Rugged Netbooks Netbook Reviews

Some of the larger laptop manfacturers are getting a little concerned about the popularity of the new mini notebooks, also being called netbooks. 

Mini notebooks and mini laptops are half the size of traditional machines, but incredibly powerful and ultra-portable. They are exploding in popularity in four main markets:

- Rural areas around the globe that are cut off from new sources of information such as updated textbooks and up-to-the-minute news turn to these devices to solve these problems.

- Many poor areas have both the above problem and also the problem of families not being able to afford a full fledged computer.

- Consumers in the US, Japan, and elsewhere often have computing needs that are much less than what a large and expensive computer delivers. Groups such as children, stay at home parents, and senior citizens may want something easy, cheap portable, and light.

- Many families in wealthier countries are finding that they need almost one computer to every family member. However, to save space and money, and for maximum convenience, they buy one or two large models and the rest are mini-laptops and mini-notebooks.

What has happened over the past few years to truly make mini-laptops and mini-notebooks so popular is that manufacturers no longer have to strip down a lot of the functionality of a larger model to get to a price and size that attracts the consumer. In fact, most of the current minis have the functionality of the fully powerful notebooks and laptops of just a few years ago. They have a screen much larger than a mobile phone or PDA, though slightly smaller than a full sized laptop.

The target price for 2010 many manufacturers have for mini-laptops and mini-notebooks is below $100. They also hope to bring their weight below a pound (they are currently only about a pound and a half). Whether a consumer wants to access e-mail, watch video, listen to MP3s, browse the internet, take pictures and video, or learn from a virtual textbook, these products are already revolutionary even before they take these exciting future steps.

For the more technologically minded, here is a brief synopsis of the features of the technology involved with mini notebooks and mini-laptops:

- Built-in Devices: Wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna

- Dimensions (average): Width 6-7 in, Depth 5- 6 in, Height 1-1.4 in, Weight 1.5-1.75 lbs

- Processor: Intel A110 / 800 MHz

- Operating Systems: Varied, but include Windows products such as Vista

- Software: Many possibilities including standard Office products, photo and video editing, financial, etc.

- Cache memory: Installed Size usually around 512 KB

- RAM: Installed Size .5-1 GB

- Hard Drive: 20-60 GB

Mini-laptops and mini-notebooks will continue to evolve, but don’t wait. Very powerful, ultra-portable, and inexpensive models are already available from major manufacturers.

By: Alan Jacobson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more information about mini notebooks or minilaptops, please see either www.mininotebooks.org or www.minilaptops.org . For information about full sized notebook computers that are ultra-thin and light, please see www.ultraslimlaptop.com

Technorati Tags: laptop notebook computers, Mini-Laptops, new laptop computers

Many of the tips for buying a laptop apply to buying a rugged netbook. Point of clarification: Many people do not know the difference between a laptop, a notebook, and a netbook. A notebook computer is smaller than a laptop computer, and netbooks are smaller than notebook computers.

Of course, that is just the beginning. In general netbooks are not as powerful, and for now are generally used for surfing the Internet. Thus, the term "net" book.

What to Look for When Buying a Laptop

When you are looking to buy a new laptop, think twice before you pull out yoyr credit card too soon. From battery life, screen size, USB ports to processor technology, there are many factors one needs to run through before deciding on the perfect laptop.
This article shows you what I deem to be 8 important factors in deciding which laptop to buy.

1. How Will You Use The Laptop

If you want the laptop for simple emailing or word processing, you’re obviously not interested in a machine with the best processor and 4GB of RAM. If you want the laptop for portability, you’d go for an ultraportable rather than a rugged, bulky model. If you need it for video editing, processing power becomes extremely important - plus you’ll likely need a Firewire port too.
So it’s critical to consider the intended usage of the laptop before deciding which model to buy.

2. Consider The Laptop Weight

One of the most important factors is the weight of the laptop. If you need the laptop anywhere you go, it is a bad idea to get a heavy desktop replacement. You want an ultraportable instead. Also, remember to compare the travel weight - not the system weight. The travel weight is effectively the laptop itself plus the power adapter (usually around 0.75 pounds) and an optical drive. The total weight of these things can add significantly to the overall package.

