December 5th, 2011

Asus: Netbooks Outsold Tablets Nearly 3 To 1 In 2011, Big Things In Store For 2012

ASUSTek-company-building

Netbooks are still big business for Asustek. So much so that the hotness from 2009 outsold Asus tablets in 2011. Per numbers released at the company’s global sales meeting (and relayed by Digitimes), Asustek expects to ship 4.8 netbooks by the end of 2011 but only 1.8 million tablets. But that’s expected to change in 2012. The roles will be reversed and Asus sees big things for next year. → Read More

June 20th, 2011

Finally, A Solar Powered Netbook Comes To The US

It seems like when I’m outside the US, all I see is solar-powered netbooks. Solar powered netbooks here, solar powered netbooks there. Cafes brimming with them, streets littered with them, babies babbling into their solar powered netbooks issued at birth. Okay, maybe not. But this one from Samsung, which has no special specs except for the solar panel on the back, was originally not coming to the US. And now it is. For $399. July 3rd. Word to your solar powered mother. [via Laptop] → Read More

May 11th, 2011

ViewSonic President: Tablets Are Replacing Netbooks. Us: Duh.


Alan Chang, president of the up-and-coming ViewSonic, recently state that he expects tablets to replace 70% of the entrenched netbook market, a move that makes perfect sense. Netbooks were a strange mistake in the long timeline of computing equipment and the formerly niche tablets are about to push netbooks into the shadows. → Read More

April 28th, 2011

Why Can't Anyone Make A Popular Tablet?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the popularity of tablets and the problems manufacturers face coming up against the iPad. The devices that we see here at CG are all pretty amazing – even the Playbook was a cool, if flawed, device – but no one device seems to be able to grab any traction. In looking back, I see echoes of the netbook craze of the oughts, and the parallels with this “fad” (along with the distinct differences) are very telling. → Read More

April 18th, 2011

Triple-Booting Maestro S Tablet/Netbook Includes Keyboard, Case, Kitchen Sink

Although the trend here in the US is towards a streamlined, single-input (i.e. finger) tablets like the iPad and Xoom, intricacy and versatility are the word over in Beijing right now, where dual- or triple-boot devices like this Maestro S are (they hope) all the rage. → Read More

April 3rd, 2011

Hercules Makes A Couple Pint-Sized eCafe Netbooks Available

Although the netbook craze has pretty much passed over, it’s easy to remember why they were so popular for a while. Look at these little Hercules eCafe guys: they’ve got a unique design, 10.1-inch screen, 13-hour battery life, they weigh about 2.4 pounds and are just over an inch thick. At $250 plus or minus a twenty, who wouldn’t want one?

Well… → Read More

March 25th, 2011

Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Is It A Tablet, A Netbook? Both?

Asus has made its Eee Pad Transformer official. Never heard of the device? It’s been floating around for a few months now, including making a secretive appearance back at CES in January. To quickly describe it, it’s part tablet, part netbook. And here I thought tablets had replaced netbooks. → Read More

March 16th, 2011

Rumor: Asus To Launch $200 Chrome Netbook

The netbook market has more or less dried up; the little things might still be useful for light computing, but they’ve been clobbered by tablets as the go-to device for quick email and web browsing. Could it be that they’re just not cheap enough? Asustek might be looking to fix that. → Read More

February 15th, 2011

LifeTouch Note: NEC Rolls Out Android Netbook

First a LifeTouch-branded Android tablet, now a netbook: NEC took the wraps off the so-called LifeTouch Note [JP] today, a netbook with Android 2.2 and a 7-inch LCD touchscreen on board. → Read More

November 10th, 2010

Sony Vaio Y Series Netbook Drops To 11.6 Inches

Netbooks… they still make those? I thought tablets killed ‘em a little while back. Meh, whatever. Sony has another one due out before the holidays, only it’ll be released in Japan before it’s released elsewhere. The Vaio Y series, which actually debuted at the beginning of the year at 13.3 inches, will now live life as a happy, productive 11.6 incher. (Though the old 13.3 incher should still be available.) → Read More

