Items tagged with Netbook
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer tablet is one of the more interesting Android tablets on the market in that it has a keyboard docking station that essentially allows it to convert to an Android 3.0 Honeycomb-based netbook on the fly. Add to that a powerful dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and a reasonable MSRP of $399 (just the tablet, 16GB version) and the Transformer looks to be one of the best options currently in Honeycomb tablets, for WiFi only solutions. The Transformer has dual front and rear facing cameras (1.2MP and 5MP respectively), 1GB of on board memory, mini-HDMI output, a microSD card slot and a head phone/mic combo jack. Drop it into it's $150 keyboard dock and...
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What began as a trickle -- as AMD finally introduced a shipping version of the long-awaited Fusion platform -- has turned into a steady stream, and we're definitely excited to see APUs, as AMD calls the product, finally making an impact. AMD had played up the idea of an Accelerated Processing Unit for years, and now, it's clearly a reality. Lenovo's ThinkPad X120e, which we reviewed a few months ago, instantly became one of our favorite ultraportables, and now HP has what appears to be a rival machine, of sorts. The HP Pavilion dm1z is an 11.6" machine, that is a touch larger than the myriad 10" netbooks already on the market, and honestly, we're struggling with what to classify this machine...
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At this point, there's no shame in saying it: the floodgates have opened up for AMD's Fusion. What began as a trickle -- as AMD finally introduced a shipping version of the long-awaited Fusion platform -- has turned into a steady stream, and we're definitely excited to see APUs, as AMD calls the product, finally making an impact. AMD had played up the idea of an Accelerated Processing Unit for years, and now, it's clearly a reality. Lenovo's ThinkPad X120e, which we reviewed a few months ago, instantly became one of our favorite ultraportables, and now HP has what appears to be a rival machine, of sorts. The Pavilion dm1z is an 11.6" machine, that is a touch larger than the myriad 10" netbooks...
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Tablets and eBook readers and smartphones, oh my! Is there any room left for netbooks, the forgotten hero of yesteryear? Of course there is, and to prove it, Acer is coming out with a new netbook that wanders off the beaten path in more ways than one. For starters, you won't find an Intel Atom processor inside Acer's upcoming Aspire One 722. Acer instead turned to AMD's dual-core Ontario C-50 APU clocked at 1GHz per core with integrated Radeon 6250 graphics. Secondly, the 722 teeters on the edge between a netbook and ultraportable with a somewhat non-standard 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution. If you've found 10.1-inch netbooks to be slightly too small, this could be the in-between...
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Networking solutions are a dime-a-dozen these days, but Amped Wireless has a new solution that's actually far more useful and practical than most. The company's new A/V Net Connect is a home Wi-Fi network bridge for audio and video devices, enabling network connectivity for things like Blu-ray players, game consoles and TVs. The AV3000, as it's known, basically eliminates the need to run long, unsightly Ethernet cords to each and every component in your house that needs an Internet connection. Game consoles and other set-top boxes around the TV come to mind; they need to be online, but it's rare to find an Ethernet port near your TV. This particular box uses five Ethernet ports, so that up to...
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It's been quite some time since hearing of Hercules, but the company's back in a major way this week. They're announcing their latest generation of netbooks, with these guys being in the eCAFE series. Hercules is getting ready to ship two new 10.1" eCAFE models, the Slim HD and EX HD. The former is the slimmest and lightest in the category, while the latter offers world-class battery life. The Slim HD model offers a 10.1" screen and all the essential connectors (3 USB ports, an Ethernet port, headphone and microphone connectors and a card reader), but weighs in at just 1.9 lbs. and measures only .8” thick. The EX HD model features 13 hours of battery life in real use conditions (according...
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The world's getting more and more crowded when it comes to tablets, but one sector that's still lacking is that containing Windows 7 tablets. Microsoft's desktop OS just hasn't integrated well into the tablet side, and many non-Apple companies are siding with Android, particularly Honeycomb, which scales to tablets in a far superior way. But that doesn't mean it's a dead market. Netbook Navigator has just produced their newest device, and sure enough, it's a Win7-based slate PC. The NAV7 Slate PC is powered by Windows 7, and ships with a 1.6GHz Intel CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 1.8" SSD (up to 64GB), two USB ports, a front-side webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an optional embedded 3G broadband module and a chassis...
