News Bits: Zepto comes to the USA and Canada, New SSDs, Windows Vista SP1 Tomorrow?

Samsung announces 250GB 7200RPM 2.5-inch hard drive

Samsung has announced its new Spinpoint MP2 serires 2.5-inch hard drives. The 250GB model features two disks with 125GB per platter, 7200RPM rotational speed, SATA II 3.0Gbps interface, and 16MB cache. The MP2 series is available in capacities from 80GB to 250GB.

Read More (Samsung Press Release)

Vista SP1 coming out Tuesday?

Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista is rumored to be coming out Tuesday, March 18. A Microsoft spokeswoman would not confirm a date, but did say that "In mid-March, we will release Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update and the download center on Microsoft.com".

Read More (ComputerWorld.com)

Zepto comes to USA & Canada

Zepto, a brand of notebook computers well-known in Europe has now made its way to North America.

Zepto USA

Special thanks to forum Super Moderator John Ratsey for submitting this bit

OCZ introduces fast SSDs

OCZ has introduced new ultra-fast 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs. OCZ claims a 120MB/s read and 100MB/s write speed. Capacities range from 32GB to 64GB. There is no information available on pricing or release date.

Read More (Laptoping.com)

Toshiba Dynabook gets 128GB SSD

Image courtesy AkihabaraNews

Although the Toshiba Dynabook SS RX1 is not new, its 128GB SSD certainly is. The notebook goes for about $3,852 with the U7600 Core 2 Duo processor and SSD option. A more modest configuration with an 80GB hard drive (yuck!) is a bit less. Unfortunately, it is not available in the US.

Read More (Engadget.com)

 

And a connection between two of the news items: Zepto are already listing the new Samsung HDDs (including the 500GB) as configuration options.

John

 

Whoa... Zepto in N. America? I remember reading about this last year... Took them long enough =P

Finally, another capable 14" notebook. But a little too expensive for my blood, almost twice the cost of a 14" T61p...

 

Perhaps this belongs in the forums, but can anyone explain why a Zepto with a Celeron processor, 80GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, combo CD drive, no wireless, and no OS costs $1,200? Is it delivered to your door by a 6-foot blonde Danish supermodel wearing nothing but a smile?

 

Zepto notebooks in the US are extremely expensive right now...

@chengdude, I wish, lol, but wouldn't your neighbors be a little, um... jealous?

 

Agreed...some of those prices REALLY seem outlandish.

 

Off the richtor scale.

Maybe this is because of currency exchange?

 

I configured the notebook in my signature, which is 7 months old, and it comes to a total of $2127, almost two times what I paid for mine.

 

Not to mention their configuration tool is nearly unusable. Unless things change, I don't see them lasting long in the North American market.

 

All their notebooks seem to be the same for me, yet they distinguish them into 5 different models...

 

Haha that's quite depressing.

 

Doesn't look like Zepto are bothering with introduction pricing

Samsungs spinpoints offer a good value , looking forward to pricing on the 7200 .

 

Nice new hard disks!

 

Great news with the new Samsung drives - both the 250 and 500 GB ones. If I needed more hard drive space I'd consider getting the 250 7200. But I've still got a good 30 GB without any effort to conserve space, so I'll pass for now - might have 320 x7200 next year.

I saw in another article that both new Samsungs were $300.

Zepto does seem more than a little pricey. My current configuration runs $2450 for them (vs. $1700 with Dell last July), and that's with a lesser battery and XP Home rather than the more pricey Vista. Even if they're GDDR3 graphics they don't come anywhere close to the competition on price. But they'll probably adjust prices fairly soon.

 

id like to see some benchmarks on the OCZ SSD's, looks like we could have our first top brand of SSD, from a company that most people will recognise for their RAM offerings.

 

They're not GDDR3; it's a 8600GT DDR3.

Zepto USA won't stay around for long if the prices don't get adjusted.

 

Hi all,

I was just looking into this forum regarding Zepto.

I see there are some questions regarding models and pricing.
So to answer your questions..

Why is Zepto more expensive.
- Because of the strong EURO compared to the weak USD (at this moment)
- Because of the custom fees, shipping costs, import duties and FCC clearance.
Unfortunately Zepto cannot only just change the currency symbol from € to $

Why don't we offer all models yet
- these models are ready to be shipped and will be available soon.

If you have more questions please let us know.

P.S please show us the competitors that offer the same laptops (specs). I can’t find any that are less expensive with the same specs.

thanks

 

I configured a Zepto Znote 6625WD - Gaming to match this Asus F8SV-A1 and the price comparison was $999 for the Asus and $2009 for your Zepto.

The only difference in configuration is that the Asus has 2 years parts and labor warranty whereas your Zepto has 1 year (and also, the F8SV has webcam and bluetooth but I excluded those since in my hurry I didnt check if your Zepto has them). And there's also the fact that your Zepto has a higher resolution screen than the F8SV. That's the only differences between the 2 machines below.

