Crave

Mini's new concept is based on its upcoming crossover model.

(Credit: Mini)

Before its upcoming crossover enters production in 2010, Mini is already using this new platform for a concept.

Mini removed doors and roof to get passengers in touch with nature.

(Credit: Mini)

For the Beachcomber, Mini stripped off the doors and roof, opening up the cabin like a dune buggy or jeep. Lest occupants suffer sunburn or freezing rain, Mini includes what it calls "lightweight door and roof elements" that can be "installed within a few minutes."

For its sand-crawling duties, the Beachcomber uses a new all-wheel-drive that Mini calls ALL4, which will be a feature of the upcoming crossover. The suspension is raised, as well, with large wheels providing extra ground clearance.

Mini has used concepts in the past to herald its upcoming new models, such as the Mini Clubman. But, at least as far as North America is concerned, the Beachcomber heralds nothing. When the Mini crossover enters production next year, it won't be sold in North America.

The Mini Beachcomber will debut at the 2010 Detroit auto show.

Apple's delay in shipping the 27-inch iMac may have more to do with the sheer volume of sales than any problems with the graphics chips, according to numbers from market research firm NPD.

(Credit: Apple)

Stephen Baker, NPD's vice president of industry analysis, told CNET on Monday that for October and November, Mac desktop sales were up 74 percent over the same period last year. While NPD did not break the numbers down by desktop model, it's clear the iMac is a top seller.

In fact, the 27-inch iMac appears to be selling so well, it could account for the shipping delay that Apple apologized for on Sunday.

"It's not surprising Apple would be having problems supplying them [iMacs]," said Baker. "I can't imagine in their wildest dreams they would have thought they would sell like this."

Reports over the weekend suggested Apple was delaying shipments of the 27-inch iMac due to reported problems with the graphics card. While those issues remain, it may not be the root cause of the delay.

The surge in Mac sales was not limited to the 27-inch model. Baker said that the 21.5-inch iMac and the Mac mini are also doing very well.

Piper Jaffray financial analyst Gene Munster estimated in a research note to clients on Monday that Apple could sell 2.9 million to 3 million Macs for the current quarter, according to a report on AppleInsider. Munster cautioned that approximately 50 percent of all Mac sales for the quarter happen in December, so that number could change.

Mac notebooks saw a 5 percent increase for October and November, while iPod sales were down 11 percent year-over-year for the same time period.

Win an HP Mini 311 Netbook!

We're quickly heading toward the finish line of our daily Crave holiday giveaway extravaganza and to kick off the week we have a nice prize courtesy of the folks at HP: The HP Mini 311 Netbook.

I've personally had my eye on this one because it has Nvidia's Ion graphics, which give you HD video and basic gaming capabilities. And laptop guru Dan Ackerman says in his four-star review, "HP's Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing." (Read the full review).

We'd like to thank HP for offering up this prize and also want to give a shout out to Shopper.com for helping out with the Crave giveaway. Shopper.com powers CNET's price-comparison engine and it's a great site for finding the best prices on products. (See all of Shopper's deals, coupon codes, and rebates).

Normally, the HP Mini 311 would cost you about $399, but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this Mini 311 Netbook? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) HP Mini 311 Netbook. Approximate retail value is $399.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, December 15 at 6:59:59 a.m. EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 7 AM ET on December 15, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

Come back tomorrow for our next holiday giveaway. Tuesday's prize will be an Energizer goody package.

The game Torchlight even includes a "Netbook Mode" in the settings.

(Credit: Runic Games)

Like just about everyone else on the planet, you broke down and purchased a Netbook. After all, these low-cost, low-power laptops are great for tossing in your bag for a trip, working at the coffee shop, or just taking to class.

You knew all along that these systems were not made for gaming, and obviously you planned to spend all your time doing Netbook-like things such as Web surfing and working on office docs. Still, somewhere along the way, the thought crept in--maybe I can find some games that'll run on an Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics...

In the name of science, we loaded up a wide variety of games and asked friends and associates what games they had successfully played, all to help us compile this list of Netbook-friendly titles. They range from free to around $20; some are re-released PC classics, some are Web-based casual games, and a few are even from that fast-growing social-gaming genre found on Facebook (such as FarmVille).

Browse through the slideshow below to see our current favorites (and links to where you can download or play them). Bookmark this page for periodic updates as we find new games, or suggest your own Netbook favorites in the comments section below. Most of these will run on any Netbook with Windows 7 or XP, 1GB of RAM, and an Intel Atom N270 or 280 processor. A handful are recommended only for Netbooks with Nvidia's Ion graphics.

Twenty great games you can play on a Netbook (photos)

Note: If you dig into your old dusty CD and DVD binders, there's no doubt you can find a ton of great classic PC games to try (we just found our original discs for both Grim Fandango and System Shock 2), but since your Netbook doesn't have an internal optical drive, we're restricting this list to games one can download from legit online sources, such as Steam or GOG.com.

> Need more? Follow me at twitter.com/danackerman.
> See our Holiday laptop picks in the CNET Holiday Tech Guide.
> Get a Netbook primer in our Netbook Quick Guide.

Just in time to round out your holiday shopping season, we've consulted the Web traffic oracles and compiled a list of the most popular laptops of 2009.

