中国30年的隐痛，终于翻身了

Netbooks 2.0

www.reuters.com

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new class of cheaper, smaller netbook computers might upset the IT establishment this year and potentially usher in new players in a hotly competitive market.

The biggest change in the new pint-sized laptops is what they won't have: Intel Corp (INTC.O) chips or a Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) Windows PC operating system, which dominate netbooks today.

The new netbooks, which use less energy, will run on the low-power ARM processor platform now used in nine out of 10 mobile phones, rather than Intel's x86-based Atom chip. The U.K.-based ARM Holdings Plc (ARM.L) licenses the chip technology.

As many as 10 ARM-based netbook models could hit the market this year, according to ARM, which declined to identify specific manufacturers. Major PC players and Asian contract manufacturers alike are interested, analysts say.

Enderle Group analyst Rob Enderle called the new netbooks "incredibly disruptive," saying: "This is a market that puts the existing PC structure at risk."

While analysts say it's not yet clear if consumers will embrace the ARM devices, interest has been galvanized by the emphasis on power efficiency, prices as low as $200 and the promise of anywhere, anytime computing on PCs small enough to slip into a purse.

What's sacrificed is users' familiarity with PC-based interfaces and systems and sheer processing power. The current $300-$400 Atom netbooks are already mainly good for just surfing the Web and less graphics-intensive applications.

"We're right in the middle of a huge shift in the market," said Eric Openshaw, U.S. technology leader for Deloitte LLP.

Openshaw said non-Windows netbooks will need to demonstrate a simple and accessible user interface at the application level if they hope to gain traction with consumers.

Windows XP can't run on ARM, so the new netbooks will have Linux-based software, including, analysts and industry executives say, Google Inc (GOOG.O) Android, which has been used so far in smartphones.

But don't count Microsoft out just yet. Although the software giant declined to comment when asked if it is planning an operating system for the new netbooks, analysts say it could easily enter the market if it chose.

Intel pointed out there are as yet no ARM netbooks on the market and that its Atom chip has a full year's head start.

"We're not slowing down, we fully expect competition and we continue to believe that Atom is the right choice for our customers and consumer," said spokesman Bill Calder.

NEXT WAVE

The still-evolving netbook market is growing thick with players from all over the tech sector. Wireless carriers such as AT&T Inc (T.N) are helping lead the charge, while graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), wireless chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and Freescale Semiconductor Inc have all designed ARM-based processors that can be used in netbooks.

美聯網拓Linux開放平台

http://www.wenweipo.com [2008-10-31]

　 美聯物業資訊科技總監馮浩陞表示，美聯物業網站已登陸各主要網頁瀏覽器，而透過Linux開放式平台的電腦作業系統方案，結合現有技術，更可在手提電話的 瀏覽器上登入網站；客戶在戶內及戶外均可瀏覽美聯網站所提供的樓市資訊，包括美聯地圖等訊息。他更表示，目前該公司正採用低成本的Linux開放式平台作 為主要方案，在金融海嘯及企業優化的年代，相信有關平台系統將有助強化該公司及網站運作，並可進一步提升生產力。

手機PDA均可瀏覽

　 馮浩陞指出，現時市場上流行不同的網頁瀏覽器，故往往會有網站因未能符合部分瀏覽器的要求而不能正確顯示網站訊息。為照顧不同客戶，故美聯網站已透過技術 提升及改進，目前已可在流行的網頁瀏覽器登入及瀏覽。此外，在大部分的手提電話及PDA的瀏覽器也可輕鬆及方便地瀏覽流動版的美聯網站。另外，最近在美聯 網站推出的「我的樓盤」，提供一個簡單方便的途徑供客戶儲存心水樓盤、到價提示，每日有接近萬次的點擊。為了更開放平台，美聯網站亦推出「資訊全面睇」， 客戶只需輕輕一「按」，即可看到平面圖及相片等。

　馮浩陞重申，雖然本港受到金融海嘯衝擊，但物業仍是不少市民的資金避難所，故該公司將繼續致力提升資訊科技及網站技術，同時亦會透過Linux的開放式平台系統方案，提升技術及生產力之餘，又有效控制成本。