Netbooks and noteboks. What’s the difference?
Alexandra | 5:03 pm | April 20, 2010 | Netbooks
Whether you like it or not, the notion of a ‘netbook’ has already entrenched itself firmly in the portable devices market. According to the analytical company DisplaySearch, last year the growth of netbooks supplies was 103%, which is equal to a bit more than 33 mln devices.
In 2010 the category of ‘netbooks’ is not going to retreat. The increase by at least 17% in comparison with 2009 is forecasted and if the world economy rises from its knees, the figure will be even higher. Against these figures the achievements of usual laptops impress much less… The last argument in favor of the world’s recognition of netbooks became voluntary ‘capitulation’ of the world-known vendors. If only a few years ago such ‘blue chip’ companies as Sony, HP and Toshibа were looking at the first steps of newly-born ‘babies’ with a scornful smile, today they have to produce netbooks in order not to lose a heavy client sector. What is the secret of such popularity of portable devices? Let’s take a look.
The appearance of netbooks (as a class) would have been impossible without proper technical basis. The minimization of technical processes in microchip development let producers start the production of tiny chips with a surprisingly low level of energy consumption. First of all, we mean the achievements of the Intel company that has literary overwhelmed the market with its Atom processors for the last few years. They are not powerful enough to be used in gaming machines or desktop replacement laptops, however, ‘atomic’ processors are not meant to be used in resource-hungry conditions. Their destiny is to be the heart of netbooks. And in this sphere they have virtually no competitors.
Let’s look at the difference between an average netbook and a laptop. Firstly, they differ in their functional purposes. As it is clear from the name, the main task of a netbook is providing constant access to the Net, which means the ideal netbook must be equipped with all possible means of communication. Secondly, they differ in sizes. A netbook is much lighter and much more compact than a laptop, which (theoretically) lets the owner carry his ‘baby’ easily everywhere. The third difference arises from the first two ones. Netbooks have nothing excessive. They have lost their weight and have no elements that enlarge their dimensions or energy consumption (for example, DVD drive that repeatedly makes you charge you laptop battery).
As a result, owners of netbooks get a personal computer that doesn’t impress by its powerful constituent parts or autonomous work duration. Their advantages are stylish look, ample ways of connecting to the Net, small sizes and, the most important, price. The cost of some netbooks can be compared with the cost of a common mobile phone. But you get much more for your money.
HP 2010 laptops for small and medium businesses
Alexandra | 12:36 am | April 8, 2010 | New Laptops
The new line form HP includes 6 new models presented — a transformer EliteBook 2740p with touch screen and multi touch support, a light 12-inch EliteBook 2540p with the weight of 3.3 pounds and four models of the ProBook line with the S index which mainly differ by the screen diagonal — 13, 14, 15 and 17 inches. All models support the Intel i3, i5, i7 processors with Turbo Boost technology, can use up to 8 GB of memory, work with hard drives with up to 500 GB of capacity (apart from the tablet computer) and optionally all the models are equipped with webcams and biometrical sensors.
The transformer HP EliteBook 2740p has a 12-inch touchscreen with 1280х800 resolution, and weighs a bit over 3.7 pounds. The optical drive is not included in the set and can be bought separately with an external connection. There are ExpressCard slots, a slot for SD cards and three USB ports, one of which supports the power supply (!). In the given model accumulators with the support of Smart SATA II up to 320 GB can be used. The price in the base configuration is US $1600.
HP EliteBook 2740p
The HP EliteBook 2540p laptop weighs only about 3.4 pounds in its basic configuration, and has a price tag of US $1100. The Intel i7 processor version is also equipped with the optical drive, and has a 1.8-inch hard drive with the capacity of 500 GB.
HP EliteBook 2540p
The new line of laptops ProBook 4х20s looks more attractive thanks to unusual case colors. But everything is pretty standard otherwise.
HP ProBook 4320s
The resolution of the 13-inch model HP ProBook 4320s is 366х768 pixels. The weight of this laptop is 4.4 pounds without the optical drive.
