My thoughts are that they are probably waiting on the new ion platform or a more sophisticated processor. For now, we will just have to deal with gimmick type upgrades such as tablet designs with flippable monitors, and thinner casing designs.

About Ion

Ion is a combination of the current Intel Atom processors, used in most netbooks, with Nvidias 9400M mobile GPU. The 9400M is currently used in many budget laptops and is also the GPU you will find in Apple’s Macbook Pro line. The new chips will offer up 5x faster graphics as well as up to 10x faster video transcoding.

So what does this mean to you?

The Ion will allow you to run video much, much faster. For those of you that have a first generation netbook (like my HP mini), you have probably noticed that the video can cause serious hiccups. With the 9400M, you can now run HD Video in full 1080p and Nvidia even went as far as to say that the platform will be capable of Blu-Ray playback. Not only that, but Nvidia has been quoted as saying that the new platform can run Call of Duty 4 with 25-30 fps consistently. That is quite a feat considering my current netbook can barely run Plants vs Zombies (my new addiciton). What that also means is that this new line of netbooks should also be able to run World of Warcraft on decent quality settings. I must be honest when I tell you that this has me VERY excited.

Are there any downsides?

The only documented downside at this point has been power consumption. The new mock systems that have been tested have been exhibiting double the power consumption of previous netbooks and would cut your battery time down to about 4-5 hours for most systems. Nvidia has stated however that the Ion based netbooks will have special power saving techniques to extend the battery life, so no accurate measurement can be made until the first systems start showing up.

So when will they be out and what new models have been announced?

So far, the only time line given has been mid 2009, but we should start seeing a major crop of big name netbooks using the Ion platform soon. The leaders out of the gate will be the Lenovo S12, a new Acer, and more than likely a new Asus laptop as well, to complement their new thinner line of netbooks. I would suspect that all of the major players in the netbook race will have Ion based systems available by Christmas.

In Conclusion

The new Ion platform by Nvidia and Intel is going to be a huge step for netbooks. 5x the graphic power, 10x the video speeds, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and 1080p all sounds great. If you already have first generation netbook, this Christmas looks like it may be a good time to upgrade.

Our top ten mini laptops list as of February 2009. This list compiles the best netbooks based upon cost, size, practicality and how useful they are. On a side note, we’ve also judged by looks as well in some cases.

Down the bottom is of our top ten mini laptops is…

#10 – Toshiba NB100

The first Toshiba mini laptop is a bog standard 9 inch mini laptop with a big Toshiba name stamped on it. It does have some nice features but overall, not much to fuss over. The looks are appalling, the lid and tray not matching up and the battery kicks out of the back. This is supposed to reverse the problems the Dell Mini 9 had, and not intrude on keyboard space. It has worked to an extent, but it’s a far from finished solution. You can buy much better for your money, but the NB100 is a Toshiba, so you’re buying expertise and brand as well.

Overall: 3 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #7

#9 – MSI Wind

Whilst this netbook has received praise from many, it being the pioneer 10 inch laptop. But there were reasons why it was not listed higher in our top ten mini laptops. MSI have fitted only a 3-cell battery in the standard version, has a strange keyboard set up and tiny touchpad. Asus themselves were quick to push out the Eee PC 1000, and bigger players have entered the market with their own 10 inchers – Samsung , LG and HP for example. Whilst the MSI Wind is not exactly obsolete, it needs updating to compete with the bigger and better, more familiar brands.

Overall: 3 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #8

#8 – Dell Inspiron Mini 9

Previously bottom of our top ten mini laptops, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 moves up the rankings this month. It is a simple spec 9 inch netbook with Intel Atom and HSDPA provided by Vodafone (on contract only). The Mini 9 trips up though over its keyboard which has no function keys and is altogether not very large anyway. This is thanks to the battery being pushing right into the chassis in a bid to make it smaller and lighter. Dell are also introducing a larger 12 inch netbook similar to the Inspiron Mini 9 this month.

Overall: 3 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #10

#7 – Asus Eee PC 1000

The various versions of the Eee PC 1000 were launched to counter the MSI Wind, which took netbooks above 10 inches. The Asus Eee PC 1000 shares a lot in common with the Eee PC 901, although bigger, heavier and more expensive. Whether this is a good thing or not is debatable. Yes, the keyboard is bigger, but you pay around £40-50 for it which is a bit of a blow on the value for money side. The introduction of the Eee PC 1002HA may have helped the Eee PC 1000 line, but new and improved competition have resulted in it slipping a spot in our rankings.

Overall: 4 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #6

#6 – Asus Eee PC S101

Previously, Eee PCs looked pretty much like toys. The S101 however takes the Eee PC to a whole new dimension. It’s sleek (as thin as 18mm) and sexy (brown, no seriously) and features beautifully tapered edges. Underneath the chassis however, it’s still just a jazzed-up Eee PC 1000, and with a smaller battery and no real extra features, it’s hard to justify the £449 price tag.

