Has anyone noticed fewer and fewer netbooks at your local computer store?
At Best Buy, there was once an entire row dedicated to netbooks... now I can only find 3 of them tucked away in a corner. Where they used to be are not one... but FOUR rows of e-readers and tablets.
As I said in a previous article, http://www.bignerdblog.com/2011/10/yournotebookcompanycom-what-i-would-do.html, I think netbooks are going to be replaced by tablets or ultrabooks. With tablets trending down in prices (less than $200) and people wanting more power out of a netbook (ala an ultrabook), I just don't see that category lasting very long. I'm sure there will still be people who want a 10" notebook... but that type of product may just get absorbed into the ultrabook fold.
Even Dell has cut their consumer line of netbooks:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/dell-cuts-mini-netbooks-for-non-business-customers-ruins-christ/
Oh well... it was a good... uh... 4 years (wow... it's been that long?) but you can blame Apple and Intel for your demise.
RIP Netbooks.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Unboxing the Toshiba Portege Z830/Z835 Ultrabook
Update: The Z835 is on sale at Best Buy right now for only $699 (12/11-12/17).
So I finally caved in and got an ultrabook.
I really wanted to get the Asus UX31 because of the 1600x900 resolution but there have been too many reports of issues with the first iteration of it (http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/582672-asus-ux31-ultrabook.html). It also does not have backlit keyboard and I'm not a fan of their keyboard layout.
I've always favored the Toshiba Portege Z830 series because of the two things I mentioned the Asus was lacking and also the number of ports it has:
So here is my second unboxing video (the first was for the Sony VAIO SE):
The Best Buy Z835 is an i3 with 4gb RAM, 128gb SDD and 13.3" screen. The difference between this and the Z830 series is a lack of Bluetooth and a fingerprint reader, and the display only comes in TruBrite (which is a glossy screen). The Z830 series can also be configured with i5/i7 processors. And unlike the other ultrabooks, the memory is "user" upgradeable up to 6gb (2gb soldered on, one slot that can hold up to 4gb).
It's a really light and thin notebook and the build quality is great. It's not a unibody like the MacBook Air but it's more solid than the plastic-y notebooks you regularly see.
I didn't have a chance to prep it beforehand so that you can see the display and hear the sound (so no Justin Bieber for Mitlov from the NotebookReview.com forums... heh) but I'll do that on a follow-up video and compare it to the MacBook Air and also my Sony SE.
If you want to read more comments about the Z830/Z835 visit the NotebookReview.com forums:
So I finally caved in and got an ultrabook.
I really wanted to get the Asus UX31 because of the 1600x900 resolution but there have been too many reports of issues with the first iteration of it (http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/582672-asus-ux31-ultrabook.html). It also does not have backlit keyboard and I'm not a fan of their keyboard layout.
I've always favored the Toshiba Portege Z830 series because of the two things I mentioned the Asus was lacking and also the number of ports it has:
- Three USB ports (one 3.0) whereas most others have only two.
- Full size network 10/100/1gb port
- SD card slot
- Full size HDMI
- Full size VGA port (I believe it's the only ultrabook to have one)
So here is my second unboxing video (the first was for the Sony VAIO SE):
The Best Buy Z835 is an i3 with 4gb RAM, 128gb SDD and 13.3" screen. The difference between this and the Z830 series is a lack of Bluetooth and a fingerprint reader, and the display only comes in TruBrite (which is a glossy screen). The Z830 series can also be configured with i5/i7 processors. And unlike the other ultrabooks, the memory is "user" upgradeable up to 6gb (2gb soldered on, one slot that can hold up to 4gb).
It's a really light and thin notebook and the build quality is great. It's not a unibody like the MacBook Air but it's more solid than the plastic-y notebooks you regularly see.
I didn't have a chance to prep it beforehand so that you can see the display and hear the sound (so no Justin Bieber for Mitlov from the NotebookReview.com forums... heh) but I'll do that on a follow-up video and compare it to the MacBook Air and also my Sony SE.
If you want to read more comments about the Z830/Z835 visit the NotebookReview.com forums:
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Ultrabook Hypocrisy
So now that there are few Ultrabooks for sale, the Acer Aspire S3 and the Asus UX21/UX31, there a quite a few people buying them.
What I find funny on the notebook forum I read (http://forum.notebookreview.com) is how many people compare them to MacBook Airs. Before, everyone was saying that the MBAs were overpriced, ugly and/or not worth the price. Now, they are the measuring stick to compare all the other Ultrabooks by because the MBAs have a better screen, better keyboard, better build quality, better touchpad etc. And that's fine, except for the fact that these people who said MBAs were overpriced... are paying the SAME prices for an Ultrabook!
