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Intel’s code named project "Santa Rosa" today is being replaced by the real name: Centrino Duo. It will be used in over 230 laptop models and has some pretty nifty features including: additional "accessory chips" that display more realistic computer graphics, the latest wireless chip 802.11n that is five times faster than current wireless, extended battery life up to nine hours, and "Turbo Memory" for faster boot time.

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Walt Mossberg of Wall Street Journal fame has an article out (subscription required) explaining just how much crap his brand new Sony laptop came with. And we’re not talking full programs either; these are trial versions which force you to pay later if you’re really interested. Walt counted about two dozen “craplets” pre-installed, which likely are part of the reason for the over two minutes of time it takes the computer to start up (compared to 30 seconds for a comparable Apple MacBook, ouch!). Sony’s response:

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The Wall Street Journal (this article now free) has an interesting piece on the coming amenities for travelers in the sky. U.S. airlines plan to offer in-flight Internet connections within 12 months. Think of it as the airplane cabin becoming a WiFi “hotspot.” Carriers will begin making announcements within a few months, and service will begin early next year.

Using your cellphone in the air, on the other hand, may take longer to be implemented. This is mostly due to strong consumer opposition. Apparently, most of us (Americans, at least) don’t want chatty cellphone neighbors while flying.

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Dell is shelling out $5 million to ex-CEO Kevin Rollins who stepped down on January 31 and will leave the company on May 4. The $5 million in cash will be given out over the next two years. Founder Michael Dell is back in charge and has to clean up the mess of disappointing earnings, a laptop battery recall, an accounting investigation, and HP taking over the number one spot in the market.

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The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has some unidentified
sources claiming that Dell will begin selling personal computers with
Vista tonight just before midnight eastern standard time. These first
movers will get their new Vista-loaded computers on Tuesday, the
official launch day of Vista for home users. My question:

Will there be
a spike or drop in Dell orders tonight?

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I’m struck this week by two happenings in the realm of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D for short).

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Venture capitalists are on the look out for new battery technologies. Just since July, the following companies have received over $75 million in financing from investors to develop better energy storage: Deeya Energy, Firefly Energy, Gridpoint, Infinite Power Solutions, and Li*On Cells.

Innovations in chemistry and nanotechnology are paving the way for new, safer and more efficient technologies to become available. This is definitely a good thing, as most would agree that battery technology feels like it is way behind for our day and age.

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Interested in buying a new computer? This holiday season may be the best time if price is the determining factor for you. Because of Vista’s release being after the holidays, 70% of notebooks/laptops sold during this holiday season will be priced at less than $1,000 (compare that with 38% in 2004). This according to Current Analysis, a research firm in the business of tracking weekly PC sales. Research director Samir Bhavnani explains, "It’s going to be a blowout sale."

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