Aspire One D250 Lauched
Acer is certainly going places with its One netbook line. The D250 product is designed for folks who are looking for an ultra thin netbook that is not only portable but also capable. Aspire One D250 comes with Atom N280 and is super thin. The device only weighs 2.4 lbs. It would have been nice to see wireless N supported on this device, but I guess wireless G will do at this point. Overall, if you are looking for a portable laptop that is cheap and has a large enough screen (10.1 inches), D250 is something to look forward to.
Here are the specs for D250:
Operating System
* Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
Platform
* Intel® Atom™ processor N270/N280 (1.60/1.68 GHz, 533/667 MHz FSB, 512 KB L2 cache)
* Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chipset (DDR2 400/533/667 MHz)
* Mobile Intel® 82801GBM Chipset
System memory
* Single channel with one soDIMM slot
* DDR2 533/667 MHz SDRAM memory interface design
* soDIMM slot: Supports 512 MB / 1 GB / 2 GB soDIMMs for total system memory of up to 2 GB
Display
* 10.1″ SD 1024 x 600 (WSVGA) pixel resolution, high-brightness (200-nit) Acer CrystalBrite™ LED-backlit TFT LCD
Storage
* 2.5″ 9.5 mm 160 GB hard disk drive
* Multi-in-1 card reader
Audio
* High-definition audio support
* Two built-in stereo speakers
* MS-Sound compatible
* Built-in digital microphone
Communication
* Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam, supporting 0.3 megapixel resolution
* WLAN: Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
* LAN: 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
* WPAN: Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
(manufacturing option)
* WWAN: UMTS/HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) at 850/1900/2100 MHz and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), upgradeable to 7.2 Mb/s HSDPA and 2 Mb/s HSUPA (for 3G models)
Supports receiver diversity and equalizes at 2100 MHz
(manufacturing option)
Dimensions and weight
* 258.5 (W) x 184 (D) x 25.4 (H) mm (10.17 x 7.24 x 1 inches)
* 1.11 kg (2.44 lbs.) for SKUs with 3-cell battery pack
* 1.27 kg (2.79 lbs.) for SKUs with 6-cell battery pack
Color choices
* Sapphire Blue
* Seashell White
* Diamond Black
* Ruby Red
Power
* 30 W adapter with power cord
* Product Safety Electric Appliance and Materials (PSE) certified for battery pack
* 24.4 W 2200 mAh 3-cell Li-ion battery pack
• up to 3.15-hour battery life
* 48.8 W 4400 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack
• up to 6-hour battery life
* 57.7 W 5200 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack
• up to 7.5-hour battery life
Special keys and controls
* 84-/85-/88-key keyboard, 89% of standard-size keyboard, , 1.6 mm (minimum) key travel
* Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device with two buttons, supporting:
• Circular-motion scrolling
• Pinch-action zoom
• Page flip
* 12 function keys, four cursor keys, one Windows® key for Windows® XP Home, hotkey controls, embedded numeric keypad, international language support
* Power button with LED
* Easy-access WLAN/WWAN* switch with LED
(* manufacturing option)
* Easy-launch Bluetooth® key
(manufacturing option)
I/O ports
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* External display (VGA) port
* Headphone/speaker/line-out jack
* Microphone-in jack
* Ethernet (RJ-45) port
* DC-in jack for AC adapter
Asus Strikes Out with Eee PC 1004DN
Credit Flickr
When do you realize someone is going for the fences? When you see them do something completely illogical. That’s exactly what can be said about Asus’ Eee PC 1004DN. Asus has some of the best netbooks on the market, but it’s latest “premium” netbook is anything but a netbook. Eee PC 1004DN comes with a DVD drive and weighs about 4 pounds, and like those shiny HP laptops it comes with a fingerprint reader.
It is great that Asus is trying to bring DVD to its netbooks, but I am not sure this is the way to do it. A netbook is a super portable device that is designed to be simple, yet powerful. The goal is to create and consume data on the Internet. While there will be demand for 1004DN, DVD is the past and adding it to netbooks is a move in the wrong direction. You can always use the name “netbook” to sell more laptops but stop pretending that you are reaching out to the netbook fans. Thankfully, Asus still has some of the best netbooks on the market. But let’s hope their experiments stays just that..
