Crave

A little more than a year after the launch of the MacBook Air, a new luxury laptop has arrived from Dell. This calls for another look at the notebook versus Netbook argument, the computer equivalent of bourgeoisie versus proletariat. In this case, Air versus Aspire; Adamo versus Eee.

Lightweight luxury laptops have been around for a while (think Sony Vaio and Toshiba Portege ultraportables), but the age of head-turning, ultrathin designs dawned with the 13-inch light-and-wide MacBook Air, the HP Voodoo Envy 133, and the ThinkPad X300.

Dell Adamo luxury laptop joins the MacBook Air in the conspicuous consumption computing category

(Credit: Dell)

Now the Dell Adamo joins the stable of conspicuously consumed luxury laptops. The Adamo soars along with Apple's Air in the rarefied pricing altitudes of $1,799 to $2,699.

At the other extreme are Asus and Acer, down-to-earth working-class designs which offer portability for a lot less. Though both companies offer expensive laptops too, they have gained prominence with their inexpensive Netbooks: the Eee PC and Aspire One, respectively. These typically fall into the sub-$500 range.

Dell's entry into the luxury laptop market was replete with all the trappings of a high-end product rollout, including a lavish, overdone Adamo Web site (as in, I couldn't click on "skip intro" fast enough) of beautiful people clutching computers. (And viewing the site, this question comes to mind: Is the Adamo meant more as a Dell showcase item--like a piece of finery set in a vitrine, to be admired but not purchased?)

Juxtapose this with what's happening in the Netbook space: inconspicuous but slow-but-steady creep into a higher-performance bracket. This trend is being driven by better Intel graphics (the GN40 is now capable of 720p HD video), with some Netbook designers entertaining the idea of adding even higher-performance Nvidia graphics. Reports also claim the Atom processor will be ratcheted up to 2.0GHz.

Will one design philosophy eventually prevail? Gravitating to a sweet-spot somewhere in the middle?

Let's do a little comparison shopping.

The Asus Eee PC 901 and 900.

It seems like every time we turn around, there's a new version of Asus' popular Eee PC Netbook. After the initial 7-inch Linux and Windows versions, we saw the 9-inch version, and now we've finally gotten our hands on the Eee PC 901, featuring Intel's new Atom processor. (Of course, now there's the 10-inch Eee PC 1000, as well).

As we previously pointed out, this system has a 1.6GHz Atom CPU from Intel, replacing the now-dated Celeron M. Compared with the previous Eee 900 model, you can see that this new version (in black) has a slightly larger footprint, is just a little thicker, and features a much more prominent hinge, revamped mouse buttons (with two separate buttons, rather then a rocker-style button), and a row of quick-launch buttons right above the keyboard. Also notable: The Asus brand has been almost totally erased, with the Eee PC brand now featured on the back of the lid and under the display.

Note the branding switch from Asus to Eee.

The Eee PC 901 should be available in the U.S. shortly, at an expected price of $599. That's a big bump from the original 7-inch model's $399 price, but besides the increased power and functionality, we suspect the weak dollar is having an impact on inexpensive products like this coming over from Taiwan.

The Asus Eee PC 901 is undergoing testing in the CNET Labs right now, so check back for our full review later in the week.

(Credit: Crave U.K.)

We already know you want an Eee PC 901--everybody does. But you also want the Acer Aspire One, don't you, you Internet-loving Netbook fiend? We happen to have them both in the house, so we thought we'd stick them side by side and write a few words that'll help you choose which is right for you.

The Eee PC 901 has already wowed us. Its 8.9-inch screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and 20GB solid-state hard drive--plus 20GB of free online storage--is pretty much perfect for this sort of product, as is the 4+ hours of real-world battery life from the 6600mAh battery pack. The Aspire One is available in a wider range of configurations, but here's how it stacks up against the Eee PC 901, pound for pound: 8.9-inch screen, 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB mechanical hard drive.

Which is best? It's a close call, but we reckon the Eee might just have the edge--provided you're not typing anything. Anyway, enough with the words. Have a look at the pictures.

(Source: Crave U.K.)

