Shuttle Alliance with big plans for notebooks

Just before CES I posted news that Shuttle were going to announce an Alliance of second tier hardware manufacturers, who would work together to increase their overall netbook market share. That alliance has now been announced as the Shuttle New Notebook Ecosystem.

"Shuttle revealed more members of its alliance at CES 2010 including CPU makers AMD and VIA Technologies, keyboard maker Chicony Electronics, power supply maker Lite-On Technology, battery module maker Simplo Technology, Korea-based panel maker LG Display and Japan-based DRAM maker Elpida Memory." - Digitmes.

The group hope to ship 150 000 notebooks in the first quarter. The concept is similar to VIA's Global Mobility Bazaar which sees Chinese manufacturers work together to build netbooks.

Shuttle starting netbook alliance?

I've been on holidays so I am still catching up with news from the past couple of weeks. Digitimes reported on 23 December that Shuttle would announce an alliance for second tier notebooks makers:

"In addition to Intel platforms, the alliance will also be open to adopting platforms from AMD, VIA Technologies and ARM. Since the alliance already has partnerships with several component makers and OEMs, second-tier notebook players will be able to purchase components at costs and with quality competitive with first-tier players, the sources noted. Shuttle also plans for the alliance to offer a complete after-sales service channel."

Their goal is to increase second tier notebook manufacturers' market share to 15% for 2010. But in that news, it was stated that the alliance was to be announced by the end of December and now it's 4th Jan and I can't find any more news about it. Maybe they'll be launching at CES this week?

OLPC XO 1.5 to launch this month

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is now in its third year and a new model will start being produced this month which drops the AMD Geode processor for a VIA C7-M ULV. The change in processor will increase the processing speed and improve battery life. The price target is $200 and it will be able to run Windows although it's most likely that most orders will ship with Linux since it's more easily tailored for local languages and has a lower cost.

The project also has further models planned for 2011 and 2012, the latter being the most interesting - a tablet PC design. The glossy concept photos look fantastic, but I wonder how robust such a thin device would be in remote parts of Africa?! - Daily Tech.

Sporty blogger reviews Lenovo S12 netbook

In the 80's you were either a nerd or a sports jock. Not both. These days everyone uses tech and everyone has an opinion on tech. This blogger, who claims to be a mighty sportsman, obviously has a long history of carefully considering his laptop purchases. He recently jumped into the netbook pool by choosing a Lenovo S12.

"No horsepower problems. The VIA NANO chipset is considerably more powerful than the ubiquitous ATOM chipset on most netbooks, even though the VIA clock rate is slower than the latest ATOMs(1.3 vs 1.6). Even with only 1 gig RAM, it rocks. I've got another gig of RAM ordered."

The review continues to delve into all of the features of the Lenovo S12.

Got nine friends who want a MID?

If you can get together a group of 10 people who want a 5.6" MID that runs Windows XP then you can place an order with Shenzen's manufacturer of the HT560. This little device doesn't fit nice and neatly into any particular device category.

"It has 1GB RAM, 16GB SDD, 2x USB 2.0 ports and built-in 1.3MP camera. It comes with 4800mAh battery which is huge by UMPC standards. It packs all the latest wireless radios too: GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. There is a front-facing 1.3MP camera too which can be used for video calls."

All this is a supported by a VIA C7 processor running at 1GHz. - Gadgetmix

Sub-150 netbooks surface for education sector in China

Educational organizations can get a great deal on Windows XP netbooks in China. The VIA C7-M based AOJIE X100V model sells in bulk for US$146. The screen size is a generous 10.1 inches which would mean that the keyboardis a descent size, and certainly big enough to be comfortable for kids and teenagers. What a deal! - Gadgetmix

VIA based OLPC improves battery

The latest version of the OLPC's XO laptop for kids in developing countries features a VIA C7-M processor and the VIA VX855 digital media processor. Compared to the previous version of the XO, the battery lasts for 12 hours 15 minutes, compared with 10 hours and 20 minutes. That's not a bad improvement.

The XO 1.5 is designed for use in developing countries where access to reliable power is problematic. The battery life tests I've quoted show how long it can run when in a suspended state. How long the battery lasts when the laptop is in use is another story - details have not been released yet.