Initially announced in July 2009, Google’s Operating System “Chrome” which will primarily be for Netbooks is expected to be launched in a week’s time! The OS they say is light weight, efficient, and free off course. As has been the case all Google products have so far attracted the people’s attention and this product shouldn’t be any different.

Of all the things the most important will perhaps be the dreaded driver support which is so much necessary for running the machines. Google has been working on the driver related issues quite diligently since the announcement. Rumour has it that Google has even taken hardware manufacturers on board for this arduous task. How much of that is true is anybody’s guess, but it generally makes sense.

Some devices, primarily NetBooks have been shortlisted which will accept the OS right away. The list has so far not been provided, but one thing is sure that this OS will not work on any and every machine at least initially. Things might change later, though. Some of the brands which are on top of Google’s list are Acer, Asus, Adobe, Lenovo, HP and Toshiba.

Whatever, the case may be one this is for sure true, this is perhaps the most anticipated OS of the year. The counts start now then…seven days to go!

It’s a mobile phone, a GPS and a NetBook all three bundled in to one neat device running Windows XP and weighing about 400 gm. The screen size is 4.8”, it is a touch screen off course. Let us first of all have a look at its specs:

• AMD Super Mobile Processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 8 ~ 64 GB SSD
• 30 ~ 120 GB HDD
• Screen size: 4.8”, top res is 800 x 400 (LCD)
• GSM/EDGE/WCDMA and HSDPA/HSUPA
• 1.3 MP Camera
• GPS
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and WiMax
• QWERTY Keyboard
• VGA out port
• Touchpad
• USB/Earphone jack

In Technology Group (ITG) is a Chinese company which is poised to launch this product, the xpPhone. The best feature perhaps is that it is a NetBook besides being a mobile phone and a GPS. The availability of VGA out ensures that one can have bigger display attached to it, and with a USB an external mouse and a keyboard can be attached. Optional connectivity includes WiMax, thus making it the ultimate gadget of the day. Since its going to be running Windows XP  so there is virtually no limit to the type and number of applications that can be run on it. Carry it in your pocket and attach to a Projector to play to your presentations!

The device can be pre-ordered from the xpPhone website, although no information on the price or its release date are known yet. My frank opinion is that it is going to be a big hit, I mean look at the features, all known voice data connectivity options, a huge storage, external display options, Windows XP. In nutshell it’s a small tablet with mobile phone features.

NetBooks are available in plenty nowadays, the only problem with these tiny devices is that they all come with Intel Atom processors which are meant for just the menial tasks like word processing, surfing the web or watching movies. All the  other compliments are there minus the much needed processing power, well guess that is what NetBooks are meant for.

Acer however, has spruced up their newer NetBook model AS1410 with better hardware and surprisingly the machine  carries a somewhat smaller price tag. The screen is a cool 11.6 “, a Celeron SU2300 processor does the processing, there is 2 GB of DDR2 RAM, 160 GB HDD, 3 USB 2.0  ports, 6 cell Li Ion batter, 5 in 1 card reader, HDMI port, Intel GMA 4500HD graphics card and Windows 7 Premium (64 bit).

The machine will be available before holiday season starting at a crisp $400. Make a wish now!

Laptops are nowadays all rage. They come in all sizes, big, small, slim and fat, they are cute, ugly and irresistible. The newer ones are fast, then there are notebooks which promise to make a hole so large in your pocket that you will have  a hard time recovering form this dilemma. Oh and then the inevitable NetBooks which look like toys, or kids stuff. But now we have Rugged Laptops, or hardened Laptops built for tough environments.

Any electronic gadget can basically sustain a certain degree of abuse, which includes extreme temperatures, bumps and jumps, resistance to liquids (quite rare) and even an occasional drop. But these machines, called Rugged Laptops are built to withstand all such abuses. They are generally meant for the military folks, but may as well be used by anyone who has a lot of outdoor work to do for example archeologists, filed workers (civil engineers), environmental engineers, marine biologists and even wildlife researchers.

