portable computing

Apple Tablet Timeline

BY Kit EatonMon Oct 5, 2009 at 10:14 AM

The excitement in the tech world about Apple's rumored iTablet (iPad?) is getting close to fever pitch, culminating with an article in the New York today. But all the evidence suggests that the seeds of the iTablet were planted decades ago--so we've made a timeline for you.READ»

TABLET MADNESS | Comment

Tablet Madness: More Courier and iTablet Rumors

BY Kit EatonTue Sep 29, 2009 at 11:00 AM

After stirring up the tech world last week with leaks on Microsoft's Courier tablet PC, Gizmodo's done it again with new info on the device. Simultaneously, another source reveals the most precise details yet on Apple's iTablet.This ...READ»

XP SMARTBOOK | 5 comments

xpPhone Smartbook Is Real, Set for Global Release

BY Kit EatonThu Sep 17, 2009 at 8:14 AM

Back in June we reported on what could be considered as the first real smartbook device--a hybrid smartphone/netbook machine that could be the next big thing in mobile computing. Now it looks like the xpPhone's ready for the ...READ»

APPLE TABLET | 3 comments

Apple Tablet Rumor, for the Umpteenth Time--but Now With Details

BY Kit EatonTue Sep 15, 2009 at 7:43 AM

You're going to keep hearing Apple Tablet rumors until the nice folks at Cupertino actually roll one off the production line, or point-blank rule out such a gizmo...but the latest batch have some very specific specs associated with ...READ»

SMARTBOOK | Comment

China Mobile Kickstarts Smartbook Revolution With an Android Machine

BY Kit EatonFri Jul 31, 2009 at 9:20 AM

So we've heard that the smartbook, a kind of smartphone-netbook hybrid, is on its way, and with such a promising feature set that they'll sell well. And now there's evidence showing that China Mobile is way ahead of the the rest of ...READ»

SMARTBOOKS | Comment

What's IBM's $100 Million Cell Phone Investment For?

BY Kit EatonThu Jun 18, 2009 at 8:34 AM

IBM's just announced that it's pulled together $100 million to invest in future cell phone tech. It will be used to improve things like cell-phone security, user interface functionality, and business use of cell phones. But, when ...READ»

SMARTBOOKS | Comment

Freescale's Concept Designs Push Netbooks Further

BY Kit EatonWed Jun 10, 2009 at 11:47 AM

Earlier this week, Freescale demonstrated a smartbook mash-up that's bound for shop shelves later this year. But Freescale isn't stopping there: The company has crafted several concepts for how these netbook-like devices might look ...READ»

3D SCREENS | 1 comment

Future Computers Now: Acer to Ship Notebook With 3-D Display in October

BY Kit EatonTue Jun 9, 2009 at 12:37 PM

We already know that 3-D tech is supposed to be the next big thing for home TVs, but we've also been hearing about it coming to computers. Well, it's here. Acer actually has a 3-D display notebook in the works. The ...READ»

PORTABLE COMPUTING | 1 comment

Meet the Smartbook: For Everything Your Smartphone and Netbook Can't Do

BY Kit EatonMon Jun 8, 2009 at 11:11 AM

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the future of mobile computing: The Smartbook. In the same way that a netbook filled a previously unknown need by being something between a laptop and a smartphone, a Smartbook device is halfway ...READ»

ALIENWARE | 1 comment

Alienware's M17X Is the Antithesis of a Netbook

BY Kit EatonFri May 29, 2009 at 8:14 AM

Alienware has been hinting at the release of its new gaming laptop with a cryptic "All Powerful" campaign. But it looks like someone at the company didn't speak to marketing, and released info on the M17X anyway. It's a ...READ»

NETBOOKS | Comment

Lenovo's S12 Netbook Gets Big-Screen, Big Graphics Power from Nvidia

BY Kit EatonTue May 26, 2009 at 6:07 AM

Lenovo's pulled the wraps off its S12, which is far more than a ho-hum addition to its long list of netbook PCs. It's got a 12-inch screen, and is the first netbook to use Nvidia's powerful Ion platform. The S12 is further ...READ»

NETBOOKS | Comment

Are BlackBerrys Better Than Netbooks? RIM's CEO Thinks So

BY Kit EatonFri May 15, 2009 at 7:46 AM

Research In Motion is going to stick with developing devices like the Blackberry, because smartphones are superior to netbooks. This assertion is not surprising given its source: Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of RIM, which makes the ...READ»

NETBOOKS | 7 comments

Is The Netbook Phenomenon Over? In a Way, Yes

BY Kit EatonTue May 12, 2009 at 12:04 PM

New research by IDC points to falling sales of the chip that drives the majority of netbook PCs--Intel's Atom CPU. One suggestion is that the first quarter 33% drop is a sign that the netbook's rise to fame is on a down trend. In ...READ»

