While Zotac announced the new Zbox AD03 in China a few months back, the announcement finally came today that these new nettops will be released in the US. Zotac has other nettop products on the market but this new model incorporates a AMD E-350 chip and it also includes HD graphics by Radeon. The HD graphics and the dual core 1.6GHZ processor are integrated into a single silicone chip. Therefore, you can experience faster gaming and processing speeds while doing your part to help the planet.

Nettops have become popular in the last year due the slim line design, and use of less electrical power. The new ZBOX will have a maximum power draw of only 18 Watts. Compared to a traditional desktop this is a significant reduction in energy consumption. However, while the nettop is better for the environment it still offers plenty of perks for the avid computer geek.

The Zotac ZBOX includes the same case used in previous models as well as a built the built in blue-ray player normally offered by Zotac. However, this new model is capable of displaying 1080p HD video play. In addition, the ZBOX offers two DDR3 memory slots, USB 3.0, built in wi-fi, a one gigabyte LAN, HDMI, and VGA output.

The ZBOX nettop is available for purchase in two ways. You can purchase the bare bones nettop, which doesn’t include an operating system, RAM, or a hard drive. The other option includes a full 2 gigabytes of RAM as well as a hard drive of 250GB. However, neither option offers an operating system. You can choose which operating system you want to install. The system can support Linux, Vista, Windows Xp, or Windows 7.

In the last ten years or so, technology has exploded. Today’s technological gadgets are small, fast, powerful, and everywhere. This blossoming of technology has numerous personal advantages, allowing users a level of freedom that has never been seen before.

The laptop was perhaps the first such device to carry the user from the office and out into the cafes, the airport, and even the parks. And as far back as May 2003, the laptop has been outselling the desktop. Today the trend is for even smaller laptops – “nettops” – and integrated cellular cards, the combination of which means that the laptop is getting even more mobile. Users can now carry with them the data equivalent of an entire library floor at any given time, as well as having constant access to the internet, entire music collection, and various social networks.

The cell phone, even more so than the laptop, has seen exponential increases in power and performance over the last few years. What was once a large brick-like device, singular in purpose and used by few, has become a small computer in its own right and become a product of the masses. And what’s more, people are starting to move away from their home phones and ever increasing rates. In 2004, 5% of Americans (1 out of every 20) had abandoned their landlines in exchange for a “cell phone only” existence. By the end of 2007, that number had jumped to 16%, and now that number has brushed over the 1 in 6 household mark.

Laptops and cell phones are, of course, only the tip of the iceberg. Apple surpassed the 100 million mark on its iPod nearly two years ago, and they only represent 70% of the global digital music player market. Digital cameras of every shape and size have almost wholly replaced film cameras, enabling nearly everyone to embrace their inner Ansel Adams. And every day there are smaller and more functional hybrid devices that blend the roles of some or all of these. Technology has essentially enabled all of us to have a pocket-sized world.

Granted, that pocket-sized world is not without its drawbacks. Though prices have generally fallen across the board, price is still not something that can be easily overlooked, especially when one considers the detriment that can be had when items are lost. Yes, the problem with a pocket-sized world seems to be that our devices are now so easily lost, and so detrimental when gone.

For some things, cameras and MP3 players, the loss is simply a mixture of financial and inconvenience. A lost iPod means you’re out a couple hundred bucks and you can be a bit starved for music until you replace it. But losing a laptop can be far more detrimental if it serves as your means of paying bills, finding news, and working. Aside from the potential for identity theft, you’re often forced to rely on a backup computer that is missing the data that you need to otherwise accomplish your work. The one in six American households without a landline, the loss of a cell phone, something so easily accomplished, can wrench away their only true way of communicating over distance.

So, how exactly does one prevent such a loss in a world that fits in a pocket? Well, for starters, get into the habit of regular backups. It’s a good idea to keep your data in multiple locations, and preferably on a physical medium. Second, use a strong password. Though strong passwords can be difficult to remember, they are also difficult to crack. This means even if you lose your device, someone is more likely to simply wipe it than used a saved password in your internet browser to access your bank account. And lastly, include your contact information on a small label placed on the outside of your device. Receiving a phone call from someone who found your digital camera, iPod, or laptop, or an email from someone who’s found your phone can be a bit like winning the lottery, saving both time, money, and peace of mind.

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In today’s society the environment has become an important subject, we are always being asked to “do our bit” to try and reduce our “carbon footprint”. There are several options on the market to choose from if you wish to lower the impact your usage of IT has on the environment.

Firstly there are computers designed with low-power components which consume less electricity. Within the last two years a new category of PCs known as “netbooks” have gained popularity. These are small notebooks which typically include a low-power Intel CPU that consumes as little as 2.5 Watts of power. The payoff for using energy saving components is a battery life of up to 7 hours, compared to a typical laptop which will last a maximum of 2 hours; this means less plugging in to recharge and a lower carbon footprint as a result.

Due to the runaway success of these “netbooks”, PC manufacturers like Dell and Asus are now starting to release desktop variants of netbooks called “nettops”. These desktop PCs are extremely compact with typical dimensions of 22cm by 17cm and have a power consumption of around 20 Watts, which is 90% lower than a typical desktop computer.

Another option for saving energy is using a “thin client”. A thin client is a small, low-power computer which is connected to a remote server that performs the majority of processing tasks for the thin client. The server can also have software installed on it that can be accessed by the thin client; such as an office suite or accounts package.

There is also a new, revolutionary option for going green and reducing your organisation’s carbon footprint – Miniframe SoftXpand, a multiseat computing solution offered by Lucid IT Services. SoftXpand transforms a single desktop PC running Microsoft Windows XP into up to six fully independent computer workstations using standard monitors, keyboards and mice. With SoftXpand you can easily lower your organisation’s carbon footprint. Rather than having six separate workstations all requiring their own power source and generating heat, SoftXpand only requires one computer to be switched on, which reduces power consumption by up to six times.

SoftXpand is based on a simple fact; today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications use only a small fraction of the computer’s capacity. MiniFrame’s Multiseat computing software SoftXpand taps this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple users, spreading out the cost of the PC, and providing six times the number of seats for the same money. SoftXpand’s unique resource sharing & intelligent balancing system allows the full utilization of a PC’s power and cleverly allocates resources. Modern Video cards are equipped with a powerful Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Video Memory (VRAM). SoftXpand uses this power and automatically balances it between the workstations according to the applications’ needs.

SoftXpand lowers electricity consumption drastically; a single SoftXpand machine will use 1/6 of the electricity of six standard PCs – which helps to reduce your electricity bills and carbon footprint. As a result of these lower power requirements, it also generates less heat; a single SoftXpand machine will produce 1/6 of the heat of six machines – meaning you won’t need to turn on the air conditioning as often. And when the system reaches the ends of its useful life, only one PC will need to be replaced instead of six and less hazardous computer equipment will end up in landfill.

For more information on MiniFrame SoftXpand, visit http://www.luciditservices.co.uk/green

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