Fujitsu launches line of 5 to 12 inch multitouch resistive displays

Resistive touchscreen panels get a bad rep these days, both because they can't recognize fingertip input as easily as capacitive touch panels and for because many people have the mistaken belief that resistive displays can't handle multitouch input. The truth is that while most cheap resistive touch panels found in tablets, netbooks, and handheld devices are single-touch only, that's not an inherent limitation of the technology. There are also some companies providing multitouch resistive displays.

Now Fujitsu is getting in on the action with a new line of multitouch resistive panels. The panels will come in 5.6 inch, 7 inch, and 12.1 inch sizes. Unlike a capacitive display, you'll be able to interact with these screens using a stylus or a gloved finger. On the other hand, if you want to use your fingertips, you'll probably have to press harder on the screen than you would with a capacitive display.

The screens will be able to handle the usual range of multitouch gestures including pinch, rotate, swipe and scroll gestures as well as handwriting. What I like about resistive displays is that they can recognize precise input from a stylus, pen cap, or other sharp object, which comes in handy when you're using an operating system like Windows which was designed for precise input from a mouse rather than fuzzy input from thick fingers.

Akihabara News reports the Fujitsu displays will run from $60 to $120.

via SlashGear

Fujitsu launches line of 5 to 12 inch multitouch resistive displays is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and nettops

• MSI Wind U160 netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $300 – Circuit City (via Amazon)
• Acer Aspire One 721 11.6″ laptop w/AMD Neo K125 CPU for $375 - SuperBiiz (coupon: SHINE9330)
• eMachines ER1402-05 nettop w/AMD II Neo K125, GeForce 9200 for $280 – Newegg (coupon: EMCZZZT83)

Accessories

• A-DATA 16GB SDHC card for $21.99 + free shipping – Newegg
• LG USB 2.0 Black Portable Super Multi Drive for $36.99 + free shipping – Newegg
• Refurbished 3M MPro110 LED Pico Projector for $78 + free shipping – JustDeals (coupon: DEALNEWS1)
• Cavalry 1TB eSATA / USB External Drive for $57 after rebate + free shipping – Buy.com

You can find more deals on netbooks, gadgets, and accessories in the Liliputing Deals section.

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

AMD Bobcat chips: Faster than a speeding Atom

AMD's new 1.6GHz Zacate E350 chip is the first low power chip based on the company's new Bobcat CPU core. It's also the first APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) from AMD, which is a fancy way of saying it's part of the AMD Fusion line of products which put the CPU and graphics onto a single chip. We already knew that Zacate chips would provide more processing power and significantly better graphics performance than Intel's Atom chips… now we have a better idea of just how much more.

A number of tech news sites have published benchmarks and real-world test results for the new AMD Zacate chip.

The dual core chip uses less than 18W of power, but according to Legit Reviews, it can handle multitasking like a champ, while playing 1080p HD video. Hot Hardware ran a series of benchmarks and found that in most tests the chip was generally a little faster than a system with a dual core Intel Atom D525 chip and NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, but not nearly as fast as an AMD Turion II Neo K625 dual core processor, which is also more power-hungry than the other two chips. On the other hand, the Zacate chip got some of the highest scores on the tests of graphics processing performance.

Overall, it sounds like the Zacate chip could give Intel's Atom D5xx series a serious run for the money in the nettop and low power laptop space. I'm still curious to see how AMD's upcoming Ontario chips, which are aimed at netbooks and tablets compare to the Zacate chips.

You can find a roundup of some other benchmarks and reviews of the Zacate chips at Engadget.

AMD Bobcat chips: Faster than a speeding Atom is a post from: Liliputing

Google: Chrome is for keyboards

For a company whose bread and butter is search, Google sure is working on a lot of operating systems… or two, rather. The company's Android OS has taken the smartphone space by storm, and we're starting to see it show up on tablet computers as well. And in the next few months Google is also expected to launch Chrome OS, a browser-based operating system aimed primarily at netbooks at launch.

If you've been wondering why Google needs two separate operating systems, you're not alone. A lot of people have been scratching their heads over this one. After all, Chrome OS is a bit of a one-trick pony, since it's basically an OS that loads a web browser. All your apps are web-based apps, and aside from some local caching features for accessing media while you're offline, the OS pretty much relies on an internet connection to work.

Android, on the other hand, has a web browser built on the same Webkit rendering engine as Chrome OS… but it can also run tens of thousands of third party apps, some of which interact with the internet, and some of which just run on your native device.

Given those descriptions, I think it would be pretty logical to assume that Chrome OS was designed for smartphones and Android for netbooks, but for some reason the opposite it the case.

Anyway, whether you agree with the company's reasoning or not, Google has been saying since day one that Chrome OS will launch on netbooks — and today Google CEO Eric Schmidt reiterated that… and went a bit further, saying the company sees Chrome OS as an operating system designed for devices with keyboards, while Android is better suited to touchscreens.

So while we've seen concept drawings showing how Chrome could work on tablets (and we've even seen early builds of Chrome installed on tablets), it looks like Google isn't officially supporting that form factor yet.

Of course, Google isn't officially supporting Android tablets yet either. The company has already stated the Android 2.2 Froyo isn't optimized for tablets. But Google does plan to add tablet support to future versions of the OS.

via Mashable and Engadget

Google: Chrome is for keyboards is a post from: Liliputing

AMD adds support to MeeGo Linux project

MeeGo Linux was formed earlier this year by the merger of the Moblin and Maemo projects. While Maemo was designed to run on smartphones and tablets with ARM-based processors, Moblin was backed by Intel as a custom Linux distribution for netbooks with Intel Atom processors. MeeGo has expanded the horizons of both projects, with MeeGo variations designed for netbooks, tablets, in-car entertainment systems and smartphones… and now it looks like Intel isn't the only major chip-maker backing the project.

