Netbooks Topic Center

Get the latest news, reviews and more about netbooks

Lenovo and Apple grew as bottom fell out of PC market in Western Europe

PC shipments in Western Europe declined by 20.5% during the first quarter: The only vendors to see shipments grow were Lenovo and Apple, which returned to the top five.
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Google offers new 11.6-in. Samsung Chromebook for $249

Google today announced a new low-priced clamshell-style Samsung Chromebook computer for $249 that runs the Chrome OS.

Toshiba aims to slash ultrabook prices with new hybrid hard drives

Toshiba said Tuesday it will soon begin mass production of a new line of hybrid disk drives equipped with flash memory, touting them as a low-cost replacement for the solid-state drives used in ultrabook and laptop computers.

SSDs still no threat to notebook hard drives

Notebooks equipped with hard drives will dominate the market for years to come, meaning the market for notebooks with SSDs pose no threat, according to a new report from iSuppli.

IT consumerization: Special report

InfoWorld's tech pros walk you through all the steps in bringing smartphones, tablets, and other personal devices into the enterprise Insider (registration required)

BYOD: Digital Spotlight

Learn how to take control of and benefit from the bring-your-own-devices (BYOD) phenomenon -- without losing corporate data. This free, downloadable special edition describes what your BYOD policy should cover and outlines the risks you need to manage. Insider (registration required)

Windows sales defy predictions, grow 4%

Stronger-than-expected sales of Windows helped Microsoft post a 6% increase in revenue for the first quarter of 2012, the company said yesterday.

Google looks for fix to Chromebook Wi-Fi 'disconnect bugs'

Google is making changes to its Chrome OS to reduce the number of times that Chromebooks drop their connections to Wi-Fi networks, an issue some users have complained about for months.

QuickPoll: Will tablet sales eventually surpass PC sales?

Apple sold more iPad tablets last quarter than any single PC maker sold personal computers. Will tablet sales eventually surpass PC sales?

Intel shows off hybrids: Ultrabooks that turn into tablets

Intel is taking on the burgeoning tablet market by working on hybrid ultrabooks that look and act like both laptops and tablets.

The hidden dangers of touchscreens

Smartphones, tablets, and now touchscreen PCs all can lead to stress-related injuries of your hands, arms, back, and eyes -- unless you use them right.

iPad 2 vs. business class tablets

Tech lovers have been flocking to the iPad 2 and other tablets in order to watch movies, read books, surf the Web and make video calls on the latest, greatest, thinnest, lightest, coolest devices. But where do tablets fit within the enterprise? Insider (registration required)

Making iPads enterprise ready

CIOs continue to test the popular iPad tablet for enterprise applications. These pilots show potential, but the devices still have lots of limitations. Insider (registration required)

Dell Latitude 2120: Slightly rugged, wildly overpriced

Dell touts the Latitude 2120 as the ideal netbook for business. That engenders the question: is an old-school, underperforming, under-screened netbook can really be an ideal solution for business computing?

Gadgets for cloud computing

A flood of simple computing devices is hitting the market, aimed at pushing the cloud outside of the enterprise. Samsung and Acer have announced Chromebooks. Startup ITWin is offering a USB device that helps users access files on remote computers. And Panasonic has shown a Viera tablet for its TVs.

Visual tour: Google's Chrome OS

Google's all-Web computers are due to hit stores June 15. Here's a look at what to expect.

Samsung NC110 Netbook: Slow but Stylin'

Netbooks are so formulaic these days, it's difficult to stand out from the crowd. Samsung, in a small way, has managed that with the $330 (price as of May 11, 2011) NC110. With only the standard netbook 10.1-inch display, the typical 250GB hard drive, and the usual accoutrements, the NC110 instead makes an impression through a combination of styling, battery life, and software. Unfortunately, it also stands out as a slow performer.

Toshiba Mini NB305-N600: Style Over Substance

The Toshiba Mini NB305-N600 ($380 as of April 5, 2011) comes from the higher end of Toshiba's two-part netbook family. Nothing if not eager to meet your netbook needs, Toshiba offers its two basic models--the Mini NB300 and NB500 series--in a total of 11 configurations, and figuring out how they differ requires going through spec sheets with a magnifying glass. Of course, specs don't tell the whole story, anyway--and overall, the story isn't that compelling.

Toshiba Mini NB505-508GN Netbook

Toshiba's Mini NB505-508GN has two things that separate it from the netbook pack, albeit only slightly: a somewhat better-than-average keyboard and longer-than-average battery life. Okay, make that three things--it's also better-looking than most of its competition with its smooth styling and lime-green lid. Otherwise, the unit is the epitome of the cookie-cutter netbook.

Skooba Design Harmony iPad/Netbook Satchel

Skooba Design advertises its Harmony Collection line of laptop and iPad bags as "designed by women, for the way women really work and travel." I recently had the chance to test out the $100 Harmony iPad/Netbook Satchel, and while the bag features several interesting design flourishes, the overall look and feel leaves something to be desired.