The degree of protection immunity to these effects that a machine has is governed by its IP (Ingress Protection) level. This rating simply tells us the amount of abuse a certain machine is able to withstand.

A rugged machine may it be a laptop or a PDA has all the accessories of a normal machine like USB, memory, processor, RAM etc. The only difference is that these machines are able to withstand punishment like strong electromagnetic fields, shocks, extreme vibrations, falls etc. So they are waterproofed to some degree, have shock absorbers, rubber padding or even advanced cooling features for hot climates.

The various items being marketed include rugged thumb drives, rugged laptops, Swiss Army Knives, semi-rugged iPhone protection, iPod covers and waterproof cameras.

What exactly is the ultimate gadget that one can dream of? Personally I would like to carry one slim not too fat, energy efficient gadget that would allow me to make phone calls, surf the Internet at will (without straining my eyes), play games (well once in a while), listen to music, watch movies, take photographs/make (acceptable quality) videos , locate my position on the planet, use it as a PC (off course with an external keyboard, mouse and display attached),noting less, nothing more.

Although mobile phones have gotten smarter,smaller, and more efficient, but my contention is why to have a separate laptop,camera, GPS, mobile phone, NetBook, webcam, PC etc. Why don’t they make a device which has all of these in one place, a small nifty thing that that sits in your shirt pocket, never mind if it doesn’t have the video projector built in to it. Well I guess somebody heard all this…only a little less, or maybe they are beginning to think like me. I am talking about the Archos 5 and 7 Android based Internet Tablets. These are mean looking devices that pack so much in so little. These things which are coming to the shelves soon have some new features which are not present in any gadget presently:

Screen Res:  800 x400 pixels, High Res screen, 16 M colors

Screen Size:   5 and 7 inches (Archos 5 and Archos 7)

Memory/Storage: 60 to 320 GB (depending on the model)

Connectivity:  USB, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)

Attachments: Keyboard, mouse, camera, external memory via USB

OS: Linux

Features and Goodies: PDF Reader, E-mail client, Photo viewer, Web browser, video playback, video recording, Audio recording, video playback, audio playback, built-in speakers, Web TV, Web Radio, games, widgets, video streaming from a PC, and a rather long battery life.

Last Words: Archos 5 and 7 have introduced a new concept in Internet devices that are small but pack a punch. Compared to the Zune or iPod nano it has outstanding features. However, I would still like it when a newer model includes a GPS and camera if not a GSM module.

As a laptop user we are often confronted with situations where our laptop’s battery are running out of juice at the most critical moment and there are no power sources around. This situation is quite frequent whenever people are on travel or outside homes and with laptops which have average battery lifetime of 2-3 hours. Laptop battery time has always been a sticky point and to get a decent battery life of more than 3-4 hours, usually one has to buy top of the line, expensive and underpowered laptop, but NOT anymore.

Finally Acer has announced Aspire Timeline 1810T ( This model will be known as the Acer Aspire 1410 in US/Canadian markets) which boasts 8 hours battery life, a cool breeze isn’t it. Acer The timing of this release couldn’t be any better, with upcoming release of Windows 7 which is more sophisticated OS than Windows XP and provides better and highly optimized power management thus resulting in longer battery timings.

If you already own a netbook from DELL, ASUS, HP or any other brand  then chances are that it will have Windows XP loaded on it,  and XP on netbooks still sounds slow and sluggish as compared to light weight ubuntu, as netbooks lacks the super horse power packed in normal notebooks. Every PC enthusiast who either owns a PC, laptop or a netbook is eagerly waiting for Windows 7, the latest OS from Microsoft claiming to be innovative and better in all aspects.

Now finally Microsoft is heeding to the needs of netbook users and the word is that the upcoming Windows 7 will come with a specific netbook version, will be light enough for netbooks and will pack most of the  functionality required by hardware and software vendors. Does this mean that Microsoft is considering yet another version of Windows 7 for netbooks, this remains to be seen in upcoming days. Microsoft is under pressure from Intel and other Netbook manufacturers to release cheaper windows 7 for notebooks, to keep the overall prices of netbooks down and keep sales continue and growing.

