ASUS Eee PC 1101HA: Energy Efficient, Larger Screen
We have been hearing about larger ASUS netbooks in the past, and we have finally gotten one in Eee PC 1101HA. Netbook makers have teased us about using Intel Menlow CPU, and ASUS Eee PC 1101HA does just that. It not only comes with Intel’s latest CPU, but it also gives you a larger screen to work with. A lot of people complain about netbooks not having large screens, but with a 11.6 inch screen, Eee PC 1101HA is one of the largest netbooks on the market. But it only weighs 3 pounds. So not only this netbook is portable but comes with a large-enough screen to replace a laptop.
There is a lot to like about this netbook. It comes with wireless N capability, so you can get the fastest Wi-Fi connections on the go. The device is bluet0oth capable so you can link up your blue-tooth enabled devices with your mini-laptop as well. The only negative about this netbook is the fact that it uses Win XP. But you can always install Linux on your netbook if that’s what you prefer. And who wouldn’t love getting 10 hours of battery life on the go?
All in all, Eee PC 1101HA is a great netbook for those who are looking for a larger, more energy efficient netbook. It has everything you need to blog, tweet, and create videos on the go. And it’s super portable as well. Overall, a solid choice for netbook fans.
Wireless Netbooks Becoming More Popular
If you have been shopping around for a good netbook lately, you have probably seem some of those wireless netbook bundles that save you money in the short-run but tie you a 12-24 months contract. A lot of people that stay away from these wireless bundles as you usually end up spending money on something is either too limited or will cost you even more money in the long run. You don’t have to look far to see how your bill can increase from $40 to $80 or even $100. It really all depends on how often you use your netbook on the go, and how much resources (minutes) you are planning to spend.
A lot of people use their netbooks in conjunction with WiFi hotspots to save money and get their work done on the go. Coffee shops used to be one of the best places to do just that. But the recession has made many coffee shops and other free hotspots to consider putting restrictions on the service. That means a lot of netbook owners are going to have trouble finding free Internet, which is why wireless netbook bundles are gaining momentum again.
You can always buy a netbook just to use it for word processing or watching movies on the go, but in reality most netbook owners want to be able to tweet, blog, and get some real work done. Without an Internet connection, you are very limited on what you can do with your netbook. And with coffee shops putting restrictions on laptop use, netbook owners may have no choice but to go with wireless carriers such as at&t. I am personally not too confident with the service provided by some of the carriers, but if you are looking to stay connected on the go at all times, you may have no choice but to go with these bundles.
Will We Ever See an AMD Netbook?
We have been hearing a lot about how AMD is not interested in the netbook market. The company actually has a smart plan. A lot of experts have talked about how netbooks are not for everyone, and the profit margins are not that great for laptop manufacturers. That’s why you can see a company such as Apple have such high profit margins, even though it’s not selling as many Macbooks as other companies are doing Windows laptops. If you remember, AMD counted itself out of the netbook market just a few months ago and instead stated its intention to dominate the CULV market. But things seem to have changed for AMD as it now tries to go head to head with Intel in this market segment as well. But it’s a bit hypocritical to talk about entering the market and then bashing it the very next day.
I think it’s fair to takeaway that price is driving the growth of the ultra-thin vs. the netbook segment, with those willing to pay for it getting more for their money in the form of an ultra-thin notebook, and those unwilling to getting a netbook’s more limited functionality instead.
It’d be interesting to see how AMD netbooks stack up with Intel ones in the future, but AMD is clearly too stretched to compete effectively in the netbook market. And the fact that the company doesn’t even seem dedicated enough to the cause means that it may have a better chance of succeeding in the CULV market than the netbook business. It’s good to have options when it comes to netbooks, but can an AMD netbook change the game? I doubt it.
10 Stylish Netbook Cases That Protect Your Mini-Notebook
Netbooks are extremely helpful to folks who are constantly on the go. They are portable and powerful enough to get the job done. But it’s so easy to damage these gadgets without a case. Netbooks may be cheap, but netbook protective cases are even cheaper and are certainly worth the money as they protect your investment.
Protective cases are not all ugly. There are a lot of lousy looking cases on the market, but you don’t have to settle for those. All you have to do is take a look at these 10 stylish netbook cases:
Air Cushion Protection Netbook Carrying Case: a wonderful case that is not only very good looking but it also protects your netbook against accidents and the elements.
