Computers

There are reports that some Tier-1 laptop manufacturers are considering dropping ExpressCard ports on all laptops - to reduce size and costs. ExpressCards haven't been successful and almost all laptops now include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and enough USB ports to make these modules quite unnecessary.

According to industry reports, less than 0.5% of laptops that has ExpressCard slots are actually equipped with an ExpressCard device. An ExpressCard slot costs about $5, and takes up quite a bit of space.

Apple has announced new 15" and 13" MacBooks, most without an ExpressCard slot. They have exchanged them for SD card slot... this is a weird decision, as virtually all new laptops come with ExpressCards slots...

Here's the complete new lineup

Apple has released details about their forthcoming ultra-thin computer - the MacBook air.

One of the strange decisions here is the lack of ExpressCard slot. The computer does have a USB interface.

Engadget reports that Apple has finally released a new software update that supports Novatel's HSDPA and EV-DO express cards. The drivers work with the latest intel-based MacBook and MacBook Pros on Cingular, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless networks. Just give your Software Update a nudge and say goodbye to those suspect driver hacks you've downloaded from the forums.

AMD today announced the company developing a new small form factor standard. The new form factor, dubbed DTX, is AMD’s attempt to unify the various proprietary small form factors currently in use. DTX will be an open industry standard available to all case, motherboard and system manufacturers, but not be limited to AMD-based products.

The new Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv6113TX Entertainment Notebook PC has an ExpressCard/54 slot, and comes included with an ExpressCard TV Tuner.

The Australian PC-World reviews the laptop, and says "HP has done a nice job at creating a good all-round user experience with the Entertainment PC range and this machine is no exception. The performance is much better than the dv2000 family we've looked at earlier but the battery life could do with a boost."

Interesting blog post about Apple dropping PC-Card slots for ExpressCard ones.

Seems like people are quite unaware of the existing ExpressCard modules.

Lenovo announced the new X60, which is a tablet PC, with an ExpressCard slot (And a PC-Card slot, too).