AMD still sending mixed signals on netbooks
The Wall Street Journal has an odd story in today's print edition with the headline: "AMD enters netbook market." (It was posted on the Dow Jones newswire earlier).
Laptops & Desktops
John Morris and Sean Portnoy deliver straight talk about notebook and desktop computers.
John Morris
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine.
Sean Portnoy
Sean Portnoy is a former executive editor at Computer Shopper magazine and editor at CNET Networks.
Latest Posts
HP rolls out more Compaq budget laptops
Laptop unit sales have been better than the dire predictions, but buyers are clearly choosing cheap notebooks. Lately HP has been making good use of its Compaq brand to meet this demand for budget netbooks and notebooks.
Report: Acer back-tracking on Android in August
In response to reports that it had delayed its Android netbook, Acer told News.com that it wasn't discussing the timing of a dual-boot netbook.
Sunday specials: Wal-Mart, Best Buy battle over $300 laptops
The $298 Compaq laptop that generated so much coverage this week goes on sale at Wal-Mart today. Hopefully no one was trampled this morning, but if Best Buy's recent experience with a $300 Acer laptop is any indication, it could be tough to get your hands on this one.
SSDs are getting better, still not there yet
To date, the solid-state disk has been a tech mirage. The vision is great, but it always seems to be just over the horizon.
Intel discusses upcoming laptop and Atom chips, why we need more performance in mobile devices
This week I'm at the Semicon West show in San Francisco. Most of this is inside baseball--the show is devoted to the companies that make the equipment used to manufacture chips--but in his opening keynote, Anand Chandrasekher, who heads up Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, discussed some details of the company's future mobile chips and demonstrated a few prototypes.
Why the first Chrome netbooks may not be so revolutionary
Acer and Lenovo will be among the first to release netbooks running Google's Chrome OS. These netbooks, which will be dual-boot systems with Windows XP as well, could be available as early as next month in some markets, according to several reports.
Why the luxury netbook is a non-starter
Almost since the start of the PC industry's "race to the bottom" with netbooks, computer makers have been attempting to reverse course, or at least slow the pace.HP tried painting peonies on the Mini 1000 and charging $700 for it (you can now find the Vivienne Tam Edition for less than $500).
Cheaper ultraportables meet more powerful netbooks
There are two ways to address the limitations of netbooks: 1.) offer less-costly notebooks, or 2.
Desktops aren't dead (yet)
Laptops have long since overtaken their desk-bound brethren in terms of revenues, and more recently unit sales. In the first quarter, desktop unit sales dropped 23 percent, while notebook sales actually increased 10 percent compared with the same period last year, according to iSuppli.