3. Think About Battery Life

One of the most frustrating things about laptops is the limited battery life. Make sure you choose a machine with the best battery life (minimum 4 hours). Remember that a smaller laptop also comes with smaller batteries - and these don’t last as long as a large battery in a bulkier system.

4. Bigger Equals More Rugged

If you are considering a rugged laptop as a purchase choice, then a heavier machine is almost certainly your best bet. A small system with tightly integrated components is likely to break apart compared to a bulkier unit with room for extra bracing.
Add to the that the rugged exterior, and you have a wonderful winner of a laptop here. Last I checked this unit was going for about $1500.

5. Do You Need High-Res?

Many laptops tout high resolution displays as their selling points. However, you need to consider if you really need that extra resolution. If you have imperfect eyesight, a lower resolution WXGA (1280-by-800) might actually be better than WUXGA (1920-by1200).

6. Transreflective Versus Matted

This point is important. Many laptops these days come with transreflective screens which are glossy in nature. Some folks don’t like that (myself included), particularly if the laptop is usef for business / professional settings. In those cases, you’d want a matted or anti-glare screen.

7. Do You Need Extended Warranty?

Extended warranty is usually considered a ‘moneymaker’ for the seller. You need to think whether you really need that. For individual owners, there is a comfort of knowing if the laptop breaks early in its life, you will get a new one replacing it. However, the flip side is that the laptop functions perfectly fine for many years - that dilutes the advantage of your extended warranty.

8. What’s The Battery Price?

One of the most easily damaged components in a laptop is - surprisingly - the laptop battery. You might want to check out the battery price of the laptop you intend to buy. They don’t come cheap - usually about $100 to $150 for a new one. You should also protect your battery’s life span by charging it up fully, unplug, then let it run down and recharge again.

All the above points should be considered when purchasing portable computers, whether they are laptops, notebooks, the new netbooks.

The New Netbooks OS

A new netbooks OS based on Ubuntu Linux at the moment, Jolicloud is designed to provide quick and easy access to Internet based application. 

HP Ditches Linux Pption for UK Netbooks

Most manufacturers are falling all over themselves to get new netbooks out the door.

Netbooks: Buy now or wait?

Most manufacturers are falling all over themselves to get new netbooks out the door.

Coby Launches 6 New Netbooks at CES

So it seems the rumours were true! Coby has brought out six new netbooks.

By: katie George

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Gadgets And Gizmos Hottest Gadgets for 2008

Technorati Tags: buying a laptop for dummies, buying a new laptop, tips on buying a laptop computer

Netbooks are not the only new game when it comes to smaller more efficient computing. Their less nimble cousins, Nettops and thin clients (dumb terminals), are also being combined with virtualization to save on manufacturing and energy.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint And Cut It Spending With Miniframe Softxpand

In today’s society the environment has become an important subject, we are always being asked to "do our bit" to try and reduce our "carbon footprint". There are several options on the market to choose from if you wish to lower the impact your usage of IT has on the environment.

Firstly there are computers designed with low-power components which consume less electricity. Within the last two years a new category of PCs known as ‘netbooks’ have gained popularity. These are small notebooks which typically include a low-power Intel CPU that consumes as little as 2.5 Watts of power. The payoff for using energy saving components is a battery life of up to 7 hours, compared to a typical laptop which will last a maximum of 2 hours; this means less plugging in to recharge and a lower carbon footprint as a result.

Due to the runaway success of these ‘netbooks’, PC manufacturers like Dell and Asus are now starting to release desktop variants of netbooks called ‘nettops’. These desktop PCs are extremely compact with typical dimensions of 22cm by 17cm and have a power consumption of around 20 Watts, which is 90% lower than a typical desktop computer.

Another option for saving energy is using a ‘thin client’. A thin client is a small, low-power computer which is connected to a remote server that performs the majority of processing tasks for the thin client. The server can also have software installed on it that can be accessed by the thin client; such as an office suite or accounts package.