The proliferation at Computex of ultra-small, inexpensive netbooks poses this pesky question: why are traditional ultra-compact laptops so expensive?

The Asus Eee PC 1000 debuted this week with a 10-inch screen, 40GB solid state drive, and Windows XP. Pricing has been rumored at between $600 and $700.

Features and size threaten to push the Eee PC 1000 netbook into a category traditionally referred to as subnotebooks--with one glaring difference: price.

Subnotebooks like the 11-inch Lenovo IdeaPad or Sony Vaio TZ series typically start at above $1,500 and go up from there, ranging up to $3,000.

HP mini-note and traditional ultra-portable notebooks: both ultra-compact designs, but big price gap

(Credit: HP)

But as netbooks inevitably add more features, analysts and industry insiders are beginning to wonder what will happen to the traditional laptop category. "(If) you add more (gigabytes) of storage and a bigger screen, I don't know what makes this any different than a normal laptop," said Avi Cohen, a managing partner at Avian Securities.

Cohen said the obvious downside is a slower Atom processor--compared with a mainstream Core 2 chip--but on the upside Atom has better battery life. "Arguably there's a category of consumers that don't need such high processing power. Or, at least, a different kind of processing power," Cohen said.

Maybe many more than computer makers realize. Industry sources familiar with Intel's netbook strategy also see a potential clash of categories eventually. "Of course, it's always been a concern, as (netbooks) gets more and more traction," said one source familiar with Intel's thinking on this topic.

And as netbooks add more features and creep up in price, Intel has to worry about the market confusion that may ensue. "Is a $700 laptop, even running Atom, a netbook?"--the source asked. That may be the question that laptop vendors and Intel will have to grapple with as the netbook category grows.

(An Intel company blog back in March described the netbook as a small laptop "designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet. And they cost about $250, making Netbooks a potentially disruptive and high volume market segment.")

Of course, subnotebooks like the HP 2510p, Lenovo IdeaPad, and Sony Vaio TZ offer more features than today's netbooks: faster processors, more memory, bigger hard disk drives, and usually larger screens than a netbook like the HP Mini-Note.

But two forces may be working against this purported advantage: One, all of these features may be overkill for a lot of consumers who use traditional, pricey subnotebooks for only email and simple Web browsing. And, two, netbook makers may continue to expand their offerings to push them closer to subnotebooks while keeping the price low.

This is something that Glenn Henry, CEO of Centaur, the Via Technologies subsidiary that designed the Isaiah processor, has said. "The one gigahertz (Isaiah) is plenty powerful enough to do lots of things," Henry said. Via is also targeting the low-cost netbook category--and has been for some time. Its C7 processor is currently used in the HP Mini-Note 2133.

"If this category continues like it is, at the end of the year you may have mega hard drive-based netbooks," said the source familiar with Intel's strategy. "Let's say someone comes out with a really nifty (design), it's got some extra features, a bigger screen, and a few extra bells and whistles. I don't think that's a netbook even if it's running an Atom processor."

What is it then? That's the $64,000 question.

(Credit: Asus)

We know you've probably just taken the shrink wrap off your shiny new 9-inch Asus Eee PC 900, but it's already time for the next version of the insanely popular netbook-style laptop.

These new models, just unveiled at Computex in Taiwan, are called the 901 and the 1000, have 8.9- and 10-inch screens, respectively, and will feature a 1.6GHz Atom CPU from Intel, replacing the now-dated Celeron M that's been one of our few pain points with the otherwise excellent Eee PC.

Asus promises new power-management software, called Super Hybrid Engine technology, that can purportedly offer up to 7.8 hours of battery life (although we'll believe that when we see it). You get the same 12GB and 20GB solid state hard drives in the Windows XP and Linux versions, but with an additional 20GB of hosted online storage space for data backup (something also offered by Dell and other PC makers these days). Design tweaks appear to be minor, and the keyboard still isn't as full-size as the one on HP's 2133 Mini-Note, but it looks to be less cramped than the original finger-twisting 7-inch Eee PC.

Since its launch in October 2007, the Eee PC series has sold more than 1 million units, at between $399 and $549 each, and the brand is now expanding into other products, such as the small form factor Eee Box desktop PC.

