News Bits: New Sony VAIO S580, Electrovaya Review, Notebook Stickers, Averatec 3700

Sony Releases VAIO S580 with new cooling mechanism

The Sony VAIO S series laptop with a 13.3" XBrite widescreen has long been a popular notebook, but there has always been one majorgripe about it, it runs too hot. Sony looks to resolve that issue with this release.

The Sony S-580 is the same S series notebookthat was recently released in Japan complete with the Nvidia GeForce 6400 Go graphics card, better cooling, and hasoptionsthat the new VAIOBX series has like a 120 GB HD. The VAIO S580 is currently available for purchase from SonyStyle.com here:

Sony S580 at SonyStyle.com(thanks to user Eliwood for this news tip)

One catch,you can't add in the NVidia 6400 yet, so hold off on your purchase until that appears as an option.

VAIO S Reviews from NotebookReview.com

• http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2368
• http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2500
• http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2467
• http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2352
• http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2176

A picture of the VAIO S370(view larger image)

Electrovaya SC3000 Tablet PC Review

Electrovaya SC3000 Tablet PC (view larger image)

Many people will have heard of a Tablet PC of course, but the company Electrovaya might not be a commonly heard of manufacturer. Electrovaya specializes in producing slate style Tablet PCs (without built-in keyboards) that can run for very long amounts of time -- up to nine hours even. We published a review of the latest Tablet PC from Electrovaya over at our sister site TabletPCReviewSpot.com, check out the review of the SC3000 by clicking here.

"The Electrovaya Scribbler SC3000 Premium is a true "writing slate" style computer which runs on Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. Based on Windows XP Professional, but with significant usability enhancements such as pen and speech input, this operating system has been billed for at least a few years as a glimpse at the future of personal computing."

Dell Wants to Take Intel and Microsoft Stickers Off Inspiron Notebooks

Dell recently reported lower profits on notebook sales, so they're looking to save costs however they can. Dell claims that putting those little Windows and Intel stickers on a laptop takes up to 30 seconds of time and is often a bottleneck in their operations (article). For this reason, they want to skip the process of adding these stickers. In a recent poll we asked NotebookReview.com forum members if they would prefer to have these stickers gone or to keep them (results below). The get rid of them vote was slightly ahead, but it seems people don't mind stickers so much if they are "cool". Meaning, a sticker that indicates a high-end processor or graphics card (such as an AMD Turion 64 sticker or NVidia Go 6800 sticker). But most people agreed that a Microsoft Windows sticker isn't all that hip --yo.

I kind of like them, makes a notebook look new -- like a new car window spec sheet		17	37.78%
They get dirty and nasty and are a hassle to take off, get rid of this advertising!		19	42.22%
Doesn't bother me either way, I can easily remove them anyway		8	17.78%
I don't have a laptop		1	2.22%

New Gateway S Series Business Class Notebooks -- S-7700, S-7500 andS-7200 Announced

Gateway has released a couple of new business class notebooks, one a 17" screen -- the S-7700, one is a 15.4" screen notebook -- the S-7500, and the other is a 14" screen -- the S-7200. You can see the lineup on Gateway's site here. We'll be reviewing the 14" and 17" versions of this notebook in the coming weeks.

Newly announced Gateway S-7500 15.4" screen business notebook

Gateway's line of S-Series notebook PCs boast in-demand features at exceptional prices including widescreen displays, lightweight designs, and optional port replicators. Even with all of the performance enhancements, the Gateway S-Series notebooks provide industry-leading battery life. The new S-Series comprises four different models that can be configured with the latest technology ranging from value-class to high-performance. Features include the latest Intel chipsets and processors, fast DDR2 memory, performance hard drives and dedicated or integrated graphics.

The S-7200:

• Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP2)1
• Microsoft Works 8.01
• Norton Internet Security 90 day introductory offer
• Intel Celeron M Processor 360 (1.40GHz, 400MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache)
• 256MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 40GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA hard drive
• Integrated 6-in-1 media card reader
• Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD combo
• Notebook Value Service Plan -- 1 year part/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
• One type II PC card slot
• (3) USB 2.0, VGA, IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
• 14" Widescreen XGA TFT Active Matrix (1280 x 768 max. resolution)
• Full-Size Keyboard and EZ Pad Pointing Device
• Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
• Primary 6-cell Lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty
• Integrated V.92 56K modem
• Integrated Broadcom 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
• Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card
• Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP2) Backup CD

The S-7500:

• Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP2)
• Microsoft Works 8.01
• Intel Celeron M Processor 360 (1.40GHz, 400MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache)3
• 256MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 40GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA hard drive4
• Integrated 4-in-1 card reader
• Modular 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD combo
• Notebook Value Service Plan -- 1 year part/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
• One type II PC card slot
• (4) USB 2.0, VGA, TV Out, S-Video, IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
• 15.4" WXGA Ultrabright TFT Active Matrix (1280 x 800 max. resolution) (limited time promotion)
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
• Full-Size Keyboard and EZ Pad Pointing Device
• Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
• Primary 6-cell Lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty
• Integrated V.90 56K Modem
• Integrated Broadcom 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
• Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2) Backup CD

The S-7700:

