Second Netbook Wave Begins 318
nerdyH writes "Asus is taking pre-orders for a netbook based on Intel's second-generation platform, the secret-shrouded N280/GN40 chipset. Early product specs confirm that the second wave of netbooks are likely to offer faster graphics and lower power use, along with room for much, much larger batteries. The N280 apparently integrates the northbridge and CPU, meaning that the GPU moves to 45nm process technology, the FSB gets replaced by an on-chip interconnect, and overall board real-estate drops to a third of what it was previously — hence the ability to stuff an 8,700mAh battery into a 3-lb. device. The right shift key is slightly bigger, too, though still no trackpoint pointer (guess I'll keep waiting)."
this is slashdot (Score:0, Insightful)
You fail to impress with your paltry mAh, watt-hours is what we demand.
A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:5, Insightful)
1.45 kg is just slightly too much in my opinion. I love my 701 weighing in at just over 900 grams, I'd prefer a model weighing 1.3 kg or less.
Yeah... cause lugging around the extra weight equivalent of couple of Mars bars is more than anyone should be forced to endure.
use an eraserhead already! (Score:4, Insightful)
Seeing how annoying some of the teeny trackpads in netbooks are, why on earth aren't some of them using trackpoint/eraserhead/clit/whatever controllers instead?
I get the impression most manufacturers do not do a whole lot of thinking when designing these things...
Netbooks are the future. (Score:5, Insightful)
A five-hundred dollar, three pound netbook with a ten inch screen, over five hours of battery life, and an integrated 3G wireless card would make regular laptops obsolete for most consumers. You can check your e-mail and word process, and edit photos. That is what most people need.
I currently have a Dell Mini 9 I bought for $265. It has a four hour battery life and is really snappy with Ubuntu 8.10. I use it to check my e-mail. The only downside is the weak graphics, but the new Intel chipset supposedly processes HD video on board.
I cannot wait to get one of the second gen netbooks.
Re:use an eraserhead already! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:For those that missed it... Thevideo (Score:3, Insightful)
I hate how people on youtube have the tell everyone it's a parody. So fucking annoying and ruins the comments.
Re:For those that missed it... Thevideo (Score:5, Insightful)
Solution: don't read youtube comments, they rot your brain.
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:No thanks. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Insightful)
> Following the pattern they've always followed, that means it will actually sell for $800.
Nope, it is already showing up for preorder at or below the MSRP.
> If Asus had actually followed through on their original plans to deliver
> these things at low prices, we'd be seeing the imminent death of Microsoft.
Don't look to ASUS for that. The origional EEE was a joint venture with Intel and seeing as they are introducing the first product with this new chip they are still bound to em. To really cut the price is going to require ARM based products.
Which means the low end is going to be left to others. Coby was showing product at CES with $139 MSRP but it is believed to be the older MIPS stuff. Be patient, if somebody can get a product designed that doesn't suck, built in quantity and fight the fierce resistance Intel and Microsoft will throw up to block the normal retail channels.... Xmas '09 will redefine what people think of a laptop/netbook. Just don't look for it in Best Buy.
Re:HDMI and DVI? (Score:5, Insightful)
I know lots of old displays still use DSub VGA but when can I get one with HDMI?
It'd be really cool if I could just hook this up to a digital TV which everyone seems to have these days.
Wow. Full circle...from plugging my TRS-80 MC-10 into the television, through several generations of specialized monitors, to the "wonder" of watching TV/video on the computer screen, and now back to plugging the computer into the TV.
Re:use an eraserhead already! (Score:3, Insightful)
OK, so you like touchpad, great. It works for you, and that's all that matters...for you. (as a sidenote, you seem to be in the minority - most people with touchpad-only laptops use mouse if they can; certainly on every desk that I've seen where there's touchpad-only laptop, there's also a mouse; some people even have "travel mouse"; I even witnessed somebody trying to use a mouse on a flat area next to the touchpad, while sitting on a park bench...ridiculous!)
HOWEVER...I, and many other people, really like clit in a trully portable (not luggable) computer, even though I used it only for one day on a Thinkpad of my buddy - at the end of the day I was able to play enjoyably in UT and Diablo2 (granted, I usually play as a necromancer so there's less clicking, but still...). Not doable on a touchpad, and while mouse is best in this case, it's not really portable...
BUT...I can't buy even ONE netbook with clit. One is all we need... :/
If next Lenovo netbook comes with this platform (lower power usage and place for 9-12 cell battery, please?) and also with clit instead of touchpad, I'll be waiting overnight for first shipment. Heck, I will gladly pay 50% more than the typical price of "ordinary" netbook for that, probably even 100% more (though in the latter case it could also have X-series style case (not really needed, netbooks are tough enough thanks to their small size) and keyboard)
Re:A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:4, Insightful)
1.45 kg is just slightly too much in my opinion. I love my 701 weighing in at just over 900 grams, I'd prefer a model weighing 1.3 kg or less.
