Solid-State vs. Traditional Hard Drives

Posted on January 5, 2009
Filed Under Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

Netbooks are available with either solid-state drives (SSDs) or traditional hard drives. (MSI has just announced a new hybrid netbook, model U115, that incorporates both.) Laptop users are familiar with hard drives, but for most, SSDs are a new animal. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of SSDs in comparison to hard drives.

Hard drives are mechanical devices. The platters spin thousands of times per minute. The read/write heads float over the top and bottom of each platter. The heads are attached by arms to a spindle motor which positions them over the proper tracks of the platter.

A solid-state drive is an electronic component. SSDs have no moving parts.

Solid-state drives have a number of advantages over hard drives:

• More reliable due to not having any moving parts
• Less likely to sustain damage if netbook is dropped
• Require less power, meaning batteries last longer
• Generate less heat
• Silent
• Can outperform hard drives, especially in read access times.

Please note that these are generalities. There are several different types of SSDs - each with their own strengths and weaknesses. If you are interested in the details, Wikipedia explores this in great depth.

There is a common perception that the performance of SSDs is poorer than hard drives. This certainly was true in the early models of SSDs. However, recent technology improvements now yield SSDs that outperform hard drives. Notebook Review published an article that compares a SanDisk 32GB SSD to a hard drive. The SSD blows away the hard drive’s performance across the board.

With features this good, why are we still using hard drives?

Hard drives do have a couple of strengths over SSDs:

• On a cost per gigabyte basis, hard drives are a *lot* less expensive.
• Hard drives outperform the low-cost type of SSDs
• Microsoft Windows handles SSDs ineffectively

The last bullet point is the reason why you see almost all Windows-based netbooks configured with hard drives. On the other hand, Linux-based netbooks may be packaged with either type of storage device.

However, the primary reason why hard drives have not been overwhelmingly replaced by SSDs is cost.

SSDs are becoming less and less expensive. At the same time, performance and reliability continue to improve.

This ultimately makes hard drives dinosaurs. It’s just a matter of time.

Acer Readies 10-inch Aspire Ones

Posted on January 4, 2009
Filed Under Acer Aspire One | Leave a Comment

Digitimes is reporting that Acer will introduce new Aspire One models with 10-inch displays in February or March of next year.  Their source is Scott Lin, president of Acer Taiwan.

This should be rather simple, given that the current Aspire Ones essentially house an 8.9″ screen in a 10-inch case. 

jkkmobile reports:

Looks like the keyboard is same as on earlier model.. Mouse buttons moved from the sides to bottom of the mouse pad.

macles, a website dedicated to the Aspire One tells us:

A few changes were made to the design as well. The area around the keyboard has a brushed metal finish and the seamlessly integrated touchpad resembles a more traditional touchpad, compared to the current one, with what appears to be a single button at the bottom. The new AA1 will be available in three colors: white, black and red.

macles also provides a picture.

I find it hard to get excited about a 10-inch screen.  After all, the resolution on the 10-inch displays are the same as the 8.9-inch versions.  So, to me, the larger screen size is a yawner.

On the other hand, when Acer (or any other netbook manufacturer) announces 10-inch displays with 1024×768 resolution 0r better, that will be exciting.

It would also be a big differentiator in a market where all the netbooks are beginning to look alike.

2008 Trend: Netbook OS Linux to XP

Posted on December 30, 2008
Filed Under Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

Back in January of this year, the netbooks available were almost exclusively Asus Eee PCs.   In the beginning, they all ran Linux.

This trend worried Microsoft immensely.  This little niche was gaining a lot of popularity.  What would happen if customers found out that Linux could actually be used by normal people?  With Vista already unpopular in many circles, there could be serious consequences if people learned that Linux actually provided the functionality that they needed. Read more

How Acer Became The Top Netbook Maker

Posted on December 27, 2008
Filed Under Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee PC, Dell Inspiron Mini 9, HP Mini-Note, Lenovo IdeaPad S10, MSI Wind Netbook, Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

Back around the middle of this past year, the netbook marketplace really began to buzz as the launch dates of the second-generation netbooks were nearing.  MSI was garnering a major chunk of the mind share, with the Wind Netbook receiving rave reviews.  Meanwhile, Asus was busy announcing new Eee PC models at a dizzying pace.  Acer was preparing to introduce the Aspire One; however, while the reviews were favorable, it was getting a lot less buzz.

Fast forward to now (year-end) where the Acer Aspire One is king of the netbooks.  How did they do it? Read more

Wishing All A Merry Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2008
Filed Under Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee PC, Dell Inspiron Mini 9, HP Mini-Note, MSI Wind Netbook, Site-related | Leave a Comment

Over the past month or so, we have shifted gears from primarily providing netbook news and information to searching and reporting on the best deals on netbooks.   At times we became almost obsessive in keeping our price comparison charts current and relaying the best deals to you.

We had a lot of fun in doing this.  Sometimes it is hard to tell whether our work is beneficial, but the big jump in page views tells us that you appreciated our work.

