Hiton HT-960 9 inch Atom-powered tablet
The Apple iPad is the first blockbuster tablet computer. While companies have been pumping out Windows tablets for the last 10 years or so, none has gotten as much attention as the iPad, and while I don’t have the sales numbers, I’m not aware of any other model that sold 300,000 units on the first day either. And Apple’s success in building hype for the iPad has led dozens of other companies to prepare similar machines with touchscreen displays and no physical keyboards. The problem is that many of them are missing the thing that makes the iPad work: A truly touch-friendly user interface.
Latest case in point? The Hiton HT-960. This 8.9 inch tablet has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen display, 802.11b/g WiFi and a SIM car dslot for an optional 3G modem.
Unfortunately, the tablet also runs Windows XP, which is an operating system that wasn’t really designed with touch in mind. In fact, you could make the case that even Windows 7 which has touch-friendly features like simulated right-click feels like touch was thrown in as an afterthought. Some software takes advantage of Windows 7 touch features, but most apps simply don’t.
Anyway, the long and short of it is, I can’t see why users would be happy with a tablet like the Hiton HT-960 which is basically just a Windows XP netbook without a keyboard and touchpad.
On the bright side, at $418, the tablet is a little cheaper than an iPad plus it can run Windows apps, has 16GB or more of storage, an SD card slot, and 3 USB ports for peripherals. It also has a 0.3MP webcam. On the less bright side, shipping is $69, which kind of eats into that price advantage.
Netbooks may or may not be dying… but that doesn’t excuse misleading stats
The idea that netbooks represented a brand new category of computing device was always a bit shaky. And I’m not entirely certain that anyone aside from marketers ever believed it. The truth is that a netbook is just a small, cheap, and light weight laptop. That’s it. If you look at all the so-called netbooks released over the last 2-3 years, that’s about all they have in common.
As a side effect, most netbooks have had low power processors, small touchpads, and a slew of other characteristics. And generally in order for people to slap the netbook name on a cheap ultraportable, it has to have a 10 inch or smaller display, although some folks insist that 11 and 12 inch notebooks can also be netbooks if they have a netbook-like processor.
Where am I going with this? Here: As we start to see a growing number of computers that weigh 4 pounds or less and cost $600 or less, it’s hardly surprising that consumers might start picking these devices up as alternatives to 10 inch netbooks with low power Intel Atom processors. Another device might better suit your needs, whether it’s an iPad or a thin and light computer like Asus UL20A. A few years ago you couldn’t find a $500 computer that weighed less than 3.5 pounds. Now you can get a tablet, thin and light, or a netbook.
So I get a bit annoyed when I see stories like the one Business Week is running that claim “Netbook sales sag as the iPad arrives.” There are two problems with that headline. First, although it’s likely that some folks might pick up an iPad instead of a netbook, it’s not really clear that there’s a causal relationship at play — that the launch of the iPad made enough people decide not to buy netbooks to make a dent.
But there’s a much bigger problem here: Netbook sales haven’t sagged. In fact, the article sites statistics from IDC tht show netbook sales in the first quarter of 2010 were up 33.6% from a year earlier.
So what’s with the claim that sales are slumping? Well, it’s because netbook sales aren’t growing as quickly as they had been. In the first quarter of 2009, netbook sales were up 872% from the same period in 2008.
Wow. That makes it sound like things are slowing down considerably, right? Ummm… not really. Not when you consider the fact that there was only one PC maker selling a netbook in the first quarter of 2008. Asus introduced the Eee PC 701 in late 2007 and until the middle of 2008 it was the only netbook model you could buy aside from the OLPC XO Laptop which wasn’t generally available to consumers.
The HP 2133 Mini-Note hit the streets in April, 2008 and other PC makers piled on after that. By early 2009 almost every major computer manufacturer had a netbook on the market. So basically IDC and Business Week are pointing out that netbook sales were dramatically higher at a point when you actually had a choice of models than when you didn’t. Shocking. And a year later, when the market hasn’t changed all that much, sales are still rising by more than 33%. Seems a bit early to declare that sales are off, doesn’t it?
