NEC is latest to unwrap Crusoe-powered laptop

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by James Evans and Martyn Williams

(IDG) -- In the latest show of support for closely watched microprocessor start-up Transmeta, NEC on Tuesday unveiled a new B5-size laptop that it claims can run for up to 11 hours on a single charge.

Like other machines based on the same Crusoe TM5600 processor, the new computer boasts a battery life longer than those of competing machines thanks to the much lower power consumption of the Transmeta chip. NEC has managed to make the machine run even longer by equipping it with a reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) -- a recently commercialized type of LCD that does away with a power-guzzling back light -- and a high-capacity lithium polymer battery.

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The combination of these three technologies -- the processor, LCD and battery -- mean that battery life has been extended to an impressive 11 hours -- considerably longer than that of competing machines with Intel or AMD processors and backlit LCDs.

The display itself is a 10.4 inch TFT (thin film transistor) reflective LCD capable of SVGA (800 x 600 pixel) resolution. The machine also has 128M bytes of memory and a 20G byte hard disk drive. It measures 26.4 x 21.1 x 2.7 centimeters and weighs 1.4 kilograms. Connectors include a PC Card slot, Fast Ethernet, telephone jack, monitor and USB.

Available immediately in Japan, the new machine was launched at the World PC Expo show, which began Tuesday and runs until Saturday in Tokyo. NEC has set no firm retail price for the machine but expects it to sell for about 250,000 yen (US$2,315).

NEC is now the third major Japanese vendor, following Sony Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd., to introduce Crusoe-based notebooks. Sony on Monday announced in Japan its Vaio GT laptop, which it claims can provide up to 18 hours of battery life.

Transmeta's Crusoe processor, unveiled in January, cuts down on power consumption by using software to emulate certain functions that typically are performed by the processor. The company has attracted much interest, in part because it kept its product plans secret until announcing its Crusoe processors in January.

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Sony's Transmeta: Longer life, less performance
(PC World)
Sony adds video to new Crusoe-based Vaio notebook
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Fujitsu to tap Transmeta
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Sony to introduce laptop with Transmeta chip
(InfoWorld)
Transmeta demos Crusoe in systems
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Low-power chip hailed
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Mobile processor battle heats up
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Transmeta gets boosters
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Transmeta
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