This week we are suggesting good reads that pay tribute to the Victorian bridal tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue (or, in our case, something true).

Our wine and food pairings undertake the same theme, looking at old-stand-by’s, new cuisine, foreign dishes,  simple no-fuss finger-foods, and a tasty and afforable wine.

Each of this week’s dishes can be served individually, or if you’re feeling really ambitious, make all four.

The  M E N U

Teiglach: Grandma’s Honey-Nut Cookies

Black Soybean and Veggie “Sushi”

Tea Sandwiches with Lemon, Honey and Ginger

Mediterranean Red Lentil Pate

The  W I N E

California’s Montevina Pinot Grigio 2007

I love the description, “Sunshine in a glass.”  It is indeed a very bright, light, fall/summery wine that can be paired with all of the dishes. A perfect wine for our theme, Montevina is both a new and old wine. Pinot Grigio is the Italian term for Pinot Gris, the gray grape of France. A mutation of Pinot Noir, for generations it grew in the vineyards of Burgundy among its red relation and field blended to add softness and acidity to red wines. Today, Pinot Gris (Grigio) is considered one of the five noble varieties in the Alsace region of France.

The  R E C I P E S

S O M E T H I N G  Old

TEIGLACH

GRANDMA’S

HONEY-NUT COOKIES

This is a treat that requires a lot of time in advance, so keep that in mind when planning to make these delicious cookies. You can complete step 1 a day before and step 2 the day of your event.

Most women’s teiglach recipes were kept secret and shared only with daughters and grand-daughters. They were the jewel in her culinary crown, and made her shine at occasions like baby showers and receptions. This version comes from a long line of such grandmothers and grand-daughters.

Makes 20-25 pieces.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb honey
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Sugar
• Powdered ginger

Step 1 Directions

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

Make a well in the center and break the eggs in it. Scramble the eggs lightly with a fork.

Add oil. Gradually pull flour into the center, mixing until dough is formed.

Add a few drops of water if dry flour is left in the bowl.

Knead the dough until it is smooth, then lightly oil the surface.

Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Divide the dough into five equal pieces.

Use your hands to roll each piece into a long “snake”, about ½ inch to ¾ inch in diameter.

Sprinkle flour on a cutting board, dip the knife into the flour, and cut the rolls of dough into small nuggets, about ½ inch wide.

Bake the nuggets on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 min or until they are light gold in color.

Step 2 Directions 

Using a heavy pot, bring the honey to a boil over medium heat.

Lower the heat and add the baked nuggets. Stir often with a wooden spoon to keep the bottom and sides of the pot from burning. Make sure the honey doesn’t boil over.

After 30-50 min, the honey will begin to coat the nuggets. Continue cooking and stirring until all the liquid is gone and the honey hangs in strings from the sides of the pot.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in nuts. The honey will be quite thick; it will cling to the nuggets and harden as it cools.

Turn the mixture out onto a wet wooden cutting board and use a wet wooden spoon to pat out a 15-inch square, approximately 1 inch thick.

Cover the top with generous amounts of sugar and ginger.

When the tieglach has cooled, cut it into 2-inch squares using a heavy knife (tap the knife gently with a hammer or wooden mallet) or break the teiglach into pieces with your hands. It will be crunchy, sticky and somewhat dry, like brittle.

S O M E T H I N G  New

BLACK SOYBEAN

and

VEGGIE “SUSHI”

This fresh and delectable recipe comes from The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna Sass. Not only are these “sushi” easy to make and high in protein, but they are vegan as well. Plus, the spread can be made a few days in advance to save time. Perfect meat-free finger food!

Ingredients ( Black Soybean)

• One 15-ounce can organic black soybeans (reserve liquid)
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon Japanese soy sauce (shoyu or tamari)
• 2 Tablespoons pickled ginger
• Chili oil to taste (optional)

Ingredients (“Sushi”)

• 4 sheets nori
• 4 tortillas, 8 to 9 inches in diameter (whole wheat are nice)
• 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
• 8 strips red bell pepper, about ¼ inch wide
• 8 carrot sticks, about 1/8 inch in diameter and 5 inches long
• 1 cucumber (pickling Kirby recommended) halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 8 sticks

Directions

To make the Black Soybean Spread: In a food processor, combine the ingredients for the spread. Blend in enough of the reserved bean liquid (usually 1-2 tbsp) to create a thick but spreadable paste. Add more soy sauce and/or pickled ginger if needed, to give the spread an assertive taste. Season with chili oil if desired.

