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Look familiar?

(Credit: Hannspree)

A new player to the already-flooded Netbook market is here to say hello: Hannspree, the former world suppliers of utterly bizarre basketball, elephant, and plushie-shaped novelty TVs, has released its very own itty-bity Atom minilaptop for the U.S. to buy at last. Extreme similarities to the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 notwithstanding (thanks for the observation, Julie), we have one here at the office, and it looks OK. In fact, it looks like many, many other Netbooks.

The HannsNote here on our desk.

(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)

For $379.99, the 10-inch HannsNote (which sounds vaguely German) weighs 2.9 pounds, has a six-cell battery that to its credit is better integrated than some recent Netbooks we've seen, and comes with all the standard Netbook specs--160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 1.6GHz Atom N270, you know the drill. There are a few pleasant surprises, which we'll bullet below:

• 802.11 b/g and n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• A matte screen
• 1.3 megapixel Webcam
• SD card reader

Some ideas for next time.

(Credit: Hannspree)

While the beefed-up connectivity is appreciated, we wish this newcomer to the Netbook scene would have been even more aggressively priced. Consumers aren't exactly comfortable with putting their computing in the hands of Hannspree, and a little newcomer discount would be appreciated. You can get a Dell for less.

And our one other complaint: why the heck is this thing so boring? The HannsNote only comes in "Pearl Black" and "Pearl White." And talk about somber--they haven't even made a pink model, something even Sony's gotten into.

As for teddy-bear, dolphin, sushi, cucumber, Wolverine, football, tomato, french fry, or clown designs, we'll just have to wait and cross our fingers. In fact, it's not such a crazy idea anymore--someone's already beaten Hannspree to it. Come on, Hannspree, don't lose your wackiness now!

(Credit: CNET)

The Microsoft Office 2010 technical preview is available today through invite only and--though it's not in its final form--there are plenty of feature enhancements to be excited about, if Microsoft can pull it off. According to Microsoft, the focus of this update was on three things: to make work flows more efficient; to effectively use Web applications to make your work available anywhere; and to make collaboration with others much easier. In this CNET First Take, we'll take a look at some of the notable feature changes across many of the applications. Microsoft says Office 2010 will let you use your PC, phone, and the Web to make your projects come together more efficiently. From what we've seen, they might be right and the Web applications might also give Google Docs a run for their money.

The Ribbon (introduced in Office 2007) continues to keep frequently used features handy at the top of your work space. But in Office 2010, you'll have access to the Ribbon across all of the applications in the suite, with contextual tabs and features to help you get the most out of each program. In Outlook 2010, for example, a Quick Steps section of the Ribbon has options to let you quickly create team meetings, move threads to specific folders, or custom forward messages (with premade subjects) to specific recipients. In Excel, you can flip through the tabs to access formulas, insert diagrams and charts, and quickly import data from connected sources. Having an easy way to access the most-used functions of each of the Office applications is very handy, and it's clear Microsoft did its research to make the most of each application's Ribbon.

Microsoft Office 2010 technical preview (screenshots)

It's also clear that Microsoft has paid attention to patterns across all of the applications to come up with easier ways to get things done. The new Paste Preview lets you easily switch between paste options so you know your work will be formatted correctly in your document before you commit. In Outlook, it's now possible to turn long e-mail threads into conversations, so you can quickly find information from specific participants without having to scroll through long, confusing threads. Another new feature lets you ignore entire threads including future e-mails on a subject so you can eliminate noise and distractions in your workday. Office 2010 includes many new time-saving features like these across the entire suite, but there's more than just tweaks to existing work flow.

Some of the flashier feature additions will be good news to those who work with media in their documents and presentations. PowerPoint now has options for editing video right within the program. You'll be able to trim video so your audience sees only the video content you want them to see. You also can add video effects, fades, and even create video triggers to launch animations during your presentation. When it's a static presentation you're working on--such as a publication, newsletter, or pamphlet--Office 2010 will let you edit and add effects to images so you won't need a third-party image editor. Microsoft has also added easy access to Ligatures and Stylistic Alternates to fonts in Publisher so you can add your own personal touches to your publications. Like most of the new features in Office 2010, you can find most of these added options in the Ribbon for that particular application.

