LG Express Notebook series set to harness Wi-Fi revolution

Ultra-thin and lightweight in design, yet powerful and high-speed, LG Electronics' latest Express Notebook series is perfectly placed to serve the Middle East's emerging wireless community.

"Regional governments are investing more in mobility, and wireless access is gaining ground as usage fees reduce," said C.H Lee, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE. "Studies also show that business people appreciate the competitive advantage wireless laptops allow. More than 75 per cent of business leaders questioned in a recent Intel survey in Saudi Arabia said wirelessly connected laptops make doing business better."

LG's Express Notebooks are the right package for capable and quick wireless access. The range supports the latest wireless LAN specifications (802.11a/b/g), and comes with the Dual Hexa Band Antenna to enable wider coverage and enhanced network connectivity, always a bonus when dealing with the region's temperamental Internet networks.

Lee said: "The need for enhanced mobility in the region is matching demand for increased power and performance. Supporting growing entertainment and business needs on the move, LG's five Express notebook PCs, launched in January 2005, offer enhanced graphics and support for the latest security features without compromising integrated wireless LAN access and long battery life."

LG began manufacturing notebooks under its own brand in 2003, and sold products worth US$25 million in the Middle East and Africa in 2004. The brand is targeting regional sales of US$100 million this year. LG is an Intel Validation Partner, which gives the company early access to Intel's pacesetting technology. The Express series is based on the latest Intel Centrino® mobile technology, formerly codenamed Sonoma, and it is equipped with the Mobile Intel 915 chipset, formerly codenamed Alviso.

The LM 60 and 70 Express notebooks have an ultra-thin design, wide-screen display (14.1 inches and 15 inches respectively), and are the lightest products in the range with unbeatable multimedia quality, instant ON player, and the DVD Super Multi Drive that supports all DVD formats. The LS 70, meanwhile, functions as a desktop replacement and caters to those looking for a notebook with multimedia capabilities.

Lee added: "Consumers now realise that thin and light is better, that wireless is unbelievably convenient, and that battery life is important. According to Gartner, global notebook shipments will rise 16 per cent to 54.5 million units in 2005."

Equipped with the Mobile Intel 915 chipset, the super-slim and light notebooks are powered by the latest Pentium M processor with a 533MHz frontside bus, while the accompanying chipset handles up to 2GB of DDR2 memory and provides support for ExpressCard (PCI Express) options.

Other upgraded features include wide-screen displays from 14.1 to 17.1 inches available in WXGA, WSXGA and WUXGA resolutions, an ergonomic keyboard layout, wired and wireless network profile management eliminating the need to remember internet protocols, a virtual cable tester, touch pad with scroll functions, front-edge media controls, and four USB 2.0 ports.

Also built in are S-Video output, FireWire, VGA, 10/100 Ethernet and modem connections, plus a multi-format, double-layer Super Multi DVD burner. The LG Express Notebooks also work well with high-quality audio such as Dolby Digital and 5.1 surround sound.