October 4th, 2010

Acer Aspire One Netbooks Now Available With Dual-Core CPUs, Longer Battery Lifes

Acer clearly didn’t get the memo that netbooks are dead. The latest update to the Aspire One line brings modest updates. Perhaps they know something we don’t. → Read More

September 28th, 2010

Let'snote J9: Panasonic's 10.1-Inch Notebook Has An 128GB SSD On Board

Following Sony, Panasonic also showed [JP] some new computer hardware today, namely the so-called Let’snote J9. It’s essentially a mini notebook with a 10.1-inch screen that runs on Windows 7 Home Premium and has a modular 128GB SSD on board. Another selling point is the Core i5-460M (2.53GHz) CPU that powers the device. → Read More

September 17th, 2010

Netbook Sales Are Crashing! Quick! Blame The iPad, Not The Lousy Netbooks!

Well what do you know? Netbook growth is so low right now that in a recent report by NPD, Morgan Stanley Research lists last months growth as a negative number. That’s right, people are apparently selling the notebooks back or something. (not really, but no one is buying netbooks right now)

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty’s report is intended to show the state of the netbook market and since the iPad was announced, netbooks declined steadily. She states that the iPad is partly responsible to the loss sales. August saw a 4% decline over last year’s numbers and apparently September will produce similar numbers. If the back to school spending spree can’t save netbooks, nothing can. Not even Santa. → Read More

September 9th, 2010

Qualcomm CEO: "Netbooks are dead." Me: "Duh."

How sweet it is to have your madness vindicated. The niche that netbooks once controlled – namely the “cheap portable computer” market – is now being filled with tablets and netbooks, those horrible, horrible little computers, are dying. And this isn’t just me ranting. A real CEO said it! → Read More

July 9th, 2010

Onkyo presents super-cute Miffy netbook

Here’s your chance in case you want to surprise your daughter or little sister with a geeky present: Onkyo in Japan has announced [JP, PDF] a super-cute, kid-friendly, and Miffy-themed netbook today. It’s not only the hardware itself that’s covered with Miffy designs, but Onkyo (in cooperation with Bandai Namco) is shipping it with Miffy-powered software as well. → Read More

July 8th, 2010

Flood of netbook models to ebb as Asus and Acer clear out inventory

If you were waiting on buying a netbook because they keep putting out new ones with slightly tweaked specs, now might be a good time to buy. Acer and Asus, the two big netbook and ultraportable PC makers, are taking a breather as they evaluate new hardware options and try to sell all the netbooks stacked up in warehouses throughout the country. → Read More

June 21st, 2010

Video: Toshiba's AC100 Tegra netbook runs on Android 2.1

Hot on the heels of the W100 dual touchscreen tablet, Toshiba also unveiled the AC100 today, a 10.1-inch netbook that runs on Android 2.1. One of the big selling points of the AC100, which is the company’s first Android machine, is that it can remain in standby mode for up to seven days (the eight hours of battery life aren’t too shabby either). → Read More

June 21st, 2010

Libretto W100: Toshiba shows double touchscreen tablet (video)

What’s better than a tablet with one touchscreen? A tablet with two touchscreens. That’s at least what Toshiba must have thought when they cooked up the Libretto W100 with its dual 7-inch multi-touch displays (1,024×600 resolution and LED backlighting for both). There’s no physical keyboard, but you’ll get a virtual one with haptic response. → Read More

May 28th, 2010

Acer Aspire One line now comes in AMD and Intel flavors

Not that it makes that much difference when you’re limiting your tasks to email, browsing, and flash games, but it’s nice to be able to pick between AMD and Intel. The Acer Aspire One 521 is a nice little AMD-based netbook, and now it’s joined by an Intel-based twin — or near-twin. The Aspire One 533 sports a little more chrome, but beyond that it’s the same old mid-range netbook you may know and love. → Read More

May 25th, 2010

This Sony Vaio P takes the style to another level

Maybe the standard Sony Vaio P is a bit pedestrian for your taste. It’s just not enough, right? Well then. How about one covered with crocodile skin? It’s supposed to be a digital clutch anyway. → Read More

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