GigaOM » notebooks

New MacBook Air Unboxing Video

James Kendrick — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:00:48 +0000

Apple unveiled two new MacBook Air models today, and that 11-inch model is calling my name. The 13-inch model is nice too, and GigaOM has one in our HQ, those lucky devils. Janko Roettgers got the honors of unboxing this beauty, and this video of the new notebook shows how nice it is.

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Dell Notebooks on Sprint with Integrated 3G/4G

James Kendrick — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:00:45 +0000

Dell Inspiron Mini 10

Sprint continues to promote its growing 4G network through the offer of two Dell notebooks that have integrated 3G and 4G connectivity. The notebooks include the 10-inch Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook and the 11.6-inch Inspiron 11z Notebook. The Mini 10 is available free ($100 mail-in rebate) to customers signing a new 2-year mobile broadband contract, while the 11z is $149.99 (same rebate) with contract.

There are two data plans available for the notebooks, including a 3G/4G plan that offers unlimited 4G and 3G with a 5 GB data cap for $59.99 monthly. This plan is similar to the existing plan for Sprint’s Overdrive wireless modem. Those not wanting 4G data speeds, or those not in an area that has coverage, can opt for a 3G-only plan with a 500 MB data cap for $39.99 per month.

Dell Inspiron 11z

Notebooks with integrated 4G are nothing new, but the dual 3G/4G connectivity bundled in these two notebooks ensures customers can make the fastest connection available in any location. The data connection will automatically tap into the faster Sprint 4G (WiMAX) network where coverage is available, or connect to the 3G (EVDO) network if 4G isn’t detected. The Sprint 3G network has much wider coverage than the 4G network, as the latter has only been rolled out in 55 cities in the U. S.

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Review: Parallels Desktop 6 for the Mobile Professional

James Kendrick — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:00:41 +0000

The days of major Windows/Mac compatibility issues have waned, but for the mobile professional, they haven’t completely receded into distant memory. Those who use Windows at work still run into the situations when a Microsoft Office document just doesn’t work quite right on the Mac. If your company uses Outlook, it might be easier to have access to it while at home with the Mac. Whatever your reasons for needing access to Windows, the newly released Parallels Desktop 6 may be just what you need.

Getting Started

Mac owners can install Windows under Bootcamp, which is part of OS X. This creates a Windows partition that allows booting into Windows as desired. Parallels Desktop (and competitor VMWare (vmw) Fusion) offer a simpler solution. A virtual machine is created inside OS X where Windows (or other OSes) can be installed and run while OS X is running. This opens up options not available to Bootcamp users, such as dragging and dropping files between the two “systems”.

Once Parallels Desktop 6 is installed, it walks the user through the Windows installation. There are options for installing Windows from the Mac DVD drive or from an image file (ISO), which is what I used. Windows is not included with Parallels; you need your own purchased copy. The Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) install went quickly and without issue, all in a window on my Mac OS X desktop. Once Windows was done installing (and rebooting) I sat through the long Windows Update session to add all the security updates.

Parallels has a Transporter utility for Windows users who wish to make the Windows system on the Mac mimic a Windows PC. The PC is connected to the Mac with a USB cable, and once the Transporter utility runs it copies the user’s Windows files and customizations to the virtual machine on the Mac. The new Windows system on the Mac then looks just like the Windows PC. I haven’t used this method, preferring a basic Windows installation on the Mac without transferring anything. My documents are on the Mac, and Parallels allows easy access to them on the Windows side.

The Parallels virtual machine that’s home to the Windows install is seen by the OS as a dedicated computer running that OS. Windows does not work differently this way than it does installed on a real computer. Parallels adds hooks into the Windows install that makes it easy for the OS X system to interact with the Windows side of things. It is like having two computers tightly networked together, all running on the Mac.

Parallels Desktop 6 has some new features not found in previous versions, most notably a healthy performance increase according to the developers. They claim a 40 percent improvement in both Windows boot time and system performance. I haven’t run any benchmarks, but it’s definitely faster than Parallels Desktop 5. The system has been so snappy that I was surprised to see that Parallels had allocated the Windows 7 virtual machine only 1 GB of memory. My MacBook has 4 GB of memory and a dual-core CPU and I thought about bumping the memory allocated to Windows (it’s user configurable) up to 2 GB, but performance was so good I left it at the default level.