There is also a new, revolutionary option for going green and reducing your organisation’s carbon footprint - Miniframe SoftXpand, a multiseat computing solution offered by Lucid IT Services. SoftXpand transforms a single desktop PC running Microsoft Windows XP into up to six fully independent computer workstations using standard monitors, keyboards and mice. With SoftXpand you can easily lower your organisation’s carbon footprint. Rather than having six separate workstations all requiring their own power source and generating heat, SoftXpand only requires one computer to be switched on, which reduces power consumption by up to six times.

SoftXpand is based on a simple fact; today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications use only a small fraction of the computer’s capacity. MiniFrame’s Multiseat computing software SoftXpand taps this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple users, spreading out the cost of the PC, and providing six times the number of seats for the same money.

SoftXpand’s unique resource sharing & intelligent balancing system allows the full utilization of a PC’s power and cleverly allocates resources. Modern Video cards are equipped with a powerful Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Video Memory (VRAM). SoftXpand uses this power and automatically balances it between the workstations according to the applications’ needs.

SoftXpand lowers electricity consumption drastically; a single SoftXpand machine will use 1/6 of the electricity of six standard PCs - which helps to reduce your electricity bills and carbon footprint.

As a result of these lower power requirements, it also generates less heat; a single SoftXpand machine will produce 1/6 of the heat of six machines - meaning you won’t need to turn on the air conditioning as often. And when the system reaches the ends of its useful life, only one PC will need to be replaced instead of six and less hazardous computer equipment will end up in landfill.

Pegatron and Freescale team for low-power, ultra-cheap netbooks …
Pegatron has been pretty quiet ever since it split off from ASUS to do ODM stuff all by its lonesome [...]

ViewSonic Introduces New Netbook, nettops at CES 2009
Think ViewSonic is all about displays? Well guess what folks – they’re entering the nettop/netbook space with a new [...]

Nettops Transformers ASUS Eee PC T91 and T101H
This is the first model in the lineup of nettops Eee PC from ASUStek with sensory turning display.

By: Lucid IT

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more information on MiniFrame SoftXpand, visit www.luciditservices.co.uk/green

Lucid IT Services are a West Midlands, UK based IT consultancy specialising in IT Security and Green Computing solutions. For more information visit www.luciditsecurity.co.uk

Technorati Tags: computers, desktop, nettops, small, small linux computer

There is always lots of speculation when it comes to new form factors and Apple Computers. However, Apple likes to be considered the innovator and not a follower. Apple has ingnored the rugged market, so it will be interesting to see what they do about netbooks, let alone a ruggednetbook. Psion may have coined the term Psion netbooks, but that would not stop Apple from carving out a spot for an "apple netbook" (Macbook Mini).

An Apple Netbook: Apple’s New Product Line?

After the October Notebook event, the hopes of Apple releasing a netbook seemed gone. Steve Jobs said during a question and answer session that ‘we’ll see how it goes’. At the time of that announcement, Jobs said the market was too small.

But you have to wonder whether Apple was fully telling the truth or not. Steve may have been right, in saying that they weren’t releasing on one NOW [at the time of the event, October 14th] but who knows how far ‘away’ that technology is. The technology is there, they have created the Macbook Air which is smaller and light weight compared to their other notebooks, it’s just a matter of when Apple will get it to their standards.

Besides technology, another factor going into his comments, I believe, is that Apple never wants to take sales away from their own products. Why tell people a netbook is coming soon, when you can tell them to buy a Macbook, then in a few months release the Netbook [or Macbook Mini]. Now I’m not saying this is a bad thing, or that Apple is a liar and shouldn’t be trusted, in fact its good business. Apple’s business model is quite impressive, considering you can’t go anywhere without seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing i-Something. So for they to hold off on the netbook to make way for their new product line is a no brainer.

You could also argue that the $999 Macbook IS a [high-end] netbook. Granted it’s larger, bulkier, and more expensive then your typical netbook, it does off the same functionality [and more] while still costing much less than a typical Apple notebook.

As Apple updates their notebooks to look more like the Macbook Air [and iMac], I believe there is an immense potential to streamline Apple’s ENTIRE product line. Right now, the iPod has the Shuffle, Nano, Classic, and Touch; the notebooks are: Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air; and the desktops are: Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini. Now there are a lot of names that cross between these product lines, and while I don’t think it’s that confusing, I think they could use some better strategies to condense them into easier categories.

