New NEC portable promises 14+ hours battery life

NEC today stepped up its claims of long-term performance with a new variant on the VersaPro UltraLite Type VC. The VY10A C-4 version of the 12-inch notebook achieves an almost unheard-of 14.5 hours of battery life in the right situations; a combination of an ultra-low voltage 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, a good battery, and a power saving mode are responsible for the feat, NEC says. A system can also weigh as little as 958 grams (2.1 pounds) and is just over one inch thick while still sporting a semi-rugged outer casing.

In keeping with most ultraportables, the C-4 omits a built-in optical drive but can use a USB external reader and is ready to use with 1GB of memory and a 40GB 1.8-inch hard disk with double the usual impact absorption. In Japanese form, the notebook can either use a Japan-specific FeliCa reader for shopping and other smart card uses, or else use a world-friendly fingerprint reader for security. NEC sells the computer in Japan for an unlisted price; a US release was unspecified, although NEC has offered its VersaPro line in the West. [via Akihabara]