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The WAVE Report
Issue #0416------------------04/30/2004 |
The WAVE Report archive is available on http://www.wave-report.com
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PC Laptops Introduces 17-Inch, Fully Customizable
Annihilator 897 Laptop
0416.2 Networking
0416.3 Photography
Samsung Electronics Introduces Higher-speed 2Gb NAND
Flash Memory
0416.4 Displays
0416.5 Broadband
AirMagnet and Wavelink Partner to Integrate Wireless LAN
Management Solutions
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***PC Laptops Introduces 17-Inch, Fully Customizable Annihilator 897 Laptop
SANDY, Utah
April 28, 2004
PC Laptops introduced the Annihilator 897 high-end portable computer, an industry-leading laptop computer featuring a 3.2 Gigahertz (GHz) Pentium 4 processor, a 17-inch WXGA active matrix display and with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card.
Other features include a 60 Gigabyte (GB) 7200 RPM hard drive, 1GB of 400MHz (Megahertz) RAM, a built-in 2X DVD+/-R/RW dual mode detachable optical drive, an internal 802.11b/g WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) module, three USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, one 1394 FireWire port and one Type II PCMCIA slot. Each machine comes standard with a digital video camera for videoconferencing, as well as a TV tuner with remote control that turns the laptop into a portable television set.
The Annihilator 897 fits the high end of PC Laptops' product line as a desktop replacement. It is also fully customizable beyond the standard configuration, including the ability to add a second hard drive in a RAID configuration. The results is that the Annihilator 897 is available in more than 150 different configurations.
"The Annihilator 897 is without a doubt the one laptop to rule them all," said Dan (The Laptop Man) Young, president of PC Laptops. "It's a monster machine that will rock your world if you're a hard-core gamer, and it will blow your mind if you're looking for a top-of-the-line desktop replacement. And what's even more amazing is that when you buy it, you pick up not only the coolest and best laptop on the planet, but also PC Laptops' absolutely amazing lifetime service guarantee."
Included with all PC Laptops systems, the lifetime service guarantee includes quarterly tune-ups complete with vital software updates to the computer, a physical cleaning, removal of spyware and so on. Also, PC Laptops performs an overall evaluation to identify ways to enhance and improve performance when the computer is brought in to a retail location, such as defragmenting the hard drive, dumping cache and checking for and installing additional updates. Additional information regarding the service guarantee, including "oops protection," trade-in options and data recovery services can also be found by contacting PC Laptops directly.
Standard configuration for the Annihilator 897 portable computer includes the following:
-- 3.2GHz Pentium 4 microprocessor with 800MHz front-side bus,
-- 17-inch WXGA active matrix display (1440 x 900),
-- 60GB 7200RPM Ultra DMA hard drive,
-- 1,024MB (1GB+) of 400MHz PC2 100 DDR (Dual Data Rate) RAM,
-- ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 Pro 256MB DDR (M11),
-- 2x DVD+/-R/RW dual-mode combo detachable CD-ROM drive,
-- 512 Kilobytes (KB) on-die cache,
-- An internal Intel 802.11b/g Wi-Fi module,
-- Three USB 2.0 ports,
-- One four-pin FireWire (IEEE-1394) port,
-- One Type II PCMCIA slot,
-- An integrated 10/100/1000 Megabits per second (Mbps) local area network and V.90 56K fax/modem,
-- Infrared wireless interface,
-- TV-tuner with remote and an integrated CMOS video camera,
-- Hardware RAID 0 or 1 function,
-- Smart Lithium ion battery with average life of 1.5 hours,
-- Seven-in-one card reader,
-- Six channel analog audio output,
-- Touchpad with scrolling keys,
-- Standard carrying bag,
-- User manual, connecting cords, AC adapter, etc.,
-- Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition and
-- Additional ports including one each of the following: S/PDIF out, microphone in, center and subwoofer speakers out, front left and right speakers out and in, rear left and right speakers out, headphone, infrared, DVI out, parallel, serial, PS/2, S-Video out and in, RJ-11 and RJ 45.
The dimensions of the Annihilator 897 are 1.7- x 15.4- x 11-inches (HxWxD). With the battery, the 897 weighs 10.5 pounds. PC Laptops' Annihilator 897 model laptop computer is available immediately for $3,499 in its standard configuration.
WAVE Comments
This may be a desk top replacement lap top but not many would be putting a 10 pound weight on their laps.
***3Com Further Extends the 3Com Switch 7700 Family of Modular Gigabit Ethernet Switches to Boost High-Performance Networks
MARLBOROUGH, Mass.
April 28, 2004
3Com Corporation expanded its modular chassis Switch 7700 family. IT managers will be able to use a Switch 7700 4-slot chassis to add modularity for enterprise workgroup aggregation or as a small network core. They can also deploy 20-port Gigabit modules across the range of the Switch 7700 family, effectively more than doubling the Gigabit port density of these switches for enterprise applications.
The 3Com Switch 7700 4-slot chassis gives enterprise customers the option of having a high-performance chassis switch for workgroup aggregation, while the new 20-port Gigabit modules scale switch port density of the entire Switch 7700 family. Mid-sized enterprises can also use the Switch 7700 4-slot chassis as a small building core switch and, as the business grows into a larger-sized enterprise, scale the network with 3Com's higher-end Switch 7700s, including the enterprise-level, 8-slot redundant model, for secure, converged networks.
