Wal-Mart unveils cut-price laptop under US$500
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NEW YORK: The world&#39;s biggest retailer Wal-Mart is offering price-conscious US consumers the cheapest laptop on the market, priced at just US$498, in a move described by some analysts as a &quot;significant milestone.
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Basing a laptop on open source operating system and applications software, Wal-Mart and Linspire said Monday they have broken the $500 price barrier with their $498 Balance laptop.
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Wal-Mart today unveiled a $298 desktop from Everex that combines three of the most popular industry trends.
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U.S. chip maker Advanced Micro Devices  Inc. AMD.N has introduced a low-cost Internet access device  that could cost just a few hundred dollars, aimed at first-time  technology users in the developing world.
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US chip maker Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled a low-cost Internet access device that could cost just a few hundred dollars, aimed at first-time technology users in the developing world.
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(InfoWorld) - Some of the low-cost PCs designed by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) for kids in the developing world will go to people in North America. That's the result of a program the group plans to launch on Monday that will let U.S. and Canadian residents pay US$400 for one laptop to keep and one to give to a child in a developing nation. Initially, at least, purchasers won't be able to choose where the second laptop will go. "The idea is to help feed programs in the least developed countries and broaden the community of engagement," said Walter Bender, president of software and content for OLPC. By putting the laptops in the hands of people in North America, the group hopes to persuade more people to contribute content or other developments to the project, he said. The offer will start on Nov. 12 and run through Nov. 26. "We don't want to divert too much away from the developing world, so we'll do a short window," Bender said. Mass production of the laptops is scheduled for October, with the first units landing in the hands of kids around the world in early November, he said. The initial run will generate 40,000 units and production will quickly double and triple that capacity to meet demand, he said. The original plan for the OLPC project was to create a laptop that would cost less than $100, but more recentlyÂ the price has been pegged closer to $190. The $400 deal for two laptops includes some padding for the cost of sending one of the laptops to a remote location, Bender said. Â
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(InfoWorld) - After a break of several years, Toshiba is about to introduce a laptop computer powered by an AMD processor. The world's number-four laptop PC maker said the new machine will be available soon in the U.S. and Europe. It will be aimed at the entry-level sector of the market, said Junko Furuta, a spokeswoman for Toshiba in Tokyo. No other details about the laptop were immediately available, although Toshiba suggested its U.S. and European divisions could be making an announcement soon. The design win for AMD comes as it is stepping up the pressure against rival Intel in the expanding laptop sector. Intel has just launched its new Santa Rosa laptop platform, and in response, AMD is readying its own platform called Puma, however that isn't likely to launch until mid-2008. The two companies are locked in competition at the bottom-end of the market too. AMD scored the contract to supply chips for One Laptop Per Child's "$100 laptop," after which Intel introduced its own machine for emerging markets, the Classmate PC. Toshiba stopped using AMD chips in laptops around 2001 -- something that was highlighted in court documents when AMD launched an antitrust suit against Intel almost two years ago. AMD alleged that Toshiba dropped the use of its chips after receiving a "very substantial" payment from Intel. Toshiba was receiving "market development funds" from Intel worth about $25 million to $30 million per quarter, and those would be jeopardized if it used AMD chips, the lawsuit alleged.
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Dell Inc.  said on Friday it will start selling consumer notebook computers at more than 500 of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s  Sam's Club stores starting next week, its latest move to sell computers in retail chains.
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Wal-Mart, through Walmart.com, its online vehicle, has charged into the Linux-based notebook market with its US$498 Balance laptop, which runs the Linspire operating system.
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(InfoWorld) - Wal-Mart opened its campaign for the back-to-school PC sales season on Wednesday by unveiling a $298 desktop from Everex that combines three of the most popular industry trends -- open-source software, a power-efficient processor, and a lack of "bloatware." The Everex Impact GC3502 uses Microsoft's Windows Vista OS but substitutes the OpenOffice.org 2.2 version of word processing and spreadsheet tools for the traditional Microsoft Office variety. The computer runs on a 1.5GHz C7-D processor from Via Technologies, a chip that meets lead-free environmental regulations and saves energy with low wattage demands. The sales price does not include a monitor but is still lower than comparable packages sold on Wal-mart's Web site, such as an HP Compaq Presario, an Acer America AcerPower FH Minitower, and a Dell Dimension desktop. PC vendors usually compete for customers by slashing prices during the eight-week back-to-school season, stretching from mid-July to mid-September. But Everex also hopes to attract buyers by avoiding the free "trial software" that annoys many users, according to Eugene Chang, a product manager at Everex, of Fremont, California. Dell followed a similar strategy on July 10 when itÂ withheld bloatwareÂ from its newÂ Vostro line of PCsÂ for small business users after a long campaign by bloggers and Dell customers against common practice by PC vendors of loading unrequested software onto new computers. Software companies fund the effort as a way to find new users. Although those features are popular, they could backfire on Everex because most U.S. consumers are not yet familiar with Via processors or OpenOffice software, one analyst said. "It's not surprising that Wal-Mart, of all retailers, will sell the $298 Everex desktop; it's a good marriage with their biggest audience -- budget buyers," said Toni DuBoise, a senior analyst with Current Analysis West. "But it has a couple of problems; one is that it uses a Via processor, which is almost unknown to U.S. consumers. And it runs at just 1.5 GHz, so it's unknown how it will handle Microsoft Vista," she said. "And running OpenOffice is kind of a unique tactic. It's anti-Microsoft as Microsoft obviously owns the market for productivity software. So users may have some concerns about compatibility."
