ForeverGeek » netbook

Valentino Rossi gets his own design on HP netbook

andy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:30:48 +0000

I don’t fully understand the collaborations between the master sportsmen of motor racing and gadget manufacturers, but they do crop up from time to time.

Not to be outdone by Acer with their Ferrari One comes Hewlett Packard’s limited edition dot VR46 netbook computer designed for Moto GP world champion Valentino Rossi.

Though the main reason you’re likely to buy this is for the brand association and design, it’s not a pushover when it comes to specifications either. The 11.6-inch display sits atop a full-size keyboard and multi-gesture touchpad. With 1,366×768 resolution on the Diamond View TFT LCD, you can watch high definition content with ease, or port out via HDMI.

Under an inch thin, and weighing in at 1.35kg, it features a six-cell battery claiming up to eight hours of use on a single charge. There’s also the usual additions you’d expect: Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, webcam, and card reader, plus Dolby headphone technology and 640GB hard drive.

The case design is by Aldo Drudi and features the sun and the moon as worn on Rossi’s racing helmets. And if you didn’t know, 46 is the number he races under.

Available in the UK “soon” for £449.99.

M&S appeals to those who like store-branded netbooks

andy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:23:38 +0000

Netbooks are becoming rather old-hat now, but there are still some companies that are jumping onto the rather rusty bandwagon with their own branding.

Take Marks & Spencer, the venerable British retailer renowned for its quality food and underwear (amongst other things).

While it may have fallen on slightly harder times recently, that hasn’t stopped it from expanding its collection of electronics items with its own triplet of own-branded netbooks.

It’s not immediately clear which OEM made the imaginatively-titled MSNB netbook, but given that the retailer is also selling a limited edition HP 110 Tord netbook, my money’s on HP. Correct me if you know otherwise.

Specs wise, it’s pretty much as you’d expect from a standard netbook: 1GB RAM, 10.2-inch LCD, 160GB hard drive, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, various outputs, 1.3MP webcam and HD audio through integrated stereo speakers.

It weighs in at 1.3kg and comes in blue, black and pink casing colours. Windows XP on board, and available in the UK for £279.

When Travel And Geek Collide

Noemi Twigg — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:46:17 +0000

Statistics show that travel peaks during holiday periods – and we are at the season where one holiday comes after the next. Those who have traveled at least once during a holiday period would know that while the trip may be fun overall, the actual transit time may give you the biggest headache you’ve ever had.

Good thing for us, we can find all sorts of gadgets and toys to lessen the headache that traveling can bring. Here are some of my favorites – some I have and more on my wish list.

1. Apple iPod or any mp3 player. I was having second thoughts about writing “any mp3 player” as most people I know will not accept anything but an iPod, but the point is to have music to soothe you or to pump you up while waiting for your flight or while you’re trying to get over your fear of flying.
2. Kindle or any other e-book reader. I do not have a Kindle, although I wouldn’t mind getting one this Christmas. What I use is the PSP, and it works perfectly well. There’s nothing like reading to pass time!
3. Netbook. A MUST. It combines the functions of items 1 and 2 plus more. Having a netbook handy can help you tune out the crowd as you watch movies, surf the net, write, listen to music, or play a game. I also like to lug around my USB wireless Internet dongle with me as I have no assurance of access to the Internet everywhere I go.

And what’s on your geek travel bag?

Netbooks and User Satisfaction: It's All About Expectations

J. Angelo Racoma — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:18:01 +0000

Growth in netbook sales has fast overtaken that of full-fledged notebooks and desktop computers. After all, they’re inexpensive, really portable and they’re usually considered cool. But recent research cited by NY Times and Computerworld indicates that some netbook users are unsatisfied with their purchases.

The disappointment with netbooks — NPD analyst Stephen Baker preferred that term rather than “dissatisfaction” — stemmed from expectations that a netbook was the same, more or less, as a laptop. Six out of every 10 netbook buyers, said Baker, thought that the two were equivalent, and figured that their new netbook would have the same functionality as a laptop.

I have been a netbook user for more than a year now. Since the first Eee PCs were shipped by Asus, I bought myself one. Since then, I’ve been trying different models from different brands. So far, I’ve been satisfied with performance.

It all boils down to expectations. And it depends on perspective, too.

Netbooks are practically the same as their full-fledged notebook counterparts. Mostly every component is miniaturized, and you would expect some tradeoffs there. The smaller screen and keyboard might not be as good for usability. But the portability is surely a key feature. The smaller parts might usually be slower, such as the hard drive or flash-based SSD, but they are designed for portability and sometimes for durability, as is the case with solid state drives. Their processing power might not be as hefty as with most modern, dual-core processors, but the low-power platform is supposed to give you longer battery life.

