Netbooks survey shows laptops are still king

The results of a study conducted by Experian subsidiary Pricegrabber show that more than half of American consumers do not regard netbooks as a feasible replacement for standard-size laptops, and that almost two-thirds view the role of the netbook as a complementary device to other computers.

However, netbook ownership is on the rise, according to the study, rising to 15 percent of those surveyed from 10 percent in a similar study done the previous year. Pricegrabber reports that 11 percent of online consumers said they planned to purchase a netbook in the coming year.

Netbooks have also exerted an influence on the mobile computing world overall, acting as drivers of lower prices across the board, the study showed. “Survey data reveals a significant difference between the dollar amount consumers are willing to pay for their next computing device and the amount they paid for their last device,” the company reported.

Experts say that new form factors and increased capabilities could yet see wider adoption of the netbook model.

BT claims its millionth Wi-Fi hotspot

BT has announced it now has one million Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK and Ireland. The total has been reached through home networks (such as the BT Home Hub Fon scheme, where home users open up a portion of their Wi-Fi for others to use), independent businesses and chains, like Starbucks.

BT is also claiming that its users are on track to use one billion Wi-Fi minutes this year, which it is attributing largely to increased internet use thanks to the iPhone.

BT has also signed UK deals with the likes of O2, Orange and Vodafone to allow customers to connect their iPhones to its hotspots, helping boost the total number of users.

Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT Retail, said: “Whether at home, at work or when out and about, wireless access is central to keeping people and communities better connected. We’ve grown from 500,000 to one million hotspots within six months, and will continue to add more to meet demand from smart-phones, laptops, iPods and now e-readers.”

Dell announces its first USB 3.0 laptop

Dell has announced exciting upgrades to its flagship ‘Precision M6500′ line – the Intel dual core i5 or i7 processors and the option of a USB 3.0 port. The choice of processors is less interesting since this workstation-class model already offers an Intel Core i7-920XM Quad Core Extreme Edition, so their introduction actually slows it down/saves money. Not often you can say that about i5 and i7 CPUs.

Instead, what is far more interesting is the option of fitting a single USB 3.0 to replace one of the four USB 2.0 ports already available. The M6500 is the first from the Dell laptops range to offer this and, given its power user audience combined with the potential 10x performance boost of USB 3.0 over its predecessor, and you’d have to say it should prove a popular option. Dell has yet to reveal just how much the upgrade will set us back.

Elsewhere a higher res 3.2MP integrated webcam can also now be chosen, while a 64GB SSD ‘mini card’ will be available too. If the latter is based on the new ultra portable solid state drive universal format that would also be an industry first. Other niceties include a 17in RGB LED display and thorough choice of Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Red Hat Linux OSes.

Touchdown for the revised Precision M6500 is claimed to be late February  -  imagine other brands won’t be far behind.

Panasonic announce new Core i5 and i7 laptops

The new Core i5 and Core i7 mobile CPUs are already finding their way into some products. Panasonic has announced that the Japanese version of the Toughbook laptops, known there as Lets Note, will be getting some speedy new Nehalem-based processors. The new rugged offerings will come in four flavours.

The S9, N9, and F9 will have a Core i5-520M CPU. Screen sizes range from 12.1 inches (S9 and F9) up to the 14.1 inch screen on the F9. This screen will probably look quite nice with a resolution of 1440 x 900. The real gem here is the R9 model which will have a Core i7-620M, 250GB HDD, and 2GB of DDR3 RAM crammed into a chassis the size of a netbook. A 10.1 inch screen with that kind of power makes for a desirable ultraportable computer.

A Japanese launch is scheduled for February 17th. No word yet whether these new laptops will find their way here.

Sony VAIO in pink for the girlies… cringe!

Which marketing guru thought this one up? Oooh, pink is for girls! Girls will love this! Genius….

I know a lot of girls (no, seriously) and I can think of about five of them (that’s a small percentage, trust me) who would lap this up in true ‘Oooooh it’s girly and pink and sparkly and pretty’ style – we blame Paris Hilton for this sickening, irritating fad.

Anyway – you get the picture, there’s are two pink Sony VAIOs on the market aimed at the female market for its Signature Spring 2010 collection.

The first is the Pink CW laptop, the second is the Pink P Series Lifestyle PC. Every Sony VAIO Signature Notebook is a limited edition, meaning they will be available for a limited time only.

Ladies can’t bear the thought of losing their laptop

Four out of 10 women would be devastated if they lost their mobile phone, a third could live without their man, and 1 in 5 couldn’t bear the thought of being without their laptop according to a new survey.

Tracy from Liverpool said: “My life would fall apart if I lost my Sony VAIO! It has everything on it from my photos and addresses to my diary and accounts. I’m constantly backing it up, terrified I’ll lose it all.

Bryony from Northampton confessed: “I have a little travel laptop which is perfect for emails and Facebook on the go.”

The survey of 4,000 women put their mums at top of their list of 20 most treasured possessions – boyfriends only scraped in fifth behind friends and photos. Diamond rings, laptops and mascara also made the top 20.

Consumers continue to save money with refurbished laptops

If you’re in the market for a laptop, and are put off by paying the retail price for brand spanking products, how about you consider refurbished laptops?

They’re like laptop Marmite, you either love them or hate them. Yet it seems most haters have no foundation for which to place that negativity; a refurb laptop may in fact be the ideal solution for all your computing needs.

Refurbished laptop computers are attainable for a significantly cheaper price than brand new models and come with a minimum of one year’s guarantee. They are readily available online and have been scrutinised and analysed by top technological and mechanical boffins to ensure all is ticking over nicely.

For more info and pricing on refurbished laptops, head to Laptopshop.

Girl plans to marry her laptop

From Acer to Sony VAIO, we love

Apple iSlate tablet to be unveiled

Apple is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls “our latest creation,” which is thought to be a tablet-style touch-screen computer.

The company email offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only January 27 event in San Francisco.

But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling the gadget that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than standard laptops.

Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven’t seen much success in the mainstream.

The real questions will be asked after the launch, when focus will fall on who will be providing what types of content (music, magazines, video, games, books etc) for Apple’s new slate.

Recent rumours have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with HarperCollins and a number of other major book publishers suggesting the tablet will be looking to straddle the eReader market.

God bless our laptops and mobile phones! (Amen to that)

Who would have thought that religion and technology could be brought together in such harmony? That was the case at one church in the UK last week, as Rev Canon David Parrott took part in blessing mobile phones and laptops.

According to BBC News, this blessing was all part of an updated version of the “Plough Monday” back-to-work ceremony. While in church, parishioners held their phones upwards so that they could be blessed. The church recognizes that these gadgets are part of our everyday life now so needs to be blessed.

On Monday a number of phones and laptops were placed on the alter, Parrott said that ‘God’s grace could reach them in many ways.” It was then that he gave them their blessing.

The Plough Monday ceremony is an old tradition, where farmers tools used to be blessed, this ceremony has to move with the times, and cell phones and laptops are seen to be the most important tools in any business.