Overall: 4 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #4

#5 – Acer Aspire One

The Acer Aspire One is a fantastic 9 inch mini laptop which is fantastically cheap – around £200 depending on the spec. The short battery life and badly designed interface let it down a little (although a new 9-cell option has been released). But for value for money, its excellent – perhaps more so than the original Eee PC 701. Definitely worth a look if your going down the budget route.

Overall: 4 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #3

#4 – Asus Eee PC 901

The Eee PC 901 was essentially supposed to iron out all the problems from the previous 900 model (including the old Celeron M process – now the Intel Atom) as well as renewed product in the face of more competition. The Eee PC 901, originally retailed at £319 is now available at much less than that. And now available on contract with Orange – the Eee PC 901 is a truly complete netbook. The Eee PC was previously #1 of our top ten mini laptops.

Overall: 5 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #1

#3 – Samsung NC10

Samsungs low key entry into the world of mini laptops brings us the NC10, a 10 inch Intel Atom powered, Windows XP (no Linux) netbook which seems to have taken onboard all the lessons learnt by its predecessors. The keyboard is tailored for the writer, the arrow and function keys are shrunk down in favour of larger letter keys. The result is good, a typing performance almost matching the HPs.
Overall: 5 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #5

#2 – HP Mini 1000

The consumer netbook by HP carry’s on with the excellent 92% full size keyboard from the original 2133 mini-note. This is perhaps its best selling point. Of course it has all the standard features, 10 inch glossy screen, built-in webcam, microphone, WLAN, Bluetooth as well as the Intel Atom in place of the slower Via C7-M processor. Prices are competitive too, with the Compaq mini 700 version starting at £299. However, keeping it off the number one spot of our top ten mini laptops is the battery life which remains a 3-cell like its predecessor.

Overall: 4 stars – previous ranking Decemeber 08: #2

#1 of our Top Ten Mini Laptops – Sony VAIO P Series

The new Sony VAIO P Series mini laptop was unveiled at CES. Sony’s new 8 inch, £849 “lifestyle pc” (Sony are vary wary to avoid the term “netbook”) is less than 2cm thick and only slightly larger than an office envelope. It comes with a world of features including 3G Mobile Broadband, inbuilt GPS, Windows Vista, battery life of up to 8 hours, SSD storage of up to 128GB and amazingly weighs less than 640g!

NEW RANKING THIS MONTH!

Original article at http://www.mini-laptops-and-notebooks.com/top-ten-mini-laptops.html | Homepage at http://www.mini-laptops-and-notebooks.com/index.html | The one-stop resource for mini laptops and netbooks | Copyright Ed Fry 2008. All Rights Reserved

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For those wanting to buy netbooks, one of the main considerations is the built-in Operating System of the netbook. Out in the market you can buy either a Linux or Windows XP version of the same netbook model from the same manufacturer. This is especially true for Asus Eee netbooks, where there is always a Windows XP and a Linux version.

So, which netbook should you choose? If you’re going after price and stability of the system, you would much rather have Linux netbook. If you’re buying any model of Asus Eee netbook, you best bet for finding a really cheap one is to buy a Linux-based model.

Linux Netbooks

Linux is a free and open-source operating system that runs well on old PCs and less powerful computers like mini laptops. Linux users swear by the reliability of Linux netbooks? they boot quickly, usually don’t crash and are compatible with free and open source software.

Not surprisingly, since it is open source, many Linux operating systems come in different varieties and customizations. Many versions (also called distributions) of the Linux OS come bundled with their own set of applications. Many netbook manufacturers develop their own software on Linux-operated netbooks. If you want to buy a Linux netbook, check with your manufacturer what customizations were made on the user interface.

The Asus Eee 900, for example, operates on Xandros Linux. Features are categorized and made accessible through tabbed interface. You can access Open Office and PDF reader on the tab for Work, while games and media players can be accessed on the Play tab. Users can even access corporate emails through a Microsoft Outlook Web Access.

Windows XP

Windows XP netbooks have a standard user interface, and you can operate your Windows netbook as easily as you did your desktop PC. The issues with Windows XP is that it is prone to malware such as trojans and viruses although Microsoft has improved Windows XP since its debut and that it is a more resource intensive operating system than Linux. On the positive side, Windows XP, while older, uses significantly less resources than Vista and can still run fast on a mini laptop.

Windows XP, however, remains a popular OS among computer users. The main advantage of Windows XP over Linux is that a lot of the useful software like Adobe Photoshop are written for Windows and can only be used on a Windows-based computer.

