netbooks

Dell is longer interested in selling Netbooks--that category of 10-inch class laptops that saw mild success for a couple of years but is now facing a serious existential crisis.

Rather, Dell is now concentrating on laptops that deliver real performance--a major failing of the Netbook.

"We sold through the Dell Mini some time ago. We're committed to the highly portable space and have focused on delivering thin + powerful solutions, for which we've seen strong success, particularly in our XPS line," Matthew Hutchison, director of Dell Global Consumer PR, said in a statement sent to CNET. … Read more

What's the most important measure of any laptop? Some might say the processor speed, or the size and weight, but at the end of the day, it's got to be battery life.

After all, these are mobile devices, designed to be used in coffee shops, airport lounges, and college libraries (even big laptops get carted around occasionally), so being able to spend the maximum amount of time possible away from a wall outlet is important.

During 2011, the CNET Labs team tested more than 100 laptops, from 11-inch ultraportables to monster 18-inch gaming rigs. Despite the wide range … Read more

Streaming game service OnLive is coming to iPad, iPhone, Android tablets, and even the Kindle Fire, thanks in part to a new universal wireless controller.

Previously, the service was available on PCs (Windows and OS X), as well as TVs, via a standalone interface called the MicroConsole (there was also an iPad app that allowed you to watch games being played on the service, but not play them yourself). The new wireless controller, an updated version of the previous PC/MicroConsole OnLive wireless controller, uses Bluetooth to connect to iOS and Android devices, working hand-in-hand with a dedicated OnLive app for each platform.

If you're not familiar with the OnLive streaming game service, it's essentially cloud-based PC gaming. The original PC client allows nearly any laptop or desktop to play high-end PC games by offloading the CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks of actually running the game software to a remote render farm, then beaming the gameplay back to you as a streaming video.

The game library mixes a handful of new, hit games with some older, casual, and indie games, and most of the 200-odd titles will be playable on Android tablets, the iPad, and even smartphones. Some of these devices, such as the Kindle Fire, can play only a smaller subset of games via onscreen controls, as they currently lack any way to connect the wireless controller (and the Nook Tablet is not supported yet). OnLive will also work over AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE networks, on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, and HTC Jetstream.… Read more

Low-cost ultraportable laptops and family-friendly all-in-one desktops are a common sight in the CNET Labs; massive gaming rigs less so.

It's gotten to the point now that when one of these high-end systems appears, someone in the office always asks, "Does anyone even buy these things any more?"

PC gaming, while not dead, is not the arms race it was more than five years ago, as only a handful of 2011 games (Battlefield 3, The Witcher 2) are designed to really push PC hardware.

Game publishers know they need to create games that can play on a wide variety of systems, and much of the growth in PC gaming comes from social and casual games that run on nearly any hardware, and predating that, MMOs such as World of Warcraft that also had forgiving system requirements. … Read more

If you're planning on buying a laptop for anyone this holiday season, first pat yourself on the back--that's a very generous gift.

Second, take some time to peruse the seemingly endless choices, because this is one purchase you don't want to get wrong.

To assist in that regard, we've picked some the best laptops across multiple categories and put them together in CNET's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide, which includes our picks for 3D laptops, gaming laptops, superslim laptops, and some overall favorites, which are presented right here.

For great gift picks in all tech categories, check out the full Holiday Gift Guide.… Read more

As a generation of gamers becomes a generation of parents, it can be tough to know where to draw the line for what constitutes appropriate interactive entertainment for children. And if you're a parent who did not grow up in front of an Atari 2600 or Nintendo Entertainment System, it's even tougher.

At the recent 2011 CNET Gotham pop-up store experience in New York, one of the presentations I delivered in our mini-auditorium was titled "Video Game Boot Camp for Parents."

During the live 30-minute lecture, I attempted (through the magic of PowerPoint) to give parents, and those considering a video game purchase for young relatives or family friends, an overview of how game ratings work, and which holiday-season games are the best and worst for kids.

Despite the fact that nearly all games (and 100 percent of games for the major living room consoles) carry a rating from the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), parents may not be as tuned into these ratings as they are for theatrical movies. … Read more

Looking over all the portable computing trends of the past few years--thinner systems, solid-state-drive hard drives, 16:9 displays--one overall theme is that high-quality laptops are less expensive than ever.

Some years ago, $1,000 was considered reasonable for a budget-minded laptop, while today, that same Grover Cleveland means you're shopping for a high-end laptop (and in that case, usually a MacBook).

That means that in the run-up to the holiday shopping season--see more about that in our annual Holiday Gift Guide)--there are plenty of excellent laptop options for every budget, from $400 ultraportables to $1,700 multimedia powerhouses. We've collected a handful of suggestions in the budget, mainstream, and high-end categories, concentrating on recent laptops that should be easy to find online or on store shelves.… Read more

Having reviewed the first four ultrabook laptops to hit stores, and spent some hands-on time with a just-announced HP version, it's clear Apple's dominance of the superthin laptop category faces a serious challenge.

Acer, Asus, Toshiba, and Lenovo all have impressive systems, all under 18 millimeters thick, and all with second-generation Intel Core i-series processors and solid-state drives (SSDs). The key is that these 13-inch laptops start at $799, while the 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299.

That said, stack all of these systems together on a table and we'll still pick the Air for general everyday use, as long as price is no object. To date, no one has matched the multitouch trackpad experience of the MacBook, along with its excellent keyboard, and simple sleep/hibernate quick-start states.

But, if you're looking for the best value based on system specs, the field is suddenly wide open.… Read more

This holiday season, we're seeing a trend toward classic games presented in close-to-original form, but with their original graphics rerendered at the higher resolutions today's consoles and displays use. Is this a great way to make older games more accessible, or is it, like colorizing black-and-white movies, widely considered a bastardization of the original art?

Unlike film or music, video games age badly. Technology changes, screens get bigger, and the host games of even a few years ago look positively primitive to the jaded eyes of consumers. Despite this, we've still seen some vintage games enjoy a second, or even third life as iOS arcade classics, hermetically sealed retro downloads on GOG.com, or even those vintage-game-filled joysticks that plug directly into a television.

What we're seeing more than ever of this year is a little different: classic games presented in almost their original form, but with redesigned graphics, or at least with the original graphics rerendered at the higher resolutions today's consoles and displays use. … Read more