More netbooks Stories

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Netbooks, low-cost portable computers optimized for web usage, are continuing to sell at a torrid pace. If you’re in the market for one, here are eight tips to help you make a good buying decision. Read more »

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Chrome OS is a natural evolution of the work that’s been done on the Chrome browser, Sundar Pichai, VP of product management, and Chrome OS engineering director Matthew Papakipos said when they unveiled it at Google’s Mountain View campus on Thursday. The operating system is designed […] Read more »

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The netbook market has grown legs despite a floundering economy, but carriers are still trying to find the best ways to cash in on the pint-sized computers. Netbook sales in 2009 are expected to reach 20 million units, according to  semiconductor research firm Forward Concepts, and […] Read more »

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Do you carry a USB Flash drive with you? If you don’t, you absolutely should — especially if you’re a netbook user, because the small systems tend to feature hardware compromises, and a go-anywhere USB drive can compensate. The pocketable drives have fallen radically in price, […] Read more »

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“The technology industry is always going through transition, and there are some big changes going on now,” said Dell Computer founder and CEO Michael Dell in Silicon Valley Tuesday night. He spoke onstage at a Churchill Club dinner event in Santa Clara with Wall Street Journal […] Read more »

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Netbooks, as they were originally envisioned, may already be a dying breed. It’s all thanks to the PC industry, which, instead of innovating on what seemed like a promising form factor, has turned it into the all-too familiar notebook, except cheaper. The problem with PC makers […] Read more »

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After four months of lugging a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse along with the MacBook Pro — which, at 5.5lb, isn’t exactly light to begin with — I decided enough was enough. Since I’ve been wanting to ease some load off of my shoulder, and I couldn’t […] Read more »

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U.S. mobile data revenues surpassed $19.4 billion in the first half of 2009, a 31 percent increase over the year-ago period, and data accounted for more than 25 percent of all wireless service revenues, according to the CTIA’s semi-annual industry survey. The report, which was released […] Read more »

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Ask a netbook owner why he or she bought one of the small laptops and you’re sure to get a number of reasonable answers. However, the response likely won’t be, “For the killer graphics performance!” Intel’s GMA 950 core has been the bread-and-butter hardware solution for […] Read more »

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Ultra-low prices on portable computers are nothing new, and in fact have increasingly become the norm since the debut of netbooks — small and light ultraportables that are virtually defined by their low cost. However, there are some strong reasons to believe that Microsoft’s upcoming Windows […] Read more »

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While smartphone sales have proliferated, netbooks are a burgeoning market that was put in the spotlight when Google announced its Chrome OS this summer. Though netbooks aren’t a new player in the tech space, it’s undeniable that consumers’ interest in these devices is rising — but […] Read more »

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The bespectacled, geeky PC guy from the Apple commercials finally has something to gloat about. Macs are not shaping up to be the top choice of students this back-to-school shopping season, as they’re opting instead for more affordable netbooks and PC laptops. According to results from […] Read more »

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Two weeks ago, on a Saturday night, my son Tyler and I went netbook shopping. I know, I know — most folks spend Saturday nights in front of the television, out at the movies or taking in a show. Not us. We go netbook shopping. What […] Read more »

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Due to their favorable price points, and how very mobile they are, netbooks — small, light portable computers — remain one of the hottest hardware categories. If you’re in the market for one, I posted some shopping tips on them back in early March. Since that post, […] Read more »

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Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer has an unimpressive track record at predictions, which is why his latest comments should be of concern to Apple and, especially, MacBook Air fans: Those new ultra-thin PCs, the first of which will be coming later this year and, presumably running Windows 7, […] Read more »

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[qi:gigaom_icon_netbook] HyperSpace, a technology designed to make notebooks/netbooks turn on almost instantly in order to provide users quick access to common functions, is being integrated with Moblin, the Linux-based open-source OS that is the gleam in Intel’s eye, HyperSpace maker Phoenix Technologies said today. Milpitas, Calif.-based […] Read more »

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In recent years, virtual worlds (also known as massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs) have shown tremendous growth in terms of user numbers and revenue. However, the market for them is currently in tremendous flux, with the most well-known sub-genre — the subscriber-based fantasy role playing games (MMORPGs) — suffering a growth plateau, due to the dominating success of World of Warcraft. At the same time, user activity in “freemium” virtual worlds continues to explode, most especially in the tween/adolescent market, which is likely to reach a market saturation point soon, though monetization prospects for all but the established players remain uncertain. The explosion of social networks, which share numerous traits with virtual worlds, have created a new potential audience for this genre, while the mass adoption of web plug-ins and smartphones like the iPhone have opened up new markets for the genre.