"With constant innovations and implementation of the latest technologies in the new Eee PC range, we have since expanded the original 3 'E's into 'Easy', 'Excellent' and 'Exciting'. 'Easy' will still encompass the core value of Easy to learn, work and play, 'Excellent' will highlight the Eee PC's role as an Excellent mobile Internet device, and 'Exciting' entails utilizing the Eee PC for Exciting multimedia enjoyment." says Jerry Shen, CEO of Asus.

Pricing and availability for the new Eee 901 and Eee 1000 are still up in the air, but we expect them to both be north of the current Eee PC 900's $549 price--bringing them more into line with traditional budget laptops.

If there was any doubt about the state of solid-state drives, Computex seems to be putting it to rest.

SanDisk, TDK, and Intel, among others, are announcing new solid-state drives while Asus is launching the Eee PC 1000 with a larger-capacity drive.

SanDisk pSSD solid-state drive

(Credit: SanDisk)

Solid-state drives (SSDs) are used increasingly instead of hard disk drives in small computers like the Asus Eee PC and devices like the Apple iPhone because SSDs use less power and are generally more rugged--due to the fact that they have no moving parts.

The Asus Eee PC 1000, for example, will be offered with SSDs up to 40GB in capacity, beating the 20GB SSD offered in the Eee PC 901.

With this market segment in mind, SanDisk introduced a line of solid-state drives that are designed for "netbooks"--a category of compact, low-cost notebook PCs best exemplified by the Eee PC.

The SanDisk "pSSD" (Parallel ATA solid state drive) is available in 4-, 8-, and 16-GB capacities. The device can achieve a "streaming read" speed of 39 megabytes per second and a streaming write (record) of 17MBps, according to SanDisk. These speeds compare favorably with the low-performance 1.8-inch hard disk drives used in small notebooks.

The pSSD solid-state drives are expected to be available starting in August when pricing will be announced.

TDK also launched new solid-state drives. The "HS1" series is a line of 1.8-inch solid-state drives with the Micro Serial-ATA (SATA) interface. The Micro SATA specification provides for a smaller connector for the high-speed SATA interface used widely in PCs today.

The HS1 series offers capacities of 16, 32, and 64 gigabytes, respectively. The product uses SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory. SLC-based solid-state drives are used widely, today but many SSD manufacturers are planning to move to more advanced multilevel cell (MLC) technology later this year.

Burst performance is 100MBps for reading data and 50MBps for writing data. These speeds compare favorably with 2.5-inch hard disk drives.

TDK's SSDs are now available for volume shipment at sample prices of about $1,900 for a 64GB model and about $1,400 for the 32GB model.

On Tuesday, Intel will introduce the Z-P230 Parallel ATA (PATA) series of solid-state drives. The Z-P230 "is a cost-effective storage solution designed to replace traditional hard disk drives in netbook and nettop systems, yet is four times smaller and lighter than a standard 1.8-inch hard disk drive," Intel said. The drives come in 4GB and 8GB capacities.

The Intel SSDs are being launched along with low-power Atom processors that include the N270 for netbooks and the 230 for low-cost desktops--what Intel calls nettops. The chips run at up to 1.6 GHz with an average power consumption of 2.5 watts.

Intel will also announce high-capacity solid-state drives in the second half of this year that have capacities of 80GB and 160GB.

(Credit: blogeee.net)

It seems as if only yesterday we were marveling at Asus' new 9-inch Eee PC 900 (actually, it wasn't yesterday, it was Monday). About the only thing we didn't love about this pocket-sized marvel was its dated Celeron processor--especially since the fine folks at Intel have been talking up this whole Atom thing for so long (that's the company's new low-cost, low-power CPU especially made for netbook-style laptops).

We knew Asus was working on an Atom-based version of the Eee PC, and now we have the first photos of what will be called the Eee PC 901--posted on French site blogeee.net. It looks pretty much the same--we see a slightly reworked hinge, the AC adapter plug has been moved from the rear to the side, and there seems to be some unlabeled quick-launch buttons right above the keyboard.

No pricing or availability information has been released, but the Magic 8-ball points to summer 2008, and it probably cost about the same as the current $550 model.