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Intel VP: Netbooks not for adults

Remember those first 7-inch Asus Eee PCs advertised with kids tapping on chicklet keyboards? Well, Intel apparently wants us to return to those Netbook glory days.

In short, Netbooks are not for adults, according to Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group, speaking during a keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, streamed on Intel's Web site.

"There are things that you would do on a notebook you wouldn't dream of doing on a Netbook...For a kid, a Netbook is fantastic, as an adult you probably want a notebook. So, there are very simple ways of positioning and thinking about it."

(Hmm...what about all those big people with Netbooks? I guess it's time to trade it in for a grown-up computer.)

Now, contrast this with what Stu Pann, vice president in Intel's sales and marketing group, said back in November of last year at a Raymond James IT Supply Chain Conference.

"We originally thought Netbooks would be for emerging markets and younger kids, and there is some of that. It turns out the bulk of the Netbooks sold today are in Western Europe, North America, and for people who just want to grab and go with a notebook," Pann said.

And Pann added: "If you've ever used a Netbook and used a 10-inch screen size--it's fine for an hour. It's not something you're going to use day in and day out." … Read more

Is an Apple more form than function?

Updated at 10:45 p.m. PST with additional system specifications.

The aesthete buys an Apple. This dig in the latest Mac-attack Microsoft ad contains a kernel of truth.

Here's the essential choice: A Dell with a pedestrian design but all the fixin's or a gorgeous Apple MacBook that doesn't offer quite as much. (Whether the prospective buyer needs a maxed-out laptop is a pertinent question too.)

The Dell paradigm is how many people define practicality, i.e., you get more box for the money. Hewlett-Packard of course falls into this category too.

I use both a … Read more

Virgin Mobile announces 'Connect' and Opera Mini 4.2 for prepaid phones

Helio's influence on Virgin Mobile continues to grow, as Virgin Mobile just announced the availability of the "Connect" social-networking dashboard and Opera Mini 4.2 to its prepaid customers. These features were previously available on post-paid devices only, like the Helio handsets. They will launch later this month on devices like the Shuttle, the Jax, and the X-tc. Do note that you'll have to sign up for a monthly or prepaid data pack plan. The price ranges from $5 for 5MB of data on prepaid plans, to $10 for 50MB on a monthly plan.

The "… Read more

Monoprice to the rescue! Mini DisplayPort to HDMI now available

Are you a new MacBook owner getting frustrated with Apple for not yet releasing a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter? Sure we all are. Well, maybe some of us.

I mean, you could shell out $900 for the Apple "I only use Mini DisplayPort" (not an actual quote from the monitor) LED Cinema Display, but seriously, unless you're an AIG exec, who has that kinda scratch these days?

Anyway, Apple has yet to release an official adapter that would allow you to connect your pretty little MacBook to an HDMI-based external display. Thank goodness then for the … Read more

Need a higher-res screen for your Netbook? Dell's Mini 10 adds a 720p option

While the new Dell Mini 10 is still not shipping (the site currently promises a prelimiary ship date of April 15), there is a new option available in the online configurator.

Users who want a little more screen real estate than the typical 1,024x600 found in most Netbooks (Dell's standard is actually 1,024x576) will appreciate the new 1,366x768 option, which is high enough to natively display 720p video.

It's a $35 add-on to the Mini 10's $399 base price, and while we haven't seen this new screen in person yet, it would be … Read more

MacBook Mini mockup: Fan fake or the real deal?

When it comes to anything Apple--and especially anything Mac Netbook-related--you can blog virtually anything and get a huge response from readers.

Well, Monday's Apple Netbook entry comes to us from a Russian magazine that printed up what's almost assuredly fake concept art for a MacBook mini (it's not quite April Fool's Day, but we're close). What's amusing is that it all looks pretty real on the surface, with a price tag ($899), a release date (sometime this year), and detailed specs that have some folks drooling:

10.4-inch WXGA display 1280x768-pixel resolution with LED backlighting Nvidia MCP79 chipset Intel Atom Z740 1.83GHz CPU with 1MB L2 cache 2GB DDR3-800 memory Nvidia GeForce 9400M GPU 64GB solid-state drive Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n connectivity 1 USB 2.0 socket 1 Mini Display Port Lithium ion 5100mA battery

Looks too good to be true. Or does it?

9to5 via Gizmodo.

See another photo after the jump.… Read more

Betamax to Blu-ray: Sony format winners, losers

Betamax was one of Sony's biggest blunders.

The videocassette format was introduced in 1975, and initially sold well. But when JVC's VHS tape cartridge was introduced in 1978, Betamax quickly lost its lead. The media loved Beta for its superior picture quality, but Standard Betamax tapes were only 60 minutes, and VHS 3-hour tapes could record more TV shows.

VHS was more popular, but Betamax refused to die. Production in the U.S. ended in 1993, and the last Betamax machine in the world was produced in Japan in 2002.

Ah, but the Compact Disc was a hit from the get-go. On August 31, 1982, an announcement was made in Tokyo that four companies, Sony, CBS/Sony, Philips, and Polygram had jointly developed the world's first CD system. Talk of the CD's demise are premature, sales are still in the hundreds of millions of discs a year.

The MiniDisc was introduced January 12, 1992. The recordable music format was originally based exclusively on ATRAC audio data compression, but the format never caught on in the U.S. MiniDiscs were popular in Japan and Asia as a digital upgrade from cassette tapes.

Which reminds me, Sony's ill-fated Elcaset came out in 1976. Like Betamax, Sony was trying to make a higher quality tape format, in this case better than the Philips Compact Cassette. Elcaset was better, but it was too large and cumbersome. Elcaset was a flop. … Read more