Everex Unveils Energy-Efficient Laptop
Everex designed the StepNote NC1500 laptop, which features Via’s Enhanced PowerSaver and TwinTurbo technologies, to operate on a range of power levels so that battery life is extended by some 20 percent when compared with most portable PCs. The StepNote NC1500 will soon be on the shelves of Wal-Mart stores nationwide, where it will join a line of personal computers from Everex.
Hardware manufacturer Everex Systems has hooked up with chip specialist Via Technologies to create a portable PC that promises to use power sparingly while providing many of the features laptop users expect — all at a low price that Wal-Mart shoppers are sure to appreciate.
The $500 StepNote NC1500 notebook Relevant Products/Services runs on an innovative Via chip that slowly sips electricity and offers 1.5 GHz of processing power.
It also has a 15-inch display, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, and a DVD burner. In addition, it includes Windows XP Home Edition, 512 MB of memory, and a 60-GB hard drive.
Battery Life Extended
Everex designed the laptop, which features Via’s Enhanced PowerSaver and TwinTurbo technologies, to operate on a range of power levels so that battery life is extended by some 20 percent when compared with most portable PCs.
“Teaming up with VIA, Everex has been able to create a new category of energy-efficient portable computers,” said John Lin, vice president of sales for Everex, in a statement. “Unlike products which rely on costly dual-core Relevant Products/Services processors or potentially hazardous batteries to extend operating times, the ground-breaking design of the NC1500 provides a true, no-compromise alternative.”
The StepNote NC1500 will soon be on the shelves of Wal-Mart stores nationwide, where it will join a line of personal computers from Everex.
Low Cost, Small Format
Inexpensive machines that offer basic computing functions have gained a great deal of recognition of late, with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) nonprofit organization, run by MIT’s Media Lab, developing a laptop that will sell in the $100 to $140 range.
The rugged, 2-pound OLPC laptop designed for the developing world can meet its price goal, its designers say, by emphasizing the essential and eliminating the sales and marketing costs typically associated with commercial computers.
Taiwan-based Via is a portable-PC specialist, having earlier this year created a chipset designed for advanced computers that can fit in your pocket or purse, packing a lot of punch into a very small format.
The VX700 chipset includes a video-processing engine, high-bandwidth memory, high-definition audio, and the ability to handle up to six USB 2.0 ports and four PCI slots — all on a package that measures 35 x 35 mm.
