4 Netbook Gift Ideas for Mother’s day and Beyond
There is no question that netbooks make great gifts. Not only they are very useful for most people, they do feel more expensive than they really are. Maybe it’s the cool factor or it could be because you are giving away a computer after all. You certainly want to make sure you do your research and give away netbooks that are painless to use and get the job done.
There are plenty of cool netbooks on the market. But if I were to give one away, I’d go with one that has something unique. It could be the design or a netbook that has a very long battery life. That way the gift looks and feels even more especial. These 4 netbooks fit the bill in that regard:
Lenovo ThinkPad X100E 11.6-Inch Netbook: has a decent AMD CPU, a larger screen and comes with Windows 7 professional. It’s very well designed too.
HP Mini 210-1099SE 10.1-Inch Vivienne Tam Edition Netbook: when it comes to style, this netbook is second to none. It’s not as cheap as some other netbooks on the market but a great gift for fashion fans. (more…)
The End Near for Netbooks?
Netbooks have been considered a fad and written off by many experts from the get go. While these devices are highly capable and very portable for those looking for a mobile computing solution, bloggers and top technology analysts have given handhelds, tablets, and smart-phones a better chance of succeeding in this mobile world than netbooks. Every-time a new gadget is released to the market, a few bloggers and analysts go out of their way to write off netbooks. Can they be right this time around?
There is no question that devices such as the iPad put extreme pressure on netbook manufacturers. Netbooks are never going to be as shiny or “cool” as the iPad or HP Slate. High-end netbooks are being heavily challenged by more capable CULV computers and low-end netbooks do not offer enough value for consumers to pick them up.
Toshiba NB305: ATOM N455 and DDR3 Support
New Atom processors are on their way. If you have been holding out to get your hands on more powerful netbook models, the next few months should give you the opportunity you have been looking for. Intel has already introduced us to Atom N450 and N470. DDR3-supporting Atom N455 and N475 seem to be on their way. That’s not including the dual core Atom processor that is expected to make its way to the netbook market in summer 2010. (more…)
Dell Working on Convertible Netbook Tablet?
Tablets are very hot these days, especially after the launch of the iPad. Netbooks used to be quite hot, though there are signs that the market as a whole is slowing down a bit. Still, it’s not a surprise to see companies such as Dell working on convertible netbook tablets to offer their customers the best of the both worlds. Lenovo and ASUS have already shown how the concept would work. Dell seems to be interested in a similar device. At least if a leaked Dell product roadmap by Android Central is to be believed.
Credit: Android Central
Chrome Netbooks To Be Price Competitive
Google Chrome OS is the company’s next attempt to dominate absolutely everything in the computer business. Google Android has gotten a lot of attention in the smart-phone industry. But that’s only a small part of Google’s overall strategy to run its software on any device under the sun. With its cloud OS, Google intends to lower prices, pursue aggressive strategies, and change the way we use our computers. While we have seen Android netbooks make their debut in the past few months, Google has not been too specific about its Chrome OS plans as far as netbooks are concerned. What we do know is that Chrome netbooks are going to be priced aggressively, considering that no Microsoft Windows or other paid OS is in the way.
Top 5 Best Netbooks – April 2010 Edition
Netbooks may have lost some of their momentum with the release of iPad and other tiny handheld devices, but they are still pretty handy for those who intend to spend some time on the road and want to have the ability to run their computer programs and get their work done. Netbooks may have been around for some time now, but they are still a work in progress. Today’s netbooks are not even comparable to the ones from previous years as they are more capable of handling graphics and more complex tasks.
If you are out shopping for a netbook and want to get your hands on a device that lets you get your work done on the road, here are 5 powerful models you should consider picking up:
- ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17: has been among the best netbooks on the market for quite some time. It not only has a speedy processor but gives you plenty of storage (750 GB in total) and 14 hours of battery.
- MSI U160-007US Netbook: has the best battery among netbooks (on paper). It weighs only 2.4 lbs and has wireless N capability as well.
