By Jared Newman
December 17, 2009

art by Luis Anthony G. Oliveros

HP, Acer, Dell, and…Google? That’s right — Google could soon join the ranks of those netbook manufacturers. The rumor mill now suggests that a Google-branded netbook will arrive next year, in addition to the Google phone.

TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington cites “multiple sources” as saying Google is working directly with at least one computer manufacturer on hardware specs, in the same way that the search giant reportedly dictated hardware and design to HTC for the Nexus One smartphone. The netbook would be branded with Google and sold directly to consumers.

In terms of performance, what would make this netbook so much different than the rest? Arrington doesn’t know at this point, but speculates that an ARM processor and Nvidia Tegra graphics chip would be used instead of the usual Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics.

As I’ve suggested with the Google phone, hardware isn’t the important thing. Smartphones and netbooks generally have similar specs. Software is key, but what’s potentially the most exciting about Google’s rumored smartphone and netbook plans is the idea of the company selling them directly.

That means you’re looking at a possible Google Store. It means that Google could advertise its hardware to you every time you do a Web search. As some have suggested, it means Google could maybe subsidize its own tech products with advertising.

It also opens the door to more Google-branded products down the line. Remember, when Google announced Chrome OS, the company said it was being designed for desktop computers as well as notebooks. Imagine a tiny box that hooks up to your monitor, keyboard, and mouse. What if there was a screen on it as well? What if this was also your home theater PC, streaming free and subscription-based content from YouTube and elsewhere?

I’m getting ahead of myself, of course, but if Google is, in fact, planning to directly market and sell a smartphone and netbook with its brand name, I don’t see any reason why it would stop there. Brace yourself for the day that Google owns your entire computing experience, from power up to shut down.

By Darren Gladstone
November 17, 2009

By Darren Gladstone
November 12, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – Last week, while I was jet-setting off to Dell HQ to get a gander at the Adamo XPS (you did read our exclusive look at prototype laptops that’ll never make it to market, right?) I found myself with a lot of free time at the airport. I could have been productive and done some writing–but that was prime time to marry my love of laptops with my love of goofing off. This week, I’m telling you how to make the most of a low-powered PC, be it a netbook or humbly equipped business machine.

Pre-Flight Check

Before I do that, though, one bit of advice: Be prepared. Make sure that you have the right gear stowed in your laptop bag–and that you have the best bag for the job. I brought along HP’s Pavilion DM3, which runs Windows 7 Home Premium and has a spacious 500GB hard drive–but guts-wise, it’s a little on the gimpy side. Point is, I loaded this modest machine up with music, videos, and games and entertained myself for hours in various airports.
Another piece of the pre-flight puzzle: Wireless. Every current laptop has built-in Wi-Fi, but how do you plan to get online? Aside from looking up The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory, you could always sign up for a wireless data service. Personally, I’ve been eyeballing the Novatel MiFi. Through Sprint, it costs $60 a month (for up to 5GB of bandwidth), but it’s effectively a portable wireless router.

Small-Screen Video

The jump to Windows 7 has done the Windows Media Center justice. Internet TV streaming is now fully realized. Plenty of current and classic TV shows (I say more MacGuyver!) are easily accessible. And that’s saying nothing of all the online video options cropping up (PC World Senior Editor Melissa J. Perenson put together a great feature covering TV on the Web last year) and Netflix is directly streaming into Media Center.
But you aren’t always going to be online. When you touch down and drop your bags, set aside a few minutes to set up your PC while you clean off the travel funk.

First, plug in a USB tuner. My go-to choice for the time being is the AverMedia AverTVHD Volar MAX. I wanted something that doesn’t require me to install proprietary software or a driver disk or any extraneous BS–Windows has enough of that already! Plug it in and Windows 7 Media Center recognizes it as ClearQAM tuner (with Dolby Digital decoding, no less). So long as you get signal at your hotel, you’re seeing quality HD (up to 1080i).
Next, configure the local TV guide in Media Center and have it set to record over-the-air HD shows. That way, while you’re gallivanting around town in the name of work, the computer is pulling down your favorite shows to watch after-hours or on your next flight.

