Notbook (n.) -- An affordable ultraportable laptop, typically with a 11.6-inch or 12-inch display that is not a netbook. It packs more power than a netbook (i.e. can handle 1080p video and Flash at fullscreen) and provides a more comfortable computing experience than the typical, 10-inch underpowered, shrunken Atom-based laptop. Most do not have optical drives, but do last for over five hours on a charge. Unlike pricey ultraportable laptops, notbooks are more affordable and start at around $400.

About six months ago, the 11.6-inch Dell Inspiron M101z arrived on my doorstep for review. The AMD Neo-powered system looked like a slightly enlarged netbook, but in a briefing with Dell, the product manager reinforced quite a few times that the system was absolutely "not a netbook." I can't remember his exact wording, but he made it crystal clear -- the $449 Inspiron M101z was so much more powerful than an Intel Atom netbook that it could be one's primary machine. Obviously, I started calling these sorts of laptops "notbooks," and over the next few months, more and more of them started popping up. Some of them paired Atom with an NVIDIA Ion GPU (e.g. Eee PC 1215N), while others used AMD's Neo chip and more recently AMD's new Fusion Zacate APU. (Intel's Core ULV-powered systems are frankly too expensive to be considered in this category, though some Pentium / Core 2 Duo systems, like like the Acer Timeline X1810T, could qualify.)

Uh, so what? There's a new crop of more powerful, affordable, and highly mobile laptops -- what's the big deal? Well, while many think tablets are what will ultimately cut the netbook market down to size, it's the notbooks that will also seriously hit the Atom-based lilliputian laptops of today where it really hurts. Don't get me wrong, ARM-powered tablets like the iPad and Motorola Xoom are going to impact netbook sales in a big way, too (heck, they already have!), but mark my words, notbooks or affordable ultraportables will take a noticeable chunk of both the netbook and the mainstream laptop market. There's finally a class of laptops that provide a terrific balance between primary and mobile computing without breaking the bank. Think I'm crazy? Hit the break to understand what I'm talking about.

Continue reading Editorial: The rise of the notbook, the fall of the netbook

Editorial: The rise of the notbook, the fall of the netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/editorial-the-rise-of-the-notbook-the-fall-of-the-netbook/

SANDISK SALESFORCE COM SAIC ROCKWELL AUTOMATION RF MICRO DEVICES

We'd all like our own personal arcade like Flynn's, but sadly personal finances and a lack of square footage can make that a challenge. The Nanocade is much more affordable and, conveniently, much smaller too. It's a kit from designer Rasmus Sorensen that enables you to turn a netbook or mini-ITX motherboard and 10.1-inch display into a wee MAME cabinet. If you have such a donor machine when this kit starts shipping in March all you'll need is a little adhesive and technical know-how to make your own. Oh, and $349 plus shipping.

Nanocade turns your netbook into a lap-friendly arcade cabinet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/nanocade-turns-your-netbook-into-a-lap-friendly-arcade-cabinet/

JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP JACK HENRY & ASSOCIATES IXYS ITRON

We'd all like our own personal arcade like Flynn's, but sadly personal finances and a lack of square footage can make that a challenge. The Nanocade is much more affordable and, conveniently, much smaller too. It's a kit from designer Rasmus Sorensen that enables you to turn a netbook or mini-ITX motherboard and 10.1-inch display into a wee MAME cabinet. If you have such a donor machine when this kit starts shipping in March all you'll need is a little adhesive and technical know-how to make your own. Oh, and $349 plus shipping.

Nanocade turns your netbook into a lap-friendly arcade cabinet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nanocade  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/nanocade-turns-your-netbook-into-a-lap-friendly-arcade-cabinet/

SYNOPSYS SYNNEX SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED SYBASE

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer should probably stay in place.

I bring this up because my eWeek colleague, Don Reisinger, just published an article titled, "Steve Ballmer's CES Performance Proves He Needs to Go." Among the reasons: Microsoft's failure to craft a sizable tablet response to the Apple iPad, Ballmer's supposedly misplaced faith in Windows Phone 7's market prospects and little progress in reversing Google's search-engine dominance.

The thing is, Don's mostly right about Ballmer's missteps. Despite earning massive revenues from its flagship software, including Windows and Office, Microsoft managed to miss the proverbial boat on tablets, search and smartphones. And given how those three categories are basically defining the tech industry in 2011, that's very nearly an unconscionable mistake.

Insult to injury, Microsoft's stock hasn't moved very much in recent years, even as its rivals' market value skyrocketed. That's partially the consequence of being a mature company (once you're a multibillion-dollar conglomerate, finding new avenues for explosive growth becomes that much more difficult), but it's also a reflection of the aforementioned failure to capitalize on new tech trends.

But does that mean it's time to give Ballmer the boot?

Ordinarily, I'd say "yes." Ordinarily, a stagnant stock price and failure to maintain market share in key product segments is more than enough justification to send a CEO to retirement on some tropical island. However, Ballmer seems to realize mistakes were made. More to the point, he seems intent on rectifying those errors.