Yeah... cause lugging around the extra weight equivalent of couple of Mars bars is more than anyone should be forced to endure.
at that weight you might as well buy a fully fledged laptop with some real power. Netbooks are experiencing "power-creep" right back into the laptop fold.
Mod parent up (Score:3, Insightful)
I think you're right about it taking an ARM product to really bring the prices down. A number of articles have been claiming people are working on them but we'll see. I'm sure you're right about the Wintel cohort putting all their collective muscle into stopping anything like that from happening though. It would carve into both of their margins if someone could make a decently functional product that used less battery, lasted longer, was lighter, and was cheaper.
Re:A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:3, Insightful)
mod parent up.
The 3.2 lbs of the 1000 series might seem light, but compared to the 2.18 lbs of the 900 series, it's a beast. The 900 was perfect. They should keep going in that direction...
Re:A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:3, Insightful)
Pounds? Leagues? Quarts? African Swallows?
Good grief man, this is 2009 use the Metric system!
Re:A bit too heavy IMHO... (Score:2, Insightful)
I really don't give a shit about weight. All I want is a browser, a real, full-sized keyboard, (none of that function nonsense) and a reasonably sized display. Also a bash shell, but that goes without saying. I want this for around $200, and I want it to last me at least 3 years. I don't need power, I don't need it to be lightweight, I don't even need it to work for more than an hour without a cord. These things are nice, but I'm just looking for something that's reliable, ergonomic, and cheap.
Re:No thanks. (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, so I rushed out and bought an Eee901 for my wife for about $550. I'd say it's about the "sweet spot" for their netbook line. They're about the same size as the 7" models but make better use of the screen real estate, yet smaller than the 10" models, which seem a tad too big and don't offer any extra screen resolution for it.
Anyway, you all remember what fanfare that piece was released with. But a few months later they quietly started selling the stripped-down version of the Eee901 (with 512MB of RAM instead of 1GB and 4GB of SSD instead of 16-20GB) for only $300 at places like Target and Walmart, even in the Linux flavors to boot. And it's ridiculously easy cheap and easy to upgrade the RAM (up to 2GB if you replace the stock OS - I'm liking eeebuntu) and storage (add as a big SD and as many USB drives as you like).
So it seems to me that Asus has a strategy of doing lots of press releases for their high-end models and scalping the rich tech boys to pay off the engineering costs, but then selling the very competitive stripped-down version at the mainstream retail outlets to get volume.
So anyway, keep a lookout for these cheap stripped-down pieces they sell to the "low end market"... I'm already planning my Eeebot army.
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Insightful)
I could still live with the slightly higher price, since many other products, like graphics cards, use perfectly acceptable previous generation products for the low end.
What I don't understand is the push for ever bigger screens and storage. The 900-series could be even smaller, but is optimized for an acceptably large keyboard and display, and that's ok. A 10" hd-based laptop however, is not what I would consider a netbook anymore. The whole point is maximum portability. That means 7-9" screen and a flash drive.
Adding insult to injury, they don't even use the size to support a bigger resolution, and have removed the respected ASUS brand in favor of the childish Eee logo. No thanks.
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Insightful)
It's called the Macbook Air. Most people can't afford it.
Re:Mod parent up (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not just about switching operators. The widespread lockin lets the operators dictate what features the phones have, and it has damaged the US market significantly. In Europe, a lot of people go for the contract option, but the large unlocked market ensures that operators don't have power over the phone manufacturers. I'm constantly reading articles raving about features we've had for years that have nothing to do with building networks.
If you don't get a price break for buying a phone on your own it just means the carriers have so much power they can screw you over. That's not a sign of a healthy market.
As for people being happy with what comes installed, sure, but the effect of lockin on competition retards progress, and prevents anyone who does care from installing what they want. There is NO benefit to the consumer in such a system.
Re:No thanks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Fixed that for you. They aren't in the same market segment- they aren't even in the same market. The eee is a cheap, durable, ultraportable minimal machine that does simple tasks. The Air is a large, fragile, very expensive machine that wants people to ooh and ahh. I have access to both at work- a first gen eee701 and a high end Macbook Air. I carry the 701- it's far smaller, less obtrusive and if I drop it I don't feel bad since it will probably survive. Even if it didn't I could buy 4-5 more for the price of that Air. (Plus I've gotten far more "Wow, that's really neat" responses from people looking at the eee as opposed to the Air.)
Oh, and the 701 is more expandable. The single USB port on the Air is a crippling flaw, and the lack of wired Ethernet is a major problem. I don't want to have to carry a stock of dongles around just to get my $2k executive toy to actually do work- the eee has multiple USB ports, wired Ethernet and a real VGA port. (Ok, the resolution sucks, but it does work)
Apple needs to get on the freaking bandwagon here- with the economy going the way that it is netbooks are about the only growth segment left. They've done amazing things with small devices in the past (iPod, iPhone)- I'd *love* to see an Apple netbook.