• On CBSSports.com: Mike Tyson's daughter dies in accident
August 29, 2008 2:12 PM PDT

Samsung takes on the MacBook Air

by Dan Ackerman

For years now, Samsung has made laptops for pretty much every market except the US, and generally, we've been pretty fine with that arrangement (the Q1 Ultra UMPC is as close as they've gotten here).

But now, we're eager to get our hands on the just-announced Samsung X360. This 13-incher apes the super-slim look and feel of the MacBook Air, but adds a lot of the ports and connections missing from Apple's system. The X360 has a multi-card reader, three USB ports, an ExpressCard/34 slot, Ethernet jack, and HDMI and VGA outputs. And it still manages to keep the weight down to 2.8 pounds (if you get an SSD hard drive), and is between .66 and 1.2-inches thick.

The online rumor mill points to an October release in the $2,000-plus range, but that likely doesn't include the American market.

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
Recent posts from Crave
iPhone 3GS jailbreak, 'purplera1n,' hits Web
Apple patents point to haptics, fingerprints, RFID
Friday Poll: We the ppl--imagining a digital 1776
Gadgettes 144: The Childhood Nostalgia Episode
Duet D8 is no iPhone clone
Rocking out with stereo Bluetooth
Indecent Exposure 53: Inundation expressed
TracFone offers $45 unlimited plan
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (19 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by dude7895 August 29, 2008 3:52 PM PDT
Ha, I didn't even know Samsung made laptops.
Reply to this comment
by chltmdwp2 August 29, 2008 5:03 PM PDT
haha. they do make laptops. only they won't sell it to us for some reason.. but they got great review from Europe. i think they got over 200 awards total.
by sadoiqalb August 31, 2008 8:49 AM PDT
dude, wake up!
by ruffyy August 29, 2008 4:17 PM PDT
What else is going on in Korea?
Reply to this comment
by DMBoricua August 30, 2008 6:56 AM PDT
Samsung makes cheap crappy video cameras, and I've owned a samsung phone which was the worst phone i've ever had, the quality of their build is just bad. Cheap feeling flimsy plastic. Looks like their products are hand made in a basement. Would not be surprised if their laptops would be the same.
Reply to this comment
by sabarishas2k August 30, 2008 9:06 AM PDT
absolutely right!!!!
by doomsdaydave11 August 30, 2008 12:00 PM PDT
have you ever owned a samsung monitor? Have you ever owned anything else samsung? You cannot judge an entire electronics company by one crappy phone that probably came free with your plan.
by killkill3 August 30, 2008 2:29 PM PDT
I agree with doomsdaydave11, dmboricua you have no idea over anything
by streamline35 August 31, 2008 5:28 AM PDT
I have a samsung phone. It's been great. Doesn't feel quite as sturdy as my last phone, but I accidentally dropped it underneath my longboard wheel while I was riding (and it was open) and it survived with nothing but a couple scratches. That should've by all means snapped the phone right in half or broken the screen. I'd say that's chalk one up for samsung's phones.
by KeeganHill September 1, 2008 8:39 AM PDT
The shear bias of your comment really makes me doubt the legitimacy of your claims. Almost every major electronic I own is built by Samsung and they are all perfectly capable and well built machines.
by geezzerr11 September 1, 2008 10:50 AM PDT
then how come Samsung is worth some 77 billion US. You better pray their stuff is good - a lot of the oil that is
moved by tankers is moved in Samsung built hulls
by nismo1k August 30, 2008 10:04 AM PDT
DMBoricua, you makes me laugh. LOL
Reply to this comment
by gagahput3ra August 30, 2008 11:41 AM PDT
Hey, nice news! but with that price range, how can they beat Macbook Air?
Reply to this comment
by killkill3 August 30, 2008 2:30 PM PDT
Well the macbook air isnt far off from that range going from 1800$ to 2600$ (with the solid state drive)
by BBail23 August 30, 2008 5:47 PM PDT
I agree with the other comments - DMBoricua you have no idea what you are talking about - who do you think makes the memory of your gadgets? I've been using Samsung monitors/phones and even vacuum cleaners and they have never disappointed.

I don't think you can judge a whole company based on *your* three items bought.

I can't wait to see this take out the Macbook Air. When is it out in Europe (UK)?
Reply to this comment
by n0th3r3 August 30, 2008 7:21 PM PDT
I'm not impressed. No optical drive? 2,000 bucks? The extra ports are nice, but it's not a huge improvement over the Air and it's not nearly as sexy. Too little too late.
Reply to this comment
by AppleSuxLeo August 31, 2008 7:44 PM PDT
No news here...Most websites were written for pre-IE8 , so the websites themselves were not "standards-compliant" The websites will catch up.
Lets talk about huge security holes in the iPhone platfom (OSX) and how OSX has had more security updated for bugs than Vista in the last 6 months. Lets talk about 3G that is defective , and dismal iPhone battery life and the genius at Apple that made the battery non-swapable :)
Reply to this comment
by keaura September 2, 2008 3:06 AM PDT
I had a Samsung Blackjack Windows Mobile "smart" phone. If the Blackjack is any indication of what to expect in this laptop, I'd just go ahead and buy a MacBook AIR and save myself the grief.
Reply to this comment
by PhillyBoy919 September 2, 2008 4:29 AM PDT
Wow, X360...original name.
Reply to this comment
(19 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

About Crave

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip or comment, please write to: crave@cnet.com

Add this feed to your online news reader

Crave topics

Making sense of Windows 7 upgrades

faq The basics and the fine print on Microsoft's options for those eyeing the next operating system from Redmond.
• Full Windows 7 coverage

Road Trip 2009: Big Sky Country

CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman takes his car full of gadgets to the Rockies and the Great Plains in search of tech, science, nature, and more.
• America's Fortress: Cheyenne Mountain

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right