Tag archive: netbook

It’s been roughly a year since Google’s Chromebooks (then known as the CR-48) first surfaced. Google’s “nothing but the Web” netbooks have laid fairly low, making a big initial splash and then playing second fiddle to a variety of other Google releases this year (the Google Wallet and Google+ specifically coming to mind). Those who are fans of the Chromebooks loyally defend their user-friendliness and accessibility. But there are plenty of… Read More

It's that time of year. Today, Apple has announced a new version of its MacBook Air line of super-thin laptops. The new Air will have a high-speed Thunderbolt I/O port (good for connecting to a Thunderbolt Display), a backlit keyboard (missing on last year's model), run on Intel's Core i5 and i7 dual-core processors that are up to twice as fast as last year, and come loaded with Mac OS X Lion. Like last year's Air, the… Read More

Computer maker Acer has introduced its new—if somewhat counter intuitively-named&mdsah;Aspire One Happy 2 netbooks. The new systems feature 10.1-inch display and Intel Atom N570 processors, along with battery lives of up to eight hours. The systems also feature a selection of four bright new colorful cases—dubbed Banana Cream, Blueberry Shake, Papaya Milk, Strawberry Yogurt—that are less than one inch thick. “We've made our… Read More

It was recently reported that Google’s Chrome OS netbook, the Cr-48, is out of beta testing and that it could be available this summer. The device may come with a subscription policy attached to a Google account and even a rental plan, but the most important detail has been left out: Who’s making the first one? Earlier this year we heard that Acer was a possibility, as was Samsung. Now rumor has as leaning toward the latter, as a Chrome bug… Read More

With the tablet market, led by Apple's iPad line, having caused the netbook market to shrink to a mere blip, budget laptop maker Asus is said to have a new netbook coming down the pipeline, reports Digitimes. The 10-inch Eee PC laptop will reportedly cost a relatively cheap $200 to $250, and run entirely on a Google operating system, either Android 3.0 Honeycomb or Chrome OS, according to “upstream component makers.” It is said… Read More

Market analysis firm Gartner has revised its forecasts for PC shipments during 2011 and 2012—and the news isn't that good for PC manufacturers. Gartner still predicts that PC shipments will increase by 10.5 percent in 2011 and 2012 as the world economy recovers, but that figure is a downward revision of an original growth estimate of 15.9 percent. The reason? Gartner believes China's PC market will be weaker than it initially… Read More

Eschewing this month's CES show in Las Vegas, technology giant Hewlett-Packard announced it would be holding its own webOS event on February 9—and while all speculation centered on likely tablet devices running Palm's well-regarded webOS, training materials available from HP suggest the company is looking to bring webOS to netbooks as well. According to  PreCentral, materials posed to a webOS carrier training site strongly imply that… Read More

Yesterday, chipmaker Intel got 2011 off to a strong start announcing its Core 2011 chip line, but now rival AMD is looking to steal the spotlight, finally announcing its Fusion line of low-power CPUs that combine AMD x86 processing cores with high-definition, DirectX11-capable graphics—combined with power consumption profiles that take steady aim at Intel's Atom processor line that dominates netbooks, nettops, home theater systems,… Read More

With all the hype about portable tablets, it can be easy to forget the device that, a couple years ago, was the great white hope of the computing industry—the netbook. But Hewlett-Packard hasn't forgotten, announcing a new HP Mini 1103 netbook aimed at business travelers and folks who need a full WIndows environment on the go. The Mini 1103 features a 10.1-inch 1,024 by 600-pixel display, and Intel Atom N455 or N475 processor,… Read More

Little more than a year after Google first lifted the veil on its plans to challenge Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X with Chrome OS, the first hardware to support it is finally ready for launch. The Taiwanese paper DigiTimes reports that Google will release its own Chrome OS notebook, manufactured by Inventec, later this month. Acer and HP will also release Chrome OS notebooks in December. November puts Google right on track for the “late… Read More

If you’re a frequent overseas traveler who has grown weary of tracking down cyber cafés or spotty Wi-Fi signals in the hotel, AT&T is offering a solution.  The company has announced new international data plans geared towards vacationers and international business-types alike. The AT&T DataConnect Pass Global data packages won’t require any contracts and will run off a pay-as-you go pricing structure. The plans require an… Read More

While Apple has made a habit of updating its iPods, iPhone and even Apple TV like clockwork, the MacBook Air has remained stagnant since the last update in 2009. Steve Jobs himself might blow that carpet of dust off this week, though, if rumors of a revamped MacBook Air turn out to be true. According to Cult of Mac citing a “well-placed source,” this week’s scheduled “Back to Mac” press event will herald not just the introduction of two new… Read More

One of the upsides of netbook and ultraportable notebooks is their portability: they're small, have long battery life, and can easily be carried around most of the day without requiring any aerobic exercise. However, the downside of stripped-down portable systems is that they leave out features you might need: like a DVD burner. Samsung is hoping to address that need with its new SE-S084F external optical disc drive that enables users to… Read More

Computer maker Acer is launching a new version of its Aspire One AOD255 netbook, featuring an Atom dual-core processor, a one-inch thick design, and the promise of up to eight hours of use on a single battery charge. The company is also rolling out new versions of its Aspire One AO721 and AO521 netbooks, aimed at portable entertainment options with AMD Athlon II Neo processors and HD video support—including HDMI output and up to 2 GB of… Read More

Because there can never be too many application stores, Intel has joined the online app store party with its AppUp center. Previously in beta, the online store for consumers will offer a number of free and paid social networking, gaming, and productivity applications for netbooks. Applications from Accuweather, Barnes & Noble, Funkitron, Gibson Guitars, iWin, Kaplan, Konami, and Lifetime are currently available from AppUp. Only netbooks with… Read More