iPad: is this Apple’s answer to netbook?

It all started with the usual spicy statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself back then when he addressed Apple’s point of view on the growing popularity of netbook: “It’s a nascent category and we’ll watch while it evolves. And we’ve got some pretty good ideas if it does evolve.”

And when the global economy recession hit, people in general are more interested in budget friendly laptop – or as we know it nowadays as netbook. But even with the economy situation looks to threaten Apple sales on its Mac line-ups (MacBooks & iMacs), the company's chief operating officer Tim Cook reassured everyone that Apple has no interest in that nascent category:

"When I look at netbooks, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens. It's just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. It's a segment we would not choose to play in."

Instead of jumping into the crowded bandwagon of netbooks, AppleInsider has learned that Apple is planning to introduce more affordable Macs until the company is ready to introduce its own take on the market in the much rumored Newton-like web tablet, a project which is taking considerably longer to complete than once anticipated.

So with a ‘MacNetbook’ variant is out of the picture (for now), what Apple has in its sleeve to respond to the increasing market demand for more affordable Macs? Not to mention that Microsoft has been bashing on Macs’ price with its latest PC ads. Well, according to a Wall Street Journal article; Steve Jobs is taking medical leave of absent right now but he keep on working on some kind of mid-sized mobile device.

Adding fuel to the churning rumor mill, BusinessWeek also reported that Apple is developing a 'media pad' to be called 'iPad' (name taken from Silicon Alley Insider), a mobile device that would let users watch videos on a screen larger than an iPod Touch or Amazon's Kindle e-book reader, but on a device that's more portable than notebooks and lacks a keyboard.

If we are to take Steve Jobs above statement where he said something about “pretty good ideas” for Apple’s own version of netbook, mix it with all of these rumors, and put them together into the equation; then there’s no reason for Apple not to be able to pull this purportedly ‘iPad’ to reality. There are two reasons why, which not that far away from what we’ve admired today: mobile Mac OS X (iPhone OS) & App Store.

The iPhone OS is both very user friendly and especially made for small-touchscreen only mobile device, and it also designed for smaller footprint hardware with limited resources; all in all makes iPhone OS perfect for netbook or for Apple: the ‘iPad’.

And with the success of App Store, all Apple need to do is allow the ‘iPad’ to access App Store directly just like in iPhone; propelling it to instant success. Craig Hockenberry of Iconfactory, creators of Twitterific says in an email to ZDNet: "It would be a smart thing for them (Apple) to do: there are instantly tens of thousands of apps and users are presented with a familiar interface (something that looks a lot like Dashboard in Mac OS X)."

It’s not just a wishful thinking for Apple fans all over the world, but also an endearing dream for tech enthusiasts like you and me. I’ll just going to quote the words of Tom Krazit from ZDNet that perfectly describes what if the ‘iPad’ become a reality: "This is the last frontier of the promised convergence between computers and communication devices. That shift has already happened to the smartphone, but it seems very reasonable that, for many people, smartphone screens are too small for serious computing."

In the meantime, let’s wet the floor with more of your drool with the Apple Netbook 3D illustration above, courtesy of Mac Format. ~LOL~

Sources are from:

• Why Apple Doesn’t Need a Netbook (PC World)
• Apple to introduce more affordable Macs, sources say (AppleInsider)
• The Apple Netbook (Mac Format)
• Is Apple getting ready for an 'iPad' (ZDNet)

Nvidia CEO believes Intel's Atom platform will hurt PC software industry

Big companies sure love to talk about what they think their competitors are lacking, or in short talking the bad things they're doing. But unlike housewives who love to talk gossips behind the person, the CEO from those big companies love to talk in front and out loud, with help of tech news media.

One in particular is Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, yesterday he sat down with LaptopMag for a lenghty interview. But there are interesting answers from Huang, which once again were punching at Intel.

Mark Spoonauer from LaptopMag asked Huang: "So what's wrong with today's netbooks?"

Jen-Hsun Huang replied: "The Atom platform is creating an installed base that doesn't run modern applications. It doesn't run anything well from Electronic Arts, it doesn't run anything well from Adobe, it doesn't run anything well from Microsoft. I just mentioned the top software companies in the world. So in a way, the Atom platform is creating an installed base of PCs that's going to eventually hurt the PC software industry. I think we all have to be very thoughtful about the proliferation of PCs that are inferior to what people think a PC should be, yet still is a PC."

It's also interesting to know what the Nvidia CEO think about netbook category: "If I were to ask a million people, What do you call something with a Microsoft operating system called Windows and X86 processor from Intel, I would think that 99.9999% of them, except for the Intel marketing person, would call it a PC."

Read on the whole interview at LaptopMag article (via TG Daily).

Intel adds a twist to netbook category with Convertible Classmate

Intel teases netbook fans with a new device to drool over at CES 2009 next year, actually it's Laptop Magazine who posted up the early hands-on review on Intel's Convertible Classmate.

It has an 8.9-inch swivel screen with touch and stylus input, a Web cam, and 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 60GB hard drive, and Windows XP. Newly bundled software includes a virtual keyboard and handwriting recognition to take advantage of the responsive touchscreen—plus there should be more apps from developers on the way. Also, integrated accelerometers successfully tracked whether the computer was in portrait or landscape mode, adjusting accordingly in 2 seconds.