In this transitional period, many of the best investment and growth opportunities to watch are not the worlds themselves, but the solution providers offering developers the means to better monetize their existing MMOs. Opportunities also exist in niche MMOs that appeal to consumers seeking entertainment outside the established fantasy and kids social MMO space. However, new players that would enter this already crowded market must foster a community of users by rewarding user-created content and continued engagement, while also being architected with multiple revenue streams and play platforms. Read more at GigaOM Pro »

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Without a doubt, Google stole the spotlight with the announcement of its upcoming Chrome operating system late yesterday and sent everyone buzzing about the search giant’s very public swipe against Microsoft. But amid all the chatter on the Web, Stacey Higginbotham warned on GigaOM that we […] Read more »

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Late yesterday evening, the folks at Google made official what many have suspected for months, or even years: They’re working on an operating system. The new OS, dubbed Chrome OS after Google’s recent entry into the ongoing browser wars, will have speed and Internet connectivity as […] Read more »

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One sure way to hinder success of a device is a confusing name and an unclear purpose. That might explain the results of a recent NPD survey on netbooks, showing that many consumers are bewildered and disappointed with the gadgets. Some highlights from the survey tell […] Read more »

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Netbooks have become a hugely popular hardware category, and I’ve been using them for more than a year, including trying many of the new models. Making compromises is part of the design of netbooks, so it’s important to evaluate them in a hands-on way when you […] Read more »

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I’m starting to believe that the fight for the netbook operating system simply won’t go the full 10 rounds. In case you haven’t yet managed to score a ringside seat, let me offer you a blow-by-blow recap. Read more »

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Intel has been madly pushing the Mobile Internet Device (MID) for some time. MIDs are positioned to be cheaper handheld web devices that fall under the UMPC in size and price yet are bigger than smartphones similarly equipped. Intel has been pushing them hard in an […] Read more »

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Yesterday Intel Corp., and today Microsoft, gave us more proof that their branding skills are as limited as my ability to strike out a major league baseball player. Intel wants to name its new thin, light and low-power consuming notebooks CULV, aka Consumer Ultra Low Voltage. […] Read more »

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Intel believes the cannibalization of notebooks by netbooks to be at around 20 percent, Reuters reported today. Christian Morales, the European sales chief for Intel, estimated that netbooks currently comprise about 16 percent of worldwide notebook sales, though he put that figure slightly higher for western […] Read more »

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In this anemic economy, selling tens of millions of any new product is a rare bright spot. But that’s exactly what’s happened in the case of netbooks, those small, light and relatively inexpensive notebook computers. Intel benefits greatly from this market, as its Atom line of […] Read more »

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Tablet PCs have been around since the early ’90s, and web tablet concept prototypes have been making the jump from cocktail napkins to white boards over the past 10 years with no real breakout hits as of yet. With rumors about a potential Apple iPad lighting ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »

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I’ve been using netbooks for over a year now; they’re great for the times when I just want to tote a lightweight machine for performing basic tasks, or even cruise around the house working in various places. If you’re new to netbooks, or thinking of getting one, in this post I’ll round up four utilities for Windows netbooks that will make working with them much easier and more efficient. Read more »

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Smartphones are becoming more like PCs in many ways, especially if you think of netbooks or mobile Internet devices as cheap computers. The underlying hardware is becoming more similar, connectivity is crucial, and the tasks people use them for are converging. But a key difference between […] Read more »

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I’ve long been skeptical of netbooks, but clearly, I need to reassess my elitist attitude toward them. I wasn’t a fan partially because I don’t like using them and partially because I didn’t believe that consumers would really go for a machine that seems to call […] Read more »

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Intel’s smallest chip, the Atom, sits inside many netbooks. So when the chip giant reported first-quarter earnings Tuesday afternoon, it also offered some insight into the health of the netbook market. Intel executives said on a call with analysts that demand for netbooks was strong in […] Read more »

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After a day spent roaming the halls of the Austin Convention Center at South by Southwest listening in on other peoples’ conversations and tracking trends, I am somewhat surprised by the relative scarcity of notebooks. In years past, the halls were lined with people glued to […] Read more »

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Some Asian news outlets are reporting rumors that suggest Apple is working on a touchscreen netbook-like device. Such a device has been rumored for a while, and just as it redefined the MP3 player experience and reinvented the iPhone, Apple is going to pursue the netbook opportunity. But it won’t be with anything like the cheap, anorexic laptops being sold as netbooks today. Read more »

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Netbooks — small, light and inexpensive portable computers — have become very popular in the past year, and come in enough flavors that many web workers may want to consider getting one. I use an Asus Eee PC netbook as a secondary machine for mobile work, […] Read more »

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