11.6

A new galaxy nexus, a new samsung tab and do you really answer your phone in the bathroom? all that and more on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly for February 1st, 2012. I'm Justin Eckhouse alongside Antuan Goodwin and Jaymar Cabebe. Today we say goodbye to Antuan Goodwin who will be leaving the podcast to focus on Car Tech. We will miss you Antuan.

NEWS:

-Android Users Most Likely to Use Phones While in the Bathroom… Read more

Though new rumors are suggesting that we won't see a Samsung Galaxy S II sucessor at next month's Mobile World Congress, it's pretty much guaranteed that Samsung will introduce something in Barcelona, Spain.

Yes, according to new rumors currently spreading across the Internet, Sammy instead will unveil a 2GHz dual-core Galaxy Tab instead.

Word of the device first surfaced in December when BGR reported on an alleged 11.6-inch tablet with a 2,560x1,600-pixel display resolution.

With a form factor said to be "barely larger" than its predecessor, the presumed Galaxy Tab 11.6 … Read more

LAS VEGAS--There's not much that we know about new Taiwanese laptop maker Inhon, but what we do know should get those who crave a lightweight carbon-fiber ultrabook reaching for their wallets.

The company debuted its first laptops, the InBook 11.6 and InBook 13.3, at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show today. Both are carbon-fiber deals that look like MacBook Airs stuck too long in the dryer. The keyboard layout is nearly identical to the Air's, the back of the lid has an empty black circle where the Apple logo is, and even the feet on the underside … Read more

Best Buy is doing its part to make MacBooks more affordable--and also offering decent deals on Windows laptops.

11.6-inch MacBook Air: In the shadow of Apple's Black Friday deals, Best Buy is striving to stand out with better deals. And it's succeeding in some cases. For instance, the retailer is selling the 11.6-inch MacBook Air with an Intel Core i5 chip, 2GB Memory, and 64GB solid-state drive (model: MC968LL/A) for $849--that's about $50 less than Apple's Black Friday $898 sale price. (And note that MacMall has been selling a 2010 11.6-inch MacBook Air for $799.)… Read more

Staples has begun selling the 11.6-inch Samsung Series 3 laptop for $619 after "instant savings," one of the least expensive ultraportables based on Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processor.

The Series 3 presages sub-$800 Ultrabooks likely to appear in 2012 from PC makers. Though--with a maximum thickness of about 1 inch--it's not as thin as Ultrabooks are expected to be, the weight is about right at 2.8 pounds.

The silicon is similar to Ultrabooks too. In this case, an ultra power efficient Intel Core i3-2357M Sandy Bridge processor.

Unlike the Samsung Series 9 (which … Read more

As of Saturday, the price of a new 2010 11.6-inch MacBook Air had fallen well below $900 at Best Buy, in the wake of the release of the 2011 models. And refurbs are now under $750 from Apple.

While other retailers list the low-end 11.6-inch model (MC516LL/A) at just below $900, Best Buy is listing it at $834.99. The 2010 11.6-inch Air is equipped with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics, 2GB of memory, and a 64GB flash drive.

How long the Best Buy price will last is anyone'… Read more

Samsung's 11.6-inch ultraportable has been refreshed with more competitive pricing and Intel Sandy Bridge processors. The refresh presages a similar update from Apple for its MacBook Air, though it remains to be seen if Apple can match Samsung's more aggressive pricing.

Like Apple, Samsung offers 13.3-inch and 11.6-inch ultraslim, ultralight, aluminum-clad laptops. But Samsung is trying to distinguish itself by keeping ahead of Apple on the performance curve.

Samsung's first 11.6-inch Series 9 model (NP900X1A-A01US) used Intel power-efficient "Nehalem" class Core i series processors and graphics silicon. The newest 11.6-inch offering bumps up to Intel's latest Sandy Bridge power-efficient chips.

That puts Samsung two generations ahead of Apple--at the moment, at least. Apple's current MacBook Air models house Intel's older Core 2 Duo chip and Nvidia graphics.

Samsung has also upped the size of the largest solid-state drive offering to 128GB, matching the 11.6-inch MacBook Air.

And it trumps the Air in price, to boot. An 11.6-inch Air with a 128GB solid-state drive, 4GB of memory, and a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor is priced at $1,399. Samsung's Sandy Bridge-based model with a similar configuration (see chart below) is priced at $1,249. … Read more

Samsung's aluminum-clad, 11.6-inch ultraportable is shipping from retail stores in the U.S., the second Series 9 laptop that takes precise aim at Apple's MacBook Air line.

Samsung seems to be on a mission to--let's put this carefully--emulate Apple. First Samsung came out with the 13.3-inch Series 9. Like the 13.3-inch MacBook Air, it is carved out of aluminum, is super thin at 0.64 inches (the MacBook Air is 0.68 inches at its thickest point), weighs just less than 3 pounds (2.88 pounds) and has a great display (with 400 nit brightness).

Now, Samsung has come out with a likeness of the 11.6-inch MacBook Air. And just like the the Air, it is 2.3 pounds. Hmm...I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

The 11.6-inch Series 9 is now listed as "in stock" at stores like Amazon. Previously, it had been listed as pre-order only.

Though Samsung is obviously following Apple's lead, there are some important departures from… Read more

They may not be shocking, but they're certainly sleek. Lenovo's new 10- and 11-inch IdeaPads feel like a side-by-side comparison of where ultraportable laptops are heading in 2011. 11.6 inch is the new 10, and we'd better get used to it.

Announced today, the IdeaPad S205 is yet another 11.6-inch laptop using AMD's Fusion CPU series. The design looks a bit like a ThinkPad, with a 98 percent full-size "Accu Type" keyboard that's new to Lenovo this year. An AMD dual-core E-350 CPU comes with integrated graphics and promises more of … Read more