Sound Advice: Buy Good Headphones

Most MP3 players come with a pair of earbuds: Throw them out. I’m serious. Earbuds are potentially bad for your hearing. Jam these things into your ears and crank up the volume, and you’re begging for a busted eardrum.

What you really want is noise-canceling headphones. As for what you want to go with, that’s a personal choice, of course. I suggest that you go to a controlled environment, like an audio specialty store, to try out various headphones. Bring your own music and see if your favorites sound right to you. And make sure the headphones will feel comfortable for long periods of time.

I fancy myself a bit of an audiophile, but I also like the idea of headphones that also work as a headset for my cell phone. I’m currently toying with a pair of Beats by Dre headphones. They look cool and sound good, sure, but they also come with a cable that works with phones such as the iPhone and Palm Pre.

Shall We Play a Game?

Laptops, of course, vary in power and size–with wimpy netbooks and business boxes at the bottom of the gaming food chain. But if you’re stuck with one of these machines, all hope is not lost. Take, for example, Good Old Games. This site offers DRM-free old-school PC games optimized for XP, Vista, and Windows 7. If you still own some classic titles, emulators can also do the trick; my favorite is ScummVM. And there are tons of great freeware games that should work on your micro machine.
The best piece of advice I can give otherwise is to set up a Steam account. Steam offers a wide variety of modern games, from multigigabyte first-person shooters to tiny casual games. Everything you get is linked to a single account; there are no discs to worry about losing. When you need to hit the road, click the File, Go Offline option before you disconnect so your downloaded games work on the go.
The most recent game I can recommend: Torchlight. If you’re a fan of the classic PC game, Diablo, this is a $20 must-buy. (It’s created by a couple of the guys behind Diablo and Diablo II). More interesting is that the game offers a Netbook Mode setting. It’s a little misleading because the game doesn’t become instantly playable on every netbook. However, it does speed things up enough so that the HP Pavilion DM3 I used,, which lacks a discrete GPU, played the game smoothly.

Acer Aspire One 751h
www.acer.com.ph

Play high-def content on the large LED-backlit display and enjoy amazing 5.1-channel audio with Dolby Headphone with the new Acer Aspire One 751h. These groundbreaking advancements plus more usher in the new netbook generation and give you fantastic fun on the road.

Breathtaking sights and sounds
The Aspire One 751h breathes life into your favorite movies! Get picture-perfect visuals on the 11.6-inch hi-def display with 1366×768 resolution and simply plug in any set of headphones to relish realistic 5.1-channel surround sound.

All you need, all day long
A single charge is all it takes, and your Aspire One 751h is ready to roll all day with up to eight hours of battery life. Push performance limits with the latest small-yet-powerful processor, store massive files on the large hard disk drive, and share multimedia via the multi-in-one-card reader and optional Bluetooth.

Center of attention
The gleaming Ruby red, Seashell white, Sapphire blue or Diamond black cover is sure to draw attention! Only an inch thin, the slender shape of the Aspire One 751h has a futuristic appeal. A peek inside reveals a smooth finish and the Acer FineTip keyboard featuring flat, broad keys for enhanced typing comfort.

The Acer connection
Use the multi-gesture touchpad to navigate, scroll and zoom effortlessly. And to stay in touch all the time, choose from wireless, Fast Ethernet or 3G (on select models) connectivity — then use the integrated Acer Crystal Eye Web cam and digital microphone for ultra-clear online chats.

Red Fox Technologies recently released a new model for their Wizbook line, the Red Fox Wizbook N1020i, made available in yellow, green, pink, red, and black, as well as the full-scale Red Fox RN740J and the Red Fox RN766JU aimed towards everyday computing and gaming, respectively.

The Red Fox Wizbook N1020i is the newest addition to the brand’s growing lineup of netbooks, fitted with 10.2-inch TFT LCD displays, 1GB DDR2 667 memory, 160GB or 250GB HDD, 802.11 b/g wireless LAN, and an SD/MMC/MS multicard reader, along with the option of upgrading to 2GB of memory. The N1020i also takes advantage of Bluetooth technology by incorporating Bluetooth 3.0, which gives  data rates of up to 480 Mbits compared to 3Mbits that Bluetooth 2.0 can offer. But getting things done quickly is not the only benefit of using high-speed Bluetooth: it also reduces power consumption, which then translates to longer battery life. Versatility is enjoyed via the Express Card / 34 slot, which supports Firewire 800, SATA external disk drives, SSD drives, Wi-Fi interface cards, TV tuner cards, additional memory, memory card readers, external graphics cards and modems. The inclusion of an integrated 1.3 low-light Web cam also allows photos and videos to be taken even under low-light conditions without compromising quality.