- HP Mini 210-1090NR Netbook: the best HP netbook to date. HP has improved the quality of its netbooks by improving their energy efficiency and keeping the prices low. (more…)
Asus Eee PC 1015PE – N470 CPU?
There are now officially too many ASUS netbooks around. The company behind these netbooks does not seem to stop anytime. While flooding the market with new netbook models does not necessarily translate to great sales, it does keep the company in the minds of the consumers. Asus Eee PC 1015PE is the latest creation of ASUSTeK that could be one of the first netbook on the market with N470 processor. N470 is a tad bit more speedy than N450 and can lead to better netbook performance on the go.
The device may feature a brand new CPU, but it is quite similar to other ASUS netbooks on the market (style aside):
- Intel Atom N470 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB hard drive (more…)
ASUS Eee PC 1005PR-PU17 Up for Pre-Order
We had the heads up about Broadcom graphics technology making its way to the next generation netbooks, but it was not clear how many new netbooks will take advantage of it. It was not a surprise to see ASUS among the companies that will be releasing Broadcom-enabled netbooks. ASUS Eee PC 1005PR-PU17 is an exciting new book by ASUS that features 1366×768 screen resolution and takes advantage of Broadcom HD accelerator to give you 1080P quality video on your mini laptop.
The battery life is expected to be fairly long as well (set at 11 hours per charge). You also get plenty of storage to store and watch your movies on the go. You also get a lot of standard features that you get with most top ASUS netbooks. Here is a summary of what you can expect to find in this device:
- Intel Atom N450 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 Cache)
- 10.1-Inch Color-Shine 1366X768 WXGA LED Display
- Intel UMA graphics with Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator
- 1 GB DDR2 SODIMM memory, Max Capacity 2 GB
- 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
- 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth; 0.3MP Webcam; Chiclet Keyboard
- 11 Hours of Battery Per Charge
It’d be interesting to see whether this netbook can really deliver 11 hours of battery life. The fact that Windows 7 starter will be included on this netbook is not exactly great. But Broadcom technology should make it much easier for this device to handle graphics and HD video.
6 Top CULV Laptops For Netbook Skeptics
Netbooks, smartbooks, and CULVs are names that we hear a lot about these days. All these devices try to provide power and portability to their owners on the go. Netbooks are essentially more portable than the other too while CULVs pack more power and are closer to laptops. What you choose really depends on what you want to do with your laptop. If you are looking for a small screen laptop that is super portable but may not be able to handle more complex software programs, netbooks are a good way to go (though current generation netbooks are getting better). CULVs can make great replacements if size is not a big issue for you. CULVs are slim and almost as portable as netbooks. They do however pack more punch and have larger screens.
If you have looked at the current netbooks on the market and have not found what you are looking for, here are 6 powerful CULV laptops that are great alternatives to netbooks:
ASUS UL30A-A2 Laptop: packs quite a punch. It comes with 4 GB RAM and a dual core CPU to give you power and performance on the road. It also offers up to 12 hours of battery life.
Toshiba Satellite T115D-S1125 LED CULV: if you are not into intel ULVs, this is the machine you should give a close look. It features 1.5GHz AMD Athlon NeoX2 L325 Processor and 2 GB Ram. It weighs only 3.5 lbs. (more…)
Dual Core ATOM Processors In The Works?
Netbook fans have been craving for more processor power on their devices since these tiny devices made their debut. ATOM processors have made it easier for netbook owners to get hours of battery life and decent performance on the go. But netbooks have still ways to go before they can handle some of the more complicated. So there is always room for improvements in processing power and performance. That’s why dual-core netbooks are no brainers. We may not have too many of them around, but with the demands that mobile life puts on computers these days, it’s only a matter of time before multi-core processors are released to netbooks.
The challenges of adding multi-core processors to netbooks are real. It’s not as if Intel and AMD have been hiding their dual core processors to play the market. In fact, Intel has already announced its plans to bring dual core ATOM processors to next generation netbooks. Intel has had experience with dual core processors on small desktops (e.g. D510). While its N450 and N470 processors are more powerful than their predecessors, they are by no means processors that you can rely on to complete complicated work on the go. (more…)