Laptop Magazine reports that it will begin shipping in mid-January. While Intel says that the price for the convertible Classmate will be slightly more than the original Classmate. The range will likely be somewhere around $250 and $400, exactly falls into netbook's price category.

If Qualcomm can deliver its Snapdragon processor in the same time CES 2009 takes place, then it'll be interesting to see the heated up netbook wars. Where right now, Intel still hold the control over netbook category with its Atom processors.

Sources are from Laptop Magazine, via Crave & Gizmodo.

Qualcomm challenges Intel with tiny always-on chip for small notebook

I get the feeling you'll be saying when I say small notebook up there in title of this post, I should have said netbook instead. Well, the reason I didn't use netbook is because that's what Intel is calling the small lightweight and ultra affordable notebook, but Qualcomm has its own idea to name such notebook.

"Our vision is that (the device is) always connected. Even when you shut it down, it's still 'on.' (The laptop) goes to your Exchange server, gets your e-mail, puts it on the drive--solid-state or hard drive--and then when you're ready to do e-mail, you flip it open and it's right there. Instant on, always connected," said Manjit Gill, director of product management, Connected and Consumer Products Group, at Qualcomm.

And Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip contains the technology that will enable Qualcomm to build an un-Intel, un-Netbook type of device, Gill claims. Qualcomm aims to release Snapdragon next year, and the 45-nanometer processor will be built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

Brooke Crothers from nanotech blog managed to interview Manjit Gill, and get to know what so special about Snapdragon chip:

"The piece de resistance of this strategy is the Qualcomm QSD8672 dual-core Snapdragon that features two CPU computing cores capable of 1.5GHz performance, and a host of other features includes HSPA+, up to 28Mbps download speeds, 1080p high-definition video, Wi-Fi, mobile TV, and GPS. The graphics core is based on Advanced Micro Devices' ATI unit's technology."

Next year we will be seeing more and more variants of small notebooks, or netbooks as we know it now. And IMHO they all will have the 'real strenght' of netbook, that Jeff Hawkins has predicted before with Foleo.

CherryPal does exist

From the first impression, not many of you might be interested in knowing CherryPal, its plain black colored box design is so far from being desired. But what may catch your attention is CherryPal small size, it's no much larger than an iPod. The company claims that the PC weighs about 2 lbs, which includes the AC adapter, which the CherryPal alone weighs about 1 lb.

When CherryPal was first introduced, there have been skepticisms on whether or not the device will hit volume production. In fact, no one has ever been able to get hands-on with the little device. But few days ago, Samantha Rose Hunt from TG Daily just received her $250 CherryPal box; and this confirm that CherryPal is alive after all. ~LOL~

Head on to the link above to read her quick first impressions from the diminutive cloud computer, and here are some of the important remarks taken from her article:

• When I booted the system, I was greeted with an extremely unattractive login prompt. The provided login worked right away and revealed a basic Linux desktop.
• The PC has no moving parts, thus making it inaudible.
• The computer comes with a great amount of preinstalled software, among which are programs such as Firefox, a few games, OpenOffice, and an independent word processor.
• One of the things that instantly worked on the PC was the Wi-Fi connection.
• When utilizing Firefox to navigate the web, I noticed that Firefox runs extremely slow.

Samantha's verdict so far on the CherryPal is: "Personally, it isn’t something that I can utilize as my everyday PC. I need the bells and whistles, but if you’re looking for a compact cloud computing device, this might just work."

Jolicloud: the iPhone-like OS for netbooks

Maybe it's because we're getting near to the Christmas eve, or maybe Tariq Krim, the Netvibes founder was just feeling jolly-good time when he chose a name for his next gen OS for netbooks: Jolicloud.

But nevertheless, Jolicloud is to bring a promising new usability for netbooks. Here's a quick report from Michael Arrington from TechCrunch when he took a couple of blurry photos with his phone:

"The user interface resembles the iPhone - it includes large icons (easier for viewing on Netbooks) and very little fluff to keep the hardware humming. Jolicloud will also support touchscreens, which will work well with the icon-based navigation. Bookmarked sites are actually individual Prism applications."

Jolicloud intended to replace the currently available OS for netbooks such as Windows and Linux, users can download the Jolicloud, wiped off whatever OS installed in the netbooks and then replaced with a stripped down Linux operating system and custom browser.

It'll be interesting to see which OS will be the most favorable by netbook users, when this Jolicloud and Cloud OS enter the market next year.

The last push needed by Steve Jobs to kick out Apple's netbook

Not even when the global economy recession is dragging computer sales down in overall, or with the screaming of Mac fans because of the MacBooks new high price tag; these still haven't been able to melt and move the icy cold heart of Steve Jobs to introduce the ultra-affordable notebook that Apple is currently working on in secret.

But the latest smartphone sales numbes from Gartner and DisplaySearch's netbook sales numbers might be the last nudge needed to let the never-seen-before Apple's netbook see the daylight. The numbers show 4.7 million iPhones were shipped in Q3 2008 while a whopping 5.6 million netbooks were sold in the same period.

Meaning that netbook is now more popular than iPhone! ...as reported by Daniel Ionescu from PC World.