To assemble the “sushi”: Stack the nori and use kitchen scissors to trim the sheets into circles about ½ inch smaller than the tortillas.

Spread 2 tbsp of the soybean mixture onto one of the tortillas, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Distribute ¼ cup of the cabbage over the spread. Gently press a piece of nori on top. Spread another 2 tbsp of the soybean spread on the nori. Set 2 red pepper strips horizontally about 1 inch from the bottom of the tortilla. Arrange 2 carrot and 2 cucumber sticks in a cluster in top.

Wrap the bottom edge of the tortilla over the vegetables and roll tightly. If necessary, moisten the top edge of the tortilla lightly with soybean spread or water to seal.

Gently press roll to shape it into an even log. Repeat steps to fill and roll remaining tortillas.

Set each roll on a cutting board, seam side down, and use a very sharp knife to trim off edges. Holding the roll firmly with one hand, use a gentle sawing motion of the knife to cut the roll into 5 or 6 pieces, making every cut on the diagonal. Arrange the pieces flat side down on a platter and serve.

S O M E T H I N G  Borrowed

TEA SANDWICHES

with

LEMON, HONEY & GINGER

Not only are tea sandwiches a treat for the eyes, they are a luscious way to pack flavor into a small bite. This version is borrowed from Top Chefhost and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi. She recommends serving them with tea or sherry.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 10 slices of good white brad, toasted on both sides
• 2 preserved lemon halves (sold in specialty food stores)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 Tablespoon freshly minced ginger
• 10 thin slices Italian cheese like pecorino or caciotta

Directions

Arrange the toast on a platter.

Chop the preserved lemons, being sure to remove any seeds first. Place them in a food processor or blender with the honey, red pepper, and ginger and make a smooth paste.

Spread the paste on the toast and top with a slice of cheese.

Diagonally cut each slice to make equal triangles from each toast.

You can serve as is or heat them in an oven to 350 F for a few minutes, until cheese is melted and barely toasted.

S O M E T H I N G  True

MEDITERRANEAN

RED LENTIL

PATE

After reading Michael Pollan’s book, ‘In Defense of Food’, it became clear that true foods are whole foods. His manifesto of “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” is echoed in this savory appetizer, which happens to be vegan. Not to worry, with flavorful ingredients like fennel and garlic, you won’t be sacrificing a thing – and, you’ll be true to your body’s needs. One note: this will take about 2 ½ – 3 hours to make, so begin the night before or very early in your day for your evening book club.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling ramekins or loaf pans
• 3 Tablespoons toasted sunflowers seeds or chopped pistachios
• 1 ½ cups finely diced onions
• 1 cup finely diced shallots
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, gently crushed in a mortar or under a chef’s knife
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Accompaniments for serving: olives, slow roasted tomatoes, pickled onions, cornichons, marinated mushrooms or artichokes

Directions

Brush oil on the bottom and sides of the loaf pans or ramekins. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the bottom. Set aside.

In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot, heat the oil.

Cook the onions and shallots over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown which should be about 6 minutes.

Stir in the fennel, thyme, garlic, and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.

Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until most of the wine evaporates, about 30 seconds.

Add the water, lentils, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

Add the salt and pepper and continue cooking longer until lentils have melted into a coarse puree, 10 – 20 minutes longer.

Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasonings to your liking (check for salt).

Stir well, smashing any whole lentils onto the sides of the pot to create a fairly smooth, thick mixture, with a texture similar to oatmeal. If the puree is loose and soupy, boil it uncovered, stirring frequently, until it thickens.

Ladle the puree immediately into the oiled loaf pans or ramekins. Smooth the top with a spatula. Cool to room temp.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

If you want to unmold the pate, first run a knife along the edges. The set a plate on top, turn both loaf pan and plate over. This step is not necessary.

Bring pate to room temp and arrange on a platter or individual plates with accompaniments.

I have no clue why Gigabyte chose this “Peggy Cove” codename, but they’re the experts here, not me. The Peggy Cove notebook will supposedly have: a 13.3-inch display, Intel’s Montevina CPU, WiMAX, 3G, and WiFi. “This notebook is apparently a part of the Intel Blanca program and though we don’t have too many details, this does seem a likely rumor.” We’ll see what happens in the future, although the circular trackpad really caught me off guard here.

[Slash Gear]

I’m sitting here this rainy Toronto Monday morning with a rather excellent glass of 2006 Montevina Terra D’Oro “Deaver Vineyard” (100+ Year Old Vines) Zinfandel… and it is BLOODY DELICIOUS.

