The Laptop review

Lufthansa Airlinesis performing in-service evaluation of Goodrich Corporation's laptop docking station Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) on an Airbus A340 aircraft.

"The laptop docking station EFB is one of several systems in our portfolio of Electronic Flight Bag solutions and we're very excited that Lufthansa Airlines stands to be our launch customer for the Laptop Docking Station system line,"

said Jan Mathiesen, Vice President, Goodrich Sensors and Integrated Systems.

"Our on-going commitment to innovation is key in developing solutions to meet our airline customers' increasing need to use laptop computers in the flight deck. Laptop docking station EFB systems give airlines greater flexibility in implementing newer, faster computing platforms into their operations as computing speed and memory performance increase,"

The Goodrich laptop docking station EFB is designed specifically for the aircraft environment and includes two sunlight-readable, high-resolution, touch screen displays, two laptop docking stations and an installation kit. The system allows the flight crew to use laptop computers through the EFB display for applications during all phases of flight. EFB laptop docking stations provide certified aircraft power, ARINC 429 communication, and Ethernet and USB interfaces between aircraft systems and the laptop computers. They also provide a high resolution video output signal to the EFB display. The laptop docking station EFB complements the traditional Class 2 and Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag systems that Goodrich produces which use avionics-grade removable, or fixed installation,
platforms.

Which all goes to prove that it's easier and cheaper use laptops on the ground.

www.goodrich.com www.lufthansa.com

The Daily Mail reported that British MPs are to be allowed to use their BlackBerrys or laptops to send e-mails and texts in the Commons chamber. Commons Leader Jack Straw said politicians should be able to 'multi-task' by dealing with correspondence during debates.

British parliament : "Am I boverred?"

Traditionalists, however, fear the move will reduce the green benches to little more than an Internet cafe. They are currently banned from using hand-held devices and mobile phones there. Mr Straw said MPs would be told they can use the equipment if it is in silent mode to cause minimum disruption.

Their palmtop plans will be put to the test with before the summer recess. Picking Blackberries for Parliament, well it might stop them picking their noses at least...

The Acer Aspire L320 desktop PC has won the Best Choice of Computex Taipei 2007 Award, a competition which decides on Taiwan's best IT products in the overseas markets, and is one of the most important events at Computex each year.

At only 3 litres in volume, the Aspire L320 achieves the perfect balance between size, performance and cost. The Intel® Viiv™ technology and Intel® Core™2 Duo processor deliver faster processing of the latest home entertainment and multi-threaded applications, with up to 40% greater processing power and 40% less energy consumption than previous-generation CPUs fast yet cool and quiet performance.

Small stylish design
Up to 10 times smaller than a traditional tower PC, the Aspire L320's go-anywhere design gives you a full-featured PC system wherever it is needed in the home! This small form factor media center and PC can be placed both horizontally and vertically on the desktop for optimal space saving. A stylish silver/black color scheme and smooth contours, with cool-blue luminescent indicator lights set against a shiny metallic surface emit a high-tech feel, while adding a contemporary style to any environment.

Audio and graphics
The Aspire L320's whisper-quiet operation (only 26 dB idle) means users no longer have to suffer the distraction of a noisy PC in their work or living space! High-definition audio with 7.1-channel surround sound delivers super-clear acoustics for a theater-like entertainment experience at home.

Enhanced thermal solution
A breakthrough thermal solution achieves performance without sacrificing cost or compact design. By using a copper heatsink and heat pipe design with ultra-quiet fans, the Aspire L320 has an extremely efficient air flow system similar to a full-size desktop that maintains a low internal temperature, and also lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) by reducing power consumption. Furthermore, three air-flow passages allow for optimal ventilation.

The Best Choice Award features a total of 13 categories, the Aspire L320 was a winner in the "PC/Server systems, Notebook,Tablet PC" group. The Aspire L320 belongs to the Aspire L3-series family of desktop PCs, which was also awarded by Germany's prestigious design competition - the Red Dot.

www.acer.co.uk Acer laptops