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Netbooks are Invading. Run for your brains!
 
 
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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 February 6, 2010 at 3:22 PM
42 Reasons Why Netbooks Are Better Than the Apple iPad

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2358590,00.asp

Of course I haven't read a single one yet.

Even the French can find sticks to beat the i-Pad with.



http://www.examiner.com/x-3118...etbook-functionality"

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A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 February 12, 2010 at 12:55 PM
These iPad-like thingys just won't stop multiplying.

Call the EXTERMINATOR!  Call Arnold Schwartzneggar!

tablet

http://www.liliputing.com/2010...ming-next-month.html

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A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 February 12, 2010 at 7:51 PM
Top 10 netbooks

{{{{  Netbooks are perfect travel companions and meet basic computing needs, including e-mailing, Web surfing, and simple document creation. Best of all, these low-powered machines cost less than the standard-issue laptop
By PC World staff | PC World

Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard disk, and a 10-inch screen are almost standard features of the netbook class. And so is an Intel Atom processor, though one of models we review here sports a Via Nano CPU. With any device that attempts to shrink a PC into an ultra-portable three-pound package, you can expect compromises. That said, many of these netbooks boast quite usable keyboards, decent performance, and excellent battery life (as long as 10 hours!). You'll even find features such as dual-boot Android, TV tuners, and gaming-capable GPUs in the mix. Prices range from $300 to $500-plus.

Acer Aspire One 751h

Acer Aspire One D250-1613

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA

Dell Inspiron Mini 10

HP Mini 311-1000NR

HP Mini 5101

Lenovo IdeaPad S12

Samsung Go

Samsung NP-NC20

Toshiba NB205-310    }}}}

http://www.infoworld.com/d/har.../top-10-netbooks-936

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 February 17, 2010 at 6:29 PM

PeeWee Kit — Children’s PC Sans the PC


{{{ The security portion of the PeeWee Kit is designed to provide parents with peace of mind with Junior traipsing all over the big, bad Internet. It couples parental control with the ability to monitor computer usage remotely to provide a safe environment for the little ones. The included software is rounded out with a solid list of educational programs and games to keep the kid’s attention on the learning experience:
  • Science House
  • Bailey Book House
  • Trudy’s Time & Place House
  • Sammy’s Science House
  • Millie’s Math House
  • Thinkin’ Things
  • Mighty Math Carnival Countdown
  • Zoombinis Mountain Rescue
  • Reader Rabbit
  • Where in the World in Carmen Sandiego?
  • Oregon Trail

The PeeWee Kit sounds like a solid investment for those wishing to get the kiddos familiar with using a computer, while doing so safely and with good purpose. The CD version of the kit only includes some of the programs listed and is $19.99, while the USB flash complete version is $29.99. }}}

http://jkontherun.com/2010/02/17/peewee-kit-childrens-pc-sans-the-pc/

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 March 8, 2010 at 8:58 AM

Coby $85 smartbook feels like a hundred bucks (hands-on)

{{{  Funny how our tune on smartbooks totally changes when one's got an $85 price tag. We happened upon Coby's booth at CeBIT this morning and of all the fairly cheap feeling laptops the company had on display it was its 7-inch NBPC722 smartbook that cozied right up to us. Okay, so it isn't as thin or attractive as the $499 Lenovo's Skylight, but again let us remind you that it costs about as much as a couple of new printer ink cartridges. Inside the little guy packs a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 processor, 2GB of flash storage and runs Windows CE which all should be good enough for some light Web browsing and e-mail writing. There was actually a YouTube shortcut on the desktop, but the NBPC722 wasn't connected to try it out. Apparently this inexpensive laptop should be making its way stateside this spring, but until the flowers start blooming you've got the video below.  }}}
http://www.engadget.com/2010/0...dred-bucks-hands-on/

I have found 21 megabytes of decent science fiction in Project Gutenberg but there is more than 5 times that much.  Today a 500 page paperback is 1 megabyte and costs $8.  So that 21 meg could be worth $160.  But that smartbook is just a little over half that much.  So just buying that thing for a kid to read SF off the internet is worth the money.

