Oh boy, Monday can’t come soon enough. That’s when Intel’s expected to announce its N470 Atom CPU, according to CNET. → Read More
Acer’s announced its Aspire One 523G netbook and positions it as “the world’s first netbook with dedicated next-generation NVIDIA ION graphics acceleration,” powering a 720p resolution 10.1-inch screen and the ability to push 1080p output via HDMI. → Read More
In not-too-surprising, yet good-to-know-for-sure news, it seems that Samsung is indeed working on a netbook designed around Chrome OS. Now, what exactly that comprises I can’t tell you — my guess is they’re really just getting a cheap netbook ready to go with whatever Google announces when Chrome OS hits prime time. Or maybe they’ll use one of those neat (useless) transparent ones? → Read More
Short Version: A tiny-but-mighty universal adapter that can power most full-sized laptops. → Read More
Emerge Technologies has an intriguing universal netbook adapter on its hands with this 40-watt car and wall charger. Aside from the adapter’s tiny size, it’s got just a single retractable cord for connection to your netbook and an extra USB port for charging up a mobile device. → Read More
Behold the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook. See that trackpad there? That crater is used for scrolling up and down web pages and documents with a circular swipe of your finger. → Read More
“We don’t know how to build a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk.”
“Netbooks aren’t better at anything.”
Those two quotes are both from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The first was during an earnings call in late 2008 when Jobs fielded a question about why Apple wasn’t cutting prices amid the rising success of netbooks. The second came on Wednesday as Jobs was unveiling the iPad.
Apple has made it clear all along that they had no plans to build a netbook. And true to their word, they haven’t. But that doesn’t mean that Apple didn’t feel there was a need for a device that resided in between a full laptop and a mobile phone — in fact, that’s squarely where Apple is positioning the iPad. With it, they feel that they’ve created a $500 (for the baseline version) device that is superior to every netbook out there. → Read More
We all know by now that HPis the largest PC seller out there. Good for HP. But when you’re shopping for your next system, it helps to know how Brand A compares to Brand X. Our friends at Laptop Magazine have done just that, and put together a series showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of this brand versus that brand. Best part: regular users—like you!—are invited to give your thoughts, which will be compiled into a sort of go-to glossary. Good idea. → Read More
If you can stomach a pink netbook, the Microsoft Store is selling the Sony VAIO W for $299 when using coupon code MSStore-PC-40% – the regular price is $499, officially making this a wheel of a deal. → Read More
This model of Dell’s Inspiron 11z series packs a 1.3GHz Intel SU4100 low-voltage CPU for a little more get-up-and-go than your standard Atom chip. It’s also got 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium, and an 11.6-inch screen at 1366×768 resolution. → Read More
Short Version: It’s got an Atom CPU and it starts at $1300. That being said, Sony’s X Series is one of the coolest computers I’ve ever used. → Read More
Lenovo’s Snapdragon-based Skylight smartbook is here at CES (see previous coverage). It’s light – really light. I didn’t have too much time to actually test out anything substantial but the physical design is certainly different enough to draw some attention. I couldn’t get a more firm release date than “sometime in April” and AT&T hasn’t revealed subsidized pricing. The full price, as previously reported, will be around $500. → Read More
Oh Gateway LT3103, you bucked the netbook trend all the way into our hearts with the inclusion of the AMD Athlon 64 L110 CPU and ATI Radeon graphics. Now you are being refurbished and sold for just $270 with a six-cell battery and 2GB of RAM. → Read More
Hold on to your hats, folks! It’s a doozy. Wait… I’m being told it’s actually a minor, but significant, change to an Acer Netbook, and one we already heard about. Sorry.
Well, as long as you’re here: it seems that the popular Acer Aspire One, a perfectly decent netbook if I ever saw one, is going to be sporting the new Atom N450 processor. This is the newest Atom, and it lowers wattage while integrating graphics. So you can expect slightly better battery life and better performance, although the clock speed is still hanging out at the same old 1.66GHz. → Read More
In my humble opinion, conventional wisdom should dictate that any netbook that’s still sporting a 1024×600 resolution should be overlooked immediately. We make an exception today for Acer’s 10.1-inch 532h, which features Intel’s upcoming N450 “Pine Trail” chipset sporting a 1.66GHz Atom CPU. → Read More
If you like pink, you can save a heap on Sony’s 10.1-inch VAIO W netbook. The Microsoft Store is selling it for just $374.25 with free shipping. The same netbook is available in white for $499. → Read More
The 1.5-pound, half-inch thick Sony VAIO X Series notebook is easily one of the most impressive portable computers I’ve seen in quite some time. I can’t convey how light it is. It seems to defy logic. My brain doesn’t understand that it’s seeing my hand hold up an 11.1-inch notebook that weighs less than half of what most other notebooks its size weigh. → Read More
A handful of sites are linking to a post on NetbookNews.de, which links to a post on a UK-based site called IBTimes titled Google Chrome OS-based netbook tech specs are out. It seems fishy and the site doesn’t get a lot of traffic in the first place but if the post ends up being credible, I apologize. → Read More
Industry research and analysis firm DisplaySearchestimates notebook PC revenues to top $109 billion in 2009, down almost 7% year over year.
The company’s most recent Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report also shows a huge increase in the size of the netbook market, having grown its revenue share of the overall portable computer market to 11.7% in the third quarter of 2009.
This has increased the overall size of the portable PC market considerably, according to DisplaySearch, but not nearly enough to offset declines in revenue. → Read More
Dell’s line of Mini 10 netbooks will be getting a few boosts here and there sometime next month. For starters, you’ll be able to get one outfitted with an Atom N450 CPU at 1.66GHz. The six-cell battery option will apparently provide up to 9.5 hours of battery life as well. → Read More
