Sprint To Introduce Wireless Netbook Bundles

The netbook market is expected to grow even further in the upcoming months. These devices are just getting better everyday, and people are not willing to spend thousands of dollars on new notebooks when they can get a netbook that does everything they need to get done at home and one the road. As netbooks get more popular, the demand for wireless netbook bundles ought to increase as well. After all, what’s the point of taking a netbook on the road if you can’t find an Internet connection? With wireless netbook bundles, you won’t have to look for a connection on the road.

Sprint may be feeling the pain of losing a piece of its business with Amazon dumping it for AT&T on new Kindle 2 units, but it is now setting its eyes on the netbook market. The company is joining AT&T and Verizon in offering wireless service for netbooks. Sprint has had pilot programs with netbooks in the past, but it’s now going for 5 markets to try and see whether it can find a viable business model with netbooks. I still prefer having access to WiFi on the road, and some of the plans out there to enable WiFi all over the nation is certainly intriguing. But if you are on the road and need an Internet connection, 3G will do. Expect more wireless bundles in the near future as that’s where the industry’s heading

Samsung N130-13B Netbook Debuts

Samsung has some of the better netbooks on the market. Samsung netbooks are not only cutting edge, but they are well designed and very reliable. Samsung N130-13B Netbook is the latest mini notebook by Samsung that has made its way to the market. The device comes with N270 CPU and 1 GB RAM. It essentially has the features we have seen in some older netbooks. It also doesn’t have Windows 7. But it is an affordable Windows XP netbook that works as well as those Windows 7 netbooks.

All in all, Samsung N130-13B Netbook is a solid netbook for those who are not that interested in adopting Windows 7 yet and want to focus more on getting a big bang for their buck. The device is solid and comes with close to 6 hours of battery life per charge. For under $300, it’s one of the best laptops money can buy.

Would you Pay $800 for Apple Tablet?

We are approaching the year end holiday season fast, and Apple tablet rumors are again surfacing out of nowhere. By now, we know that Apple is not interested in developing a netbook (that is affordable). We also know that Apple is looking to get a piece of pie in the e-book and large handheld devices markets. With Apple Tablet, it can not only sell a product that costs much more than what netbooks are selling for today, it can also take on Amazon Kindle and e-book readers such as Nook by providing a decent alternative to those readers. But would you pay $800 for Apple tablet?

Studies have shown that Apple fans have no major problem paying close to $800 to get their hands on an Apple tablet. As long as Apple keeps its promises and develops a tablet that is remotely as useful as what we have seen in early prototypes, there is no reason this device can’t be a hit in this market. Apple does need to allow developers to come up with apps for its tablet, which means the device will offer something not offered by devices such as Kindle and Nook. (more…)

N470 Netbooks: What To Expect

If you have been looking to buy a netbook lately, you have probably realized that you don’t have too many options when it comes to choosing a processor for your netbook. N270 is the standard CPU for most netbooks. The new Windows 7 netbooks do come equipped with Atom N280 which is a bit faster than N270. Atom Z processors are used on only a handful of netbooks but they are not too speedy either. N470 is the processor of the next generation netbooks. Clocked at 1.83 Ghz, it provides netbooks with a much needed boost in speed and will work more effectively with Windows 7.

According to many sources, N470 netbooks will make their debut in early 2010 and come with 2 GB of RAM to help netbook owners take advantage of the latest advancements in the software industry. Netbooks will also have better hard drive options, sound, and graphics capabilities. It’s nice to see that netbook manufacturers are finally realizing the fact that you can’t do much done with 1 GB RAM on board of most netbooks today. The boost in speed will also come in handy, but let’s hope netbook makers can take advantage of energy efficient dual core CPUs to provide netbook owners with machines that are capable of handling more complicated tasks. CULVs currently have a huge advantage there.

Microsoft Win 7 USB Tool: Install Windows 7 USB On Netbooks

Finally, Microsoft seems to be coming to its senses where others have failed. Netbooks are great laptops for those who are constantly on the go. They are designed to be be compact and weigh as low as possible. In order to achieve that, netbook manufacturers have had to get rid of optical DVD drives. That means you are going to need an external DVD Writer to take advantage of your DVDs on your netbook. Now that usually wouldn’t be a problem unless you want to install the Windows 7 copy that you have just bought. The OS is not currently shipped on a USB flash drive, which means you’ll have to find a way to put it on a flash drive to install it on your netbook (or through your hard drive). Microsoft has made it easier to do so by creating a tool just for that (as long as you pick up your Windows 7 from Microsoft Store). Here is how the tool will work per Microsoft:

Click the Windows Start button, and click Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool in the All Programs list to open the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool.

In the Source File box, type the name and path of your Windows 7 ISO file, or click Browse and select the file in the Open dialog box.

Select USB to create a copy on a USB flash drive or DVD to create a copy on a DVD disk, then click Next.