The problem is the time to find what is worth reading.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files.../24161-h/24161-h.htm

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 March 16, 2010 at 1:57 PM

A Small Business Guide to Buying a Netbook

The netbook craze began back in 2007 with the Asus Eee PC. What started as a fad has grown into its own PC category. What distinguishes a netbook from a notebook? There’s no official definition, but the basic rule of thumb describes a netbook as an ultraportable notebook that weighs around 3 pounds, comes with a small screen and costs between $300 and $500 depending on specs and features.

http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/buyersguide/article.php/3870611

 

Let's get REAL here.  Everything in that article is in general correct but there is a certain perspective it does not include.

In 1980 an IBM 3033 mainframe cost $3,000,000.  Are we supposed to believe that machine could not DO BUSINESS?  But that computer could only take a MAXIMUM of 32 Megabytes.  Normal netbooks have THIRTY TWO TIMES that much memory!  So how could any netbook with a GIGABYTE of memory not take care of business?  Why should anyone need TWO GIGABYTES?

 

The software is different now.  You need to listen for what you NEVER HEAR.  When does anybody talk about SOFTWARE EFFICIENCY?  They don't!  The software is practically designed to WASTE PROCESSING POWER.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 March 19, 2010 at 6:37 PM
Size Does Matter!

The price goes up as size goes down.  $550



http://www.pocketables.net/201...w-umid-mbook-bz.html

The screen is almost 5 inches. 

But an HP Mini 311 with a screen of almost 12 inches is $150 less.

So YOU have to decide what you want to do with a portable computer.  There is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 March 28, 2010 at 7:22 AM
This is so funny:

The Internet in 1969

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pPfyYtiBc

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 1, 2010 at 7:47 PM
So there are lots of netbooks to choose from but what to actually do with one?

http://alldaysci-fi.cerizmo.com/

A 500 page book is ONE MEGABYTE.  These days that book costs $8.  So 21 books would be $168.  Trying to find good FREE e-books would cost more than that in time.

TANSTAAFE  == There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free E-book

Books take time to read.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 6, 2010 at 7:24 PM
The iPad had ARRIVED:

http://www.youtube.com/waatch?v=pT4EbM7dCMs

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 10, 2010 at 2:25 PM
Why would anyone buy an iPad instead of this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es5rqGTgPbU

{{{ 

Two versions of the T1000 will be offered, the T1000X with a 4-cell, 4,500mAh battery and the T1000P with a 6-cell, 7,650mAh battery.  Both netbooks will have 1GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD and Intel GMA 3150 graphics, along with WiFi b/g/n, 10/100 ethernet and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Ports include two USB 2.0, an eSATA/USB combo, audio in/out, VGA, ExpressCard and a multiformat memory card reader; there’s also a 1.3-megapixel webcam, microphone and 1.5W stereo speakers.  No word on pricing, but we’re guessing this won’t be an especially cheap netbook – Gigabyte will probably tell us more at CeBIT 2010 this coming week.  }}}

http://www.slashgear.com/gigabyte-touchnote-t1000-netbook-tablet-packs-new-atom-n470-2875920/

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 18, 2010 at 6:47 PM
Here is reason for a netbook.

http://www.youtube.com/khanacademy

But iPads don't play flash, do they?

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 25, 2010 at 6:56 PM

Averatec N1231 Atom 1.66GHz 10" Netbook for $200 + free shipping

Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor, 1024x600 widescreen LCD, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, 802.11n wireless, webcam, 2-cell battery, card reader, and Windows XP Home.

 http://www.i4u.com/article33441.html

This is getting unreal.  I paid $600 for my first hard drive.  It was 20 MEGABYTES and that did not include the computer.  I was adding it to a computer I already owned.

So that is 8,000 times as big a hard drive for 1/3rd as much money and a far more powerful computer.  It is like the computers are free it is just a matter of can people figure out what to do with them.  It costs less than a Kindle e-reader.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 April 27, 2010 at 3:49 PM
Here is something to do with a computer with a USB port.