Parallels in Use

The Windows virtual machine can be run in OS X in a Mac Window or in full-screen mode. The whole Windows desktop is in a regular Mac window in the former, and takes over the whole display in the latter. Full-screen mode is handy on setups with multiple monitors with Windows on one screen and OS X on the other. Those using Spaces on the Mac can do the same thing on single display systems and use a simple key sequence to toggle between the two OSes.

I actually prefer the third method that Parallels provides to run Window. The Coherence mode hides the Windows desktop completely, and programs run in Windows appear on the Mac desktop as a simple window. This facilitates having Windows and Mac apps on the screen side-by-side, and dragging objects between them. Parallels has an option to make Windows apps use frames just like Mac apps for those who want everything to look Mac. I prefer to have Windows apps display in a Windows frame so I can tell at a glance which OS I am dealing with. The Windows Start Menu is available on the Mac system bar at the top of the screen, and Windows programs appear as a folder in the dock.

Since the Windows virtual machine is a full implementation of the OS, everything you can do on a Windows PC can be done in Parallels on the Mac. Microsoft Office 2010 programs run very well on the Mac, and it’s handy to have access to full versions of Office without leaving the Mac environment. Outlook users will be happy with that program running on the Mac in a Windows on the desktop.

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I’ve been running Parallels Desktop 6 on a unibody MacBook, not a Pro. It doesn’t have the dedicated graphics option that Pros have, but the performance has still been quite good. I’m running Windows in Coherence mode all the time, with programs running on my Mac desktop. I don’t have any issues with performance, and both OSes have played nicely together. The developers claim that Parallels Desktop 6 provides better 3-D game play than earlier versions. I haven’t tried that, but our friends at TheAppleBlog have done some testing that questions those claims.

Running Windows on the MacBook hasn’t taken an appreciable toll on the battery. There’s certainly a small hit due to having both CPUs running all the time and more memory allocated, but it’s not enough to be a concern. This makes the Parallels solution for running Windows particularly attractive to mobile professionals. I’ve covered using the iPad as a second display while traveling, and this works well with Parallels. It is quite a sight to have Windows running on the iPad next to the MacBook.

Parallels Desktop 6 will be widely available on Sept. 14, but owners of earlier versions can upgrade now for $49.99. The full version is $79.99, and there’s a special version for Windows to Mac switchers for $99.99.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Work Force?

Power Brick Meets USB Hub: From Lenovo

James Kendrick — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:26:00 +0000

Road warriors will soon be cheering world-wide as word spreads about the new Lenovo Power Hub. This product is so simple that it’s amazing no one has produced one before now. Take a laptop power brick, and add four USB ports to it without making it much bigger. That’s the Power Hub.

Mobile professionals love to perform multiple uses with one gadget to lighten the load on trips so this is a natural fit. The Power Hub connects to the wall outlet for power and the laptop by USB and accepts up to four devices for charging. Now you can have your iPad, smartphone and two other gadgets charging away. The Power Hub is available now from Lenovo for $74.99. Note that one of the USB ports is capable of charging a device even without the laptop being connected.

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Stat Shot: Mobile Computing Has Won

James Kendrick — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:16:33 +0000

New statistics by research firm In-stat show that mobile computing has won. Mobile computers, led by notebooks, will chip away at the desktop PC market, which will be shipping 291 million units annually by 2014. The mobile computer segment — notebooks, netbooks and tablets combined — will be shipping over 400 million units in that same period. Notebooks will represent 52 percent of the computing market, even though the young tablet market will see a 123 percent growth between now and 2014.

The tablet segment was kick-started by the successful launch of the iPad , and will continue to grow as companies bring models based on the Android platform to market. While notebooks will remain the computers purchased by most, the tablet will begin to rival the netbook/smartbook according to these numbers. The rapid rise of the tablet will be a hot topic at our Mobilize conference later this month.

These numbers don’t address the rise of the smartphone as mobile computers, and recent figures from IDC have a whopping 270 million phones shipping this year. It’s not unreasonable to believe that today’s high-powered smartphones can impact the sales of mobile computers, particularly the netbook/smartbook segment. The mobile computer, no matter its form, has won the war with the lowly desktop.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Are You Empowering Your Mobile Work Force?

Samsung: DRAM Glut Coming Due to Weak PC Sales

James Kendrick — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:06:19 +0000

Samsung is predicting an oversupply of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) used widely in PCs, due to expectedly weak PC sales. The uncertain economic climate is cited as the primary cause for lower-than-expected PC sales, in spite of the upcoming holiday season. The glut should result in lower prices, which should get passed on to consumers.