Daniel is also saying how in comparison, netbooks don't totally intersect with iPhone's market. Many people buy iPhones for the multimedia capabilities combined with a phone and for mobile email and browsing the web - things that netbooks do quite well. Even Steve Jobs seemed to think that iPhones can do the same things as netbooks, even going on saying that "not a lot of them (netbooks) getting sold."

And in another side of the world, another important factor for computer (and netbook) is also making its move to jolt up the mobile world: Intel has completed the development phase of its next-generation manufacturing process that shrinks chip circuitry to 32 nanometers. "The company is on track for production readiness of this future generation (of transistors)...in the fourth quarter of 2009," the chipmaker said in a statement reported by nanotech blog.

Intel promises more details to be poured in at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) next week in San Francisco, while we know it already that Intel processors are currently made on a 45nm process. Generally, smaller geometries result in faster and more power-efficient processors.

So you can imagine what the new 32nm processor chip is able to provide for the newer and better netbooks in the future, say... around the time for Macworld 2009 event? ~LOL~

But, even if Steve Jobs finally give in to the people's demand for cheaper priced MacBooks in the form of a netbook, I'll have to agree with what Daniel said in his article: "Apple doesn't usually rush products to the market, and if we will see Apple's netbook, it definitely won't be cheap." ;-O

NVidia follows Apple's stance to wait and see on netbook growth

It's not only Apple now who want to wait and see on how the "nascent" netbook category will grow and evolve, but it seems that Apple CEO Steve Jobs' words are affecting NVidia as well.

NVidia officials on last Tuesday reiterated the company's interest in the mini-laptop space but said it would wait for the market to mature before jumping in, according to a PC World report. "We're not saying we're not interested; it's a matter of how the market will evolve," said Marv Burkett, the company's chief financial officer. He even used the same "evolve" word like Steve Jobs did...

But then Michael Hara, vice president of investor relations at NVidia revealed a little bit of NVidia's strategy for future netbooks: "Most netbooks today contain Intel's Atom processor and are not capable of handling video games or multimedia effectively, ... Netbooks could have integrated graphics in the future to better handle graphics."

NVidia has already prepping up an integrated CPU-graphic chipset for laptops which is slated for release in next year along with the Tegra system-on-chip for smartphones.

While on the Intel side, the chip giant spokesman George Alfs told TG Daily that all products planned for 2H 2009 would still arrive in 2H 2009, and Intel will delay its Havendale CPU+GPU processor by one quarter into 2010. Havendale will be Intel’s first processor with a heterogeneous multi-core structure, integrating a GPU on the CPU die.

AMD is also reporting that its long awaited Fusion processor has been shifted from a 45 nm to a 32 nm process and delayed into 2011 as a result. Dang! We've been hoping to see processor war once again between Intel vs. AMD, where prices are hoped to drop by it.

Looks like we're gonna stuck to see netbooks being powered with Intel Atom processor for another year to come...

Netbook's real strenght is now being realized in new models

What Jeff Hawkins has envisioned before on the real strenght of netbook through the fail-to-launch Foleo: persistent connectivity, is now slowly being realized in new model of netbooks.

If you're wondering what in the name I'm talking about the netbook's real strenght is, then you can read about it at my previous post.

HP is now offering US customers the option of adding an internal mobile broadband modem to their HP Mini 1000 orders, as reported by Liliputing. The modem works on AT&T or Verizon’s wireless broadband networks, but it'll costs $199, which is significantly more expensive than the broadband $125 AT&T broadband modem Dell offers for the Inspiron Mini 9.

I do believe other netbook manufacturers will follow suit to embed broadband modem/WAN feature into newer models, after all the netbook in indeed intended for internet-centric use so it's only natural for this to be happening. But the next new problem will also emerge; the netbook price will rise above its commonly agreed price: $500.

If the new model of netbooks cost more than $500, will netbook still appeal to the mass?

For a quick reference on the latest netbooks, you can read the PC World hands-on with HP Mini, Lenovo S10, and BenQ U101.

Cloud OS will lift netbook to lighter sky

Not exactly what we're hoping from the future of netbook; I for one is expecting for computer manufacturers to come up with more powerful netbooks but cheaper or at least the same price as today's netbooks.

But looks like computer manufacturers will see an alternative way to keep the low specs in netbook with this new browser-based OS called Cloud, the Cloud OS is claimed by its maker; Good OS (gOS) as a Linux kernel that boots "in seconds" and it runs independently of Windows or other platforms.

Basically, Cloud OS will only has limited capabilities compared to heavier platforms like Windows, Linux Ubuntu or Mac OS X. Cloud OS doesn't open up onto a desktop, instead it boots into a web browser. Good OS has created "a wrapper that enables you to perform all your major rich client applications from within the browser," said gOS founder and CEO David Liu.

The Cloud OS web browser user interface has a striking close similarity to Google's Chrome web browser, which I wouldn't be surprised if later Google or gOS announce they're actually working together on this Cloud OS, because at the bottom of browser windows there's a dock (like in the Mac OS X's dock) containing shortcuts to applications like Google Docs and Calendar as well as Blogger and YouTube. They can include a media player, a Skype client, a Gmail session, or a tool for configuring Wi-Fi access, and you can even also boot to Windows from there.

