Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Popularity of Netbooks Prompts Microsoft to Acknowledge Threat of Linux

Until now, Microsoft has not acknowledged that Linux was much of a threat. Microsoft has recently stated in an SEC filing that Red Hat and Canonical/Ubuntu are no doubt competitors to their business.

Many netbooks operate on a Linux-based OSes, and since there is a growing presence of netbooks, Microsoft is starting to feel somewhat threatened but Linux's growing ubiquity. Furthermore, because of lower costs, many netbooks are offered with Linux instead of Windows.

Microsoft's upcoming (and highly anticipated) Windows 7 OS may be a bit pricier than the current Windows XP/Vista solution, so the company is planning on continuing to offer the latter OS in order to keep prices down.

According to Rob Helm, the director of research for Directions on Microsoft (an independent organization devoted to tracking and studying Microsoft), "Netbooks opened Microsoft to the possibility that some other OS could get its grip on the desktop, however briefly. Now it's alert to that possibility going forward."

Via TechWhack.

Images from VentureBeat and TopNews.

Original Post

The Netbook Is A Popular Back-to-School Item

More back-to-school consumers are turning to netbooks instead of notebooks this back-to-school season. And why not?

Netbooks are solid alternatives to laptops - they can do most of the stuff that notebooks can and are much more portable, not to mention that many netbook batteries can last for much longer than that of the standard laptop.

And moreover, parents don't have to worry as much about their child damaging or losing a netbook since it's much cheaper than a laptop.

According to DisplaySearch, a market research firm, the forecast for netbook sales in North America is set at 9 million netbooks for this year. This is a large increase from 2008, when the number of netbooks sold was roughly 3.7 million.

Via Sun-Sentinel.

Image via ICIS.

Smartbook, ARM Netbooks On The Way

Netbook

The smartbook looms on the horizon, and a battle between ARM and the Atom may be afoot. Rumor jockey DigiTimes claims that we'll be seeing these netbook competitors in the last quarter of this year.

The new machines will rumoredly pack the Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and the NVIDIA Tegra line, and could come from household name slike ASUS, Acer, and Foxconn. Chinese netbook maker Compal could also have a hand in upcoming ARM netbooks, as well as Inventec and Mobinnova.

Always Innovating will also be releasing its magnetic Touch Book very soon.

At the end of the day, it's looking like Intel's Atom netbook CPU and the ARM Cortex A8 will be having a face-off by Christmas. Word has it that the A8 could be a cheaper and more efficient device than the Intel Atom, so it will be exciting to see these giants clash later this year.

Via Arstechnica.

Make Your Netbook Truly Mobile With A Bike Mount

Netbook Bike Mount

Creative netbook mounts can be an effective way to boost the mobility of your new machine. Not all of us have a car in which to mount our netbooks, so why not hitch one onto a bike?

Instructables has instructions for mounting an ASUS Eee PC 701 on a netbook. Some refurbed versions are available for under $200, and it uses an SSD. Little knocks and bumps can mess up a moving hard drive but solid state storage is a lot hardier.

Check out the guide if you are confident working with wood and want to trick out your bike with everything the internet has to offer.

Kroo Reversible Netbook Sleeve Good for Both Work and Play

For those individuals who like netbook cases that are simple, yet fun and unique, we'd like to introduce to you the Kroo Reversible Sleeve. This soft padded case is made from neoprene and is supposedly scratch resistant and bump resistant.

The two sides of this reversible sleeve are colored in black and red, a combination that is perfect for both work and for pleasure. When you're feeling professional, you can use the black side, and when you're feeling spontaneous, just flip netbook cover inside out to reveal the red covering.

Unfortunately, for owners of netbooks that larger than 10″, this case won't be able to accommodate your machine; currently, the Kroo case is only made to fit 10″ netbooks. It's dimensions are approximately 10.5″x7″x1″and it weighs approximately 12.8 ounces. And currently, shipping is only limited to within the United States.

If you're interested, you can get your very own Kroo reversible sleeve by going here.

Original Post

Always Innovating Touch Book Netbook Available for Shipping

According to the official website, Always Innovating's Touch Book netbook has started to ship. The company has a backlog of orders though, so if you want one, you may have to wait. Pre-orders are being filled first.

The statement on the website says "As an early-stage start-up, it will take us several weeks to fill every order. Nevertheless, we are increasing our production capability to ship pre-orders as quickly as possible."

We've blogged about this new device a couple times. You can learn more about Always Innovating's new netbook check out our articles here and here.

Via NetbookChoice.

Original Post

Apple Tablet / Netbook? MacBook Touch? iTablet? Who Knows?

So of course there's all this hype about the new tablet/netbook that Apple is coming out with, but with all these rumors floating around, who knows exactly what it'll actually turn out to be? Now there's even a new name for the device…the iTablet. But who knows whether this will be the name of the final product or not?

Anyhoo, the iTablet is rumored to be priced around $699-$799. It's also rumored to have the competition halting to scratch their heads to think about what Apple is actually manufacturing. Another rumor on the street is that Acer/Asus have stopped netbook production until 2010.

As we said, who knows what Apple's coming up with these days and who knows which rumors are even slighlty true. As soon as we find out anything though, you can be sure that we'll be sure to let you know.

Via iPhoneHelp.

Original Post

RunCore Announces Massive SSDs for Netbooks

RunCore

RunCore is working on a new batch of SSDs for the netbook market, helping to alleviate the pain of slower, smaller hard drives on the diminuitive computers.

The SSDs are meant to replace hard disk drives, and range from 32 GB to 256 GB. The standard HDD is 160 GB, but some consumers may even downgrade in order to achieve the improved stability and durability of solid-state drives.

The Pro IV SSDs come in 1.8″, 2.5″, and PCI-E form factors. All sizes will come in SATA and PATA versions.

These new storage solutions are pretty expensive, running from $179.99 for a 32 GB drive to $899.99 for the 256 GB. However, RunCore hopes buyers won't be too bogged down by the price tag when choosing the faster, more durable drives.

Via UberGizmo.

Original Post

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Acer Aspire One Netbook Keyboard Cover

Concerned about messing up your netbook's keyboard? Fret no more - Amazon has a solution for you.

Keyboard Guard

It may not look like much, but a simple keyboard skin cover can prevent smudging, chipping or other types of damage to your new netbook. This particular one fits on two different models of Acer Aspire One, and is available for only $10.99 with an included wristband.

Original Post

Mobile Devices With Short Battery Lives? No problem.

BeamBox presents…drumroll please…the MiLi universal charger. Not only is this cute little device an A/C adapter, but it's also a car charger that features two USB ports.

Yes, that means that two devices can be charged at the same time. Each of the two USB ports on the charger has an LED light to show whether or not the attached device is done charging. The MiLi charger can supply 12-24V of DC power or 100-240V of AC power.

The MiLi universal charger is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, and has interchangeable US, UK, Australian, and European plug adapters. It also comes in nine different colors. Talk about variety and versatility, not to mention portability!

If you're interested, the BeamBox MiLi charger is available for pre-order at £20 (or $37) a pop.

Via SlashGear.

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