CompAmerica Announces New PCI-Express Laptops with Reduced Prices and Full 64 Bit Support, ahead of the Rest of the Laptop PC Industry

(PRWEB) May 26, 2005

CompAmerica's COO, John Davis, Jr., at a recent press confence, announced changes in the way CompAmerica was approaching what he called "extreme performance computing at an affordable price":

?To begin with, when we first introduced the Orca 9096 in December, by the end of May we had sold out our entire production run. This was not that surprising, it was a gamble we deliberately took: entering the market first. As an early LGA-775 ? EM64T based Laptop with PCI-Express, it was well ahead of the marketplace. It became so popular, in only a few days after its introduction, anticipating we might sell it out, we immediately began work on the 9097 and the 7000x models, following Intel?s production curve carrying it?s chips up into the 64Bit ?performance? area. That is why we equipped them both with PCI-Express 16x Video adapters, in fact, several choices, for different needs. Since then, we?ve certified the machines for use with Microsoft?s Windows XP Professional / 64 bit, but are still waiting for the final steps in driver testing, before we release this operating system. Thanks to the fact that our three new 64 Bit laptops, including the 9096 and the 7000x, are backwards compatible with 32 bit technology, they ship with and run Windows XP Professional like a dream, without the 64 bit extensions of Microsoft's new 64 Bit Windows. Our third model, the Orca 6400x based on the AMD 64 CPU, is also a dream of a laptop, which with its 17 inch screen, gives CompAmerica the clear lead in 64 bit laptop technology.?

?This would not have been possible, had there not been a very carefully orchestrated roll out of early Windows XP 64 from Microsoft. It?s an amazing system capable of exceeding the scope of older Windows XPs by a factor of 4 to 1024, depending upon which characteristic you look at. And that?s the goal ? to package ready laptops which can run Windows XP/64 as soon as possible. We've also demonstrated that we're unafraid of bringing out high-end laptops, in a market where certain companies are still trying to peddle under $ 600 models. We, too, offer those low end systems, but we label them more correctly: they are really 'Entry Level' or 'Junior' models, since they really don't compare with our Orcas, Panthers, or Jaguar models which, incidentally, start at just $ 945. We think consumers and businesses want a better class of robust features, than can be provided in 'the cheap seats'. And so, we've tailered our offerings to what consumer surveys have told us is 'the right stuff'.?

"The results: the Orca 9097 and 7000x, and the Panther 4080x! They are what people want, and now with price drops resulting from their success and demand, they're even more affordable than ever!" added Davis.

The company stated that the three new models, the Orca 9097, starting at only $ 2245, with 17 inch, the Orca 7000x 15.4 inch screen, starting at only $ 1695, are also being followed with a new 15 inch wide screen sized Centrino model, the Panther 4080x. All models offer SXGA+ wide screen and the ORCA series offer optional UXGA Ultra wide screen LCD displays.

?Our new, long life, longer battery life Intel Centrino Mobil model is designed to be physically lighter, yet it is PCI-Express technology and will support EM64T from Intel, it will be 64 Bit compatible with later 64Bit mobil Pentium Ms as soon as Intel releases them, with only minor adjustments to the system bios. As you can see, CompAmerica is positioning itself as 64 Bit Ready in the mobil arena! All of our Desktop PCs and Servers already are. However, as to the Panther, there is a first here. It is also the first Pentium M laptop to enter the market with a Centrino 533 architecture AND a PCI Express video adapter, instead of the conventional Intel shared memory adapter commonly found on some Centrino systems!? added Davis.

"Today, Graphics adapters govern much of the speed of the average PC or Laptop. UDMA (shared memory) video is good for business applications and average internet browsing and the occasional viewing of a multimedia presntation. But you really need Graphics muscle in order to get the full benefits of Microsoft's approach to graphics, which at the high end leads to Media Center Edition 2005, a new variation of Windows XP Pro. Media Center uses a lot of muscle in the video and audio and TV playback and recording areas so that the user has the finest multimedia experience possible. Without sufficient graphics power, speed, storage, media components and memory, you really can't call your laptop a 'Media Center' laptop. So, in keeping with what consumers want, we have made certain to include this important feature set in our plan for these three laptops. I'd like to stress that we try and offer a degree of choice, with two or three different adapters the user can select from, at the high end"

CompAmerica offers three video choices on it's highest end laptop, the Orca 9097. A new Quadro FX Go 1400 PCI-Express 16x Video Adapter is optional on the Orca 9097, which replaces a standard ATI Radeon x800 Mobility PCI-Express 16x video adapter at the buyer's discretion. For those with gaming in mind, an optional nVidia Go 6800 PCI-Express 16x video adapter is offered to round out the product.