However, it's likely that for running more powerful applications such as Photoshop or Microsoft Office, Cloud OS users must run a full and heavier OS like Windows or Linux. Cloud OS isn't meant to replace Windows but live alongside it, gOS states that Cloud "does not require additional hardware and is compatible with any operating system." gOS also says that Cloud is compatible with any operating system so presumably Mac users will not be left out in the cold.

No words yet on how much gOS will charge computer manufacturers for this Cloud OS, David Liu can only hinted that it would perhaps be "under US$500," and that in any case he expected it to be "very competitive."

That's all what we know for now from gOS who demonstrated its Cloud OS on a Gigabyte touch-screen netbook at the World Summit in Paris, we'll have more information when Gigabyte Technology shows a Tablet PC-style touch-screen netbook at CES in Las Vegas in January next year. In the mean time, you can watch the video demo of Cloud OS in action that I've embedded just below this post.

Sources are from:

• gOS Cloud: browser-based OS for Netbooks (Webware)
• New OS Reaches for the Clouds (PC World)
• Netbooks: Small, Cheap -- and Fast? (PC World)
• gOS Cloud instant-on OS shown on video (Engadget)

Intel says netbook is only fine for an hour

Which one of us have doubts anymore about the rising of little-mini laptop these days? When analysts and bloggers used to mock the concept of Foleo, as the origin of idea behind netbook, and now they all are using and even begin to like to carry netbook rather than the average built laptops.

Well, there's actually one that is now beginning to doubt the future usefulness of netbook: it's Intel. Brooke Croothers from Business Tech is reporting:

At a recent Raymond James IT Supply Chain Conference (streamed via this Intel page), Stu Pann, vice president in the sales and marketing group at Intel, said "If you've ever used a netbook and used a 10-inch screen size--it's fine for an hour. It's not something you're going to use day in and day out."

By that, it means Intel is re-evaluating the netbook market as possibly not 'The Next Big Thing'. For most of us, including me, this brief point of view from Intel doesn't quite make sense since Intel is the company that make & introduce Atom processor. And by seeing how well the Atom processor demand for the netbook market, it's a strange statement to be made when Intel is doing so well.

Perhaps it's got to do something with the: "It just doesn't add up" philosophy? ;-p

Compaq Mini 700 is the HP Mini 1000 clone

The hot skittering trail of the newly announced HP Mini 1000 is not even cold yet, and we're already presented with another netbook coming out from HP's child company that deals with lower mid-range value computers; Compaq.

Apparently Compaq doesn't want to be bothered with re-designing the Mini 1000, so apart from the same exact specs within, Compaq also named it with Mini moniker but different number: 700. But of course, the HP logo is replaced with its own Compaq logo on the front bezel.

Albeit buying the Mini 1000 with £399 price tag, you can get this Mini 700 at cheaper price tag: £299. It is also said that Compaq will offer an optional 3G/HSDPA connection along, but for reassurance we'll have to wait till this netbook becomes official. Let's hold our breath together, shall we? ~LOL~

Sources are from T3, via Liliputing.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

HP Mini 1000 is for “information snacking”

I don’t want to even imagine how it feels for those who have purchased netbooks lately, because newer models are strutting down the runway and get reviewed faster than we can refill money in our little pocket. The latest one to enter the portable mini-laptop market a.k.a. netbook, is the successor of HP 2133 Mini-Note: Mini 1000.

When the news & pictures of Mini 1000 hit the net, I called up my friend who I told you before he bought 2133 Mini-Note when it first came out (here at my little country); and asked him if he’s going to upgrade to the newer model. He expressed big disappointment that he now own an almost obsolete device, which he once thought as the coolest netbook offered back then.

But he then wisely declined to enter the rat-race of owning the latest gadgets, which usually driven only by a bottomless pit of technology thirst. Besides, his 2133 Mini-Note has not even reach 1 year old; he bought it early this year. Nevertheless, his remarks got me thinking; is that the case? Is this Mini 1000 simply bested out its old sibling by design, and also by specs inside?

Just like when the 2133 Mini-Note was out in the market, it got plenty of attentions and reviews, and so is the new Mini 1000. This is very good, especially for us, who just want to know how well the new netbook really is. And for you who wish to buy it later when the Mini 1000 is finally out in the market, you can get an early preview and compare it with the other options you have for netbooks.

I’ve compiled the sources from three well known techie weblogs, which I believe you know them very well: Engadget, Gizmodo & jkOnTheRun. I just took the most interesting points, and left the rest for you to find them out for yourselves. Here we go:

Types, specs & build

There are three models of HP Mini 1000:

• Piano-black finish that runs either on Windows XP or
• HP’s Mobile Internet Experience (MIE) Linux-based OS,
• and lastly is the Vivienne Tam Edition in vibrant red color with a peonyflower which runs Windows XP too.

Why the red color and the peonyflower you asked? Good question, here’s Tam answer: “The fashion-forward woman no longer has to sacrifice glamour when staying in touch with all her favorite digital content. And the flower and vibrant colors suggest good fortune, happiness and prosperity in the Chinese culture.”