This news is a sigh of relief amid the reports that Microsoft was considering to cut down functionality of Windows 7 for netbooks due to the pricing factor. However, what really is the final word from Microsoft about windows 7 for netbooks remain to be seen. We’ll keep you posted on this one.

When an established an well known Mobile phone manufacturer unveils plans to bring out a laptop one is a little surprised and bound to take note. After all jumping in to the PC/Laptop category is no joke. And so it happens when Nokia announces to introduce a mini laptop or Netbook to the already saturated and competition ridden market, Nokia Booklet 3G Mini, ain’t that a mouth-full?
The machine is small by all standards measuring 264 x 185 x 19 (mm) and weighs a mere 1.95 kg. The screen size is a respectable 10.1" and an Intel Atom processor is supposed to fire up the machine. Glaring features include built in 3G support, Blue tooth, WiFi, A-Gps, ability to sync with mobile phones in a jiffy, music support by Nokia Music store, OVI support and secure corporate E-mail. Off course the much needed Windows still runs the machine. Oh and before I forget it a 12 hours battery life, ain’t that good. Whatever, that means I guess when this gizmo hits the shelves most N97 owners would be tempted to sell their mobile phones and go for a Mini or will they?

The newest fad I guess is Netbooks, and that goes not only for buyers but top brand PC manufacturers also. ASUS started this trend by making a low cost, ultra small and cute machine, one that could perform most if not all the tasks for an average PC user. The trend caught on in big way since then and resultantly now you have every second branded PC manufacturer offering a newer model every few months. So what’s this fuss all about? I mean why buy a laptop or desktop if a Netbook costs much less, weighs less and is small enough to fit a ladies handbag. Well frankly the answer isn’t all that easy and forthcoming.

Here is my take on this, firstly, a Netbook in most cases is run by an Intel Atom processor, with normally 1 GB of RAM and 80 ~ 120 GB HDD. So if you are making a switch from your traditional heavyweight desktop or even a present day laptop which has at least a Core2Duo running in its chest, you will definitely feel the change.

 A Porsche and a Beetle won’t feel the same way when driving on a freeway, will they?

 Yes and with a smaller screen size just about 8 ~ 10 inches you might feel the need to scroll through web pages or documents quite frequently. Or how about having no CD/DVD drive, I mean no optical medium, no sir. On the plus side a Netbook will last longer than a standard laptop, say at least 3 hours, since it draws less power. It won’t even bruise your shoulder like a normal laptop does! Umm did I mention a price difference of a mere $100 ~ $200, between a Netbook and a normal laptop. (Normal laptop I mean ordinary and not a Macbook or a top of the line Toshiba). So what is the simpleton supposed to do? I would say look at the pros and cons, and importantly does it fulfill your needs. So people I am going to list down some of the pros and cons here for you guys.

Pros.

• Small size.
• Less weight.
• Relatively longer battery life.
• Cheap.
• Has all necessary features less modem and Optical drive medium.
• Comes preloaded with Operating system. (Normally Win XP Home, with Windows 7 relesing soon new netbooks will be using the light footprint of windows 7 and in some cases Linux).
• Good connectivity options like WLAN, Ethernet, Bluetooth and USB.
• Good for word processing, music, movies and surfing the net.

Cons.

• Small screen size needs scrolling.
• Not ideal for multi-tasking and extensive processing since processor is Intel Atom.
• No optical medium or modem.
• Not suitable for image intensive applications or gaming.

Well these pros and cons should help you decide if and why you should go for a Netbook instead of a laptop or desktop. Frequent travelers or students might be tempted to buy it, and these machines are also not a bad choice for home users. Some of the models are catalogued for you to see them out in detail.

• HP Mini 1000.
• Samsung N110.
• IBM .
• Acer Aspire One.
• Asus EE PC.
• Dell Mini.
• Mac book Air