Category: NetBook

The 2GO Convertible Classmate PC was announced just a few days back. Although it is named as a the classmate PC, it has the specifications of the latest netbooks. It goes one step ahead and incorporates a touchscreen too! Folks at laptopmag have got one for review and they are quite impressed with the Classmate PC.

The CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC is one of the first netbooks to employ touchscreen technology successfully. Its sleek skin over Windows XP simplifies program launching, and preloaded applications allow kids to take full advantage of the tablet’s functionality. While its $499 price is slightly higher than most 8.9-inch systems (a similarly configured Acer Aspire one costs $379), its smooth tablet implementation and durable chassis make the 2go Convertible a great educational tool

Pros

* Hassle-free tablet experience
* Attractive touch interface
* Built-in accelerometer
* Durable design
* Good battery life

Cons
* Keyboard not big enough for adults
* Sluggish hard drive
* Underside gets very warm

Here are it’s specs:

1.6GHz Intel Atom 270 processor
1GB RAM
shock-mounted 60GB HD
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
6-cell battery
8.9 LCD screen (1024×600) with accelerometer
supports stylus for touchscreen navigation
resistive touchscreen technology.

MSI Wind NetTop D130 is equipped with the latest Intel® Atom™ 330 dual-core processor and 2GB DDR2 memory. Both high-definition video of HD-class home theater and other high-load applications, Wind NetTop D130 is easy to handle. Based on the origin of Wind series, Wind NetTop D130 using the same “ultra energy-saving” power design can save nearly up to 90% on electricity. Users no longer worry about overdraft electricity, even when the users use the computer for over a 24-hour period.

It also comes with a Super-Multi DVD burner built-in. Now, the people seem to be complaining it’s inability to play the 1080p videos even though it claims to play the HD videos. Although, just like most netbooks and nettops in the market, it can play the 720p videos just fine. May be the MSI should incorporate the NVIDIA Ion Platform to run those 1080p videos (hint hint MSI!). [global.msi.com]

The ASUS has released a BIOS for the S101. The new BIOS supports pressing Fn+F3/F4/Space to modify touchpad, resolution and SHE.

Download it!

It has always been a dream for the Netbook owners to run Hi-definition video on their netbooks. Sadly, due to the limiting processing power of the Intel Atom processors (so far) and absence of GPU in the netbooks, no one ever thought of running 1080p videos on the netbooks.

But, it is not a distant dream anymore. The GeForce 9400M GPU completely nails the integrated Intel graphics. In the video given below, we see a normal Acer Aspire one, which struggles a lot while playing the 1080p video. On the other hand, we see another netbook, but this one is connected to a HDTV and utilizes the Ion platform (GeForce 9400M + Intel Atom).

In the end, the main question that arises is that do we need all those bells and whistles? Well, it would be great for someone who wishes thinks something more than web browsing on his netbook. The inclusion of powerful GPU would also open gates for the gamers. It would also reduce the CPU utilization as most of the graphic part would be taken over by the GPU.

[notebooks.com]

Windows 7 is faster and more reliable version of Windows. Last week, Microsoft made the beta available for download for the public. Microsoft says that they have made myriad of changes under the hood and they have been able to make the whole operating system a whole lot faster than the bulky Vista. Vista was never able to make big name in netbooks as netbooks didn’t have the horsepower to run such a heavy operating system.

Windows 7 BETA is running very well on most of the netbooks. So far, Windows XP has been the OS of choice as it performs very well on the Celeron M and the Intel Atom CPU, either of which are being used in the netbooks today. K.C Tofel at JKontherun has installed Windows 7 on his MSI Wind U100 and he is pretty much impressed with it’s performance.

Sleep without any programs open is 7.2 seconds. Resume is 3.6 seconds. The whole installation took less than 30 minutes. Here are the score of Windows Experience Index, which are pretty decent for a netbook.

• Processor = 2.2
• Memory = 4.5
• Graphics = 2.3
• Gaming Graphics = 3.0
• Primary Hard Disk = 4.9

Clearly, the Windows 7 will be more netbook friendly and the users will be happy to switch to it from the now-outdating Windows XP.

[jkontherun]