So the Vivienne Tam Edition is definitely aimed for the ladies, while the boys will get the piano-black colored one. Let’s continue to take a look under the hood shall we? The basic specs are as follow, they are vary depending on the model:

• N270 Atom 1.6 GHz
• 512 MB/ 1 GB memory (2 GB on MIE model)
• 8, 16 GB SSD; 60 GB hard drive (PATA)
• 3-cell battery (25 WHr); 6-cell optional (52 WHr)
• 2 USB ports
• HP Mini Mobile Drive port (2/ 4/ 8 GB)
• Ethernet
• Combo headphone / mic jack
• Expansion port (for optional dock)
• 802.11 b/g; Bluetooth 2.1 optional
• Webcam (0.3 MP/ VGA)
• SD/ MMC slot
• 8.9 or 10.2 inch screen (1024x600 pixels)

While Engadget stated the Mini 1000 weight at 2.4 pounds, Gizmodo says it comes in at under 2.5 pounds, and Mr. James Kendrick says it is 2.2 pounds; I’m going to go with the official statement: 2.25 lbs. If you wanted to know that in pounds, then it’s time to make use the conversion app in your Palm devices. *wink*

HP has changed the aluminum finish used in the 2133 Mini-Note with smooth black plastic casing, which personally I think is a major drawback on the physical design. For an instance, one of my friend’s reasons to bought the 2133 Mini-Note is because of the striking aluminum color that never seen before on typical netbooks .

Keyboard & mouse pad

Paul Miller from Engadget say they’re “…inspired by the edge-to-edge keyboard, which is easily the nicest we've used on a netbook…”, while Mr. James Kendrick impressed by the keyboard and says: “…it is tailor-made for touch typing like a banshee.” So that means the Mini 1000’s keyboard is the pick of choice for writers on the go.

But they both feel that the mouse pad, along with the mouse buttons located on the left & right side of it, are still need to be accustomed with before you can use them at ease. Thankfully, HP kept the trackpad on/off toggle button, just in case you want to use an external mouse.

The other thing that HP kept, is the glossy black colored display surrounding the screen. Although the screen resolution is now lower than previous model, the maximum is only 1024x600 pixels. Mr. James Kendrick noted that the screen’s lid is now retains the MacBook-like hinge, which is located behind the unit’s body thus making the display sits lower than most netbooks.

Another new thing added to the Mini 1000 is there’s a chrome speaker grill in the hinge, just above the keyboard. Nice, but no immediate improvement in the sound quality.

The Mobile Internet Experience (MIE) OS

We all know and familiar with Windows XP, but the new HP’s Linux-based OS is something new to talk about. (Uh, oh… I heard a cheering sound from the “hankering” Linux die-hard fans crowd there ;-p) HP is using Ubuntu version, and mixed it up with its own Touchsmart interface.

Adrian Covert from Gizmodo says about this MIE: “MIE streamlines the netbook experience by placing your most used apps into an efficient-looking homescreen. RSS Feeds, bookmarks, emails, music, photos and more are all available from this home screen. A click in any direction will take you deeper into the interface, which at times resembles Apple TV (and that's not a bad thing), but a quick tap of the Windows key will bring you right back to the home screen."

While Paul Miller (Engadget) praises the MIE too: “The OS starts up at a respectable pace, and once you've booted you're faced with a home screen that's actually preloaded your primary apps to save you the trouble.”

Mr. James Kendrick also says: “We played with the MIE for a good bit and we are impressed how decent the user experience is using it. … The MIE was extremely snappy and well done and it's easy to see how it is the way to go for novices."

Is this MIE all good, and no bad? Of course there are bad points about the MIE, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to read on each respective weblogs to know more. Cuz I’m reaching my post limit here… ;-)

Overall

The Mini 1000 has better specs than its predecessor, the 2133 Mini-Note; so it'll be a nice upgrade. But not everyone will agree that it has better look which is primarily caused by the color combination used in the new models.

But netbook, is still a netbook. It has limited features compared to common laptop, so you’ll still have be satisfied with what you’ll get. Just don’t expect more, simply because it looks different than before, or from the rest of the bunch.

Maybe that’s why HP calls the Mini 1000 as for “information snacking”, not “meal” or “dinner”, just for “snack”. ~LOL~

Price & availability

The HP Mini 1000 is available today in the U.S. with a starting price of $399.99. The HP Mini 1000 with MIE is expected to be available in the U.S. in January at a starting price of $379.99. And The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition is expected to be available in the U.S. in mid-December – plus with its designer sleeve and support offerings – is expected to be priced at a starting price of $699.99 U.S.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

MacNetbook, if just this is for real...

If just Apple decided to make their own cheap version (and smallest) "MacNetbook", then I'll definetely gonna get one. The glowing Apple logo on the front cover is the catch, everybody will want one too. ;-p

The picture on the left is said to be a live photo shot from a German hacker Florian, which according to Wired: All it took was a Dremel, six white LEDs and a very steady hand. Inside is a little less tidy, with tape and aluminum foil holding things in place and bouncing back a little extra light.

Florian even took the time to make a spoof ad in the style of the MacBook Air spot (the pictures in the linnk are broken), featuring his diminutive machine emerging from a tiny envelope.

Gawsh, if just this "MacNetbook" is for real...

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Asus Eee PC S101 & 904HA

Here we go again... Another newer products from Asus Eee PC line-ups...

