NetBooks
Latest
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t review
Who says you have to pick between a netbook and the coming onslaught of standalone tablet devices? Okay maybe some (eh hem Apple), but Lenovo's trying to have it both ways with the IdeaPad U1 and the S10-3t. In clamshell mode the S10-3t looks like any old 10-inch netbook, but swivel around its capacitive mulitouch display and it turns into that slate device you've been dreaming of. That's not all: the S10-3t is one of the first netbooks (or netveritbles) that has the new Intel 1.83GHz Atom N470 processor. But can the S10-3t straddle both worlds and do it well? And perhaps more importantly, is it worth the premium $649 price tag? That's the question we've been asking ourselves for the last few days, so hit the break for some answers in our full review.%Gallery-87678%
Gartner: iPad will "change entire PC ecosystem"
Gartner's latest forecast is projecting global PC shipments will total 366.1 million units in 2010, a 19.7 percent increase from 305.8 million units shipped in 2009, with global PC spending forecast to reach $245 billion in 2010, up 12.2 percent from 2009. These latest numbers don't only include traditional PC towers and laptops, however. Garnter believes that netbooks and tablets will comprise a significant portion of the 366 million PC expected to ship this year – and they believe the iPad will help change the entire PC ecosystem. "User requirements are clearly segmenting, and the mini-notebook proved this point," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at Gartner. "Vendors can no longer afford to just think in terms of traditional PC form factors or architectures. With the rise of Web-delivered applications, many users no longer need a traditional PC running a resident general-purpose operating system and fast x86 CPU to satisfy their computing needs. Apple's iPad is just one of many new devices coming to market that will change the entire PC ecosystem and overlap it with the mobile phone industry. This will create significantly more opportunities for PC vendors as well as significantly more threats." Netbooks aside, Gartner believes that vendors could ship up to 10.5 million traditional tablets and next-generation tablet devices worldwide in 2010 – that's roughly 2.8% of the total PC market tally. How much of that tally could be iPads? "The most likely scenario for iPad sales this year is 4.2 million units," says Gartner analyst Angela McIntyre. Most Wall Street analysts expect Apple to ship slightly more – around 5 million iPads in 2010. One thing is sure: the PC market is changing. Some people, like my mother, will only require a tablet for simple browsing and email. Gone are the days when PC technology was "one size fits all."
ASUS Eee PC 1015PE, 1015P and 1001PQ hands-on
Oh, you thought we were done with ASUS' new Eee PC models at CeBIT. That's cute. In addition to launching the aluminum 1018P and 1016P, ASUS has also quietly released the 1015PE and 1015P (or Diary series as it says on the units), which look to be joining the Seashell line with some minor design tweaks. The 1016PE's faux dark wood lid has a more professional look, and its shape reminds us somewhat of HP's Mini 5102. On the other hand, the 1015P has a white, softer-looking matte lid and an updated touchpad with integrated mouse buttons. Inside it appears they will be available with Intel's Pine Trail Atom N450 and N470 processors, and apparently the forthcoming N455 and N475 CPUs. Last but not least, ASUS also seemed to whip out the race car-inspired, kid-intended 1001PQ that has the same specs as the 1005PE we reviewed awhile back. We don't know about you, but we'd actually dig that design for ourselves. Until the next Tales from ASUS' Eee PC booth update, we leave you with the hands-on pictures below. %Gallery-87384% %Gallery-87385% %Gallery-87386%
HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition leaps off the runway and into our hands
Paging all butterfly-admiring netbook lovers! With spring upon us, HP's officially launching the Mini 210 Vivienne Tam edition that it previewed back at September's Fall Fashion Week, and, well, it sure is unique looking. We actually got to take a peek at it a few weeks ago, and while the butterfly adorned cover may only appeal to a certain sex type, the gold covered keyboard is what you'd expect kings and queens to type on. Okay so, the design wasn't really in line with our tastes, but at least we're comfortable with the internal specs which are identical to the Mini 210 we recently reviewed (sans the Broadcom Crystal HD). And apparently the Mini should sound as good as it looks -- HP's updated Vivienne's netbook with Beats by Dr. Dre audio software, which to date has only been found in the company's Envy line. Interesting move, but of course it's still very hard for us to understand why anyone would spend $600 on a netbook that's got an extremely frustrating touchpad and only a three-cell battery -- but we'd guess that it probably has to do with that whole 'beauty is pain' thing. The full press release is after the break. %Gallery-87245% %Gallery-87324%
Averatec outs light as air 10-inch netbook, can move move move any mountain
Averatec's just outed its super thin, super light, 10-inch netbook, the N1200. Available in silver or black, it's a good looking little package which weighs in at just 2.2 pounds. It boasts an Atom N450 CPU, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM which is expandable up to 2GB, plus a webcam and 802.11n Wi-Fi. You can get this bad little dude with either XP or Windows 7 Starter. The battery life is apparently about 3 hours, though you can upgrade to a better, 6 hour battery. The N1200 starts at $330. The full press release is after the break.
ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1016P quick hands-on
Come on, you had to know that one of our first stops at CeBIT was going to be the ASUS booth to see if we could get a glimpse at the leaked 10-inch Eee PC 1018P and 1016P. Though they will be officially announced at ASUS's press conference tomorrow we got some time to play around with the new aluminum netbooks, and they sure beat any of the plastic Eee PCs we've been groping for the past few years. The overall build quality feels great, and with the flush battery they are both seriously slim and light. We wish ASUS had equipped the systems with metal keyboards to match the expanded aluminum touchpads, but the plastic keys felt plenty sturdy under our fingers. As for specs, the placards claim that they will have the new Intel N470 processors (and some peculiar N455 and N475 CPU choices), 2GB of RAM and 10 hours of battery life. We're still trying to figure out the difference between the two models, but our guess is that the 1016P will have 3G, while the 1018P sticks just to WiFi. Also, no confirmation yet on that rumored USB 3.0, but until we find out more details at tomorrow's press conference we've got you covered with the hands-on pics and video below. %Gallery-86744%
HP Mini 210 HD edition review
Netbooks for all! We're convinced that's the motivational saying plastered to the wall in the HP lab where the company births Minis for everyone but your pet fish. But of all the company's Pine Trail offerings, we're most excited about the $425 Mini 210, which has a 10.1-inch HD screen and a Broadcom Crystal Accelerator chip that promises decent HD video playback, even with Flash. With an attractive new thin design, improved chiclet keyboard and that promise to handle high-def content, the Mini 210 has the potential to kick the others to the curb. Given the issues we had with the Broadcom-powered Dell Mini 10 and HP's newer touchpads, though, we had to put on the glasses and take a closer look. Join us past the break for the full review, will you? %Gallery-86317%
Fujitsu MH380 review
You know what can't be easy? Making a netbook stand out amongst the hordes of them out there, and yet despite run-of-the-mill specs Fujitsu's done just that with the MH380. Maybe it is the rounded red lid or the small crater in its palmrest that doubles as a scroll pad, but the $449 netbook has struck us as more than just another Pine Trail netbook ever since its appearance at CES. We'd like to take that at face value, but given the fact that Fujitsu doesn't have the best netbook track record, we wanted to spend some quality time with it to find out if the 10-inch mini-laptop has the battery life, performance and ergonomics we expect for its higher-than-average price. You can be sure we found out, so hit the break for our full review. %Gallery-85939%
Samsung shows off LTE-packing netbooks at MWC
Samsung's just busted out some more news from MWC, and one of the hottest items on offer are its LTE netbooks -- the first ever. Sammy's showing off the previously launched 10.1-inch N150, NB30, and N220 -- all with the same specs otherwise, but now packing the company's own, in-house designed Kalmia LTE modem chipset. There's no word yet as to when we can expect to see one of these bad boys on the market (though we certainly expect them to show up this year) -- so far, Samsung's only saying it'll deploy them "according to service schedule and market demand." You don't say? Check the full press release which is after the break (which includes each model's specs).
