Posted 07/01/09 at 06:59:13 PM by Paul Lilly

It looks as though all those early jitters notebook vendors had surrounding Nvidia's Ion platform have started to subside, as yet another vendor confirmed plans to build a netbook based around Nvidia's Ion chipset.

This time it's Samsung who's jumping on board, following the announcement of Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 due out in August, the first Ion-based netbook announced from a major PC maker. But while Samsung wasn't the first to announce a netbook with Nvidia graphics, Netbook Choice reports Samsung's N510 is due this month.

A full spec sheet hasn't yet been made available, but in addition to the Ion platform, look for the 11.6-inch N510 to sport an Intel N280 Atom processor (1.66GHz), a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, WiFi, and a webcam.

No word yet on price.

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mobile, samsung, nvidia, ion, netbook

Posted 07/01/09 at 04:22:28 PM by Andy Salisbury

Looking to pave the way for Windows 7, many netbook vendors are hoping to clear out all of their Windows XP-based stock.

When Microsoft announced their Windows 7 upgrade program, they didn’t include Windows XP devices, causing some vendors to believe that their customers aren’t willing to pay a premium for the new OS. There are others that believe that many consumers would prefer to stick with the lower-cost Windows XP for their lightweight netbooks.

Currently, an OEM version of XP runs $25-30, while quotes form Microsoft show that Windows 7 for a netbook would run around $45-55. It’s expected that this confusion may cause some negative publicity for Microsoft in the netbook market.

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windows, microsoft, XP, consumer electronics, windows 7, netbook

Posted 07/01/09 at 08:30:54 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Asustek seems to have grown tired of the 7-inch and 8.9-inch Eee PCs in its inventory. Perhaps that is why it has decided to slash the prices of the said netbooks. The 7-inch Eee PCs are now available for a meager sum of $153 in Taiwan. The 8.9-inch Eee PC 900A has had its price trimmed down to $219 in China. Benson Lin, president of Asustek’s Asia Pacific division, had earlier this year told Digitimes that the company would completely phase out its 8.9-inch Eee PC netbooks in 2009.

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Asustek, cheap, eee PC, netbook, price cut, 7-inch, 8.9-inch

Posted 06/30/09 at 04:35:50 PM by Mark Edward Soper

While Windows 7, unlike Vista, runs well on netbooks, there are two big problems that must be overcome to make Windows 7 easy to install on netbooks:

• Most netbooks lack CD or DVD drives
• Netbooks run Windows XP or Linux, neither of which are supported for upgrade installations of Windows 7

As far as problem number one is concerned, there may be a solution: Cnet's Ina Fried reports that Microsoft is mulling over the idea of providing Windows 7 on USB thumbdrives to make upgrading netbooks easier without connecting an external CD or DVD drive. As we demonstrated earlier this year, you can install Windows 7 from a USB key after a bit of finagling. Creating a version of Windows 7 that's USB key-friendly would make the process a lot easier for clean installs.

However, what about Windows XP netbook users who want an easy upgrade? Fried reports that Best Buy's Geek Squad is looking at developing Windows 7 upgrade services.

Windows 7 does include Windows Easy Transfer to move user accounts, email, and data files from Windows Vista or XP systems, but is there a better solution that also works with programs? How about Linux netbook users? Any apps or scripts that can at least get the data over to Windowsland safely? We're looking for better suggestions for making the move from Windows XP or Linux on a netbook or other PC to Windows 7 as painless as possible for non-technical users. Think simple, think reliable, and join us after the jump to pass them along. 

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microsoft, upgrade, usb, windows 7, rumor, netbook

Posted 06/29/09 at 07:52:33 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12 is the soul of a netbook trapped in the anatomy of a notebook. It has now become clear that Lenovo plans to release three variants of this 12-inch netbook, which it had announced as the world’s first Ion-based netbook last month – the Ion-based SKU will be available later in the summer. Lenovo has begun accepting pre-orders for a Nano-based variant of this netbook. Of course, an Atom-powered SKU is also available.
    
The Via Nano powered IdeaPad S12 features a VIA Nano ULV 2250 processor and VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics. The combination is expected to outperform the Atom-based S12 variant, featuring the Atom N270 processor along with Intel 945GSE chipset. The Nano-powered S12 can be ordered for $449, whereas its Atom-toting counterpart is priced $499.

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intel, nvidia, lenovo, VIA, atom, netbook, price, nano, pre-order, ideapad s12, ion platform, shipping

Posted 06/25/09 at 08:53:13 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Rumors of Nokia’s entry into the netbook market have persisted since last year. The whole idea of Nokia entering the netbook market seems even more tenable now that Nokia and Intel have announced a new partnership. But Acer chairman JT Wang isn’t too bothered by the prospect of Nokia entering the netbook market. He further told Digitimes that PC vendors would gain more business from telecom providers. He believes PC vendors would become better poised – as compared to handset vendors - to do business with telecom providers within one year as the use of netbooks for accessing 3G services is becoming increasingly popular.

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intel, Acer, Nokia, netbook, 3G

Posted 06/25/09 at 04:42:19 PM by Andy Salisbury

According to some resent research by The NPD Group, many of the people that are buying netbooks don’t know that they’re doing so.

Sure, the two names may sound familiar (notebook and netbook), but a whopping 60 percent of the people that purchased a netbook expected the same functionality as a notebook. Needless to say, the confusion has led to some irritation.

“We need to make sure consumers are buying a PC intended for what they plan to do with it,” stated Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “There is a serious risk of cannibalization in the notebook market that could cause a real threat to netbooks' success. Retailers and manufacturers can't put too much emphasis on PC-like capabilities and general features that could convince consumers that a netbook is a replacement for a notebook. Instead, they should be marketing mobility, portability, and the need for a companion PC to ensure consumers know what they are buying and are more satisfied with their purchases.”

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notebook, Research, netbook, study

Posted 06/24/09 at 09:45:59 AM by Paul Lilly

AMD has repeatedly said it has no intention of releasing a netbook processor and competiting in a market now dominated by Intel and it's Atom platform. Either Gateway didn't get the memo or decided to ignore it, as the Acer-owned OEM this week introduced the Gateway LT3100 netbook with an AMD Athlon 64 L110 processor (1.2GHz, 612KB L2 cache, 800MHz frontside bus) inside.

"The Gateway LT3100 is a smart netbook choice -- it gives customers the freedom to connect to the Internet for everything from staying up-to-date on the latest viral videos and enjoying digital music and photos, to checking on the status of projects and studying for classes," said Ray Sawall, senior product marketing manager for Acer America.

Other goodies include an 11.6-inch LED screen with a 1366x768 resolution, 2GB of DDR2 memory, 250GB hard drive, ATI Radeon X1270 graphics, WiFi, webcam, three USB 2.0 ports, 6-cell battery, and Windows Vista Basic with SP1.

The LT3100, available in black or red, carries an MSRP of $399, however no release date has yet been set.

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amd, mobile, processor, Gateway, netbook, lt3100