Netbooks
by Robin Wauters on November 17, 2009

A mere week after Adobe Systems reported that it would be shedding nearly 700 employees or 9% of its total worldwide workforce, the company is releasing two highly anticipated new products that have been in the works for a while: Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2.0.

Both of the products are being released with a ‘beta’ label at the same time for all 3 major operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux) and x86-based netbooks, and are available now via Adobe Labs.

People who were still hoping for a beta release of the new Flash Player for mobile will be somewhat disappointed by the fact that they’ll have to exercise even more patience.

Gift Guide 2009: Netbooks
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by Doug Aamoth on November 16, 2009

Intro

The Year of the Netbook. That’s 2009. You can’t walk into a consumer electronics store without seeing netbooks everywhere. Actually you can’t really walk into a consumer electronics store, period, since they’re closing up faster than costume shops the day after Halloween. But that’s another story for another time.

While traditional netbooks sales will almost certainly see a decline in 2010 as they make way for the new class of low-voltage ultraportables, there’s still plenty to choose from this holiday season. Here’s a handful of purchase-worthy netbooks – in no particular order — for your perusal. The only real rule for this list (besides having to be a netbook) is that screen resolution must be greater than 1024×600. Those 1024×600 netbooks are so 2008.

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by Nicholas Deleon on November 13, 2009

Somebody should tell Doug “netbook” Aamoth that Windows 7 seems to be a battery hog. The fine folks at Laptop magazine have put three different netbooks to the test, determining their respective battery life under both Windows XP and Windows 7. Looks like Windows XP is the winner.

Exclusive video of the Litl Webbook
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by Doug Aamoth on November 6, 2009

When news of the Litl Webbook broke out on Wednesday, I was pleased to learn that the company is located here in Boston, since there aren’t nearly as many people in this area making actual hardware devices, as opposed to software and web companies.

I got a chance to sit down with CEO John Chuang for a thorough overview of the Webbook, so check out the above video for some information about the design philosophy and user interface behind the $699 transforming internet computer.

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by Doug Aamoth on November 5, 2009

Remember when the first VAIO P came out and everyone was like, “I can’t believe it has Vista! That angers me! I am currently outraged!” – something along those lines? Well now it has Windows 7 and comes in four different models ranging in price from $850 to $1900.

by Doug Aamoth on November 4, 2009

Here’s the “Litl Webbook,” a $699 portable computing device that acts as a laptop and then folds over on itself to act as a digital easel “ideal for passive or ‘lean back’ web activity like enjoying photos, listening to music, or consuming news, weather, and other web content,” according to a recent company press release.

by Doug Aamoth on November 3, 2009

VIA has introduced its updated line of Nano processors, built for netbooks and all-in-one computers. The 3000 series promises a 20% performance boost over existing Nano CPUs while managing to reduce overall power consumption by 20% as well.

by Doug Aamoth on November 2, 2009

This is still a rumor at this point, but Phone Arena is reporting that Verizon may soon be offering Sony’s 8-inch “not-a-netbook” VAIO P for $300 with a two-year data contract.

by Doug Aamoth on November 2, 2009

u230It looks like MSI is getting set to launch a 12-inch Windows 7 netbook from its U200 series. You’ll recall that the company released the Vista-based U210 back in mid-September, and this new one, the U230, appears to be very similar with the exception of the newer operating system and a bumped ATI Radeon GPU.

by Doug Aamoth on October 30, 2009

Friday, huh? Just got paid, did you? Why not divert $250 of that check toward this 11.6-inch netbook?

Come on, you’re making good money now right? When’s the last time you bought something nice for yourself? Think of this as an investment! With the portability that this netbook provides, you’ll finally be able to start up that emu farm that you’ve always been talking about.

Video: Kohjinsha dual-display netbook
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by Doug Aamoth on October 29, 2009

I actually like this idea. Kohjinsha recently showed off its dual-display 10-inch netbook, which runs Windows 7 atop an AMD Athlon NeoMV-40 CPU at 1.6GHz. The machine can be used as a netbook with a standard 10-inch display (it’s a swivel, screen) or a second 10-inch display can be slid out from behind the first to be used together for double the desktop real estate.

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by Doug Aamoth on October 26, 2009

nokiaRumors are abound that Nokia may be looking to release a new version of its Booklet 3G netbook sometime next year.

Quick Look: 13.3-inch Acer Timeline
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by Doug Aamoth on October 23, 2009

I know everybody is excited to start their weekend but the bell doesn’t dismiss you, I dismiss you. So before you go, I’m gonna tell you about this new 3.5-pound Acer Timeline ultraportable that just came out yesterday.

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by Doug Aamoth on October 21, 2009

ViewSonic dove headfirst into the ultraportable notebook game yesterday, with the announcement of the “ViewBook” line of 12-, 13-, and 14-inch low voltage machines.

by Doug Aamoth on October 20, 2009

Can you believe it? Acer has yet another 11.6-inch ultraportable notebook on the way. Notice I didn’t say netbook, since this one technically has a low-voltage Intel Celeron SU2300 processor running at 1.2GHz.

by Doug Aamoth on October 19, 2009

The A2 from ii-View is a 12-inch Windows 7 netbook with a 1280×800 resolution screen, 2GB of RAM, a travel weight of 3 pounds, and an MSRP of $399. Other features include an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 320GB hard drive, a/b/g/n wireless, HDMI output, webcam, and “full-size” keyboard. At its thickest, the machine reaches .88 inches.

by Doug Aamoth on October 19, 2009

Various configurations of the recently-announced Acer Timeline ultraportables are now available for preorder. Since they’re Windows 7-based systems, they’ll ship this Thursday, October 22nd when Microsoft’s new operating system is released.

by Doug Aamoth on October 16, 2009

Fudzilla is reporting that Intel’s new Atom N450 chipset – codenamed Pine Trail (see previous coverage here) — will officially launch on January 3rd.

by Doug Aamoth on October 16, 2009

Have you guys heard of these “netbook” things? Apparently they’re quite popular nowadays. I’ll admit that even though I’ve been entrenched in the technology industry since I was basically a tickle in my pappy’s sack, this is the first time I’ve heard about them. On that note, Woot.com is selling refurbished 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One netbooks for $230 (today only).

Yup, the Acer Aspire One AOD250 dual boots Windows XP and Android, all right
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by Nicholas Deleon on October 15, 2009

acer1

Oh, netbooks. Doug loves ‘em, but I’m still not convinced of their vitalness. Is it neat to see a tiny little computer zip around the Internet? Sure, yeah. Can I go about my business without ever having owned one? So far, so good! I bring this up because yesterday I was able to goof around—in truth, that’s probably the most accurate phrase to describe it, no matter how silly it sounds—with Acer’s newest netbook, the Aspire One AOD250 ($350, available now, rumored for the past 700 years). It’s a netbook; it doesn’t look too different from netbooks you’ve already seen, but for one difference: see that little switch right there? That’s where you tell the netbook to boot into Android or Windows XP.
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