Lower PC sales may also partly be a result of the iPad and the coming glut of Android tablets, as netbook inventor ASUS has already warned investors. High sales of the iPad have resulted in lower PC sales, and as Android tablets are poised to appear on the market in great numbers, the impact should be even greater. These tablets use less DRAM than conventional PCs, instead using Flash RAM for the primary memory.

Samsung is one of the largest suppliers of DRAM globally. Kwon Oh-hyun, head of Samsung’s chip business, gave the warning at a conference in Taipei. He did not indicate a long-term slowdown was expected, but did state the glut is a result of the expectation of lackluster end-of-year holiday PC sales.

Sales of servers had a strong second quarter according to Intel, and Samsung is no doubt hoping that segment continues to perform well through the end of the year to minimize the affect on the DRAM market.

Image credit: Samsung

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HP Fall Line-up Announced: Dual-Core Netbook Included

James Kendrick — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:01:50 +0000

HP has introduced its fall line-up that introduces five notebooks and the new HP Wireless TV Connect unit for wirelessly connecting a notebook to HD televisions. The notebooks include two new Envy models (one with 3-D), the Pavilion dm3, and two new netbooks. The netbooks include the Mini 5103, HP’s first model with a dual-core Atom processor.

The HP Envy line gets the first 3-D model: the Envy 17 3D. This thin notebook utilizes a 17.3-inch 120 Hz display that combine with special “no setup” 3-D glasses to bring 3-D to any location. This powerhouse is configurable with up to 2 terabytes of storage, quad-core Core i7 processors and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics. HP indicates that pricing for the Envy with 3-D is “to be determined” and it won’t be shipping until after the holiday season later this year.

The Envy 14 Beats Edition is aimed at the audiophile as it incorporates the Beats technology developed for HP by Dr. Dre. This notebook has a 6.5-hour battery life with 13 hours available via the optional extended battery. The Envy 14 Beats Edition will be available this fall starting at $1249, including Beats headphones.

HP has incorporated its CoolSense technology in the Pavilion dm3 to handle heat dissipation in this thin notebook. It has a 13.3-inch screen and gets a claimed 7.5 hours on a single battery charge. It is available today starting at $549.99, and has an optional backlit keyboard.

The Mini 210 is a refreshed consumer netbook that adds several colors to the existing line. HP is also offering options of a dual-core processor, a video accelerator and integrated GPS for those wanting improved performance over the standard Atom processor. The 210 will start at $329.99, available today.

The Mini 5103 takes HP’s top-of-the-line netbook and adds the Intel Atom N550 dual-core processor as standard equipment. Also new is the 10.1-inch touchscreen, available in either standard or optional HD resolutions. Pricing starts at $399.99 with availability on Sept. 17.

The HP Wireless TV Connect allows wireless streaming of 1080p video to televisions anywhere in the room. There’s a USB adapter for plugging into the notebook and a TV adapter that connects via HDMI. HP claims streaming video experiences no lag, no matter the resolution. It will be available in late October starting at $199.

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Bye Bye Boingo? iPad is not a Smartphone

James Kendrick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:55:54 +0000

Boingo is one of those services that can be indispensable, especially for those who enjoy a mobile lifestyle. It provides access to public Wi-Fi hotspots that otherwise carry a high price for short term connectivity. I travel a bit and work mobile a lot, so I’ve found the $10/monthly Boingo to be money well spent. I’ve gotten good value from my Boingo plan, but I ran into a situation on the trip to Orlando that has me rethinking the worth of this recurring fee.

My usage of the Boingo service has been predictable: it has gotten me online in many different coffee shops, primarily Starbucks, and in airports while traveling. The Orlando trip was no exception as I was able to use Boingo in the airport to get online and work. It even came in handy in the hotel in Orlando, as the venue was one of those charging an exorbitant rate for connectivity in the room. The hotel didn’t even have free Wi-Fi connectivity in public areas (like the lobby) as many do. To get online in the hotel would easily cost $20/day in the room and public work areas.

I was thrilled to learn that the hotel hotspots were accessible through Boingo, since I’m paying for that already. I was able to get online in the room and anywhere in the hotel through the Boingo roaming agreement. You’d think that would eliminate any doubt I had about the worth of that monthly fee for Boingo, but that’s not the case.