Many moons ago, on my very first trip to California, I had the pleasure of visiting Montevina winery in Amador County. The highlight of that trip for me was the chance to have dinner with Montevina’s then Winemaker, Jeff Meyers. That meeting was the one that sparked a long friendship and so many, many laughs. Jeff went on to become Vice President and General Manager at Montevina, with Chris Leamy stepping into the Winemaker role.

This podcast is a bit of a double-whammy as first up you have my interview with Jeff Meyers on his last Toronto visit followed up by my rather animated interview with Chris Leamy outside the ZAP conference in San Francisco in 2008. Apologies for the damn seagulls…

Jamie and Jeff Meyers (Montevina)

Listen to my natters with Jeff and Chris from Montevina right here.

You can either stream it through the built-in Flash player or

Right-click and “Save Link As” if you’d like to save it to your hard drive…

Running Time: 1:19:02 | File size: 108.6MB

It’s always nice to have a vacation day.  Billy Mo flew in from ATL on Thursday night in preparation for our handclapping exhibition at MLS Futbolito in San Jose on Saturday.  But before we could do that, we had to mentally and physically prepare for the tournament with a trip out to Amador wine country.  We started off with the ringer – Montevina.  They have about 24 wines on the list that you can try, in addition to some type of salsa or pasta sauce.  Though this is Zin country, the Barbera was especially tasty on Friday.  We then headed to Villa Tuscano for some pizza lunch and then it was off to yet another winery.  Vino Noceto had a few Sangiovese’s, Charles Spinetta had several tasty whites, and Deaver had some…  well, nothing spectacular.  But it was clear that Montevina was the winner, so we went back for seconds.  I think that’s the first time I’ve done that, but the staff there didn’t seem to mind a bit.  Quite a successful trip, but it was unfortunate that Michael was in jury duty most of the day.

Saturday morning came very early.  We had to leave the house around 6:30am to hit registration by about 8:30.  The Independence High School field was pretty packed and the fields were ready for some pounding.  We checked in and started gearing up.  Our first game was against team Desfachatados los Desfachatados.  I have no clue what that means, but maybe it’s Spanish for “We can’t get enough players on the field”.  Despite them only having 3 players, they still managed a 2-2 tie against us.  That’s okay though, we were working out the kinks in that game.  Game 2 forty-five minutes later was against a team more on our pace, so we beat them 5-2.  These were short games on small fields, so nobody was really too tired.  Game 3 of pool play was against COV Crew.  We were expecting a win against these guys, since they squeeked past the team we pounded.  But a few mental mistakes and a missed PK by me led us to a 3-2 loss.  So there we were, tied with DLD at 1-1-1.  We waited hopelessly for the scores to be posted to see whether we were headed to the finals or to In-n-Out Burger.  Turns out that we tied DLD on goal differential and goals for, but won on goals against, so we moved on to play COV Crew once again.  We thought it would be pretty sweet to beat the only team to go 3-0 in the finals.  The game started very quickly, I’m not even sure we had all 4 players on the field, and we gave up 2 quick goals yet again.  But we fought back and tied it up 2-2, only to give up another easy one in the last few minutes of the game.  So we lost 3-2 in the glorious championship game, but have a fun time.  We were able to gobble down a few double-double’s at In-n-Out on the way out, so Billy was happy.  Michael even grilled up some filets for dinner and then we all pretty much crashed.

Sunday was a bit of a lazy day.  We got up and Kari made a delicious breakfast of breakfast burritos.  Then Billy, Michael and I headed out to “the city” – which is what the funny people out here call “san francisco”.  It was chilly and overcast, and most of the Golden Gate bridge was unviewable.  We ate lunch at Bubba Gump’s and then drove a little around the city before dropping Billy off at his hotel, then it was back to Folsom.

All in all, it was a packed weekend – but was a total blast!

(Updated with German launch date and price)

[English]

Just a day ago HP has announced (press release) the launch of the first Montevina based Tablet PC, named 2730p, a 12 inch display Convertible (1.280 x 800 Pixel),  “coming early September”. HP Germany will deliver in October. The first? Well, Fujitsu Siemens has already announced its new 13 inch Montevina convertibles Lifebook T1010 (in white, to compete with HP TX2500 as it will cost around the same, touchscreen) and Lifebook T5010 (active digitizer, integrated 3G, US PDF spec sheet here), weighing around 2 kilo, 300 gramm more than the 2730p – but they are not yet available. Not sure for how long the 44 WHr 6-zell-battery lasts.