As I said at the outset – I’m not saying netbooks as we know them are necessarily here to stay. It could be that low cost and light weight tablets and larger computers will largely take their place over the next few years. Or maybe smartbooks like the Lenovo Skylight and Compaq Airlife 100, which combine the elements of a smartphone and a netbook will wipe them out. I’m just saying that as of today, the rumors of netbook’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Samsung R780 Good Looks and Gaming Chops for $799
Samsung’s foray into the desktop replacement category is shaping up to be as successful as their entry into the world of netbooks. We were pretty sure we’d like the $799, 17.3-inch R780 when we had our first hands-on, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a powerful Core i5 machine with discrete NVIDIA graphics that doesn’t just deliver performance “good enough” for a sub-$800 system, it makes more expensive laptops sweat. Add to that an eye-catching design, excellent keyboard, and superb audio and you have one sweet notebook. What could be better? How about some decent gaming action, too? This big-screen bargain has it all.VGP-BPS8 VGP-BPS8A VGP-BPS8B VGP-BPS9 VGP-BPS9/B VGP-BPS9/S
VGP-BPS9A VGP-BPS9A/B VGP-BPL8 VGP-BPL8A VGP-BPL9 VGP-BPS10
First look at Inernet Explorer 9 hardware acceleration with next-gen NVIDIA ION
Microsoft launched a platform preview of Internet Explorer 9 recently. It’s not a full browser yet, so much as a framework for a browser. But it already has one of the features I’m most loking forward to: support for hardware acceleration.
The folks at NVIDIA grabbed a pre-release Asus Eee PC 1201PN and fired up the Internet Explorer 9 demo to see how it works. The long and short of it is that even though the Eee PC 1201PN has a low power Intel Atom processor, it can handle some pretty intense web-based graphics powered by HTML5, Javascript, and Direct 2D technology thanks to the NVIDIA ION graphics processor.
The Eee PC 1201PN has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU and next-generation ION graphics, as well as a 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel HD display and HDMI output. For the sake of comparison, NVIDIA tested a Toshiba netbook with an Atom processor and integrated graphics. The results? Not so pretty.
Asus republish 12 inch netbook UL20AT
Asus has been offering the UL20A thin and light laptop with an Intel CULV processor in a handful of configurations since late 2009. Now it looks like Asus is giving the Ul20A a minor update with the launch of the UL20AT. Notebook Review forum member David posted the spec sheets for a number of new and existing Asus notebooks found in the latest Asus World Magazine. The UL20AT was one that caught my eye, since I happen to own a UL20A-A1.
It’s tough to spot the differences between the UL20AT and the current models. The new notebook appears to be the same size and weight and it has the same 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display. But it appears that the update will add support for up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM. Current models use DDR2 memory.
Aside from that, it looks like the UL20AT will be available with a choice of processor and hard drive options including a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron 743 or dual core SU2300 processor, a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 chip, or a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor. 250GB, 320GB, or 500GB hard drive options will be available. All models will ship with integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics.
Asus is also introducing a new UL30JT 13.3 inch thin and light with a choice of Core i5 or Core i7 chips.
C-motech introduces 7 inch Mangrove tablet with Windows Mobile 6.5.3
I’ve seen plenty of tablets and mini-laptops running Windows CE, which has the same basic core as the Windows Mobile smartphone operating system. But the Mangrove 7 is the first 7 inch tablet I can recall that’s actually running Windows Mobile, not just Windows CE.
The folks at WMExperts got a chance to check out the Mangrove 7 from C-motech at CTIA recently. The tablet has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of ROM and 256MB or RAM. In other words, it has the same CPU as the Google Nexus One, but half the RAM.
WMExperts reports that Windows Mobile 6.5.3 looks surprisingly good on the large tablet, although the touchscreen seems to be a little finicky, and the overall build quality seems pretty cheap.The on-screen keyboard also seems smaller than it should be, at least in landscape mode.
Pegatron’s NVIDIA Tegra powered HTPC does HD video
Who says you need an x86 compatible processor to create a home theater PC? No, seriously, who? I mean, I tend to think of desktop apps like Windows Media Center SageTV, Boxee, or MythTV when I think of media centers… but three out of four of those apps will run on Linux. And you can run Linux on a system with a low power ARM-based procesor.
And Pegatron is showing off just such a system, with a next generation NVIDIA Tegra chipset which combines an ARM CPU with NVIDIA graphics to enable support for 1080p HD video playback. It can handle high definition Flash video as well.
This particular model is designed to run Windows CE or Google Android. But there’s no reason you couldn’t essentially turn it into a Boxee Boxx (minus the awkwardly shaped case) by loading up a Linux distribution and installing the Boxee Linux client.
Asus Eee PC T101MT for sale now
The Asus Eee PC T101MT is a netbook with a 10 inch touchscreen display that you can fold down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode. The display is a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel capacitive touchscreen display with support for multitouch gestures. And the netbook runs Windows 7 Home Premium, which includes optimizations for touch input (as well as the Asus TouchGate software suite, which provides a few touch-friendly applications to get you started).
