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NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Home Theater PC Docking Concept
Posted in Notebook PC | March 30, 2009 3pm

Alright, with all the creativity flying around this place we call WePC.com, I can’t just sit on the sidelines and echo support for everyone else’s great ideas. I need to strike out on my own here as well, with a concept that has been rolling around in my head for some time now. It’s obvious that the average, mainstream notebook or perhaps even some higher-end netbooks, are being built with ever-more capability in the multimedia end of things. With the introduction of new notebook chipset platforms with integrated graphics engines, like Intel’s GMA X4500MHD, the average notebook basically now has an on-board HD video and audio engine that frankly is limited to the small screen, if you will, rather than being allowed to stretch its legs on the "big screen” as well.The nice thing about notebooks and netbooks is that they’re sleek, stylish and easily tucked away for the most part. With the full multimedia capabilities of the average machine, along with either Windows Media Center software or third party applications and perhaps even a remote control as some machines have, the average notebook could easily double as a Home Theater or Media Player PC as well. In fact, many recent notebook designs have HDMI out as standard equipment, so why not hook that port up and put it to good use?I’d like to suggest a Home Theater PC docking station product. It would be very easy to build this and include lots of features for expansion that would allow the average HD capable notebook to become a mobile media center with not only room for expansion but the ability to play, stream and store a large volume of digital HD goodness. In addition to simply wiring up an HDMI connector for easy hook-up to an HDTV set, we could make use of an eSATA port on the back of the notebook for connecting to a larger storage volume that could reside in the docking station - RAID-enabled if we wanted for redundancy even.  Of course in addition to storage expansion you could also allow for a hard-wired Gigabit Ethernet link to give the notebook unfettered access to your network while in HTPC or Media PC mode. What else do we need in here? Perhaps wireless blue tooth links for an external keyboard and mouse, just in case you don’t feel like getting up from the couch to grab the notebook and go mobile with it. This also reminds us of the now nearly lifeless UWB standard for wireless connectivity of various consumer electronic devices. It would be sweet if we could make this a wireless dock, wouldn’t it?  Let's ruminate here...

NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

User Selectable Computing - Making a Notebook More Energy Efficient Through Switchable Technologies
Posted in Notebook PC | March 11, 2009 9am

If we think about one of the primary gripes of a more operating a more powerful notebook, it’s that battery life is always less than acceptable.  Conversely, an otherwise emaciated, power-sipping, machine can leave many heavy duty multitaskers, multimedia moguls or power user types yearning for bit more juice under the hood.  And that got me thinking (I know, dangerous…) about another recurring request or salient feature of many dream notebook designs that have been conjured up here at WePC.com; switchable graphics processing engines.  Let’s expand on this concept a bit further, shall we?
Why is it that thus far, switchable “hybrid” graphics engines and WiFi NICs are basically the only subsystems, at the hardware level, that can be completely powered off and still have full functionality?  You might think au contraire!  Hear me out though.  I’m not envisioning just spinning something down into a “deep sleep” state but rather completely turning off a circuit, like you can with that WiFi adapter.
With switchable hybrid graphics, users have the ability, through either software interface or a hardware switch, to completely turn off a secondary graphics processor and run exclusively through integrated graphics in the chipset.  It has become apparent to me that this model should be expanded upon.  For example, why not give the user dual SSDs, one for the OS and one for a bit more storage space but both internal to the system.  The second drive could be activated or turned off via a switch and only used when required for access, back-ups etc. 
You can also carry this technology over, with a little help from Intel, to the processor.  Though certainly mutli-core CPUs have various sleep states that can be invoked based on light workload demand, currently you can’t completely power down a core of the processor on its own.  Though studies would have to be conducted as to how much power it would save to have the ability to completely turn off a core in the CPU, think of the benefits of being able to hit a toggle and either have a fully capable quad-core, when tethered to the wall and AC power adapter or a dual-core processor, only if you hit the switch and want to go mobile.  Of course we’ll need to get the folks in Redmond on board with all this… or do we?  There are other OS options out there of course too, lest we forget.  Let’s think about it…

NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Dual-Screen Concept Notebook
Posted in Notebook PC | March 4, 2009 1pm

