Notebook vendors tout latest models

With their brand new notebook computers that run on Intel's much-hyped Napa platform, vendors aim to get consumers to splurge at the Taipei Multimedia Computer Show, which will open its doors this Thursday at the Taipei World Trade Center.

"After getting fat bonuses just before the Lunar New Year holiday last month, more consumers will spend money on the latest electronics products at this year's fair," said Dickie Chang (張祐菖), product manager of Grainnex Corp (新禾科技), the general agent of Toshiba Corp's notebooks in Taiwan.

Intel's Napa platform, which uses two mobile processing cores on one chip, is said to deliver a 68 percent performance gain, enable 28 percent longer battery life and offer 30 percent reduction in component size than the US chipmaking giant's previous "Sonoma" generation.

Betting on the potential spending spree, most computer vendors will debut their latest Napa-based machines at the annual expo. Such companies include Hewlett Packard Co, Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), Acer Inc and LG Electronics Inc.

Toshiba will demonstrate two latest Napa laptops at the show for preorder, which will only be available for delivery next month.

With prices starting at NT$49,800, the 15-inch Satellite A100 and 14-inch M100 have a Clear SuperView (CSV) panel offering brighter and sharper images. Both feature a unique fingerprint login system and remote control for music and DVD playing.

"We feel confident about these latest machines as they are competitively priced among other products in the same category," Chang told reporters on the sidelines of a product launch last Thursday.

To sweeten the deal, purchasers of any Toshiba laptops will be entitled to an extra year of free local warranty worth NT$2,500. Buyers of designated models will also walk away with an extra 512MB of memory.

Users can look forward to NT$3,000 to NT$5,000 discounts on Toshiba's range of notebooks, added Yang Tien-fu (楊天福), Grainnex's director for Toshiba's product business unit.

The company has vowed to sell 50,000 laptops this year, up from 30,000 units last year, in a bid to become the top foreign brand in Taiwan, he said.

Meanwhile, Sony Taiwan Ltd is gearing up to push its Vaio VGN-FE15TP at the exhibition.

This 15-inch model comes with a built-in camera suitable for visual transmission. With a retail price of NT$54,800, it is said to offer superior quality, especially for entertainment enjoyment.

"By launching this new model targeted at the home segment, we want to differentiate ourselves from competitors such as Acer or Asustek, who have been aggressively promoting A4-size notebooks for mobile workers," division president Hiroyuki Oda said.

Sony, which has siezed a roughly 50 percent share in the local high-end laptop segment, will continue to launch more sophisticated machines, he added.

Now in its 14th year, the Taipei Multimedia Computer Show will kick off at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall I Thursday and run through Sunday, from 10am to 6pm every day. According to the organizer, the Taipei Computer Association (台北市電腦公會), there will be a total of 120 companies participating in this year's fair, who will occupy around 600 booths.

To attract more consumers during the week, admission is free on Thursday and Friday, while those attending during the weekend will need to pay NT$150.