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Panasonic Toughbook W2 Review
Anonymous Howard writes "For those of you who haven't heard about Panasonic's Toughbook W2, this hard to find laptop not only looks awesome but packs a serious punch for its size. Weighing in at 2.8 pounds with a 12.1" screen, this P4-M 900 Centrino based laptop is impressive. The drawback is its max memory support is only 512MB. However I think the laptop is absolutely gorgeous. Does anyone have any experience with one of these? Designtechnica gave it a 7 in their review. I tend to believe that 512MB of ram is a pretty limiting factor however."
that this is a first post. or else i wouldnt achieve my purpose in life
512 megs should be enough for anybody.
-You're wasting your time. Alfador only likes me.
Buy a Powerbook or ibook instead. What's the point of this?
Personally 256MB is fine for a laptop if it really is just used as a portable. You should (if using 2k/XP) remove/disable as much junk as possible. Make sure as little as possible is started on boot up, it's possible to have Windows only use around 60MB of RAM after bootup if you do this.
what makes this any more gorgeous than a powerbook?
the price is way too much for what it is as well. I think panasonic is shooting themselves in the foot with this one
512 Megs a limiting factor? Really? On a notebook I would think that would be more the sufficient. Unlike a desktop computer, a notebook is less likely to be left on as long or to be used in a multitasking fashion. Even making movies music seems unlikely.
I am using a 1 gighz notebook right now with 512 megs or ram. I browse the web, do some music decompression (shn -> wav or vice versa) and cd burning, some light web work, and maybe some office apps.
I am using Linux and KDE and I am have never even hit 256 megs in use at any time.
What are you RUNNING home boy? For christ sake, it's a laptop, not a web server. If you think 512M is a limitation for a laptop, maybe you need to sit in a dark corner and think about what you are doing wrong. Maybe you're just thinking of using WinXP?
====
Crudely Drawn Games
Spcifications:
CPU
Ultra Low Voltage Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 900MHz
1MB on-die L2 cache
STORAGE & MEMORY
256MB SDRAM (DDR) standard, expandable to 512MB (PC-2100 memory is required)
40GB HDD
Combo Drive (DVD-ROM*/CD-RW**) standard
DISPLAY
12.1" 1024 x 768 XGA anti-glare TFT Active Matrix Color LCD
External video support up to 1600 x 1200 at 16 million colors
Intel(R) 855GM integrated video controller max. 64MB (UMA) VRAM
AUDIO
SigmaTelTM STAC9753 AC-97 v.2.1 Compliant
Integrated speaker
Convenient keyboard volume controls (Fn+F5/F6 keys)
EXPANSION SLOTS
PC Card Type I or II x1
Secure Digital (SD) Memory / Multimedia Card
KEYBOARD & INPUT
85-key with dedicated Windows(R) key
Electrostatic touchpad with vertical scrolling support
WIRLESS LAN
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection 802.11b
INTERFACE
Network Interface Card
-Integrated 10/100 ethernet
Modem
-Integrated 56Kbps
External Video
-D-sub 15 pin
USB 2.0 (x2)
-4 pin
Headphones/Speaker
-Mini-jack Stereo
Microphone/Line In
-Mini-jack Mono
POWER SUPPLY
Lithium Ion battery pack (7.4V, 6600mAh)
Battery operation: up to 4 hours***
Battery charging time: approximately 4.5 hours***
AC Adapter: AC 100V-240V 50/60Hz, Auto-sensing/switching worldwide power supply
Pop-up on-screen battery status reporting
POWER MANAGEMENT
Suspend/Resume Function, Hibernation, Standby, ACPI BIOS
SOFTWARE
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional (Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 2000 Professional also available)
Setup, Diagnostics, On-line Reference Manual, Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) Reader
SECURITY FEATURES
Password Security: Supervisor, User, Coffee Break
Integrated Kensington Lock Slot
WARRANTY
3 year limited warranty, parts & labor
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
1.2"/1.6"(H) x 8.3"(D) x 10.6" (W)
2.8 lbs., including battery
ACCESSORIES
Lithium Ion Battery Pack CF-VZSU27U
Battery Charger CF-VCBRT1U
AC Adapter CF-AA1623AM
256MB Memory Card CF-BAT0256U
External USB Floppy Drive
My laptop is a p150 thinkpad 560e, happily running the latest debian at an acceptable speed.
Seriously, in a portable machine, what do you need serious power for?
Surely how effective the ruggedizing methods are is just a touch more significant than having enough ram to play the newer pc games?
fortune -o
Face it, you're not going to be rendering in Maya, encoding DVDs to XviD/OGM or editing 60,000x20,000 pixel images in Photoshop on a 900 MHz CPU; Unreal Tournament 2003 isn't going to suck up all that memory running at 12 FPS on the integrated Intel graphics. And given the screen size, your ability to multitask is limited, since only so much will fit at once, so unless you feel like leaving open 70 minimized windows for some reason, that won't be an issue either.
With some services disabled, Windows XP will run fine on 96 MB of memory and Linux/BSD will do with the same or less depending on your WM du jour. I can't see why this much memory would be needed on a machine designed with productivity and groupware in mind. The default 256MB should be plenty.
it looks like it would shatter into a thousand pieces if i dropped it, it wouldnt last an hour on a building site either hardly "tough"
For a 12.1" laptop, there's no real reason to have more than 512meg. It's not like it's going to be a desktop replacement or anything. I've had tons of experience w/ sub and 12" notebooks. Never have I actually needed that much RAM.. only if I were running a pig OS like Windows ;).
Anyway, the W2 isn't going to be used playing games or runnign a webserver... or am I mistaken by this? :)
512MB is no problem. The big problem is that it's not directly available outside of Japan, so it's essentially unsupported anywhere else, and you'd have a hard time getting any service or support.
It's one thing to buy a new grey market trinket that's only available in Japan (digital cameras, DAT, etc), but not many people I know would consider purchasing a laptop with no support or warranty when they can get one at the electronics store down the road.
Someone I know just got the W2. It's a pretty good laptop. Feels sturdy, and is nice and small. However, it's a bit on the thick side for something that small (think the ThinkPad X31). He says the battery life is about 5 hours, and that's pretty believable given the specs. He hasn't tried killing it yet, but I'm actually not sure how much the outer case could take. I took a look at it, and it seems to be made of plastic, not magnesium (I don't know about the inner case). The only things I don't like about it are the trackpad (circular?) and the crummy graphics card (the processor could use a boost, too). It's also pretty expensive for a notebook of its class, but I assume you're paying for the build quality.
