AMD chip bundle targets 'ultra-thin' notebooks

AMD has launched a chip bundle for 'ultra-thin' notebooks, by which it means laptops that are pricier and more powerful than netbooks, but cheaper than ultraportable models.

The platform, announced on Tuesday, combines AMD's new Athlon Neo processor with ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics. Computer makers also have the option of including ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics. The bundle was previously code-named 'Yukon', and AMD did not give it a new name in the announcement.

The Athlon Neo is the highest-specified CPU in AMD's range for ultra-thin notebooks. The company also has Sempron processors for that category of laptop. However, those CPUs are lower-powered and slower, at 1GHz and 1.5Ghz, with a smaller L2 cache size of 256KB as opposed to the Neo's 512KB. All AMD's ultra-thin-centric processors are manufactured using 65nm technology.

HP has already unveiled a notebook using the bundle, its Pavilion dv2. The dv2 comes with a 12.1-inch display and the 1.6GHz Neo MV-40 CPU, and has a base specification price of $699 (£480). Both Yukon and the dv2 made their debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

AMD is aiming its new platform at laptops that fall between 'netbook' and 'ultraportable'. Machines termed 'netbooks' by manufacturers tend to have screen sizes between seven and 10 inches. Ultraportables tend to have bigger displays and be pricier than netbooks. The dv2 has a 12.1-inch display, yet is cheaper than a typical ultraportable.

"Before today, there was a compromise associated with selecting a highly portable notebook, forcing consumers to choose either the full PC experience of an ultraportable at a high price or the limited PC experience of a mini-notebook at a low price," Chris Cloran, AMD's corporate vice president for its client division, said in a statement.

"In introducing the AMD ultra-thin notebook platform, AMD enables balanced PC performance, including the option of advanced graphics and video for true HD entertainment, all in an affordable, ultra-thin notebook."

According to AMD, the new platform allows true HD entertainment with 1,080-pixel high-definition playback, and its digital outputs include HDMI and DVI. It said the platform is also suitable for a "robust casual gaming experience".

HP's 'ultra-thin' Pavilion dv2 notebook is the first to use AMD's Athlon Neo silicon

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Sony launches P-series ultraportable PC

Sony has launched the Vaio P, a lightweight, ultraportable computer that the company says has the functionality of a PC running Vista in a system that weighs 638g.

The P-series has an eight-inch screen with a resolution of 1,600x768 pixels. Communications technologies in the computer include 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G wide-area network access and Bluetooth. GPS is available as an option. The battery will work for four hours, Sony says, or eight hours with the optional high-capacity cell.

Using a 1.3GHz Intel Atom processor, the P-series offers a choice between an 60GB hard drive and a 128GB Solid State Drive. The system uses Windows Vista, in addition to an instant-on, proprietary "fast-access XrossMediaBar" operating system — as used on the PSP portable gaming system and Sony's Bravia television sets — for those who would rather not boot up the full operating system. According to Sony, the P-series will cost from £849 and will be available in February.

In December, Nicolas Barendson, head of the UK Vaio business, hinted at a smaller device with PC features when ZDNet UK asked him if Sony was to launch a netbook. Despite the fact that the size and form factor of the Vaio P are similar to those of netbooks such as those in Asus's Eee PC range, Sony has avoided tagging the Vaio P with the term 'netbook'.

A netbook had weaknesses, Barendson said in the December interview, as it is "not small enough to be pocketable and it is not big enough to be a PC". The netbook would evolve, he said, into "different form factors".

Sony has avoided tagging the P Series Vaio as a 'netbook'

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Green computing

by Wikipedia

Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. The primary objective of such a program is to account for the triple bottom line, an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational (and societal) success. The goals are similar to green chemistry; reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and promote recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.

Modern IT systems rely upon a complicated mix of people, networks and hardware; as such, a green computing initiative must be systemic in nature, and address increasingly sophisticated problems. Elements of such as solution may comprise items such as end user satisfaction, management restructuring, regulatory compliance, disposal of electronic waste, telecommuting, virtualization of server resources, energy use, thin client solutions, and return on investment (ROI).

Origins

In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, a voluntary labeling program which is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment, and other technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode among consumer electronics. The term "green computing" was probably coined shortly after the Energy Star program began; there are several USENET posts dating back to 1992 which use the term in this manner.^[1] Concurrently, the Swedish organization TCO Development launched the TCO Certification program to promote low magnetic and electrical emissions from CRT-based computer displays; this program was later expanded to include criteria on energy consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardous materials in construction.^[2]

Regulations and industry initiatives

Government

Many governmental agencies have continued to implement standards and regulations that encourage green computing. The Energy Star program was revised in October 2006 to include stricter efficiency requirements for computer equipment, along with a tiered ranking system for approved products.^[3][4] The European Union's directives 2002/95/EC (RoHS), on the reduction of hazardous substances, and 2002/96/EC (WEEE) on waste electrical and electronic equipment required the substitution of heavy metals and flame retardants like PBBs and PBDEs in all electronic equipment put on the market starting on July 1, 2006. The directives placed responsibility on manufacturers for the gathering and recycling of old equipment (the Producer Responsibility model).^{[citation needed]}

There are currently 26 US States that have established state-wide recycling programs for obsolete computers and consumer electronics equipment^[5]. The statutes either impose a fee for each unit sold at retail (Advance Recovery Fee model), or require the manufacturers to reclaim the equipment at disposal (Producer Responsibility model).

Industry

• Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) is an effort to reduce the electric power consumption of PCs in active and inactive states.^[6] The CSCI provides a catalog of green products from its member organizations, and information for reducing PC power consumption. It was started on 2007-06-12. The name stems from the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Savers program, which was launched in 1999.^[7] The WWF is also a member of the Computing Initiative.^[6]
• Green Computing Impact Organization, Inc. (GCIO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the end-users of computing products in being environmentally responsible. This mission is accomplished through educational events, cooperative programs and subsidized auditing services. The heart of the group is based on the GCIO Cooperative, a community of environmentally concerned IT leaders who pool their time, resources, and buying power to educate, broaden the use, and improve the efficiency of, green computing products and services. Members work to increase the ROI of green computing products through a more thorough understanding of real measurable and sustainable savings incurred by peers; enforcing a greater drive toward efficiency of vendor products by keeping a community accounting of savings generated; and through group negotiation power.
• Green Electronics Council-- The Green Electronics Council offers the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to assist in the purchase of "green" computing systems. The Council evaluates computing equipment on 28 criteria that measure a product's efficiency and sustainability attributes. On 2007-01-24, President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13423, which requires all United States Federal agencies to use EPEAT when purchasing computer systems.^[8][9]
• The Green Grid is a global consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems. It was founded in February 2007 by several key companies in the industry – AMD, APC, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Rackable Systems, SprayCool, Sun Microsystems and VMware. The Green Grid has since grown to hundreds of members, including end users and government organizations, all focused on improving data center efficiency.
• Green ICT Strategies Course is free open source courseware sponsored by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). It was released in January 2009^[10]. The course teaches how to estimate the carbon footprint of the ICT operations of an organisation and both technical and management methods to reduce the carbon footprint. The ACS runs a certified version^[11] of the course, globally accredited by IFIP^[12].

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