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This one is definitely considered a rumor for now, but the rumors are starting to align themselves in a way that makes it all so much easier to believe. Asus has already been pegged as one of the first laptop makers that'll be shipping Chrome OS netbooks, and now Digitimes is reporting that we could see that notebook as soon as June. Google recently halted the shipments of their CR-48 Chrome OS netbook, saying that the trial period had reached its conclusion and it was time to start thinking about laptop companies who could ship them en masse. The netbook is reportedly on track to sell for just $200 to $250, with Intel inside and one of two operating systems: Android 3.0 or Chrome OS. It's set...
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It's bittersweet, this ending. Google Product Management vice president Sundar Pichai has just confirmed via Twitter that the last CR-48 netbook has shipped out for now, and we have our doubts on the production line restarting. The CR-48 was always a strange launch. Google never "sold" them. You had to apply for one and get lucky enough to have one shipped to you for beta testing. It was clear from the start that the CR-48 was meant to be a beta machine, intended to give Google an idea of how Chrome OS would fare in the real world. It seems that the testing is complete, and Google seems to have gathered quite a bit of information. The good news here is that this end likely signals another beginning....
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Are we seeing the next big (or even small) trend in mobile technology? Motorola recently shook up the space with their Atrix 4G, an AT&T smartphone that did something that no other smartphone had done before. Rather than shipping by its lonesome, the Atrix 4G shipped with an optional docking station, which is really a brain-less netbook shell. Pop the Atrix 4G into the dock slot, and suddenly you've got an Android-powered computer. What's funny is that this is history repeating itself all over again, but the timing may be better now. Palm's Foleo was similar to this, and it was spiked before ever coming to market. Celio's REDFLY was also similar, but sales were evidently lackluster. But now,...
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Swirling around inside MSI's newest Wind U270 notebook is AMD's "Zacate" E-350 dual-core processor. Zacate is the codename, of course, the E-350 being AMD's first fully integrated CPU-GPU combination, otherwise known as an APU, or Accelerated Processing Unit. And if you're stockpiling buzzwords, go ahead and add "Fusion" to the mix, which is AMD's marketing moniker for these parts. So we know the Wind U270 sports an E-350 processor inside, but what else is it packing? Take a look: 12.1-inch HD (1366x768) LED backlit display AMD Radeon HD 6310 discrete graphics 250/320GB hard drive 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0 4-in-1 media card reader Stereo speakers 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, Gigabit...
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You didn't go and believe all the doomsayers who said that tablets would kill off the netbook market, did you? Good, because if you did, you'd miss out on MSI's new U160XM, the company's newest addition to its Wind netbook line, which MSI describes as "gorgeous, slender, and light." It's also well equipped (for a netbook), boasting an Intel Atom N455 processor and support for up to 2GB of DDR3 memory. The Wind U160XM can be configured with either a 250GB or 320GB hard drive. Features that come standard include Intel GMA 3150 graphics, three USB 2.0 ports, 2-in-1 memory card reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, 0.3MP webcam, 3-cell battery, and Windows 7 Starter. MSI's usual assortment...
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The Dell Inspiron Duo is an impressive sight. It's not often that we're this enamored by a device's physical design, but the Dell Inspiron Duo simply does it for us. The machine is a feat of engineering, and it really redefines the convertible laptop segment. This 10.1" machine is part netbook, part tablet, but unlike many rivals, it doesn't compromise much in terms or portability and form factor to be both. When you open up the package, it looks like a Mini 10 or any other 10" netbook. But once the lid is open, a simple press on the LCD allows it to swivel around and lock into place, in reverse. Close the lid back down atop the keyboard, and you're now looking at a tablet... Dell Inspiron Duo...
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The Dell Inspiron Duo is an impressive sight. It's not often that we're this enamored by a device's physical design, but the Dell Inspiron Duo simply does it for us. The machine is a feat of engineering, and it really redefines the convertible laptop segment. This 10.1" machine is part netbook, part tablet, but unlike many rivals, it doesn't compromise much in terms or portability and form factor to be both. When you open up the package, it looks like a Mini 10 or any other 10" netbook. But once the lid is open, a simple press on the LCD allows it to swivel around and lock into place, in reverse. Close the lid back down atop the keyboard, and you're now looking at a tablet....