After demonstrating the latest version of the 10 inch convertible tablet at CES in January, Asus is finally getting ready to ship the T101MT in April.
Eee PC.it notes that it will be available in Italy next month for 499 Euros. And I’ve been told that it will be available in the US in early April for around $499 US — which puts the Eee PC T101MT in a pretty good position to compete with the Apple iPad, which also has a $499 price tag, but no physical keyboard or ability to run desktop apps.
The Italian version of the Eee PC T101MT has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 0.3MP webcam.Asus says the battery should be good for about 6 hours, and the netbook has VGA, mic, and headphone jacks as well as 3 USB ports and an SDHC card reader.
But it looks like there will also be a version with Windows 7 Starter Edition, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. My guess is that’s the model you’ll get for $499 in the US.
Acer Aspire 1825PT tablet 10 minute video
There’s a lot of excitement around the idea of affordable tablet PCs such as the upcoming iPad and dozens of other ARM-based tablets running Google Android or other Linux distributions. But tablets have been around for years — it’s just that most of them have fit Microsoft’s earlier vision of the tablet PC, which is a powerful laptop computer with a full sized keyboard and a touchscreen display that you can fold down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode — often with an active digitizer to enable handwriting recognition.
The Acer Aspire 1825PT tablet falls somewhere in between. It looks like a traditional Windows tablet, with a keyboard and touchscreen. And runs Windows 7. But it’s part of Acer’s budget thin and light laptop line and it features a capacitive touchscreen display that can handle multitouch input.
So what exactly do you use a tablet like the Aspire 1825PT for? It’s clearly meant for more than just surfing the web. And Acer has put together a 10 minute promotional video that gives you a good look at just what this computer can do — as well as an extended look at a bunch of rocks, for some reason.
For one thing, you can treat the Aspire 1825PT like a traditional laptop and set it on a tablet to get some work done. It’s a fully functional Windows 7 computer capable of running Office, Photoshop, and other work and productivity tools. You can also rotate the screen and hold the tablet in your hands while surfing the web, looking at images, or drawing pictures.
But more than 2/3rds of Acer’s promotional video focuses on the physical design of the computer rather than its capabilities. And I think there are two good reasons for that. First, most people already know what to expect from a Windows machine. And second, what they don’t expect is a bunch of touch-friendly applications, because truth be told, there aren’t really that many of them yet.
While there are tens of thousands of touch-friendly apps for the Apple iPad and Google Android tablets (because they were developed first for touchscreen smartphones), there isn’t the same kind of touch-focused ecosystem for Windows tablets yet. Basically, when you add a touchscreen to a Windows 7 computer you expect to be able to use all your usual Windows apps by tapping on them instead of using a mouse and keyboard — despite the fact that these apps were designed with a mouse and keyboard in mind.
And that’s a large part of the reason that tablets fitting the Microsoft model have remained niche products in recent years and why people are talking so excitedly about the iPad and similar tablets. But here’s the thing — if you’d prefer a single device that can function as a full computer and a tablet, a machine like the Acer Aspire 1825PT fits the bill and leaves you with one less gadget to carry around. I just don’t think they’ll sell in large numbers until we start to see more touch-friendly, iPhone-like apps designed to run on Windows tablets. I’m not saying we need an App Store for Windows touchscreen notebooks. We just need more apps.
MSI Wind12 U230 notebook reviewed
The MSI Wind12 U230 is one of MSI’s newest thin and light laptops with an 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display. While MSI’s previous thin and lights have sported Intel Atom or Intel Consumer Ultra Low Voltage chips, the Wind12 U230 packs an AMD Athlon Neo X2 dual core CPU and ATI HD 3200 graphics.
TestFreaks has published one of the first reviews I’ve seen of the Wind12 U230. As expected, the dual core CPU helps with multitasking and everyday computing tasks, while the HD 3200 graphics are good enough for handling HD video playback and some basic gaming.
The computer come with Windows 7 Home Premium, and the reviewer notes that it took 91 seconds to go from a cold boot to a usable desktop, which seems pretty sluggish by today’s standards.
The MSI Wind12 U230 lasted about 4 hours when used for web browsing, which is actually better than I would have expected from a computer with a dual core AMD Neo processor. While you can easily find a netbook that will provide more than twice the run time for less money, you won’t get the same kind of CPU and graphics performance out of most netbooks.
