Netbooks

Owning a portable powerhouse of a lap-dwelling machine may be a bit economically out-of-reach for some, but there's never been a better time to get a decently-performing laptop for a great value. Just follow these tips:

Try a Netbook. If your computing needs are low, or even basic (web browsing, office doc work, and not too much need for heavy-duty graphics or HD video), Netbooks offer a great package for very little money. Mainly equipped with Intel Atom processors and running Windows XP, they're not so great a multitasking, but they'll do the work that most computers handled five years ago with ease. Low-end Netbooks are where the best value's at, with some coming in at under $300, like Dell's Mini 10v. Some are on sale online for even less, or are subsidized by cell carriers (the HP Mini 1151nr costs $199). You will, however, need to sign up for a wireless 3G data plan for a subsidized Netbook, which will cost more in the long run than simply looking for free Wi-Fi hotspots.

Thin-and-light laptops are getting cheaper. It was just a year and a half ago when the MacBook Air cost an arm and a leg for super-light computing power. While the Air is more affordable now, there are a variety of similarly-powered machines running lower-cost CULV processors just hitting the market that cost even less. MSI's X340 is practically a Windows version of the MacBook Air, with an equally good form factor (but made of plastic instead of aluminum), but costs $800.

Leave off the extras. Go for the bare-bones configuration unless you really need more RAM or a larger hard drive -- those can sometimes be added later, usually for less money.… Read more

Chrome started with a couple of guys in Boulder, Colo., who set out to built a bag that could stand a lifetime of daily abuse. Eight years later, the operation is now based out to San Francisco, where Chrome bags have become the staple of bike messengers, students, and packrats alike. Today, Chrome also announced its sojourn into the techie commuter market with the release of two stripped-down, laptop-friendly bags: the Vega and Corsair.

The Vega draws inspiration from the classic "musette" bags used to feed cyclists in the middle of a big race. Since weight is everything to these pros, the bags have to be minimalist and utilitarian, and the Vega is no different. It's light, tough, and can easily fit up to a 15-inch laptop.

It's important to stress the tough material used in the build: 1,000 denier Cordura material, a heavyweight nylon with a urethane coating to protect from water, abrasian, and grime. Make no mistake about it: these are some of the toughest bags you can get.… Read more

E3 was a blast this year with exciting announcements from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. But it wasn't all about gaming. In fact we've given much attention to Palm and Sprint's rollout of the Pre, a device we fell in love with on accident at CES a few months ago.

We also found some sub-$300 laptops from Dell that had us interested, as well as Sony Ericsson's take on an app store.

And finally we discussed future tech, including AMD's DirectX 11 GPU and prototype self-assembling robots that will kill us all.

Oh, and some … Read more

Zowie! For less than the price of some Netbooks, you can get yourself a full-blown Dell notebook. Here's the deal: Dell is offering the Inspiron 15n for just $299. That's undeniably amazing, though there are a few caveats.

First, these are new units, not refurbs, and you don't have to deal with any rebates. Ahhh...gotcha! Those aren't caveats at all. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

The real consideration for most buyers is that the Inspiron 15n runs on Ubuntu Linux 8.10--a great operating system by all accounts, but no good … Read more

Correction: this article was updated at 1:30 p.m. PDT on June 4 with the correction about the upload and download speeds of the module.

Netbooks, such as those AT&T is bundling with its data plans, are about to get a new module that helps connect to the Internet via cellular networks.

Ericsson is expected to launch on Thursday its latest mobile broadband module, called Ericsson F3307, specifically designed for mini laptops. The module is pre-certified with major cellular networks in 75 countries.

This means Netbook manufacturers can quickly equip their Netbooks with this new integrated wireless … Read more

While many eyes are on E3, Taiwan's Computex conference is more quietly generating some interesting news on the future of Netbooks and laptops that will eventually make their way stateside. For a peek into the crystal ball of mobile computing, let's take a look at what's been announced in Taipei, Taiwan, this week.

Mobile-phone-based Netbooks are growing: "Smartbooks," as they're being called by companies like Qualcomm, seem to be this year's Netbook. It's mostly a naming convention shift: ARM processors based on smartphone chips, like Qualcomm's Snapdragon, were demoed on Asus Eee PC Netbooks--running Android, no less. While Snapdragon competitor Freescale Semiconductor, who makes an ARM-based iMX515 processor, predicts hybrid Smartbooks that will look like tablets, others see them being even more portable Netbooks.

Regardless of the processor, companies are finally announcing the release of honest-to-goodness Android Netbooks, running a laptop-based version of the Google-created smartphone OS, later this year. Acer took the leap by confirming their release of Android Netbooks by the third quarter of this year, suddenly accelerating the "Android on Netbooks" argument we've been having on CNET. Is Android really a better OS solution? The point may be moot for laptop manufacturers such as Acer who are also entering the smartphone space, and are mostly likely interested in targeting Google for an across-the-board mobile OS option on their future devices. According to Acer, "a majority" of their Netbooks will run Android as an alternative to Windows.… Read more

Flash-memory manufacturer SanDisk announced Tuesday an SDHC card aimed at new Netbook owners disappointed with the skimpy internal storage the micro laptops may come with. On the surface--in the middle and on the bottom, too--it seems SanDisk took a bunch of old, slow Class 2 8GB and 16GB SDHC cards, rebranded them as Netbook SDHC Cards, and doubled the price of the cards to $44.99 and $88.99, respectively; the street prices are a little lower.

On the product page, SanDisk points out that this is a fast way to add more lightweight storage for videos, music, and photos … Read more

Last month we reported on Iomega's new line of eGo external hard drives. Today, the company sweetens the deal with an even more versatile device: a portable hard drive with FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and USB 2.0 ports for the ultimate in cross-compatibility.

Iomega dropped by CNET's offices last week to hand over a test drive, and although we haven't put it through our labs benchmark tests yet, the eGo track record is good enough to assume that this device will earn good marks. The drives are delivered in HFS+ for out-of-the-box Mac compatibility, but you … Read more

Acer announced on Tuesday a version of its Aspire One Netbook that will run the Android operating system.

The manufacturer made the announcement at the Computex show in Taiwan, promising a release for the Android-based Netbook in the third quarter. Android was originally intended as a platform for smartphones, but recent months have seen great interest in porting the system over to small, cheap sub-notebooks.

"Netbooks are designed to be compact in size and easy to connect to the Internet wherever you go," Jim Wong, Acer's president of IT products, said in a statement. "The Android … Read more