Since Apple released their first iMac, they have been trying to serve two types of customers, the hardcore, power-users and the average user. Since then, Apple has broadened their scope, offereing many different models in between, to accomodate for any type of user. They have created models both below, and above their flagship products that do this very well. But I think with all of these different models and names, it’s a little disshovelled.

To combat this, Apple could relaunch a whole new tiered system. This would create a bridge between product lines as well as creating an easier purchasing system for those looking to buy a product in a different line. Like Apple has been doing, it would integrate this new color scheme of Aluminum body with black accents on all of its products [including black key's on keyboards]. From their desktops, to monitors, to notebooks, to iPod’s. The only exception is for the iPod Nano which would be the entry level iPod and come in many colors [as it does now]. Not only would the color scheme match, but the product lines in general would interweave. My proposal would be to create a four tier product system throughout the three lines:

* Nano
-The iPod Nano is one of the top selling iPods of all time. With a flexible amount of storage for a small price, it is a great entry product. This would mean the elimination of the iPod Shuffle, unless they keep it as its seperate entity.
-The Macbook Nano would be Apple’s first netbook. I mentioned an Apple netbook above, so there’s not much else to say. It would take the same aluminum casing as the current macbook, just with an 8-93 screen, no super drive, far less ports [maybe 2 USB, 1 mini-display, headphone/microphone]. This, however, would replace the Macbook Air because of it’s light weight, portability, and cheaper pricepoint.
-The Mac Nano [or Mac Mini] would, for the most part stay the same. Obviously it would be great for some spec bumps, but not too much to interfere with the iMac.
* ‘Classic’
-The iPod Classic [or just iPod (6G)] would be more similar to older versions of the iPod. Priced between 200-250, it would be 40-60 GB [being a good mid-range iPod].
-The iMac is a great desktop product that needs not be changed. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
-The MacBook [or iBook] is much like the iMac in the sense that it doesn’t need too many modifications.
* Pro
-The iPod Pro is some what of a toss-up. Apple could use this as their huge-storage iPod [100GB+] and leave the iPod classic to 40-60GB, or they could do something completely revolutionary like the iPod nano, and introduce a accelorometer for tilt functionality.
-The Macbook Pro would stay the same. Keeping the same look as it has now [aluminum with black surrounding screen].
-The Mac Pro would stay the same. Possibly getting a new casing with black accents around it.
* Touch
-The iPod Touch Would stay the same.
-The Macbook Touch would be Apple’s entry into the tablet market. Running on an advanced iPhone OS, this would be much like the Macbook Nano in size, but be one piece with a full touch screen. Potential include similar external buttons as the iPhone/iPod Touch such as a volume rocker, a Hold button [to lock the screen, requiring a password upon entry], and a Home button to bring you back to the desktop. The OS would be a fusion of OSX and the iPhone OS, using similar icons/apps as the iPhone [wouldn't have any sort of iLife or iWork], but with a start menu and tool bar like OSX.
-The iMac Touch would be the first Apple touch screen desktop. Keeping a similar design, the screen would be a standard 243, and be full touch screen. You could optionally get wired/wireless keyboard/mighty mouse, but it wouldn’t be included in the package. It would be able to run a full version of OSX [with touch controls, much like 2, 3, and 4 finger gestures on Macbooks now]. Not many changes need to be made with the current iMac other than including touchscreen throughout the screen, as well as an updated OS.
* Other
-The iPhone would stay the same. Potentially an introduction of a smaller iPhone [either size-wise like what Walmart is doing, or in physical dimensions and capacity].
-The iPod Shuffle would either be kept as a stand-alone product for the extreme casual consumer, or be discontinued.
-The Apple TV would stay the same.
-The Apple Displays would now all go LED [19", 23", and 30"] and all take on the look of the new 233 LED display.

