So far, the netbook and nettop markets almost entirely been defined as systems built around Intel’s low-power Atom platform, with a few ARM-based devices creeping in around the edges. Now, chipmaker AMD seems to have decided that the netbook thing is more than just a fad, and has decided to release a processor in its Fusion line specifically targeting the netbook market. The first Fusion processors for netbooks are expected to arrive in early 2011.
Many folks have been watching OLPC-spinoff Pixel Qi as founder Mary Lou Jepson steers the company towards shipping inexpensive monochrome-and-color, sunlight-friendly displays. Although details have been few and scarce, Jepson has let one little nugget appear on her blog: do-it-yourself screen replacement kits from Pixel Qi should be available towards the end of the second quarter of 2010, and an official announcement should come sooner.
At only a half inch thick and weighing in at only 1.5 pounds Sony’s Vaio X Series really sets itself apart from the crowd. But the real question is whether its performance can match its style? We go hands-on with this sexy laptop to find out.
For more information, read Digital Trends’ Sony Vaio X Series Review.
Graphics developer Nvidia has officially introduced its Ion 2 graphics platform, aimed at bring more graphic and media power to systems built on Intel’s latest “Pine Trail” Atom CPUs with their own integrated graphics controllers. Nvidia’s Ion 2 solution claims to offer 10 times the graphics performance as Intel’s default graphics, while Nvidia Optimus technology enables users to seamless switch between integrated and discrete graphics, meaning they can use the more battery-friendly Intel integrated graphics when they’re doing something simple like handling email or word processing, then tap the more-powerful Nvidia GPU for games and video.
Call it a netbook if you must, but Lenovo’s U150 shines where many that share the category name crumble and fail. With an 11.6-inch high-resolution display, dual-core processor and a keyboard fit for the novelist, Lenovo’s U150 stands as one of the most livable ultra-portables we’ve tested.
Now that Apple has taken the wraps off its forthcoming iPad, the Internet’s favorite pastime seems to have shifted from speculating about Apple tablet devices to pontificating about the seeming myriad of ways the iPad is a disappointment—with lack of Flash support, lack of a keyboard, lack of multitasking, and lack of a camera usually taking the top places on laundry lists of faults. Now Apple naysayers can count Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as an ally: Gates doesn’t think the iPad will be a game changer. In fact, he thinks netbooks will be the mainstream form of portable computing device for the immediate future.
Touch-enabled netbooks are a snooze – and usually an exercise in frustration as well, thanks to their antiquated resistive touch screens. Not so with Lenovo’s S10-3t. The twisty 10-inch tablet gets a capacitive touch screen (the same type found on the iPhone, Droid, Pre and other high-end smartphones) for better sensitivity and multitouch capability, plus Intel’s latest Atom N470 Pinetrail CPU under the hood. Lenovo’s customized NaturalTouch software suite also adds a host of touch-sensitive applications on top of Windows 7. We found navigation by touch far easier thanks to the premium panel, even if application support for multitouch remain quite limited at this point. Pricing on the Lenovo S10-3t will start at $499.
Sick of netbooks yet? If sales numbers are any indication, the buying public certainly isn’t. With prices typically under $500, feature lists that just seem to grow longer and longer, and portability that can’t be matched, netbooks remained a hot item at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Here are five that caught out our eye – including one that stretches the definition just a bit.
The HP Mini 5102 Netbook offers a 10.1 inch touchscreen display with multitouch support, 1GB of RAM, and the Intel Atom N450 processor. The touch-enabled HP Netbook ships with Windows 7 Starter Edition (including face recognition) or SUSE Linux Enterprise 11. The HP Mini 5102 goes on sale later this month and will have a starting price of $399.
The Mini NB305 features a full sized keyboard and touchpad and sports up to 11 hours of battery life. The netbook also features a 10.1-inch LED backlit display and Intel’s new Atom N450 processor.
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