Gateway laptop reads portable flash memory
Supports six standards
A new configuration of Gateway’s 400L notebook supports six different removable flash memory standards, as the lines between PCs and consumer electronics devices continue to blur.
The 400L will be available for a limited time from Gateway for $999 after a $100 rebate. It supports the Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Sony’s Memory Stick, SmartMedia, IBM’s Microdrive, and Multimedia Card removable memory standards.
As companies realized consumers would accept bigger and thicker notebooks for home media use, it was inevitable that these types of memory formats found their way into notebooks, said Stephen Baker, director of research at NPD Techworld in Reston, Va. However, Gateway is the first company to do so that he is aware of, he said.
Consumers will use the memory formats to move pictures and data from DVD recorders and televisions to their PCs and back, Baker said. Data synchronization between notebooks and handhelds is also a possible application, and business users might also be interested in the ability to quickly and easily back up important data, he said.
The 400L comes with a 1.8GHz Celeron processor from Intel, 256MB of DDR (double data rate) SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) a 30GB hard drive, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, and two USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 ports. Several processor configurations are available at a higher cost, and customers can add 802.11b wireless Internet capability for an additional $99. The 400L will be available Friday.
