News Bits: Intel Santa Rosa Coming May, 16GB ExpressCard SSD, New Sony Splash Design Laptops

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Intel Santa Rosa platform to hit market in 1H May

Intel's next-gen Centrino platform, Santa Rosa or Centrino Pro, is slated to hit the market in the first half of May according to DRAMeXchange. PC ODMs are focusing on shipping full systems as well as barebone notebooks at the end of April.

Notable features of the Santa Rosa platform include updated 64-bit Core 2 Duo CPUs with an 800MHz FSB,Crestline 965 series chipsets, and Intel 4965AGNKedron wireless cards. Intel Turbo Memory, WWAN, and WiMAX are optional features. The May release of the Santa Rosaplatform will expand over the consumer and commercial sectors.Santa Rosa for the consumer will aim at the mid- to high-end market; Vista will be installed on most of the machines with the new platform.

Santa Rosa will not cause the notebook market to grow that much because the market is already mature.

Read More (DigiTimes)

Sony releases four new Graphic Splash Edition notebooks

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Sony today released four new &quot;Graphic Splash Edition&quot; notebooks to celebrate the coming of Spring. Production will be limited to only 1350 of these new designs; they will be available on both the VAIO C and VAIO FE series notebook lines.

The &quot;Graphic Splash Edition&quot; designs include:

• Pink Blossom (C Series)/ Charcoal Blossom (FE Series)
• Dots Black and White
• Weathered Red (C Series)/ Weathered Blue (FE Series)
• Dots Brown and Turquoise

The VAIO C series &quot;Graphic Splash Edition&quot; notebooks will start at around $1,250, while the VAIO FE models will start at around $1,000. They can be purchased at SonyStyle.com or at SonyStyle stores.

Transcend introduces 16GB ExpressCard SSD

Image Courteousy DailyTech

Transcend has displayed a USB 2.0-based ExpressCard SSD (Solid State Disk) that is available in capacities up to 16GB. The ExpressCard SSD is Vista ReadyBoost compatible; it shows up as a standard USB 2.0 flash drive in Windows. The card comes bundled with a USB adapter so it can be used in computers that do not have an ExpressCard slot.

The card will be available in 2, 4, 8, and 16GB capacities; pricing and availiability have not been announced.

Read More (DailyTech)

Short supply of notebook panels causes prices to rise

There is a tight supply of 15.4- and 14.1-inch widescreen notebook panels because of less output from the panel makers. This has caused prices to rise in April. There is also a shortage of widescreen desktop panels; prices for PC-use LCD panels are expected to rise during Q2 and Q3, but begin to fall in Q4.

Read More (DigiTimes)

LapWorks launches aluminum desktop stand for laptops

LapWorks today introduced the Aluminum Desktop Stand, which elevates notebook computers on a desk to improve screen viewing, improve typing ergonomics, and improve cooling efficiency. The stand features six easy-to-adjust elevated positions.

The Aluminum Desktop Stand is constructed of brushed aluminum. It is portable, weighing only 1 lb, 5 oz, and folds flat for easy storage. On the bottom of the stand there are non-skid rubber pads and a built-in turntable for 360 degree rotation. A neoprene travel bag/slip cover, which doubles as a mousepad, is also included.

The Aluminum Desktop Stand is available for an introductory price of $69.95 from LapWorks until May 31.

Product Link

Read More (Business Wire)

iSkin introduces new sleeves for MacBook, MacBook Pro

iSkin today announced SOHO, a new line of protective notebook sleeves for the Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro, and similarly sized PCs. The sleeves are made out of premium synthetic leather and dyed using environmentally safe inks. The SOHO has a multi-layered design with a protective durable outer layer, a reinforced padded center, and a soft inner lining.

The SOHO is available in two sizes for the 13&quot; MacBook and the 15&quot; MacBook Pro. There are five black sleeves available with color-accented zippers and stitching. The complete line will be available for $59.99 (13&quot/$64.99 (15&quot at www.iSkin.com and participating resellers in the next few weeks.

Product Link

Read More (Business Wire)

 

I really wonder the prices of that SSD hard drive, looks like a nice addition for your Santa Rosa notebook.

I cannot wait for Santa Rosa... I hope they will fix every bug and make it the best platform ever!

 

Charcoal blossom? ;

That is quite a name for color their Sony. All of those color spash designs are just plain fugly.

 

I'm definitely looking into the iSkin. Mac accessories fit my laptop really well, and a harder case is always good news.

 

This article:

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-13568-Transcend's 16GB Express Card.html

States that the price will be 1000 euros, but there doesn't seem to be a source for it (and the other articles say pricing hasn't been announced yet). But probably not far off.

And as Engadget pointed out, that would work out to almost 1337 US dollars...

 

wow I can't wait for the Santa Rosa platform.

And it seems like WiMax will be an option!!

 

WiMax was planned for Santa Rosa, but has been moved back to the next platform, Montevina (due next year).

Possibly they may shoehorn WiMax in before that, but I don't know if it would be an official thing or anything.

 

Wow 1337$, man I must have that product But man how expensive for just an ExpressCard hard drive.

 

does anyone know what will be the price of new santa rosa?

 

You will most likely not see a price difference. When they switched from Core Duo to Core 2 Duo there wasn't a price change, so I imagine Santa Rosa platform will be similiar.

And finally official word on Santa Rosa.

 

Yeah, I think you're right, and most companies will try to keep prices the same.

The only thing though is that the Core Duo to Core 2 Duo switch only involved a change in CPU's........... the underlying platform was still Napa (which accommodates either Core Duo or Core 2 Duo CPU's).

With Santa Rosa, it is also a new chipset, etc. and I could see some elements as contributing to slightly more expensive laptops (things like the NAND flash memory caching stuff, the new wireless stuff, the new Core 2 Duo CPU's, etc.).

 

The platform is targeted at the mid- to high-end market, so I'd say a minimum price of $1,000. Under $1,000 is what I'd consider the 'budget' market. Mid-range starts at $1,000 - $1,100, and high-end is probably over $1,500 - $1,600.

 

is there have some possiblelity to find Santa Rosa in Nederland?
my budget is about 1500 euro or 1800$,the only problem is to find Santa Rosa in nederland.

 

Does anybody know if there's an official release date for the new SZ's?

I've been looking around at Sony's business site (informations always come first there ) but there's no news...

Can't wait for the Santa Rosa platform!!!

 

I don't believe so, but it's probably safe to expect them sometime in May or June.

 

Wake me up when they make a PCI-e based ExpressCard SSD. I want this product badly, but it's USB based so you get all the exciting speed USB has to offer which is to say very little.

ExpressCard can be USB or PCI-e based - seems like a retarded decision to base it on the way slower standard...

Guess I have to wait for Intel Robson (in santa rosa) to get some fast Flash based tech.

Apple: I have a fistful of cash waiting for the moment a santa rosa MacBook Pro hits the street.