Notebook makers downgrade the value of having Blu-ray

Paul Mah — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:47:44 -0400

Once introduced as the de-facto feature in the highest-end models of laptops, Blu-ray drives are selectively being sidelined by manufacturers, according to The Inquirer. Asus has canceled the feature in its top-of-the-range notebooks, while Acer, another heavyweight in laptop manufacturing, has no plans at all to even introduce these drives to their line-up. One reason for this shift could be the decline in popularity of Blu-ray; sales have dropped 13.39 percent this week compared to last week, with hardly any growth even for DVD sales.

For more about this report:
- check out the article at The Inquirer

Intel shows off new Atom processors

Paul Mah — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:42:54 -0400

Intel has announced the availability of two Atom processors at the Computex 2008 conference in Taiwan this week. The Atom N270 processor is targeted at low-cost notebooks, while the Atom 230 is aimed at small desktops. Both processors feature 1.6GHz clock speeds and a 533MHz front side bus. Built on Intel's 45-nanometer manufacturing process, they are capable of supporting both Linux and Windows XP operating system.

Intel expects growth of the netbook and nettop market to exceed that of traditional desktops and even laptops. This will come about as households in emerging markets snap-up the cheaper offering, and households in mature markets acquire additional netbooks so that there potentially will be one device per person.

For more on Intel's Atom processors:
- check out this Computerworld article

Notebooks

Notebook makers downgrade the value of having Blu-ray

Intel shows off new Atom processors