The RN740J and RN766JU alternatively feature 14.2- and 15.4-inch TFT LCD displays, respectively, 7-in-1 multicard readers (MS/ MS Pro/ SD/ Mini SD/ MMC/ RS MMC/ MS Duo), integrated Web cameras, ATI HD audio, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, three USB ports, e-SATA ports, and HDMI ports. HDD options for the RN740J include 160GB and 320GB SATA II, while the RN766JU comes with a 320GB SATA II hard drive. Two models are available for the RN740J-the RN740J S and the RN740J T.

Red Fox Wizbook N1020i

Red Fox RN766JU

Red Fox RN740J

Big performance, small packages
Powering the Red Fox Wizbook N1020i, the Intel Atom processor is the smallest from Intel, built using the smallest transistors in the world and the company’s 45nm Hi-k Metal Gate technology for use on netbooks and nettops. The result? Intel Atom-based devices offer easy mobility with simple interfaces while providing targeted performance. Aimed at those looking for the best online experience, this processor is an affordable solution for devices used for educational purposes, video and photo viewing, VoIP, social networking, messaging, e-mail, browsing, and other Internet activities, as well as basic applications.

On the other end, tucked away inside the brand’s full-scale line is the AMD Sempron SI-40 for the RN740J S and the AMD Turion X2 RM-72 for the RN740J T, while the AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM 80 pitches in for the RN766JU.

The AMD Sempron SI-40 allows for downloading music and sending pictures, on top of simple e-mailing, Web browsing and word processing, and being able to run more than 60,000 of the most popular software in the world, as well as featuring power-saving technology that extends battery life without sacrificing performance. The AMD Turion X2 RM-72 and the AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM 80, on the other hand, offer significantly higher bandwidths to support PCI Express 2.0 and HyperTransport 3.0 Technology for increased system performance while their CoolCore Technology also help extend battery life, aided by Multi-Point Thermal Control to prevent too much heat in the processor. Both processors offer dynamic power management for energy efficiency and run both 32- and 64-bit applications. Enhanced virus protection is also enjoyed on all AMD processors.

In addition, the Red Fox RN766JU is equipped with the ATI Radeon HD 3200 (256MB DDRII) chipset plus the discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 (256MB DDRII) for top-notch gaming on-the-go, many thanks to ATI’s Hybrid Technology. This means as the RN766JU’s onboard and discrete GPUs work together, users are provided with more crystal-clear graphics and more vibrant colors, along with DirectX 10 support so the latest 3D games can be accommodated.

According to Abijane Mulgada, product manager for Red Fox, “Mobility these days is more than just about convenience-it’s become a need that a growing number of people are coming to realize. But besides simple mobility, our laptops aim to address specific needs to ensure great experiences every time, which then allows users to truly enjoy what mobility can offer. The addition of new colors for our Wizbooks? Laptops are already personal. We just wanted to make things more fun for everyone.”

By James A. Martin
PC World (US)
January 21, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – I learned a lot in 2008: Never underestimate the American voter; never take basic financial security for granted; and never pay money to see Tom Cruise in an eye patch (or to see Tom Cruise, period). But the year was full of other, more practical epiphanies, too. Among them: Selling a laptop on eBay can be an invitation to fraud; netbooks lose their novelty rather quickly while the Apple iPhone’s allure only grows; and more.

This week and next, I’ll share some lessons learned from 2008 related to mobile technology.

It Can Be Scary to Sell a Laptop on EBay

It’s extremely tempting to sell your old laptop on eBay, especially when money’s tight. But be forewarned: As I learned from experience, the process can subject you to fraud, especially when you’re trying to sell an expensive or highly desired laptop.