A few weeks ago I blogged about a very popular recurring idea that has appeared in several WePC submissions - the dual screen, multi-touch notebook. In my original post I specifically pointed out the Fogli, submitted by WePC member Zhigarev, but the idea of a dual screen design with touch interface has appeared in submissions from multiple users. At this year's CeBIT show, ASUS has revealed the first fruits of the WePC project, a slick dual-screen notebook concept that appears at first glance to be the very embodiment of the Fogli. The ASUS WePC dual-screen concept notebook has a standard clam shell form factor but just like the Fogli, the keyboard and touchpad have been completely replaced by a second screen. Both screens feature touch input capability and the screens act as the notebook's primary sources for user input. At this time, ASUS' dual-screen notebook is just a concept and details about it are still up in the air but it's shaping up to be quite an exciting device. However, we do know that the device will be very configurable and will be able to adjust to suit several usage scenarios such as standard notebook use, a multimedia viewer mode and a eBook reader mode.  ASUS has also disclosed a couple planned features for the device including user adjustable virtual touchpad and keyboard, hand gestures, handwriting recognition, and a multi-touch user interface. I think these will all be important features for a dual-screen touch device such as this and ASUS is definitely on the right track, but I have a some additional suggestions. The addition of a stylus would be a major boon for many users. It would come in handy for using the handwriting recognition feature and it would also enable the notebook to be used like a standard tablet device for drawing. Ideally the stylus would have its own storage silo, complete with a secure locking mechanism, so it won’t fall out and can be safely stored when not in use. While there are no details on the ASUS concept notebook's technical specifications yet, I would like to see something beefier than an Atom platform under the hood. While a more powerful platform, like the Centrino 2, would add some weight and put some extra strain on battery life, the added horsepower would definitely come in handy, especially on a dual-screen device that would likely see some heavy multimedia use. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that faces any device that depends on touch screens for user input is the lack of tactile feedback. Unlike a keyboard, when you type on a touch screen with a virtual keyboard, you can't feel the keys. While this may be easily remedied with audio and visual cues on mobile phones and other small devices, it may not be enough for a notebook where you will often be typing for extended periods of time. One solution to this problem that I would like to see implemented is the use of a haptic touch screen with real tactile feedback. This technology is just starting to appear in some mobile phones from a few manufacturers and it would be a great boon to a device like this.
 
 

NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Life In The Fast Lane – A Usage Model For A Faster Express Card Slot
Posted in Notebook PC | February 25, 2009 3pm

Not long ago a new standard and interface was set forth for notebooks dubbed the Express Card slot.  An Express Card is similar in shape but slightly smaller than legacy CardBus cards.  If you’re not aware, the Express Card offers both a PCI Express X1 electrical connection and a USB2.0 connection over its interface for connection to external peripherals such as SATA external disk drives, Solid-State Drives, wireless network interface cards, TV tuner cards, soundcards, additional memory and memory card readers, as well as other types of peripherals.  In fact, Asus pioneered the XG Station over a year ago, which enabled attaching a PCI Express Graphics card via the Express Card slot of notebooks, affording increased graphics processing power in machines that otherwise didn’t have what it takes for gaming and more strenuous multimedia requirements.
There was one major caveat with the XG Station however and that was that a single PCIe X1 connection leaves any serious graphics engine starving for bandwidth.  So, there’s the rub.  And for what good reason?  Because the Express Card “standard” doesn’t accommodate anything more than a PCIe X1 link?  What is wrong with this picture?  I say we ditch the USB2.0 connection in the Express Card slot and beef up available PCI Express resources to accommodate at least a PCIe X8 Gen2 link or preferably a X16.  Let’s look at the mechanicals.
A X8 PCI Express link requires 98 pins, while a PCIe X16 link needs 164.  Surely we can design an Express Card slot that can handle that number of lines and enable a serious external graphics connection with a decent GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) behind it.  Think about the upside benefits of such an approach.  The main chassis area of the notebook can stay thin and light without the need for bulky cooling or power components required to support a GPU.  If a customer buys the graphics add-on module option (which can also be designed with a clean, compact approach), they simply plug their graphics adapter into the Express Card slot.   At that point the notebook is transformed into a multimedia and gaming power-house.  You can also envision docking station approaches to this technology.  Like they say in the Nike commercials – just do it.