ASUS ExpressGate boots up notebook in 8 seconds

Darius Chang | Aug 14, 2008

One of the first things we do when we get home is to switch on our Vista machine. Not because we need to surf the Internet or send an email immediately, but because when the need arises we don't want to wait minutes just to perform a task that takes mere seconds.

ASUS' latest ExpressGate technology may soon make that task a thing of the past. A small Linux kernel is stored on a flash component which boots up within 8 seconds. This allows the users to immediately access the Internet and even play multimedia files from the hard drive without having to boot into the Windows environment. As the applications are all freeware, there is no need to pay for additional licenses to use this feature. Unfortunately, since the Linux operating system and programs are hardcoded, you cannot upgrade the individual applications. For example, ExpressGate uses FireFox 2 for Web browsing and you cannot update to FireFox 3 which is already available.

The feature is immediately available in the full range of Centrino 2 machines from the Taiwanese maker.

Filed under: Notebooks
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