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PCW: Intel, Dell Innovate for Mobile Users, Windows Sleeps

by , 1:15 PM EDT, August 19th, 2008

Dell, Intel and their partners have sidestepped Windows and developed some key technologies for mobile users, according to PCWorld. For example, users can check e-mail without booting Windows on a Dell notebook. This is a disaster for Microsoft.

The technology is called "Latitude ON," and according to Mike Elgan with PCWorld, it could also be called 'Windows OFF."

The goal of the project, previously called "BlackTop," was to give notebook computer users the kinds of functionality that a BlackBerry has: instant access to e-mail and messaging.

That's achieved by adding a second, low-power ARM processor, flash storage and a modified SUSE Linux separate from the notebook's main CPU and Windows OS.

As a result, users can instantly check their e-mail, and messages from the Internet can force a wake up from sleep. The Linux system also has viewers for PDF documents. With the Latitude ON system, the battery lasts for days instead of hours.

"From a Microsoft perspective, Latitude ON represents a debacle comparable to the UMPC disaster," Mr. Elgan noted. "Microsoft led a big push to drive sales of Vista-based Ultra-Mobile PCs, all of which failed catastrophically in the market, rejected by users in favor of first Linux, then XP-based subnotebooks."

Mr. Elgan summed up with this observation: "Now, Microsoft is on the sidelines while its closest partners innovate using companies that compete with Microsoft in the software marketplace. When will Microsoft itself wake up from 'sleep mode'?"

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Guest
Subject: Good for any Laptop!

I could see this on my Macbook when I travel, I don't always have time to access my mail AND turn it all on. The battery savings alone are worth the feature.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: brilliant workaround!

To work around Windows being slow and clunky, let's embed a second computer, running a completely separate OS, that people can use to actually get things done.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
To work around Windows being slow and clunky, let's embed a second computer, running a completely separate OS, that people can use to actually get things done.


Oh good grief. This feature would be just as useful on a Mac.

Yes, it's FUNNY that this is happening to Microsoft, but it has nothing to do with Windows. The benefits are the same for ANY laptop running ANY OS.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
Quote
Guest wrote:
To work around Windows being slow and clunky, let's embed a second computer, running a completely separate OS, that people can use to actually get things done.


Oh good grief. This feature would be just as useful on a Mac.

Yes, it's FUNNY that this is happening to Microsoft, but it has nothing to do with Windows. The benefits are the same for ANY laptop running ANY OS.


Nonsense. MacBooks have instant wake-up and fast reconnection to the network. There would be little to no benefit of such a work-around on Macs.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: So . . . how long before

people start carrying around the separate computer with a different OS and avoiding Windows based notebooks altogether?

Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2088 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:

Nonsense. MacBooks have instant wake-up and fast reconnection to the network. There would be little to no benefit of such a work-around on Macs.


That's true only if you put the MacBook to "sleep," rather than turning it off. If you turn it off, it has to boot up when you turn it back on. The MacBook does use power while in sleep mode.

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