PS: Panasonic specs on the W2
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
link to the Panasonic page for the laptop.
if you're an oil field engineer for Schlumberger in Alaska. All your calculations are loaded into their extranet and checked before any pouring of concrete or drilling.
And they are tough, they have been thrown at grizzly bears, used to smash mosquitos, been run over by 4 wheelers without harm.
That's got to be the best knock off of the TiBook yet. The only difference is that it's more expensive, and slower! Really, if you want an Apple, buy an Apple; if you want a PC, buy a PC. Posers.
why do companies still think it's acceptable to integrate things like 56k modems, when it's a centrino capable laptop, meaning it can be fully wireless. also noted is the lack of gigabit nic, as this is starting to make it's way into offices, however slowly.
</petpeeve>
beside that, it sounds like a great laptop, now if only i could afford it...
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
http://www.dynamism.com/w2/gallery.shtmlr eviews.cnet.com/4505-3122_7-30525272.html
http://
you decide
If you want something that's almost as rugged but easier on the wallet, check out a product called the "iBook" (pronounced eye-book) by a company called "Apple Computer." Pretty rugged.
512mb of RAM is enough for an on the go, get email, make a presentation, and go back in the bag portable. You don't need 1GB of RAM to do these things Even from "experts" recommendations for Windows 2000, 512mb of RAM is PLENTY for 98% of what people do with laptops. I know of of business laptops with 512mb of RAM and 30gb hard drives that never see anything close to max performance or useage. In this machine's niche, it's a great thing. The price is a little much but that's to be expected with the feature set (Centrino isn't cheap). Size, weight, design, this one is good to go. Use it as a laptop, don't use it as Server (that's what Xeons are for). This is just the beginning of the hardware separating between user and enterprise space.
~corporate tool, but employed~
512MB may be sufficient now, but how about when the next Windoblows OS comes out. I remember when Windows 98 recommended 128mb, now XP wants 256MB, 512mb is not that much more and if this laptop only is upgradeable to that much memory, it is certainly not going to last that long.
Sony's TR1A comes with 512MB of memory and is upgrdeable to 1GB, now that is what I am talking about.
*cough* P4-m centrino? make up your mind..
is go to a sheetmetal supply ang build a homemade laptop out of 16 guage polished stainless steel...
i dont care if it takes a year i am going to build the best damn lappy the world has ever seen...
Look at the keyboard. See the space between the keys for stuff to fall through? Like most other laptops, this is designed to break in a few years. It even looks like the return key is already popping out of place in the photos.
The "Centrino" label implies a Pentium-M processor. The P4-M is a completely different beast. The Pentium-M is the newer one with 1MB L2 cache, and is more like a P3 internally.
...wearing a skin-tight topless leather jumpsuit, with cutaway buttocks and transparent crotch panel.
is that Intel hasn't provided a Linux driver for their Centrino PRO/Wireless adapter. This is one of the main reasons I went with a PowerBook instead of a Centrino.
Face it, you're not going to be rendering in Maya, encoding DVDs to XviD/OGM or editing 60,000x20,000 pixel images in Photoshop on a 900 MHz CPU; Unreal Tournament 2003 isn't going to suck up all that memory running at 12 FPS on the integrated Intel graphics. And given the screen size, your ability to multitask is limited, since only so much will fit at once, so unless you feel like leaving open 70 minimized windows for some reason, that won't be an issue either.
Thank you!
I have an HP laptop that I just upgraded from 128MB to 384MB and, for a laptop, that's a stout quantity of RAM. It never ceases to amaze me how much crap people think needs to be in a laptop. It's a friggin' laptop. You surf the web, check your e-mail, edit some text files, and maybe do some word processing or spreadsheet work on it. If you get bored, you might play solitaire or minesweeper. A 12" screen, 900mhz laptop doesn't have the screen, CPU horsepower, or hard drive speed to make apps that take 512MB of RAM practical.
If it wasn't for that kind of penis-substitute-mindset, we would have practical laptops with eight-plus hour battery life rather than ones with 2.8ghz P4s that can't make it to three hours.
and posting. remeber, only drink cough syrup with dextromethorphan as the main ingredient, anything else and your asking to bleed out of your eyes or have your heart stop
-cheers
im on dxm right now!
limiting for what? if you want a laptop to do high end video editing you wouldn't be getting a 'top with such a small screen anyway. I have a 12" 800Mhz iBook that is now maxed out with 640Megs RAM, but I don't consider that 'limited'. I'm running Linux as well, and opening terms, checking my mail and playing mp3s isn't taxing my memory.
CB
free ipod and free gmail!
Yet again another "review" by a site which has very little information.
Basically it's the author's "feeling" about the notebook, a few pictures, some "testing" which means little to a typical laptop user and absolutely no "Print Article" button so I can bypass the "Hot Words" with advertising, side bar with advertising, top frame with advertising, and bottom frame with advertising.
They manage to stretch out 2 paragraphs over 5 pages. Yuck.
You'd get more information from Panasonic's website and their Toughbook W2 Datasheet (PDF) then you will at this site.
Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
I will not be buying any such thing till Intel pulls their head out and releases Linux drivers for their wireless card. A wireless card w/o drivers does me absolutely no good...
-Erik -- --This message was written using 73% post-consumer electrons--
Everything but water proof yes. Read up on it here...
http://www.apple.com/ibook/
Space-age materials
The iBook was designed with durability in mind. That's why it's made of ultratough polycarbonate plastic -- the same material used in bulletproof glass -- and has an internal magnesium frame for added strength. The hard drive is rubber-mounted for impact resistance. And there are no doors, protruding latches, or levers to break or get snagged.
Sir Haxalot, is that you?
Damn karma whores.
-1: redundant, you dipshit
This is not such a limiting factor. 512 Megs of RAM is far more than I need for the kind of work I would want to do on an ultralight with a mear 12" screan. I.e. That's not where I play games or edit graphics or rip DVDs. A desktop is used for that. Or a true desktop replacment like the 9 lb Dell Inspiron 8200 I am typing this on.