Attractive Pricing (U)

The price should be around 1670 US-$, depending on your configuration. NICE: Other than e.g. Toshiba normally does with its European customers, the EURO price will not be significantly higher compare to US-Dollar. We will see very, very affordable 1.399 Euro in Germany (incl. tax), as HP tells today in the new German press release. I’ll write a seperate article on Tablet pricing soon (yes, really soon).

Specs

As you knew from my news report back in June, HP had to wait for availability of the Montevina (ultra) light version processors. Indeed, in the US you have three (Ultra) Low Voltage CPU choices: the ULV SU9300 (1.2 GHz ULV CPU, TDP 10 Watt) and the more powerful and more power consuming SL9300 and SL9400 running at 1.60 resp. 1.83 GHz, TDP 17 Watt). Display is an "Illumi-Lite LED" anti-glare 12-inch. , n-WLAN (optional) and Bluetooth on board. An integrated 2 Megapixel web cam is optional. Downside: only two USB 2.0 ports. Specs here (PDF).

At least the SL9400 support support VT-x features which significantly improves speed of virtual machines.

Notebooks.com has already posted a video which shows the 2730p in action.

“Toughbook light”

You will see a lot of reports saying that the 2730p would be kind of "ruggedized" and fullfill the military standard MIL-STD 810F. Well, HP puts their Elitebook series (the 2730p belongs to that family) into a "full magnesium alloy chassis". Also, the chassis and keyboard should resist water splashes and dust. Unfortunatly there is no official certification for that standard, only guidelines. So, until we see a review testing the dust, humidity and shock resistence, we simply have to believe HP, which, of course, we do . Or, to put it into HP’s words: The 2730p "has been tested and meets the military standard MIL-STD 810F for tests including dust, altitude and high temperature. Testing was not intended to demonstrate fitness for DOD contracts requirements or for military use" (from the spec sheet). All in all it seems like a Toughbook light or midi.

Benefits

- Accessories from previous model 2710p are compatible (no need to buy a new docking station if you want to upgrade);

- up to 8 Gig of RAM officially supported by the Montevina chipset, though HP does not officially support 64-Bit Windows, according to the spec sheed.;

- free to downgrade from Vista Business to XP Tablet 2005 if you need it for compatibility reasons. Not sure if the XP Tablet CD is delivered together (FSC does that with P1620 so that you can freely choose and later change your mind and switch to the other OS);

- SSD as a choice, or faster hard drive with 5.400 instead of 4200 rpm with a capacity of 120 or 80 GB (SATA).

Downloads

Specsheet (PDF) US and German

Drivers for Vista 32bit, Vista x64 bit, XP 32bit (to be added when available)

Na visita deste Zumo à sede da Dell em Round Rock no Texas, noticiamos o breve contato que tivemos com a nova linha de portáteis Latitude série E e a promessa de que seu lançamento seria algo realmente grande e hoje, em um evento mundial, a Dell apresentou sua nova linha de portáteis com um novo visual, plataforma de processamento e software embarcado, numa reviravolta que lembra um pouco a chegada do Novo Honda Civic no Brasil em 2006.

Dizemos isso, porque nós tivemos a oportunidade de passar alguns dias com esses novos equipamentos — alguns deles ainda em estágios bem inicias de desenvolvimento — e publicamos aqui nossas impressões e o primeiros números de desempenho.

Veja nossa análise e várias imagens depois do clique.

Entendendo a série E

A nova linha de portáteis Dell Latitude que sucede a série D será conhecida como Série E já baseada na plataforma Intel Montevina (Centrino 2) e será dividida em três categorias:

A série E6xx (imagem à esquerda) é o chamado modelo mainstream que será direcionado para o mercado corporativo e que reúne todas características mais intessantes em termos de visual, ergonomia, características técnicas e recursos de gerenciamento remoto (vPro) e estará disponível nas versões com telas LCD de 14 polegadas (E6400) e 15 polegadas (E6500). Ela deverá bater de frente com as novas linhas HP Elite e ThinkPad T62.

A série E5xx (imagem à direita) por sua vez, incorpora a maioria dos recursos da série E6xx porém numa versão mais enxuta e de acabamento mais simples — conhecida internamente como linha “Essencial” — que deve atender aos usuários corporativos que procuram um modelo mais em conta. Ele também estará disponível nas versões de 14 (E5400) e 15 (E5500) polegadas. Observe também que essa linha não está necessariamente direcionada para o segmento de pequenos e médios negócios (SMB) já que para esse público, a Dell manterá sua linha Vostro que vai muito bem obrigado.

