Gateway’s EC14D series notebook has an 11.6 inch display and Intel CULV processor — which does absolutely nothing to set it apart from a dozen similar models from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. But here’s one thing that does set it apart: This laptop has a built in DVD burner. The Gateway EC14D07U went on sale in the US…

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The E-NC10 is a Chinese netbook that bears a slight resemblance to the Samsung NC10. But only slight. While the Samsung NC10 has a 10 inch display and chromed edges, the E-NC10 is a larger model with an 11.6 inch display and plastic where the Samsung netbook’s chrome is located. But the E-NC10 has a few things that you don’t…

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The Gateway EC14D is an 11.6 inch thin and light laptop with an Intel CULV processor. There’s nothing too surprising there. Acer, Gateway, and Packard Bell (which are all really the same company) have more than a half dozen similar models between them. What sets the EC14D apart from the crowd is the fact that it also has a DVD…

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past 2 years, it’s that I don’t often need an optical disc drive on a netbook. I mean sure, a USB disc drive comes in handy if I’m trying to install a new operating system or perform a system restore. But that’s really about it. And I’m guessing I do that sort…

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It takes a lot to distinguish your netbook or nettop from the competition these days. After all, they all seem to be about the same size and have similar specs. But the Onkyo P305A3 does stand out from the crowd a bit thanks to one interesting feature: an optional DVD drive that can be attached to the nettop. To be…

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Most netbooks with 10 inch and smaller displays lack optical disc drives for 4 reasons: It helps keep down the cost Fewer moving parts to break There’s not a lot of room in most netbooks for a disc drive Microsoft only makes low cost Windows XP licenses available to PC makers for netbooks that meet strict specifications, and a disc…

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Remember floppy disks? Once upon a time, every computer came with a floppy drive for saving files and loading documents. Now you’ll be hard pressed to find a PC with a floppy disk drive thanks to the prevalence of CD, DVD, and even Blu-Ray drives. But we could be moving toward a world where even optical disc drives are obsolete….

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