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There's no question about it, people have been wondering what Microsoft's response to the iPad would be. Early on, the company seemed pretty content with just putting Windows 7 onto tablet form factors and rolling with it. But is that really enough? Windows 7 is a desktop OS, and it was never made specifically with tablets in mind. To date, very few Win7 tablets have shipped, and those that have aren't exactly selling through the roof. At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International, told Reuters the following: "Devices are going to come and go." That statement was in reference to the question of netbooks reaching their peak,...
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We were already expecting that HP is going to release new tablet PCs and smartphones carrying the Palm's webOS platform, and now we have confirmation that it will also produce webOS netbooks, as well. The information comes via an HP carrier training website. The training video on the site, which anyone can sign up for despite its focus on carrier training (by filling in some fields with faux information) speaks of a friendly little product family consisting of tablet, smartphone, and netbook, all running the same platform and "speaking" to each other. The video says: That's hot. Love it. Why can't I do all that stuff on my PC? Maybe you will. That's the big idea. If I could run webOS on my phone...
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Call if a Fusion frenzy if you want (just don't confuse it with the launch title for the Xbox), because Acer's new Aspire One 522 is equipped with an AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). As a result, Acer says the Aspire One 522 is "ready for a next generation user experience and amazing HD Internet multimedia performance." Sounds groovy, and so does the overall spec sheet. The Aspire One 522 boasts AMD Radeon HD 6250 graphics, which Acer claims will have no trouble slicing and dicing HD video with the latest graphics goodies, like DirectX 11, 1080p video output (via HDMI), and real-time image processing with auto color and contrast adjustment, and edge sharpening. Other features include...
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One of the common concerns among users of AMD’s previous-generation mobile platforms is that they tend to run relatively hot in comparison to many of Intel’s offerings. And we’re not necessarily talking just about chip temperatures either, but rather the heat that radiated out to the notebook’s or netbook’s keyboard and chassis that could be felt by end users on their laps, hands, etc. Throughout the design phase of their next-gen Fusion-based mobile platforms, though, AMD was very mindful of power consumption—and hence thermal output—and at CES they are running an interesting demo that shows just how cool a trio of Brazos-based notebooks and netbooks...
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It took Google right around a full year, but this week, a dream was realized. Google made some pretty big promises last year when talking about a new operating system: Chrome OS. It takes a lot of nerve to willingly tackle both Apple and Microsoft in the OS realm, but Google is definitely big enough to take a swing. After announcing that Chrome OS would at first be limited to specific notebook hardware and would rely heavily on the cloud and remote access, the company didn't say much. A year passed, and we still knew about as much on Chrome OS as we did on the first day. This week, the CR-48 was born. This is Google's first Chrome OS notebook, and it's being shipped by Google themselves. There's...
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As expected, Google on Tuesday showed off the Chrome Web Store, as well as introducing an "always connected" limited edition Google branded netbook. The Web Store was announced in May at Google I/O. Since Chrome OS is built on the Chrome browser, it made sense for Google to start with an overview of Chrome, the browser. Google announced Crankshaft, which will speed up the Chrome Javascript engine, by as much as 2x, the company said. Speed is one of the main reasons folks are switching to Chrome, so this will only help. Also, Google said Chrome will add browser syncing, including themes and bookmarks (without extensions). The Chrome Web Store reminds us a lot of iTunes. Nothing wrong with that,...
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We've said it before and we'll say it again -- the netbook market isn't going anywhere, tablet PCs be damned. In fact, the netbook sector grew by two models today, courtesy of Toshiba, which just released the Mini NB500 and NB520. The more exciting of the bunch is the NB520, which features "the world's smallest Harman/Kardon speakers on a laptop embedded in a slim an stylish casing," according to Toshiba. It's pretty rare for us to get excited over notebook audio, particularly in netbooks, so any time a company hits up a company like Harman/Kardon to handle audio chores, we're all for it. Other specs include an Intel Atom N550 processor, up to 2GB of DDR3 memory, up to a 250GB hard drive, 10.1-inch...
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The ultraportable market gets more interesting by the day. For years, 11.6" machines were very, very expensive, mostly because it was costly to squeeze components into a shell so small. But then netbooks were introduced. Recently, some 11.6" netbooks have creeped up into a higher range category, with prices hovering between $500 and $600. Not exactly a bargain netbook, but these machines are usually plenty capable for most common users. Now, Gateway is looking to revive the high-end 11.6" machine with the EC19C-A52C/S laptop. It's a sleek new ultraportable that pulls no punches, and it's not afraid of charging a lot despite a wealth of netbook options being available as well. There's a 1.33GHz...
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