ATOMS

LAS VEGAS--Now here's a new idea...how about a tablet that runs on Windows instead of Android? Samsung's newly announced Sliding PC 7 is a funky hybrid touch-screen device with its own slide-out keyboard. It's a revamp on the idea of a Netbook, and an attempt to finally make a Windows tablet work a little bit better.

The 10.1-inch mini-laptop has a striking design, and has a multitouch screen so it can operate in both tablet and Netbook-esque format.

Specs are Netbook-esque: an Intel Atom Z670 CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 32 or 64GB SSD drive, and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Toshiba makes good Netbooks, but they were never on the affordable side. The Mini NB305 is one of our favorite Atom Netbooks around, but its price hovers higher than perfectly suitable entry-level alternatives from Acer and Asus.

While some manufacturers, such as Asus, seem to be shifting focus away from Netbooks completely, Toshiba appears to be giving it another go with the NB505, a more affordable Netbook that matches its stiffest competition at $299.

Its specs are baseline: Windows 7 Starter OS, 10.1-inch display, 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and an unspecified Atom processor that we assume … Read more

Sony will move beyond traditional Netbooks, a market it has never fully embraced, while Lenovo is making a case for these more powerful, but small laptops already.

Sony will move its Netbook-class laptops up-market with Advanced Micro Devices newest Brazos processors, according to sources. Those AMD chips integrate two processing cores and graphics silicon with robust performance--the latter feature a major departure from Intel's Atom, the standard for Netbooks.

"Sony wants to get out of Netbooks," one source said. Intel has "created a great opening for AMD. They can now drive a big truck through that [… Read more

No. 2 chipmaker Samsung is showing Intel how to succeed in the brave new world of tablets and smartphones.

While Intel is the largest chipmaker in the world, Samsung is No. 2. And, unlike Intel, it also has a large and successful affiliated consumer arm that churns out products like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Not surprisingly, many of those products use Samsung silicon too.

That's a vertically integrated strategy that Intel can't match. And that's not all. Samsung also supplies chips to outside customers (Intel's business model) like Apple which use its chips in outrageously popular … Read more

With the holiday season upon us, many laptop shoppers are looking for a new system as a gift for either a lucky recipient or themselves. To assist you in this noble endeavor, we've been tracking the most promising laptops from the second half of 2010, from entry-level systems starting at well under $500 to $1,000-plus high-end multimedia and gaming rigs.

Unlike our previous review roundups, our net is cast a bit wider this time around, and includes both retail-specific systems as well as laptops you can order directly from the manufacturer. Additionally, we've decided to focus on … Read more

Dell has captured the imagination of a tablet-crazed public with a handful of recent photos and details about a new convertible tablet called the Inspiron Duo. A prerelease sample has turned up in the CNET Labs for a hands-on test drive, and we're generally impressed with the design and concept, if less so with the performance.

Unlike traditional convertible tablets, which have screens that rotate 180 degrees horizontally, the Inspiron Duo screen flips 180 degrees vertically--hinged in the middle of the lid. When the screen is flipped over and the lid closed, the system launches a touch-friendly interface for interacting with photos, videos, and music (and returns to the basic Windows desktop when the transformation is reversed).

The flipping motion worked well on our demo unit, although the hinge felt a little loose. You have to take care to turn the screen only in the correct direction, essentially pushing the top of the screen back through the lid. Also, the screen occasionally collided with the keyboard with an audible thunk if we weren't careful about opening the laptop body wide enough for proper clearance. … Read more

Intel is using its technology know-how to pave the way for safer football helmets with the goal of reducing serious injuries on the field.

Working with football equipment designer Riddell and a host of universities, the chipmaker is tapping into its own supercomputers and workstations to simulate the effects of a football collision on the brain. Data from those simulations will then be used to help design safer football helmets.

Intel recently demoed the simulation at the SC10 conference in New Orleans. Simulated collisions on the football field are processed by groups of Intel Xeon-based workstations linked together. Using real-time … Read more

Dell is expected to roll out its hybrid tablet-laptop in two phases, with the first phase coming Thursday, as the PC maker takes aim at Apple's iPad with a novel twist on the tablet concept.

Pre-sale order information for the 10-inch Inspiron Duo is expected to be disclosed this week in conjunction with a Microsoft store opening in Bellevue, Wash, said industry sources familiar with the launch plans.

Dell is also expected to make an announcement regarding the Duo early next week, possibly on November 23. At that time, it will be available for order on Dell's Web … Read more

It's hard to maintain excitement about Netbooks lately, with all the tablet and ultraportable developments of the last few months. That's not stopping manufacturers from trying to offer some valuable solutions. HP has announced the December release of the Mini 1103, a business-targeted Netbook for $299.

Based on the specs, there's nothing to get excited about: a 10-inch screen at 1,024x600-pixel resolution, single-core Intel Atom N455 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter in the entry configuration. Optional 3G mobile broadband from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon is also available. The … Read more