AOpen Lets Integrators Build A Better Notebook

Open recently introduced its 1558J whitebook, the white-box component manufacturer’s first barebones notebook based on Sonoma, the latest generation of Intel’s Centrino mobile platform. Sonoma mobile technology is geared toward business computing, gaming, home theater and digital music, and it delivers faster processing speeds, longer battery life, enhanced multimedia and improved Wi-Fi security.

People often think of white-box systems as simple entry-level units, but that’s hardly the case with the 1558J. The inclusion of Sonoma mobile technology, including components such as new Intel Pentium M processors with a 533MHz front-side bus, take the 1558J far beyond expectations. There’s also new integrated wireless that supports 802.11b and g wireless networking standards. A new Intel 915 Express Chipset, formerly code-named Alviso, supports third-generation graphics and standards such as Direct Media Interface. The chipset also supports TV-out and high-definition audio and includes eight USB ports, four-port PCI Express and up to 2 Gbytes of DDR2 memory.

With all that modern technology under the hood, the AOpen 1558J lets system builders cater to the needs of low-end users and power users alike. It’s an ideal solution for business, education and government organizations, and its state-of-the-art technology means it will support any application, old or new.

One might assume that a whitebook would be a big, clunky unit. But the AOpen 1558J is sleek and lightweight. The unit measures 13 x 10.8 x 1.5 inches and weighs less than 6.2 pounds. Once fully assembled, the AOpen 1558J has a look and feel that’s every bit as sophisticated as name-brand units.

Solution providers must install a processor, memory and hard drive of their choice to make the notebook operable. While system builders are free to choose their own components, AOpen recommends an Intel Pentium M processor with a 2-Mbyte Level 2 cache and 533MHz front-side bus with a maximum operating frequency of 2.13GHz. That particular processor is rather pricey at $637 in quantities of 1,000, but the premium price is not surprising for the speed of the processor. The 1.6GHz Pentium M processor costs $209 in quantities of 1,000, a savings of almost $400 that solution providers can pass on to customers.

In between those extremes, an Intel Pentium M with a 2-Mbyte Level 2 cache, 533MHz front-side bus and operating frequency of 1.86GHz costs $294. Intel Celeron-M processors also can be used as long as the operating frequency does not exceed 1.73GHz. The Celeron processors are a lot less expensive, priced between $100 and $200 each in quantities of 1,000.

As for memory, the 1558J whitebook can accept up to 2 Gbytes of SO-DIMM DDR2 memory, either 400MHz or 533MHz. AOpen recommends that system builders use a hard drive with at least 40 Gbytes of storage capacity. The drive must be a 2.5-inch Serial ATA type with a rotational speed of 5,400 rpm.

The AOpen 1558J costs $600 without a hard drive, CPU or memory, but the price does include a combination CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. For about $40 more, AOpen will equip the unit with a DVD recorder. All 1558Js feature a 15-inch XGA display with a resolution of 1,024 x 768 and use shared video memory. An upcoming AOpen 1559 model whitebook will have its own video memory and the option to include Nvidia graphics.

The 1558J can be independently branded, allowing system builders to use their own brand name—there’s even a spot in the center of the lid reserved for applying a custom logo. The notebook cannot be AOpen-branded, but it does ship with labels that say “Powered by AOpen.”

A whitebook like AOpen’s 1558J lets system builders find the best deals they can on CPU, memory and hard drives, and lets them build systems that are better matched to customers’ specific needs.