Acer Launches Eco Friendly Notebook

Taipei, Taiwan-based Acer Inc has launched a new notebook in its Timeline series, which according to the company release is eco-friendly.

Christened Aspire 3811TZ / TZG, the computer is free from environmental pollutants such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFR). This device has also been awarded the coveted Energy Star 5.0 rating for its efficient use of energy.

Other than the power supply cable connecting to the AC socket, there is no PVC or BFR to be found in the machine. These chemicals are known to generate toxins such as dioxins and furans at the end of life of the product, resulting in environment pollution.

The Timeline Aspire machine is based on Intel’s Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor with Intel GS45 express chipset. It has up to 4 Gb of DDR3 1,066 Mhz memory, and comes pre-installed with 320 Gb Hard disk drive. There are three options in display screens, 13.3″ HD, 14″ HD and 15.6″ HD, all with 1,366X768 pixel resolution and sporting CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD. The systems run on Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.

Read more about the latest notebook launched by an eco-conscious company, here.

Two New Notebooks From HP – Pavilion dv2 And dv3

Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett-Packard Development Company today (January 6) launched two new notebooks in the Pavilion series – dv2 and dv3.

The dv2 machine weighs just 3.8 pounds and is under one inch at its thickest. Housing an Athlon Neo CPU from AMD – the first such computer to be built around the Neo -, the machine has 500Gb of storage, 12.1 inch LED display and full-size keyboard. The dv2 is available in two signature, Imprint designs from HP – Espresso and Moonlight.

The notebook also sports an HP webcam and microphone, and has the option to connect an external optical disk drive with Blu-ray capability.

The dv3 is heftier with a weight of around 4.35 pounds. Its screensize too is larger at 13.3 inch diagonal. This machine is built around AMD’s Turion Ultra X2 CPU. With additional horsepower, the dv3 comes with a 5-in-1 media card reader, a mobile remote control, and a slot-loading SuperMulti DVD player.

Both the notebooks come with magnesium casing and standard company-provided hard drive protection feature.

While the dv2 has a price tag of USD 699, the dv3 begins from USD 799.

Read more about HP’s new launch here.

Hail The Dawn Of The Notebook Age

El Segundo, California-based iSuppli Corporation, a leading market intelligence firm in the electronics-industry, has released the latest report on the movement of PCs and notebooks, and observes that the Notebook Age has finally begun. This observation is based on the shipments of notebooks which exceeded 38.6 million units, against the shipment of PCs that could barely touch 38.5 million units in the third quarter of 2008. 40% more notebooks got sold in Q308 than in Q307, indicating that the market is now aggressively away from desktops to mobile machines, and because of the dropped prices, that the common man too has begun to find it attractive.

The press release from iSuppli also ranked the top OEM vendors for Q308. HP continues to be numero uno, with 14.9 million units shipped to hog a share of 18.8% of the market. Dell takes up the number two position with 11 million units and 13.9% market share. Acer follows Dell, followed by Lenovo and Toshiba.

The surprise result of the survey was the rapid gain of market share by Acer, whose strategy of penetrating the netbook market (as distinct from the notebook segment) appears to be paying dividends.

Read more about the research report from iSuppli about the dawn of the Notebook Age here.

ASUS Launches B80A Notebook

Taiwan-headquartered AsusTeK Inc. has launched a new notebook – the B80A – aimed at businesspersons and people on the move. This sub-2.5 Kg (with 6-cell battery) tool measures 34.1 cm by 24.5 cm by up to 3.7 cm height, making it a true-blue notebook in its range.

The machine is powered by Intel Centrino 2 Processor T9400, and also comes with the T5850, P8600 and P7350 variants, which also affects the price tag. The motherboard has mobile Intel GM45 Express chipset and Wi-Fi Link 5100 for wireless internet access. Users can buy versions with SATA 250 Gb with an rpm of 7,200; or they can go for SATA 160 Gb / 250 Gb / 320 Gb, each with 5,400 rpm. You can avail of main memory of up to 4 Gb of DDR2 800 Mhz RAM.

The machine comes with a widescreen display of 14.1″, with a choice available between WXGA or WXGA+. Throw in a optical drive (DVD Super Multi) and an optional video camera (built-in 1.3 M pixel camera),  with a built-in Bluetooth V2.1 (EDR+ is optional), and the notebook is complete.

Interesting features include an optional docking system that provides connectivity to your other peripherals, and a built-in LED system in the keyboard, making working in the dark seminar rooms possible.

Read more about the product here.