Because they can run the same software as you would on bigger computers, netbooks are supposed to be able to give the same functionality. Foremost of these is the ability to get you connected to the Internet. Perhaps that’s why they’re called “net” books–this what they are primarily intended for.

The issue here is about expectations. Some users purchase netbooks thinking, perhaps, that these can totally replace a desktop or notebook computer. To some extent this can be true. But people might be in for a disappointment if they will rely solely on their netbooks. I’ve purchased netbooks with the thought of using these as my mobile office when I’m on the go. But I don’t consider netbooks to be my primary computer. I still have a desktop and a laptop that I consider my main work machines.

If you purchase a netbook expecting to crunch hundreds of columns of spreadsheet figures, or to play the latest first-person-shooter, or to render videos, then you might be in for a disappointment. Sure, a netbook can probably handle these tasks, but will perform poorly. But if you expect to use a netbook to chat or catch up on emails while at a cafe, take notes during class, write a short report or letter while at the library, or check up on recipes online while at the kitchen, then these will perform satisfactorily or even wonderfully. It’s all about expectations.

Are you a netbook user? If so, are you satisfied with your netbook?

image credit: flickr/ndevil

Samsung intros lightweight N310 mini notebook

andy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:54:04 +0000

strong>Samsung hopes to excite with its latest N310 mini notebook PC, making a big issue out of the fact that it has sophisticated styling from leading international designer Naoto Fukasawa.

Great, so what does that mean practically? This lightweight 10.1-inch machine has a frameless, scratch-proof LED screen and pebble design keyboard. Not only that, but the case is durable and strong – pretty much a necessity when on the move – and Samsung has even been thoughtful enough to coat the keyboard with an anti-bacterial finish so that all the crud that drops into it during its lifetime won’t breed and then pass on some rare fungal infection or airborne virus to you. Good news.

As for the other tech: it uses an Intel Atom processor, up to five hours of battery life, has internal microphone, webcam, 3-in-1 card reader, three USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. It’ll have Windows XP Home Edition preloaded as well, but you can soon kick that off if you want.

It’s coming in May to… pretty much everywhere, but the price hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Dealing With Laptop Theft

Noemi Twigg — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:13:05 +0000

Thank goodness that I have not had to face this situation, and I am frantically crossing ALL of my fingers (if that’s even possible) that I would not have to find myself in such a bind – ever! Losing a laptop is not a remote possibility – it is an all-too-real possibility these days. While I am sure that you are quite vigilant when you have your laptop with you, you never know what might happen. One second you might be playing with your baby and the next, it might be gone!
With Front Door Software’s Retriever, you can increase your chances of getting your laptop back in case it is stolen. This is what they promise:

1) Prevent theft of your laptop
2) Protect your information
3) Recover lost & stolen equipment
4) Protection 24/7 online and off
5) New TALKING help feature!
6) Google map / track feature

While all of those things are very important, I find myself being hooked on a series of images in my head…My laptop gets stolen. I report it. The thief can’t wait to try using it. He goes to the nearest free WiFi hotspot, turns the laptop on, and suddenly, this booming voice (Aslan’s voice in The Chronicles of Narnia) is heard. I haven’t come up with the perfect “You’re a thief, return my laptop” line yet but can you just imagine how hilarious it would be to actually witness something like this happening?

Joking aside, this kind of security measure is something that I think will become more widespread in the very near future. You can actually try out the Retriever for free for 90 days.

Touch Book: the magnetic touchscreen tablet netbook

andy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:06:19 +0000

Here’s an interesting soon-to-be-manufactured device from Always Innovating. It’s a netbook that features a rotatable and detachable touchscreen, making it a pretty versatile unit both on the move and at home.

Featuring an ARM OMAP3 processor from Texas Instruments, it uses a lot less energy than a standard system and, coupled with its two batteries (one in each section) it could offer up to 15 hours of use from a single charge.

It features a 1,024 x 600 resolution 8.9-inch screen with an easy-to-use 3D user interface, has accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, six USBs, and uses 8GB micro SD cards for storage.

The screen portion is magnetic, so you could stick it to the fridge or other metal surface, and it runs on open source software.

It all comes in at US$399, too, which isn’t at all bad for something that sounds so versatile. The first batch is going to be limited, so if you’re interested you’d better get over to the web site and pre-order now. It’s going to be available from early summer this year.