The Switch 7700 4-slot chassis has a single switch fabric slot and three slots for switch modules. Its design allows for a 4-port sub-module on the switch fabric, a less-expensive option for adding a small number of fiber or copper Gigabit uplinks without taking up a full module slot. Total capacity is 64 Gigabit ports or 144 10/100 ports. 3Com offers two 20-port Gigabit modules for the Switch 7700 family. The first is a 1000BASE-T (10/100/1000) 20-port module for copper Gigabit connections. Also available is a 1000BASE-X (SFP) 20-port module for flexible fiber Gigabit connections.
***Samsung Electronics Introduces Higher-speed 2Gb NAND Flash Memory
SEOUL, South Korea
April 29, 2004
Samsung Electronics announced a speed increase to its 2Gbit (Gb) NAND Flash memory from 16.4MB/s to 24.1MB/s. This new high-speed NAND flash memory has improved sequential data-read/write speed from 50ns to 30ns. This speed increase will improve the functionality of computer storage systems such as USB Flash Drives (UFD), high-storage cards and SSD's (Solid State DISK). With this high-speed 2Gb NAND Flash memory users will be able to execute programs faster and experience better overall system performance.
Using 90nm manufacturing process, the new high-speed 2Gb NAND flash will be available in 3 forms: single chip 2Gb, dual die package 4Gb, and quad die package 8Gb. The demand for this new, high-storage memory product is expected to grow rapidly in applications such as memory cards, USB flash drives, PDA's, digital camcorders, and MP3 players.
The quad die package 8Gb flash memory has 1Gbytes of storage density in a single package that can be an alternative memory solution for existing storage media such as small-size HDDs in tablet PCs and other diverse applications in the future.
***New Display Technology: The 'Eyes' Have It; IEEE Spectrum Reports on a Budding Display Technology That Paints Images Directly Onto the Retina
NEW YORK
April 26, 2004
Finally technology is offering an alternative to the bulky computer monitor: painting images directly onto the retina by using tiny semiconductor lasers or special light emitting diodes.
A report in the May 2004 issue of IEEE Spectrum examines how scanning light beams on the retina could revolutionize displays for a variety of sectors, including automotive, medical and the military.
One application developed by Washington-based Microvision allows automotive technicians to view automobile diagnostics and repair instructions directly on their eyes while still allowing them to see through the image to work on the automobile. A clear, flat window is mounted on a baseball cap and angled in front of the technician's eye, reflecting scanned laser light to the retina. The information on the display comes from a computer server in the repair shop and is displayed via a Wi-Fi network. The user can control the display with a wireless touch-pad that attaches to the belt. To ensure the device is safe, Microvision applied rigorous safety standards from the American National Standards Institute and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Other industries testing this laser-based display are:
-- Gaming - The large gaming industry hopes this technology will improve the virtual reality experience by delivering the content directly to the retina of the user.
-- Hospitals - As surgeons operate, they can use the see-through laser displays to monitor a patient's vital signs. Doctors can also refer to MRIs or CAT scans directly on these displays while they are working on the patient.
-- Military - The U.S. Army is currently testing a helmet-mounted display technology that allows commanders to view their surroundings and tactical information.
The May issue of IEEE Spectrum is available by subscription, on many newsstands throughout the Northeastern United States and online at
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org
WAVE Comments
Retinal displays were first developed at the University of Washington. In spite of the advantages they have yet to catch on. It remains to be seen if the Microvision implementation will create a market.
***AirMagnet and Wavelink Partner to Integrate Wireless LAN Management Solutions
KIRKLAND, Wash. & SUNNYVALE,
Calif.
April 26, 2004
Wavelink Corporation and AirMagnet, Inc announced a partnership to integrate their wireless LAN solutions. Through the partnership, AirMagnet's Mobile and Distributed security and performance management systems will interoperate with Wavelink Mobile Manager. The combination of AirMagnet's ongoing Wi-Fi security and performance monitoring with Wavelink's network and mobile device management strengths will provide a solution to simplify the end-to-end management of the entire WLAN lifecycle.
The integrated Wavelink and AirMagnet product combines two components for a wireless LAN. This includes security and performance monitoring and troubleshooting from AirMagnet and performance and security management from Wavelink. When AirMagnet sensors locate two or more access points overlapping on the same channel (causing interference and poor quality), IT administrators can resolve the issue by using Wavelink Mobile Manager to adjust the channel and/or power settings.
Further this product will include:
-- Integrated Monitoring. AirMagnet alerts will be incorporated into Mobile Manager's alarm browser and reporting capability in order to act upon possible security or performance problems detected by AirMagnet sensors.
-- Integrated Security. AirMagnet's advanced "rogue device" detection integrates with Mobile Manager to identify and take action on unauthorized devices discovered on corporate WLANs.
-- Integrated Site Survey. AirMagnet site survey tools will integrate with Wavelink Mobile Manager -- configurations and settings from AirMagnet's products will import to Mobile Manager to be applied automatically across wireless networks.
Products that combine features from AirMagnet and Wavelink are available now.
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