Being the pioneers in mobile phones, Nokia is planning to extend its knowledge in the world of laptops. The handset manufacturer is thinking of widening its portfolio, and has entered into the mini laptops market. It attempts to combine the computing power and mobility

Nokia Booklet 3G is a 10.1 inch netbook which comes with few extra features which you would not find it anywhere else. Due to its experience in the mobiles, this netbook will bring with it, enhanced mobility, just like its smart phones With HD ready screen, good battery life, all- time connectivity, the netbook will have a lot to offer but at a hefty price.

The netbook is slick and measures just over 2 centimeters in thickness. It will have uni-body aluminum chassis making it light in weight at just 1.25 kilograms. With 10 inch HD screen, this mini laptop will have a range of connectivity options.

Powered by Intel Atom Z530 at 1.6 GHz, the netbook will be a fully functional PC.  It will have 120 GB hard disk and 1 GB of memory. The slick netbook has well spaced buttons on the keypad and the track pad is also big. Its 10.1 inch LCD screen has better high screen resolution than most net books; at 1280 x 720 pixels.

It will sport 3G/HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, for wireless connectivity and speedy access to internet. The notebook will run on windows 7 and will come with integrated Ovi suites for maps, calendar, media, and contacts. Using Ovi suite, you can sync your Nokia smart phone to your laptop.

The netbook will have 3 USB 2.0 ports, an easily accessible SD card reader, one head phone output, a SIM slot, and an HDMI output for HD video. It has a front facing 1.3 mega pixel camera for video calling.

The netbook has 16 cell battery which give it an outstanding battery life; almost12 hours.

The netbook will be released in October end, tentatively. Its pricing can shock a lot of people, as it has been priced at 575 euros (£503), which is much higher than rest of the competition.  The colors are still not clear, though they could be black, ice white, and azure blue.

Nokia Booklet 3G’s USP is its outstanding battery life which allows one to carry the netbook anywhere without the power cord and worry. But whether people will be willing to pay so much for some extra features? Only time will tell.

]]> http://www.bestnetbook.org.uk/all-day-mobility-with-nokia%e2%80%99s-netbook/feed/ 0 http://www.bestnetbook.org.uk/samsung-n510%e2%80%99s-uk-launch/ http://www.bestnetbook.org.uk/samsung-n510%e2%80%99s-uk-launch/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:30:01 +0000 news http://www.bestnetbook.org.uk/?p=181

Samsung, the South Korean manufacturer, has come up with Nvidia ION powered netbook, first in the industry. It was Samsung, who had earlier this year launched a netbook, NC20 with Via Nano processor, the first in US markets, instead of Intel Atom chip. Samsung will launch its latest ION powered netbook, N510 in UK and USA in the first week of September. NVIDIA’s Ion platform will be matched with Intel’s N280 processor and 1 GB of RAM. Most other specifications of this netbook will be the same as other netbooks.

The price that has been disclosed is £449, which matches with introductory price of $599 in US. Samsung’s N510 netbooks, which look like N20, will sport a generous 11.6 inch size, with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, LED backlight, glossy display. With a thin bezel, the screen size is quite big, though smaller than N20; and it makes this netbook almost the size of a laptop. N510 weighs 1.46 Kg. with a 6 cell battery.

As a first, Samsung N 510 netbook will be using NVIDIA ion platform, which combines a low power Intel Atom N280 processor (1.66GHz) and Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphic chipset, for good graphic performance required by video games and playbacks. The HDMI output and 9400M GPU will allow you to watch high definition (HD) and Blu ray content.

Earlier there was a buzz that N510 will be using ION LE and not NVIDIA ION. The ION LE platform is specifically designed for Windows XP and supports DirectX 9.  It does not support DirectX10 which is found only in windows Vista or windows 7. The only other netbook which plans to have NVIDIA ION platform is Lenovo’s IdeaPad S12, which has not been launched yet.

Samsung N510 will have 1GB RAM, 160 GB HDD for external storage, and pre loaded Windows XP home. Samsung has still managed to use windows XP and is not forced by Microsoft to use Vista.

There should not be any issues with the battery life as such, since it will be shipped with 6 cell lithium ion, 5900mAh batteries, which should last for more than 7 hours. All other components are standard ones; like 3 USB’s, 3 in 1 card reader, VGA output, HDMI connector, two speakers and 1.3 mega pixels camera. The netbook will feature WiFi 802.11b/g/b and Bluetooth 2.1 for better wireless connectivity. The price tag of Samsung N510 is towards higher side when compared to other 11″ netbooks but they do not have ION platform nor do they have HDMI out ports.

VNB 100 is ultra portable netbook which is targeted at students. It sports 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 160 GB HDD and 1 GB Ram. The netbook ahs a 10.2 inch LCD display, 1.3 mega pixels webcam, and 802.11 b/g WiFi.  These netbooks will have the standard 3 USB ports, and an express card slot. Viewsonic’s VNB 100 does not offer anything new that others do not. Some ports are placed at the back of the machine and not all are at the sides. Though keyboard does not offer anything great, the track pad is Multi- touch capable.. The VNB 100 will come preloaded with Windows XP. This model will be offered in four colors; black, white, yellow and hot pink.

