Laptops play catch up to the iPad, Xoom

By Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

"Market researcher Gartner released a research note Thursday claiming that laptops are not meeting the demands of the social-networking era. So, will mobile PCs become more like the Xoom and the iPad, which are, in turn, larger versions of the smartphone? In a word, yes.

This theory--or fact, depending on how you look at it--can also be restated as the post-PC era, which is the Apple marketing-spin corollary to the Gartner argument.

But let's stick to Gartner's analysis about the unsuitability of laptops in the social-networking era. Here are the most significant points in the note about the average mainstream laptop:

* Battery life: not capable of all-day 'untethered computing'
* Connections: constant and immediate connections are not possible (i.e., no standard 3G/4G)
* Heavy: still too heavy, lacks real mobility

What this means is more laptops need to be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air: very light, very thin--just like a tablet and, by extension, like a smartphone.

Though small laptops aren't for everybody, it does mean more people will gravitate to this style as companies like Apple upgrade to powerful silicon like Intel's low-voltage Sandy Bridge processor (and its future Ivy Bridge chip) and upcoming power-efficient chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Snap Your Tablet Back Into a Laptop

Courtesy of ABC News Video

Becky Worley reports from this year's CES in Las Vegas and demos the Lenovo LePad, which easily changes from a tablet back into a laptop.

CES: Samsung unveils 9 Series, a thin competitor to the MacBook Air

CES: Samsung unveils 9 Series, a thin competitor to the MacBook Air - CES 2011 CNET Blogs: "Samsung laptops have caught our eye for more than a year now, with an increasingly impressive design aesthetic and fairly good prices to boot. Today, its announcement of a thin, 13-inch laptop aimed squarely at the MacBook Air-loving crowd seems to indicate a direction in higher-end products, too, and we certainly can't complain.

The 9 Series comes with a second-generation Intel Core i5-2537M CPU, 4GB of DD43 RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive, along with Windows 7 Professional. The design looks great so far: its metal finish has beautiful curved edges, and Samsung boasts it's the thinnest 13-inch laptop in existence. While specific dimensions weren't provided, it weighs 2.86 pounds. Despite its size, it also packs a 1.5-watt subwoofer and stereo speakers, too.

The Samsung 9 series isn't cheap at $1,599, scraping the top of the high-end. However, it's nice to see laptops aiming to get sexy again, a trend seemingly lacking at this year's CES. With heated competition from tablets and smartphones bearing eye-popping designs, we're surprised more laptop manufacturers aren't following suit, albeit perhaps with something a bit more affordable.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

MacBook Air Review: The skinny on the skinny (MSNBC)

Here's a review of the new MacBook Air laptop courtesy of MSNBC. Talk about "skinny."

Walmart, Best Buy in Sub-$300 Laptop Price War

Walmart, Best Buy in Sub-$300 Laptop Price War - Yahoo! News: "Walmart and Best Buy appear to have kicked off a price war in time for the back-to-school shopping season, with both retailers offering Compaq laptops with 15.6-inch screens for under US$300.

Walmart is selling Hewlett-Packard's Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM for $298 through its online store. Best Buy is selling a Compaq Presario CQ60-615DX for $299 on its website.

The laptops have similar specifications. Both come with a single-core Intel Celeron 900 processor running at 2.2GHz and include 2GB of DDR2 memory. They also have 250GB hard drives, wired and 802.11 b/g/ wireless networking capabilities, DVD burners and Intel's 4500M integrated graphics.

The systems come with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS and include other applications often referred to as bloatware. One notable feature absent from the laptops is a webcam.

Best Buy is also selling a $299 Toshiba Satellite C655-S5049 laptop on its website. That laptop also has a 15.6-inch screen and Celeron 900 processor, but includes 2GB of the faster DDR3 memory type.

The price war is similar to one that broke out before last year's back-to-school season, said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at The NPD Group. That battle ignited last July when Best Buy offered an Acer laptop for $299, and Walmart undercut the price by $1 with a Compaq machine.