Playing videos, Listening to MP3s, Running a Web browser and most importantly; Terminal emulation software dosn't need 512 MB.
That last one is the single most important reason for an ultracompact. Sometimes I have to stand infrunt of a rack hooked to a network device via a Serial cable with my laptop on one palm while I type with the other hand. 9 lb starts to feal like 90 after a few minutes. 2.8 lb would take much longer to get there.
BTW: How is this significantly better than the Latitude X300
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
a toughbook's were supposed to be... well tough? i remember seeing one on tech tv and they were dunking them in water and stuff...
I remember when Windows 98 recommended 128mb, now XP wants 256MB
Where do you get those numbers and is there toilet paper stuck to them?
According to Microsoft, Windows 98 required a 486DX 66 megahertz (MHz) or faster processor (Pentium central processing unit recommended), 16 megabytes (MB) of memory (24 MB recommended), and about 175MB of free hard disk space. Yeah, put 256MB into that Pentium 100 system and you're ready to rock and roll with Windows XP!
Face it: By the time that the next version of Windows rolls out, the 900mhz CPU in that laptop will be wheezing. Besides, you don't have to buy a new OS just because Microsoft releases one.
My linux notebook is a 500 celeron with 256MB of RAM. Even running X and performing a bunch of tasks, it has yet to reach full use of the 256MB. I don't even remember the last time I ended up touching the swap partition.
Honestly, what notebook apps really need >512MB of RAM? I've seen servers run perfectly well with less than that. If it's simply a manifestation of a the-more-the-merrier philosophy, that's fine... we're all in touch with that.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
I know someone who has used various Toughbook models in harsh environments (flight testing etc), and he recently commented that the things seemed virtually unbreakable.
I would, of course, love to test that out myself, but if I can ever afford milspec anything, I'm getting a ruggedized iPod first.
This Like That - fun with words!
to the Google Cache. Go go Slashdot Effect.
There's a nice list of non-windows x86 laptop vendors at mcelrath.org/laptops.html
Don't pay the windows tax (or the Apple tax for that matter).
I settled on a Sager 4060 from PCTorque. It's heavier than the toughbook but all its included devices are well supported under linux and it's got a lot of nice features for the price.
be more than enough for anyone.
:)
In the computer department of London Drugs, for CAD 2800
Jay
This doesn't need to be a powerhouse, or a desktop replacement. But I don't want a 2 pound flimsy thing that requires an external CD/DVD drive and costs 2500 from Sony. This Panasonic looks mighty close to what I'm looking for, but I wish it weren't 2200 dollars - I think I should be able to find what I'm looking for in the 1500-1700 dollar range.
Also, 3 year warranty is an absolute must, and Dell-style service (in home) would be really nice.
Yeah, I know, you could tell me to just Google around, but I've tried that and can't seem to find anything. Also, don't tell me to look at the iBook, that doesn't fit the bill for my purposes. Any suggestions are much appreciated, I can't believe I'm the _ONLY_ person out there who doesn't want either a huge desktop replacement or to spend 2500 on an overpriced laptop that breaks in less than a year (EVERY PCG-Z series Vaio I've ever seen breaks or fails completely in about a year of moderate use).
The submission sounds like an astroturf campaign. "The notebook is gorgeous, I love everything about it! Too bad it ONLY support 512 megs." Then everyone here jumps on and says "512 megs?! That's no problem! The laptop really IS perfect." Get it? Gotta love that guerilla marketing...
Got my Panny W2 on August 3rd, this is the best laptop I've ever had. It's the right mixture of horsepower, display, connectivity, and battery life. I do truly get 5 hours out of it, it's got a nice keyboard (with only a few quirks; particularly the arrow keys and tilde) and since the addition of the PCS Vision 1xRTT card .. totally connected.
Don't be confused by the Toughbook name; it's got a shockmounted HDD, motherboard, and display, but it's goal is mobility, not toughness.
I bought mine from Kevin Fawl at Bizco (www.toughonline.com) -- I'd buy another one if I needed another laptop tomorrow.
Wait, NERO, that sounds familiar. Anyway, that DesignTechnicia article was ass, let's see the scathingness...
Oh crap. That's right, I'm an idiot.
# killall mozilla-bin
Fuck Beta. Fuck Dice
Even making movies music seems unlikely.
Movies I can almost agree with. Audio recording, on the other hand, seems like a good application for a notebook computer. A laptop is quieter than a desktop computer, largely because its power supply is usually external and passively cooled, and its processor can usually be set to slow down and run under passive cooling (i.e. no fan). This leaves only a hard disk as a noise source, but with 512 MB of RAM, assuming the machine's desktop environment takes 1/4 of that, the machine can still record over half an hour straight of 16 bit stereo 48 kHz linear PCM audio without spinning up the disk. Real-time FLAC encoding may double that.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I have had my W2 for a while now and overall I am happy with it. 256MB of memory is not enough for Windows XP despite what everyone here might be saying. I upgraded the memory and I am very pleased with its performance. The screen is not as good as Sony's Xbrite display and the keyboard layout is quirky, but at least I have something unique.
One thing to consider, if this laptop was as marvelous as everyone says, then Panasonic would probably be mass marketing it here in the US. The Japanese like quirky little designs and it is very apparent in this system.
Overall, I would recommend this!
What are you RUNNING home boy?
The ability to record hundreds of megabytes of audio directly to RAM means you can spin down the hard drive and have an incredibly quiet computer. See my other comment for details.
Will I retire or break 10K?
why do people buy this shite?
ever wonder why pIII prices are still so high, and p4s are so cheap?
and more. it's 800 times what you really need.
cat toughbook > /dev/null
Powerbook G4 12": 2.1 kg
iBook 12": 2.2 kg
Panasonic Toughbook 1.29 kg
Is this really a Toughbook? That's the ruggedized line. But the review says:
Has there been a mistake? Or does Tough have some radically different meaning for the Japanese models?
This Like That - fun with words!
For some reason, the Japanese-spec model lists 768 max RAM and the US-spec model lists 512 max, but they both actually can take 768 (the notebook has a utility called DMI viewer, which states that it takes 512MB modules).
Also, the US-spec model is rated as having a much lower battery life than the Japanese one for some reason (4 hours vs 7 hours if I remember correctly). However, I easily get 5 hours on a single charge.