Now I know this is a radical change that would take a long time [not in one event] but I think that this would really bring the Apple community together. By breaking up their products into groups it would make it easier for new adopters to ‘fit’ into a group and be able to see what is right for them. Each of the above prodcuts would have its own customization and size options like they do now. Many of the things I mentioned above are new technologies that I believe Apple will eventually implement, so why not to it with syle?

Concepts: The Apple Netbook
The Apple Netbook, if Designed by Sony.

Potential for an Apple Netbook?
There’s never a shortage of rumors surrounding Apple’s next move.

An Intriguing Apple NetBook Mock-up
An Intriguing Apple NetBook Mock-up + Bad Display News for MacBook Pro.

For the record this is ALL just a ‘wishlist’ and has little to no basis on any facts. If you guys are inspired by what you read, please leave a comment on what you think Apple should do? Do you think they will make a touch screen laptop, desktop, netbook? Leave me feedback on what you think! I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you did, why not think of subscribing?

By: kyleteachman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Check out my blog: Kyle’s Tech Blog

Technorati Tags: apple iphone netbook, macbook mini, Netbook Reviews, psion netbooks, the apple netbook

More and more is being written every day about the disruptive nature of netbook technology. A sub-niche category of this is the "disruptive nature of Rugged Netbooks" and what that influence will mean for a larger rugged portable computer niche. The following excerpt is from a recent blog entry from the editor of InfoWorld, Eric Karr, and is probably on the mark.

"Netbooks are the hardware trend of the day. In other words, they’re cheap and they’re selling like hotcakes. But I hear through back channels that vendors are having trouble "positioning" netbooks: How do they relate to full-size, full-power laptops? Are they second machines for the frequent or occasional traveler? And so on. Well, I have a suggestion: Businesses should consider buying netbooks and rolling them out as desktop replacements. I’m not talking about the Linux variety. I’m talking about netbooks running Windows XP."

Do a search on "the netbook revolution" and you will see what could be in store. There already are issues with Linux vs Windows, software licensing, software downgrades, what this all means to the bottom line price of netbooks, and the mini-laptops we will term "ruggednetbooks".

In many ways netbooks are already pretty rugged to a certain degree, as they have been designed for some expected abuse. At the same time most netbooks do not fit the traditional mold of a rugged portable computer that meets the military 810F standards. But you know what? It probably won’t be long before they do. You can bet that the idea of rugged-netbooks is on the drawing boards of many computer hardware engineers.

–

Asus has the B51E series, but not much more has been said since the announcement of the product line. Karr’s notation of netbooks being used as backup computers, or second machines, has real possibilities for a huge market all by itself.

New Netbooks at CES 2009
There’s lots of netbook news coming out of CES 2009.

Netbook Pricing
WirelessHD and Netbook pricing.

Technorati Tags: eric carr, info world, linux vs windows, military 810F, netbook revolution

RuggedNetbook Trends for 2009

New small RuggedNetbooks are being embedded with 3G Wireless Technology and Solid State Drives (SSDs). Ruggednetbooks will be of interest to many buying demographics, because of their smaller size and smaller cost.

Netbooks are light-weight, low-cost, energy-efficient, and highly portable. Because of the size, weight and affordability, rugged-netbooks will offer fewer features. They won’t have a lot of processing power, or have operating systems that are resource hogs. Rugged netbooks will be best suited for web surfing, emailing, and web based applications.

These smaller portable computers will be great assets as backup computer gear for mobile workers, like digital nomads and road warriors. Digitalnomads have always expected to pay a premium for portability and usability, and these two features have always come with a price tag up until now. Manufacturers are finding that consumers want mobility and more wireless capabilities.

The desktop PC and desktop publishing are being replaced by laptops and ruggednetbooks to do the same jobs. Rugged Netbooks will be able to perform the most simple functions anyone would need in a mobile computer. Everyday tasks like word processing, scheduling, managing spreadsheets, email and internet access can all be done with a broadband wireless connection and open source software.

Netbooks as a Notebook Alternative

Netbooks using both Windows and Linux taking center stage [...]

Intel Atom Grows Up

An increasing number of Atom-based laptops are hitting the market..

Technorati Tags: 3G wireless, Intel Atom, Netbook, notebook alternative, solid state drives