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Sharp Shows Off Desktop Replacement Notebook

New model includes a 2-GHz desktop processor, but Sharp says overheating will not be a problem.

Tom Krazit, IDG News Service

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Desktop processors continue to show up in notebook computers such as Sharp Systems of America's new Actius GP20, unveiled Monday.

The practice of using desktop processors in notebooks has become popular with PC vendors this year as they look for ways to deliver higher performance at equivalent or lower costs to notebooks with mobile processors.

The practice backfired for Toshiba America earlier this month when users filed a class-action suit against the company alleging their notebooks were improperly designed to handle the increased heat dissipated by desktop processors.

Sizeable Issue

The GP20's size allows it to avoid the overheating problems that caused the two Toshiba Satellite 5005 series notebooks to shut down, says Terry Storm, product marketing manager for Sharp Systems.

"It's designed as a desktop replacement for the small office/home office user or consumer who doesn't need as much mobility," she says.

This notebook is larger than the rest of Sharp's notebooks, at 12.8 inches wide by 10.9 inches long. It's also wedge-shaped, with a minimum thickness of 1.6 inches and a maximum thickness of 2.0 inches, and weighs 8.4 pounds. The rest of Sharp's notebooks are ultraslim models, and the GP20 is the largest model in its product line, Storm says.

The size and high performance of the 2-GHz Pentium 4 processor from Intel make the GP20 power hungry, with a battery span of only 1.6 hours.

Wireless Ways

The notebook also comes with integrated support for 802.11b wireless networks with technology from Intersil, with a free one-month subscription to wireless LAN services provided by Wayport.

Sharp included DVD software developed in-house to clear up muddy images that can result from DVD playback on the 15-inch LCD screen, Storm says.

The GP20 comes with the Pentium 4 desktop processor, 256MB of memory, a 40GB hard drive, a combination CD-R/RW/DVD-ROM drive, four USB ports, Secure Digital and SmartMedia card slots, and an IEEE 1394 port for an estimated $1,999 selling price.

The notebook is available through retail channels only in the U.S., but similar configurations are available in other parts of the world.

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