netbooks

Intel is updating its Classmate PC netbook models, adding new processors and shrinking the devices to make them sleeker and easier to carry.

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday revamped its line of Mini netbooks, also introducing its first model with a touchscreen that supports multitouch finger input.

Micro-Star International (MSI) plans to show off a netbook with dual 10-inch touchscreen displays, one meant for computing and the other for reading e-books, at the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

Netbook shipments worldwide are expected to have jumped by 103 percent this year compared to last year, although the fast growth rate could slow down in 2010 as prices for portable PCs fall, research firm DisplaySearch said on Tuesday.

Seagate Technology today announced what it's calling the world's thinnest laptop and netbook hard drive, the Momentus Thin drive, which at 7mm, is just over a quarter of an inch thick and is 25% slimmer than a traditional .37-in. (9.5mm), 2.5-in. hard drive.

A few weeks ago, Google unveiled what it's hoping will be the new standard in netbook operating systems: Chrome OS. Based on Linux, Chrome OS is a fast, low-overhead OS that boots directly into a Web browser to get you online with as little waiting as possible. We've been running an early version of Chrome OS on our test systems since Google released the code to the open-source community. Here's a peek at what you can expect to see when preinstalled systems debut for the 2010 holiday season.

Look, I know you like the netbook idea -- and you love netbook prices. If you're like most people, you think tablets are expensive, slow, heavy and a pain to use. But if you've bought one, you know that netbooks aren't as great as they sound. And next year's tablets will be way better than you think.

The netbook promises convenience and capability in a small, lightweight, and generally inexpensive package, and the concept of a smartbook goes even further: a handy-dandy combination of smartphone and notebook. Alas, most netbook offerings come burdened with a full-blown Windows operating system, which runs slowly on performance-limited netbook hardware and saps battery life. And Windows is not exactly smartphone-oriented.

Small, light and extremely portable, netbooks are ideal for computing on the move. But deciding which mini laptop is best for you isn't an easy task - particularly when every choice demands a trade-off.

Processor makers ARM and MIPS Technologies are both aiming to simplify and accelerate the use of netbooks, MIDs (mobile Internet devices), set-top boxes and picture frames that run on Google's Android software platform.

Google released its Chrome operating system to the open-source community on Thursday and said it has designed the netbook OS to be faster, simpler and more secure than existing ones.

Netbooks in the enterprise are coming, some observers believe. And whether it takes a year or five for netbooks to catch on in Corporate America, it behooves IT managers to get ready sooner rather than having to clean up a mess later on.

Nokia spokespeople are quick to correct you if you slip and call the Booklet 3G a netbook.

Microsoft Corp. may have ditched the three application limit on the Windows 7 Starter Edition, but other restrictions on the netbook-only version of the operating system will be an unwelcome surprise for many netbook buyers, according to a survey published Monday.