Intel offers low-power chips for thin, light laptops
With the aim of bringing down the price of laptops, Intel on Monday launched a family of low-power processors for thin and light machines that could be more affordable than conventional laptops.
With the aim of bringing down the price of laptops, Intel on Monday launched a family of low-power processors for thin and light machines that could be more affordable than conventional laptops.
Some laptop makers are trying to outdo each other with colorful, personalized laptop designs, but analysts say the trend is unlikely to take off and that price and size remain the top priorities for buyers.
An Apple executive on Wednesday lashed out against netbooks, calling the small and light laptops unusable.
Sony's big news announcement at CES involves a very tiny package. But don't call it a netbook. Sony spokesfolk were adamant that--even though the newcomer packs an Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM--this superslim P-series computer is a lifestyle machine. The distinction sort of makes sense, too: At the $899 starting price that Sony expects the unit to command when it ships in February, it had better do more than be small.
Advanced Micro Devices hopes to undercut prices of expensive ultraportable laptops with mobile chips it is expected to introduce this week.
Whether you're buying for yourself or outfitting a department, shopping for a laptop today is a double-edged sword. The good news is that there's a huge variety to choose from, all with pros and cons. The bad news is that for many buyers there are just too many choices, leading to frustration and fatigue.
Like a diamond, a digital media player or a rare coin, the latest mini-notebooks are good things in small packages. By squeezing a lot of computing power into a very mobile package at a hard-to-beat price, they are turning the established mobile pecking order on its head.
For some users, the new generation of ultraportable notebooks comes close to embodying the Holy Grail for road warriors. Their laptop-like keyboards make them more usable for typing tasks than smart phones, but they are lighter and cheaper than traditional laptops. The original Asus Eee PC, for instance, cost about US$400 and weighed about two pounds when it was introduced last October.