the OLPC laptops goes live on 12th November 2007. Under this scheme, US and Canadian buyers have to pay $399 for an XO laptop created for the third world – and for each one sold to them, another will be given for free to a child in a developing nation.
The availability of the Eee PC will more-or-less coincide with these XOs.
The price-tag on the Eee PC by Asustek Computer will continue to remain the same, despite the provision for added software. For more info on the pricing, please refer to our news story here.
Asustek plans to ship 200,000-300,000 Eee PCs by the end of this year.
 | Asus Eee PC Laptops Available for Pre-Order in Three Models Sourabh Kalantri | Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:30 AM
Budget Sub-notebooks finally becoming a reality. |
Pre-orders have started at AllAsus.com with delivery in early October.
If you've been waiting for the availability of the low-cost laptops, here's some good news. The Asus Eee PC-series sub-notebooks are available in US via pre-orders.
These Eee PC laptops come with a 7-inch display powered by low-cost Intel mobile CPU and chipset. It sports almost all the connectivity options that you may find in present-day notebooks like the 802.11b/g, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet and 56K modem. On the storage front, it comes with 2/4 GB of flash memory. Also packed in is a 0.3 Megapixel webcam for video conferencing. ASUS has managed to provide 256/512MB of DDR2-400MHz RAM on this affordable notebook (depending on model specifications).
Battery life is around 3 hours with 4-cell battery back of 5200mAH capacity. It's dimensions are 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5cm and it weighs around 0.9 Kilogram.
The three configs of Asus Eee PC which are available for pre-orders are:
To pre-order yours, go here.
[via Laptoping]
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