ASUS Eee PC 1008P (Seashell) review
What do you do if your netbooks are starting to look so last season? Well if you're ASUS, you hire a leading industrial designer like Karim Rashid to revamp it, of course. The Eee PC 1008P's snazzy new design and removable battery certainly caught our eye at CES, but now so is its $499 pricetag. Positioned as a designer netbook, the 1008P is a mixed bag of specs -- it has got the now-typical Intel Atom N450 processor, boasts 2GB of RAM and larger 320GB hard drive, as well as a disappointingly small three-cell battery. So, are the 1008P's slimmer body and eye-catching design enough to make you shell out $100 more than the typical netbook? And how does the the smaller capacity battery compare to the $380 Eee PC 1005PE's that lasts for eight hours on a charge? Follow on past the break for some answers. %Gallery-84682%
MSI Wind modded with sliding keyboard and touchscreen
The original MSI Wind is so two years ago, but an Insanely Wind forum member with the handle of ac0ff33 figured out a way to make it so two years from now. Taking a cue from slider phones, the modder has managed to flip the Wind's 10.1-inch display around, fit it on top of the keyboard, and add a resistive touchscreen. He appears to still be working on getting it to slide up to reveal the keys, but from the comments in the forum he's got a pretty solid plan to make it all happen. And if all that isn't good enough, he's also added a plastic power button next to the screen, along with a key for choosing either Win 7 or OSX when booting. We're looking forward to seeing how this project comes along, but in the meantime check out the two videos below of the touchscreen performance in both Win 7 and OSX.
ARM CEO says netbooks could eventually grab 90 percent of PC market
Think netbooks are on their way out? Not according to ARM CEO Warren East, who said in a recent interview with PC Pro that while netbooks now only represent 10% or so of the PC market, he believes that "over the next several years that could completely change around and that could be 90% of the PC market." Obviously, he also thinks that would be a huge boon to ARM, and notes that while the main CPU in most netbooks may not be an ARM processor, there are probably at least two or three ARM chips of some sort in each netbook sold. In fairness, we assume that East means netbooks will evolve significantly from their present state over those next several years -- but, still, ninety percent? Update: In the company's earnings call preceding the interview, Warren East also dropped a few tidbits about ARM's roadmap, noting that, "Cortex-A9 will comfortably run at those sorts of frequencies (1GHz) and, indeed, with physical IP optimization, we demonstrated can scale up to 2 gigahertz today." East further added that the "other Cortex-A9 has a lot more headroom to go, it's a multi-processor design, so you can have quad-core -- or up to quad-core implementation."
MSI Wind U135 should be available for as low as $310
You better watch it, Acer -- it looks like MSI is getting real close to undercutting your $299 Aspire One 532h netbook with its $309.99 Pine Trail-powered Wind U135. Taiwanese manufacturer disputes aside, not much has changed with the Wind U135 since we brought you our impressions, but we remind you that $305 buys you a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, an 160GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. If you need a bit more storage, you can shell out an extra 20 bucks for the 250GB version. And the cheap netbook race continues... Check the full PR after the break.
Dell Mini 10 with Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator review
Michael Dell may not be a fan of netbooks, but you wouldn't know that from the newest Mini 10. Joining the current Mini 10v, Dell's completely overhauled the chassis and added Intel's new Pine Trail processor. But that's not all: come February the little laptop will be available with Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator, which promises full HD playback on a high-res 1366 x 768 display. But does the $425 package rid us of our tireless complaints that Atom can't handle HD, and does it rival netbooks based on NVIDIA's Ion platform? And perhaps more importantly, can we count on the Mini 10 to be a valuable member of the growing Pine Trail netbook fraternity when it comes to battery life and ergonomics? Read on to find out! Editor's Note: This review has been updated since Flash 10.1 Beta 3 was released. %Gallery-83721%
ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013?
We suppose industry analysts must be paid on account of just how grand their prognostications are. ABI Research know-it-alls have come out with their own spectacular claim today by asserting their expectation that x86 processors -- still dominant the world over -- will be swept aside in the rapidly developing "ultra-mobile device" space by the ascension of ARM-based processing architectures. That the Cortex CPUs have grown in popularity (and power) is undeniable, but who realistically expects Intel to sit back and watch all this happen? The x86 patriarch has even gone and created an Atom SDK, so we hardly expect the forecast table above to become reality. We're just happy to see that ARM's lower power profile is attracting investment -- it's always good to see a threat to Santa Clara's chokehold on the CPU market, and AMD's sleepwalking through the past few months hasn't helped things. Now if only those Tegra 2 smartbooks were on retail shelves instead of inside prototype shells, we could get started on this supposed revolution.