It's like an endless rain in the rainy season, where when you think the rain has stop, it drops again. Asus seems like to keep on pouring new and newer products of its popular netbook, the Eee PC, and at the same time make us scratch our head just to pick one. Engadget has the whole news:

The "fashion-friendly" S101 ($699 to $799), which will ship in brown (seriously?), champagne and graphite hues, and feature a 10.2-inch WSVGA LED-backlit display, an SSD up to 64GB in size, 4-in-1 flash card reader, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a VGA output, three USB 2.0 ports, 0.3-megapixel webcam and a multi-touch trackpad. --left picture--

In related news, we've got the remarkably heinous 904HA (shown after the break), which inexplicably comes in puke green and lollipop red (or black, phew), and includes a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, 6-cell battery and a $399.99 price tag. --right picture--

Have you gone mad already? I hope not... Cuz I believe Asus will come up with more strange colored Eee PC line-ups tomorrow... ~LOL~

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

New Nano has been released for your new netbooks

Don't mistaken the word "Nano" here for the one that's made by Apple. ;-p

This "Nano" comes from VIA Technologies, the underdog company that fights in chipset market against Intel & AMD. But for you, who have purchased HP's 2133 Mini-Note, or who is following the progress of netbook competition, VIA's processor is not a stranger to y'all.

To replace the aging C7 processor, that's used in HP's Mini-Note, and in order to fight heads-on with Intel's Atom processor; VIA has released its next gen processor for netbook: VIA Nano.

Glenn Henry, the head of Via Technologies subsidiary Centaur Technology, said to Brooke Crothers from nanotech in a quick interview: "We just started shipping to customers last week and this week--literally right now."

Henry said there is a lot of demand for larger form factors. "There's a lot of demand to move those things up to higher screen sizes. I've heard customers say they want to build 12- or 13-inch notebooks," Henry said. Uh, oh. Looks like there will be more and more options to choose from, for you who wish to purchase netbooks in near future.

But is the VIA Nano good enough than the Intel's Atom? If you're looking at the flexibility in its architecture, yes it is. Meaning; you can plug in Nano into older C7 processor slot, although there'll be BIOS upgrade needed before hand. But in term of heat generated when in use, Nano is hotter than Atom. Nano needs 5 watts to run at 1GHz speed, while Atom only need 2 watts to run higher speed at 1.3GHz.

Why the difference? Nano uses a more sophisticated superscalar, out-of-order design, while Atom has a more simple "in-order execution" architecture. Because of Nano's more complex design, it may deliver better performance than Atom in some cases.

Brooke pointed out an important remark on why this thermal envelope is so important: "...because it can influence the design of a Netbook-type device. Typically, parts with lower thermal envelopes can go into smaller devices."

So, what is our next step then? Do we need to wait till the VIA Nano featured in new netbooks in the market, or should we wait for the dual-core Atom processor from Intel? Don't sweat yet, my good readers, cause this Nano processor hasn't reach production gate. Henry said products using the Nano processor will not appear immediately. "No product that actually uses this is for sale to the end customer (yet). So the parts we're shipping are going into the (customer's) manufacturing process or development process."

I can't tell much about the rumored dual-core Atom, but as for the Nano, Henry said: "We're working on it. When you see it, who knows. We're implementing it but it's not near at hand."

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Liliputing has a complete list of netbooks for you to choose from

Liliputing has gather around all the informations available about netbooks in the market today, and put them all in a complete list database for ease of view. It's a really nice one, and as far as I know of; it's one of the kind.

With so many little laptops and mini notebooks to choose from various brands, we got lost so easily in the wide jungle of consumerism. Heck, you can even find some names and brands that you never knew exist before. The list will quickly view the specs and images, no pain for opening up a new tab or windows to see the details. So thumbs up to Brad Linder for making the efforts to help us to sort them all out. ;-)

And I kinda like the new name for netbook, that Brad has called it as: "liliputer". Maybe this name is more befitting for some of you?

Sources are from Liliputing, via Gizmodo.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

PC Industry scared by netbooks

What's this? I thought I saw a dejavu, cuz the subject there is almost the same as in my previous post here at PalmAddict.

But this time it's PC industry turn to be scared by the rising little star: netbook. For you who have been following the news about netbooks, certainly will agree that netbook is a mini-laptop prodigy on the rise. Not because of what it can and capable to do, but instead because of its light-weight and smallish physical form; plus it comes with cheaper price than normal laptop.

Even though I've mentioned before about how netbook category doesn't add up for PC industry, it has become more apparent now with words from Pat Moorhead; AMD's vice president of advanced marketing: "The fact that there are a number of models coming out might give the indication that [the market is] growing and everybody wants to do this, but what's interesting is you pull back the covers and talk to people in the industry and they're kind of scared."

So far AMD isn't interested to fight with Intel in the same pool, while Intel is making a big success with its Atom processor. Moorhead stressed on AMD's intention to wait and see about netbook prospect: "We haven't announced anything for this type of cheap mini-notebook and we're still taking this wait-and-see attitude."

One of the interesting insight is pointed out by Sumner Lemon (IDG News Service) about Intel's success on filling up the netbook pool with Atom processor:

The Atom's apparent success -- based on the number of models announced by computer makers -- is a double-edged sword for Intel. On the one hand, netbooks may open up a new market for Intel's chips, but the company also runs the risk that Atom sales will eat into sales of its mainstream laptop chips as users opt for netbooks instead of more powerful systems.