Netbook Plans On The Way
If you have bought a cell phone in the past few years, there is a good chance you have taken advantage of those carrier discount to save money on your phone. The fact that you can buy an iPhone for $200 is due to AT&T providing you the discount to lock you in for 2 years. Without the contract, you have to pay $500 or more for these shiny phones. Well, guess what? You may get those discounts on your netbook soon. AT&T and Verizon are in the process of forming partnerships to introduce subsidized netbooks in the near future.
AT&T is already selling netbooks for as low as $99 with a 2 year contract. Verizon will be soon joining them with its own netbooks. Getting Internet on your netbook is a must. After all, why buy a netbook if you don’t plan to use the Internet on it. But paying for a 2 year contract that can cost you an extra couple of thousands over 2 years may not seem too attractive to budget-wary netbook owners.
Wireless carriers are out there to make a profit, and the netbook market gives them another chance to make a profit in the hottest market in the computer industry. The problem is, prices need to come down even more to make the whole deal attractive to more people. While I don’t argue the need for a wireless plan for netbooks, making people to commit to an expensive wireless contract may not be the right way to go.
Your take: would you commit to a wireless plan for 2 years to get a small discount on your next netbook?
HP 2140 Mini-Note Review
HP has been in the computer business for years now. Throughout these years, it has built a global brand with innovative laptop lines under Compaq and HP brand. HP’s latest target? The netbook market. HP 2140 Mini Note is a netbook that is designed to bring the HP design to the netbook world. Like most netbook these days, the device comes with an Atom N270 CPU (clocked at 1.6 Ghz). You also get 2 GB of Ram and a 160 GB HDD which should be plenty enough for most folks on the go.
Unlike most netbooks, HP 2140 comes with Windows Vista. In addition, you get a wireless N adapter that allows you to enjoy faster wireless speeds. And who wouldn’t like the web cam and the adequate 10.1″ screen.
HP 2140 Mini-Note weighs only 2.6 lbs, which is pretty portable. The design is sleek, and you can easily take this netbook with you on your travels. The keyboard is one of the best I have seen. Hp Drive Guide 3d technology is truly a life saver if you happen to drop your netbook.
I still would like to see a better screen resolution on this device. The battery lasted for about 3 hours for me, which is to be expected from a 3-cell battery. But the 6-cell batteries are not that portable, so you’ve got a dilemma on your hand.
Verdict: B+. HP Mini-Note is a decent solution for folks who are looking for a fully-functional laptop. The screen is big enough to get the job done without hurting your eyes. The design is impressive and doesn’t look cheap at all. And the keyboard is out of this world. Overall, if you are looking for an all-in-one portable solution, HP Mini Note is worth considering.
Android Coming To Netbooks?
Google Android has generated a lot of buzz in the mobile industry. The G1 phones are not only attractive but are run by Google’s mobile OS. They may not be as hot as the iPhone, but Android is still very much in demand. After entering the mobile market, many analysts are now excited about the possibility of Google entering the netbook market. The Linux-based OS can provide netbook owners with security and the productivity tools they need to ditch Windows XP (or Win 7.0).
There are some skeptics out there who argue Windows will dominate for years to come. I am not so sure. Netbooks may be capable when it comes to create and consume content for the Internet, but people know they are not buying a super laptop with netbooks. Netbooks are highly portable computers that suit folks who live a mobile life. As much as these guys care about bells and whistles, price is the most important aspect to them. If you could get an Android netbook for $100 less than it’s Windows counterpart, wouldn’t you?
Microsoft has argued for long that Windows is a better and even cheaper solution that Linux. I never quite understood their logic and don’t think they have an answer for Linux. Microsoft will be formidable but if a company is able to bring the netbook prices down by another 20+% by offering Android or Ubuntu, you can expect many to ditch their Windows and jump on Linux bandwagon. Will it happen in 2009? Pr0bably not. But we can always dream.
Your take: do you like to see Android on your netbook? Why?
Germ Killer Netbook: Samsung N310
Credit Samsung
Talk about killing multiple birds with one stone. Samsung is planning to release another cool Netbook in N310 that is not only highly portable, but it comes with a medical technology that kills bacteria and keeps your keyboard clean. This cool netbook comes with a 10 inch screen and weighs only 2.6 lbs. It also comes with a web cam and a card reader. But what makes this netbook special is the medical technology used on it.
