Acer passes Dell as the number two notebook PC maker in the world

Notebook manufacturers are always fighting it out for global supremacy, measured in the number of computers sold and shipped around the world. Market research firm DisplaySearch routinely ranks the companies according to the number of notebooks shipped.

DisplaySearch released a new report this week that shows some interesting information. While HP maintained its worldwide market dominance of the notebook PC industry holding on to its number one spot for the sixth straight quarter, Acer is making huge gains on the list. Acer overtook Dell as the number two notebook maker in the world.

HP moved more than 6 million notebook computers in Q4 2007 while Acer showed big gains shipping 5.25 million notebooks worldwide leaving it about 1.4 million units behind number one HP. Dell ranked third with shipments of 4.64 million units.

Acer’s acquisitions of rival PC makers Gateway and Packard Bell enabled it to beat Dell out of the second place spot on the DisplaySearch list. However, DisplaySearch points out that Acer was able to dramatically narrow the gap between it and Dell with Acer branded notebooks alone.

Fourth place on the list goes to Toshiba with 2.86 million notebooks shipped in Q4 2007. Fifth place went to Lenovo with 2.73 million and Fujitsu captured sixth place with 1.62 million shipped. Sony, Asus and Apple rounded out the list with 1.59 million, 1.56 million and 1.34 million unit shipped respectively. All other PC makers not listed by name in the report account for 5.55 million units shipped.

Some other interesting facts from the report were that the most popular size notebook was the 15.4-inch with 1280 x 800 resolution. In a distant second place were notebooks with 14.1-inch screens.

GM refines its hybrid powetrains

Over the past two weeks, we saw the unveiling of two mild hybrid powertrains for sport utility vehicles: one from BMW and one from Mercedes-Benz. The two German auto makers worked together on the hybrid powertrain and both hooked the system up to small, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines.

General Motors introduced its first mild-hybrid belt-alternator-starter (BAS) system over two years ago and it is now ready to bring out its second generation unit. While the Germans decided to pair their mild hybrid systems with diesel motors, GM system will instead be paired with cheaper gasoline engines.

GM says that its second generation mild hybrid system now employs a lithium-ion battery which is nearly three times as powerful as the previous generation’s nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery. The battery is also smaller which could allow the system to be used in smaller vehicles like the Saturn Astra and Chevrolet Aveo.

GM promises a 20% fuel economy improvement over non-hybrid versions of the same vehicle with its latest hybrid system.

“This new system is another important step in our broad-based strategy to reduce vehicle fuel consumption and emissions,” said GM Chairman Rick Wagoner at the Geneva Auto Show.

“In order to have a real impact in reducing oil consumption, oil imports, and CO2 emissions, advanced technologies must be affordable enough to drive high-volume applications,” Wagoner continues. “We plan to roll out this next-generation hybrid technology globally, across our brands and regions, starting in 2010 in North America, and we expect that volumes will eventually exceed 100,000 units annually.”

GM’s first generation mild hybrid system is currently used on the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Saturn Aura Green Line and Saturn Vue Green Line. The company’s more efficient, two-mode hybrid system is used in the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid as well as the upcoming Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.

GM’s commitment to hybrid vehicles is sure to pay off as the company expects to have eight hybrid models on the market by the end of the year and 16 more over the next four years.

DailyTech’s roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Tuesday

AMD 780G
TechReport
AnandTech
PCPer
HotHardware
Bit-tech
Legit Reviews
Techwarelabs
AMDZone

Video
ATI HD 3470 @ OCC
GeForce 8800 GS vs. Radeon HD 3850 @ LegionHardware
NVIDIA Quadro FX1700 512MB @ Phoronix
Foxconn 9600GT-512NOC @ PCStats

Memory
Patriot Memory PC2-6400 4GB LL DDR2 Kit @ TweakTown

Cooling
33-Way Thermal Interface Material Comparison @ Benchmark Reviews
Cooler Master COSMOS S @ InsideHW