As more of our data moves into the cloud, sharing and collaboration have become a major part of project execution, and Office 2010 will offer several options to help people work together. Though the Web-based components of the Office suite are not available in the technical preview, adding these options will make sharing information easier--whether it's from your home computer, your phone, or when you're traveling for business. Lightweight Web browser versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote have been announced, and, according to Microsoft, they will preserve the look and feel of a document regardless of the device you're working on--even if it's your smartphone.

New coauthoring in Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote and advanced e-mail management and calendaring capabilities in Outlook will make collaboration much easier, reducing the time it takes to finish large projects with several contributors. Businesses will be required to use Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 or Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services to gain access, but private users will be able to access their work using Windows Live. Obviously, we can't predict how well the Web components of each program will be implemented or how they will translate to different hardware, but offering access to shared documents in key business applications from anywhere is something any international business or business traveler can appreciate.

One of our favorite improvements to Office 2010 is what Microsoft calls the Backstage view. Offered as a replacement for the File menu, Backstage gives you a launching point to share documents, print out your work, set permissions, and other program specific options to get your project ready for distribution. You'll find all of the usual document management features, like open and save, here as well, but you'll also get a nice layout of templates for new documents, several different ways to share your work, and print settings and page layouts all in one place. We think people might initially be resistant to a new way of doing things (as is often the case), but once you get used to using the Backstage view for all of your file management, we think you'll find it useful and efficient to have access to everything in one place.

Microsoft Office 2010 will be released early next year and it appears Microsoft has made extensive usability improvements across the entire Office suite. We're told the Web components of Office applications will become available for testing later this year, so check back as more information becomes available.

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.

HP Pavilion dv2 laptop starts at about $700: Will upcoming cheap ultra-thin notebooks kill the Netbook?

(Credit: CNET Reviews)

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."

(Credit: Whiskeygonebad's Flickr stream)

Hi all,

Quick programming note: posting is going to be rather light on Crave starting Tuesday.

Many of us will be on vacation for the holidays for the next week and a half, so the normal font of gadgety goodness will at times seem like a trickle. But don't worry, someone will always be on duty over the holiday break and if there's big news, expect to find it here.

Happy holidays from all of us at Crave!

What can we say? We're in the giving spirit this holiday. Whether you like 'em or not, they're yours now! Happy Holidays, everyone!

EPISODE 118

My gift to me!

Nespresso Essenza Automatic Espresso and Coffeemakers with Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother

Cool party favor or life-saving tool? You be the judge

Blast Knuckles: For the woman on the go who needs that extra sense of security

Mobigrip gives you a firm grasp on your handhelds

Radio-controlled key finder makes life easy for the scatterbrained

Digital Spoon Scale, for obsessively accurate cooks

R2 Fish Training School Kit

PRETTY
Sun and Moon Jars

(Credit: Raon Digital)

What's this, a dual-core Netbook? Every Netbook we've reviewed to date has featured a single-core CPU, which in almost all cases has been the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270. Not so with Raon Digital's Everun Note, which casts aside the Atom in favor of an 1.2GHz AMD Turion X2 chip.

The Everun Note is tiny, even for Netbook standards. It weighs just 1.6 pounds and features a 7-inch display. Impressively, the display features a 1,024x600 resolution, which is the same resolution found on larger 9- and 10-inch Netbooks. (The Asus Eee PC 4G and the Sylvania G Netbook, both 7-inch models, have a 800x480 resolution.) The display is also a touch screen--another Netbook first. Your other input option, aside from the small keyboard, is an optical nub that acts as your mouse, flanked by two small mouse buttons. The mouse sensor looks to be a sort of optical version of the red eraser track point found on ThinkPads.