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc.  said on  Thursday it will charge less than $700 for two multimedia  desktop personal computer bundles from PC maker Dell Inc.   that it plans to start selling next month.
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Dell Inc.  said on Friday it would sell notebook computers at more than 580 of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s  Sam's Club outlets for $899 each starting next week, its latest move to sell computers in retail chains.
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Hewlett-Packard Co. said it has launched a 3,999 yuan ($483 in the US) computer in China. HP&#39;s new model, part of its Pavilion series, features a central processing unit (CPU) from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
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The Lenovo 3000 Y410 is available at retail outlets.
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Sensing an opportunity in the fast-growing consumer notebook market, Lenovo on Thursday is expected to launch a new line of consumer laptops with the IdeaPad moniker.Targeted at gamers and home users, IdeaPad adds a low-price line of laptops to complement the company&#39;s existing ThinkPad notebook line, targeted primarily at business users. The company will first introduce three IdeaPad notebooks in different sizes, including an ultraportable laptop that the company will ship in the end of March.The IdeaPad U110 ultraportable notebook comes with an 11-inch screen and weighs only 2.3 pounds (1.04 kilograms), according to Lenovo.Based on Intel processors, the ultraportable will ship with either hard disk drives or flash-based solid state drives, said Craig Merrigan, Lenovo&#39;s vice president of global consumer marketing. To add ruggedness, the laptop has a shock sensor that detects falls and protects the hard drive data from any potential damage. The feature, called the Active Protection system, is already available on the company&#39;s ThinkPad laptops.Lenovo didn&#39;t comment on pricing for the ultraportable laptop.The company also announced the IdeaPad Y710 laptop, targeted at gamers, and IdeaPad Y510 laptop, targeted as a desktop replacement for home users. With colorful front bases in textured finishes, the laptops are equipped with expressive designs oriented to personalities and lifestyles, Merrigan said.The IdeaPad Y710 comes with a set of controls, including macro buttons and a control to enhance PC performance to optimize gaming on laptops. A slider control allows gamers to overclock the CPU to maximize laptop performance, Merrigan said. Starting at $1,199, the laptop includes a 17-inch screen and is equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an ATI graphics card, wireless networking, and an optional Blu-ray Disc drive. It can support hard drives up to 500GB.The IdeaPad Y510 notebook, with a 15.4-inch screen, is targeted at home users. Starting at $799, it comes with Intel Core 2 Duo processors with integrated graphics, wireless networking an integrated camera and a DVD/DVR optical drive. Including a battery, the laptop weighs 6.4 pounds (2.9 kilograms). It can support hard drives up to 250GB.The Y710 and Y510 have four speakers and a subwoofer apiece, and an inductive touch surface between the keyboard and screen that lights up multimedia controls based on context, Merrigan said. If movies are playing, it will light up movie controls, and if audio is playing, users can control equalizers using the touch surface.Equipped with 1.3-megapixel cameras, the laptops have facial recognition technology that makes a face a user&#39;s password, Merrigan said. Once a user sits in front of a computer, the computer recognizes the face and logs in a user. While consumers are not concerned about that high level of security, it may be useful to keep track of what kids are doing, Merrigan said.Both laptops will ship by the end of January and include Microsoft&#39;s Vista operating system. The laptops will initially launch in the U.S., France, Russia, South Africa, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Philippines, and Singapore, according to Lenovo. It will be available at online retailers and in stores.The announcements come ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, to be held in Las Vegas between January 7 and 10, where the laptops will be on display.Lenovo is trying to establish its own identity after&#160;acquiring IBM&#39;s PC business&#160;in 2004. Late last year it&#160;established its first &quot;Think&quot; line of workstations, and with the IdeaPad line, it is trying to get a bigger share of the consumer notebook market. The company is&#160;in fierce competition with Acer&#160;in the global PC market, according to surveys from Gartner and IDC.The company is also planning an ultramobile device based on&#160;Intel&#39;s Menlow platform, though Merrigan wouldn&#39;t comment on it. The ultramobile device will be on display at Intel&#39;s booth in CES.
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A low-cost laptop, designed for children in developing countries, will go on sale in North America.
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Intel and Asustek are working on a $199 laptop designed for emerging markets and for use in education.