If you have owned a laptop in the past, you know how easy it is for the space between the keys on your keyboard to be filled with all kind of junk and even bacteria. This new netbook promises to keep it all clean while you worry about getting your work done. Is that cool or what? We’ll find out in May!
Samsung N10 To Get an Upgrade
Samsung N10 is a decent netbook to own. It’s portable and highly attractive. But that hasn’t stopped Samsung to iron out some of those tiny issues that customers have experienced with it. For starters, a few customers complained about the buttons on the laptop. The touch-pad also needed some work. These issues are not that huge, but Samsun has made the decision to introduce N110 to address them. It also helps that the device is going to get a shiny makeover.
The battery was yet another issue that many complained about with N10. The battery lasts you about 5.5 hours. The new Samsung netbook now can go for 7+ hours, which is a decent improvement over the previous version. Overall, if you are looking to get a new Samsung netbook, you may as well get the new version.
[via Wired]
Will Dell Adamo Be a Game Changer?
Dell has been trying everything under the sun to protect its position among the elite manufacturers in the world. And it is not afraid to go after Apple either. Adamo netbook is specifically designed to challenge Macbook Air. It’s ultra thin and very portable. It comes with solid state drive and comes with a 13.4 inch screen. It’s certainly very attractive, and the geek community has been abuzz because of it.
What I don’t understand is why people are calling it a netbook. It’s portable. I get it. It’s thin. Big deal! Adamo will cost close to $2,000 if not more. And let’s not forget we don’t call Macbook Air a netbook. I would call the large screen a dis-qualifier but most netbooks come with a 7-10 inch screens, and they are way cheaper than Adamo. While it’d be fun to call any new laptop a netbook, I do believe it makes sense not to blur that fine line of difference between laptops and netbooks.
Adamo is a great laptop. It’s thinner than Macbook Air and is very capable. But it won’t be changing anything in the netbook market. Adamo is a portable laptop, but we don’t call all portable laptops netbooks, now do we?
Will Ubuntu Make Microsoft Sweat?
We have all heard about how Linux is a better, more secure option for PC owners. Not a lot of PC owners have adopted the operating system. But it seems netbook owners have no trouble taking Ubuntu on. Ubuntu is a very capable operating system, but it is not difficult to work with unlike a few other linux releases on the market. Manufactureres are realizing that too. Dell mini and Sylvania come with Ubuntu pre-loaded. And a lot of other manufacturers may follow in their foot steps and release their own Linux netbooks.
Linux netbooks are popular because they are a bit cheaper than their Windows counterparts. And let’s not forget that you’ve get a more stable operating system with Ubuntu. A lot of experts talk about how Microsoft will be looking to bring Windows 7 to netbooks, but one has to wonder if people are ready to pay up for Windows 7 when they can get Linux. Let’s not forget that we still don’t know what Windows 7 is capable of. It is a powerful operating system, but you can still expect to find lots of glitches on early versions. With Ubuntu netbooks, you have a fairly established Linux release that works well, and it doesn’t cost you as much. Why would you want to take a chance on Windows 7 when you can do it all with Ubuntu?
Your take: would you upgrade your netbook to Windows 7 or will you go with Ubuntu?
Looking To Compare Netbooks?
If you are one of those folks who want to shop around to find the biggest bang for the buck on their every purchase, you are going to have a heck of a time shopping for a netbook. There are hundreds of netbooks available on the market and the list is growing every day. A lot of these netbooks come with very similar features, which makes it very difficult to find out which one is the best. That is why we have put together a comprehensive netbook ranking system to help you find and compare netbooks fast.
You can also compare netbooks side-by-side on a vertical grid using the Compare Netbooks button.
Our system helps you search among brands and sort through netbooks to find out the one that comes with all the features that you look for in you dream netbook. You can also change our algorithm and put more weight on the factors that are important to you the most by using Custom Rankings. You can use the sliders to change the weight per factor.
If you are not sure what you are looking for, you can use Netbook Finder to filter through and find a set of netbooks that you can choose from.
At the end of the day you want to find your netbook sooner rather than later. You can spend hours going through numbers and comparing netbooks, but there are better ways to spend your time.
Your take: what other features would you like to see added to this system?