SmartScope Elementary Basic Kit
http://www.smartschoolsystems....ryId=15&#product

The SmartScope digital microscope allows students to explore the microscopic world all around us.

    * 10x to 200x magnification
    * High resolution for great images
    * Take Still Images, Videos, or Time-Lapse Videos
    * Change Focus and Magnification with a single dial
    * Change Light Level with a single dial
    * Easy enough for preschoolers to use,
        but powerful enough for advanced sciences

OH NO!  The iPad doesn't have a USB port.  

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 July 6, 2010 at 8:40 AM
Last Edited: July 6, 2010 at 7:15 PM
So, back to my ongoing monologue that no one is interested in.



Of course the trouble with netbooks is that they are too big.  LOL



I like my PMA400 because it fits in my pocket.  But the touchscreen keyboard SUCKS!



Smaller than Netbooks



I would just need to put Linux on one of those.  But they cost more than a netbook for a smaller screen.  Technology SUCKS!!!



Every kindergarten kid needs 160 GIGABYTES!   ROFL



360 Gig for 5 year olds???



If this is being marketed for kindergarteners thru 6th grade then what is it about the machine that 7th graders can't use it.  But they are trying to sell machines with basically the same specs to businessmen that want to travel light.



They don't give a damn about education it is just about pushing the product.



Try explaining a gigabyte to a kindergartener.  LOL



But businessmendon't need spill resistant keyboards.  Yeah, spill that martini on the keyboard.  Buy another computer.  It's good for business.



Netbooks have reached a new plateau.



Dual-core Ion



Now everyone MUST have a DUAL-CORE Atom with the Nvidia chip.



Does that make it a diatomic ion?



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 July 10, 2010 at 2:34 PM
Top 10 USB Thumb Drive Tricks



http://lifehacker.com/5583307/top-10-usb-thumb-drive-tricks-2010-edition



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 July 21, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Last Edited: July 21, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Maybe I should start listing things to do with netbooks.

Celestia: Astronomy program

Astronomy

Solve Elec: Electronic Simulator

Simulator

Get the book: Teach Yourself Electricityand Electronics by Stan Gibilisco

to go with Elec Solve.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 July 21, 2010 at 3:47 PM
The netbook market has reached a new plateau in performance with the Asus 1215n.

http://www.netbooklive.net/asus-eee-pc-1215n-review-power-in-a-compact-sleek-body-4092/



Dual-Core Atom with Nvidia ION2 support.  But it costs $500.



Below that for comparison is the HP 311 which is single core with the ION1 at $400.

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-mini-311/4505-3121_7-33772608.html



But HP is also targeting kindergarten kids.  The HP 100e is a conventional netbook but with a handle and a spill resistant keyboard and is claimed to be more rugged than a normal netbook.  I bought a Panasonic Tough that is only 500 MHz but can be driven over with a car.  I value rugged construction more than power.  Because all of the stuff is so powerful these days.  The HP 100e is $300.

http://www.liliputing.com/2010/06/hands-on-with-the-hp-mini-100e.html



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 July 27, 2010 at 8:10 AM
The media is churning out lots of contradictory articles about netbooks.  Tablets are going to kill netbooks!  The iPad is destroying netbooks!  Netbook sales are going to triple by 2013!  Netbook sales are going to double!



Blah!  Blah!  Blah!   The media is there to fill up space to get advertising.



http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/05/is-the-ipad-killing-netbooks-or-have-they-hit-a-ceiling.ars

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Netbook-Sales-to-More-than-Double-by-2013-ABI-864854/

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2010/tc2010041_600018.htm

http://www.liliputing.com/2010/05/department-of-obvious-research-netbook-sales-are-slowing.html



Now here is an article that makes some sense.



http://www.helium.com/items/1904840-best-computer-for-high-school-kids



Parents should be getting these things for their kids and not waiting for the idiots running the local school system to get their heads out of their asses.  The educators haven't figured out that accounting should be mandatory in the last 50 years.  Look at what that has done for the economy.



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 6, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Now this is funny!



