Laptops Arena

<-125x125 Button - right->
Earlier this year Intel has announced the introduction of the next-generation processing technology codenamed Montevina, aka Intel Centrino 2, designed to increase notebooks’ performance and the battery life. The platform integrates Wi-Fi and WiMAX modules for high-speed wireless connectivity, as well as other options with 40% smaller in form, delivering the same performance to subnotebooks.

OCZ Technology Group, the specialist in high speed DDR and RDRAM memory modules, announced its new DDR3 SODIMM memories with support for the next-generation Intel platform. Th new modules are meant to bring very high performance and reliability to notebook computers, reducing the power consumption and in the same time increasing speed and bandwidth. OCZ’s DDR3 SODIMM modules will be used in the upcoming professional and gaming notebooks that will arrive in a few weeks on the market.

The 2 models announced are the PC3-8500 and PC3-10666, which provide increased frequencies at lower voltage requirements.

“The Centrino 2 platform is a logical extension of Intel’s efforts spearheading DDR3 acceptance in the enthusiast segment in the desktop sector,” declared Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “From a technical standpoint, DDR3 memory technology is far superior to DDR2, from the higher frequency range resulting in better overall system performance to the energy savings at idle stemming from loss-less termination to the supply-voltage level and resulting in paramount energy savings in the typical notebook usage pattern.”

The OCZ PC3-8500 DDR3 SODIMM will be available in 2GB and 4GB dual-channel versions, characterized by 1066MHz, unbuffered, 1.5Volts, 200 Pin DIMM and lifetime warranty. 8-8-8-27 timings at 1.5V means minimum power consumption.
OCZ PC3-10666 DDR3 SODIMM modules will also feature 2GB or 4GB capacity, unbuffered, 1.5Volts, 200 Pin DIMM, 1333MHz and 9-9-9-24 timings.

Double-data-rate three synchronous dynamic random access memory modules are an improvement of the DDR2 SDRAM, having the main characteristic the capability to run the I/O bus at 4 times the speed of its memory cells, leading to faster bus speeds and higher peak throughput. In addition, the power consumed, compared to the DDR2, is of 30% lower. DDR2 uses 1.8V while the DDR3 only 1.5V.

Addonics Technologies, a company that manufactures mobile storage devices, has introduced its latest S-ATA hard drive adapter, which converts your 2.5-inch HDD drive into a solid state Compact Flash system integrating 2 CF cards via the S-ATA or the USB connection, with the possibility to be configured as RAID 1, RAID 0 or both combined using an on-board slide switch.

The large capacity SSD drive is created using a mounting bracket as replacement for the 2.5-inch HDD drive, and so your notebook will become capable to utilize the Compact Flash system which consumes lower power and is also shock-resistant.
Addonics Dual CF - SATA HDD adapter is easy to use and the operating system on your laptop shows it as a normal S-ATA HDD. It doesn’t require installation.

If you want to use the Compact Flash to SATA adapter with your 3.5-inch desktop computer hard drive the company offers optional brackets, with the base model available at a price of $79.99.

Toshiba launched the world’s first 1.8-inch 160GB hard disk drive for notebook computers. It is the thinnest S-ATA HDD with such a high capacity featuring 5400 rpm rotation speed.
In addition there is also the 80GB single-platter model named MK8017GSG, which together with the 160GB MK1617GSG delivers 40% less footprint compared with the 2.5-inch HDDs existent on the market, and both are a great solution designed for sub-notebooks.
Toshiba used the extensible platform approach with shared architecture base of the 2.5-inch models.

<-234x60 Half Banner - left->"Toshiba's eight years in perfecting 1.8-inch HDD technology puts us in a unique position to address explosive growth in the mobility segment with proven products that deliver the performance and capacity that system manufacturers need," declares Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba Storage Device Division. "At these capacities, our 1.8-inch HDDs are enabling the miniaturization of mobile PCs by providing better power consumption efficiency and improved ruggedness over larger form factors. We continue to see healthy opportunity for 1.8-inch HDD growth and adoption in the mobile PC arena, particularly in thin-and-light, sub-notebook, tablet PC and extreme mobility devices."

MK8017GSG and MK1617GSG Toshiba notebook parts have 512 B/sector logical size, 8MB buffer size, 15ms seek time, 1.5Bb/s S-ATA interface,0.0028 W/GB and 0.0056 W/GB energy consumption, 500G shock resistance, and 2.2-2.3 Bels acoustics.

Toshiba will soon release around 25 models of 1.8-inch hard disk drives while the 2 components described will be available in August.

<-125x125 Button - left->
On Toshiba’s website are available the latest devices added by the company including the new Toshiba USB 2.0 portable external hard drive called The Storage You Need. The new models come in Gecko Green, Hot Rod Red and Carbon Grey, supporting 160GB, 250GB and 320GB of data.
Conceived as durable portable storage devices for backup needs the USB portable storage devices come with the NTI Shadow software which doesn’t require activation but instead it does its job automatically when plugged in. The smart software will run in background without disturbing your activities and updates automatically to save your media on the external device.



The USB portable storage device from Toshiba is supported by Mac and PC computers, powers via USB, and can be carried anywhere you go because it is designed with style, in a small form factor and features an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology to add maximum protection.
The models available are: HDDR160E03X of 160GB, HDDR250E03X of 250GB, and the 320GB HDDR320E03X, all measuring 0.65 x 3.2 x 5 inches at 6oz, with a buffer size of 8MB.



You can find them on Buy.com at $87.99, $113.99, and $136.20 respectively.

<-120x240 Vertical Banner - left->What would you say about a new external video card for laptop that you could use to reach high-class graphics by connecting your notebook computer to USB-enabled devices such as TV tuners, Blu-ray players and multiple monitors?

AMD made it possible by launching the ATI External Graphics Platform Technology based on external PCI Express 2.0, which connects to the other devices via a cable supporting 4 GB/s bandwidth in both directions. One example of notebook model that can be used with this new external video card for laptop is the AMD Turion X2 Ultra notebook platform, announced by the company in the same day.
ATI XGP has multi GPU capabilities with the ATI CrossFireX technology, the PCIe 2.0 cable from Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, and the USB 2.0 high speed transfers. The device cools and powers independently.

"With ATI XGP Technology, notebooks can switch between everyday computing and hard-core gaming with a simple plug-in that's also portable enough to bring powerful 3D performance on-the-go," said Matt Skynner, vice president of Marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "This technology allows users to choose notebooks with slim, lightweight and elegant designs, yet enjoy the full performance of a traditional desktop gaming rig wherever it's convenient."