Intel’s important new platform introduced
On May 9th, Intel introduced its new mobile platform which delivers a host of new technologies. The new platform (originally called “Santa Rosa”) is the latest iteration of the Centrino platform, and consists of updated Intel Core™ 2 Duo processors, Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipsets, IEEE 802.11AGN networking, new Turbo Memory technology, and Intel® 82566MM/C Gigabit Ethernet. It’s an exciting new package and promises to add improved performance, 64-bit support, outstanding video, and faster communications, boot time, and application performance.
Support for the IEEE 802.11n standard is included, even though final ratification of the latest wireless networking standard isn't expected until late this year. Adding IEEE 802.11n should increase the range by a factor of 2 and improve throughput by 5X (under ideal circumstances), over IEEE 802.11g.
The new chipset supports an 800 MHz front side bus, and will see the use of a new socket format, known as Socket P. (Socket P is not backward compatible with the current socket used in for the Core 2 Duo mobile line.) The new socket was needed to support additional power management features, as well as the 800 MHz FSB. The new chipset will exclusively support DDR2-667 memory.
"Turbo Memory" is another feature of the new platform. Turbo Memory is a new flash memory caching technology, available in 512 MB and 1 GB implementations. The flash modules connect via PCI Express, and are expected to result in more efficient power utilization, faster booting, and faster performance of frequently used applications.
The new Intel Centrino platform is an exciting new technology which is sure to attract a lot of attention. To read more about the Santa Rosa platform, read the Intel press release.
Farmers Mutual Insurance uses Fujitsu Tablet PC to streamline claims process
Farmers Mutual Insurance of Nebraska is a large mutual company that caters to home, farm, and auto insurance customers in Nebraska and South Dakota. Recently, the company decided to make a major technology upgrade in order to streamline the labor-intensive, paper-based claims process. As part of that effort, the company sought out the best mobile technology solution for its adjusters to collect information electronically at loss sites.
For the software portion of the package, they chose Symbility Solutions mobile claims software. After analyzing a variety of different convertible and slate Tablet PCs from several vendors, they settled on the Fujitsu LifeBook® T4000 Series convertible Tablet PC. According to Robert Busboom, Vice President, Corporate Systems and IT at Farmers Mutual, “The Fujitsu Tablet PC provided the best combination of price, features and warranty. Combine those decision factors with Fujitsu’s years of experience in Tablet PC technology, and the Fujitsu Tablet PC came out a clear winner.”
Busboom continued, “The mobile claims solution has enabled our adjusters to perform all the work necessary to complete an estimate on site. The end result has been faster, more accurate claims and happier customers.”
To read the entire white paper about how the Fujitsu solution contributed to the successful transition to electronic data collection at Farmers Mutual, go to this link.
High school adopts Tablet PC technology to enable its students
DePaul High School is a private college prep high school in Wayne, New Jersey. DePaul recently set out to find the ideal technological solution to teach its students the fundamental computer skills they will require in college. The school had decided that they would need a device that would be portable, reliable, and durable. After extensive research, they decided that the Fujitsu LifeBook T3000 and T4000 series Tablet PCs best fit the bill.
“We wanted the technology to be a tool rather than a distraction,” says Sue Parler, DePaul’s technology coordinator and a longtime teacher. DePaul also wanted to give students and teachers the option of taking handwritten notes and turning in handwritten work or using a keyboard to write composition papers.
To read the white paper that discusses the deployment of the Tablet PCs into the classroom, be sure to visit this link.
Fujitsu offers NAS connectivity for ETERNUS storage systems
On April 16, Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation announced network attached storage (NAS) connectivity powered by the Network Appliance, Inc. NetApp® V-Series storage virtualization technology. The use of the technology in high-performance ETERNUS®4000 and ETERNUS®8000 storage systems enables customers to consolidate existing fragmented file servers onto a single platform. NAS connectivity lowers the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) and allows customers to achieve a higher return on investment (ROI) through scalability and consolidation on the ETERNUS platform. ETERNUS customers can simplify storage management, reduce operating costs, and reduce under-utilized storage capacity by unifying their SAN and NAS storage networking infrastructures under a common architecture by virtualizing storage at the file level on block-based ETERNUS storage disk arrays.
The Fujitsu ETERNUS storage solution offers unparalleled price/performance value for enterprise and mid-range environments with advanced data security and high-availability features, including disk data encryption for the maximum protection of sensitive information and a fully redundant nodal mesh architecture for high availability. ETERNUS offers MAID (Massive Arrays of Inactive Disks) technology for reduced power consumption and extended life. In addition, ETERNUS8000 delivers the world's largest storage capacity with 1.38 petabytes of storage space. With NAS connectivity, customers can now utilize Fujitsu ETERNUS storage systems for file-intensive storage access requirements with unparalleled performance and reliability.
All the details about this marriage of technologies can be found in the press release.
Enterprise-class LifeBook S2210 is first to participate in “Better by Design” program
In March, Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation announced the LifeBook® S2210 notebook, a thin and light enterprise-class notebook, powered by AMD Turion™ 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology. This new LifeBook is designed to deliver outstanding performance and exceptional value to the enterprise market.
The four-pound LifeBook S2210 notebook is the first enterprise-class notebook to participate in the "Better by Design" program. PCs with the Better by Design label combine superior technologies from wireless and graphics industry leaders to deliver the superior value and performance that enterprises demand. These technologies allow enterprises to take advantage of the rich visual capabilities and features offered by Microsoft Windows Vista™
According to Bahr Mahony, Director of Product Marketing, Mobile Division, AMD, "Fujitsu, a long-time AMD customer, continues to deliver outstanding business value in computing products across the enterprise by combining exceptional performance, high reliability and innovative design. The LifeBook S2210 notebook, one of the first thin and light enterprise-class notebooks incorporating AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology, is yet another example of Fujitsu ingenuity."
To read all about this high-performance, high-value notebook, go to the press release here.
Boston’s Visiting Nurses Association uses Tablet PCs to help manage paperwork
In the April edition of Health Management Technology, Fran Lorian, Chief Information Officer, VNA of Boston, discusses the important role the Fujitsu LifeBook T4000 convertible Tablet PC took in VNA’s paperwork reduction solution. According to Lorian, “We had four main goals in the business plan that ultimately sold the VNA on an integrated system that utilized tablet PCs:
“• Improve the quality of the patient documentation;
• Improve the timeliness of reports and billing cycles;
• Improve communications between the clinicians in the field, office staff and physicians; and,
• Establish a strong technical foundation to build upon in the future.
“Once implemented, we saw dramatic changes in the … comprehensive plan.”
To benefit from VNA of Boston’s solution to paperwork reduction (and accuracy), read the entire paper here.
Fujitsu gets “greener” with its expanded global recycling plan
In March, the Fujitsu Group announced the expansion of its end-of-life IT products-recycling service. In addition to the voluntary recycling service already underway in Australia, Canada, and the US, the service is now offered at one additional location each in Canada and the US. The Fujitsu Group will also expand the service gradually in Southeast Asian countries beginning in this month.
These additions in North America and the APAC region build on existing services in Japan and Europe, enabling IT products-recycling at a total of nine locations in six countries. In this way, Fujitsu is working with its environmentally-minded customers to deal appropriately with IT products that have reached the end of their useful life and thereby contribute to environmental sustainability.
To read the entire press release about this important topic, please go to this link.