News Bits: Sony Wireless Dream Machine, Intel Tanggula, AMD 3700+, Tablet PC Rumor

Sony Goes for the Ultimate Wireless Laptop

It's a laptop that looks like a Sony VAIO T, but what's with that antenna on the side? Hmmm. (view larger image)

If you're a mobile type of laptop user that just has to be connected to the web wherever you go then there are certainly a number of options. As Wi-Fi becomes more ubiquitous and Hotspots sprout you can usually find a place at a coffee shop or airport to get connected. You can also get a modem and subscribe to a service that uses GPRS or EDGE data networks so that you'll be able to get onto the internet in just about any city. But carrying a seperate modem around can be a pain and it of course costs bucks to buy one of thesemodems, usually $200+. So Sony has decided tointegrate the functionality of one of these GSM/GPRS modems into what appears to be a Sony VAIO T notebook. We say "appears" because this notebook is a hush, hush release from Sony. Pictures were leaked on the web via the government FCC website as they test this notebook for federal communications standards compliance. Sony is having an event in New York City on May 10th to unveil this machine at which time we will find out exactly what it is to be named. Right now according to FCC documents it's the VAIO PCG-4E1L.

Intel Announces Tanggula Notebook Platform for China

Intel today made a rather vague and somewhat mysterious press release about a new platform it is calling "Tanggula". Intel says this is a new notebook platform design designed specifically for Chinese university students. Furthermore, this new platform will focus on having enhanced security, wireless capabilities, multimedia functions and other features meant specifically for students. Intel says notebooks based on the Tanggula platform are due out in the second half of the year and will range from entry-level to higher-end performance designs, but at a lower cost than is typical.

And that's all Intel is saying, no pictures of products or mention of who will actually be making these notebooks. It sounds to me like Intel is coming up with a way to appeal to students in China now as that country continues to grow economically and more and more people buy laptop computers. Stay tuned for the second half of the year when the mysterious "Tanggula" will be revealed!

More: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050413006019&newsLang=en

AMD Mobile Athlon 3700+

AMD has another 64-bit chip geared towards laptops out in the wild now, it's the 3700+. Gateway is the first notebook maker to feature this 64-bit processor in its 7426gx laptop (available at Best Buy, Circuit City or J&R). The processor clocks in at 2.4GHz, has 1MB of L2 cache and has its own memory controller. The cost of this processor by itself is about $336.

The Gateway 7426GX has the new AMD 64-bit 3700+ processor, cost of the notebook is $1549

Purchase: http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4029121

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/14/amd_mobile_athlon_3700/

A New Tablet PC Form Factor Coming?

There's a mysterious device making its way around the Redmond, Washington headquarters of Microsoft. It's kind of like a Tablet PC, but not exactly. So it's being dubbed a mini-Tablet as it is a cross between an eBook and a Tablet PC. It measures about 6 x 8 inches. It's possible that Bill Gates might show off this device on April 25th at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference.

More: http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1785645,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535

 

I'm really interested and excited about that last item. MS is really on to something with the Tablet PC business. If they made a cheap, affordable, durable, reliable mini-Tablet PC that students could carry around to class, it would undoubtedly be a killer learning tool. The Tablet PC market has been a niche market at best up to this point, but it has enormous potential waiting to be unlocked.

p.s. By the way, using the term "Dream Machine" is misleading, because it's Sony's official name for its popular digital alarm clock line. At first, I was bewildered to hear about a wireless alarm clock.

Digital Camera Reviews
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hey Eliwood, I totally agree with your take on the Tablet PC and the fact it is niche right now, but it need not be down the road if some variations are made on the design. It certainly could be a great learning tool.

I didn't think about the Dream Machine alarm clock...but now you mention it maybe that's an idea too [ ]

DigitalCameraReview.com | BargainPDA.com | TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

I really love the direction Sony is going with integrated GPRS. Sure the speeds suck, but that's really the ultimate in wireless connectivity. If this works it won't be long before they strike a deal with a carrier like Verizon who has a great high speed data network.

Brian

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