notebooks

Features

• In depth: Google's Cr-48 Chrome notebook

  My holiday gift giving season started early Thursday morning when the UPS guy pounded on my door and handed me a package. Inside was a notebook -- Google's much-discussed cloud-based Cr-48 Chrome OS laptop, which was announced by the company on Tuesday.

• Beauty shots: Technology to drool over

  Sling Media's small Slingbox 700U won one of three Best in Show awards given by the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA).

• Pimp your laptop

  Are you tired of looking at the same old black laptop?

• Your next laptop: Concept designs point the way

  Tired of the stale cookie-cutter designs that make all laptops look basically alike? You're not alone. A group of intrepid designers and engineers is doing something about the "sameness syndrome" that permeates notebook design. They're working on groundbreaking concept designs that not only turn heads but also point to new ways to work and play on the road.

• Chrome OS strives to replace desktop culture

  Google's Chrome OS is coming to a netbook near you sometime later this year. The Web-centric, Linux-based, open source platform will offer a lightweight, cost-effective alternative operating system for portable computing.

• Google Chrome OS could shake up PC market

  It's official: Google plans to debut its Chrome operating system in the fourth quarter of this year, although the company has yet to provide an exact launch date. Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, made the announcement Wednesday at the Computex trade show in Taipei, according to IDC News.

• Why a tablet, OLPC? Laptop is better for education

  The news that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project is close to launching a US$75 tablet for children is pretty remarkable.

• Are netbooks worth a look as PC companions?

  While the Apple iPad and other emerging tablets may ultimately shift the playing field, netbooks from the big corporate suppliers offer an interesting mobile alternative to big, bulky laptops.

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  Take the iPad, ditch the notebook when you travel

  There are passionate views on both sides regarding whether or not the Apple iPad can be an effective business tool, or is merely a consumer gadget. That debate has merit while sitting in your office or the comfort of your home, but if you are planning to go on a trip soon there are a number of good reasons to take the iPad and leave the notebook behind.

• iPad 'magic' won't hurt netbooks

  "The netbook is not an experience people are going to continue wanting to have," Apple COO Tim Cook said Tuesday at an investment conference in San Francisco. "When they play with the iPad and experience the magic of using it... I have a hard time believing they're going to go for a netbook."

• Apple's launch event: A crowdsourced guide

  Apple's at it again. What other company could release a series of virtual paint blobs and have it generate pages upon pages of in-depth analysis?

• Could a tablet replace your notebook?

  Hardware vendors at last week's Consumer Electronics Show showed off numerous new tablet and notebook designs.

• Hello, tablets. Good-bye, netbooks!

  Look, I know you like the netbook idea -- and you love netbook prices. If you're like most people, you think tablets are expensive, slow, heavy and a pain to use. But if you've bought one, you know that netbooks aren't as great as they sound. And next year's tablets will be way better than you think.

• Hands on: Nokia Booklet 3G netbook

  Nokia spokespeople are quick to correct you if you slip and call the Booklet 3G a netbook.

• Lost: A $49,000 laptop computer

  About fifteen years ago, my husband and his colleague had their laptop computers stolen out of a car. They were fearful of reporting the incident to their boss, largely because the laptops had cost the company about US$7,000 each. A $14,000 hit to the departmental budget was a serious blow. And back in those days, no one gave much thought to exposure of the data on the stolen devices.