Based on which system reviews CNET readers clicked on most often, this list shows what's on the minds of laptop shoppers -- and the emphasis is clearly on value over all else.

We've got six Netbooks in the top 10, including the Asus Eee PC 1005HA, which we've held up as a classic example of a Netbook done right. Apple, and 13-inch laptops in general, are also well-represented. Interestingly, while five major PC brands are represented, there are a few big names missing in action, including Gateway, Lenovo, and Toshiba.

To see what the most popular laptops of 2009 were, based on reader interest, click through to the slideshow below.

Top 10 most popular laptops of 2009 (photos)

Portable speakers for your MP3 player are easy enough to come by, but the smaller of these often suffer from problematic audio. Every once in a while, though, we come across a supercompact speaker that surprises us. The X-Mini Max II Capsule Speaker is one such model, featuring an innovative, travel-friendly design and surprisingly good sound quality for just $49.95. One thing's for sure: we wouldn't complain if we found one of these under our tree this year.

Read the X-Mini Max II review.

X-Mini Max II Capsule Speakers--photos

Dell and China Mobile on Monday offered up more details about the Dell Mini 3i smartphone, which will be going on sale in China later this month.

Dell's Mini 3i smartphone

(Credit: Dell)

The Android-based device, Dell's first smartphone, will support e-mail, instant messaging, and both MMS and SMS messaging. It will include Bluetooth and GPS capabilities and a Mini USB connector, and will accommodate Micro SD cards up to 32GB.

The quadband GSM/EDGE phone weighs 105 grams and includes a 3-megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, video capture, and photo-editing capabilities. The touchscreen has a 640x360 resolution. Dell had already confirmed earlier this month that the Mini 3i would have a 3.5-inch high-definition screen.

Under the hood, the device is running China Mobile's OPhone software, a customized version of Google's Android operating system.

Like other Android phones, the Mini 3i will provide access to an online store, in this case, China Mobile's Mobile Market, where people can download apps, games, wallpaper, and ringtones. Users will be able to run different widgets on the home screen to keep on top of the news, weather, stock prices, and sports scores.

Dell said it has been collaborating with China Mobile for about a year on the development of the phone. The two companies teamed up earlier in the year to integrate a 3G data card for Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 netbook for the Chinese market. With more than 500 million customers, China Mobile is the world's largest mobile service provider, according to Dell.

Dell was initially mum on details when it first mentioned the Mini 3i about 10 days ago. But the company did reveal that China Mobile and Brazil's Claro would be the first global providers to carry its new smartphone.

Like China Mobile, Brazil's Claro boasts a huge subscriber base, with 42 million customers in Brazil alone. By selling the Mini 3i through both providers, Dell can potentially capture a much larger mobile audience than it could through any U.S. carriers.

Arriving in China Mobile stores by the end of November, the Mini 3i will shortly thereafter be sold directly from Dell. For those interested in color schemes, the Mini 3i will be available in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze--the image below shows the Red Passion treatment:

Dell Mini 3i smartphone

(Credit: Dell/China Mobile)

(Credit: Asus)

Hot on the heels of the well-regarded HP Mini 311, Asus has moved the Netbook bar forward by taking a 12-inch Netbook chassis and including both Nvidia's Ion graphics and a dual-core version of Intel's Atom processor (called the Atom 330). We've previously seen dual-core Atoms only in a handful of Nettop desktops, because of heat issues, and it's unlikely we'd see one in anything smaller than a 12-inch laptop body.

While still small, the 1201N fits in a full-size keyboard and a 250GB hard drive (plus access to 500GB of online storage space). The system comes with Windows 7 Starter and 2GB of RAM. Asus claims the 6-cell battery should last up to five hours, similar to what we've seen in other Eee PC models.

In a brief hands-on demo, we noted that the Asus Eee PC 1201N looks very similar to the current Eee PC line, including the popular 1005HA, with a black glossy finish and textured touch pad.

Combined with a 1,366x768 HD display, the Nvidia Ion GPU makes for a great video watching experience, once you download the new Flash 10.1 beta, which allows the Ion to accelerate streaming Flash video.

When it's available later this year, the Eee PC 1201N should retail for $499, which is a $100 premium over the HP Mini 311 (with Windows XP and 1GB of RAM).

Back in 2007, Bowers & Wilkins brought out the uniquely styled Zeppelin iPod speaker, which we described in our review as being every bit as sophisticated as Apple's iconic player, with detailed sound that largely lived up to B&W's high-end reputation. That Zeppelin remains on the market, but now it's got a smaller, less expensive--and more subdued-looking--sibling called the Zeppelin Mini.

While the $400 Mini is less determined to stick out, it's still a sleekly styled speaker with a swiveling, pedestal-like stand and a mirrored chrome top that's pitched at an angle and is slightly concave (yes, you'll end up having to wipe dust and fingerprints off it to keep it looking its shiny best). True to its Mini name, this is a compact iPod audio system, measuring 6.8 inches high by 12.5 inches wide by 4 inches deep. And while it's small, it does feel substantial when you pick it up, weighing 4.75 pounds.

How does it sound?

Read the full review of B&W Zeppelin Mini to find out.