Finalmente, a série E4xx deve atender ao segmento de ultraportabilidade com modelos com telas de 12 (E4200) e 13,3 (E4300). Ainda não vimos esse modelos mas acredito que este último deve brigar com o ThinkPad X300 da Lenovo, o P300-S da LG ou até mesmo o MacBook Air.

Todos esses modelos farão companhia ao Latitude XT “Tablet” lançado no início desse ano e que recebeu uma dose de renovação com o lançamento de um driver que melhora dramaticamente sua tecnologia de toque na tela permitindo que a mesma seja usada em vários programas para Windows e o melhor, sem que o usuário tenha que gastar com isso.

Também merece destaque o curioso modelo E6400 ATG um curioso portátil que segue a mesma filosofia de veículos “meio-off-road” como Palio Adventure ou o Volksvagen CrossFox, ou seja, pegue um E6400 de linha e instale neles alguns acessórios transados como cantoneiras de borracha e uma cobetura reforçada. Seu desempenho geral é praticamente o mesmo do E6400 mas pode ser particularmente interessante para trabalhos de campo ou mesmo no chão de fábrica, principalmente pela proteção extra que ele oferece para suas portas de entrada e saída.

A Dell também desenvolveu um portátil realmente duro na queda — conhecido como XFR — que lembra muito o ToughBook da Pabasonic. Ele foi construído para atender as especificações de resistência e durabilidade do exército americano e que topamos por acaso exposto de bobeira num mostruário na sede da Dell. Infelizmente, ainda não há previsão de sua chegada ao Brasil (boo).

Principais mudanças

Com exceção da fonte de alimentação (retro-compatível com a linha anterior) praticamente tudo é novo na série E, a começar pelo visual mais sóbrio onde predomina a cor preta com detalhes em prata. O curioso é que pistas desse novo estilo visual já podiam ser vistos em outros produtos já lançados pela empresa como o projetor Dell 1409X.

Ao invés do cansado acabamento em cinza chumbo, a Dell apresenta novos tipos de acabamento na sua linha Latitude: Preto enrugado para a linha ATG, plástico liso para a série E5xxx e metal escovado para a série E6xxx. Nesses dois últimos casos, a diferença só é percebia ao colocarmos os modelos lado a lado. Veja a comparação abaixo (da esquerda para direita os modelos ATG, E5500 e E6500):

Outro detalhe que nos chamou a atenção é a articulação da tela LCD em metal sem pintura que, além de sólido, passa a sensação de rigidez e resistência ao conjunto. O interessante é que essa moda começou anos atrás nos ThinkPads da série T30 e recentemente também foi copiada pela série HP Elite. Também é curioso notar que esse detalhe não está presente na linha E5xxx. E assim com a linha Inspiron, a linha E6xxx também terá opções de cores que, além do preto, a tampa da tela poderá vir em tons de Vermelho e Azul.

Além do novo visual, pudemos notar várias melhorias em especial na sua ergonomia, já que o teclado recebeu um curso maior (as teclas afundam mais) e o perfil dos botões ficaram ligeriamente mais curvos permitindo assim uma digitação bem mais confortável que outros modelos que passam a sensação de estarmos batucando uma caixinha de fósforos. Seu sensor biométrico também está numa posição bastante cômoda (no canto inferior direito), principalmente para os usuários destros. Assim como seu antecessor, a Dell manteve o sistema duplo de dispositivos apontadores: touchpad e trackpoint sendo que qualquer uma delas pode ser desativada por meio de software.

Entretanto, o recurso mais impressionante desse novo teclado é seu sistema de iluminação que, ao invés de utilizar um LED branco para iluminar as teclas de cima para baixo — como o ThinkLight da Lenovo — o teclado é iluminado por baixo, uma solução complexa porém bem mais eficiente e visualmente mais agradável. Sabemos que esse recurso estará presente na série E6xxx e ATG mas não na E5xxx.

