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Microsoft, Intel and DTK launch 'DTK eBook i10'

DUBAI - Microsoft Gulf, Intel and DTK Computer on Tuesday unveiled a new ultra-portable computer intended mainly for students, professionals-on-the-move and internet users mostly for social networking.

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The general manager of Intel Gulf, Samir Schamma, said the sales for the launched product, DTK eBook i10, would grow 10 times faster than the other notebooks because it is small, light and cheap.

He added that 20-25 per cent of internet traffic is due to online social networking done through Friendster and Facebook.

Priced at Dh1,836.58 ($500), the new portable computer is available at select retail outlets across the Middle East and, according to Nimer Attal, the managing director of DTK Computer Middle East.

He said about 50,000 units of DTK eBook i10, dubbed as a low-cost Netbook, will be produced annually for the Middle East region.

The Netbook allows users to connect to the internet, send and receive emails, do online chats and download music, photos and videos. It has a system memory of 1GB that can be upgraded to 2GB, and weighs 1.2 kilos including the battery, which has a three-hour battery life.

This is great for students and those who are looking for a cheap mobile computing device while on-the-go or as a secondary computer to their PC's at home, Attal said.

Charbel Fakhoury, the general manager of Microsoft Gulf, stressed the new product really comes handy for students saying wi-fi internet services are available in schools and some school buses.

Schamma said the Middle East leads the other regions worldwide in terms of electronic mobility through the use of mobile phones and notebook computers.

Nimer stressed that cheap laptops may not be very popular in the UAE, which has strong economic growth, but will surely be a hit in other Arab countries such as Egypt.

jose@khaleejtimes.com