The x800 and Go 6800 are the sole choices on the new Orca 7000x series, which features many of the same features as the 9097, in a 15.4? wide LCD Screen form factor. CompAmerica indicated it was considering offering a Quadro FX Go 1400 option for the 7000x in the coming months. The Orca 9097 supports up to two (2) hard disk drives, Raid 0/1 and up to two CDRW/DVD or DVRW+/- Dual Layer Burner Drives. The Orca 7000x however, offers a three bay design with a single internal HDD and single internal optical (DVRW) device, and a swappable floppy bay which allows a second battery to be inserted for long commutes.

"Again, we felt that the 64 bit computing arena wanted choice, and Raid 0/1 hardware makes it possible to achieve higher speed by striping the Windows volume across two drives, allowing simultaneous reads and writes, at faster rates. The ORCA is not your common laptop, it really does lead the field," mentioned Davis.

Both ORCA models are said to support up to an Intel Pentium 4/LGA-775 3.8GHz+ 1M or 2M L2 Cache CPU (or faster) and support ?extreme? editions of these CPUs when they become available. Both models can include an optional Wireless 802.11 b/g/a adapter (internal) with or without optional Bluetooth, and an optional TV Tuner with or without support for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005's remote control features. Both include a Subwoofer speaker kit supporting 5 or 6 internal speakers, digital surround sound and a microphone.

"Then came the quandary of how to produce a more mobil, longer battery life 'next generation' laptop with Intel's Centrino Mobility, and advanced features. Our engineers worked long and hard and came up with a slim, sleek and fast 15 inch widescreen model that is 64 Bit ready if Intel chooses to offer a 64 Bit Pentium M CPU." continued CompAmerica's Davis.

CompAmerica's new Panther 4080x, the Centrino-based model, supplies the new 533MHz based Intel Mobil Dothan Pentium M CPU at up to 2.13GHz (or faster), with 2MB L2 Cache. Its 15 inch wide screen form factor is supported by an ATI Radeon x700 Mobility PCI-Express 16x Video adapter, for maximum speed and longer battery life up to 8 hours between charges. Prices for the performance leading PANTHER Centrino starts at $ 1495.

All of CompAmerica?s laptops support a single or dual 40 to 100-GB 2.5? high performance mobile hard drive, two to four USB 2.0 ports, firewire, internal wireless, Windows XP, and have an optional 4 Year Extended Warranty. The new Orca models are also said to offer SATA hard drive capabilities.

Founded in the early 70's, CompAmerica is a leader in innovative distribution, design and technical support. Its award winning website features unique combination of direct customer interaction and support, with a vast catalog of over 280,000 different PC related and Electronic products in an electronic setting. Customers receive their own dedicated shopping 'intranets', and are assigned a private, dedicated System Engineer to insure that they receive top notch technial support 24x7 without the long wait ordinarily attributed to international call center based help desks.

CompAmerica's four year extended warranty is backed by the giant electronics concern, Philips Maganavox.

For more information, contact the CompAmerica at 908-931-1200.

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More I Radeon Press Releases

Anti-Malaria Bed Nets Delivered to Zambia Ahead of Schedule to Save Thousands of Lives Through an Innovative Health Financing Mechanism

Washington, DC & Lusaka, Zambia (Vocus/PRWEB) February 21, 2011

Today, more than 800,000anti-malaria bed nets have arrived and been distributed in Zambia three months ahead of schedule and before the peak of the deadly rainy season, thanks to a deal reached by the Government of Zambia, the World Bank, UNICEF, Stanbic Bank Zambia, part of the Standard Bank Group and the United Nations Foundation, supported by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and the UN Secretary-General?s Special Envoy for Malaria.

