Tidbits from the ever-changing ICT world

Zatni Arbi ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 03/17/2008 12:38 PM  |  Sci-Tech

We all know that the research and development people in the information and communications technologies industry never go to sleep. That is why I receive a lot of press releases, announcements, invitations to product launches, etc.

It's getting more and more difficult to find the time to sit in front of my computer and write about them* So, I think this week I'll give you a roundup of what's out there and what's coming.

Notebooks on a diet

Notebook computers are becoming lighter and thinner; makers seem to be vying against one another in a race to reduce the weight of their products by slimming down the bodies.

Earlier this year, Steve Jobs introduced MacBook Air, a notebook that is less than two centimeters thick. It claims to be the world's thinnest notebook (for now) and it fits into an office envelop. Like other Mac computers, style is as strong as the technology.

But, then, those who cannot seem to leave Windows and migrate to Mac, the good news came a bit later. Lenovo returned the salvo by launching its business-oriented ThinkPad X300. The two notebooks do not differ in size, but the ThinkPad is not as sexy as the MacBook Air.

Aside from these two extremely slim notebooks, notebook makers such as Sony and Dell are also introducing their ultra-portable models. Although screen size and comfort may be compromised, the next notebooks will undoubtedly be thinner and much lighter.

RIP, IDE

When I was assembling a new desktop PC for my daughter recently, I found out a new trend in hard disks that let me down. The old IDE hard disks are already in short supply, I was told. Most of the new computers use the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disks. This standard delivers much better performance and consumes less power than the IDE or ATA hard disks.

My problem is that I have a Synology Network Attached Storage that automatically backs up my data. The server uses an IDE hard disk. If it dies, I will have to hunt for a secondhand hard disk and, eventually, retire the rather expensive device. IN addition, I have bought three USB external hard disk enclosures for carrying large volumes of data. I also have two IDE-based Maxtor One-touch storage and backup hard disks. My desktop PC, and my wife's, still use the IDE hard disks. What should I do if these constantly spinning components decided to stop working?

Just when I was still trying to figure out what to do short of buying two new desktop PCs, we began hearing about solid state hard disks, or Solid State Disk (SSD). These are storage devices based on flash memory technology, and they are now used in a growing number of PCs and notebooks.

The Classmate PC platform introduced by Intel Corporation is just one of the new computers that no longer use the hard disks with rotating platters. They use SSD. The advantages are significant, of course. For example, because there are no moving parts, the SSD requires even less electricity. It can also withstand a lot of abuse.

The storage capacity of the SSD is generally still behind the IDE or SATA hard disks, but it is growing rapidly. At the moment, we can find an SSD with a 512 GB capacity.

And, both the MacBook Air and certain models of the ThinkPad X300 use SSD as well. While the price of the SSD is still very high, it's not too far fetched to say that the days of the Winchester hard disks -- so called by IBM, the inventor of hard drives -- are numbered. Fujitsu has reportedly announced that it will discontinue the manufacture of the 1.8-inch hard disks used in portable computers and devices. The IDE standard will go first. When this happens, there are bound to be more obsolete components on my shelves.

Faster with 'n'

The sleek Sony VAIO FZ series, the Ferrari, and a growing number of new notebooks already support the next generation Wi-Fi standard; the "n". They may not put this in their ads, as the government is still testing the standard. Their ads should actually read "with wireless IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n", or "with wireless IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/Draft N".

What about the access point? Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, introduced a new product earlier this month that supports the "n" standard. Home and small business users can now buy a Wireless-N router. Two models are now available, which are the Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router (WRT160N) and the Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WRT310N).

With the "n" specification, the data rate is doubled from the theoretical 54 Mbps of the "g" standard to 108 Mbps. While a higher bandwidth is good for multimedia and VoIP applications, what good does it do if the backbone is not large enough? Clearly, any initiative to provide a larger pipe is highly welcome.

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