• Microsoft Windows XP Home (SP2)
• Microsoft Works 8.01
• Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache)
• 512MB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-256MB modules)
• 40GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA hard drive
• Integrated 4-in-1 card reader
• Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD combo
• Notebook Value Service Plan -- 1 year part/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
• One type II PC card slot
• (4) USB 2.0, VGA, TV Out, S-Video, IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
• 17" WXGA TFT Active Matrix (1440 x 900 max. resolution)
• ATI Radeon X700 128MB Graphics
• Full-size keyboard w/ integrated 10-key pad and EZ Pad Pointing Device
  Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
  Primary 8-cell Lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty
• Integrated V.90 56K Modem
• Integrated Broadcom 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
• Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2) Backup CD

Averatec 3700 12" Screen Laptop Under $1000 Released

Powered by the Mobile AMD Sempron(TM) 3000 processor, the new Averatec 3700 Series provides enhanced performance with greater speed, improved battery life and integrated high-speed wireless technology for superior mobility. The 3700 Series features a 12-inch screen, is a mere 1-inch thin and weighs in at only 4.2 pounds. Packed with high-performance features highly demanded by consumers, the ultra-light notebook series comes standard with 512MB memory, 60 or 80GB hard drives, integrated media reader and either a built-in DVD burner or combo DVD+CD-RW optical drive.

More: http://www.averatec.com/notebooks/3700series.htm

Averatec 3700 with a 12" screen priced at under $1000

Mobile Business Expo Information

Register by Friday, September 9th for your Mobile Business Expo Discount. Mobile Business Expo integrates the business strategies, technologies, tools and corporate issues necessary to build an end-to-end mobile strategy and manage a mobile workforce. A well-executed mobility strategy gives today's leading companies a competitive edge and extends your reach throughout the wireless world. Attend Mobile Business Expo, at the Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois from October 9-12, 2005 to give your workforce the anywhere, anytime access to applications, data and communications that fast-moving markets demand. Register with code MLCJMB28 to save $100 on published prices.

Free Opera Browser

Opera is offering a free version of it's new browser release, visit here for more information:

http://my.opera.com/community/party/

 

Dell recently reported lower profits on notebook sales, so they're looking to save costs however they can. Dell claims that putting those little Windows and Intel stickers on a laptop takes up to 30 seconds of time and is often a bottleneck in their operations (article).


Just wanted to say that the link to the article doesn't work.

 

oops, that link was completely messed up, i fixed that problem and thanks for notifying!

 

Exactly how much cooler is the sony s580 expected to be?

 

Dell is probably also losing some of its profits by issuing those all those 40% coupons. While only a small fraction of users actually apply those coupons, they still represent a pretty decent portion of sales and slice Dell's profits by a bit.

 

Actually you can add in the 6400. You just need the proper combo of parts. I believe you need the intel wireless card and at least 512 megs of ram for it to show up as selectable.

Anyone here know where i can get reviews of this unit?

 

Well, I tried loading up the S580 with every possible feature, and the 6400 wasn't available. On the Japanese SonyStyle site, the 6400 is the only option other than the integrated graphics card (the 6200 isn't listed). Since the Japanese site has the 6400 listed instead of the 6200, and both the pre-configured S560 and S570 use the 6400, I'm thinking it might be a typo on the S580 configuration page. I'll try calling or e-mailing them today about that (as I really want this laptop).

 

I don't buy a dell unless there's a good deal like the 40% off or 750 off 1499 on notebooks. The recent 35% off deal becomes cold to many users

 

I called Sony to find out about the screen on the S580. On the website, it's listed as, I believe, "XBrite 200". I was told that "XBrite 200" is exactly the same as "XBrite Eco". The difference between these and regular XBrite, I was told, is that regular XBrite has two bulbs while XBrite 200 and ECO only have one bulb. I was told that having only one bulb, and therefore not as bright a screen, makes it less reflective, which makes no sense to me. Anybody really understand these differences?

 

I think the idea is that it is supposed to be a compromise. The two bulbs screens are sometimes like mirrors in the wrong type of light. You can easily see your face in them. The one bulb screen is not as reflective and still allows a level of brightness ahead of a standard screen.

 

Don't order a custom configured S580 from Sony just yet, but I have a feeling that the configuration page was hastily made and is riddled with typos. You can tell that this isn't a standard Sony order form when you see terse and abbreviated options like "XP Pro" and " LCD 13.3" WXGA BR." These look more like what appears on the specification form that goes to the factory than a consumer ordering form. I'd wait for things to clear up, but it's apparent that it's most likely a typo.

 

does anyone know the performance level of 6400go? is it pretty much the same as desktop 6200?

 

It should be similar to an ATI MR X600.

X300 <-> 6200
X600 <-> 6400
X700 <-> 6600
X800 <-> 6800
X800 XT <-> 6800 Ultra

 

Sony S580

Has anyone seen the sceen for the S580? I have an old grt-815m, which was back in the days when x-black was onyx black etc etc. Is there much of a difference? I like my old onyx black!
The main thing I want to know is has anyone had a chance to test the S580? Does it still have heat issues? Is there a difference in performance on graphics from the S460 (us) / S4xp (uk).

Any help, as I really want to buy this........
Thanks.

 

hi am planning to buy a S580 or a s380 from the clearence section of the sonystyle.com. Can any1 tell me wata re the main differences between s380 and s580 series.
Thanks a lot