LAPTOPS

A nonprofit group said on Tuesday production of a new laptop computer for children in developing countries had begun, a milestone that could shake up the PC industry by ushering in a new era of low-cost computing.

Microsoft Corp has made progress in getting its Windows software to work on a low-cost laptop computer for poor children that currently runs on rival Linux software, an executive said on Thursday.

A non-profit group developing a low-cost laptop for poor children said that a production delay would cause a shortage of computers available in the United States and Canada as part of a holiday giving program.

Taiwan's Asustek said on Tuesday it will sell its new low-cost laptop PCs to consumers for as little as T$7,999 ($245) apiece, as it takes aim at more casual users in developed markets.

TVs usually dominate Europe's largest consumer electronics show but many gadgets in Berlin this week aim to make life simple and more beautiful too.

A nonprofit group that designs low-cost computers for poor children may start selling $350 laptops on the commercial market by Christmas, an executive said on Monday.

Sony said Wednesday that its latest 'ultra-portable' notebook computer - the Vaio TZ - will be available at select retailers in August.

Fujitsu-Siemens Computers will start selling laptops with flash memory instead of hard drives this summer, bringing faster, lighter and more energy-efficient computers to the European mass market.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) introduced new laptop computers on Tuesday, featuring eight different colors and new capabilities as it attempts to gain a larger share of the consumer computing market.

Intel-based laptops released by the end of the month will include wireless technology that will allow speeds up to five times faster than current popular technologies allow.

As wireless networking becomes more pervasive, extending to mobile computers, cell-phones and handhelds, one expert believes that the next generation of ultra fast wireless computing technology may be ready to take off.

Advanced Micro Devices is aiming to chip away at more of Intel's market share in the mobile computing market, announcing on Thursday the dual core Turion and dual core 64-bit Sempron microprocessors.