Display
ViewSonic VLED221wm LCD @ ComputerShopper

Audio
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio @ Guru3D

Peripherals
Microsoft Reclusa Gaming Keyboard @ Tweaknews

DailyTech’s roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Tuesday

AMD 780G
TechReport
AnandTech
PCPer
HotHardware
Bit-tech
Legit Reviews
Techwarelabs
AMDZone

Video
ATI HD 3470 @ OCC
GeForce 8800 GS vs. Radeon HD 3850 @ LegionHardware
NVIDIA Quadro FX1700 512MB @ Phoronix
Foxconn 9600GT-512NOC @ PCStats

Memory
Patriot Memory PC2-6400 4GB LL DDR2 Kit @ TweakTown

Cooling
33-Way Thermal Interface Material Comparison @ Benchmark Reviews
Cooler Master COSMOS S @ InsideHW

Display
ViewSonic VLED221wm LCD @ ComputerShopper

Audio
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio @ Guru3D

Peripherals
Microsoft Reclusa Gaming Keyboard @ Tweaknews

It turns out mom was right, when she told you to take your vitamins.

Bacteria have been a hot topic in research these days. It turns out that the little guys, oft vilified for their pathogenic brethren, can provide exciting solutions to many alternative energy and material purification problems. Researchers have used bacteria for everything from purifying water, to data storage, to microbial biofuel and hydrogen production.

Now researchers have made an exciting new microbiological breakthrough involving a very special type of bacteria. It has been known for some time that the bacteria, Shewanella, found commonly in water and soil, produces electricity when it digests organic matter. This led to researchers taking special interest in its potential as a natural generator. However, a major roadblock to such alternative energy plans was the fact that it was unknown until now is exactly how the bacteria accomplished its electrical generation, or whether the process could be governed.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have now discovered that the vitamin riboflavin (known commonly as vitamin B-2), provides the bacteria with much of its generating capabilities. The research was led by Daniel Bond and Jeffrey Gralnick, of the University of Minnesota’s BioTechnology Institute and Department of Microbiology.

Professor Bond explained the importance of their discovery, stating, “This is very exciting because it solves a fundamental biological puzzle. Scientists have known for years that Shewanella produce electricity. Now we know how they do it.”

Their research, which will be published in the March 3 issue of the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” opens the door to an exciting new chapter in alternative energy. By boosting the Shewanella bacteria’s riboflavin intake with vitamins, the bacteria’s electrical output dramatically increases. These bacteria can transform organic waste byproducts such as lactic acid into electricity, offering both a waste disposal and an alternative energy solution.

The research team discovered riboflavin’s effects when bacteria growing on their electrodes began to increase in electrical output. The team discovered that the increase was do to the accumulation of riboflavin on the electrodes, a substance the bacteria naturally produce. As the riboflavin built up, the bacteria’s electrical output increased to a maximum of 370 percent of the original levels.

Potential uses include waste water microbial fuel cells and, according to researchers, a natural fuel source for ocean floor probes. Professor Bond remarks, “Bacteria could help pay the bills for a wastewater treatment plant.”

The researchers do warn that in order for the technology to be cost-effective for home and business use or for transportation, significant biological and fuel cell design obstacles would have to be overcome. For now, the technology provides a great deal of niche potential for the waste water industry, they say.

For those curious of why Shewanella outputs electrical current, here’s why. The bacteria needs to digest certain soil metals such as iron to survive and thrive. In order to properly absorb them it directs electrons into the metals to change their properties, making them more digestible. Says Profesor Gralnick, “Bacteria have been changing the chemistry of the environment for billions of years. Their ability to make iron soluble is key to metal cycling in the environment and essential to most life on earth.”

Such bacteria could also be applied to ship surfaces and used in a reverse process to prevent corrosion by outputting iron. The U.S. Navy is interested enough in this application to provide the team with a grant to explore the technology further.

The research was primarily funded by the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and Cargill. The University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Technology were also involved with the project.

The very useful Shewanella bacterium has also been found to produce carbon nanotubes under the proper conditions.