14 DAY TRIAL // Kontron just announced the launch of the NotePAC Semi, a semi-rugged notebook intended for business and enterprise use, and which is built around the high performance yet energy saving Intel Centrino hardware platform. Advertised as an enterprise mobility solution "with extended lifetime far beyond conventional notebooks", the Kontron NotePAC Semi comes with some interesting features.
Built around a powerful Intel processor that is specially designed for mobile computing platforms, the NotePAC Semi features the latest 2 x 2.0 GHz Intel CoreTM2 Duo T7200 central processing unit which uses the 667MHz frontside bus and comes with up to 2Gb of DDR2 system memory neatly packed in a protective and tough magnesium alloy chassis. Because the system is designed to withstand all the adversities of mobile computing including mechanical shocks, spotty power coverage and so on, the Kontron NotePAC Semi is the perfect replacement of an office for sales, service and maintenance workers who require both high performance machines, extended battery life and long range network connectivity.
"Kontron's customers - business, government and service professionals throughout Europe - are no longer tethered to a fixed infrastructure to get their jobs done," observes Mark Swiecicki, Kontron's director of mobile computing in EMEA, who was cited in the company's press release concerning the launch of the new notebook. "The NotePAC Semi is one more enabler of the convergence of multimedia, computing, and communications, plus the peace of mind in knowing everyday mishaps will not keep you on the sidelines." In order to provide a high level of protection, the notebook is equipped with a full metal casing, shock mounted LCD, 120GB hard disk drive with g-sensor to avoid head crashes and a waterproof keyboard. The high performance Intel Centrino mobile platform is extended to the graphics department as well, as the NotePAC Semi comes with Intel's 945GM video chip which is Windows Vista compliant and has a maximum 128MB of shared video memory. Optionally, for those users requiring a faster graphics card, an ATI Radeon X1450 Mobility GPU with 256 MB dedicated video RAM which connects through the PCI Express slot is provided, so the notebook is able to offer state of the art performance in multimedia and 3D applications.
The notebook also features an LCD display readable in direct sunlight which comes with a 14.1 inch wide screen format and supports resolutions up to 1280 x 800. A resistive touch screen can also be mounted on top of the display as well as an integrated stylus and coupling that with the optional GPS, users may see the Kontron NotePAC Semi as a complete navigation solution. Wireless networking support is included and the notebook supports the following standards: GSM, GPRS, UMTS (HSDPA/EVDO), Bluetooth V2.0 class 2 and WLAN 802.11a/b/g, as well as wired networks thanks to its 0/100/1000 Ethernet. Functionality can be easily expanded because of its three integrated high-speed USB ports and one FireWire extension. The notebook can be delivered with either Microsoft's Windows XP or Vista preinstalled and a data protection system is implemented at the hardware level by the use of a finger print sensor as well as a card reader.