--------------------------------------------------

Estimate Delivery Time 5-12 Business Days

* Core2 Duo T7500 2.20GHZ FSB800MHZ 4MB
* 1GB (1X1024) DDR2 667/PC5300 SODIMM
* 160GB 5400rpm SATA Harddisk
* 6 cell battery
* Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN
* DVD-RW DL
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit English
* Keyboard Znote 6x25WD US Gray
* Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
* 1 Year parts & Labor warranty

Price: $ 2009

--------------------------------------------------

Model
Brand ASUS
Series F8 Series
Model F8SV-A1
General
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz
Screen 14" WXGA
Memory Size 1GB+TM1GB
Hard Disk 160GB
Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Memory 256MB
Dimensions 13.6" x 9.8" x 1.5"
Weight 5.7 lbs.
Other Features Fingerprint reader
CPU
CPU Type Intel Core 2 Duo
CPU Speed T7500(2.20GHz)
CPU FSB 800MHz
CPU L2 Cache 4MB
Chipset
Chipset Intel PM965
Display
Screen Size 14"
Wide Screen Support Yes
Display Type Wide XGA
Resolution 1280 x 800
Operating Systems
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium
Graphics
GPU/VPU NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Memory Dedicated 256MB
Graphic Type Dedicated Card
Hard Drive
HDD 160GB
Memory
Memory 1GB+TM1GB
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi
Optical Drive Interface Integrated
Communications
WLAN 802.11 A/G/N
Bluetooth Yes
Supplemental Drive
Webcam 1.3 MP (swivel) webcam
Power
Battery Lithium Ion
Physical spec
Dimensions 13.6" x 9.8" x 1.5"
Weight 5.7 lbs.
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 2 years limited
Labor 2 years limited

Price: $999

 

The huge differences are the screen resolution and the 512MB dedicated memory graphics card. The 6224W model is about 4 lbs. I have to look into other specs of these comparisons. But when looking at a comparable (competitor) laptop like the new sting from WidowPC we are less expensive.
Unfortunately we can’t do anything about the pricing.
You can’t expect that a Cadillac priced at $50.000 in the US will cost the same amount in Chinese Yen.

thanks for the info...

 

Funny stuff. So why do you think people would go for your "Cadillacs" rather than a Dell or Asus for half the price? I hardly doubt your notebooks warrant such a premium.

Hope you didn't spend much entering this market (which I doubt you did since all you've done was create a new website and left everything the same in Europe), because you're toast already with those prices.

 

Funny it is... Why are many people buying a mercedes as a toyota is also a car but much cheaper..
I was just comparing the pricing. You expect these machines pricing will be changed from EUR to USD. That's simply impossible.

Sorry that this is how you look at it. You can't compare the quality of a Zepto with Dell. Asus is a very good brand I admit. But not comparable. Even in Denmark we sold many Znotes to the US even with the high shipping costs.
Anyway we could argue about this for years, and I don't think it will help us.
Time Will Tell...

P.S The Zepto Znote 3415W can be compared to the Asus. But we don’t have pricing for those laptops yet. Also this is depending on the currency exchange and import duties...etc...

 

I think you're missing the point.

Because Mercedes come with Leather Seats, 4matic, Integrated GPS, V12 Engines, Wood or Aluminum trims for a nice finish.
Yes, that is why people buy Mercedes over Toyotas.

However, what you're giving us is, at best, an extra window or two (bigger resolution), and cylinders of larger diameter in the same V6 engine (the extra RAM) for double the price. Claiming any more than this is just plain arrogance with no credibility. Have you tested build qualities head to head with a F8SV with quantifiable values (maximum stress before failing maybe? or maximum resistance to falling damage at a certain velocity perhaps?) to justify that its build quality is magnitudes off compared to your Zepto?

A 4-door Mercedes, or two 2-door BMWs of same size and performance... Decisions decisions.

 

I just can't see Zepto USA actually lasting. No physical presence in stores meaning the only people online will purchase your machine. People actually looking at your brand will be more knowledgeable. There's no way I'm paying over a thousand for a machine with specs like this

* 80GB 5400rpm SATA Harddisk
* Combo CD-RW DVD-ROM Combo drive
* Celeron M540 1.86GHz FSB533MHz 1MB
* 6 cell battery
* Keyboard Znote 6x24W US Black
* No wireless LAN card
* 512MB DDR2 667/PC5300 SODIMM
* No Operating System

Even Apple has more competitive pricing.

 

I assumed Zepto USA meant they were going to have resources to ship from the USA... but it appears the "USA" is only a website with US$ pricing.
They're still shipping from Europe, which doesn't help the pricing at all.

 

Will, fortunately the only money they'll be losing is the resource the used to create the website.

 

This is not true. We are physically located in Dearborn, Michigan, with all our items on stock.
Even though I can understand your opinions regarding pricings there isn’t anything we can change about that.
Mainly because the duties of the imports, and the bad USD position against the EUR.
And sure there are also people in Europe that don't agree with the higher pricing then e.g Dell.
But eventually we do sell more and more in Europe. That has made us the largest manufacturer of Europe. Believe it or not

We are discussing the retail stores with our partners. But this will take time.
For now we have only our online sales. And within this year even trough local dealers / retailers.

As I said before time will tell.
Sorry guys that we can't help you out with this one...