I've used the small Sonys and Fujitsu Lifebooks... this one dusts them. The screen is big and bright (25% less pixels then the P series, but 42% more screen-area). It runs as quiet and cool as my wife's P-2000 (Crusoe-based).
Check out leog.net.
There is also a yahoo group.
Lastly, check out dynamism for other neato notebooks.
Ok, this post will be labelled as a troll, but who cares.
...this P4-M 900 Centrino based laptop... - P4-M and Centrino are two different things. The Toughbook is a Pentium-M Centrino processor, not a Pentium 4 Mobile processor (or both).
:)
I see a lot of "What do you need so much memory for?!", and "You're not running a web server, or playing games" and shit like that.
A laptop is, for me and a lot of people I know, machine to take with you, to act as a complete replacement of your workstation. Therefore I demand that it be as fast and responsive as my workstation. That means, fast CPU, fast graphics adapter, reasonable harddisk space and a lot of RAM. Now the Toughbook has a reasonably fast processor (900 MHz Centrino is roughly equivalent to a 1600 MHz P4), but it's RAM is only expandable to 512MB, which I think is questionable (but adequate), the harddrive is 40GB which is fine. The graphics adapter (Intel 855GM integrated stuff) I don't know about, I'd be happier with a new NVidia or ATi. I like gaming, and I'd want to game on the go too.
Erh, ok and it's around 2400 US$. No way man.
Bottom line is that I am definitely not impressed with this machine. Far from it.
Check out any other brand - Sony Vaio, anything! I prefer the Dell Lattitude D600 - the 1.3GHz P-M starts around 1300 US$.
Oh, and
Well that's it for me. You can go about your business now
Any technology distinguishable from magic, is insufficiently advanced.
many people (including myself) have decided to have a laptop as our sole computer. They are so powerful now that there's no need to waste space on a big computer desk. That's why we are interested in fast processors and lots of memory, just the same way people want those things in desktop machines.
(looks at the back of his desktop PC)
Sure, Ethernet is internal now, and storage devices and video inputs can be made into FireWire or high-speed USB breakout boxes, but are you interested in fast 3D video? I don't think that's been done over FireWire, USB, or Ethernet in the consumer sphere; almost all 3D cards sold at Best Buy and Circuit City are designed to fit in a desktop PC's AGP slot.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I've got a VPR Matrix 175B4. After a bit of research I found out my laptop is basically a Samsung P10. I'm a huge fan of Samsung so one could probably imagine my elation at this discovery.
What I'm getting at (in a very roundabout way) is a certain laptop I've managed to both hold and see in use here in the states. The Samsung X10. Like the Panasonic Toughbook W2 in that it's both light and unattainable via the usual channels, this computer was a site to behold. I'd like to see any Samsung laptop on the market (as I've found them to more often than not be both marvels in design and technology). Anyone else feel the same way?
<< Jonathan
The Li-Ion batteries these days are so small and light, they could easily double or triple the battery size while keeping it all under 10lbs. It's really a no-brainer. I don't know why more companies don't do it.
There exist universal laptop batteries that fit under the laptop's case and plug into the pretty-much-standard 18V jack at the back of the laptop.
Will I retire or break 10K?
A 12" screen, 900mhz laptop doesn't have the screen, CPU horsepower, or hard drive speed to make apps that take 512MB of RAM practical.
What about digital audio?
Will I retire or break 10K?
My desktop machine has 512 megs. I can play whatever game I want on it. It runs FS-2002 Full Graphics all on with no diffuculty. It'll run Visual Studio.NET which is a major resource hog, with 3d graphics software at the same time. I can make intense 3d models. The only limiting factor is my graphics card so sometimes it gets jerky, but I never use up all of my ram. I can even turn my virtual Ram file off. I can't think of anything someone would need to do besides web-hosting that would need over 512 megs.
Help Fight SPAM today!
I dont get where the toughbook part comes in. Old toughbooks were built into briefcase style things, some (maybe aftermarket added, cant remember) had like honeycomb pattern stuff built into the case. You could run the damn things over. This thing, while pretty, doesnt look like it could withstand a 1 inch drop, nevermind a 5-6 foot drop like the old ones. If you operated that in harsh working conditions I really doubt it would stand up.
Like look at this one, couple years old:
Picture 1
Picture 2
It looks quite a bit tougher.
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
I willgo with the 12.1 in iBook!!
it will cost me HALF that and give me comprable battery life, not to mention I can get another 128 MB of ram in it.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
Recommended brand: Vicks 44, with just DXM and alcohol.
The newer laptops with 1400 x 1050 res rocks. For programming, it is simply awesome and is great. The 450X is a good laptop and I loaded it up with 1gig of ram. Everything runs great on XP with 1gig of ram. Anything less than 512 sucks big time and is slow as a dog. Oh wait, what am I talking about. It's windows, so always double the amount of memory recommended by microsoft.
We used to have a bunch of these where I was stationed with the Army. Despite their durable appearance, they routinely broke; malfunctioning floppy drives, cracked screens, etc. We were rough with them, no doubt, but believe it or not the Dell Latitudes held up better.
Working in the construction industry, the CF-71 & 72's continue to be the laptop of coice for their reliability in harsh conditions.
512MB? No problem. Just stay away from Java and you are fine.
Less is more !
and provide links to pictures as necessary.
This thing is a $2000+ iBook, and it doesn't even look as cool. Though it does weigh two pounds less . . .
I've had 1GB of RAM in my PowerBook G3 for a couple years. Typically I have 12-14 applications running (over 50 processes when you include system and background stuff). If I had 512MB of RAM there would be a fair bit of paging happening. Notebook drives are usually significantly slower than desktop drives which makes paging even slower. IMO lots of RAM is just as important in a notebook as it is in a desktop.
Top:
Processes: 53 total, 2 running, 51 sleeping... 231 threads 00:48:50
Load Avg: 1.24, 1.26, 1.16 CPU usage: 15.1% user, 19.3% sys, 65.5% idle
SharedLibs: num = 54, resident = 20.1M code, 1.79M data, 5.77M LinkEdit
MemRegions: num = 6330, resident = 188M + 11.8M private, 139M shared
PhysMem: 64.3M wired, 124M active, 629M inactive, 818M used, 206M free
VM: 3.44G + 37.9M 10787(0) pageins, 0(0) pageouts
"Clean up the air and treat the animals fair" - Captain Beefheart
-- If you actually say LOL instead of laughing, maybe it's time to go outside! --
However so much I think it is gorgeous, I must admit that it has another quality as well. This is what some call "the X Factor." What does "X" stand for? You figure it out.