Earlier this week, Ballmer announced that Bob Muglia, president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business, would depart the company this summer. "While Windows and Office are household words, our Server and Tools Business has quietly and steadily grown to be the unquestioned leader in server computing," he wrote in a Jan. 10 e-mail to company employees. "We are now ready to build on our success and move forward into the era of cloud computing."

Ballmer had apparently talked with Muglia "about the overall business and what is needed to accelerate our growth" and came to the decision that "now is the time to put new leadership in place for STB."

As I mentioned in an earlier Microsoft Watch posting, I thought Ballmer's word choice and tactics in dismissing Muglia were unnecessarily brutal, considering his two decades of saddle time with Microsoft.

That being said, it seems like Ballmer has some sort of larger plan here, one that involves bringing STB more in-line with Microsoft's broader cloud strategy. His e-mail suggests that, at least in his estimation, Muglia wasn't suited for guiding that integration, and he eliminated him. That's what CEOs do. It's not a particularly warm-and-fuzzy job.

Mulgia was just the latest in Ballmer's top-to-bottom house cleaning. In October 2010, the company named three new presidents to key divisions within the company, replacing those departed in a series of executive shakeups throughout the year. Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and Business Division President Stephen Elop both headed for the door--the latter to take over the CEO reins at Nokia, the former for reasons still officially unexplained. With regard to the executive suite, Microsoft looks very different than a year ago.

Microsoft is also spending hundreds of millions to get back into the smartphone game. Its Kinect hands-free controller continues to sell well, as does Windows 7 and Office. And while its cloud initiatives have yet to generate substantial revenue, Microsoft is clearly trying to position itself at the forefront of that segment, instead of taking its usual "fast follower" role. These are the seeds of potential innovation and profit.

I feel that Ballmer needs to stay in place, at least for the short term, to give those seeds a chance to grow. Switching CEOs is a disruptive event; suddenly, the boardrooms fill with executives pressing their own agendas and sharpening their knives with an eye on each other's backs. Ballmer's departure could wipe out whatever nascent momentum the company has managed to accumulate in areas like smartphones and cloud. For that reason alone (and maybe that reason alone), he should probably remain Microsoft's CEO.

But just as long as he develops something resembling a decent tablet PC strategy.

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/MicrosoftWatch/~3/5p6Lm49YE0k/why_microsofts_ballmer_should_remain_ceo.html

IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS IDT IBASIS HYPERCOM HEWLETT PACKARD CO

Get a look at the stories you might have missed from PCWorld's GeekTech blog this week!

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=516ed87446201ecbb370bb5bedbb69f8

ORACLE OPENWAVE SYSTEMS ON SEMICONDUCTOR NVIDIA NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS

In an historic move, Egypt has unplugged itself from the Internet. In Cairo, the Web has gone as silent as a Sphinx. Protestors who've been using Twitter, Facebook, and email to organize street demonstrations against the 30-year regime of Hosni Mubarak are now up the Nile without a cable modem.

Per the BBC:

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/cairo-mania-egypt-cuts-the-net-807?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_

QUEST SOFTWARE QUANTUM QLOGIC . PROGRESS SOFTWARE PLANAR SYSTEMS

Genetically-modified plants change color in the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals, creating an organic early warning system that looks good and smells even better.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=3b2e6db75d041356c190077be07a9989

SALESFORCE COM SAIC ROCKWELL AUTOMATION RF MICRO DEVICES RED HAT

Late last night the 43 startups in the most recent Y Combinator class got quite a surprise. Start Fund, a new fund created by DST's Yuri Milner as an individual and SV Angel, offered each of the companies a $150,000 investment in the form of a convertible note with no cap and no discount. Most of these companies are still in stealth mode, and Start Fund hasn't seen them. They made the offer based on the Y Combinator stamp of approval. The startups are jumping on board. 36 of the 43 startups in the class had signed the paperwork to take the loan before the event was even over last night, says David Lee, a managing partner at SV Angel who's also managing the Start Fund. "As of 3 pm today we've received 39 confirmed signature pages, and we believe the rest are awaiting approval from their attorneys."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LSSQCmTqchk/

RADISYS RACKABLE SYSTEMS QUEST SOFTWARE QUANTUM QLOGIC .

The latest schedule calls for delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner in the third quarter of 2011. But that date is far behind the original, following setback after setback.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20028854-52.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GeekGestalt

SYMANTEC SYKES ENTERPRISES INORATED SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS

Sometimes, all it takes is a little spark to set off a major forest fire. That is what seems to have happened with my New Year?s Day post on Why We Desperately Need a New (and Better) Google. Over the last two months, there has been an avalanche of articles echoing my post, including New York Magazine, Business Insider, GigaOm, TechCrunch, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. I had a feeling that this would get Google?s attention. And I had the same concern as when I challenged the Russian government, once, in a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article about Skolkovo (a new tech park). I feared that Google would either blacklist me or do its equivalent of putting me in a Gulag?deliver even more spam when I search websites.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2JILtEkb2IY/

COMCAST COMMSCOPE COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS COMPAL ELECTRONICS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.