A Dell também renova nas suas portas de entradas e saídas onde notamos interfaces bem avançadas como, por exemplo, ao invés de passar pela interface HDMI a empresa chutou o balde e foi direto para o DisplayPort um novo padrão lançado em 2006 que também pode ser ligado num monitor ou TV digital por meio de adaptadores. De qualquer modo, a linha E6xxx mantém a tradicional porta VGA e incorpora uma saída E-SATA, assim como uma porta USB Powered, mais usada para acionar HDs externos e gravadores de DVD com porta USB. Também notamos que a série E6xxx dispõe de quatro slots diferentes para cartões de expansão: ExpressCard e SD no lado esquerdo e PCMCIA e SmartCard no lado direito. Este último, por sinal será mais usado como dispositivo de segurança, onde o cartão inteligente funciona como uma espécie de “chave”, ou seja, é necessário que  o mesmo esteja inserido no portátil para que o mesmo ligue.

Sua baia de periféricos permite que o usuário troque rapidamente o seu conteúdo sem o uso de ferramentas. Como os dispositivos (também chamados de Media Slice) da série Dxxx não combinam visualmente com a série Exxx a empresa aproveitou para adotar uma linha de perféricos mais fina e leve que sua antecessora. Entre as opções disponíveis estão diversas unidades de disco óptico e bateria extra. A unidade de disquete estará disponível apenas na forma de dispositivo USB. Entre os outros recursos vistos estão a WebCam e um sensor de luminosidade que controle automaticamente o brilho da tela, o que além de melhorar o conforto de uso, ainda ajuda a economizar energia da bateria, disponível nas versões de 4, 6 e 9 células e que ainda pode contar com a ajuda de uma bateria (media slice) na baia de periféricos (imagem abaixo).

Outro periférico opcional que veio com alguns portáteis é uma nova docking station bastante rica em portas de entrada e saída. Da esquerda para direita: comunicação, eSATA, PS/2 (x2), Rede Gigabit, USB 2.0 (x2), serial, paralela, SVGA, duas DVI/DisplayPort e alimentação (imagem abaixo).

Segundo a Dell todos os novos Latitude já estão preparados para receber sinais de redes metropolitanas como Celular 3G ou mesmo Wimax, bastando para isso instalar uma interface específica no seu interior assim como uma cartão SIM Card em um slot bem escondido no compartimento da bateria. Acredito que quando em funcionamento, esse curioso símbolo localizado ao lado do touchpad dos notes da série E6xxx possa fazer algo, como acender e piscar:

Sob Testes:

Testar notebooks — principalmente quando ainda estão no estágio de protótipo — é um grande desafio e também uma grande aventura, já que você nunca sabe o que esperar depois do próximo clique, já que algumas vezes os produtos ainda não estão na sua versão final e podem não estar estáveis além de vir com recursos a mais ou até menos que a versão final. E isso quando algum produto mais temperamental tenta espantar o testador com choques elétricos.

Pela primeira vez na história deste Zumo, não recebemos um, e sim quatro dos seis modelos que foram lançados hoje: o E6500, E6400, E6400 ATG e E5500. Como muitos desses equipamentos são usados para diversas atividades internas. Notamos por exemplo que duas baterias que vieram com esse lote de produtos vieram pifadas e duas das fontes vieram trocadas o que poderia interferir no desempenho das máquinas.

Por causa disso, não realizamos testes de bateria nessa oportunidade e não medimos o desempenho do ATG porque, de tão preliminar, ele ainda veio com a plataforma Centrino “Santa Rosa” com processador Meron, enquanto o E5500 já veio com o processador Penryn enquanto que os E6400/E6500 já são Montevina (Centrino 2). Todos os testes foram rodados sobre o Windows Vista Business:

Alguns resultados podem ser vistos na tabela abaixo:

Esses números mostram resultados muito interessantes em termos de desempenho e que mostra a força do processador Penryn o que é mais do que suficiente para rodar o Vista. E mesmo o E5500 não sendo um Centrino 2 seu desempenho não deve ser desprezado, principalmente nas atividades do dia a dia, mas que em parte explica seu posicionamento abaixo da linha E6xxx.

Minha conclusão (baseado nas amostras analisadas)  é que o novo Latitude realmente evoluiu em todos os sentidos, se posicionando numa situação melhor para bater de frente com a concorrência. E com relação as críticas de que o novo Latitude ficou muito parecido com os portáteis de um concorrente chinês, eu cito um comentário que Mike Dell fez durante nossa visita a Round Rock:

“Nossa missão é de ouvir e atender os desejos o nossos clientes. E se é esse tipo de produto que eles querem, é isso que eles terão.”  :^)

Here are a few photographs that predict what Apple’s new line of laptops would look like. These photographs are a result of rampant speculation about Apple going in for a redesign of its laptop line. They are worth a look nevertheless.