What I'm saying is that, mmmmmmm, those lines, those curves--oh yeahhhh--they just do it for me.
I run Linux on my Inspiron 4000 with is maxed out with 512MB, and it isn't enough for comfortably running VMware. I'd really like to be able to run 2 VMs at once at times, so I will get 1GB in my next notebook, and I will feel better if it has the option to expand it to 2GB. If there was a way to cram 1GB in mine now I'd do it in a heartbeat, the chipset is limited to 256MB DIMMs so I'm SOL.
My desktop has 768MB now, my next one will be 1.5GB at least.
Oh, and lest you think I'm some sort of insane power hungry guy, I'm using a 600MHz Pentium III in my notebook, a 533MHz Celeron in my desktop!
I cant believe noone mentioned it yet, that this is a dirty powerbook wanna-be!
Dont you folks see it?! My first thought after seeing it, the monitor and the side (of course after the color choice) that this is a powerbook wanna-be.
I've owned an HP Pavilion XH575 for a few years now that I really like. The keyboard on it is nice, the screen is an SXGA+ 1400x1050 15" screen, 30g drive (which I have barely filled 10g), and 512M RAM - it also plays DVDs (poorly since it is software decompression) and records CDs. It is technically a Sager I guess, the company that sources most of the laptops sold. I didn't find out that I could get them cheaper from www.powernotebooks.com until after I'd owned this for awhile.
I got it refurbished off of www.ubid.com and it was about $1200 I think.
I started actually carrying the thing to work and back home with me, the way a laptop should be. I have a Crumpler "Very Busy Man" messenger bag that I use - tons of space in that thing, and it is designed for laptops.
Once I did that and no longer just moved if from the coffee table to my lap and instead actually jostled it a bit, I started having problems with it.
At first the internet ethernet in it failed. That was no sweat, I just bought a Netgear PCMCIA card and got back on the net.
But more recently something much worse happned - the cpu fan failed. If I hold my laptop upside down and at a slight angle and then bash it against the edge of something hard just right, then the fan will start moving again, VERY loudly. I assume a bearing is messed up in there. If I turn it right side up again, then the fan dies again - probably gravity tugging and exacerbating the issue with the bearing.
I haven't figured out how to use my laptop upside down without adding a monitor, keyboard, and mouse - which I refuse to do - the whole point of a laptop for me is to be totally portable.
I took it all apart to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it. In the process, I broke the ESC key off of the keyboard. I also learned that the heat sink and fan are really really hard to get to if you don't have instructions.
I also saw that the hard drive is really tiny and cute - and shock mounted. The CD drive is really impressively little as well.
When this device overheats, it just shuts off and it won't turn on agian until it cools off. Fortunately though I don't seem to lose any data on it. It is healthy aside from the tiny issues at hand.
After I put the unit back together, the PCMCIA stopped working, but on the good side the internet ethernet started working again - then it would go out, but the PCMCIA would work - and back and forth until finally it seems to have decided on just the internet ethernet to keep.
As I'm sitting here typing, I have it on top of a metal tray out of my toaster oven - in the hope that it will act as a heatsink and help me get more use out of this until I can fix it.
I ordered an Apple PowerBook - one of the new Aluminum ones. I heard that its new 1.25Ghz processor runs less hot and is usable on the lap - I hope that is right. I'm going to give it a shot and if I don't like it, I can always put Linux on it.
I live in Bermuda, so it has been a HUGE hassle to try to get an Apple laptop here that doesn't end up costing me $5K (it will cost me just under $4K the way I finally resolved it). So I can't imagine that this Panasonic thing would be too hard to get in comparison.
I would gladly have gotten one of these things were they able to do a 15" screen and a keyboard that is larger.
I do Photoshop for basic web stuff and logos, but nothing fancy (since I just have the trackpad), and mostly I just program all of the time. I ssh (Putty) into servers in the States and work on code there. I also use Komodo on here as well. I look at web pages, read e-mail, write documents occasionally, and do relatively a lot in Excel.
Essentially I do nothing that needs a lot of processor power (all of that is in my server in the States), and 512M RAM is "enough" for anything I do.
My dream laptop is something that has about a 15" screen that has great brightness. I ideally want 1600x1200, but I'm seeing that I will hae to wait a bit for that to be as universal as say 1280x1024. I want a keyb
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
The Sony TR2 (japanese) has 802.11 a/b/g + bluetooth and it has a max memory of 1GB with a 40GB HD.
Apple laptops are effectively unusable for unix users.
I am a long-time Unix user. That means I need to have the Ctrl key to the left of the A key. This is a genuine need, not merely a want; it is based upon ergonomics. The Ctrl key is heavily used in unix, and it must be easily accessable. It cannot be off in the lower left corner of the keyboard where it is difficult to get at, and where it distorts the position of your left hand such that you can't easily type other keys while holding the Ctrl key down.
Apple desktop keyboards are now all USB. They are all OK. The CapsLock key can be re-mapped into a Ctrl key.
Unfortunately, even in this modern age, all Apple laptops have built-in ADB keyboards. The ADB keyboard is broken-by-design. It is, in general, not possible to remap the CapsLock key into a Ctrl key.
There are some exceptions, but they are horrible kludges. They are horrible kludges because the original design of the ADB keyboard was a horrible kludge. The correct solution would be for Apple to re-design their laptop motherboards to use built-in USB keyboards. This hasn't happened yet. If you run Linux, use Debian's solution. For Mac OS X users, uControl works. There are no solutions (that I know of) for either NetBSD or OpenBSD. Please note once again that the "solutions" above are in fact kludges, because of the original bad design of the ADB keyboard.
Apple provides a technical note on how to remap the keyboard, but provides no solution to the hardware problems caused by the design of the ADB keyboard. This tech note helps foreign language users, but does nothing for the CapsLock/Ctrl problem.
