Oh no he didn’t take the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8940G notebook to the local coffee shop. Oh yes he did, and it’s been an adventure from the get-go. First up, I had to find a bag at Mobile Tech Manor that the giant laptop would fit in and close. I must have tried 5 or 6 bags before I realized that if I ignored the special laptop pouch within a giant Targus backpack I have and put it in the main compartment, that it would then fit and close.

Then I had to haul the 10+ pound notebook to the car, and to the coffee shop without breaking my shoulder. Once inside the shop, I had to pass over many tables until finding one that was big enough to actually handle the giant laptop. Once that was done I was all set, and I’m working away with this gorgeous screen. Battery life is looking to be between 2.5 and 3 hours, not bad for such a powerhouse with an 8-cell battery.

The keyboard is delightful, it is a cross between a chiclet style and a “real” keyboard. The keys are flat, but have full travel unlike chiclet keys. Having a 10-key on board is taking me back to the old desktop keyboards, and it’s useful as can be. I am successfully fighting the urge to fire up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, that would be too much for the crowded shop. It sure would be fun, though.

The debate between netbook and notebook might have found some middle ground with the ASUS Eee PC 1201N. I just caught the LAPTOP Magazine hands on with this device and that’s the impression I came away with. Why is that? Mainly because the 1201N offers specs closer to a notebook, but has the price and size near to a netbook. The $499 price tag competes well with many high-end netbooks and offers:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Premium
• 12.1 inch display with 1366 x 768 resolution
• Intel Atom 330 dual core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• Nvidia ION graphics
• Hard drive of 250GB (plus 500GB online storage)
• VGA, HDMI, 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, headphone and microphone port
• Memory card slot
• 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 11.7 x 8.2 x 1.3 inches
• 3.2 pounds weight

LAPTOP hasn’t done a battery test yet, but ASUS expects five hours with their Super Hybrid Engine. The notebook is patterned after the Eee PC 1005 / 1008 models, also known as Seashell, so it’s based on the thin, wedge-shaped design of those netbooks. Although this is just a first look, I’m intrigued and impressed — and looking forward to the detailed review that’s sure to be coming.

The good folks at Acer sent a giant notebook to Mobile Tech Manor, and I have a quick look to share. The Acer Aspire 8940G is a monster of a notebook with a screen that is 18.4 inches. It’s only been here an hour but here’s the skinny (it is surprisingly skinny for a big laptop):

• Intel Core i7- 1.6 GHz
• 4 GB memory
• 500 GB HDD
• 18.4-inch 220 nits screen- 1920×1080
• NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M — 1 GB DDR3 VRAM
• BluRay drive
• 5 speaker surround sound audio with bass boost
• Windows Home Premium — Windows Experience Index 5.7

There will be more to come as I get some time with the Acer. Here are some photos to give you a look:

Notebook computers present a special support problem. They are self-contained systems, all-in-one devices, so when something goes south the whole thing is often out of action. A failed laptop is a miserable thing to have on your hands, as it usually means the whole thing goes back to the repair center to get made whole again. Reports that denote the failure rates of notebooks are good to follow, as it makes sense to purchase brands that do better than others. One such report was mentioned by Techblog, and while some of the findings were expected others were surprising.

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There is a big work force that works out of their cars, driving from meeting to meeting and trying to keep up with stuff in between. I did that for years and more than once I longed for a simple, cheap way to use my laptop for quick work sessions from the driver’s seat of my car. The Laptop Steering Wheel Desk spotted on Gearlog would have been just the ticket for me, and may be for those in a similar situation.

The Laptop Steering Wheel Desk is a simple platform that hooks easily onto the steering wheel, providing a small desk to support the notebook for work sessions. It puts the laptop at about the right height for comfortable typing, and is easily removed when it’s time to hit the road again. It looks to be able to handle netbooks, but bigger notebooks might create a problem. Of course, users know better than to use the laptop while driving, right?

I had an appointment early this afternoon and once that was over I stopped in the local brew shop for some caffeine to get some work done. I decided small and light was the order of the day, so today I’ve got the loaner Viliv S7 convertible UMPC along for the ride. It’s working pretty well — I’m even getting used to the super-small keyboard. I am touch typing, although slowly and surely. I decided to snap a pic of the rig before the Droid decides to screw up the auto-focus again.

