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To: Stoctrash who wrote (38952)	2/16/1999 12:33:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Intel driving low-cost cable modems The next giant sucking sound out of the Intel machine might spell trouble for the cable modem silicon providers like Broadcom... By Jim Davis Staff Writer, CNET News.com February 16, 1999, 4:00 a.m. PT High-speed cable modems may become cheaper in the near future as a result of an Intel initiative now coming to light. Intel is working with Libit Signal Processing and possibly other partners to produce a futuristic breed of devices called "host-based" cable modems. The devices would use the computer's main microprocessor and memory for some functions, rather than requiring the separate processor, memory, and operating system normally needed by a stand-alone modem. Because fewer chips are needed, they are potentially less expensive and easier to upgrade than traditional hardware modems. The effort comes at a propitious time for the cable movement: After a long and arduous process, cable modems based on industry-approved standards should be available by the end of the quarter. As a result, the long hoped-for move to sell cable modems in a retail market may finally start to develop in 1999. [snip] Technical documents describing how such a modem would work is reportedly expected to be submitted to CableLabs by March. A prototype modem is slated to be shown at an industry show in June. As usual, Intel's interest in so-called "software" cable modems lies mainly in driving sales of its chips: With higher bandwidth connections, users would presumably download more processor-intensive multimedia content. The company is involved in a number of similar efforts to migrate formerly discrete functions into the main processor. For instance, the company has demonstrated Pentium processors playing back DVD movie titles without the need for a separate MPEG-2 playback chip, and is investigating a host-based DSL modem as well. news.com

To: Stoctrash who wrote (38952)	2/16/1999 1:56:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Gateway Solo 5150LS 03/01/99 Computer Shopper from ZDWire Copyright (c) 1999 ZD Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Gateway Solo 5150LS may not be a featherweight notebook, but at 6.8 pounds, it is the lightest system included here. It is also the slimmest, measuring a sleek 1.6 inches high. And with a direct price of $3,309, the Solo is the least expensive notebook of the bunch. The first thing we noticed about the Solo is that both of its PC Card slots are populated. One of the slots contains the V.90 3Com Megahertz 56K WinModem Type II PC Card, and the other slot holds the DVD/ MPEG -2 decoding Kingmax ZV-DVD Type II PC Card. The Kingmax DVD card includes an external dongle with S-Video, composite video, audio, and Dolby Digital audio-output jacks for displaying DVD movies to a TV. Using a 2x Matsushita UJDA510 DVD-ROM drive, the Solo displays sharp and steady DVD movie playback, comparable to the Inspiron's. With the image scaled up to full screen, it still looks good, but not quite as sharp as when played back at native size. The DVD-ROM drive resides in the Solo's front-mounted modular option bay. The option bay also holds the included SuperDisk drive, which uses 120MB disks (two blank ones are included) as well as traditional 1.44MB floppies. Because the system must be shut down to swap a device out of the bay, and neither device can be used externally, you won't be able to have both drives connected simultaneously. Unlike the Inspiron and TransPort notebooks, which use AGP-enabled graphics chips, the Solo uses a NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV on its PCI bus. With 2.5MB of SDRAM, the Solo supports up to 24-bit color at its native resolution of 1,024x768. The Solo's bright 14.1-inch active-matrix display is manufactured by Mitsubishi Electronics America and was the only LCD in the group to arrive without any bad pixels. The Solo also has the longest battery life of the group, lasting 3 hours and 11 minutes on the BatteryMark 2.0 test. The Solo is the only system in our sampling to use an audio chip that doesn't have wavetable synthesis in hardware. The Solo's ESS ES1879 chip plays MIDI files via software emulation, and the playback quality cannot compete with the Inspiron's. CD audio and WAV playback quality were quite good, however. The Solo's application performance is identical to that of the Inspiron. This is a real feat considering that the Solo has the slowest (and at 6.4GB, the smallest) hard drive and the lowest 2-D graphics performance of the group. During testing, we ran into a problem with the Solo's DVD-ROM drive. Occasionally, it would take much longer than expected for the drive to begin spinning after we tried to access it. On more than one occasion, this resulted in an error message. The problem disappeared after Gateway supplied us with a replacement drive. The Solo comes with the most extensive software bundle of the group, consisting of Windows 98, Microsoft Office 97 Small Business Edition, McAfee VirusScan, LapLink Professional, LANDesk Client Manger 3.3, Cyber Patrol, Netscape Communicator 4.06, Shanghai Dynasty, and a Portable System Restoration CD-ROM. The Solo supports DMI 2.0, and Gateway offers port-replicator and docking-station options that are interchangeable with most other models in the company's Solo line. Gateway has 24-hour toll-free phone support and covers the Solo with a one-year parts-and-labor warranty. Upgrading to a total of three years costs an additional $100. As the thinnest and lightest notebook in this group, the Gateway Solo 5150LS is the easiest to take on the road. In addition, with DMI support and impressive battery life, the Solo would be a great choice for frequent business travelers.