|
|
 Mobile Windows News |  Podcasts |  Videos | Search | Forums | Site News |
|
Attack of netbooks with built-in mobile broadband - state as of October 2008 October 30, 2008 [mobile PCs (Tablet PC, mini-PC, ...)] | By Edward J. R. Why would you like to buy an expensive smartphone if you can get for 40-50 % of its price a netbook with built-in 3G (HSDPA, up to 7.2 MB/s)? 
(on image above: netbooks with built-in HSDPA) Read on! Unlike other sites, that due to associations or other vested interests in particular platforms or form factors are partial and pretend that their particular thing is the best in the world, we report as it is! What is going on out there in mobility? Since approximately 1.5 years a netbook revolution takes place. While UMPC idea has failed - not all people want to use expensive devices with touch-screen only - the netbooks revolution is ongoing now and netbooks are very successful. What is "netbook"? It is a computer of small size with display of size 8.9 or 10 inch, powered by Linux or Windows XP (hence covered here), and very cheap, i.e. 500 USD or less (around 400 Euro for high-end models). Currently Atom processor at 1.6 GHz is de-facto standard in netbooks too. A full QWERTY keyboard suitable for touch-typing is also usual in netbooks. It is worth noting that some corporations like Sony offer high-price notebooks (also with Core 2 Duo processors) of the size of netbooks, but these are still notebooks - netbooks by definition must be cheap. Note: current generation of netbooks, usually with 6-cell battery, can go without charging for 5-6 hours. Since we cover only devices without cellular connectivity (so called "mobile broadband" or cellular voice) we have not been covering netbooks by now because one needed to use USB 3G stick to connect to cellular networks - what was and is very cumbersome, even with latest generation of sticks that require no cable. However now, at the end of October 2008, several netbooks with built-in HSDPA has been either released or announced. In other words: instead of fiddling with smartphone operating systems you can run full-blown operating system (Windows XP, but some offer also Windows Vista) and all programs that you use on your main PC or main notbook - on a tiny netbook that you can carry everywhere and that has keyboard usable for touch typing. On top of that netbook must be cheap: 500 USD or 400 Euro price range - maximum. Note that while for a slightly lower you can get all netbooks also with Linux - it is not worth it because if you chose Windows you can have plenty of software, including Skype. If you chose Linux for your netbook then you are going to have troubles with software. Currently situation is the following:
 Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later) [ 6 Comments ]
   |
| ||||||
| Mobile Windows News | Podcasts | Videos | Search | Forums | Site News |