Personally, I'd rather have a dual-core CPU inside a larger Netbook where I may be able to take advantage of the added performance. I feel cramped on a 10-inch Netbook, so I just don't see myself doing much multitasking or Photoshop work on a 7-inch model.

I also don't see myself or many others rushing to pick up the Everun Note because a config with the Turion X2 chip, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB hard, and no OS costs $799. Add another $50 to that if you want XP Home. A similar model with a 24GB SSD and XP Pro costs $999. Even the entry-level model with a single-core Sempron chip, a 16GB SSD, and Ubuntu Linux costs $659, which surpasses our self-imposed $500 price cap for Netbooks. Should you want to indulge yourself with the tiny and pricey Everun Note, you can find it for sale on Dynamism.com.

(Via Laptoping.com)

Update: This blog has been corrected to reflect that the Mini 1000 will be available Wednesday on HP.com, and in retail stores later.

The Mini 1000 MIE has a custom HP interface meant to hide its Linux OS from users.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

After a brief experiment in the education market, Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday is set to introduce a whole line of Netbooks for mainstream consumers.

The HP Mini 1000 comes in three versions, with starting prices ranging from $379 to $699, and will be available on HP.com starting Wednesday, with worldwide retailers to be announced later.

HP first dipped its toe into the mini-notebook market back in April with the Mini-Note 2133, which it claimed was strictly for K through 12 students and some business travelers. At the time, HP was adamant that this was not meant to play in the same arena as the consumer-oriented Netbook from Asus, the Eee PC. Though it won't break out the numbers, HP now says the sales of the 2133 "exceeded all expectations."

But the new HP Mini 1000, Mini 1000 MIE, and the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition are very much intended for consumers. So what's changed in just six months? The look and feel of the Mini 1000 line isn't drastically different from the 2133, but the Netbook market has had a dramatic makeover, though it's more noticeable abroad than here in the U.S.

(Credit: Sequoia Design)

Does the world really need Post-it 2.0? Ask those of us with Post-its habitually plastered on our monitors, walls, backs, and foreheads, and we'd probably be hard-pressed to come up with suggestions for improving the classic attachable notes.

Still, the designers at Sequoia Studio have come up with an inventive concept product called E-notes. The notes use tactile and flexible electronic paper technology and are powered by a solar captor. They can be stuck and unstuck to surfaces easily using a glue inspired by the adhesive that keeps the gravity-defying gecko in place. The best part? They can be reused, thus saving paper.

E-notes even have a visual alarm/organizing function that changes colors. That we like.

Watch a more detailed explanation of the product here. But as Yanko Design cautions in its post on the subject: whatever you do, don't call it a digital Post-it!

Vivienne Tam is truly accessorizing here.

(Credit: Laptopmag)

Hewlett-Packard and world-renowned Asian fashion designer Vivienne Tam have been working together to create the HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition notebook. However, anyone attending Tam's fashion show during New York's Fashion Week at Bryant Park Tuesday has probably already seen it.

The special-edition notebook--which looks to be an HP mini-note, except it's sporting a 10-inch screen--debuted with the usual fanfare a fashion show receives at Fashion Week, but with a high-tech twist.

Models sashayed onto the catwalk workin' the designer notebook as a clutch purse, while looking fierce in Tam's clothing.

The HPs 10-inch screen seems to be a reflective one.

(Credit: Laptopmag)

The notebook is gleaming red and bursting with peony flowers--a signature staple of Tam's collection--on the lid. The peony design is then meticulously carried inside the notebook, under the keypad. The laptop also features a extra special enter key that bears the Chinese symbol for double happiness. The design was inspired by Tam's "China Chic" style, which is recognized from the runways in Milan to the Olympics in Beijing and represents her personal mantra to live well and be beautiful. The notebook also features a complimentary embroidered storage sleeve that helps keep the exterior protected while being carried as a clutch.

The "digital clutch" represents the first time a computer company has partnered with a fashion designer to create a notebook PC as well as have it debut at a fashion show. In addition to the design of the notebook, Tam worked with HP to design its accessories and packaging.