'They are selling them because they drive traffic into the stores, provide great value to their customers [and] help each other compete against one another,' Baker said.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Cafe owner asks patrons to log off, talk

Cafe owner asks patrons to log off, talk: "A North Oakland cafe is trying something revolutionary this weekend. It's not fat-free croissants or half-price lattes.

The owner is asking customers to leave their laptops at home and actually speak to each other.

'When we opened this place we wanted to create a community. Instead it's just been a room full of laptops,' said Sal Bednarz, who opened Actual Cafe six weeks ago on San Pablo Avenue. 'I don't have anything against technology, but it's not the same as looking someone in the eye and pressing the flesh.'

From 8 a.m. today through 8 p.m. Sunday, patrons who flip open their laptops will be asked to unplug, sign off and log out. They'll be encouraged to sit at communal tables and chat.

Customers, when pried away from their computer screens Friday afternoon, said they were thrilled at the idea. They said they're tired of their laptops, iPods and cell phones, too.

'When I get away from the computer, it's a relief,' said Genevieve Walker, a graphic designer who often spends two or three hours in cafes tapping away on her laptop.

Dan Beyer, the only person at the cafe not with a laptop Friday, said he was looking forward to meeting his fellow cafe denizens.

'Laptops cut people off,' said Beyer, an artist. 'I think it forms a social divide. Technology's great, but there's a serious social impact.'

Actual Cafe is not alone in its disenchantment with laptops. Up the street, Nomad Cafe - which when it opened seven years ago billed itself as an 'Internet cafe' - has reduced the number of electrical outlets to one."

Notebooks, Netbooks, Smartbooks: Which One Is Best For You?

Notebooks, Netbooks, Smartbooks: Which One Is Best For You? - Yahoo! News: "America is becoming a nation of booklovers. Notebooks, netbooks and smartbooks, that is, if you believe the computer manufacturers.

Unfortunately, the names and descriptions for these mobile computing devices have become somewhat interchangeable, generating a fair amount of consumer confusion. In terms of buzz, notebooks are yesterday's news. Last year the Next Big Thing was the netbook; this year it's the smartbook. What's the difference?"

Apple set to take on Amazon, Kindle with (rumored) tablet

By Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech (CLICK to read more)

"We've seen neither hide nor hair of the oft-rumored Mac tablet, but at least one analyst claims that not only will the device launch next spring, but also that Apple is positioning it to book publishers as a Kindle killer. What's the supposed killer feature, you ask? Apparently, it's all about the money.

AppleInsider reports that Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner told investors in a note Wednesday that production is ramping up for the long-rumored but as yet unseen Mac tablet, which could arrive in stores with a 10.1-inch LCD screen (not OLED, as some have speculated) and a $1,000 price tag (ouch) as soon as March or April.

Of course, Apple tablet rumors are a dime a dozen; by now, we've heard that the tablet (which Apple hasn't even announced yet) could be anywhere from $500 to $2,000, run on Verizon Wireless (or not), rang in size from four to 11 inches, and even potentially sprout wings and fly. (The tablet-looking thing pictured here is just clip art, by the way.)

More interesting, though, is Reiner's claim (according to AppleInsider) that Apple is actively shopping around a 'very attractive proposal' for a new 'e-book platform' to take on the Kindle."

Price Is Heavier, But These Laptops Are Very Sleek

By Walter S. Mossberg / The Wall Street Journal via Yahoo! Finance

"PC makers this fall are trying to get consumers who want small laptops to move up from low-profit netbooks to larger, costlier models called 'ultrathin' or 'thin and light.' These models are lighter and thinner than many regular laptops, but they have bigger screens and keyboards than most netbooks do.

The slim portables tend to start at around $500 and many fall into the $600 to $900 range. You can easily find bigger, heavier laptops for less. But the manufacturers are hoping mobile consumers will be willing to pay a premium for sleekness and long battery life.

I've been testing three examples of the new class: the Toshiba Satellite T135, the Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dm3t and the Lenovo IdeaPad U350. All came equipped with bright 13-inch screens, power-sipping Intel processors and Windows 7 Home Premium. The particular configurations lent me by the manufacturers for testing were priced at $600 for the Toshiba, $840 for the HP and $700 for the Lenovo.

