News Bits: ATI Losing Market Share, Lithium Polymer Batteries, Asus G1P Reviewed

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The next notebook battery: Lithium polymer

Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow said on Wednesday that notebook manufacturers are likely to soon use lithium polymer batteries in place of the current lithium ion batteries. Lithium polymer batteries still use lithium as an active ingredient, but the lithium is not put into cells as in Li-ion batteries; it is contained in a polymer gel.

Polymer gel does not have the same energy density as lithium ion batteries, although this is not a bad thing. The energy density of lithium ion batteries has been increased by battery manufacturers; if an internal short occurs, a chain reaction can be set off and start a fire. Industrial designers like lithium polymer because the gel packs can be put into devices' empty spaces.

Glasgow is quoted as saying, &quot;I don't think anything new is going to be available in the next 12 to 18 months,&quot; when referring to new battery technologies. Other upcoming choices for notebook battery options include zinc-based batteries and fuel cells.

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Intel to produce US$400 laptop

Intel said that its low-cost laptop will be tested in schools in Brazil. Intel is donating 700 to 800 of the &quot;Classmate PCs&quot; to the government. The Brazilian government's goal is to bridge the gap between the computer haves and have-nots. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvia believes that laptops for children will improve education and reduce the technological divide between Brazil and developed nations.

The Classmate PC weighs 2.9 pounds, has a 7&quot; color screen, wireless Internet capability, and flash memory. It is roughly half the size of a traditional laptop. No optical drive is included. The operating system of the laptops is not yet clear. Intel executives said the cost of the machines would come down with mass production. The Brazilian government will be testing the Intel laptop alongside the cheaper OLPC non-profit group's laptop.

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ATI losing market share in every category

Jon Peddie Research estimates that about 76 million PC graphics devices shipped from major suppliers in Q3 2006, representing a 5.2% increase from Q2, and an 11.2% increase from the same quarter last year. The mobile graphics segment saw a 13.8% increase in shipments from Q2 to Q3 '06, and a whopping 30.2% increase year-over-year. IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) shipments moved growth in Q2, with a 15.8% growth, and dedicated graphics saw a 7.5% increase during the quarter, and a 9.3% increase over the same period last year.

Intel has the largest share of the mobile graphics market at 51%, down from 54%. ATI dropped to 24%, and Nvidia bounded 8% to a 19% market share.

For discrete graphics cards, ATI had a dramatic decrease in market share, from 63% to 47%. On the contrary, Nvidia's shipments grew sequentially; the company had a 37% share in Q1 '06, and in Q3, had a 53% share. Intel is the world's largest supplier of PC graphics devices; ATI follows second, and Nvidia takes third place.

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Which edition of Windows Vista is right for me?

Confused about Windows Vista? ExtremeTech takes an in-depth look at the six main editions of Windows Vista, breaks down the feature set, and helps you decide which version is best for your needs.

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Acer sees increasing revenue in November; notebook OEM Inventec sees drop

Acer saw increasing revenues in November to US$1.34 billion, a 2.1% increase sequentially and a 5.6% increase on-year. The company set another record, breaking the previous one achieved in October. Acer remains positive about its future outlook for the holiday season.

Notebook OEM maker Inventec saw revenues decline 7.8% in November due to decreased shipments to its major clients, which include HP and Toshiba. However, the company's year-to-date revenues represented a 50.8% on-year growth.

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Asus G1P gaming laptop reviewed

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Several of our forum members have put time an effort into producing reviews of the new Asus G1P 15.4&quot; gaming notebook. You can check out these reviews at the following links:

Asus G1 Review by 6times7

Asus G1 Review by Justin@XoticPC

 

I highly recommend checking out that Vista guide article and the chart ExtremeTech has, it's very helpful.

And thanks to the two guys that posted their Asus G1 Reviews -- both did great jobs.

 

I'm looking forward to see what those Lithium polymer batteries can do once more testing has been done on them.

That $400 laptop by Intel might have a hard time trying to compete with the OLPC project.

 

Apple is using Lithium polymer batteries in there notebook line. Are they not?

 

I believe they are using some sort of lithium polymer battery.

Here are some pros/cons from batteryuniversity.com:

 

It seems like all the 'new battery' advantages are pro-manufacturer and all the limitations are anti-consumer.... I see how it is.

 

Like any new tech, it will be awhile before we see use of polymer gels for notebook batts, at least until they increase the energy density.

 

I'm not convinced polymer gels is the right direction to go. They've got some persuading to do to me until I accept it. For now I just see too many drawbacks and penalties. Exploding laptops/batteries are so rare to me that it doesn't impact me at all, but I'm sure these companies would like to avoid massive recalls like what Sony has to deal with or legal complications. I say increase your quality control or make polymer batteries better. Right now it's just not advantageous enough for me to get excited at all. :/

 

Although Lithium Polymer sounds interesting, it still doesn't seem to really suite the consumers. If it's more expensive to produce yet having less energy density, it's quite a bit difficult to manufacture and sell.

Perhaps, these new batteries would be better suited for Thin And Lightweight notebook models.

 

The modular bay batteries from Dell and Lenovo/IBM have been lithium polymer for years now. I wouldn't mind if other notebook manufacturers follow Apple's lead and take advantage of the flexible form factor to help allow for thinner notebooks.

 

i have a lithium polymer battery in my Iriver H320 mp3 player and i love it. i have had it for three years now, charging everyday or every other day and it only has dropped two hours of play time. that is much better than the ipod's or any other lithium ion battery i have ever owned.