Allsop Ohmetric Netbook Cooling Platform and Case: a netbook case that not only protects your gadget but also keeps its cool when you use netbook on your lap.
Built NY Laptop Portfolio: an interesting looking netbook case that lets you protect your gadget against bumps and damages while you are on the go. Easy to handle too. (more…)
Netbook Rankings – August 2009
It’s that time of month again. The netbook market has been a bit quite for a while, but better models are expected to be released in the 2nd half of 2009. But if you are looking for a new netbook, there are still plenty of good netbooks to choose from. Whether you are looking for portability, power, or long battery life, there are plenty of options on the market.
With that in mind, here are the top 5 netbooks for this month:
Samsung GO N310-13GB: still one of the best netbooks on the market. Not only the device is well designed, it comes with the best feature set on the market. It won’t come cheap but that’s what you would expect from the best netbook on the market.
Toshiba Mini NB205 Netbook: also made it to the list in July. It comes with N280 processor and the battery can last you for hours. Great netbook for business individuals.
Lenovo S10-2 10-Inch Netbook: if you were a fan of S10 netbooks, you are going to love the S10-2 product line. Lenovo has made some small adjustments, but these devices are as powerful and better equipped for road warriors.
ARM Netbooks To Come to the U.S. Soon
For all the talk that the ATOM processors are the best netbook processors, we haven’t heard too much about ARM-based netbooks in the past few months. But it seems we are finally going to see ARM netbooks go against ATOM netbooks in the U.S. later this year. ARM processors are used in smartbooks, which are getting a whole lot of buzz and are being hailed as the next big thing in the notebook market. The ARM architecture is certainly interesting and can open new doors for laptop manufacturers. The performance is decent but these CPUs allow smartbooks to run on power a longer period of time. Battery life is still one of the most important factors for netbook buyers, and the same applies to smartbooks.
To its credit, Intel does intend to introduce better CPUs for netbooks. We are also going to soon see the rise of CULV laptops. Add the smart-books and ARM-based netbooks to the field, and we are set for a big show-down that will determine the future of the laptop market. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how Intel Pine Trail stacks up against ARM-based CPUs.
Perhaps the most interesting battle will be fought between netbooks and Apple’s iTablet. The new tablet has been rumored for a long time, but it seems we are finally going to see it this fall. The device is not a netbook but rather a hybrid device designed to give Apple a chance to compete in multiple markets. It’s still too early to tell whether tablets are here to stay this time around, but Apple’s iTablet will certainly give consumers another powerful portable notebook to choose.
Your take: are hybrid tablets the future of the netbook market?
Windows 7 To Bring About Netbook Cost Increases
We may be getting out of our long recession, but we are not out of the woods yet. Recession-friendly gadgets such as netbook will still be very attractive to consumers in these tough times. But if you are expecting for netbook prices to drop anytime soon, we’ve got bad news for you. Microsoft and its partners are expected to raise netbook prices on consumers with the release of Windows 7. Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer claimed that the company had misread the market conditions when it tried to reduce Windows prices to induce demand. It seems Microsoft has not gotten anything tangible out of the move and is planning to increase prices to make up for the profits lost:
Ballmer also explained that the company’s goal is to raise PC prices in the next year. That’s due both to expected popularity of a new class of higher-end and higher-priced netbooks, a new pricing strategy around Windows 7 that the company hopes will result in far more upgrades to premium skus, and a reversal of a strategy in the last year to cut prices to spur demand in emerging countries.
I do agree that Microsoft seems to be putting more effort in to make Windows 7 a success that Windows Vista wasn’t. But I am just not sure Steve Ballmer is taking the right approach here. Increases prices on consumers will not increase demand. A lot of people will be complaining once they realize what a pain in the neck Windows 7 could be. It’d make sense for companies to increase high-end laptop prices, but it’s absolutely comical to believe that somehow raising netbook prices will increase demand for these gadgets. Netbooks are recession friendly gadgets. They are designed for individuals who are looking for portability and affordability. Raising prices without adding more features will only make people want to go with Linux or Android systems.
Windows 7 looks to be a great operating system, and it’s certainly getting closer and closer in look and feel to Mac OS. I am just not sure putting it on a netbook and then asking for more money will be the answer for Microsoft. There is nothing wrong with Microsoft trying to increase its profits, but I certainly hope they have improved Windows 7 enough to make people want to upgrade. As someone who got burned with my Vista upgrade, I am doubtful.
Your take: is it a smart move to increase Windows 7 netbook prices?
