portable computing

Apple Tablet Timeline

Kit Eaton — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:14:40 -0400

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 Times today. But all the evidence suggests that the seeds of the iTablet were planted decades ago--so we've made a timeline for you.

Tablet Madness: More Courier and iTablet Rumors

Kit Eaton — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:11 -0400

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.

xpPhone Smartbook Is Real, Set for Global Release

Kit Eaton — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:14:26 -0400

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 world.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:43:58 -0400

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 them.

China Mobile Kickstarts Smartbook Revolution With an Android Machine

Kit Eaton — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:20:10 -0400

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 the world on this.

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

Kit Eaton — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:34:17 -0400

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 you get right down to it, what is Big Blue trying to do?

Freescale's Concept Designs Push Netbooks Further

Kit Eaton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:47:00 -0400

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 in the future.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:37:13 -0400

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.

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

Kit Eaton — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:11:44 -0400

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 between a smartphone and a netbook. And actually, better than either.

Alienware's M17X Is the Antithesis of a Netbook

Kit Eaton — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:14:43 -0400

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 monster.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:07:27 -0400

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.

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

Kit Eaton — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:46:06 -0400

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 Blackberry. But his rationale for why smartphones will win-out is surprising.

Is The Netbook Phenomenon Over? In a Way, Yes

Kit Eaton — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:04:15 -0400

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 truth, that's not quite right. But the situation is complex.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:36:09 -0400

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 tiny, inefficient "netbook class" trackpad should be.

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

Kit Eaton — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:43:46 -0500

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 promised. Nothing at all.

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

Kit Eaton — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:13:41 -0500

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 its potential.

Emtec's Innovatively Odd Gdium Netbook has Portable Main Drive

Kit Eaton — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:10:25 -0500

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 so-called "G-Key" drive is a 16GB bootable USB device that can work in both a desktop PC or typical laptop making it possible to boot up your Gdium OS and files using that device's hardware instead.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:32:17 -0500

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 keys, oh and built-in 3G broadband capability.

CTL Launches Intel Classmate 2Go Tablet PC

Kit Eaton — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:46:53 -0500

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 Classmate 2, but it's taken until now for a machine to surface. It's produced by CTL and it's essentially a pretty snazzy convertible tablet format netbook with a built-in carrying handle.

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

Kit Eaton — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:34:24 -0500

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 redefines the netbook class.

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

Kit Eaton — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:58:18 -0500

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 processors, and their successors.

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

Kit Eaton — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:22:36 -0500

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 to the right of the keyboard.

Intel Won't Require Graphics Chip Bundle For Atom

Kit Eaton — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:26:35 -0500

Sony's Netbook Vaio Pocket Surfaces Online

Kit Eaton — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:48:10 -0500

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 to fit into a pocket (albeit quite a big one.)

LG's 14.1-Inch Laptop Display Works In Sunlight

Kit Eaton — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:46:23 -0500

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 display when you're using your laptop outside.