In a research note, IDC analyst Richard Shim warned that the cannibalization of mainstream laptops sales by netbooks is a concern, but said the threat is diminishing as mainstream laptop prices fall.
"We believe the story line of ultra-low-cost notebooks will increasingly be sidelined as the notebook market continues to offer a better solution and experience at price points similar to what ultra-low-cost notebooks are hitting," he wrote.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Netbooks at it again

Slap...!!

And that would be the sound of my or your hand slapped onto our face, and our mouth are murmuring "Not again...!" ;-D

While we're still looking for the right specifications to categorize which devices that suit with netbook criteria, computer manufacturers around the world are racing to get out their netbooks to the market. New model, revamped old models, refreshed model, all are just their marketing gimmick. And further pushing tins of the netbook's criteria itself into grey area, meaning there'll be very thin line left to define which is laptop and which is netbook. Or worse, in near future we can't tell what's the difference anymore between netbooks and laptops.

Even the low price that's first marked the birth of netbooks, is rapidly beginning to rise and closing the gap from its bigger siblings. With price as near as laptop, the main trait that mobile users are so fond of netbook; has began to deteriorate and blurred along with better specs inside. For one simple example; our own reader: soda, thinks that the MacBook Air (MBA) is an UMPC or a netbook.

Is MBA a netbook? The specs are somehow not that different from today most new netbooks, the weight is indeed very light and it's very thin. Making MBA very-very mobile, easy to carry anywhere. But IMHO there are two differences that seperate MBA from netbook; first is MBA's screen size at 13.3", where for a netbook that size is too wide and the widest screen that netbook has right now is at 10". Second is MBA's hefty price tag, a very contrast with netbook's main trait.

But then again, those two can change tomorrow when computer manufacturers are beginning to push more the netbook's limits by releasing bigger screen size. Who knows? Maybe the netbooks price are no longer low & cheap, but the same with laptop's at value model.

Talking about price, there's a newly released market research that says Mac computers are pricier than PCs. This is true, and what do you think that really causes this phenomenon? Perhaps this Calvin & Jobs cartoon can answer your thirst for the truth. ~LOL~ --click on the picture to enlarge it--

Yes, MBA is very attractive. Apple has set a new standard in the term of thinnest notebook available, like it says in its web page; not netbook. Even Sony, which known to produce thin and light notebooks (before MBA), has taken the same design like MBA for its newest Vaio SR-series. Don't let the left picture fools you, it's not MBA, but instead it's Sony's Vaio SR dubbed; as the Sony Air by Mr. James Kendrick (jkOnTheRun). According to Aving USA, this notebook isn't only boasting its lightweight but also more power-horse within its durable magnesium alloy body:

• 13.3-inch LED backlit widescreen display and Sony's patented
• BRITE-ECO LCD technology for clear and crisp images
• Windows Vista Home Premium OS
• Intel Centrino 2 platform
• 802.11n WLAN
• 'Switch' technology enabling customized modes for home, work and entertainment

What really intriguing is, Sony doesn't use 12" screen that's well known for its small Vaio line-ups, but instead uses 13.3" which is the same as in MBA. Plus the Vaio SR's keyboard layout. I believe we can expect more and more computer manufacturers will pick up MBA's design in their products too.

And if Sony is the one who's making this MBA look alike notebook, then you can also expect hefty price tag on it. But can we really judge high price to seperate notebook from netbook? So far, no real netbooks price are making the break through $1,000 price tag barrier.

Lenovo, one of the latest big computer manufacturers to join in the netbook bandwagon has released IdeaPad S10. The starting price at $399 will get you the usual netbook's specs:

• 10.2" screen with 1024 x 600 resolution and LED backlit
• 1.6GHz Atom processor
• Intel 945GSE chipset
• 512Mb of RAM
• 80GB HDD
• WiFi b/g
• 1.3MP camera
• 4 in 1 card reader
• 2 stereo speakers
• Form factor: 250.2 x 183 x 22-27.5mm, lightest configuration of 1.1 kg

If you wish to bump up the specs at $450 price tag, you'll get 1GB of RAM & 160GB HDD (5400rpm). The IdeaPad S10 available at these colors: black, red & white. Lenovo has already announced its intention to release a 8.9" screen model (S9) with the same IdeaPad S10 casing, where we can hope for cheaper price when it finally comes out. And according to Gizmodo; the IdeaPad S10 is only available with Windows XP preinstalled when it comes out in the US, no Linux OS option.

It doesn't feel complete if we're to talk about netbooks without mention Asus Eee PC, the one which started the netbook trend wave. After revealing the refreshed Eee PC 900A, Asus sucessfully make everyone frown with its mediocre specs (compared to the 901):

• Intel Atom 1.6Ghz
• 1024MB DDR2
• 8.9“ WVGA screen, 1024 x 600
• 8GB / 16GB SSD ( 16GB not yet available )
• LAN, Wifi
• 0.3 Megapixel Webcam
• SD-Card/MMC Slot (SDHC)
• Linux OS

But then, like not satisfied confusing mobile users with more options on Eee PC line-ups, Asus released Ultimate Eee PC S101 at a considerably high price for a netbook: $899. It'll still be powered with the same Intel Atom processor and sports 10.2" LCD display with backlit light, the only difference is its hard drive which will use SSD. The 32GB SSD costs around $699, and the 64GB SSD costs approximately at $899.