This deal marks the inaugural transaction of the Pledge Guarantee for Health (PGH), a new financial tool developed by the UN Foundation, with help from Dalberg Global Development Advisors, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that streamlines the procurement of lifesaving health supplies. The $ 4.8 million deal will provide anti-malaria bed nets to 1.6 million people and potentially avert tens of thousands of malaria cases, saving the lives of thousands of children in Zambia, who are more at risk of catching malaria during the rainy season.

KapambweSimbaoof, the Honorable Minister of Healthfor the Republic of Zambia said, ?Congratulations and many thanks to the partnerswho worked quickly and efficiently to pilot this innovative finance mechanism in Zambia. This coordinated and rapid response accelerated the distribution of malaria control interventions and ultimately saved lives in my country.?

?The process is new, but the goal of Pledge Guarantee for Health is simple: to more quickly and effectively reduce childhood deaths from easily preventable diseases," said Kevin Starace, Executive Director of Global Health Innovation at the UN Foundation. "The PGH helps streamline the flow of aid dollars, reducing inefficiencies and premiums that governments pay on health commodities due to bottlenecks in the grant disbursement process.?

Here is how it works. PGH facilitates short-term loans to developing country recipients on the basis of pending aid commitments. This enables recipients to avoid stock-outs, emergency shipments, and high costs that can arise when they must wait for funding to replenish supplies of critical medicines. The PGH is flexible, and transactions are structured to accommodate needs of both recipients and donors. Thanks to PGH facilitating the process and guaranteeing the bank loan, health supplies are procured up to eight months faster, and commodity premiums are reduced by up to 83 percent.

?We applaud the efforts of countries like Zambia and development partners to create a system that gets health aid to where it?s needed fast and in time to avert emergencies,? said Eva Jarawan, Health Manager for the World Bank?s Africa Region. ?Innovative financial mechanisms like the Pledge Guarantee can make a real difference in delivering anti-malaria bednets and other vital health supplies quickly and efficiently to communities which need them the most.?

In Zambia, once the guarantee was issued, it took the Government of Zambia and UNICEF less than three weeks to deliver the bed nets to the district-level.

Richard Gush, Head of Standard Bank Africa Corporate Investment Bank, said that Standard Bank was proud to be part of a partnership that will save lives. ?We are privileged to be involved in this project, the first under the auspices of the PGH, and to be able to contribute through providing a financial solution that could help solve a continental problem.

?As the largest bank in Africa by assets and market capitalization, we recognize that the African private sector has a leadership role to play when it comes to creating solutions to meet Africa?s development challenges.?

?While Zambia has made tremendous progress in malaria prevention in recent years, the recent resurgence reported by the World Health Organization highlights the need to remain vigilant and ensure that nets are not only financed, but arrive on time,? said Ray Chambers, the UN Secretary-General?s Special Envoy for Malaria.?The success of this innovative deal provides us with an important new tool in the fight to end deaths from malaria by 2015.?

The percentage of Zambian households owning at least one anti-malaria bed net increased from 38 percent in 2006 to 64 percent in 2008. With the additional bed nets, Zambia will be able to make more progress toward achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation investment in PGH is part of an initiative announced last year that commits a total of $ 400 million in program-related investments (PRIs) during a two-year period to deepen the impact of the foundation?s work through non-traditional means. These include the use of financial tools such as low-interest loans, loan guarantees and equity investments to secure financing for the charitable activities of select organizations and programs that fall within its core focus areas.

MEDIA CONTACTS

World Bank: Phil Hay, Phay(at)worldbank(dot)org, 202-473-1796

UNICEF:Christian Moen, cmoen(at)unicef(dot)org, 212-326-7516

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:media(at)gatesfoundation(dot)org, 206-709-3400

Standard Bank:Janice Garraway, janice.garraway(at)standardbank(dot)com, +44 20 3145 5092

African Leaders Malaria Alliance: Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, info(at)alma2015(dot)org, 917-838-1822

UN Secretary General?s Special Envoy for Malaria: Sean Hightower, shightower(at)amelior(dot)org, 212-307-2527

UN Foundation: Eric Porterfield, eporterfield(at)unfoundation(dot)org, 202-496-6381