VNB101 will be available in black, red and champagne colors. This one has 1.66 GHz Intel N280 processor and not N270 like VNB100. Instead of three, VNB 101 has 2 USB ports and it sports a 0.3 mega pixel webcam and Bluetooth 2.1. Red, black and champagne are the colors offered for VNB 101. This model will also have a special coating to protect the netbook from spills and usually wear and tear.  The rest of the specs are the same for both the models. Both of the netbook have used the light weight, lithium polymer battery instead of the usual lithium ion battery, which is expected to give a good runtime, though the battery life has not been disclosed yet.

The high end model, i.e. VNB 101 is slimmer than VNB 100 and just weighs 1.1 kgs. as against the latter, which weighs 1.4 kgs. Initially, both these are targeted for Asia pacific markets and will be released by the month end. In Europe, both, VNB 100 and VNB101 models will be released by year end for £256 and £293 respectively.

The netbook is certainly different from other netbooks as it uses low power AMD Sempron processor instead of usual 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor. It is also the first netbook that uses ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphic chip. Most other netbooks have Intel graphics, but Radeon 1250 should show better results.

Medion is a German manufacturer and it sells its products mainly in continental Europe, though its products are also sold in North America, Australia and Asia Pacific. Stores like Aldi in UK stock all Medion products like laptops and computers.

This 11.6 inch netbook has HD resolution display; so you can playback HD video content. It has a 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, TFT screen with a format ratio of 16:9, which makes it good enough for watching movies. The netbook also has HDMI output, so you can plug it into your HD TV or projector, for a true cinema experience with good sound quality and sharp pictures.

Medion Akoya MiniE1312 sports an 1.5 GHz AMD Sempron 210U CPU, ATI Xpress 1250 Graphics, 1 GB RAM and 160 GB HDD. Then there are the usual ports; three USB ports, 3 in 1 multi card reader, an Ethernet port, VGA output and HDMI out port, which is very useful. The netbook comes with a 6 cell lithium ion battery which should last for 2.5 to 3 hours or so. But for people, who want to work outside home or office; they can go for optional 9 cell battery which will have a longer battery life.

The netbook is equipped with 1.3 mp webcam, for conference calls; 802.11nWiFi, and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. Medion Akoya Mini E1312 is pre loaded with Microsoft XP Home edition Operating System.

It will be available in two colors; black and white. The netbook will be accessible at Aldi stores in UK for £339, with a three year warranty. There is no release date yet for North America.

It is a business netbook designed for professionals- on- the- go, what with matte display, anodized and magnesium alloy chassis instead of plastic ones, which other netbooks use.

HP mini 5101 has a more squarish design and black brushed finish. The netbook certainly is eye catching but very functional too.

The netbook offers 10.1 LED screen with WSVGA 1024 x 600 or optional HD (high definition) 1366x 768 resolutions.  It will be powered by 1.66 GHz N280 Atom CPU and 1GB RAM. It comes with a high speed HDD, and supports 2 GB DDR2 memory, though 80 or 120 SSD (Solid State Drive) options are present. HP Mini 5101 will be available in windows XP, Vista, XP Pro, and Linux Enterprise desktop

The best feature is its keyboard. It offers 95% standard size regular, chiclet style, keyboard. The keys are flat, and wide and comfortable to type on. All the keys are coated with HP Durakeys which makes them resistant to wear and tear. Unlike, Mini 240, the mouse buttons are placed below the touchpad and not on sides, which is an improvement. The trackpad offers multi touch support.

It has WiFi 802.11n, and an optional Bluetooth 2.0. There is a 2.0 mega pixel web cam which will take care of the conferencing needs and can also be used for still image capture. The netbook will have HP 3D DriveGuard technology which comes with three axis digital accelerometer chip which shuts the hard disk down in case of a sudden fall or impact, just like in laptops. Optional HP mobile broadband module permits the business users to check mails, intranet, and internet.

The netbook will offer 4 cell and also 6 cell battery options. HP claims that four cell batteries will take its battery life to 4 hours while 6 cell batteries can stretch its battery life to 8 hours.

A major glitch will be its pricing, as HP Mini 5101 is slated to start from $449 and with so many optional upgrades offered, the price will go up even higher. HP mini 5101 will be shipped from next month end.

Like all Aspire One netbooks, this one will have Intel microprocessor. It is the first company which has shown Android power netbook with Intel atom microprocessor. The netbook will sport a 10 inch screen, like all Aspire Ones. Currently, Aspire one netbooks come with Windows XP. The netbooks which will go on sale later this year will have Dual boot system, and they will have Android and Linux OS instead of Windows XP. Though Acer will keep manufacturing netbooks with Microsoft’s OS, but many netbooks from Acer will also have Android. The users will have an option to choose the operating systems.

There is no confirmation on pricing yet, but it would be less expensive than the one with Windows XP. Normally netbooks have a battery life of 6 to 7 hours but it is assumed that Android powered netbooks will offer more battery life, of around 8 to 10 hours.

