Sharp debuts new Actius MC22 notebook

Sharp introduces stylish, new Actius notebook with DirectHD technology.

Sharp Systems of America today announced that they have added a sleek and stylish, feature-rich notebook computer to their award-winning Actius notebook line. Geared toward the consumer or home office user, the new Actius MC22 is a fully equipped notebook computer that provides users with unique features, and offers them stability and security of their data through its built in DirectHD and SharpSync capability.

“Notebook computers have increasingly become an integral part of personal and SOHO usage, and users are carrying around their important data wherever they go,” said Greg Nakagawa, senior vice president and general manager for Sharp Systems of America. “Keeping important files backed up and available in the event of loss or theft has been a real challenge for notebook users. Losing a notebook can mean the loss of invaluable personal data including email, digital photos, financial data, and all the important day-to-day stuff that mobile users keep on their computers. Through DirectHD and SharpSync, the Actius MC22 provides an answer to this vexing problem by giving the user back-up options and a usage model that isn’t traditionally available to notebook users.”

With the Actius MC22, Sharp is offering a notebook geared toward consumer-level users that features Sharp’s exclusive DirectHD technology, which was introduced in Spring 2003 with Sharp’s popular ultraportable, the Actius MM10 and SharpSync software. SharpSync, powered by Iomega® Sync software, enables users to back up their data to a PC through a USB connector. When plugged in to a user’s primary PC, SharpSync automatically synchronizes pre-selected folders between computers, ensuring that the most recent version of each file is on both machines. The result is a flexible data transport system in which the Actius MC22 becomes a practical extension of a user’s desktop PC.

“Since establishing the Actius notebook line, Sharp has been dedicated to bringing innovation to the market with notebooks that change the way people think about mobile computing,” said Nakagawa. “Sharp will continue to bring products and ideas to the market that bear out Sharp’s tradition of innovation.”

The Actius MC22 – Flexible Computing

The Sharp Actius MC22 notebook, with its high-gloss, pearlesque finish comes equipped with an AMD Athlonâ„¢ XP-M processor 2200+, which features AMD PowerNow!â„¢ technology for extended battery life. Maximizing the benefits of AMD’s PowerNow! Technology, the Actius MC22 has been designed to maximize battery power. Along with its processor muscle, the Actius MC22 comes standard with 256 MB DDR-SDRAM (upgradeable to 768 MB). Complete with Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition operating software, and a 40GB hard drive, the Actius MC22 provides substantial computing power for everyday needs.

In addition to being able to maintain data consistency between itself and multiple computers through SharpSync technology, the Actius MC22 also features DirectHD. When the Actius MC22 is connected to another computer via a USB connection, the DirectHD technology enables the primary PC to view the Actius MC22 as an external hard drive.

The Actius MC22 comes with a CD-R/RW/DVD combo drive that includes capability that allows users to back up important data on CD-R/RW discs, and watch DVD movies at the user’s convenience. The Actius MC22 also includes ‘sharp-fx,’ Sharp’s proprietary DVD optimization software. This included module for InterVideo’s WinDVD player automatically adjusts image contrast for optimum clarity. Combined with the Actius MC22′s high-quality 12.1” LCD screen, this image enhancing software brings out the best in DVD picture quality. Fully equipped with premium quality speakers under the LCD display, the Actius MC22 also supports 5.1 channel virtual surround sound for users using external 2 channel speakers with built-in Dolby Virtual Speaker (DVS) and WinDVD®.

The Actius MC22 also includes features with ergonomic comfort in mind. The 12.1-inch XGA (1024 x 768) LCD screen is easy on the eyes, providing bright, clear pictures in which even small letters are clearly legible. The notebook also features an ergonomic, “smile” keyboard, which is curved for comfortable typing.

The Actius MC22 also takes advantage of the higher transfer speeds available using the WiFi IEEE 802.11g standard, which delivers transfer rates (up to 54Mbps) that are faster than the 802.11b standard. In addition, the unit offers a 56kbps (V.90) fax modem, and 100Base-TX/10Base-T LAN for wired networking. The Actius MC22 also includes four USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, and a PCMCIA Type II card slot.

Available immediately, the Sharp Actius MC22 sells for an estimated street price of $1,399.

Availability

The Sharp Actius MC22 is available immediately through Sharp directly (http://sharp.smartermall.com), or through Sharp’s network of retail partners and reseller channels. For more information, call 800-BE-SHARP.

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