For more information about mini laptops and netbooks, visit the website http://www.compareminilaptops.com/

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Netbooks—Linux-Or-XP?&id=1796035

Everyone knows what an iPhone is. It has been at the centre of technology buzz since it was released. The latest variant, the iPhone 3G comes with 3G mobile broadband and combines with Apples Safari internet browser. It combines 3 consoles, a phone, a music player and a internet browsing device.

But it shares many similar functions to a mini laptop; the question is which is better?

Turning on

Both have a simple on button but time to take to load up varies. With Linux, the time can be as short as 15 seconds, although Windows XP will take longer. The iPhone will take around 20-25 seconds from turning on to being ready to use.

>>> Winner is this category: Netbook

Typing

Typing on both isn’t the same as on a desktop, but the netbook still has the edge here. It has a full qwerty keyboard rarely less than 80% the size of a full size keyboard. It takes practice to type quickly on the iPhone’s 3.5″ touchscreen – I find it fastest with two thumbs, but accuracy is compromised. If you need to be accurate, using the corner of your finger helps. Still, it’s difficult, especially when you’ve got a protective case on to stop scratching the back.

>>> Winner is this category: Netbook

Browsing

Apple safari as its limitations, but the version on the iPhone is more than adequate. Still, the Mozilla Firefox or Windows Internet Explorer are capable of viewing a lot more and it working. You can surf easier on netbooks, fill in forms quicker and open more windows.

>>> Winner is this category: Netbook

Communications

The iPhone was essentially built entirely as an application for communication. Netbooks are designed for another role. As a phone, it would seemingly have the upper hand on communications, what with it’s 3G internet and wifi. Netbooks don’t generally come as standard with 3G, but wifi is standard. The rise of Skype and other internet phone companies make the netbook very competitive – but it would look a bit strange talking into your microphone of your mini laptop on your typical commute

>>> Winner is this category: iPhone

Portability

The iPhone is easily small enough to fit in a pocket, so perhaps is an easy winner here. Still, most of us carry a bag or something similar around with us, which a netbook can easily slip into. The new Sony VAIO P Series can easily slip into a jacket pocket.

>>> Winner is this category: iPhone

Cost

Netbooks typically cost between £200-300, whilst your unofficially unlocked iPhone will cost between £350-400 depending on where you want to buy. You can only but the official factory unlocked iPhones in countries where it is illegal to sell locked phones like Belgium, New Zealand, Italy, Australia, France, Germany and Singapore. Officially unlocked iPhones will set you back around £500 – and the price keeps rising as the pound weakens.

Overall: Netbook wins

Homepage at http://www.mini-laptops-and-notebooks.com/index.html | The one stop resource for mini laptops and netbooks | Copyright Ed Fry 2008-2009 – All Rights Reserved

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Netbooks are the hottest trend in the computing industry, and for good reason. Ultraportable yet powerful, netbooks make excellent secondary machines to desktop computers. They are perfect travel companions. The year 2008 saw the rise of different model brands.

It began with the motherboard manufacturer Asus, but other known computer brands released their own incarnations of the Asus’ Eee netbook. For would-be buyers, here’s a rundown on the top six netbook models.

* MSI Wind U100

The MSI Wind U100 has great features that make it a great buy and a stand-out among all the netbooks available in the market. By using a 10-inch LCD screen (as opposed to a seven-inch), this netbook model is easier to work with. The keyboard is also one of the best designed ones on the market and is very comfortable to use for something so small. Probably the only downside to this netbook model is that it uses a 3-cell, so it only has a short battery life.

* HP 2133 Mini-Note

The HP mini note is unique in the netbook market for some features, including a metal case, a VIA C7-M processor instead of an Intel Atom and an ExpressCard slot, which allows it to use laptop expansion cards such as cellular and Wireless WAN cards. All told, this netbook model can double as a business system, although it is rather more expensive than other models.

* Lenovo IdeaPad S10

This netbook model may be a latecomer to the netbook market, but its wonderful features will make you look back at it. Like the HP Mini-Note, it has an ExpressCard slot wireless WAN and like the MSI Wind U100, it also has a 10-inch LCD screen. The best part about this Lenovo netbook is that it is very easy to upgrade the hard drive or the RAM ? you only have to open an easy-access panel. However, the IdeaPad S10 currently only has a 3-cell battery pack with no aftermarket batteries available. Also, it only has two USB 2.0 ports and is noticeably warmer than other netbooks.

* Dell Inspiron Mini 9

This netbook model is probably the only netbook that operates in complete silent thanks its solid state drive and its lack of cooling fans, although this causes the unit to be very warm with prolonged use. The access panel on the bottom of the casing readily provides users with access to the major components like the memory, solid state drive and mini-PCI card.

Click here to compare mini laptops such as the popular Acer Aspire One, MSI Wind U100-432US, and the ASUS EEE PC 904HA.

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