Help! The iPhone 4 has replaced my iPad!

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/06/help-the-iphone-4-has-replaced-my-ipad/



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 10, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Uh oh!  Here is the second spill resistant keyboard on the market.

Samsung N150-11: $349 Atom-powered Netbook With Spill Resistant Keyboard


http://www.notebooks.com/2010/...-resistant-keyboard/

The HP 100e is $50 cheaper but this one doesn't look like a kids computer.  I would rather have a TOUGH kids computer.

But this does demonstrate a possible advantage of tablet computers.  If the tablet has a USB port, which the iPad does not, then a $25 folding USB keyboard can be used with it.  If the keyboard goes bad just buy another one.  I bet that would cost less than paying to have a netbook keyboard repaired.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 13, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Axon Builds Tablet You Can Hackintosh, Does Windows and Linux Too

{{{  All this time we thought the way to one-up Apple's iPad was to build a Windows- or Android-based tablet with all the features the iPad neglects. Boy were we off, or so hopes a company called Axon Logic. Never heard of them? If history is any indication, you soon will. That's because Axon has gone and put together a tablet -- the Axon Haptic -- that's primed for end users to slap a Darwin OS onto its slate, such as Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Should this thing catch on, and perhaps even if it doesn't, you can bet Apple's legal team will be ready to go the distance.  }}}

http://hothardware.com/News/Ax...ndows-and-Linux-Too/

This looks like a potential iPad beater. Too many iPads have been sold for anything to be an iPad killer.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 15, 2010 at 6:58 PM
Cheezy netbooks!



Netbook failure rate disappoints major user

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/netbook-failure-rate-disappoints-major-user



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 18, 2010 at 3:22 PM
Just in time!!!

SanDisk Reveals The SSD Perfect For Mobile Computing - It's Smaller Than A Postage Stamp

{{{   Solid state drives just got a whole lot smaller. Memory maker SanDisk introduced a new super compact memory chip that is smaller than your average postage stamp and lighter than a paperclip.

The new chip based solid state drive (SSD), which SanDisk has named an integrated SSD (or iSSD for short), measures in at just 16 by 20 by 1.85-mm and weighs less than a single gram. The memory firm detailed that the iSSD chips will be available in capacities ranging from 4GB to 64GB and has been developed with the growing mobile market in mind, making it perfect for devices such as smartphones, tablets and ultra-thin netbooks. }}}

http://www.pcworld.com/article/203601/sandisk_reveals_the_ssd_perfect_for_mobile_computing_its_smaller_than_a_postage_stamp.html?tk=hp_new

My PMA400 has a 30 gig hard drive.  I have dropped it a few times.  It was never more than a couple of feet and always on carpeting.  But I worry about that drive.  It's 3 years old and I expect hard drives to last 3 to 5 years.  So any day now.  It is actually only 28 gig and I usually only have 7 or 8 gig of space left.  But a 64 gig Solid State Drive would be a killer.

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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 19, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Here is an interesting perspective.



Downgrading your computer: Why less is more

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/downgrading-your-computer-why-less-is-more/13794



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Xumbrarchist offline
A1 · 303 Forum Posts
 August 27, 2010 at 12:09 AM
Dual-core netbook performance.

{{{ Intel has mopped the floor with netbook design-wins that employ its ultra low-power Atom processor, performance on Atom-based machines has always felt a little (or a lot perhaps?) emaciated.  And that's regardless of whether you're looking to run multimedia or gaming applications. Regardless, technology marches on, especially with the endless resources of Intel's monstrous fabrication technologies, and as such, Intel's darling netbook processor has been evolving of course.

Today we've got a quick, breaking look at an evolution of Intel's new Pinetrail Atom platform and the integrated Pineview Atom processor architecture Intel first unveiled last December. However, Pineview it appears, took on not only another processor core but also ramped up clock speed to a snappier 1.8GHz. }}}

http://hothardware.com/News/Intels-DualCore-18GHz-Pineview-Atom-D525-Hits-HotHardware-Labs/

The HP-311 which was just  introduced last March is at the bottom.

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