The long wait for Dell’s Adamo XPS is over. Dealzon tells us that the thinnest notebook to date is now appearing on Dell’s website with the expected price of $1,799. It must take tiny tools and a long time to put one of these thin laptops together because the shipment date appears as December 22. I’m still not sold on the Adamo, mainly because I can’t see it being used easily on a lap, which is where I often find myself using a netbook or notebook. But I can’t take anything away from Dell’s design and engineering, as they’ve crammed quite a bit into a very thin package. Here’s a rundown on the base model specifications:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit
• 128GB Solid State Drive
• Intel Core™ SU9400 (1.4GHz/800MHz FSB/3M L2 Cache)
• 13.4″ WLED HD (720P) LCD Panel with 2.0MP Camera
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 800MHz
• Intel GS45 Integrated Graphics with DVI Video Adapter Cable
• Intel® 5300 WLAN 802.11n (3×3) Mini Card
• 20WHr Primary Battery
• High Definition Audio 2.0
• Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1 + EDR)
• Metallic Keyboard
• Ethernet Network USB adapter
• Energy Star Compliant

The other obstacle I have is the 20 WHr battery, although you can order spares as these are swappable batteries — another 20 WHr unit runs $75, while a 40 WHr power pack is $100. I’d expect that the double-capacity battery is what I’d get. Between that and the standard battery, you should see around 6 to 7 hours of run time. At the end of the day, I see a very sleek and thin device that still weighs 3.2 pounds. Put another way — the thin factor is overrated in my opinion. Yes, that’s arguable, but at this price, it’s hard for me to personally justify.

This is firmly in the unverified rumor department, but a Chinese source is claiming that netbook maker ASUS is in talks to buy the notebook division of Toshiba. The source of the rumor is reported to be none other than ASUS CEO Jonney Shih, so there may be some truth in this. ASUS has done well in the netbook business since starting the phenomenon with the Eee PC, but its notebooks have yet to catch on with the buying public.

Toshiba is the No. 5 seller in the world, so ASUS would be looking to move up the ladder with an acquisition. Toshiba sells netbooks as does ASUS, but the lion’s share of Toshiba’s sales involve larger notebooks. A deal would definitely give ASUS some credibility in the notebook business. ASUS has stated it wants to be in the top three notebook vendors by 2011, and a deal with Toshiba would go a long way to reaching that goal.

I just got word that a bad boy is coming to Mobile Tech Manor and I have to admit I am excited, if not a little bit scared. The Acer Aspire 8940G is a gaming/ multimedia notebook that pushes the term “desktop replacement” to the limits with a huge 18.4-inch screen. It has dedicated NVIDIA graphics with 1 GB of DDR3 video ram and a Blu-Ray player. Acer throws in a five speaker surround sound system with bass booster just for fun.

I better get cleaning off some desk space for this baby, heck, I’d better clean off an entire desk. Why do I have the feeling I’ll be picking up Call of Duty: MW2 to play on this notebook?

You can expect to see two more netbooks on store shelves when visiting AT&T this holiday season. Later this month, both the Acer Aspire One and the Samsung Go will appear in the cellular carrier’s brick-and-mortar locations. They’ll also be available online at a netbook product page on AT&T’s web site, which is already live. Both devices run Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition and are configured with an Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard drive, integrated webcams and 1 GB of memory. The price for either is $199 after a promotional card rebate and requires a new 2-year data agreement. The standard 5 GB plan is $60 a month, but AT&T is lowering the 200 MB plan cost to $35 a month from $40. Strangely, the AT&T netbook site currently shows the Acer and a Dell Mini 10 for $149, along with a Lenovo S-10 for $99.

Although it’s been said many times and many ways (GigaOM Pro, subscription required) — yes, I’m prepping for Christmas carols — that $199 netbook is really costing you much more due to the monthly data service. If you don’t plan to use the netbook outside of the home or office where you have Wi-Fi, I wouldn’t recommend the purchase. In a more stationary case, you’re better off just buying a device at full price for $350 or $400 with no monthly fee. Having said that, I’m starting to wonder about the success, or failure, of notebook subsidies. I’d love to see some breakout numbers of how many netbooks are subsidized as opposed to how many are bought outright. I know that the subsidy model is a little more prominent outside of the U.S., but I don’t expect that sales of subsidized netbooks are very high here.

Do we have any readers that have bought or considered buying a subsidized netbook?