Apple is (currently) ignoring Unix users! This is not merely speculation on my part. In an on-going email exchange I am having with an Apple employee (whom I won't name) in their marketing department, the Apple marketing person directly stated to me that Apple was catering to their historic Mac customers, and is purposely ignoring the Unix market. He also claimed that Apple would soon start paying more attention to the Unix market. I won't hold my breath. Apple has been ignoring Unix users for more than 13 years. I expect that trend to continue. (Also note that my Apple contact indicated that Macs would never ship with a 3-button mouse, even though Apple intended to port almost all X-window software and deliver it either on a CD/DVD or installed directly on each Mac's hard drive. How Unix friendly is a 1-button mouse with X programs that often require 3 buttons?)
Apple has now lost two opportunities to sell me hardware. I really wanted an Apple laptop for their superior battery life, and for the PowerPC with Altivec CPU. (The Altivec is vastly superior to the x86 line for DSP.) Because I can't live with the broken-by-design built-in ADB keyboard in all Apple laptops, Sony and IBM sold me laptops instead. If Apple fixes this problem, they will sell me a PowerBook next year; if they don't, I'll still be running OpenBSD on x86 hardware, and wishing I could use a Mac.
Everything else is just another laptop.
I have never seen any sites to by this in the U.S.A, but Dynamism has them. The original author mentioned that the W2 was hard to get. I thought this would be helpful for those who wished to purchase or find pricing on.
If you want mobility check out Sharp UW32e ets/PC -UM32W.PDF
http://www.sharpsystems.com/products/datash
I'm not sure what the big deal is. The Panasonic doesn't seem significantly different from the Sharp UW32 minus the built in combo drive. I bought the Sharp UW32 a a few months ago for only $1200 and it is sweet!
Its almost as light as the Panasonic (only 3.0 lbs), just as fast with same memory and HD size standard. Although it has external cdrom, it has built in wilress, USB (2), firewire and even a compact flash slot! The exterior styling is the same cool metallic.
Whats best about the sharp is the depth. Its less than an inch thick (.77"). Unlike the VAIO though the keys on the keyboard have a great tactile feel because the whole keyboard pops up slightly when the lid is opened.
And its only around $1300 or $1400 and available in the US. I've even seen it at Circuit City.
You must be typing weird, as I've always been able to hit the ctrl button just by rocking my left hand a bit so the side hits the ctrl button.
For another example, see Tom's Hardware Looks At WinFS
Tierce
Who sponsors your feelings?
I've owned this laptop for a month now. I have the US spec model with 768MB ram. The key is, you must buy the 512MB stick from Japan - I bought it on ebay, it's the same memory as the Sony U101 uses.
Also, the Winmodem works with a source modification (very easy), same for the i810switch program (I reported it to the author). The ethernet is a realtek, use 8139too, and that's it. ACPI doesn't work well with 2.4.22 (2.4.18 at least has poweroff working), and 2.6.0-test5 gave similar problems with ACPI.
Oh come ON. Why is it that EVERY time Apple puts a new product out, slashdot runs a review...but when OTHER cool technology comes out it's completely igno...oh. Wait. Um, never mind.
Superior battery life? My 12" powerbook gives a bit over 3 hours of "normal" light use. Actually it seems as if it has dropped to 2,5h recently.. IBM laptops give as much as 7 hours of use (with single battery). Battery life is the biggest thing I am annoyed with my PB. And I looked at the new 15" one at a store, it gave only 2,6h..
check out a fujitsu p-5000 series. much more attractive visually, performance, and price. supports upto a gig of ram.
I come from a dell 7000 that would get 7 1/2 hours of programming from its dual batteries. It's also 3-4 pounds heavier than my new pb17.
The laptop's processor is a Pentium-M, not a Pentium4-M. Pentium-M's are newer, pack a LOT more power for their clock speed (add 500Mhz to get the equivalent Pentium4-M), and have Centrino technology (that means a wireless card that's not supported by Linux).
Yes, it's confusing, stupid, and backward. I didn't think up the name.
What dumb statement is that, are all business laptops, boring black with 7 logos on it and have no burning ability, no wifi? Shouldnt a business laptop BE LIGHT, BE SMALLISH, and be stylish. I dont want a 9 pound monster 15in screen, thats not a business laptop, thats a desktop replacement.
And what do businesses need?
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Dunno how many of you are familiar with the Averatec notebooks, personally I think it looks a lot better than the Panasonic reviewed here. It's also considerably cheaper and specs are similar, but spec-wise, it ultimately wins out over the Panasonic.
3 08 10/516090/Default.asp (For the link shy.)
For starters, the Averatec 3150H comes with the Athlon Mobile 1600+ CPU, can have up to 640MB PC2100 mem (I know it's not THAT much more than 512MB, but it's still more), been using the battery pretty often and it's not hard to get about 4 hours of use out of it... even with most of the power saving features turned off.
As far as anything else goes, the specs aside from what I mentioned above, are almost exactly the same. Paying more than $2000 for any laptop, even if it looks pretty, is just insane... especially if it only has a 12" screen. I got mine for $850 after rebate at Staples. AFAIK, they're still a regular stock item.
Other differences:
A: Has 30GB
P: has 40GB
A: Has 3x USB2
P: Has 2x USB2
A: Has Athlon XPM 1600+ (Approx 1.4Ghz)
P: Has Pentium4 Centrino 900Mhz
A: Doesn't have any mem stick slots
P: has SD/MMC reader slot.
A: Model 3150P has Wifi built in, dunno how much it costs, but it's still cheaper than the panasonic.
A: Touchpad has two scrolling buttons instead of a wheel. Verrryyyy handy.
A: Approx 2lbs heavier. Big deal.
A: Linux installs beautifully. All standard components.
P: Er... well...uhm...
Both notebooks are made out of lightweight magnesium alloy.
Not getting paid, just a VERY satisfied user. I've been looking for a long time and I've always known there were MUCH better smaller notebooks out there for under 1K.
Staples has the Averatec notebooks on spotlight on their site. Look here.
http://www003.staples.com/Products/SpotLights/0
That type of cycle time forced me to patch the code in-line to test and be sure that the changes I made would be changes that worked. When you have a quick change/build/test cycle you tend to get sloppy, if you are not careful.
Fight Spammers!
My little compy is a 700Mhz P3 laptop with 190Mb of slow ram. Right now, I have Primal Script, FileZilla, CMD.exe, Photoshop 7, and several web browser windows open, and it workd just fine. Slow sometimes, and yes I hit the swap hard some days, but it still does everything faster than I can type. Why complain about a tiny little laptop only having 512Mb of ram? What are you planning on doing with the thing anyways? Rendering on it would be stupid, playing Unreal Tournament 2003 even stupider (hehe). Oh well, throw maya and Doom 3 on the thing when it comes if you want something to complain about.