I found the trio a mixed bag, with notable pros and cons for each. These trade-offs left me unable to declare a clear winner. The one you'd like best would depend on your own weighting of various qualities, like the feel of a keyboard or touchpad.

Nevertheless, I found that all three were capable, easy-to-carry laptops. In my tests, each easily handled common consumer tasks at acceptable speeds. The three weighed between 3.5 and 4.2 pounds. All were about an inch thick, or a bit less, at their thinnest points.

I ran all three through my tough battery test, where I turn off all power-saving features, set the screen to maximum brightness, leave Wi-Fi on and play a continuous loop of music.

The Toshiba and the HP turned in excellent results in this battery test, while the Lenovo was disappointing, mainly because it comes with a smaller standard battery. In a re-test, with a $50 optional larger battery, the Lenovo also did very well, but at the cost of added weight and thickness.

In normal use, with power-saving turned on, the Toshiba and HP could easily last for a full work day of typical activities, and the Lenovo could, too, with the optional battery.

Toshiba Satellite T135

This is a sleek, glossy machine that starts at around 3.9 pounds for the 13-inch models. It got the best battery life of the three with a standard battery: five hours and 38 minutes, which I estimate would easily translate into more than seven hours in normal use. It also cost the least, at $600, of the three I tried. My test model came with three gigabytes of memory and a 250-gigabyte hard disk. It was very fast at resuming from sleep, but took more than two minutes to perform a restart with just three common programs running, and nearly two minutes to start up cold.

My main beef with the Toshiba is its keyboard and touchpad buttons. The keyboard felt too rubbery and flexible, and the buttons under the touchpad were in the form of a single, slippery, hard-to-use bar.

HP Pavilion dm3t

This laptop, the most expensive of my test models by far, at $840, was also the heaviest, at 4.2 pounds. The chassis is metal, instead of plastic. Its battery life clocked in at five hours and two minutes in my test, which means you could easily exceed six hours in normal use. My test model came with 3 GB of memory and a huge 500 GB hard disk.

The keyboard felt solid, but the fatal flaw of the dm3 for me was its metallic touchpad, which made the cursor move slowly and even stop at times. Like the Toshiba, the HP took a long time to get going: almost 2.5 minutes for a restart and about two minutes for a cold start.

The HP dm3 also is available for about $100 less when equipped with AMD processors, though HP says those have weaker battery life.

Lenovo IdeaPad U350

In many ways, I liked the U350 best. It was sturdy, but thinner overall than the others because it lacked a bulging battery. The keyboard is firm and well designed, and the touchpad and buttons are comfortable and easy to use. It came with 4 GB of memory and a 320 GB hard disk for its $700 price. It was the only one of the three to restart in under two minutes. It also weighed the least, about 3.5 pounds.

But the IdeaPad's downfall is its small, flat battery, which offered only two hours and 38 minutes of life, or maybe 3.5 to four hours in normal use. With the optional $50 battery, the battery life in my test zoomed up to nearly six hours, which means maybe 7.5 or eight hours in normal use. But that extra battery brought the computer's weight to four pounds and made it thicker.

These thin, light, machines perform adequately and can last a long time unplugged. But I urge you to test them personally before choosing one, to make sure you're comfortable with their designs."

HP jump-starting Compaq brand with ultra-cheap machines

By Christopher Null / Yahoo! Tech

"Remember Compaq? Hewlett-Packard acquired the venerable computer company way back in 2002, but it's kept the name alive as a secondary brand ever since, mainly relegating Compaq to overseas markets (Compaq is particularly popular in Asia) and as second-tier PCs sold on the cheap at warehouse-style stores.

But now HP is looking to breathe a little new life into the Compaq brand, positioning it not just as a label for extremely cheap computer equipment but also as one with mainstream appeal in the U.S.

Today the company is announcing the rollout of a line of ultra-inexpensive PCs, both laptops and desktops, with extreme budgets in mind.

