NetbookShow

ASUS has showed us that high end Android powered tablets are capable of competing with the iPad with a bit of clever marketing. Their debut Honeycomb powered device, the Eee Pad Transformer, came equipped with a keyboard dock that essentially allows you to turn the tablet into a laptop. Following up on the success of the Transformer, ASUS debuted the Transformer Prime complete with NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

While things seem to be chugging along nicely for the Transformer Prime, some users have reported the fun has come to an abrupt halt. As you’re sure to know, the Android ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ 4.0 roll out for the Transformer Prime is well under way with many happy consumers reporting great results.

Unfortunately for a select few it seems the be the exact opposite. Reports have begun rolling in that say some users are plagued with an issue regarding the device’s serial number that prevents it from being installed. While we haven’t heard anything from ASUS just yet that’s sure to change quite soon and we’ll keep you posted as we hear more.

Source:Mobilewhack.com

Sony’s second avant-garde tablet a la Android, the Tablet P, has finally made its high-fashioned self available online in the UK. The 3G-capable model has been slapped with a hefty £500 ($774) price tag, possibly explained in part by the pair of 5.5-inch touchscreens, which both tap into the same TruBlack technology used in Sony’s Bravia TV range.

The dual screen setup means that controls can be split to the lower half — ideal for PlayStation-certified gaming or the occasional email barrage. If curiously curved clam shapes are doing it for you, offer up your pound sterling at the source link below.

Asus confirmed on a recent conference call that its Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet will be available in stores in early December. The device will be among the first on the market with NVIDIA’s brand new quad-core Tegra 3 chip. It measures just 8.3mm thick but Asus says it is capable of offering up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge. The convertible tablet is equipped with a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800-pixel display, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.2-megapixel camera for video chat, a microSD card slot and a microHDMI port.

Asus’ Eee Pad Transformer Prime will initially run Android 3.2 (Honeycomb), although the company said an over-the-air update will be issued shortly after launch with Ice Cream Sandwich in tow. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be available in 32GB and 64GB flavors for $399 and $499, respectively. Asus will also sell a $149 keyboard dock accessory that can turn the tablet into a netbook-style computer.

Despite the fact that it wasn’t the most popular tablet on the market HP’s TouchPad did get a ton of air time when the company dropped its price tag down to just $99.99. Of course, this price tag was due to the tablet’s demise but you most likely already know that. What you may not have known is that HP came forth to debut a tablet long before the TouchPad was even announced dubbed the HP Slate.

This Windows powered tablet never hit the market for normal consumer consumption with the company instead targeting it towards the business world. Well, it seems that the tablet’s first iteration was successful enough because HP has announced today that they will be following the device up with a second generation appropriately dubbed the Slate 2.

This tablet will be made available sometime this month starting at $699 featuring an 8.9-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, Intel Atom processor, 64GB of SSD storage and of course Windows 7.

Will this tablet fare well on the market? We haven’t a clue but stay tuned as we’ll keep you posted.

Finally, a notebook to satisfy your inner panda! ASUS’ U33JC-A1 is the first computer ever with hardware carved from a single piece of wood. OK maybe not, but it does sport a forest-y bamboo exterior that is indeed all natural, which ASUS says will “mature over time.” The bite-sized 13.3-inch computer is now even more edible affordable at $499, after a $150 discount and $150 mail-in rebate through LogicBUY.

The U33JC-A1 runs on a modern Intel Core i3 chip, so you won’t have any trouble with word processing, browsing, or foraging for grubs and plants. With an Nvidia graphics card and 4GB of memory, this unusually organic computer is a good catch, even if you do get furtive glances from your co-workers when they catch you watering your laptop.

Basic specs: Made of bamboo, 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-370M Dual-Core, 4GB (2x2GB) RAM, 500GB 5400rpm hard drive, Nvidia/Intel Hybrid Graphics

At this point, NVIDIA’s Optimus switchable graphics are old hat, but AMD is relatively new to the game of packing dual GPUs in a single laptop. AnandTech decided to pit the two solutions against each other and, well, lets just say AMD doesn’t come out looking so great. The biggest problem appears to be stability.

While performance is acceptable (though, not quite as good as it should be) the site had trouble getting four of the supposedly 16 supported games to switch between the integrated and discrete GPUs as advertised. Regular driver updates, not to mention a bit more testing, could solve the issues, but for now NVIDIA’s Optimus simply outclasses its AMD counterpart. Check out the video after the break and don’t forget to hit up the source link for all the details.

