Building the Competitive Whitebook

Wintec Nortech

To help you stay ahead of the competition, this TechBuilder Recipe will show you how to quickly and easily build a whitebook. It also updates my earlier Recipe on this topic, Build A Custom Whitebook. Back when I wrote that earlier Recipe, whitebooks were pretty much inaccessible to all but either the highest-volume resellers or those willing to delve into unknown territory at relatively high prices. Since then, however, manufacturers have caught up with Intel's unrelenting marketing muscle behind the Centrino platform. This has made buyers aware of fresh new opportunities for customized notebooks from trusted partners.

Also, while early whitebooks were technologically sound, finding reliable, dedicated distribution partners was a challenge. What's more, the hardware platforms were somewhat limited, as early whitebook entries were aimed at users of thin and light machines (that is, those weighing about five pounds). Today, more accessible channels of distribution have come online for new whitebook chassis, the framework of any system. So system builders can finally add high-end, desktop-replacement machines to their product catalogs.

Since an ideal whitebook shouldn't take significantly longer to build than a whitebox PC, today's whitebook platforms offer a solid mix of flexibility and ease of construction. In fact, the latest wave of whitebooks offer as much internal expansion as possible without requiring technicians to remove multiple layers of parts and screws. Building a whitebook requires fewer components overall than a desktop, because a number of the components that would be specified separately in a desktop build are already integrated into the whitebook chassis provided by companies such as Sabio Digital, ASUS, Chaintech, and FIC. Consequently, system builders have a chance to create a unique machine from the ground up.

What's more, building a better whitebook does not require in-depth training. You may need to forge new distribution relationships to obtain the more specialized notebook components, such as the required 2.5-inch hard drives, mobile-grade CPUs, SO-DIMM (Small Outline, Dual In-line Memory Module) RAM, and optical drive upgrades. But most of the required parts are available in growing quantities on the replacement and primary whitebook markets. So there's no excuse for system builders with only modest industry connections to take part in this market.

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The chassis and components I deployed for this particular Recipe were kindly supplied by Sabio Digital, a whitebook supplier recently launched by former Gateway executives.

Ingredients

Now that you've assembled your components, let's get started building. Place your laptop parts on an anti-static workspace. You'll need only two tools: a small Phillips-head screwdriver and a small flat-head screwdriver (which you'll use mainly as a lever).

If you'd like more information on whitebooks, a good source is Intel's custom site Mobile Channel Leader and Build-To-Order.

There are still powerful opportunities for system builders in the whitebook market as customers increasingly shift their purchasing preferences to mobile machines--and as new, more accessible partners join the distribution chain. Adding whitebooks to your slate of offerings will help you compete for more deals.

JASON COMPTON is a technology writer who has covered topics ranging from 8-bit entertainment to supercomputing for more than a decade.