Rim's website mentions that the toughbook well soon have a RIM modem !, that could be a killer combo, always on web/E-Mail !!
2 -0 2.shtml
http://www.rim.net/news/press/2002/pr-01_05_200
{ Pillar candles great for when the power fails and you cant see the keyboard..
I agree that 512MB of RAM should work out well for a lightweight laptop like this one. The main thing that jumped out at me is the fact that the reader claimed that it had a Pentium 4 M processor at 900Mhz. My first thought was, that is crap, but then after reading the actual specs, found it to be a Pentium M instead (much better). Kind of make you realize how bad the Intel programming of customers is, if even a slashdot reader can let such an important spec be interchanged.
I came, I saw, She conquered.
Since when were slashdot readers significantly more technically competent than, say, a chalkboard eraser?
Puh-lease. People who never, ever spell 'lose' correctly cannot be expected to keep processor lines straight.
n/m
Those panasonic toughbooks are built for the adventurous some who might use them on mount everest and similar places; they're not designed to play games or any such activities. Enough processing power to run that statistical package and acccess the net on a satelite connection is all they had in mind when they designed them. Stay away from those machines and get yourself a desktop replacement from HP or gateway if that's what you want.
Perhaps to the poster or to the average Slashdot reader 512mb might be a limited amount of RAM but to the average computer RAM it is probably twice more than they need. Let us remember folks that this is a laptop, not a desktop and certainly not a server. I know a lot of people that are have laptops running WindowsXP and their laptops only have 128mb of RAM. Granted 512mb would be nicer than 128mb, and a gig would be even better. But for _most_ people anything more than 256 is excessive and anything more than 512 is unneeded.
This is a very sad laptop.
The RAM limit for the W2 is not 512Mb - its 768. Panasonic lists the W2 as having a max of 512 for the US model because they only sell at 256 microdimm here, but in Japan, or via importers like Dynamism (dynamism.com) you can buy a 512 Mb module to supplement the 256 meg built in module to get you up to 768. The DVI viewer on my W2 confirms that the memory controller can handle microdimms of up to 512 Mb, and the hardware is the same for the Japanese and US models.
As a quick aside, I bought my W2 about 2 months ago and absolutely love it. I am a college student, and its wonderful to be able to work anywhere and not be lugging around 10lbs worth of stuff. Plus, you get lots of stares at your local coffee shop - the coolness and/or geekiness factor is incredible. I do wish I had more than the standard 256 Mb of RAM, but Christmas is coming up in a couple of months. I have no other complaints really, but those who are considering buying a subnotebook should check out leog.net - a wonderful resource for the Fujitsu P-Series notebooks and just subnotes in general, including high rez photos and reviews of the Panasonic W2.
Lowest Price: $2,399.00
For a 900Mhz, 256MB, 40 gig laptop, that's a bit steep. Dell's equivalent (300m) is around $1500, but the DVD/CDRW is external and it's probably not as pretty. Is this worth $900? I vote no.
... fail to answer the most important question which is:-
Will it run Linux supporting the modem and video?
let's look at some important issues...
While the plastic housing is convincing, it feels easy to scratch or crack.
for a laptop, that's pretty important.
Nearly every other attempt to eject the CD resulted in the computer shutting down.
that doesn't sound fun, but it's not a show stopper.
Also, the ports appear to just be cut out of the case with no protection to keep pins from bending, which takes away from the overall aesthetics.
for a portable machine, this is pretty important.
Estimated battery life according to Panasonic is 7.5 hours.
now, for a portable 2.8 lbs device, that just rocks!
There is signifigant light bleeding from the bottom of the screen which results in uneven illumination for the rest of the screen.
uh oh, for a laptop, this is really, really bad. i mean, the screen is what you stare at all day long, right?
The keyboard has an anime-esque paint job, that we really liked in a cheesy "We understood Akira" way.
and
The anime styling borders on fun and tacky, but that's one of the reasons we liked it.
oh!! so that's why it's on slashdot, because based on its merits as a functional laptop, it really isn't that big of a deal.
Not that it would matter to everyone, but the Dell can only read CDs through an external D-Bay or Media Base. It's significant to me.
Nonsense, 64KB of memory should be enough for anyone!
--Muzz
Hmm, that's actually interesting. Tried it on my standard 101 keyboard here and that seems to work well.
Unfortunately, I then tried it on my 12" Powerbook, but there's no way. The keys are recessed to be pretty much flush with the palm-rest and the CTRL key isn't the outer key. It's inboard of the FN key.
Oh well....
The review contradict itself. On a page
it says it has the 3D Lynx Silicon Motion
chipset. On the next page it says it has
the Intel 855 graphics chipset. Which one
really?
http://www.icube.us/panasonic_w2/product_spec.htm
m l
w 2.pdf
It says upgradeable to 512MB. Dynamism sells a DIFFERENT version with a 1GHz CPU, this W2 has a 900MHz CPU.
iCube model: CF-W2AW1AXP
Dynamism model: CF-W2BW3AXP
http://www.dynamism.com/w2/specs.sht
Do you see the difference?
Specs from Panasonics website: http://www.panasonic.com/computer/notebook/pdf/TB
The review was correct, you are all morons.
I bought my laptop to do actual science on - I needed something with a big screen and reasonably powerful graphics. In my current lab, it turns out that I'm usually better off using my laptop than the lab computers; it's faster, and I don't have to compete with four other groups for CPU time. So, yeah, I need a lot of memory too; I can tear through 512 pretty quickly. My other computer is a relatively ancient SGI workstation, okay for web browsing/graphics/light coding, but not much for number crunching.
The problem with a laptop, however, is that bottlenecks seem to crop up very quickly. At my old job, I had a dual Xeon with more than a gig of RAM, several Ultra 160 disks on multiple channels, and a Quadro card, and there was virtually nothing that could slow it down; I could run huge simulations or render images on one processor and still use the other for web browsing or lighter work. On my laptop, any heavy-duty task will render the entire system inoperable.
