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.

• 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.

• 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:

While many of the laptops I use are evaluation units that only stay around for a short while, I buy a lot of notebooks for myself and the family. We tend to keep them for several years if they hold up, and I have my own impressions for which brands have fared better for us. I have experienced few notebook failures truth be told, with a MacBook Pro being the most problematic. I have used Sony, Compaq, HP and IBM laptops for years without a single problem.

The MacBook Pro problem ended up requiring a warranty replacement of the entire system board. It was an intermittent problem, and thus hard to diagnose. One thing that Apple was smart to realize was that in times of stressful system malfunctions, customers like having a local place to take the system, and talk to a real person who is knowledgeable about the product.

A new report issued by SquareTrade, a company that provides independent warranty for laptops, says that there is a 20 percent chance that a laptop bought today will fail within three years. They base this finding on 30,000 warranty claims, so it has a decent statistical base. It’s important to note that a small percentage of these claims were due to accidental damage, something that can’t be attributed to build quality.

The report demonstrates clearly that you get what you pay for, with netbooks, entry-level notebooks and premium notebooks showing a likelihood for failure within three years of 25, 20 and 18 percent respectively. Build quality does matter in the case of notebooks especially, as they can be handled roughly through traveling and the like.

The most interesting part of the report to me is how individual brands rate for failure. ASUS and Toshiba, two companies said to be in merger talks, are the most reliable brands of notebooks. Gateway and HP were the two showing the highest failure rates. It is important to note that these are projections, not actual failure rates. It should also be noted that not much is separating the four least likely to fail, nor the four most likely.

The complete report can be downloaded here (PDF).

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?

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.

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 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?

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?

This is usually the season for door-busting sales, but I think this one has to do with reducing inventory more than anything. MSI is touting a new online promotion in India, the UK, Australia and Italy, and although I’m not near any of those parts, I checked it out. The promotional link took me to a deal for a free MSI Wind netbook with the purchase of an X600 notebook. The free netbook is the same U100 model I purchased in 2008 and is worth roughly $350. To get the deal, you actually have to print out the online coupon and take it to specific vendors.

Purchasing the X600 gets you a skinny 15.6″ notebook with 1366 x 768 resolution running on an Intel ULV chip and ATI Radeon HD 4330 graphics processor. The 2.1-kilogram notebook with 6-cell battery should run for nearly a full workday, and of course, you can always migrate over to your free netbook if you run out of juice.

Credit: LAPTOP Magazine

A few weeks ago, I ran some battery tests on my netbook. I have  both Windows XP and Windows 7 installed on my Toshiba NB205, which takes hardware variances out of the equation. My early looks show that Windows 7 offers 10% less runtime on the exact same device. I’ve since done some additional testing, thinking that the graphically intensive Aero features of Windows 7 might be the biggest factor. Unfortunately, that’s not what I found — using Windows 7 with all of the advanced Aero features off not only makes your netbook look like a Windows 95 beta, it doesn’t help run time in any noticeable way.

Readers offered up great commentary on the testing techniques and I can’t argue that there are many ways to run these tests. But even my informal testing shows the same trend continuing. When I use XP in my normal work day, it runs longer than when I use Windows 7 on the same hardware and in the same use cases. But don’t take my word for it. Brad Linder of Liliputing confirmed the same results not long after my testing and now LAPTOP Magazine completes the trifecta.

In fact, LAPTOP put three different netbooks through the paces — and all of them offered less run time on Windows 7. They used an entirely different approach as well, one that’s more reflective of real world usage, so it’s a safe bet that you’ll see less battery life on a Windows 7 device. Will there be exceptions? Of course there will — everyone uses different power management settings, not to mention they use their devices in different ways. But by and large, it looks like there’s a small battery life sacrifice with Windows 7 on a netbook. Should that stop you from using Windows 7? My opinion, is no, but if you’re happy with XP and don’t want or need some of the new Windows 7 features, you might want to stay put.

