netbooks

Lenovo will soon release a second version of its IdeaPad S10 Netbook, which it will sell to schools. The IdeaPad S10e will be sold through Lenovo's Government & Education channel and is scheduled to start shipping on November 25. When it does, it will be the first Netbook to feature instant-on software that will let you access various apps without first booting to Windows.

The S10e will feature DeviceVM's Splashtop app, which Asus offers on some of its laptops (but, curiously, not on any of its Eee PC Netbooks). Lenovo dubs Splashtop QuickStart for its Netbook and will … Read more

Editor's note: Due to some technical difficulties, this podcast didn't upload correctly at first. So, if you got a version that was crackly or that made me sound like a man, forgive me. It's fixed now.

Erica Ogg visits the podcast studio and talks with Leslie Katz about Hewlett-Packard's new lineup of consumer-focused Netbooks.

Also in this podcast: a proposed ad deal between Yahoo and Google faces more scrutiny; Sony's profit tanks thanks to falling TV prices and slowing sales; and Motorola looks to Google Android to bring its phones back to life. Listen now: … Read more

Update: This blog has been corrected to reflect that the Mini 1000 will be available Wednesday on HP.com, and in retail stores later.

After a brief experiment in the education market, Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday is set to introduce a whole line of Netbooks for mainstream consumers.

The HP Mini 1000 comes in three versions, with starting prices ranging from $379 to $699, and will be available on HP.com starting Wednesday, with worldwide retailers to be announced later.

HP first dipped its toe into the mini-notebook market back in April with the Mini-Note 2133, which it claimed was strictly for K through 12 students and some business travelers. At the time, HP was adamant that this was not meant to play in the same arena as the consumer-oriented Netbook from Asus, the Eee PC. Though it won't break out the numbers, HP now says the sales of the 2133 "exceeded all expectations."

But the new HP Mini 1000, Mini 1000 MIE, and the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition are very much intended for consumers. So what's changed in just six months? The look and feel of the Mini 1000 line isn't drastically different from the 2133, but the Netbook market has had a dramatic makeover, though it's more noticeable abroad than here in the U.S. … Read more

We'd like to say we were pleasantly surprised to see HP announce its new Mini 1000 Netbook Tuesday. Of course we can't, since HP accidentally put a big picture of the new system up on its Web site over the weekend for several hours. Blown surprise aside, the Mini 1000 is now available for online ordering, and we've got a full review and video.

The system wisely cribs from HP's previous Netbook, the business-oriented Mini-Note 2133, using the same wide format to fit in a nearly full-size keyboard that dwarfs every other similar system. It trades … Read more

Hey, this sounds like a good idea! Create an artificial intelligence that's the incarnation of pure evil and immorality. You know, just to "study" it. It'll never get out. (Ugh.) So, that's happening today, along with Microsoft's announcement of its cloud OS, Azure; Chevy determines that hybrid SUVs won't make money no matter how you build them, and Wired tries to say the DMCA has been a good thing. Oh, and in addition to Oprah, Molly likes Martha.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Microsoft's Azure cloud platform: A guide … Read more

In the market for a Netbook? Amazon has the baseline HP 2133 on sale for $299, down from $499. Right away that solves one of the HP's main problems: its high price. Best of all, this is a new unit--not a refurb--and you don't have to deal with any rebates.

The HP 2133 is the one Netbook I've actually reviewed, and I liked it well enough, except for two issues: price and performance. But my eval unit came with Windows Vista and a $799 price tag; the model Amazon is selling has SUSE Linux and costs $299. … Read more

Last weekend I had a chance to speak at the annual meeting of the National Association of Science Writers in Palo Alto, Calif., on the subject of laptops. And what many of the attendees wanted to know was whether a low-cost Netbook would be a reasonable purchase for someone whose occupation requires not only frequent travel and note-taking at meetings but also countless hours composing at the keyboard.

The short answer: not unless you have a desktop waiting for you at your home office. You'll find the longer answer, along with my recommended writer-friendly laptops, after the page break.… Read more

What? What's wrong with you people? We're talking about Netbooks. Dell has a new "Mini" Note, but it's a 12-inch laptop. So, the question is: what is going on in the Netbook world these days? Also, the Internet makes you both smarter AND dumber, Google Earth shows up for iPhone, and Oprah gives out a Kindle discount. And Natali and Molly love Oprah. Deal with it.

Sling.com launch http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/26/slingcom-to-launch-on-november-10/

Google Earth for iPhone/Touch http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10075543-37.html … Read more

Microsoft may not be exactly suffering right now, but as The VAR Guy notes, Ubuntu's success in the netbook market is having a material, albeit still small, effect on Microsoft's pricing power and profits.

Sorry about that, Redmond.

Ubuntu, which now claims eight million active users, is also starting to make serious money for its commercial parent, as Chris Kenyon, Canonical's director of Business Development, tells InternetNews:

We're not sharing our revenues publicly but I will say revenue growth is extremely strong and we're bullish across the board both at server side and desktop. The … Read more