HP unveils Linux-based laptop

HP will unveil a new laptop that comes preloaded with SuSE Linux at the LinuxWorld Conference San Francisco on Tuesday, ZDNet UK has learned.

Details of the notebook leaked early when the company mistakenly published details of the notebook on its Web site.

The HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000,laptop battery which starts at $1199 (£650) in the US, comes with either an Intel Pentium M or Celeron processor, between 256MB and 2GB of DDR SDRAM and a 15-inch display that can handle a screen resolution of up to 1600 x 1200 at 100Hz.

The notebook comes pre-loaded with either SuSE or Mandrake Linux 9.1, with the OpenOffice.org productivity suite. Additionally, the HP offers a choice of either 802.11b or an 802.11a/b/g wireless networking combo and optional support for Bluetooth.

The nx5000 lasts up to four hours on a standard six-cell Lithium-ion battery or up to nine hours with the optional MultiBay battery. HP is the first major laptop vendor to launch a non-Windows notebook and other vendors are expected to follow in the near future.

James Governor, principal analyst at RedMonk, welcomed the development. He said that because Linux comes preinstalled,IBM ThinkPad R32 Battery, IBM ThinkPad R40 Battery, users don't have to go through the hassle of installing a new operating system.

"In this industry, [given] the amount of money companies spend on marketing, sometimes vendors seem to have a surprisingly thin idea of what people want to buy. IBM Laptop Battery Preinstalled Linux on laptops and PCs is an idea whose time has come," said Governor.

Governor said he is convinced it is only a matter of time before the other vendors also release Linux-based systems. "HP is shipping this -- they have taken the hassle out of installing a new OS. If HP is doing it, it is going to be pretty hard for all the other vendors not to follow."

At the Linux User and Development Conference in London in April, HP Samba team member Jeremy Allison agreed with attendees that buying a laptop without Windows was difficult and promised that HP would be making progress in that area. Allison admitted that the first thing he had done with his work laptop was to reformat it and remove Windows.

"I was annoyed that I couldn't get a refund. It's a scandal that you can't do that," said Allison. However, HP has confirmed that the Linux-based NX5000 will be sold only in the US at first.

Toshiba recalls batteries due to fire risk

Computer manufacturer Toshiba has apparently become the latest vendor to recall laptop batteries because of concerns they may overheat.

According to reports on Friday morning, IBM ThinkPad R40 Battery, Toshiba is recalling 830,000 laptop batteries. As with previous recalls by Apple, Dell and most recently Lenovo, Toshiba's battery packs use lithium ion cells made by Sony.

Toshiba representatives in the UK did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but according to the Associated Press the recall involves its Dynabook, Qosmio, Satellite Portege and Tecra models. Toshiba hasn't yet revealed exactly which shipment dates are involved.

Toshiba recalled 340,000 batteries earlier this month, but that was due to a fault with storing and transmitting power.The series of battery recalls is turning into a serious problem for Sony. It began in mid-August when Dell announced it was recalling 4.1 million laptop batteries following several reports of them catching fire. The problem appears to be caused by impurities within the anode and cathode of the battery cell, IBM ThinkPad R32 Battery, IBM ThinkPad R40 Battery,which can allow it to discharge its stored power extremely quickly. This could result in the laptop overheating or even catching fire.

As well as damaging its image, the debacle is hitting Sony in the pocket. It is already covering some of the costs of Dell's recall,IBM ThinkPad R32 Battery, which will run to hundreds of millions of pounds.

On Thursday, Sony announced that it is setting up its own battery recall programme, under which affected battery packs will be replaced.