News Bits: Lenovo 3000 Series Discontinued, Eee Box Desktops, New Compal Notebooks

Lenovo 3000 series is no more, Y series now IdeaPad

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According to a report at Engadget, Lenovo is discontinuing its 3000 series notebook and desktop lineup. The Y-series will also no longer exist, as it is becoming a part of the IdeaPad lineup. The IdeaPad has similar pricing to the 3000 series, but with better designs.

Full Story (Engadget.com)

Compal introduces Centrino 2 notebooks

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Image credit: NotebookItalia

Compal has introduced new notebooks based on the upcoming Centrino 2 "Montevina" platform: the JHL90, JHL91, JHT00, and JHT01. The JHL90 and 91 feature 15.4-inch displays; the difference between the two is that the 90 features dedicated Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GT graphics and the 91 Intel integrated. The JHL00 and 01 feature 14.1-inch displays, with the 00 featuring Nvidia 9300M-GS graphics and the 01 Intel integrated.

All of the models feature Intel Penryn processors, Intel Turbo Memory, up to 4GB of RAM, a choce of hard drives (no SSD mentioned), a DVD burner or Blu-ray, WLAN, Bluetooth, and WiMAX.

There is no release date on the models, but expect to see these sometime later this summer when the Centrino 2Montevina platform is relased.

Full Story (Engadget.com)

ASUS announces Eee Box


ASUS just announced the Eee Box, a low-power compact computer. ASUS claims the computer can boot up in seven seconds. It features 802.11n wireless and an Intel Atom processor.


The Eee Box is only 1L in size and "slim as a paperback novel." The device can mount VESA LCD displays to save space.

With the Express Gate technology, the Eee Box can boot up in as little as seven seconds and be on the Internet. It has the latest 802.11n wireless technology.

The Eee Box is quiet, only 26db according to ASUS. It has the following specifications:

• Windows XP Home Edition
• Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz)
• Intel chipset
• 1GB DDR2-RAM
• 80GB hard drive
• Card reader
• 802.11n WLAN
• Gigabit Ethernet

ASUS has not released any pricing or availability information for the Eee Box.

ASUS Press Release

LapWorks announces Gamers Desk

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LapWorks has announced the Gamers Desk, its first entry into the gaming market. The device allows notebook users to play games wherever they go. It provides a solid platform for them to place their laptop and mouse. It is made of high-strength ABS gun-metal gray plastic, and is available now for $39.95 from LapWorks.

Product Link (LapWorks)
Press Release (BusinessWire.com)

 

Claims/Complains...it's all the same to me. My calculator is still faster...

 

I know I would be complaining if my PC would boot up in 7 secs .

Anyways, I kinda wished the JHL00 would be equipped with the 9600m GT but you can't have everything and I guess its better to play it safe then sorry.

 

I wonder if that 7 sec boot up is into XP home... =D

I'm really interested in it. I wish they gave a price and release date so I can start saving up for it.

 

I honestly do not like the look of the new compal.

At all... :[

It lacks what i think was good looking about the Hel-80 and IFL90.

Looks so... Mainstream?

 

Oh and the EEE box looks like the perfect PC for grandma.

Srs.

 

With regard to the Eee box, does anyone know what "The device can mount VESA LCD displays to save space" means?

Is there some way of attaching it to the back of LCD TVs? That would indeed be cool. Invisibly turn your TV into a PC!

 

how much do those eee boxes cost ? If its not to much its a nice server/media center

 

that lapworks lapdesk is so silly.. have people not heard of hard plastic mouse pads.. tiss tiss.

if u need a hard surface use a book!

 

I dont understand the eee box, it it suppose to be a portable desktop? where can you find a monitor to plug it in on a road trip?

 

Not portable but small and neat. And power-efficient.
If I were looking a simple comp for web browsing and paying bills online and the likes I'd much rather buy something like that than some ugly HP/Compaq/Dell mid-tower box.

As for the VESA mounting, I'd imagine it means that eee box is compatible with VESA standards of tv and monitor wall mounts?

 

I think the eeebox would mainly used to compete with other companies' thin clients in the corp market, and perhaps some home users (those who are really new to computers) here and there.

 

i like the eee box. i would get one for my mother.

 

Get a EEE701?

 

I don't like the EEE box, seriously the only reason we have desktops is for raw processing power... otherwise, we would get the EEEpc(laptop)

 

I thought the EEE was a WII when I first saw it......

 

Same here... Lawsuit maybe?

 

Another thing

8600m=9500m GS right?
Then
9600mGT = ?

 

Interesting... I wonder how the EEE can boot up in 7 secs when more powerful machines couldn't.

 

Yeah you can mount it on a TV or LCD monitor that is VESA compatible. Kind of like making your own iMac in a way.

The Eee Box looks pretty cool. Though, I'd probably dump the XP Home for Ubuntu. I hope the price is right, no more than $300.

 

Why would someone get this if they're just going to use it at home?

Can people seriously not see the utility in a tiny, stationary computer that can be easily hidden, has incredibly fast boot up time and runs Windows XP? It's not for everyone, but it'll certainly find a market, and for many people this'll be infinitely more useful than an Eee701.

 

Chaz, mistake me if I'm wrong, but I think the ASUS Eee Box has a price tag of $269-$299.

Source:
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=3321

 

Looks like my guess was about spot on. That Linux box with 160 GB hard drive and 2 GB looks perfect.

 

The press release didn't mention anything though. ASUS has a habit of doing that.

 

Cool!

I expect it'll be about £200 in the uk

 

The compals look nice, wonder how the 9600M GT will fit in the lineup.

And who wouldn`t complain that the box boots in 7 seconds ?

 

Well, 701 has too small display and keyboard for any extended use, so I'd still be buying external display and keyboard. Eee box has faster processor and bigger hard drive, and as a bonus it looks nicer on a desk than a laptop.

 

eee box? what is the difference between it and eee pc 1000H

 

which port does the eee have? vga is good enough for good quality video (with a vga->hdmi converter).
7 seconds is faster than my stupid philips dvd player

 

VGA to DVI maybe.

 

The eebox is the windows version of the MAc mini

 

Except that it comes standard with Linux.

And the Compal JHT - come on guys. I still remember two generations back, with the Compal HGL30, with its full tilt Go7600 graphics card. Why can't you put upper midrange graphics into the new 14" notebooks? Why must they be saddled with low end graphics cards and thus be pushed aside and forgotten due to their sheer mediocrity? Didn't you figure it out when nobody cared about the IFT00, after the craze that was the HGL30? Oh well.

 

Will it somehow affect Lenovo's capability of providing a adequate warranty for their 3000 products in the future? You know, I was thinking about buying a Lenovo 3000 N200 lappie but I don't want to hear 'Sorry, no more spare parts' in a case something will go bad with my machine in a year or so.

 

Believe it or not, there's actually a small spec difference between the two machines. The eee box uses the 945G integrated graphics chip as opposed to the 945GS on the eee pc 1000H, which is an underclocked counterpart of the desktop chip. Other than that, they're almost identical.

 

I'll wait for one with a real Atom chipset.