inte

Low-power versions of Intel's latest and greatest "Sandy Bridge" processors are populating the chipmaker's database, giving a pretty clear view of the chips small MacBooks will use in the future.

Small, in this case, could be anything from a future 13-inch MacBook Pro (currently 4.5 pounds, 0.95 inches thick) to an updated MacBook Air (currently no more than 2.9 pounds and 0.11 to 0.68 inches thick)--the latter expected in the summer timeframe.

The "launch date" for the low-power chips highlighted in the graphic below is listed in Intel'… Read more

Intel announced on Monday the first dual-core Atom processor targeted specifically at Netbooks, finally putting the same number of processing cores inside these tiny laptops as found on larger mainstream laptops.

Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and LG all announced new dual-core Netbooks Monday. Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, MSI, Samsung, and Toshiba, among others, are planning similar announcements in the coming weeks and months, according to Intel.

This is a big step for the Netbook market. Since their inception back in spring 2008, Netbooks have been powered by single-core processors. This allowed Netbook suppliers to design 10-inch-class laptops that were relatively power efficient and inexpensive, typically costing about $350.

The widely reported downside has been lackluster performance, since all processing must be funneled through one core. The Atom performance gap with mainstream Core 2 Duo and Core i laptop processors is also due to design differences. (Mainstream laptop processors have a different architecture, delivering higher-level performance.) But the fact that the Atom for Netbooks has always been single core has exacerbated the performance gap.

Intel has other reasons for moving to dual core. Low-power dual-core processors from rival Advanced Micro Devices are already appearing in Netbook-class laptops. The Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dm1z, an 11.6-inch Netbook, uses an AMD Turion II Neo dual-core K625 processor (1.5GHz) and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics processor, offering potentially stiff competition for single-core Atom Netbooks.

The new dual-core Intel N550 Atom runs at 1.5GHz and supports DDR3 memory, another performance benefit.

Despite the expected crush of updated models, the Netbook now has a new nemesis: the iPad. "The death of the Netbook has been greatly exaggerated," said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC, referring to the rise of the Apple iPad and its impact on Netbook sales. Though O'Donnell doesn't discount the iPad effect, Netbooks are principally for consumers who want to use Windows on a small device--virtually impossible on an iPad--and they're less expensive than an iPad, to boot. … Read more

NASA is sending a rocket into the moon Friday morning to study the composition of lunar material. But really, you stopped listening when you heard "blow up the Moon." And so did Cooley. For one small second, that made him love space. We also talk about the world's largest phishing sting and Windows 8. Yep, 8.

Operation “Phish Phry” nabs largest number of phishers ever. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8295945.stm

Wife bans FBI head … Read more

Earlier in 2008, iLuv made news with its release of the i168, one of the most affordable tabletop HD Radios to date (currently available for less than $100). Now the company is turning its sights toward online audio with the iNT170. The bedside clock radio employs the same chassis as the i168, but it offers thousands of streaming Internet radio stations (via your home wired or Wi-Fi network) instead of HD Radio. The dual alarms can be set to wake to an Internet station, over-the-air FM, or a buzzer, and the unit offers 40 presets--20 for FM, 20 for Net … Read more