Fujitsu powers up two LifeBook tablet PCs with Intel Centrino 2

Here’s another announcement of new PC’s loaded with Intel’s Centrino 2 processor, this time its from Fujitsu with their new LifeBook tablet PC’s, the LifeBook T5010 and LifeBook T1010. Both models have 13.3-inch widescreen displays and are said to be the lightest convertibles in the market sporting the that size display. The LifeBook T5010 weighs only 4.5 pounds while the LifeBook T1010 weighs 5.3-pounds.

Both of these Tablet PCs have a bi-directional display hinge that would let you turn the screen in both directions for added flexibility. In addition, these notebooks feature the next-generation Intel wireless draft-N or Atheros N which are touted as three times faster than the usual 802.11n-based wireless connectivity. Both notebooks also come with an option to have a Bluetooth v2.1 and optional wireless WAN for additional wireless connectivity features.The T5010 and T1010 both come with spill-resistant keyboards and are equipped with the Fujitsu Shock Sensor for protecting their hard drives from damage due to sudden jolt or drop.

For their other features, the silver-gloss covered LifeBook T1010 boasts of a built-in dual-layer multi-format DVD writer and webcam. While the black covered LifeBook T5010 features a stylus for pen-driven navigation, 6-cell battery plus an additional modular bay that can accommodate an additional battery, and either a second hard drive or optical drive and a slew of security features.

Both the T5010 (base configuration) and T1010 are available now and retail for $1,769 and $1,299 respectively

Splashtop Linux variant to power up Asus notebooks

If you’re one of those PC users who always find yourself doing other things while waiting for your machines to completely boot up, either you’d be glad to hear about Splashtop or feel sad since you might end up not doing those other things anymore. But that is if you are using an Asus notebook as these machines will be getting the Splashtop Linux OS treatment.

If you would recall Splashtop has been pre-installed on some Asus motherboards not so long ago, and soon enough it will be powering some Asus notebook as a full-blown OS. If you think that the Splastop is just your ordinary Linux variant, think again. Well, that’s because Splashtop offers up a unique PC boot up experience. Soon, you can instantly fire up some application even if your machine has not completed its boot up sequence. What makes this possible is the fact that Splashtop will run out of your machine’s RAM. Hence, saving you some precious battery time.

In a nutshell, Splashtop offers a fast, secure and eco-friendly way of using your Asus machines. For those who are not using Asus notebook this might be a good reason to score one as soon as the Splashtop gets into these machines.

Via’s new OpenBook reference design

Via, the company that brought us the NanoBook, has a new reference design; a computer called the OpenBook. This design is changed from the previous iteration, modeled to compete with the Asus Eee PC which has launched since the original NanoBook was unveiled. The computer sports an 8.9-inch display, with a 1024 x 600 resolution, three USB ports, VGA out and two 2-megapixel cameras. Additionally, it can connect to the internet via HSDPA, WiMAX or EV-DO. For the small form factor, a colossal 2GB of RAM and a 2.5-inch hard drive is squeezed in. You can run Windows Vista, XP or any Linux distro as your operating system. The OpenBook is based on the C7-M ULV processor and the VIA VX800 chipset, and you can get around 3 hours of battery life; in optimal conditions.

Via is putting the CAD files of the hardware up for download under a Creative Commons license, OEM manufacturers can have a go at making this the best they see fit.

Dell Goes Tablet With the Latitude XT

Today, Dell took the wraps off of the Latitude XT, the only sub-four-pound 12.1-inch LED convertible tablet with capacitive touch technology that enables users to navigate the touchscreen with a finger -- there's no pressure required for the system to recognize input.

Hardware and Software
The 3.5-pound tablet (featuring a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution) offers a capacitive touchscreen for finger or digital pen input, a choice of ultra-low voltage processors (1-GHz Intel Core 2 Solo or 1.2-GHz Core 2 Duo), up to 3GB of RAM, ATI Radeon X1250 UMA graphics, an ExpressCard, and a hard drive capacity ranging from 40GB to 120GB (Dell also offers solid-state drives in 32GB and 64GB capacities). An optional 9-cell battery slice designed to provide all-day endurance (9.5 hours). Dell serves up Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate as the operating systems of choice.

Wireless Connectivity
Wireless capabilities include 802.11n Wi-Fi (featuring a revamped, more intuitive Wi-Fi Catcher), and a choice of integrated 3G mobile broadband from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. A pull-out antenna is included for enhanced reception. Business users will be happy to learn that the tablet includes a biometric fingerprint reader and TPM.

Availability of the Latitude XT
Dell will begin taking orders for the Latitude XT by the end of the year, with prices starting at $2,499, but users can outfit the the system with a DLV screen specifically designed for outdoors use (400 nits brightness) for $100 more.

Asus Eee PC 4G Surf Revealed

Just a few months ago Asus rocked the ultraportable market with the release of the EEE PC 701. At the beyond-reasonable price of $399, the 701 came armed with a versatile Linux operating system and tons of handy applications.

Now Asus has released a new version of the tiny wonder. The EEE PC Surf 4G ditches the glitchy webcam of its predecessor and simultaneously sheds a few bucks as well. For $349, the coffee house-bound user gets a two-pound portable with a seven-inch display and 4GB solid state drive. We loved the 701, so we're pleased to say the 4G doesn't land too far from the tree.

Asus Launching Bamboo Notebooks In June

What's better than an 11in or 12in notebook? How about an 11in or 12in notebook encased in bamboo? Well, the Ecobook which Asus was touting last year for a Q1 release is just such a machine. Although that release date has now slipped back to June, according to DigiTimes' sources, it is still just as bamboo-encased as ever before.

Called the U6 (12in) and S6 (11in), the systems specs aren't mentioned but given the eco-friendly leanings it seems safe to assume they won't be powerhouses. On the flip side of that, and if the prototypes shown off last year are a good indicator, features such as an LED which changed between green and red depending on energy usage - guilting users into acting greener presumably.

The manufacturing aims to be as environmentally affable as possibly too, foregoing paint sprays and electroplating. Internally no solvents or otherwise hazardous materials have been used.
All the plastics that are used are of the recyclable type, assuming the bamboo case doesn't biodegrade when you spill coffee on it (fair trade of course) first. As well as these notebooks, Asus also showed of desktop PCs in a similar vein, but apparently has no plans to actually ship any such product.

Price wise the U6 and S6 are expected to cost from NT$50,000 (that's New Taiwan Dollars, or £830-odd in real money) which seems pretty reasonable. Hopefully the UK will get a taste of the bamboo action - although not in the panda sense.