Based on  page views at our site, here are the top five netbooks:

1. Acer Aspire One 160G 6 Cell XP
2. Asus Eee PC 1000HA 160G XP
3. Acer Aspire One 120G 3 Cell XP
4. Aspire One 16G 3 Cell Linux
5. Asus Eee PC 1000H 160G XP

While I’m not pretending that this is representative of the entire marketplace, it does reinforce recent reports that Acer has transplanted Asus as the top manufacturer of netbooks.   Based on our activity, Acer and Asus dominate mindshare.   We have to go down our rankings a good bit before we get to rhe HP Mini-Note, then MSI Wind and later Dell.

Now that it is Christmas Eve, we are shutting things down for a few days.  But before we do, we want to wish a Blessed and Merry Christmas to all of you.

Last Minute Netbook Bargains

Posted on December 22, 2008
Filed Under Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee PC, Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

If you are still looking to purchase a netbook as a Christmas gift - and you are looking for a bargain, then here are some last minute deals.

BuyDig.com is offering a great deal on the Acer Aspire One 8G Linux 8.9-inch Netbook - (AOA110-1295) for only $279.

If you are seeking an Asus Eee PC 900 netbook, J&R Electronics is offering the ASUS EPC900HA-BLK006X Eee PC 900HA 8.9″ Netbook - Black for $319.99 with FREE Shipping.

Of course, you have to pay for expedited shipping if you want it delivered before Christmas.

I’ll post these two now - and I’ll follow up with more later.

Fortune Calls Netbook Explosion Top 2009 Trend

Posted on December 16, 2008
Filed Under Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

Earlier today, Stephanie Mehta posted an article named ‘4 tech predictions for 2009′ on the Fortune Magazine website.  The first prediction listed for the new year concerns netbooks.

The computer industry now ships more portable computers such as laptops than desktops, and an increasingly important part of the mix will be mini-notebook computers, known as netbooks. Industry sources say computer makers will sell more than 11 million netbooks worldwide in 2008, up from just around a million in 2007, and netbook sales could easily double in the new year.

The article notes later:

Netbooks “are something to watch in a downturn,” said Phil Asmundson, national managing partner of Deloitte’s technology, media and telecom practice. “A lot of functionality of a computer goes unused, and netbooks are a good alternative.”

It is great to see the mainstream media embracing the reality that we already know.

There is more to read, so hop over on the link and read up on the rest of this and their other three predictions.

Aspire One: Wake Up Wireless Connections

Posted on December 11, 2008
Filed Under Acer Aspire One, Netbook Market | Leave a Comment

My Linux-based Acer Aspire One has an issue that has nagged me for a while. When I leave the netbook idle, it goes to sleep. When I resume, everything awakens just fine, except the Network Manager. The icon in the system tray is gone - and my wireless connections are still sleeping.

I would reboot (since the Aspire One boots so fast) to fix the problem. But, it was annoying.

I googled the problem several times, but never found a match for my exact issue. It happened a couple times yesterday, so I resolved to find a solution. And it didn’t take much experimentation to find one.

Here is my solution:

Open up a terminal session by pressing Alt-F2, entering ‘terminal’ and press ENTER.

At the command prompt, type “nm-applet &” (without the quotes) and press ENTER.

Viola! You will need to leave the terminal window open. You can minimize it to eliminate it from view.

Holiday Netbook Bargains - Number 1

Posted on December 9, 2008
Filed Under Acer Aspire One | Leave a Comment

If you’ve been following along, I’ve been assisting you holiday shoppers by sharing the results of my search for the best netbook deals. I’ve already posted numbers five, four, three and two.

But here is the best deal of all.

If you are planning to give a netbook as a gift, you not only want to give one of the most popular netbooks, but you may also want to give one that has some color.

The Acer Aspire One is one of the hottest-selling netbooks. While most netbooks come in one or two colors, Acer is now offering the Aspire One in five colors: Seashell White, Onyx Black, Sapphire Blue, Pink and Copper.

J&R is currently selling the 3-Cell, 120GB, Windows XP version for only $349.99 with Free Shipping. And they have all five colors in stock!

	Acer Aspire One 120G 3-Cell XP
	8.9" Display (1024x600), 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1.0 GB DDR2-533 RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, 3 Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• White
• Blue
• Pink
• Copper
• Black

Please note: The information in our price charts is constantly updated with the latest prices and availability.

Holiday Netbook Bargains - Number 2

Posted on December 9, 2008
Filed Under MSI Wind Netbook | Leave a Comment

I’ve researched all the great deals on netbooks for this holiday season. So if your are planning to give someone (maybe even yourself) a netbook as a holiday gift, then pay attention!

I’ve already given you bargains five, four and three. Here is number two:

The MSI Wind U100 is a really nice netbook. With a 10″ screen and a keyboard that is very user-friendly, it is one of the more attractive and easy to use.

Right now, Amazon is offering the 3-cell, 120 GB, Windows XP version in both black and white for only $349.99 with Free Shipping!

	MSI Wind U100 120G 3-Cell XP
	10" Display (1024x600), 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB DDR2-667 RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, 3-Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• White
• Pure White Heart
• Black

Please note: Our price charts are dynamic, which means they are constantly updated with the latest prices.

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