Granted, they have "better" specs... but I remember when people would claim they would never pay more than $1000 for an ultrathin notebook and that the only reason why it cost so much was because of the "Apple Tax". The UX31 starts at around $1300, and while it has a higher resolution screen and more memory... the point is it's still OVER $1000!! Heck... it's closer to $1500 and there have been many posts where the build is not as good as an MBA.
I don't get it... if it's Apple and has great build quality, the price is too high and it's just the Apple premium. But if it is a PC and has mediocre build quality, but better specs... the price is justifiable?
And I'm not a hardcore Apple fan, I'm just pointing out something that maybe other people don't want to admit. Just like with tablets, I hope people are beginning to realize that it may not be just an Apple Tax... but a price to pay for well engineered quality.
What I find funny on the notebook forum I read (http://forum.notebookreview.com) is how many people compare them to MacBook Airs. Before, everyone was saying that the MBAs were overpriced, ugly and/or not worth the price. Now, they are the measuring stick to compare all the other Ultrabooks by because the MBAs have a better screen, better keyboard, better build quality, better touchpad etc. And that's fine, except for the fact that these people who said MBAs were overpriced... are paying the SAME prices for an Ultrabook!
Granted, they have "better" specs... but I remember when people would claim they would never pay more than $1000 for an ultrathin notebook and that the only reason why it cost so much was because of the "Apple Tax". The UX31 starts at around $1300, and while it has a higher resolution screen and more memory... the point is it's still OVER $1000!! Heck... it's closer to $1500 and there have been many posts where the build is not as good as an MBA.
I don't get it... if it's Apple and has great build quality, the price is too high and it's just the Apple premium. But if it is a PC and has mediocre build quality, but better specs... the price is justifiable?
And I'm not a hardcore Apple fan, I'm just pointing out something that maybe other people don't want to admit. Just like with tablets, I hope people are beginning to realize that it may not be just an Apple Tax... but a price to pay for well engineered quality.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
YourNotebookCompany.com: What I would do if I were a notebook maker...
I've always wanted to own my notebook company so that I can make notebooks the way I think they should be made. I really like the new Ultrabook category and feel that most of the companies should start putting more focus on those type of notebooks than their mid-range lines.
If I were to define categories for where I would concentrate on mobile computing (other than phones), I would do these 3:
1. Tablets: Less than $500
2. Ultraportables (Ultrabooks): Less than $500-$1000
3. Power Notebooks: $500 and over
If I were to define categories for where I would concentrate on mobile computing (other than phones), I would do these 3:
1. Tablets: Less than $500
2. Ultraportables (Ultrabooks): Less than $500-$1000
3. Power Notebooks: $500 and over
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Unboxing the Sony VAIO SE 15.5" for notebookreview.com forums
So I decided to record my first ever unboxing video of the Sony VAIO SE 15.5" notebook for the forums at notebookreview.com. It's kind of rough since I've never done one before and maybe I should have zoomed in closer to see the details.
If I have the time, I'll follow up with a video review but I think the guys at the other tech sites do a much better job (I even added a special request for Mitlov from NBR).
What I did forget to say is that it is incredibly light... much lighter than the Dell XPS 15z. You might be able to tell by the way I flip it around to show all the ports.
Recording these things are much harder than it looks.
If I have the time, I'll follow up with a video review but I think the guys at the other tech sites do a much better job (I even added a special request for Mitlov from NBR).
What I did forget to say is that it is incredibly light... much lighter than the Dell XPS 15z. You might be able to tell by the way I flip it around to show all the ports.
Recording these things are much harder than it looks.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Steve Jobs: Rest in Peace
Sadly, Apple has reported that Steve Jobs died today:
Thank you for everything "magical" you brought to our lives.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
iPhone 5 will be redesigned
Another case post on BGR seems to confirm that the new iPhone 5 will take on this new design:
http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/04/images-of-new-iphone-5-cases-again-show-dramatic-redesign/
We should know for sure in a few minutes.
UPDATE: Well... that was longer than a few minutes... and while this may indeed be the case for the iPhone 5... Apple didn't announce one... just an iPhone 4S. So what is CaseMate and HardCandy going to do with these?
We should know for sure in a few minutes.
UPDATE: Well... that was longer than a few minutes... and while this may indeed be the case for the iPhone 5... Apple didn't announce one... just an iPhone 4S. So what is CaseMate and HardCandy going to do with these?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
