In three years, netbooks have entered the computer market and have been successful beyond any computer manufacturer’s dreams. If there’s anything the Asus Eee PC 701 and its descendants proved, there are people willing to sacrifice a bit of computing power for a huge price difference and portability. But I wonder, how far have netbooks gone? There’s really no other way to look at it than seeing it in graphs and the like so we’d be able to take it all in. Read more…

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is one of the best netbooks out there at the moment. Come on, how could it be not good when it’s carrying the ThinkPad brand? The 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, AMD Neo MV-40 single core CPU, and AT Radeon HD 3200 graphics make it one of the best choices to get when shopping for a netbook.

But it looks like Lenovo’s got something else up their sleeve. According to rumors, they’re going to make a 10-inch ThinkPad that’s going to be rocking an Intel Atom processor. From Liliputing:

It looks like Lenovo is also planning to launch a smaller version of the laptop with a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel display. An Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor option also appears to be on its way. It’s not spelled out specifically, but it’s likely that the Atom CPU will be tied to the smaller screen.

While a number of reviewers have given the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e high marks for its keyboard, build quality, and overall design, it gets pretty lousy battery life for a modern ultraportable. Swapping out the AMD CPU for a low power Atom processor could go a long way to address that.

Say what you want about the ThinkPad’s looks, but I think it looks pretty neat. Seriously considering the future 10-inch ThinkPad X100e as a possible netbook purchase if my laptop proves to be too big to carry around.

iPad, SchmiPad.

I’ve detailed the reasons why I’m not the least bit excited over the iPad in Gadzooki. To be honest, I’m not an Apple hater. I think the iPod – all its iterations – is the greatest thing ever. Macs are pretty spectacular devices. But the iPad left me a bit cold. And the disappointment over the iPad has left me looking for other touchscreen devices, and I see that MSI’s dual-screen netbooks are going on shelves pretty soon.

From EeePC.net:

MSI is taking advantage of the current tablet craze by pushing up the launch of the concept dual-screen netbook they showed off at CES a couple of weeks ago. LaptopMag found this out in its interview with MSI President Joseph Hsu and MSI VP for Sales and Marketing , North America Andy Tung.

During the interview, Tung mentioned that the device will be a eReader and netbook combo, with the second screen acting as a haptic touchscreen keyboard when needed. They plan to release this mid-year with Google Chrome OS possibly bundled in. Despite the dual screens, MSI notes that the device will still boast 4-5 hours of battery life.

The device itself looks pretty promising since it gives more screen space in the same netbook package. No price yet though I’m sure this will cost as much as a regular notebook with the new tech going into it.

This won’t be an iPad-level hit to be sure, but it’s nice to see other manufacturers, MSI in particular creating something different from Apple’s products, unlike the Macbook air-like laptop they unveiled a few months ago.

Sure, Asus conceptualized the idea first, but MSI beat practically every netbook manufacturer for doing this. MSI is showing off a netbook prototype with twin 10 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen displays and no physical keyboard. However, you can bring up an on-screen keyboard which, when pressed, actually vibrates the netbook. The haptic feedback is a nice touch, if you ask me.

Though MSI is calling this dual 10-inch screen device an e-reader, it’s really a netbook with two screens since it’s got an Atom Z Series processor and Windows 7 Home Premium. Again: Windows 7 Home Premium! I wonder what hardware is running under the hood. So far details regarding the hardware have been scant, except for the processor: an Intel Atom Z-series. Read more…

I’ve only recently began to appreciate the awesomeness of using multiple monitors. I’ve always thought multiple monitors are overindulgent and for a mere blogger like me who doesn’t dabble in graphics design or video editing, a single monitor seemed enough. That is, of course until I tried setting up a nice multi-monitor setup on my laptop and I swear, I feel more productive. Dual monitors are also attributed to a 30-50% rise in productivity, so I really wanted to try that setup. Now that I use dual monitors, I don’t know how I can live and work without it.

Now remember, I’m using a laptop. Which, obviously is a portable system. And monitors aren’t exactly the most portable stuff to carry around. In fact, I’d like to meet somebody carrying around an extra monitor on a daily basis. Anyway, if a secondary mnitor that you can carry around everywhere is what you’re looking for, then the CINQ might be the gadget for you. Read more…