News Bits: Turion X2 Release Date, Sony VAIO MouseTalk, New Targus Backpacks, Apple on 5th Ave.

By Charles P. Jefferies, NotebookReview Staff | | 12671 Reads

Motherboard makers confirm May launch for Turion X2 and Socket AM2

Recent information from unspecified motherboard manufacturers in Taiwan suggested that AMD would not be releasing its Turion 64 X2 processor until June. However, AMD confirmed a May launch date:

"AMD will launch the Turion 64 X2 mobile platform on May 17 and AM2-compatible processors on May 23, as opposed to rumors of a June 6 launch for the desktop segment and an unspecified June date for the mobile CPU, according to sources at the motherboard makers."

Mass production of DDR2 memory for AMD-based systems will begin one to two months later than originally estimated, however, according to sources at Taiwan DRAM makers.

Sony VoIP Phone / Mouse VAIO VN-CX1 Announced

Sony is releasing a rather interesting product that's both a mouse and a VoIP mouse all in one. The Sony MouseTalk, also known as the VAIO VN-CX1, is Skype-certified and geared towards notebook users and those serious about making calls over the internet while being mobile. Some features of this phone are:

Contoured fit when used as a mouse with a flip-open, clamshell design when used as a phone
Hands-free phone mode
During calls, mouse wheel (typically used for scrolling) can be used to mute conversation, raise and lower volume, or select numbers to dial
Incoming calls indicated with soft, blue LED light or ring tone
Echo-cancellation technology for crystal-clear call-quality
With 800 dpi resolution, mouse is twice as accurate as standard mice
Available in a number of cool colors including black, white and blue

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Taiwan notebook peripheral makers expect improved demand in Q2

Chicony Electronics expects its consolidated revenues to grow about 10% sequentially in Q2 2006 due to better-than-anticipated demand for notebook peripherals, including keyboards, power supplies, web cameras, and integrated camera modules. Sunrex Technology expects to see on-quarter growth of over 5% in consolidated revenues for Q2 as well.

"The positive outlook for the second quarter, on the part of the two notebook-keyboard specialists, corresponds to a recent statement by Taiwan's notebook manufacturers, which estimated that notebook demand worldwide will gradually pick up in May and June, following sequential revenue drops for the sector in April."

Intel claims performance gain of 40% with new Core 2 Extreme

TGDaily is running a very interesting article on their new Core 2 architecture and why the PC will remain the enthusiast gamer's platform of choice.

In response to a question asked by TG Daily about whether or not PC gamers will have an advantage versus console gamers, Intel says (excerpts taken from article):

".... people who have a PC may have an advantage, because they get a lot more smooth experience and a faster response rate."

"You look at a first-person shooter game like Day of Defeat and you see the shadow of the guy coming around the corner, those types of realism effects, if you get a better-quality display and a better-quality engine, those things give you a bit of an advantage, because the other guy doesn't see that shadow as clearly on his background as people are coming around the corner."

"We're very happy with the PC model. I think a lot of people try to say PC gaming is dead, which is totally wrong. PC gaming continues to evolve...The openness of the PC allows a base of innovation from the Internet side and the software side, that just won't stop."

Their opinion is a bit biased as TG states, but you can draw your own conclusions.

AMD VP Interviewed, sees Opteron growth, relationship with Dell, vows to continue Intel antitrust fight

The Register had a chance to interview AMD's head of sales and marketing Henri Richard. In the interview, he discusses AMD's strategy in the upcoming months, and his plan for keeping the Opteron strong. Richard also discusses how HP, Sun, IBM, and Google compare on the Opteron front, and - gasp - makes a pledge that AMD will win Dell as a customer. Finally, he tells why he thinks the anti-trust lawsuit against Intel was the right thing to do.

Targus expands lineup of Notebook Backpacks; Backpack style notebook cases are fastest-growing category

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May 10^th - Targus Inc. introduced four new notebook backpacks designed to meet the needs of different lifestyles, personalities, and needs. Each backpack has a padded section for a notebook that can accommodate sizes up to 15.4", mesh-lined shoulder straps, a padded back panel for comfort, and to top it off, a convenient carry handle.

Director of US product marketing for Targus, Michael Greco, says:

"Backpacks are the fastest growing category in the notebook case industry. No longer does the notebook backpack cater solely to a younger demographic. With more of corporate America shifting toward a casual dress code, the backpack is growing in acceptance and popularity for many workers. Targus' latest backpacks have the versatility to meet the needs of students and professionals alike."

The four new backpacks are:

Repel Backpack - designed for comfort over long distances.

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Ricket Backpack - ideal for the student or frequent traveler.

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Drifter Backpack - stylish enough for the student, functional enough for the working professional

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Rogue BackPack - plenty of storage

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More MacBook Rumors and New Apple Store

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Obviously the rumor about new MacBooks this Tuesday was wrong. But, that just means that Mac rumor sites stay in business for longer (like they'd ever run out of stuff to talk about). Anyway, next Friday Apple is opening a new store in Manhattan NYC in the midtown area. This will be one of their biggest stores and possibly most unique to date. The rumor sites say it could also be a place of the launch for the 13.3" widescreen MacBook replacement for the iBook G4.

Apple Store Fifth Ave. Countdown page

Other Interesting Links

Two neat laptop technologies revealed

Google introduces Desktop 4