News Bits: Asus 10-inch Eee PC Rumors are False, SanDisk Vaulter Disk

Asus 10-inch Eee PC Rumors are False

This is not a 10" screen Asus Eee PC, nor will there be one anytime soon -- says Asus (view large image)

There has been a lot of discussion going around the web today that Asus is going to ship a 10-inch screen Eee PC at the beginning of 2008. Having just reviewed the Asus Eee PC 4G 7-inch screen notebook we decided to reach out to our contacts at Asus and ask why they wouldn't have told us about this upcoming version. Our queston to Asus was:

NotebookReview.com: "Several different sites are picking up on the following story and running with it. We don't recall hearing anything about a 10-inch Eee PC at that press event on Monday.

Apparently, a German Asus PR rep said that the 8G is going to have a 10-inch screen. If this is true, that's news to us. The last "official" word we received was that the 8G will be available in late November with a 7-inch screen just like the 4G.

Please let us know if Asus is indeed planning to launch a 10-inch version of the Eee PC and please keep us informed about other news from Asus."

The response we got from our contact at Asus in California was:

Asus: "I have just spoken to our product manager for the Eee PC and he said so far there has been no plan to introduce the Eee pc with another screen size for the North American market.  I don't think other regions will have them either.  As you know the demand for the existing Eee PC is already overwhelming, they can't make them fast enough."

Asus is usually not shy about telling the world what they have coming, so the fact they're denying these rumors and pretty much acting clueless as to what it's about is a probable sign we won't see a 10" screen Asus Eee PC anytime soon.

SanDisk Vaulter Disk combines SSDs and hard drives

SanDisk has introduced a solid state storage solution that works with the PC's hard drive to enhance system performance. The Vaulter Disk is a flash-based PCI Express module. It only needs enough memory to host the operating system and optional user data while the hard drive stores everything else such as documents. It will be offered to notebook manufacturers next year in 8GB and 16GB capacities.

Read More (SanDisk.com)


LED backlit panel prices not expected to drop more than 20% in 2008

Despite the ever-increasing demand for applicaiton-use LEDs, the prices for notebook-use LED backlighting panels are only expected to drop 20% next year after dropping 30% this year. Quoted prices from Taiwan-made LED chips are about 30% cheaper on average than Japan-made ones. If LED is to replace CCFL screens in notebooks, then the prices need to continue dropping.

Read More (DigiTimes.com)


Arima to sell notebook business to Flextronics

Arima Computer has decided to sell its notebook and server business to Flextronics; the deal is to be completed in the first quarter of next year. Arima currently has HP and Dell as a client, producing 330,000 - 350,000 notebooks each month. Flextronics will take the notebook business further by moving the production capacity up to 500,000 units after the takeover.

Arima plans to focus more on strengthening its investment business while putting increased focus on communication, opteoelectronics, and energy saving industries.

Read More (DigiTimes.com)


AT&T and Sierra Wireless announce USBConnect 881

AT&T and Sierra Wireless announced the availability of the AT&T USBConnect 881, a wireless USB data device that is the first to have the AT&T Communication Manager software pre-loaded. When the device is plugged in for the first time, it automatically installs the software on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista computers. The device enables notebook computer users to access the Internet on AT&T's 3G HSPA BroadbandConnect wireless network. Upload speeds range from 500Kbps to 800Kbps and download speeds from 600Kbps to 1,400Kbps. The USBConnect 881 can be used internationally in 139 countries, and works on HSPA and EDGE/GPRS networks.