Consider first the Compaq CQ61z (pictured), a 15.6-inch laptop with an AMD Sempron CPU, 2GB of RAM, DVD burner, 160GB hard drive, and discrete graphics. Running Windows 7 Home Premium, the machine costs a nearly unfathomable $399. That price point probably sounds familiar -- it's the usual cost for your average netbook, which in comparison offers a tiny screen, minimal hard drive, and an ultra-low-power Atom CPU.

With the $400 laptop's arrival, Compaq wants potential buyers to ask: Why not jump up to a much larger and more capable system for exactly the same price? I'm having a hard time seeing any reason not to. Seriously, it even has a numeric keypad.

Even better bargains abound for desktop shoppers. The attractive Compaq Presario 4010f has similar specs (with a 250GB hard drive) and starts at just $309 after a $100 rebate.

Both systems are available on Windows 7 launch day, October 22.

Compaq's aggressively inexpensive hardware -- particularly the $399 laptop -- could have massive ramifications for the computer market. Will netbooks finally feel the pinch that they've been giving to standard laptops for two years now? And what kind of pressure will machines like this bring to bear on more expensive notebook PCs? Price war in 3... 2... 1..."

CNET's back-to-school 2009 retail laptop/desktop review roundup

By Dan Ackerman & Rich Brown / Crave - CNET (CLICK to read more)

"With laptops and desktops as standard equipment in many classrooms and dorm rooms, the back-to-school season is a busy one for computer shopping. We are once again scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $349 to quad-core powerhouses.

Many of these are similar to those you'd be able to configure online from companies such as Dell and HP, but these are specific retail models that have slightly different names and features, and are--thanks to the deep discounts offered by brick-and-mortar store back-to-school sales--sometimes a better deal than buying direct from a PC maker."

VIDEO: Notebook versus Netbook: What are the differences?

Netbooks seem to be growing in popularity this year, but ever wonder what they have over a notebook or vice versa? Can’t decide which one to get? Albert goes into detail to help you choose which one is right for you, stay tuned.

Thanks for tuning it's a computer TV my name's Albert in today's a special episode. This episode is for -- more basic -- watchers or viewers. And that what I'm gonna play today is the differences between this. Which is called a netbook verses than this which is called a notebook. Now we look at it here's an Acer aspire one netbook and we are looking at here's a Toshiba notebook. And there are some very common you know obvious difference is but a lot of people don't really know and what's happening is that people are seeing this little. Very affordable very small very cute looking 400 dollars 300 dollar laptop.

How To: Notebook Vs Netbook on Howcast

State govs saying 'No thanks' to mystery laptops

Yahoo! News (CLICK to read more)

"Even during tight budgetary times, a growing handful of state governors are proving too wary to accept laptop computers that have shown up at their offices this month, unsolicited.

Officials in West Virginia, Vermont, Wyoming and Washington state have reported receiving between three and five laptops, each over the course of two separate deliveries — but none had ordered any of them.

'They immediately raised a red flag,' said Matt Turner, spokesman for West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin. 'No one said, 'Hey, we got a free gift.''

The laptops were made by Hewlett-Packard or come from its Compaq brand. The world's leading PC maker intercepted a shipment to at least one other state, according to a bulletin issued by the National Governors Association in response to the suspicious deliveries.

'HP is aware that fraudulent state government orders recently have been placed for small amounts of HP equipment. HP took prompt corrective action to address the fraudulent orders and is working with law enforcement personnel on a criminal investigation,' the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company said in a statement, declining further comment."

Ten ways to break your laptop

Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News: "It's a well-known fact that circuit boards and liquids don't mix, but there are more bizarre ways to break your laptop. A Massachusetts-based computer repair company has listed the top 10 ways that people deep-six their laptops--MacBooks, in particular.

In many respects, a laptop is an accident waiting to happen. Often there is no more than a thin piece of plastic between the user and disaster. And Apple MacBooks are particularly vulnerable at Starbucks these days due to their increasing popularity over the standard-fare Dell laptop.

But spilling coffee on your keyboard is one of the less colorful ways to break your laptop (Apple MacBook Air owners take note: No. 7)."