About the World Bank

The World Bank reduces poverty and boosts opportunity for people in developing and middle- income countries around the globe. Led by 187 member countries, the Bank mobilizes development knowledge and financing in education, health, infrastructure, agriculture, and other key priorities to improve the social and economic well-being of people in need.http://www.worldbank.org

About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.? The world?s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.? UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit:

http://www.unicef.org

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people?s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people?especially those with the fewest resources?have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.Learn more at http://www.gatesfoundation.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

About Standard Bank

Rooted in Africa with strategic representation in key sub-Saharan and other emerging markets, Standard Bank is a bank with a global sweep. Standard Bank is a leading African banking group focused on emerging markets globally which now spans 17 countries across the African continent and 15 countries outside Africa. The international expansion has taken it to key financial centres of the world including Brazil, Russia and China. Standard Bank's Corporate and Investment Banking division is a leading global emerging markets corporate and investment bank and offers its clients banking, trading, investment, risk management and advisory services in developing economies throughout the world. It has specific sector expertise in industries relevant to its global footprint, with strong sector value propositions in: mining & metals; oil, gas & renewables; telecommunications & media, power & infrastructure and has recently placed a high focus on innovative solutions for development. The International Development Group was established in early 2001 and signifies the importance Standard Bank places on its clients dedicated to facilitating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. For further information visit: http://www.standardbank.com

About the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA)

ALMA is an alliance of 37 African heads of state and government and the African Union. ALMA was founded by African heads of state and government to utilize their individual and collective power across country and regional borders to accelerate progress towards zero malaria related deaths by 2015. President JakayaMrishoKikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania is the founding chair of ALMA and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia is the Deputy Chair of ALMA. For more information, please logon to http://www.alma2015.org.

About Dalberg Global Development Advisors

Dalberg Global Development Advisors is a strategic consulting firm that works exclusively to raise living standards in developing countries and address global issues like climate change. We are for-profit but not profit-maximizing; we only take projects that will advance our social mission. Our work helps governments, foundations, international agencies, NGOs, and Fortune 500 companies to make sustainable improvements in the lives of disadvantaged and underserved populations around the world. Founded in 2001, our firm now has 120 people from 29 nationalities working in 10 offices around the world. They bring expertise gained in the private sector to bear on problems commonly dealt with in the public and non-profit spheres. We take a holistic approach to global development, touching topics from access to finance and energy policy to public health and human rights. Our projects have included the development of the Affordable Medicines Facility ? malaria (AMFm), the GreeNYC sustainable city initiative, the U.S. government?s strategy for rebuilding Haiti, and a range of business models for companies and agencies hoping to serve people at the base of the pyramid. For more information, visit http://www.dalberg.com.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner?s historic $ 1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities.?We build and implement public/private partnerships to address the world?s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach.? Through our campaigns and partnerships, we connect people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems.?These campaigns focus on reducing child mortality, empowering women and girls, creating a new energy future, securing peace and human rights, and promoting technology innovation to improve health outcomes.?These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).?For more information, visit http://www.unfoundation.org.

About the Government of Zambia

In 2005, the Government of Zambia began a Malaria Booster Project (MBP), with a US$ 20 million IDA credit from the World Bank. The original Project Development Objective (PDO) was to increase access to, and use of, interventions for malaria prevention and treatment by the target population. The target population was the population of Zambians living in all the 72 malaria endemic districts of the country. The priority groups among this target population were children under the age of five years, pregnant women and all those infected with malaria. In November 2009, the project was approved for a Level 1 restructuring. There were available co-financing resources to support this restructuring from the results-based financing (RBF) grant which Zambia received through a competitive selection process. The grant provided an opportunity to broaden the scope of the project which now includes some of the original malaria interventions as well as additional maternal and child survival interventions. In the restructured project, the specific activities to be financed through the grant will use RBF as a tool for improving coverage of a core set of maternal and child health interventions. The new additional financing would provide an opportunity to scale up the malaria component of the restructured project while maintaining the successes in the malaria program supported during the first phase of the program. The PDO will remain the same: ?To increase coverage of interventions for malaria prevention and treatment and other key maternal and child health interventions?. For more information, visit?http://www.moh.gov.zm/.

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