AMD has announced that it will support the project, providing "engineering expertise."

The MeeGo Linux project is now managed by the Linux Foundation, and AMD is already a partner with the foundation, so the move isn't really that big a step.

AMD has also started focusing on low power chips for netbooks, tablets, and other mobile computers recently, so it makes sense that the company would support the development of the new operating system designed to run on those devices. But it's still interesting to see AMD announce its support for a project that was largely started by rival chip-maker Intel.

via PocketNow

AMD adds support to MeeGo Linux project is a post from: Liliputing

HP launches Mini 1103 business netbook

HP has added a new(ish) netbook to its business lineup. The HP Mini 1103 is basically the business version of the HP Mini 110/210 series consumer netbook. It doesn't have all of the premium features available in the HP Mini 5103 business netbook such as the optional HD display, touchscreen, or optional dual core processor. What the HP Mini 1103 does have is a much lower starting price of $299.

Like other HP business netbooks, the HP Mini 1103 is available with a number of options that aren't typically available for the company's consumer oriented machines. For instance, you can configure the HP Mini 1103 with Windows 7 Starter, SUSE Linux 11, or FreeDOS and opt for 1GB to 2GB of DDR3 RAM. It has a 7200RPM hard drive and is available in capacities from 160GB to 320GB.

The rest of the specs are pretty much par for the netbook course, with 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 and 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475 processor options, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3 and 6 cell battery options, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, and a combination mic/headphone jack.

You can find details specs at HP.com. The HP Mini 1103 will be available for purchase next month.

HP launches Mini 1103 business netbook is a post from: Liliputing

System76 Starling netbook goes dual core

Linux system builder System76 has quietly bumped up the specs for its Starling NetBook. For $385 this 10 inch mini-laptop comes with Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook edition and a 3 cell battery. It also now includes a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core processor.

Since the Starling NetBook isn't bound by Microsoft's hardware restrictions for Windows 7 Starter, there are also a upgrade options that you won't find on most netbooks. You can configure the Starling with up to 500GB of hard drive space or opt for a high performance solid state disk. It ships standard with 2GB of RAM, which is is twice the RAM you would get from most netbooks.

A 6 cell battery will cost you an extra $59 though, driving the base price up to $444.

System76 has also announced that the company will begin shipping internationally by the end of the month… on a limited basis. Right now the company's computers are only available for purchase in the US. By the end of November you'll be able to order System76 computers in the UK, although they'll continue to ship with US keyboards for now.

via Netbook News and OMG Ubuntu

System76 Starling netbook goes dual core is a post from: Liliputing

Sony introduces 11.6 inch Vaio Y-series notebook

Sony is certainly no stranger to making thin and light computers, but the company has a tendency to offer premium features and premium price tags which make it difficult to confuse those notebooks with netbooks. Even the Sony Vaio W line of 10 inch laptops with Atom processors, which are pretty typical netbook fare, tend to cost more than most netbooks on the market.

So it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that Sony's latest 11.6 inch laptop has a price tag of well over $1000… at least in Japan.

The new Sony Vaio Y VPCYA19FJ has a 1366 x 768 ixel 11.6 inch display, a 1.33GHz Intel Core i3-380UM processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. It has integrated Intel graphics, WiFi, Bluetoth, and a battery which Sony says should be good for up to 6 hours.

While Sony hasn't officially announced the price, Akihabara News reports the Sony Vaio VPCYA19FJ will run about 110,000 yen or roughly $1335 US.

Sony introduces 11.6 inch Vaio Y-series notebook is a post from: Liliputing

Gigabyte T1005M unboxed on video

The Gigabyte T1005M looks pretty much like any other 10 any netbook. That is until you see what it can really do. The Gigabyte T1005M is a convertible netbook, meaning the screen can be folded over, turning the T1005M netbook into the T1005M tablet. The screen features a capacitive multi touch display.

It comes with a 10.1 inch display but, unlike other netbooks on the market, it features a higher resolution of 1366×768 making many more apps much more compatible. Processor wise it features Intel's dual core Atom processor, the 1.5GHz N550. The hard drive, RAM and other components are easily upgraded via easy access panels, which isn't unknown for netbooks but, is an added bonus. We also see an eSata port on the T1005M as well as USB 3.0 ports. Another change from the norm, is that the touchpad buttons are on the left and right of the trackpad instead of underneath.

The unboxing video below takes a look at the hardware of the Gigabyte T1005M, as well as what's in the box, which includes a cleaning cloth and a case for the netbook. You can pick the Gigabyte T1005M convertible netbook up for $640 from Amazon.

via

---

Link to post: Gigabyte T1005M unboxed on video - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Another way to make a space-saving laptop

There are a few reasons netbooks took off a few years ago. They're cheap and they're portable. But they're certainly not the only laptop computers that are cheap or portable. If you like the idea of a laptop that can be used comfortably on an airplane tray table but don't like the idea of using a notebook with a 10 inch screen and a small keyboard, hardware hacker Ben Heck has an idea… his latest hack takes a standard Toshiba laptop and modifies the screen so that it floats above the keyboard to take up less space.

The modified computer can function as a normal laptop — which might be hard to fully open on an airplane without jamming the screen into the seat in front of you. Or you can pull the screen up and tilt it over the keyboard so you're actually typing under the screen.

OK, it probably doesn't actually save that much space. But it sure looks cool.

Right now this is just a proof of concept, but it appears to work… although it takes a bit of elbow grease to slide the screen and you're stuck with a rather ugly looking cable connecting the screen to the base of the laptop.

You can check out a video after the break.

via Engadget

Another way to make a space-saving laptop is a post from: Liliputing