LCD TOUCHPADS | Comment

The Netbook Just Grew Up: Sharp's Mebius Has an LCD Trackpad

BY Kit EatonTue Apr 21, 2009 at 3:36 AM

Looks like the netbook is no longer the immature, dim-witted cousin of the grown-up laptop: Sharp's new Mebius netbook is so shiny and clever it outclasses many "superior" machines. It's got a multi-touch LCD where its ...READ»

DATA STORATE | 1 comment

Why India's $10 Laptop is a Load of Hype

BY Kit EatonWed Feb 4, 2009 at 6:43 AM

The tech world has been abuzz about reports that India is developing it's own ultra low-cost PC, peaking with its supposed "unveiling" yesterday. But the Sakshat laptop turned out to be nothing at all like the official hype had ...READ»

CELLPHONES | Comment

Microsoft's Desktop Smartphone Isn't a Stupid Idea, If You Really Think About It

BY Kit EatonFri Jan 30, 2009 at 5:13 AM

On first sight, Microsoft's recent patent application makes little sense: A super-smart smartphone mated into a desktop cradle that hooks it up to peripherals like a common all-garden PC. But that's only until you really think about ...READ»

DATA STORAGE | Comment

Emtec's Innovatively Odd Gdium Netbook has Portable Main Drive

BY Kit EatonWed Jan 28, 2009 at 10:10 AM

Emtec is jumping on the crowded netbook bandwagon with its Gdium Liberty 1000. It's a pretty standard machine with one oddly innovative exception: It has a main solid-state drive that's designed to be easily undockable. This ...READ»

3G | 4 comments

Ultraportable Olidata Conte is Latest Contender to MacBook Air's Throne

BY Kit EatonTue Jan 13, 2009 at 5:32 AM

Olidata's Conte has just been shown for the first time, and it looks like a serious competitor to the MacBook Air class of ultra-portables. Check it out: Skinny aluminum case, 13-inch screen, back-lit keyboard with chicklet-style ...READ»

CLASSMATE | Comment

CTL Launches Intel Classmate 2Go Tablet PC

BY Kit EatonMon Jan 12, 2009 at 5:46 AM

Intel's first Classmate PC followed in the footsteps of Nick Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child XO PC by being a similarly cheap, robust portable PC intended for educational use. Last year Intel upgraded the specification to the ...READ»

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS | Comment

Sony Vaio P Now Official: a Lifestyle PC, Not a Netbook

BY Kit EatonThu Jan 8, 2009 at 5:34 AM

After all that teasing, Sony's finally unwrapped the small and slim Vaio P. And as Sony's spin has it, it's not so much a netbook as a Windows Vista-running, super-widescreen "Lifestyle PC," so very sleekly designed it almost ...READ»

AMD | Comment

AMD's Atom-Rival Neo CPU Isn't Really For Netbooks

BY Kit EatonTue Jan 6, 2009 at 6:58 AM

So AMD's nose-to-nose battle with Intel in every corner of the CPU marketspace really isn't going to happen for netbook CPUs. News about AMD's low-power Neo CPU has arrived and it's not a direct rival to Intel's suite of Atom ...READ»

CONCEPT | Comment

HP's Firefly Laptop Has Dual-Screens, Multitouch Trackpad

BY Kit EatonFri Jan 2, 2009 at 7:22 AM

HP's just revealed a new prototype laptop that'll be hitting the public view at CES. It is curiously designed: the Firefly has not one but two LCDs--the smaller display sitting beneath the main screen--and the trackpad is repositioned ...READ»

CHIP BUNDLE | Comment

Intel Won't Require Graphics Chip Bundle For Atom

BY Kit EatonFri Dec 26, 2008 at 7:26 AM

Last week Nvidia made some news with its Ion chipset for netbooks, which bundles an Atom processor together with an integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip. Machines with this bundle inside would be both cheap and powerful ...READ»

COMPUTERS | 3 comments

Sony's Netbook Vaio Pocket Surfaces Online

BY Kit EatonFri Dec 26, 2008 at 6:48 AM

News and leaks online have been revealed in small spurts about a new netbook from Sony, but now an "official" leak on a Sony website has confirmed that the machine is reality. It's dubbed the Vaio Pocket, since it's supposedly sized ...READ»

BACKLIT | 1 comment

LG's 14.1-Inch Laptop Display Works In Sunlight

BY Kit EatonMon Dec 22, 2008 at 7:46 AM

LG's showing neat display technology in its new 14.1-inch LCD screen for laptops: It's apparently the first that lets you switch between back-lit and transreflective modes at the flick of a switch. And that means you can see the ...READ»