It's not the ram that throughs me off. As most posters have said the ram is fine. I beleive that the name toughbook should not have been tacked onto the model. This is yet another laptop, it is not built tough in any way sort or form. Tough laptops are what we have standard issue in our ambulances.. they regularly get dropped and tossed and survive just fine...
-- botsex is {grep;touch;strip;unzip;head;mount}
no linux - no go
Hello? I'm using a laptop with a measly 192mb of ram running on an ancient K6-3-550 processor and it runs XP just fine. Granted it's not a speed demon and it sometimes struggles a bit on high resolution divX video but it works for web and normal casual work. My desktop unit is an athlon-700 / 640 mb of ram running with no swap file in XP. I've crunched video in realtime!, rendered 3d images and done just amazing things on it despite being dated hardware. Now you're complaining to me 512mb isn't enough for a laptop? What do you plan to do with the thing? Run a multinational company's webserver on it?? Crunch scientific data? It's a portable laptop not a power desktop... Besides, it's a 900 mhz centrino processor! Applications that use 512mb will likely need much more CPU power than that. Not to mention a laptop HD isn't anywhere near as fast as your desktop unit so don't expect your data to be moving very fast from storage.
Though no one seems to be doing much but complain about the memory (stop reading hype and benchmark your usage), I'm loving this notebook. I still need to check if I can get my Windows Refund, but other than that -- With the normal battery, it lasts 3-4 hours and looks incredibly sexy. With the hi-cap battery, it looks somewhat less sexy and lasts 9-10 hours.
Upsides:
Downsides:
If you think you deserve this, you don't. But you may want to buy it for yourself anyway. And use Linux -- enough people ask for a Windows Refund and they'll pay attention.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
Its called a thinkpad, IBM has been making rock solid laptops for years. The orginal toughbook series is a great concept, but this particular model is just a branding exercise. Seriously though, the X31 has a 1.4 centrino processor, 5400 rpm drive, 1 gig of memory, wifi, and ports galore in a 3.5 pound footprint.
When I heard of a W2 ToughBook I was ready to sell my P-2120 and get it BUT it is not ruggedized like the mil-spec ToughBooks.Its just a marketing ploy this thing will break just as easy as any other sub-notebook.
This Thinkpad has a little, bitty, tasteful logo on the lower right corner. Nothing to offend. Actually I would have loved it if my new refurbed TP600E had a huge blue IBM logo on the top...I kinda like the symbolism of having a nice, big, badass (even though they are from 1999 they still kick ass) IBM Thinkpad running Linux. I guess the sticker I'm going to have made up with Calvin whizzing on the SCO logo will have to suffice. Suck on that, Darl Vader!
Then again, the glowing white Apple on my dual-boot MacOS/Yellow Dog Linux-running PowerBook G3 Series (aka Wallstreet II, Wallstreet PDQ) is only part of the Shock and Awe factor that still exists with this machine. Whip that puppy out, start it up, and that beautiful 14.1" TFT is enough to make you weep it's so gorgeous. The pic doesn't do it justice but here it is:
http://homepage.mac.com/techedgeezine/images/walls treet_14inch_shark.jpg
Yeah, both of these machines are older machines. Both of them cannot go beyond 288MB RAM. (256MB on the PB, although some have gotten rare 256MB SO-DIMMS to work on it bringing the RAM up to 512MB...and the 256MB SO-DIMMS you need are hard to get) But I still love them. The Thinkpad was bought last week for the lordly sum of $320. Gotta love off-lease purchases...
And damn straight, both run Linux.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Just don't make the mistake of trying to clean stuff out from under a keycap and try to pop one off. You may find it won't go back on. At least, mine didn't. One of the little tabs that hooks onto the scissor mechanism broke off. Thankfully some guy on eBay was selling replacement keycaps and scissor mechanisms for $5.. otherwise Apple seems to just only see full keyboards ($120+) as a replacement. Doesn't seem very durable to me.
I looked, the WLAN is "b" which looks backwards. Anyone want to compare it to the Fujitsu which similarily equipped (but can get to higher RAM) runs at $1600. Fujitsu has combo drive, 2 USB2, 8.5 hours with bay battery (included in that price), external floppy, and (ugh) XP-home. (200 costs 100 more). And WLAN-g. I look at the Apple computers and the powerbook, metal housed, wireless built in, and see that (sensibly) they charge LESS for the smaller screen. Any comments? Again and again I find Apple to be "too much trouble", things dont run in it, you need an IT dept to figure things out (read comments on Apple boards on usenet), and I remember the one time I did user support on a new Apple-Mac... IT had to be sent back for bad hardware. Whew. It is so pretty tho. And I really really love the size of the 12" console. I saw a stripped Compaq the other day, really pretty but expensive and an old chip. All replies will be used in my considerations. Thanks
-- Consciousness is who we are. -- Consciousness is in the process, in how I do it.
Wrong model. This is the CF-W2AW1AXP. You might be thinking of the CF-W2BW3AXP. In this case, the J model states 512MB max. It may be possible, but you can bet it will do something annoying like void the warrenty, etc.
Ultra-ultra slim laptops are never good for desktop replacements. For one thing hard drives that small are never as fast and you just can't cool modern (even mobile) procs at speeds near the desktops that well.
Thats why we've got a 900 mhz centrino there. Ev
Hmmm... Pie...
As far as the RAM limitations go, they may not be as big of a stumbling block as you might think...picture how these devices are going to be used. How many police officers with these hardwired into their cruisers are going to need more than even 256Mb of RAM? I was inspecting such a police unit this weekend and found that the Toughbook that was in use only had 64Mb!! First of all, the officers weren't exactly the most tech-savvy people on the planet, so they didn't even NOTICE how horribly underpowered the things were, and secondly, all they use them for is some Windows-based, GUI-type accident report software (and Minesweeper, hehee).
1024x768 is so 90's.
Sez he running a Dell at 1600x1200...
all i gotta say is anyone who thinks that 512mb is a limiting factor must not have been around when 16mb was a luxury. and even with 16mb you could do more in less time than most of today's gui eye candy, mouse-handicapped software.
people who say that 512mb is a limiting factor in a sub-3lb notebook computer need to get a grip on reality because they are obviously mistaking subnotebooks for 3d graphics workstations or extreme gaming machines. of course, lazily programmed bloatware is also to blame. give a bloatware programmer 10 megs to work with and i'm still not sure they can program alley cat. ~10bt