ASUS Eee PC 1005PEG includes WiMAX for those lucky enough to live near a signal
Apparently we weren't the only one's enjoying some Clear speeds down in Vegas, the 10.1-inch ASUS Eee PC 1005PEG was riding the 4G waves too. Other than its WiMAX support, the Eee PC 1005PEG has the same specs as the recently-reviewed 1005PE, including a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. If the 10005PEG can manage the same 8-hours of video playback as the 1005PE we'll welcome the WiMAX-enabled lappie with open arms to the growing family of Pine Trail netbooks.
Toshiba Mini NB305 review
If there's been a Renaissance man in the world of first-gen netbooks it'd be the Toshiba Mini NB205. Its long battery life, comfortable keyboard and attractive and sturdy build distinguished it from the others, even when it made a late entrance to the little laptop market last year. Like most manufacturers, Tosh has gone and refreshed its knockout netbook with Intel's Atom Pine Trail platform and slightly altered the design. But has the competition caught up to the $399 Mini NB305? Or does the Mini NB305 still hold a place in our hearts as the most versatile netbook out there? Find out after the break in our full review. %Gallery-83205%
FIC outs Pineview-boasting SVE00 netbook
FIC's just launched its new Pinetrail netbook, the FIC SVE600. This little guy (which measures 10.1-inches) isn't exactly ground-breaking, but that Atom N450 is still new enough to spark a little interest, right? The SVE600 boasts the aforementioned 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a choice of an either up to 500GB HDD or an up to 32GB SSD, plus WiFi, BGN, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth WiMax, and HSDPA. You'll also get your choice of either Windows 7 or Linux OSs. There's no word on pricing yet, but we'll let you know when we do. There's another beauty shot after the break.
Acer Aspire One 532h review
Acer's maintained a steady lead in the race to sell as many netbooks as possible in the past year. That's largely because the Taiwanese manufacturer figured out early that basic netbooks at lower prices would fly off shelves. And the new Aspire One 532h doesn't mess with that formula: the 10.1-inch netbook packs a new Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows 7 Starter, 160GB hard drive and a six-cell battery all for $299. Yeah, we said $299. But at $100 less than most of the competition, how does the 532h compare in quality? What sacrifices, if any, are made for the lower price? We spent some time with the little guy, so hit the break for the full review of one of the cheapest Windows 7 netbooks around. %Gallery-83040%
Samsung's new netbook line goes hands-on, Moblin makes a cameo
We don't know what it is, but there's just something a bit too "netbook" about Samsung's netbooks. We took a look at the new N210, NB30 and N150 models that Samsung is showing here at CES, and while there's nothing precisely wrong with any of them, they just felt a little uninspired. Like almost everybody these days, Samsung has moved to chiclet keys, which would be alright if they were as quality as previous generations of Sammy's netbook keyboards, but they just felt a little plastic and shallow. At least the NB30 has an excuse, with its water-resistant keyboard tray, and to the lineup's credit, there was very little flex to any of the keyboards -- a common netbook problem. The durable, ridged plastic that encases the NB30 is also pretty nice, but nothing to make our heart aflutter. We spied the NB150 sporting a rather unique pink shell and accents, but apparently the final model will come in a rather more tame black. Interestingly, the most inspired netbook in Samsung's lineup was the N127 (pictured), which they aren't even planning on bringing to market (yet). The unit runs Moblin at a lightning fast pace, has the old school "good" Samsung keyboard, and if it came to retail would likely undercut its Windows brethren by a nice margin. We're not sure if Moblin is ready for the mass market, and obviously Samsung isn't either, but it would be a fun experiment from our perspective. After all, if you're going to bother building three formulaic netbooks, what's the harm in cutting a little loose on the fourth? %Gallery-82502%