All these models are equipped with 16:9 screens, HDMI slots and one USB port are combined with eSATA. They also have stereo input for a microphone. The release dates of the two previous models are known already (April, 2010), the prices and time for the ProBook line launch will be announced later.
The HP ProBook 4420s model differs only by a 14-inch screen and a weight of 4.7 pounds. Will optical drives disappear in simple notebook models at all as it happened to 3.5-inch slots for diskettes? We’ll see…
HP ProBook 4420s
The 15-inch model HP ProBook 4520s of the new line can also be supplied without the optical drive but it has one interesting option in the form of an additional digital keyboard.
HP ProBook 4520s
At last, the 17-inch model HP ProBook 4720s is equipped with a 1600х900 resolution screen. The size of this beast is 28×411x266 mm and it weighs about 6.6 pounds.
HP ProBook 4720s
Dell starts sales of the world slimmest laptop with 13 inch screen
Alexandra | 1:23 pm | February 25, 2010 | Laptop News
Dell starts sales of its ultra-slim business laptop — Dell Latitude 13. The company representatives state that it’s the thinnest laptop in the world with 13-inch-diagonal screen.
Dell Latitude 13 can be used as a good helper by those who travel a lot. This gizmo is based on Intel CULV Celeron or the Core 2 Duo processor and offers a DVD-drive, which may be replaced by Blu-Ray. Also users can choose between a hard drive or SSD-drive. In any case the user data will be protected by Computrace, a special program that sends information about stolen and lost laptops to the special website via the Internet.
The notebook’s dimensions are 330 × 230 × 19.7 mm, weight is about 1.5 kg.
P.S. Acer is also going to release its new ultra-slim laptop that will be a strong rival for similar laptops from Apple and HP. This gadget will be only 19 mm thick, which is less than Apple MacBook Air and, of course, it’s much less than the size of similar models from HP.
12 concept laptops and PC that will strike your imagination
Alexandra | 10:40 pm | February 12, 2010 | Concept Laptops
Concepts… They are amazing, aren’t they? On the one hand, they inspire us, give us ideas for the future, push forward innovations. On the other hand, concepts disappoint, since we cannot have them right now. The only thing we can do is start saving money, and wait until they become a reality.
1. ARM Tablet
This concept from Sébastien Maleville can be used as a usual laptop or as a portable tablet. You can transform it by separating the keyboard from the monitor.
2. Asus Bookshelf PC
This PC from Asus consists of interchangeable modules, which allows to upgrade or downgrade your computer. You can do it by replacing or adding required modules.
3. B-membrane
This UFO-like computer with a projected keyboard uses a projector instead of a monitor.
4. Canvas
This concept was developed for designers and artists by Kyle Cherry. It was equipped with some built-in digital devices for easy drawing.
5. Horizon
Concept desktop from Japanese designer Mac Funamizu has a flexible OLED monitor, which can change its size!
6. HP LiM (by Jeffrey S. Engelhardt)
HP LiM (it means “Less is More”) consists from a 19” transparent touch screen, a wireless keyboard and a virtual touchpad.
7. Nuno Teixeira MAINGEAR
It’s a powerful gaming machine with improved cooling system.
8. Paper Laptop — eco-computer
This concept (designed by Je Sung Park) was made from recycled paper.
9. Philco PC
Although in the majority of cases concept computers show us the future, Dave Schultze’s creation carries us back.
10. Portable PC Theater
Jinwoo Han, a talented designer from the South Korea, created a concept of portable PC with a special bonus, a built-in projector for entertainment.
11. Prime Gaming Laptop
Prime Gaming Concept Laptop was designed by Kyle Cherry. He tries to solve such problem as limited size of laptop screens. Behold a powerful portable gaming computer!
12. Zafiro
Zafiro PC with transparent screen can be controlled by movements of your hands and body!
