Mobile computing technology is ever changing and the latest evolutionary step is the development of dual core processor laptops.

New CPUs for notebooks.

The recent introduction of the NAPA Platform has shown some significant enhancements on the older Somona technology. The new NAPA platform offers a lot of significant advantages for a dual core laptop such as a 60% performance increase with its physically smaller dual core processor which can utilise memory more effectively whilst using less power as well.

What are the enhancements for laptops?

Performance Increases:

- Dual core processing with 667Mhz Front Side Bus
- Latest Intel 945 Chipset
- Generation 3.5 Intel Integrated Graphics
- DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory
- Lower power consumption = Increased battery life
- Latest IEEE 802.11 Standards

We've been playing with a couple of the latest Toshibas to see exactly what these developments have to offer a real world user.

Fingerprint Reader Technology.

New fingerprint technology will allow users to bypass multiple password entry with one swipe of the finger.

Bundled with some awesome software Toshiba owners can now utilise this technology to logon to Windows, access secure websites, secure files and folders and even logon to a laptop secured with a Bios password.

Laptops that have the fingerprint reader hardware have now got the software to match and utilise what the fingerprint reader hardware can do.

Toshibas new OmniPass and Protector Suite QL software gives the user all of the following features and functions.

- Data encryption
- Individual fingerprint application assignment
- Multiple print storage
- Fingerprint website access
- Bios fingerprint authentication
- Single touch boot feature

In addition to this sort of technology, Toshibas new Wireless Authentication logon feature is impressive to say the least. This technology coupled with the Toshiba Wireless Key Logon utility enables a user to setup their BT (Bluetooth) enabled mobile phone to act as a key, with similar password entry free logon from Bios to Windows simply by activating the BT function on your phone when in range of your laptop.

There's been a bit of misinformation floating around regarding these new dual core notebooks so we'd like to clear up a couple of points.

1. If a machine has a stated processor speed of 1.66GHz then that's across both cores, not 1.66GHz on each core, the advantage over a 1.66GHz single core processor would be improvements in performance and data handling.

2. The new dual core processors don't require software written specifically for the CPU, you would still see an improvement running all your existing software.

3. A dual core notebook will actually run cooler than it's single core counterpart, this is due to the fact that the processor is more efficient and uses less power. This is a welcome development in the world of mobile computing where overheating machines are a constant bugbear for users.

The evolution of dual core processors is big news in the laptop world, as they become more common in the marketplace it will be interesting to see how they cope with the multitude of applications that will be thrown at them.