Since netbooks are designed to be carried anywhere comfortable, connecting to the internet quickly and being portable are the two most important aspects for it to be successful. Android will offer very fast wireless connection to the internet; which means more convenience to the users. They will have a very fast start up time of about 18 seconds and shut down time of 1 second.

Android is a smart phone operating system developed by Google. It was designed for mobile phones which makes communication and web browsing easy. It is a Linux based operating system and has been executed on HTC Magic and HTC Dream. Being free and open source, Android could be modified to be used on netbook with an Atom microprocessor.

Many companies have admitted that they are working on android netbooks; which should put rival Microsoft on alert. While Microsoft charges $20 per computer for Windows XP and around$40 for Windows Vista, Google does not charge for Android. So, costing could be a factor for this move.

You need to be able to see the screen.
Most netbooks come in 3 different sizes – 7″, 8.9″, and 10″, which is what most netbooks feature today. While the 7″ screen certainly looks cute and helps make the whole netbook much more portable, actually being able to see anything on these small screens is extremely difficult and can become very frustrating. It probably won’t be long before the cuteness of the 7″ wears off and you’re willing to trade it in for a bigger model. 

The keypad is only as big as the screen.
If manufacturers could, they’d pack as big a keyboard as possible into their netbooks and the truth is that they do. But for obvious reasons, they can only make the keypad as big as the screen. A netbook with a 7″ screen also has a 7″ keypad, which is extremely difficult to type on, without doing the two-fingered peck. Larger models of netbooks, even those with a 8.9″ screen, generally feature keypads that are 90% the size of desktop keyboards and so, will be much more comfortable to work with.

SyncToy. This is a utility that automatically syncs two different folders, meaning that you can easily carry around all the stuff on your netbook that’s on your desktop computer, without a big hassle transferring files.

Tweak UI: This utility customizes Windows XP especially for small screens such as netbooks. This means that you can make those wee little boxes look much bigger and it will be much easier to work within them.

Virtual Desktop Manager: This will open up 4 different desktops from you to work from. So you can check your email from one, browse on another, and play a game on another. It makes your machine run more smoothly and doesn’t leave you waiting for your memory to catch up with your mouse.

SharpKey: Because the world of netbooks is still a relatively undiscovered one by manufacturers, many netbooks are made in the same areas, giving some differences in keyboards. This utility will allow you to place the keys where you are most comfortable with them.

Foxit Reader: If you have Adobe Reader on your desktop, you need Foxit Reader on your netbook. It works the same way as Adobe, with the ability to read PDF files however, it takes up far less resources to do so and so is perfect for a small system.

Xplorer2: This is a utility that makes it easier for handling files in such a small space. Instead of clicking, cutting, copying, and pasting, this makes it easy to just drag and drop the files or folders.

WindowsMovieMaker: This is a great little tool that will take all of the pictures on your netbook and turn them into a slide show for you!

The netbook will be slim and sleek, with 2.2 pounds weight and just an inch in thickness. New netbook will possess 1366x 768 resolution, LED backlit screen and an aspect ratio of 16:9.  Though the details are not known, the netbook will have Intel Poulsbo platform and Intel Atom processor, most likely 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z530 instead of Atom N270 CPU. Because of the bigger size, it will have a full size keyboard with flat, soft touch keys, and the mouse buttons will be beneath the track pad and not on the sides, as with the previous models. The touch pad is multi gesture, which allows users to go through web pages quickly.

For wireless connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth will be there. It is also 3G capable, so one can access internet where ever there is a mobile signal.  The netbook regulars will be there, like 160 GB hard drive, multi-in-one card slot, microphone, Crystal Eye webcam, the resolution of which is not known. The Ethernet and VGA ports will be pushed into the hinge section, which will allow all cables to be at the backside. Dolby Pro Logic Sound will give a good multi media experience.

Intel’s Poulsbo has thermal design power of 4.5 W; instead of usual 11.8 W. Hence, the power consumption will be very less. The netbook will have a long lasting, 6- cell 5200mAh battery which will last 8 hours in standards, and 4 hours with standard battery. The slim line design and good battery life will make it very easy to take it along.

The new netbook will be available in four colors; white, dark blue, red and black. There are still no details on the pricing and the availability. But it is believed to be shipped by month end.

What makes it easier is that most netbooks, and laptops for that matter, all come with the same parts and equipment so things like hard drive, battery life, and memory space will be the features that most often come up. Once you have decided on what you need most from your netbook, whether it be a certain operating system (netbooks get especially fussy here), or a certain screen size, knowing these basics can help you narrow down the field even further.

Once you have decided on what features are most important to you, you can then decide on a price point. Look around for general price ranges for your priorities (a massive hard drive is certainly going to cost you more) and then find two or three models that have your priority features and are within your price range.

Once you have it down to less than a handful of choices, the choice becomes easy! All of them will be within your price range and all of them will have what you most need so simply pick the one that has the most features (or that looks the prettiest!) and place your order!