News Bits: Gateway Unveils New Notebook, HP Still #1, ASUS Ships Illegal Software

Gateway unveils MC series notebook

Image credit: LAPTOP

Gateway unveiled its latest notebook, the MC series, at a press conference this week. The MC is a serious step-up for Gateway in terms of style and attractiveness. One of the most interesting design features is a strip of black leather running down the center of the lid. Other design features include an orange backlit keyboard and brushed aluminum palmrests.

The MC series will feature a 16:9 aspect ratio, 16-inch display with resolutions up to full HD (1920x1080). The screen has a piece of glass over it that spans edge-to-edge, much like the Infinity displays on HP's HDX notebooks (to which the MC will be a head-to-head competitor).

There are no official specifications for the MC series yet, but there will be both AMD and Intel versions.

Full Story (LAPTOPMag.com)
Via (Engadget.com)

ASUS shipping notebooks with illegal software

Many ASUS owners on various discussion boards are reporting finding confidential and personal information, plus illegal key generators on their new notebooks.

Full Story (APCMag.com)
Via (Engadget.com)
Special thanks to forum super moderator Johnny T for submitting this bit

HP remains #1 in notebook shipments

According to research done by DisplaySearch, HP was number one in the world for notebook shipments by volume in the second quarter this year. HP has now held that position for two straight years. The real growth in the notebook PC market has come from consumers, one of Dell's troublespots. Dell has recently been concentrating on the consumer notebook market, and has seen consistent shipment increases.

DisplaySearch also found that the market share of traditional 4:3 non-widescreen notebooks has dipped below three percent.

Full Story (DigiTimes.com)

Nvidia cutting 6.5% of workforce

Nvidia this week announced that it will be cutting approximately 6.5% of its workforce, about 360 jobs. The layoffs will be complete by October.

Full Story (NYTimes.com)

 

Hmm... it looks like Asus is in trouble!

 

Although I can see why widescreen is popular, I'm sure a good part of the reason 4:3 is so low is that it's nigh impossible to find these days. I actually had a preference for it last year, but couldn't find a powerful enough 4:3 at a decent price - though now that I've used widescreen awhile I do like it as well. I wouldn't be surprised if a large part of 16:9's marketshare gain is due to what's being offered rather than preference for it - same reason consumers eventually move to newer operating systems really.

NVidia cuts don't bode well. Cutting jobs often means losing money, and I recall something about NVidia losing a couple hundred million awhile back and possibly being responsible for much more.

Speaking of bad news for companies, that second tidbit is a dark cloud for Asus alright. Somehow I doubt those are illegal key generators for Asus's own software.

 

Thx for news Chaz!And more Nvidia problems

 

Go HP Go!!!

The Gateway MC don't look bad at all though. The backlit keyboard looks nice.

 

What's with the tiny touchpad on the Gateway? Looks wayyy out of proportion with the rest of the notebook.

EDIT: Nevermind. Seems more like that's just a trick of the eye.

 

When is HP going to update its mini-note instead of coming out with more models? I know they're trying to cover all their bases by reaching all market segments, but it'd probably be best if they can get people to buy the mini-note, as the netbook market is growing much faster.

The mini-note has the potential to topple other netbooks. I would like to see an increase in screen size to 10 inches, replacement of the VIA processor with Intel Atom, and an increase in the battery life.

 

I'd rather see the VIA Nano, to be honest.

 

Whether it gets the VIA Nano or Intel Atom, the mini-note needs an update AND FAST! Even though it is the sexiest looking netbook by far, looks only go so far. The reality is that it's the priciest and among the weakest performers....anything with the Atom processor will trample it at the moment!

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about that illegal software issue if the original source is a discussion board.

 

The original source for this story is PC Pro magazine ( http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/hot-topics/224892/asus-ships-software-cracker-on-recovery-dvd.html), which is one of the leading PC magazines in the UK.

This is a reputable source and they have checked the recovery DVD, and moreover I have a laptop with these files on (some discussion on boards here), and a bit of searching shows that other people are affected by this too (and this was way before PC Pro broke the story...)

 

Iv seen companies that uses cracks and keygens even when they have legitimate software licenses. It is just much easier to install.

 

The Asus issue has already been mentioned as early as May of this year on NBR. As I recall, there were photos of random people and a confidential M$ document giving instructions to bypass windows activation. I believe someone also mentioned having found cracks for winzip/winrar on their laptops too.

 

Karma

 

Very nice looking Gateway notebook.

 

Go Asus Go! Setting a good example for the kids.