LG’s P220 ultraportable has been making the rounds since Computex in June, but OCZ has only just now confirmed that it’s using a fairly special new 2.5-inch SSD from the company. Unlike traditional 2.5-inch laptop drives that measure 9.5mm thick, this new “custom designed” drive measures just 7.5mm in height, which makes it about 25 percent slimmer.

So far only the 128GB variety included in the P220 has been confirmed, but OCZ indicates that it’s just the first of more LG laptops to use the new drives. Press release is after the break.

Who would have thought that a company like Lenovo would be able to move beyond its rather rigid setup, especially after acquiring IBM’s computer manufacturing business and along with it, the line of business-class ThinkPads, and churn out machines which are easy on the eye – capable of turning heads, even? Yes sir, we are talking about a trio of new luxury laptops known as the IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook, and the U300 and U400 laptops. We will concentrate on the U300s as that is the main attraction out of the three.

These devices were specially designed for fashion-minded consumers who not only want performance, but to get their work done in style – or at least be seen working with something that is extremely easy on the eyes. The super slim U300s Ultrabook is powered by Intel’s second generation Core i7 processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, taking a mere 10 seconds to booth up while Enhanced Experience 2.0 RapidDrive SSD technology ensures you are able to have a quick response time regardless of the program you run.

Other specifications include a 13.3″ ultra-slim 16:9 widescreen HD display, 4GB DDR3 memory and up to 256GB of SSD storage, all crammed into a chassis that is just 14.9mm thin. Taking its cue from Apple’s design book, the U300s is hewn from a single-piece aluminum shell, resulting in a sleek and lightweight product that tips the scales at under 3 pounds.

You can choose from Graphite Grey or limited-edition Clementine Orange colors, with prices starting from $1,199.99 upwards.

Press Release

MeeGo running on an Acer notebook? Hardly surprising stuff. Pairing that OS with a Sandy Bridge CPU, however, is something to take note of. Contradicting Acer’s past claims that the company would only issue the operating system on Atom-based netbooks, the Aspire 5749 has popped up on Amazon.de serving up a 2.1GHz Core i3 processor and 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 display.

Weighing in at 2.6kg (about 6lbs) and measuring 34mm in thickness, the Taiwanese-made laptop will set you back 400 Euros (about $577), and comes packed with 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB of storage, Intel’s GMA 3000 graphics set, DVD burner, three USB 2.0 ports, a 2-in-1 card reader and, of course, WiFi. Itching to get your import on? Then skip past the break and head to the source below.

Although laptops are the epitome of convenience and mobile work efficiency, snags like dead batteries can leave you frustrated and impotent. Battery life is a key feature of battery performance is affected by computer usage, so you can take an active role in extending its life. Use these 5 simple tips below to use less energy and get the most out of your laptop’s battery.

1. Lower the LCD Screen’s BrightnessOne easy way to improve your laptop’s power consumption is to lower the brightness level of its LCD screen. When the screen’s brightness is lowered, images may appear darker on the screen. However, if there is an adequate light source available, higher brightness settings are unnecessary. Lowering the brightness is also likely to lengthen the life of your screen.

2. Use Power Saving Options. All laptops should have features that allow a person to improve power consumption. In Windows, these features can be found in a menu named “Power Options” that is located in the Control Panel. For Mac users, there is a feature called “Energy Saver” that is located in the System Preferences menu. You should be able to use these options to tell your laptop how long to wait until it powers off when it remains idle. You should also be able to set warnings to alert you a set period of time before your battery dies so you can save your files.

3. Use Standby More Often. Often people leave their laptops running when they leave their work desk. However, this needlessly consumes battery life. Instead, a person can use standby mode to cut down on power consumption when not using the laptop during these brief periods. Standby mode can usually be accessed by going to Power Options in the Windows Control Panel. Sometimes, this mode is referred to as Hibernation. This power saving mode can commonly be accessed by holding in the F12 key.

4. Disconnect Unused Devices from Your Laptop. Sometimes, a person may keep certain peripheral devices plugged into a laptop even when they aren’t being used. However, even though they aren’t in use, they may still be draining power from the laptop’s battery. If possible, these should be unplugged. Alternatively, certain devices can be disabled if they aren’t in use. Take for example a memory stick. If the memory stick is disabled by the laptop user, it won’t be consuming any of the battery’s power.

5. Turn off the Audio Speakers and headphones often use up a lot of a laptop battery’s power. If you turn the volume down, power consumption is greatly reduced. If the audio is muted, consumption stops all together.