Dell gets thin: Inspiron 11z debuts for only $399

Crave - CNET: "While much was made of Dell killing off its Mini 12 Netbook recently, one question raised was: what might fill that 11-to-12-inch void in the future? That question is answered, in part, with today's announcement of the Dell Inspiron 11z, an 11.6-inch thin-and-light weighing only 3 pounds. How thin? At its thickest point: 1.02 inches, according to Dell's specs. This is Dell's first real entry into thin-and-light, a category that's been gaining momentum recently (the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T, MSI X340, and Lenovo IdeaPad U350 to name a few).

Inside, there's no Atom processor, but instead a single-core 1.2 GHz Intel ULV Celeron 723. Equipped with a three-cell battery, Dell promises long battery life in a chassis that's '24 percent smaller than 14-inch laptops' (but this is an 11.6-inch laptop, so how is that fair?). Unfortunately, that 'long battery life' equates to 3 hours in the press release, but we'll remain optimistic. The keyboard is 92 percent standard-size, close to a regular laptop experience (although sometimes we've found that small differences in ergonomics can be disorienting). Like a Netbook and most thin-and-lights, the 11z has no optical drive.

One of the best features is the price: Dell's Web site lists the Inspiron 11z as $399, the same cost as a Netbook."

Wireless Internet use up sharply

READ full story on MSNBC.com

"More Americans are accessing the Internet using wireless mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

'Use of the Internet on mobile devices has grown sharply from the end of 2007 to the beginning of 2009,' with 56 percent of Americans saying that have 'at some point used wireless means for online access,' the Pew Center said.

While laptops, game consoles and MP3 players were cited as some of the devices used for wireless Internet access, Pew's findings show that smartphones — such as the iPhone or BlackBerrys which have Web access and e-mail — are playing a fast-growing role."

So...is that a netbook?

It's not a netbook! : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

Whether you call them netbooks, mini-notebooks, or "low cost small notebook PCs," they do pretty much the same stuff.

Dell goes upscale with the $2,000 Adamo notebook

"It's a curious time to target the top of the market, but Dell seems intent on taking a page from the Apple playbook, striking hard into the ultra-luxe laptop category with its new Adamo system, a svelte 13-inch notebook which starts at a cool two grand.

Launching today (with shipments beginning on March 26), the laptop is now the thinnest computer on the market, just 0.65 inches thick and weighing about four pounds (somewhat heavier than its primary competitors, the MacBook Air and HP Voodoo Envy). Built with an aluminmum chassis, it's available in black or white, and comes in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo/2GB RAM/128GB SSD model for $1,999, and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo/4GB RAM/128GB SSD/integrated WWAN model for $2,699. The laptop also claims a five-hour battery life, features a snazzy backlit keyboard, and an edge-to-edge, all-glass, high-def display."

PC maintenance: How to clean your laptop

"Remember the last time you washed your car? You took it to the car wash or broke out the hose and blasted off layer after layer of grime. And afterwards, you beamed at how good it looked. Heck, you might even have thought it ran better, too.

But when was the last time you cleaned your laptop computer?

If you can't answer that question, you're long overdue and could be headed for major performance issues. All that accumulated dust and dirt affects how your laptop runs, which in turn can strain your eyes, slow down your data processing and reduce your productivity. Not to mention all the sticky hands that may have touched it over the holidays.

Take heart—it's easy to give your laptop a first-rate clean-up. With the right tools (see 'PC hygiene helpers') and a regular schedule, you can keep your multi-keyed friend purring along for years to come. Here's how to get started."

Is technology killing your love life?

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Don't let this happen to YOU on Valentine's Day! Show the love, fellas (grin).

Is technology killing your love life?-Trends-Lifestyle-The Times of India

"With laptops finding a comfortable corner on beds and mobile phones a constant companion, many couples in Indian cities virtually have to battle with technology to keep the romance alive.

'It's so hard to find quality time for ourselves nowadays. Even if we go out for a quiet dinner, my husband's phone never stops ringing. So we end up not having a good time and eventually fight,' said Maneka Singh, a 29-year-old housewife.

Many men and women complain of their partner's pre-occupation with mobiles, laptops, MP3 players, iPods, videogame consoles and other hi-tech gizmos."