Again, I’ll temper my thoughts with the fact that the device shown yesterday won’t officially be introduced until the Consumer Electronics Show in January. If I were involved in the project, I’d use my time between now and then to revamp the form factor. Why? Based on what we know now, the smartbook will offer a high-definition quality screen. While the exact resolution is unknown, “high definition” means at least 720 vertical lines of resolution. I’d guess the device will see 1280 x 720, which is fine — it allows for decent viewing of web pages and is far less limiting than the 1024 x 600 displays found on netbooks. But based on that resolution and the picture of the device, it sure looks like the first smartbook will have a screen size of nearly 10 inches. That’s far too big for what I’d consider a successful smartbook, for a few reasons.

First, the screen size dictates the overall device size. You could argue that the keyboard actually does this, but display panels are pretty standard, so it’s more likely that a screen is chosen first and then a keyboard is designed to fit in such a device. So if this smartbook has a 10″ display, it should offer a keyboard comparable to most of today’s netbooks. That’s all well and good, but the overall device size won’t be different enough from a netbook to make size a differentiator. I expect the smartbook to be thinner, but early reports are that it will come with a large battery, so who knows? It could be just as thick and heavy as a netbook.

Related research from GigaOM Pro: "The Future of Netbooks"

About that battery — why would a large battery be needed if the smartbook is powered by an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU? Doesn’t the ARM platform use less power than the Intel Atom used in netbooks? Sure it does, but the bigger power culprit is the display. And that’s why using a netbook-sized display isn’t the way to go for a smartbook. Essentially, it looks like this first smartbook entry will be too much like a netbook in terms of form factor. But it won’t offer the netbook’s benefit of x86 compatibility for applications.

So what benefit will it really provide? One could argue price, but remember that the smartbook will be sold through AT&T. That means it’s subsidized and you’re on the hook for $1,440 in data plan bills over two years — unless the data plan model changes with a smartbook to make it cheaper for the customer each month. I doubt that, but I’ll leave the door open for just such a change. It wouldn’t surprise me to see such a device to be free up-front. But subsidized netbooks can be had for $200 or so — so will a free smartbook entice sales? I don’t think so in most cases when the $200 alternative offers more.

Ultimately, it comes down to this — what are the use cases for a smartbook that make it different from a smartphone or a netbook? The types of activities you’d use a smartbook for are really the same as what you’d use either a smartphone or netbook for, so it’s a matter of where and how you’d use this device. And those definitions should be dictating the form factor. Let’s use the smartphone as an example:

• Easy to use anywhere while sitting or standing
• Has always-on connectivity so there’s no location limitations
• Limited by screen size and keyboard usability
• Generally runs (on and in sleep) for a full day or more on a single charge
• Users can wake device and begin using almost instantly with little hit to battery life in sleep mode
• Can be put in a pocket

Looking at the same six factors for a netbook:

• Easier to use in more places than a laptop, but not as unlimited in terms of location than a smartphone
• Connectivity is often limited by Wi-Fi locations, although there are always-on connection options available
• More enjoyable experience than a smartphone due to larger screen, higher resolution and larger keyboard
• Eight hours of run time is considered good
• Can be put into sleep, but not as instant for wake and use
• Not pocketable

For smartbooks to be successful, they need to offer the best of both worlds here and although I’m a fan of the smartbook concept, that’s going to be a tough road to hoe. To offer the runtime of a smartphone but still be highly portable, a netbook-sized display isn’t the answer. And if the devices are going to have a netbook-sized display or form factor, what’s the reason to pick a smartbook over a netbook? Price alone isn’t going to do it on large scale. Connectivity can help, but that’s an option in many netbooks as well. Perhaps adding cellular voice capability for use with a headset might help, but I’m on the fence there.

I’ve said this before, but I’l reiterate it now because it’s timely: if I were a smartbook designer, I’d be looking at the Sony VAIO P for inspiration.

Due to the wide footprint, it offers a touch-typable keyboard, but uses a clamshell design with an 8″ display so you’ll have a better visual experience than a smaller smartphone. You could tuck it into a large jacket pocket, so it’s more portable than a netbook. The smaller screen — I’d even consider making such a device with a six or seven inch screen — won’t use as much juice which could let the unit run as long as a smartphone. In such a form factor, there actually would be benefit over the two markets the device would sit between. Would it sell? That I don’t know, but I’d be inclined to buy one. Would I buy the device that we saw yesterday? I don’t yet see a reason to — do you?

