AMD is reay9ng the launch of three-core processors sometime in the near future. There is method to this madness, however. Reducing a 4-core to three actually increases speed.

Ageia launched the PhysX 100M processor for "high-performance" gaming laptops to operate, "with power dissipation of nearly 10W under gameplay conditions for the most intensely realistic gaming and entertainment experience to PC gamers". For high-end, almost un-portable laptops.

Via Technology has developed a 500MHz CPU that uses less than 1 watt of power. In its press conference, the company stated that it will "adopt the same VIA V4 bus and 21- x 21-millimeter nanoBGA2 packaging as other Eden models."

Advantech has already adopted the new Eden ULV processor and plans to be shipping products with it this month.

Now that is green technology.

I just love power, especially when packaged in mobile forms.That goes for cars, motorcycles, and, of course, notebooks. The XtremeNotebook Xtreme 917V (wihch is a bit to type) provides some serious power for a low, low starting price of $2,399. The specs:

• 17-inch display
• Core 2 Quad processor
• dual nVidia Geforce Go 7950 GTX graphics processors
• Up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM
• Multicard reader
• Dual-layer DVD writer (no HD?)
• Up to three 250GB hard drives (four spindles? wow!)
• Optional TV tuner
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Wi-Fi
• Standard ports
• 12-cell batter that still manages only about 60 minutes

Sounds like a monster. Go get one, oh rich ones.

There are those, myself included, who wonder at the value of the Palm Foleo, but who are we to judge? The specifications are starting to trickle out, and so perhaps there’s something in there to get excited about:

• 416MHz Intel-Marvel PXA27x processor
• Marathon 2700G graphics with video out
• 128MB of RAM for running applications
• 256MB of non-volatile RAM for storage
• CompactFlash and SD slots
• Wi-Fi
• Wind River Systems Linux

Well, okay, nothing too exciting there, although some of the parts are a bit non-standard. I still think the Foleo’s going to have a tough time getting going in the market, but time will tell. As it appears, that time will come fairly soon.