So Atom is really old and painfully slow, the new Fusion Zacate parts haven't set the world alight and still, I struggle to find something with a 10/11" screen with a proper res (1366x768), USB3, a proper OS (i.e. NOT Starter) and 2gig of RAM. Tablets are supposed to be amazing, but they're still toys really and full size laptops are too much money. Am I missing something, or should we not have seen netbooks/ultra-portables move on a little since 2009??
Netbooks haven't moved on because everyone has realised they are pretty crap. I have an iPad 2, and the smoothness, speed, portability and battery life is really a league ahead of netbooks.
So is there no market for the device I've described?? Am I the only one who wants something with a proper OS, that isn't a glorified phone, but that still is very portable??
The market is not big enough. The only reason netbooks sold well was because they were considered a "cheap laptop". Not a ultraportable device, which should have high performance. If you want that, there are 11-13" laptops, but of course for the price relevant for that performance. If you expect a 400€ 10" laptop with a higher performance than atoms, then you will have to wait for a long, long, long time.
I'm planning to buy this Lenovo X120e when I visit the States in July: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...103&cm_re=Lenovo_X120e-_-34-246-103-_-Product and it'll be supplemented with one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48441&cm_re=Crucial_M4-_-20-148-441-_-Product It's just a shame that Lenovo won't sell it here for the foreseeable future, and we'll get ripped off if it arrives. On the plus side, this combination costs only a bit more than a 32GB iPad. It's also pre-wired with antennas, so you can just buy a Gobi 2000 chip and boom - instant 3G! Finally, while it doesn't have the signature Lenovo magnesium rollcage, build quality is said to be excellent for such a well-priced laptop.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...09_Aspire_TimelineX_AS1830T_68U118_11_6_.html i7 in 11.6" Notebook. Need i say more? However, you say that fullsize laptops are too much money. The purpose of the Netbook was not to be sold for pocket change but to be an ultra portable. It costs more money to fit powerful stuff in smaller places. In terms of performance vs cost 15" i think is roughly the best.
Ok, and some people will no doubt think I'm being pedantic, but where's the USB3?! It's also still a lot of money. I, and in fact most people, don't need an i7. They need anything better than an Atom and with more than 1 freakin gig of RAM. It's surely not a lot to ask? It just feels like desktop tech has left the portable space for dust over the past year or so. When I bought the machine I'm typing this on, 4 years ago (Dell XPS M1710) it was more powerful than many desktop machines and not that much more expensive compared with the prebuilt stuff of the day.
My post was actually more in relation to the not much has changed in relation to 2009 comment But still in regards to USB 3 etc these are features that not everyone requires, and as such would command a premium price. These features are yet to filter down into a lower/mid range sub-notebook/netbook. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/257440 There is a sub-notebook that has an i3 (all be it an ultra low voltage one, it does have L3 cache), contains 4GB of RAM, has Win 7 Home Premium 64 Bit and has a resolution of 1366x768 on an 11.6" display. I think this ticks off most of your criteria. On top of that you also get a 640GB hard drive, Bluetooth 3.0 and N wifi. I am aware that some of this isnt exactly cutting edge, but, some systems still come without these. I now sound like Head of Marketing at Acer :s im not, honest! But I think that you were looking into netbooks while you were probably wanting a sub-notebook.
Granted, the Timeline X does appear to be a very good product. I just think that things have stagnated somewhat. Perhaps after the excitement of Sandybridge at the beginning of the year and AMD about to launch mainstream APUs, I just thought that USB3/SATA6 would be ubiquitous by now. Perhaps because I'm in a foreign country it all seems slower. I dunno. Bored. If I'm gonna spend money, I want what I want. And having a USB3 external necessitates a USB3 port, alongside a decent res and reasonable power...
You don't seem to understand, it is not "stagnated". Netbooks are a dead end, you pretty much won't see much of them in future (and AMD is joining this bandwagon too late). Instead of netbooks, you will get 3 very distinct classes in near future - ARM tablets (iPad, Android tablets); new gen Atom tablets and the good old subnotebooks. The cheap, but crappy netbooks are soon gone, and they won't get a replacement. Back to 700-900€ price of small notebooks.
http://newsroom.intel.com/community...ile-growth-industry-opportunities-at-computex Not sure if that answers any of your questions.
Intel don't support USB 3 yet, and as a lot of the notebooks are using Intel CPUs, you're bang out of luck unless they get a third party controller - which a notebook probably won't be able to squeeze in anyway, nor accept the extra cost.
1. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices due to physical restraints. I would love a faster processor in my phone, but it aint gonna happen because it physically wont fit. 2. A USB 3 external does not require a USB 3 port to work. 3. The Dell Vostro 3350 has a Sandy B i3, 2/3/4/6 Gigs of RAM, Resolution of 1366x768, Windows 7 Home Premium and your USB 3. http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/vostro-3350/pd?oc=n0603504&model_id=vostro-3350
Thanks, yeah, at least something is happening. Which is interesting and goes some way to assuaging my annoyance at the market 1. Sometimes you do have to make sacrifices, but when spending several hundred hard-earned pounds, I prefer to make as few as possible 2. No, but it's a damn site quicker! And also, when spending several hundred hard-earned pounds, I prefer to be as prepared for my future needs as possible 3. I wouldn't buy a Vostro, because in my experience, they're cheap and crappily put together. But I definitely have another Latitude, so maybe further research is required. What I really want is some news on Llano, but it seems AMD are making me wait another fortnight. *******s.
Sounds like a good idea. With the integrated USB 3 controller, should make a difference. But Samsung offer a system that meets your requirements i think. http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/...dex.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=specification unsure on the cost though