The Macbook Touch is supposed to be a touch sensitive tablet from the Apple stables. It would have enhanced gesture controls and have a thinner profile.

A look at its keyboard:

Another view:

They sure look good.

Today, Intel announced their Centrino 2 (Montevina) platform which incorporates a faster Penryn Core 2 Duo processor, faster bus speed, faster integrated graphics (GMA X4500) and the option of WiMax support.

The new Penryn chips will run from 2.26 GHz up to 3.06 GHz with a 1066MHz Front Side Bus….

read more | digg story

Com lançamento previsto para meados de 2008, a nova plataforma móvel Centrino 2 vai ser anunciado no próximo dia 15 de julho aqui no País, época em que a Sony Brasil vai fazer um anúncio mundial em parceria com a Intel.

Conhecida pelo codinome Montevina, o Centrino 2 deverá substituir a atual plataforma Santa Rosa lançada no ano passado e que finalmente traz o Core 2 Duo de 45nm (Penryn) para portáteis. Segundo fontes do mercado, a Intel atrasou o lançamento da plataforma em um mês, alterando suas especificações na última hora, o que obrigou diversos fabricantes a modificar seus projetos baseados no Montevina. Assim espera-se que, como aconteceu no Santa Rosa, os novos portáteis devam chegar ao mercado aos poucos, de preferência antes do final do ano.

Fora o novo processador, o Montevina trará um melhor suporte para aplicações de vídeo em Full HD, o que também inclui suporte nativo para unidades de disco Blu-Ray.

E sem fazer muito barulho, a Intel já mudou a logotipia do atual Centrino Duo/Pro apenas para Cetrino Inside, o que inclui a versão Pro que se torna vPro.  Acredito que isso vai de encontro com a estratégia da empresa de sumir com a denominação Duo, já que, além de chips dual-core já não serem mais novidade, isso irá facilitar a chegada de novos modelos com mais de dois núcleos sem ter que mexer novamente na logotipia.

Acredito que mais detalhes e até alguns protótipos da nova plataforma Centrino Atom sejam mostrados no próximo IDF em Agosto de 2008.

Aqui na nossa bancada, já vimos um desses novos selos em cores e ao vivo:

]]> http://notebookfan.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/compal-new-centrino-2-montevina-barebone-notebooks/ Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:29:51 +0000 notebookfan http://notebookfan.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/compal-new-centrino-2-montevina-barebone-notebooks/ http://tabletprofi.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/next-hp-business-tablet-2730p-based-on-montevina-ulv-nchster-hp-tablet-pc-wartet-auf-montevina-ulv/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:28:00 +0000 tabletprofi http://tabletprofi.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/next-hp-business-tablet-2730p-based-on-montevina-ulv-nchster-hp-tablet-pc-wartet-auf-montevina-ulv/

At Berlin’s press event “Connecting Your World” HP launched a new HP TouchSmart iMac style destkop PC with a touchscreen, but no new HP Tablet PC. We can see the current consumer Tablet TX2000, but not yet the successor, the TX2500, which should be available as soon as AMD launches the Puma platform later this month. TabletPC Review has seen TX2500 at Computex, a small report with some fotos and some more specs.

HP TX2500, coming with Puma launch

Also, there is only very little info about the next HP Tablet we found out at the event: It will be called 2730p which stands for HP’s “ultralight” notebook line. It will be based on Intel’s Montevina CPU. That will launch in July, but as HP will use a ULV CPU which is not part of the first Montevina wave, we will have to wait until Q3 until we see that CPU and the HP 2730p. The device will follow the new design of Business notebooks (“HP EliteBook”) which will have a silver finish and magnesium alloy support structure (kind of Toughbook light).

Sorry to make this a short notice, more info when I have it.

GERMAN

Auf seiner weltweiten Presseveranstaltung “Connecting Your World” hat HP die nächste Generation seines bisher und auch in der neuen Variante (vorerst) nicht in Deutschland verfügbaren HP TouchSmart PCs vorgestellt, den HP TouchSmart IQ500 PC. Es handelt sich praktisch um einen iMac mit Vista, Touchscreen und einer speziellen Steuersoftware von HP, HP Touch genannt.

Einen neuen Tablet PC konnten wir aber noch nicht sehen, und das liegt daran, dass HP auf die für den Herbst geplanten Montevina-ULV-Prozessoren wartet. Zwar werden nächsten Monat die ersten Montevina-Prozessoren vorgestellt, aber noch nicht die ULV-Varianten, deren Verfügbarkeit für das dritte Quartal erwartet wird.