Pictured right, the Ultimate Eee PC S101 is placed next to Eee PC 901 model. It has a nice touch of glossy exterior, plus a more subtle colors.

So right now, we're having plenty of netbooks with bigger and bigger screen to choose. Is it not a trend for netbook to have small sized screen anymore? It's a question that need to be answered by mobile users themselves, not by computer manufacturers.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]

Cheaper price predicament on netbooks war: more setbacks on planning the purchase

It’s like the rainy season, where everyday the rain drops by either it’s just drizzles or heavy drops. And so is the current dilemma that mobile users are facing right now, especially for those who’re looking to make a purchase for netbooks.

I’ve been meaning to talk about netbooks, UMPCs, mini-laptops, or whatever it’s being called these days, for quite sometime. But with newer models are being introduced within these last 5 months, I kept on delaying it and thus making it outdated to talk about them anymore.

The war is moving on, the pawns are changed and updated, the master puppets are still the same old same, but there’s one thing that’s still interesting for us to follow: the price.

The mobile market has been flooded with plenty of choices, and to make it worse those netbooks’ price also make us harder to choose. Ranging from top at around $800 to the most cheapest at $300 or less, netbook has become everybody’s favorite who doesn’t need much power-horse from the tiny structured laptop.

Yet of course, for power users who demand every ounce of performance to be squeezed out from their mobile devices; netbooks are simply not suitable for them. But then again, such device is not intended for such purpose from the beginning; and that would become another topic.

The low-end specs within are also contributing to the lower and cheaper price those netbooks have, but not necessarily the basic considerations for moderate mobile users, since the difference for them is blurring with the growing use of “cloud computing”.

I’ve tried to play with some of these netbooks for a brief moment; such as Asus Eee PC 700/900, MSI Wind, HP Mini-Note, and some of the local brand products that I’m sure not that interesting for you (but someone might be thinking the otherwise, even love to brag about them ~LOL~) my dear PalmAddict readers. And I must say, physically their looks are very tempting and appealing.

But when I took them for a long stroll on the net, opened up many web browser’s tabs at once, and visited websites with heavy use of Flash; netbooks are simply incapable for such tasks. The netbook is small in size indeed, which means the screen display also in same small sized; making me to squint me eyes to see the small fonts.

And if that’s not enough to push me away from using netbooks, the heat that is generated from the processor to the front body has also make me faster to close them down. One particular to note regarding this heat problem, IMO the HP Mini-Note is generating more heat than other models I’ve tried. It is not a surprise, in fact it is expected by design, because the Mini-Note is using VIA’s C7 processor which still need more power (but less in performance) to run it than Intel’s Celeron M or even the new Atom processor.

So if specs inside are not a big deal for you, your eyes are used to stare at small screen, your arms love to carry light weight gadgets, and your hands are accustomed to stand on the heating front bezel; then what is stopping you from getting one of those netbooks? Price, price is a huge consideration for buying small device like netbook. Well, unless money grew in your garden or grows on your head; then spending money would become a major lesson you’ll always have to take in the endless journey of yearning for new shiny gizmos. ;-D

Back to the above fact, netbook is designed to be sold at certain lower price margins than its bigger brothers. Which to computer manufacturers, this netbook’s profit margin has created a new phrase for them: “it just doesn’t add up…” (please read my previous post about this). It isn’t so hard for us the consumers to close our eyes, pick one of many netbooks available in the market, and still bring home a netbook that is adequate (in technologies) compared to the ones you didn’t pick.

If you then use your newly purchased netbook in your secluded home/workplace, and never wanting to know of the newest model to come out; then you’ll life happily ever after with it. But we know that is not possible, not just because you’re a gadget freak addict (;-p), but also because sooner or later you’ll find out about the price cut news on newer models.

Do I hear; cheaper price on newer model? Yes, you heard it right. To put it simple and to cut short the long stories, computer manufacturers who produce netbooks are taking up all they can get the remaining pieces of the cake (read: market). And by cutting down the already “cheap” price, they intend to kill competitor’s chance in the process.

We’re already seeing this happening with the release of Eee PC 1000HD, and the hot rumor about new Mini-Note due to be released on the end of this year. You can expect other vendors to follow suit their action afterwards. Of course there’s a catch to this uprising ridiculous price cut trend; they’re slimming down the ample specs inside and dress-on cheaper materials outside.

Ridiculous? Yup, we’re not talking the degrading price in short time frame here. Instead of the acceptable price down in tech and gadgets is a year or 6 months, this is happening in 4-5 months! I can sense those who have spent their money on Eee PC 701 are grinding their teeth now, knowing that theirs have become obsolete in a very short time. Poor bugers… ~LOL~

Asus is keeping the aged Celeron 900MHz processor inside the Eee PC 1000HD, but this model keeps the 10” screen and price; meaning you can have the same device with lower spec. While HP rumored to replace the Mini-Note’s aluminum casing with cheaper plastic and price, but the new model will get Atom or newer VIA processor; meaning you can have better device with not so different price than now.

Since specs and other mumbo jumbos are not your concern for buying netbooks, but the price is; then the question will be: will you wait until the price drops insanely low?

[blogged with my Treo 750v]