News Bits: Dell to Offer Ubuntu Laptops, Acer Gemstone Laptop, New Tom Bihn Sling Bag

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Dell selects Ubuntu for Linux-based PCs

Dell will begin to sell some consumer notebooks and desktops with Ubuntu &quot;Feisty Fawn&quot; Linux pre-loaded at the end of May according to Dell spokesman Kent Cook. Dell got the idea to offer Linux from its IdeaStorm website, where customers can propose and vote on ideas they want.

Dell also improved its Linux forum and is giving it a more prominent placement on the Dell Forums webpage.

Generally, PC companies in the past have had very little success offering Linux on machines. The move to use Linux is unusual for Dell because the company typically only does things it thinks is going to get enough volume out of. Dell is currently suffering market losses and is trying to rekindle its personal relationship with customers. Dell offered Linux on PCs in 1999 and 2000, but cancelled them in 2001 due to insufficient demand.

Dell's move to install Linux isn't likely to have much of an impact on Microsoft. Windows accounted for 92 percent of the 160.5 million operating system licenses shipped in 2006; Mac OS X made up 4.1 percent and Linux 3.8 percent.

Read More (CNet)

Asustek set to launch four own-brand low-cost notebooks in July

Asustek Computer is planning to launch four of its own-brand, low-cost notebooks in July, which will range in price from US$249 - $549. The company will start to manufacture similar notebook-style PCs for Intel in September as well.

Sales of low-cost PCs based on Intel's Classmate PC platform are expected to range from a few hundred thousand to 1 million units, with up to 10 million in 2008. Asustek is likely to take a 30% to 50% share of global sales of Intel-based low-cost notebooks in 2008.

Read More (DigiTimes.com)

Lexar introduces ExpressCard 16GB SSD

Lexar today introduced its new ExpressCard SSD with auto-backup software. It is about half the size of a traditional PC Card and functions as a high-capacity, low-cost storage solution for notebook computers. The included backup software allows customers to backup their data automatically on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The ExpressCard SSD is ideal for use with Windows Vista because it is enhanced with ReadyBoost, a feature in Vista that allows Windows to use certain external storage solutions as additional memory cache.

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The ExpressCard SSD is available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities.

Read More (BusinessWire.com)

FCC approves first WiMAX-class laptop card

The world's largest WiMAX-class service provider, Clearwire Corporation, has recieved the final approval from the FCC for the first WiMAX-class laptop card that connects to a Clearwire network. The new wireless broadband product will be on the market during the second half of this year.

The new Clearwire WiMAX laptop card is part of Motorola's wi4 Expedience solutions. The card is a standard Type II PC Card and is compatible with Windows XP and Vista.

Read More (BusinessWire.com)

Acer &quot;Gemstone&quot; Laptop Coming Friday May 4th

According to a splash page running across just about all Acer websites, such as the UK's, a new &quot;Gemstone&quot; concept Aspire notebook will be introduced on May 4th. They don't say anything about the specs or any information of substance for that matter. Sounds like it'll be a lot like the MSI Crystal Collection kind of look.

via Engadget

TOM BIHN introduces redesigned Buzz sling bag

TOM BIHN today introduced a redesigned version of the Buzz, a one-shoulder sling bag featuring a padded sleeve for a laptop. The Buzz is one of TOM BIHN's most popular products and has been redesigned to fit larger laptops. It can now accomodate laptops up to 14.9 in. x 9.6 in. x 1.3 in.

The Buzz was originally designed to fit the 12&quot; PowerBook; however, many of the company's customers had newer 13.3-inch MacBooks and 15.4-inch MacBook Pros, and wanted a Buzz to fit those models. The redesigned Buzz has several new features, including a removable waist strap a thicker built-in laptop compartment, a lighter interior lining fabric, and a thicker shoulder strap.

The Buzz can be purchased now on TOM BIHN's website and retails for $120.00. It is available in 11 different color combinations.

Product Link(Tombihn.com)

 

Cool, that Buzz case looks pretty slick actually. I own one of the Tom Bihn Smart Alec backpacks along with a Vertical Brain Cell and even though they do cost a lot, the quality and care and attention Tom Bihn seems to put into their cases is worth it.

 

Tom Bihn is an awesome company, I own the Brain Cell and Super Ego, one of my best purchases I've made - 3 years and rolling

 

The Acer "Gemstone" concept is actually an Aspire line of notebooks and not a Travelmate line. This is according to acer Germany ( www.acer.de it's in the opening flash animation) even the Engadget link posted refers to "Gemstone" as being from the Aspire line. They will be however launching new Travelmates at the same launch.

 

I find the statistic about OS usage to be a bit misleading. It only mentions software licenses, but as most of you know, most Linux distributions (including Ubuntu) come with no licenses and are available to download by anyone. Therefore, I don't believe the statistic truly reflects the current Linux usage. But either way, I'll probably have to pick up a new Dell laptop after they release Ubuntu on them.

It's great to see all SSD news increasing as of late. Hopefully we'll see them as full hard drive replacements within the next three years.

 

Very good move DELL

I'm sure Toshiba, and HP will do the same soon.

PC-BSD also is very good for laptops, and so FreeBSD.

GO Linux and BSD GO!

 

I noticed Dell made XP a little less easy to get on their site. It now tries to hassle consumers into buying Vista like a Sears employee trying to get someone to buy a warranty. I have a feeling they'll do the same with Linux, and I bet Microsoft is behind it all. Putting Linux on machines is a great move, but I hope it actually reduces the price I'd have to pay for a system as opposed to getting windows.

BTW, anyone else notice all the stories got repeated? They each appear twice.

 

I suspect that it has more to do with consolidating support than what Microsoft wants.

If everyone is running the same OS, it is much easier to support.

 

I thought mods weren't allowed to make double-pasting

 

Those figures would mean that Linux adoption is outpacing OS X adoption. Seeing as the vast majority of Linux distros are provided without license.

An interesting note.

 

idea storm website has proved to be quite useful to the consumer i see
ubuntu on dell laptops will be great and im sure it will substancially increase
their customer base which at the moment is quite essential

 

I would really like to see Linux start to compete with Microsoft and OSX. I feel like that it would stand a chance. Everyone knows windows/OSX, but there are tons of cool features/customizations that can be done with linux unlike the other two. Ubuntu is a perfect distro for Dell to use, because it has a vast knowledge base (ubuntuforums.org) and people will (hopefully) be able to find the easy setup guide (ubuntuguide.org)

 

Commercial support for Ubuntu on Dell will actually be provided by Canonical (the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu) AFAIK. This will hopefully ensure minimal fuss with many users.

 

It will also most likely mean better support for peripherals and hardware in Ubuntu, especially dell branded peripherals and hardware

 

I praise anyone wanting to support Linux. Hats off to Dell for actually sticking to their word about their IdeaStorm site.

 

And remember, as a good FOSS distro, Ubuntu would release any new drivers they got back to the community, so every Linux distro can benefit.

 

for anyone interested, the acer gemstone design information is now up on acer's site. i do like the new design....but now it seems like everyone doing the whole glossy black lid thing (first lg...i think...then hp, toshiba, acer and asus...)

 

glossy seems to be the in thing right now
i agree with you ejl
but if all the notebooks end p having the glossy look
there would be nothing as individuality of notebooks i presume
which is not such a good thing not only to me to numerous others i presume