Tuesday Laptop and Notebook Review and News Roundup

For a new daily feature here on LaptopPimp, I want to start offering a daily digest of top news stories and blog posts. If you like the idea, or hate it, let me know in the comments. Also, if you blog about laptops, drop me a line so I can make sure to include your posts in the daily digest.

For now, enjoy some laptop news and notes:

News from the Net:

cNet offers a look at the Windows XO laptop as it heads to Colombia:

Microsoft announced a second country is piloting the use of One Laptop Per Child’s XO laptop in conjunction with Windows XP.

Intel is looking into a healthcare laptop system to make communication between doctor and patient easier:

Intel, the computer chipmaker like many other organizations wants to have some business in the health care industry. It has reportedly begun testing pilot programs including a home health laptop, application and database that allow patients to communicate with their health providers.

Apple and Dell are looking forward to the holiday season for a sales bump:

Apple attracted one third of the people interested in buying a laptop over the next three months. 7 percent of the people interviewed said they intend to acquire an aluminum Apple laptop, while another 6 percent expressed their interest in the old plastic MacBooks available for $999.

Seagate and McAfee will offer self-encrypting notebook drive in an attempt to bring down crime:

Seagate and McAfee’s solution is a self-encrypting notebook hard drive. The Momentus FDE (Full-disk encryption) drive with built-in AES encryption will also be available in speeds of 5400 and 7200 RPM.

Fujitsu and Hitachi offer power-efficient notebook hard drive:

Fujitsu and Hitachi on Tuesday introduced notebook hard-disk drives that use less power than previous generations and are friendlier to the environment.

Best of the blogosphere:

New Laptop Batteries to Last 8 Times Longer Than Current Crop:

Researchers at Hanyang University in South Korea have developed new Lithium batteries that can last a whopping eight times longer than today’s models.

Thoughts on the $300 laptop:

Last Friday, Wal-Mart announced a selection of in-store discounts, including a 15-inch Compaq laptop for $298, that would be part of a one-day, in-store sale.