Too often, there’s an assumption that it’s primarily sellers on eBay who are trying to rip off buyers. However, throughout my years as an eBay buyer and seller, the only times I’ve experienced fraud are when I tried to sell my Sony Vaio ultraportable. In two cases, my auction closed when someone attempted to buy the laptop using hijacked eBay accounts (and credit cards). In one instance, I learned of the fraud only after I’d dropped off the laptop at the post office. Fortunately, after a mad dash back to the post office, I retrieved the Vaio before it had left the building.

If you’re planning to sell a laptop or other high-ticket item on eBay, please read my reports (with tips for how to avoid being ripped off): “Selling Your Laptop on eBay” and “More eBay Cautionary Tales.” You could avoid losing both your laptop and the money a fraudulent buyer promised to pay you.

Netbooks Quickly Lose Their Novelty…

These days there’s a lot of interest in netbooks, those subcompact, stripped-down laptops available from Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and other computer makers. I admit I’ve been taken by them, too, especially the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, which is the best I’ve tested so far.
But almost as quickly as my ardor for netbooks was aroused, it died. Though I appreciate the compactness of a netbook, it’s difficult to get excited about what is, in essence, an intentionally underpowered Windows XP machine. (Some netbooks come with Linux or Windows Vista installed, but many have XP.)

Though Vista isn’t the dream OS Microsoft touted it to be, using Windows XP again after I’d switched to Vista felt like a step backward. There were other things about the netbooks I tested that felt retrograde or cheap: the small screens (8.9 inches or 10.2 inches are the usual sizes); the all-too-brief battery life; the loud clacking sounds the mouse buttons make; and so on.

I’m not swearing off netbooks. If a dazzling yet affordable model arrives, I would probably buy it. But until then, I’ll stick with my admittedly-too-expensive-but-oh-so-exquisite Apple MacBook Air ultraportable.

…But the iPhone 3G Doesn’t

Like many Apple iPhone users, I’ve experienced dropped calls and sluggish-at-times Web browsing. Even so, six months into my life with an iPhone 3G, the smart phone continues to delight and astound me.
Here’s one example: A few days ago, my partner Nick and I emerged from a movie theater in San Francisco. It was nearly 10 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten dinner. But there were no restaurants in our immediate vicinity that we (a) both wanted to dine in and (b) were still open.

So I took out my iPhone, opened Google Maps, clicked to affix our location on the map, and searched for nearby restaurants. I found a Mexican cantina that, according to Google Maps, was a 5 minute walk down the street. I clicked the restaurant’s name on the map. The iPhone 3G dialed the restaurant. The restaurant’s host informed me dinner was served until 11 p.m., and off we went.

The above scenario is just one example of how I use the iPhone 3G every day. Having such a wealth of information available on the go makes life much easier, in ways big and small.

I realize the iPhone 3G isn’t the only smart phone that can perform such feats of magic. But given its strengths as a music and video player, too–not to mention all the useful and fun apps available through the Apple App Store–the iPhone 3G is the only smart phone I’m interested in owning.

Are You an Extreme Commuter?

Do you travel over 90 minutes each way most days to get to work? If so, I’d like to hear from you. Why is your commute so extreme? How do you stay productive and organized, given such a cumbersome commute? What digital tools, services, and accessories do you use to help you stay productive?

Please share your thoughts with me for use in a possible upcoming Mobile Computing blog post. And be sure to tell me your first and last name and your hometown.

Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips

Who Offers the Most Reliable Laptops and the Best Service? In our most recent reader survey on service and reliability, Apple was the only laptop maker to earn above average scores for “overall satisfaction with reliability” and “service experience.” Browse the laptop chart to see how computer makers fared.

The Ideal Desktop Replacement: What should the ultimate desktop replacement laptop look like? We think it should merge some of the best tech from Apple, Intel, Lenovo, and others. For starters, we’d like our desktop replacement to offer twin sliding screens and dual HD-quality Webcams. Read Danny Allen in Geek Tech for his take on the ultimate laptop.

Laptops for Business Travelers: In “Great Laptops for the Savvy Business Traveler,” we showcase the best laptops for savvy travelers, including the Lenovo ThinkPad X200, HP Compaq 6530b, and Sony VGN-Z598U.

Contributing Editor James A. Martin offers tools, tips, and product recommendations to help you make the most of computing on the go. Martin is also author of the Traveler 2.0 blog. Sign up to have the Mobile Computing Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I’ve missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I’m unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.