NEC entertains with new 17-inch portableSINGAPORE--Where once it exclusively targeted the mid-size market in Asia Pacific, NEC has made a surprise move into the desktop replacement segment with a 17-inch entertainment portable. unveiled at today's press event, the Versa P9110 is powered by a high-end graphics card and above-average audio capabilities, we nevertheless felt it could have done better by including a few extra features. At the same time, the Japanese maker has refreshed its business portable lineup with a new 14-inch S970 model and two larger 15.4-inch units. The former aims for the mobile professional with its light body, while the Versa P570 and M370 are based on the same chassis with a choice between discrete and integrated graphics. Consumer notebookThe 17-inch Versa P9110 competes with the likes of HP Pavilion dv9500 and Packard Bell EasyNote SB85 as an all-in-one entertainment machine for the living room. Based on Intel's latest Centrino chipset, the Core 2 Duo processor is coupled with an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT video card that has a TurboCache memory of up to 1.79GB. Besides video performance, its audio qualities look promising as well with a total of four speakers and a built-in subwoofer and support for 7.1-channel sound output. Other notable features include HDMI output, integrated Webcam and dedicated numeric keyboard. We wonder why a TV tuner was not thrown into the mix considering that this is not an expensive option and will significantly boost its role as a replacement for home entertainment needs. Moreover, there is no sight of a remote control to be found anywhere, unlike the HP Pavilion dv9500 which offers a full remote control device. Business notebookOf the three new business models, the Versa P570 and Versa M370 are actually based on the same chassis design with the difference being the graphics platform they sit on. The new series all come with an Eco mode button which reduces power consumption by cutting down processor speed and screen brightness as well as the fingerprint sensor/TPM security chip combination for data protection. The Versa P570 offers a larger 15.4-inch screen and discrete graphics performance. Its Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS video processor may not win any gaming tournaments anytime soon, but for the business user involved in photo and video editing it is more than up to the task. The Versa M370 does away with the discrete video card in return for longer battery life and lower cost. Both units feature built-in Webcams and dedicated numeric keypads for the number crunchers. The other, the NEC Versa S970, is the Japanese maker's portable solution for the corporate worker. The 14-inch notebook is relatively light at 2.2kg, considering other models like the ThinkPad T61 weigh 2.38kg. Though it lacks a built-in Webcam and discrete video card, the true strength of this Versa is its long battery life of up to 7 hours using the extended cell. These new models will be available in Asia-Pacific markets before the month is out. |
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