If you are copying the file to a USB flash drive, select your USB device in the drop-down list and click Begin copying. If you are copying the file up to a DVD, click Begin burning.

You are going to need a 4 GB USB drive to be able to get this tool to work, and you will need to pick up your Windows 7 from Microsoft Store. But it’s nice to know that you have the option to make the Windows 7 installation process as easy as possible on your netbook.

eDGe: ebook Reader Meets Netbook

I am not sure why everyone’s trying to make e-book readers out of netbooks and laptops. Portable computers are already capable of displaying e-books, and with the introduction of Kindle for PC, you’ll have a much easier way to consume content on your netbook on the go. But if you are still too picky, you can always pick up the eDGe. eDGe is a multi-purpose device that is designed for people who want to get an e-book reader, a notebook computer, and an audio/video recorder all in one device. It’s designed for people who want to get more work done on the road without having to carry out multiple gadgets.

Credit: enTourage

As you can tell, the device is more of an ebook reader than a netbook. It doesn’t have too much memory, and I doubt you’ll be able to run your resource intensive applications on this netbook. But it does let you do more browsing that you can on Kindle and other similiar devices. Certainly not for everyone but an innovative thought by the people at enTourage.

Windows 7 Finally Shipping

Windows 7 Netbooks are finally shipping. Whether you are looking for a Windows 7 Home machine or just a netbook that happens to come with the starter edition of Windows 7, you can now get your hands on one without having to wait weeks or month. Of course, it’s a good time to pick up a new laptop these days as Amazon and many other retailers are giving discounts to people who adopt Windows 7 laptops early.

One has to be skeptical about the potential of Windows 7 on netbooks. Not every netbook comes with 2 GB RAM necessary to run a decent version of Windows 7 without a hitch. Windows 7 start that is included on most netbooks is not terrible but it’s not great either. At the minimum, you want to be able to run Windows 7 Home Premium on your machine. Here is an interesting guide that Microsoft has put up for those who want to upgrade to Windows 7: (more…)

Beware of Windows 7 Upgrade Program

In case you haven’t noticed, Windows 7 is almost here. In a matter of couple of days, you can get your hands on Windows 7, which could cost you a hundred or two if you are not picking up a new laptop. Many manufacturers anticipated the demand for Windows 7 and decided to use Win 7′s upgrade program to push their products. That has encouraged many folks to pull the trigger and buy new machines before Windows 7 is formally launched. But not every manufacturer makes it easy to take advantage of this program. Many ask you to jump through hoops and provide all kinds of documentation within a certain period of time (usually 14 days) with no resubmissions allowed. So you can essentially pick up a laptop, hoping to get Windows 7 as an upgrade, only to find out that your manufacturer is not cooperating.

Windows 7 Upgrade program could prove quite a deal for those who get their Windows 7 without a hitch. But manufacturers seem to be determined to make the process as difficult as possible. In reality, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to upgrade to Windows 7 when it’s been promised to you by your manufacturer. But some of these deceptive practices have been going on for too long. So if you are picking up a laptop with Windows 7 upgrade program, make sure you do so from a reputable manufacturer.

Will Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/T Netbooks Catch On?

Sony has been trying to get a foothold in the netbook market for months now. The early Sony attempts did not succeed as the company planned, leading to many experts questioning whether a premium brand such as Sony could come up with an affordable and powerful netbook. Sony changed that notion with the introduction of its VAIO VPC-W111XX/P Netbook. The device was certainly a better attempt by Sony, but at the same time it came with not so good battery life. Sony’s latest attempt in the netbook market seems to have addressed that very issue.

Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/T Netbooks not only have been improved in the battery life department, but they also have a fast CPU and more hard drive space for users to take advantage of. The new Sony netbooks are slightly heavier than their predecessor, but they still weigh under 3 lbs (2.96 lbs). The fact that you can get 7 hours of battery life on these machines is a big plus however. (more…)

7 Windows 7 Netbooks To Be Excited About

It was only a matter of time before Windows 7 netbooks made their debut. But they are now here to give netbook fans something to be excited about (shipping by October 22nd). If you resisted your temptation to buy a netbook before this week, you are going to love all the new (and upgrade) netbooks that are going to be available to you. There are plenty to choose from but here are some worth a mention:

Sony VAIO VPC-W121AX/T 10.1-Inch Netbook: Sony’s top netbook not only gets Windows 7 but also over 7 hours of battery life.

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA: looks familiar, doesn’t it? Except, it comes with Windows 7 and has a larger hard drive. One of the best netbooks on the market just got better.

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA-PU17 netbook: 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB Ram, and Windows Home Premium are only a few big pluses for this netbook.

HP Mini 311-1000NR 11.6-Inch Netbook: large screen, and better battery life should give HP a better chance to succeed in the netbook market. (more…)