Viele weitere Features waren nicht in Erfahrung zu bringen. Klar ist lediglich, dass er 2730p heissen soll und dass das Gehäuse dem neuen Business-Design (HP “Elitebook”) entsprichen wird, das heißt: Gebürstetes Metall, erhöhte Stoß- und Kratzfestigkeit, sozusagen Toughbook light.

Auch vom Consumer-Tablet TX2500 war nur zu hören, dass er auf Puma basieren wird, immerhin hat TabletPC Review auf der Computex etwas mehr sehen können (kurzer Bericht mit Fotos)

Sources close to Intel have confirmed earlier reports that Intel’s Montevina notebook platform, referred to as Centrino 2, will see a substantial delay. Montevina will not make it to Computex next week and will miss its originally planned debut date later in June. Intel has decided to delay Centrino 2, providing AMD with an opportunity to pitch its Puma platform and Turion Ultra processor. Intel’s engineering and manufacturing engine has been running flawlessly over the past two years, taking away AMD’s room to breathe. But, of course, mistakes are bound to happen at some point and Intel is now being confronted with an issue serious enough to officially delay the launch of Centrino 2. Analyst Doug Freedman claimed that the company had a “mis-step in the completion of FCC certification” for the next-generation Centrino processor with support for the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard. F

reedman said that 802.11n support may see a slower ramp as Montevina can only be shipped with support 802.11 a/b/g for now. Freedman also noted that Intel faces problems with its integrated graphics chipset, which is causing failures in OEM notebooks. “We believe the potential impact is to lower-end systems as higher-end notebooks are designed with discrete graphics cards. In fact, the impact on [Intel] is a possible improvement in mix within the chipset business; however, it is offset by the yield loss related to the functional issues.” Our sources at Intel told us that Centrino 2 is no scheduled for a July 14 launch with “some chipsets”. A “couple of weeks later” the company will be shipping the full line of chipsets, as the company needs “a few extra days” for tasks such as antenna testing.

Source: TG Daily, Martin

Sembra impossibile, ma Apple sarebbe intenzionata a rinnovare la gamma dei computer portatili entro l’estate. La nuova piattaforma Motevina infatti sarà pronta a giugno, nuovi processori, scheda madre più veloce, Wi-Max integrato nella scheda Wi-Fi, queste le principali novità tecniche. Montevina potrebbe vedere anche una rivisitazione del design dei notebook di Cupertino, che se è cosa auspicata da tempo per quanto riguarda i MacBook Pro, è sorprendente per i MacBook di fascia consumer, totalmente rinnovati nel 2006 e quindi ancora piuttosto giovani. L’alluminio potrebbe sostituire il policarbonato bianco, chiudendo un’epoca iniziata con l’iBook G3 detto anche IceBook. Staremo a vedere …

WiMAX Gains Momentum
Though in an embryonic stage at present, the mobile technology WiMAX is gradually picking up steam and is poised to become part of your personal gadgets like digital cameras, personal media players, and eventually mobile phones.

One indication for the WiMAX growth is the development in the WiMAX semiconductor market and the arrival of some new mobile platforms. According to tech market research firm IDC, WiMAX is entering its seminal year with more than 200 infrastructure deployments underway and a WiMAX-capable mobile PC platform expected from Intel in the second quarter.

With these developments in place and additional devices on the horizon, IDC expects worldwide WiMAX semiconductor revenue to reach nearly $480 million this year, growing to $1.2 billion in 2012.

The market is expected to gain further momentum with the release of Montevina platform, which is Intel’s first Centrino processor technology for notebooks to offer the option of integrated Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless technologies for greater wireless broadband access.

Apple released new versions of their iMac all-in-one computer today. What’s interesting is that they appear to use the Intel’s Montevina (“Centrino 2″) platform chipset, which hadn’t been expected to appear until June of this year. Intel has given Apple a jump on one of its products (a quad-core Xeon processor) before but, presuming it is confirmed, Montevina in the new iMacs would qualify as a surprise.

Alas, Apple did not update the Mac Mini, which is now looking quite long in the tooth. In the past Apple has updated the iMac and the Mini simultaneously.

[update: Two articles by TG Daily and Electronista focus on the processor (which does seem to be an Apple exclusive), not the chipset, but do make it clear that the new iMacs are still Santa Rosa machines.]