The Boingo plan I have is the unlimited laptop plan. It’s $9.95/month and lets me get one laptop at a time on the Boingo roaming network for as long as needed. I was able to get my MacBook on the hotel network through Boingo at no additional cost to me. The problem I ran into was with the iPad. I frequently wanted to jump online with the iPad, rather than pulling the laptop out of the bag. This is a strength of the iPad, the ability to grab it and quickly get online to check email or other stuff on the web.

Unfortunately I couldn’t do that with the Boingo plan I have as the iPad is considered a smartphone by the company. Boingo offers three plans in the U.S.: laptop (which I have); smartphone only (which includes the iPad); and a Combo plan that works with both laptops and smartphones. The Combo plan would have let me use both the laptop and iPad as needed, and even the EVO 4G if desired. The problem is this plan is $17.95/monthly, which is too much for the limited times I would use it.

The most use I get out of Boingo is in Starbucks, as I work there a lot. This alone has made the $10 I pay each month worth the price of the Boingo plan I have. On July 1 that won’t be necessary, as all U.S. Starbucks will offer the Wi-Fi connectivity for free. It’s no fault of Boingo, but I suspect I’m not the only customer wondering if it will still be worth the $10 with free connectivity in Starbucks. In my case probably not, but it’s definitely not worth the $18 for the combo plan. I find I use the iPad pretty hard while mobile, and I can’t get online with the cheaper Boingo plan anyway. That has me rethinking the value of the plan I have now.

On the trip this week I was forced to use the EVO 4G mobile hotspot capability to get the iPad online, even in my hotel room. Orlando doesn’t have a 4G network to tap into, but the Sprint 3G network was plenty fast enough. I got decent bandwidth on the iPad, so much so I quickly forgot I wasn’t on the Boingo connection. I could have shared this EVO hotspot with up to 8 devices, so in fact the Boingo connectivity wasn’t really needed. That has me seriously thinking of canceling the Boingo plan and going with free hotspots and the EVO connectivity. Note that I don’t travel outside the U.S. so this would work fine for me, as Sprint has at least 3G coverage everywhere I work and play.

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Acer TimelineX Notebooks: Fast CPUs, All Day Battery

James Kendrick — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:01:11 +0000

Consumers can be demanding in their expectations with notebooks. They want the notebook to be a good performer, so no skimping on CPUs is acceptable. On top of that they insist the mobile computer be capable of delivering long battery life, so they can maximize our time away from a power outlet. They want it all. Acer has released a new line of notebooks that attempts to deliver in both of these areas: good CPU performance while providing 8 hours of battery life. The TimelineX series of notebooks comes in four sizes to appeal to a broad audience– 11.6, 13.3, 14, and 15.6 inches.

Acer is putting full voltage Core i3 or i5 processors coupled with either 3 or 4 GB of memory for performance. The Aspire TimelineX notebooks range in weight from 3 to 5.5 pounds for good portability given the screen size options. The 14-inch model 4820TG has discrete graphics that are switchable from video performance to power saving mode.

The TimelineX line is available at major retailers starting at $599.99.

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Toshiba Resurrects Libretto — Dual Screen Version

James Kendrick — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:00:48 +0000

Toshiba pushed the mobile device envelope years ago with its Libretto line of mini-laptops. The line was popular in Japan and even made it to the U.S. in limited numbers. The Libretto was roughly the size of a paperback book, yet packed a full Windows notebook in the little package. The company is resurrecting the Libretto for its 25th anniversary, but in a dual screen model that lacks a physical keyboard. The Libretto W100 is only a prototype, but Toshiba intends to sell it in limited numbers to enthusiasts wanting to see “what the future of mobile computing” could be.

The W100 has two 7-inch touchscreens that can be used in a number of configurations. Closed it looks much like a netbook, and is about an inch thick. Opening the lid exposes two screens that can be utilitized in different fashions depending on the desired task. The clamshell configuration uses the top display for the active program, and the bottom display becomes a full QWERTY touch keyboard. The keyboard can be changed to a number of modes depending on individual preference.

The LIbretto W100 can be used in an open slate mode that puts both displays into a tablet configuration for use like the iPad. The spine of the W100 separates the two screens in this open mode. Toshiba will make a limited number of the W100 available this summer for 120,000 Yen ($1,100) from select retailers and its own web site.

The W100 is running Windows 7, not the best choice for a cutting edge tablet device. Take a look at the hands-on demo of the Libretto and notice how hard it is to touch things on the screen. That doesn’t bode well for Toshiba.

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