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs showed off a red smartbook at an analyst meeting in New York, and went on to share that the smartbook would be appearing at the CES in January. The small smartbook is to work with the AT&T network in the U. S., and no pricing information was offered by Jacobs.

When questioned if the new smartbook would offer a full Internet experience, Jacobs said Qualcomm worked with Adobe to put a full implementation of Flash on the new device. He also mentioned that the new smartbook, as yet unnamed, will play high definition video.

Liliputing found a fuzzy pic of the new smartbook as pictured above.

Related research: The Future of Netbooks (subscription required)

I brought the x200 because of the flexibility it provides for working extended periods. It is thin and light, and the ability to rotate that screen around into a slate form insures it can be used comfortably, no matter the environment. That flexibility was the call of the day, so the x200 went into the bag.

When I settled into the waiting room I pulled the MiFi out of the bag and tapped the power button. That’s the beauty of using a MiFi — one tap for an instant hotspot. It connected to the 3G network in just a few seconds, and created a Wi-Fi hotspot just for me. The ThinkPad came out of the bag, and with another button push it resumed instantly from sleep and connected to my personal hotspot. I was online, up and running in seconds.

I used the x200 in slate mode, and I am still impressed with how much value the touchscreen adds to the slate experience. Tapping things on the screen and sliding the window around as needed is a natural way to work with a slate. When I needed to enter some text I popped the pen out of the silo and the x200 went into full tablet ink mode as soon as the pen got near the screen. This turns the touch off so there were no inadvertent events triggered while holding the pen to the screen.

Microsoft has done a stellar job with the inking improvements of Windows 7. I found it natural to ink into the Tablet Input Panel (TIP), and recognition accuracy was very good in spite of my horrible handwriting. When it incorrectly interpreted my scrawl it was easily fixed given the improved editing mode of the TIP. Tapping on a word in the TIP expanded it for correction, and I just wrote over the letters in error. Microsoft has put intelligent text prediction in this editing mode, and usually after correcting just one letter, the TIP would change the whole misinterpreted word into the new correct one. I found I could fly through the editing as never before.

I was doing a lot of research for an article, and the MiFi supplied fast 3G like a champ. I forgot I was on 3G and not regular broadband, the mark of good technology at work. I was jumping all over the web in Firefox, using touch to move around at will. The entire process was so natural that after a while I realized I was just doing my work, and not thinking about the tools in use at all. That is absolutely liberating, and the way things should work.

I’ll have another chance to work here on Friday, unfortunately. The repair shop had to order some parts for my old Volvo, so I’ll be back here working for the repairs to be finalized. I’ll be happily inking away in my personal hotspot, so aside from the less than comfortable chairs, it will be business as usual. Well done Microsoft, Lenovo and Verizon.

The Booklet 3G is a netbook at its heart, with an Atom processor powering the system. Laptop found that to be a problem for displaying video, much the same as other, cheaper netbooks. A particular bottleneck they noted was the slow, 4,200 rpm hard drive, which hampered performance.

“The tardy hard drive was just as bad when it came to file operations. It took a leisurely 7 minutes and 3 seconds to complete the LAPTOP Transfer Test, in which we copy 4.97GB of mixed media files from one folder to another. That’s a rate of 12.0 MBps, which is below the category average of 15.4 MBps and way behind the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell (22.2 MBps) and Toshiba mini NB205-N330BL (17.9 MBps).”

Nokia has promised all-day battery life with the Booklet 3G, and Laptop verified it does indeed last a long time. Their web surfing over Wi-Fi benchmark saw the Booklet 3G lasting almost 8.5 hours, a decent endurance. The gist of the review finds the Booklet 3G to be well designed, but not excelling in any one area to justify the high price that Nokia is asking for the netbook in the U.S. — it sells for $299 with a 2-year data plan, $599 without the plan.