The most reliable notebooks and netbooks — no conjectures, facts only
Alexandra | 10:08 pm | November 20, 2009 | Laptop News
According to the latest research conducted by the analytical department of the SquareTrade company, Asus laptops are the most reliable among other popular brands. It is a real surprise for many Apple fans that mobile computers from their favorite company are only on the fourth place, yielding to Toshiba and Sony laptops in reliability characteristics. SquareTrade provides after-sales warranty services for consumer electronics. The company based its new study of notebooks / netbooks reliability on the analysis of more than 30 thousand mobile computers from different manufacturers.
Result #1: HP, Gateway and Acer are the least reliable laptops
The results show that almost one of three laptops fails during the first three years of use. It’s difficult to imagine a more fragile electronic gizmo than a laptop (just imagine that every third TV set or car breaks down in 3 years after the purchase).
So the 1st place has been given to Asus laptops, problems with them occur during the first three years in 15.6% of cases. It may not sound too good, but it’s the lowest failure rate among 9 largest producers which laptops were used for the research.
Toshiba with the rate of 15.7% has taken the 2nd place, Sony laptops with 16.8% has become the 3rd. The failure rate for Apple (17.4% and the 4th place) was calculated for two popular models — MacBook and MacBook Pro.
Vince Tseng (VP of Marketing at SquareTrade) said that analytics were not surprised that Apple laptops had appeared in the middle of the list, but the victory of Asus had come as a real surprise.
Hewlett-Packard, the company, which production volume of notebooks was the biggest in the world last year, was pronounced as the most risky brand (more than a quarter of HP laptops is in danger). It may be not so bad taking into account that this company offers a 3-year guarantee for its products, it even started selling of HP laptop batteries that had a guarantee of 36 months.
Result #2: laptop users have only one year without worries and problems
The report also states that the risk of any problems with the laptop is growing rapidly after one year of usage:
- 4.7% — failure rate after the 1st year;
- 12.7% — after the 2nd year;
- 20.4% — after the 3rd year.
Mr. Tseng explained that mobile computers have high rates of usage. People often leave them running, laptops components are shock-sensitive. At the same time they are portable, and it often leads to falls and blows. And moreover, it is one of the most complex devices compared to other customer electronics.
Result #3: netbooks are characterized by a low price and a high rate of failure
The researchers also has found that netbooks break down more often than notebooks. The average rate is 23% higher than similar data for entry-level notebooks (with price from $ 400 to $ 1 000) and 38% higher than premium portable gadgets (more than $ 1 000).
HP Photosmart Premium – no PC needed
Boris | 2:06 am | June 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
No, there is nothing exciting about printers. Apart from the HP Photosmart Premium that connects directly to the Internet. The ability to get Google map directions using the printer’s 4″ LCD is the reason for existing.
Speaking of the applications, the Photosmart Premium will include several preloaded apps like Nickelodeon, Weather News and Google, plus people can download new ones as they become available. The printer will come with an open API, what will let developers create their own widgets.
HP is convinced this device will “revolutionize” and “change the way people think about printing.”
UK Online Laptop Shops – Price Comparison
Boris | 10:03 pm | March 20, 2008 | Laptop News
There are lots of user guides, manuals and forums on how to buy a laptop. If you have already been there and know what you need now is the time to know where to get it.
We have selected three laptops for our price comparison study- one portable, one standard size, and one desktop replacement laptop. We have decided to stick with popular, mainstream machines, to make sure that all the retailers have it in stock.
Slick Sony Vaio TZ21MN/N represents the traveller’s choice. Mainstream group is behind HP 6715S, a perfect laptop for general home, business and educational use. And home media centres have delegated ASUS W2W with its good multimedia credentials and high performance.
We manually scanned prices of ten top UK online laptop retailers. We have not taken into account eBay, the obvious choice for best prices, but also the one with the risk of scam and patchy customer service. Then, we have put the aggregate rank for each seller taking into account prices and delivery charges (next day/regular). The lower is the rank the better are the average prices.
As you can see, there is no clear monopolist and we have different winners in each category, but Laptops Direct seems to head the list. However, with numerous special offers and extras given along with your purchase, and with prices constantly changing, it would be worthwhile checking several online laptop shops.