Chip maker Broadcom designs the HD video accelerator found in a handful of netbooks today, as well as a wired and wireless communication technology found in a huge number of phones, computers, digital media boxes, and other devices. With tablet-style devices set to take over the world (or at least with dozens of PC makers looking to release tablets in…

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NVIDIA has yet to officially unveil its ION 2 platform. But based on a series of leaks, announcements, and the fact that the Acer Aspire One 532g with next-generation NVIDIA ION made a surprise appearance at Mobile World Congress in Spain last week, here’s what we know: ION 2 is basically a GeForce GT218 that can be paired with an…

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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset is showing up in a growing number of smartphones including the Google Nexus One and HTC Desire. But this 1GHz ARM-based CPU with integrated wireless and HD video capabilities isn’t just for phones. It’s also capable of powering tablet and smartbook-style devices. And Sascha from Netbook News.de checked out a few of the demo units on display…

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There are all sorts of touchscreens out there. But one of the biggest lines diving, say, an iPhone touchscreen from those found on many tablets, notebooks, and Windows Mobile phones is the line between screens that accept stylus input and those that are finger-friendly. It’s rare to find a touchscreen that can handle both types of input, which is a…

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Looking to spend some quality time with Google Android, but don’t feel like plunking down the cash for a smartphone and then shelling out more money each month for a data plan? I already told you about one relatively affordable option this week: The Archos 5 Internet tablet which starts at just $250. But Taiwanese PC maker Foxconn has an…

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Windows 7 includes a number of touch-friendly features including support for tap-and-drag, pinch-to-zoom, and other gestures. The new taskbar is nice and big and features large icons for launching applications. And the on-screen keyboard is designed for tapping with your fingers rather than a stylus. But PC makers Asus and Acer seem to think that Microsoft hasn’t gone quite far…

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Sure, the folks at Moblin recently announced that they were merging with the Maemo project to develop a new OS called MeeGo. But that hasn’t stopped PC makers from installing the latest version of the Moblin netbook operating system on their latest models and showing them off at trade shows like Mobile World Congress and CES. Last month, MSI showed…

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The Samsung N150 is one of the first netbooks that will ship with an integrated 4G LTE modem. Notebook Italia got a chance to check one of these recently announced LTE-enabled netbooks out at Mobile World Congress in Spain, and discovered something totally unsurprising: The LTE version of the N150 doesn’t look much different from plain old WiFi-only version of…

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The OpenTablet 7 from OpenPeak is a touchscreen tablet with a 7 inch display. You could probably have figured that out from the name. Here’s what the name doesn’t tell you: It features 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and 3G mobile broadband connectivity. It’s powered by an Intel Moorestown CPU, and can serve double duty as a phone and wireless media/web…

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The Dell Mini 5 tablet looks like an oversized smartphone, and kind of acts like one too. It has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (which is the same CPU powering the Google Nexus One phone), and runs the Google Android operating system. But it’s 4.8 inch display is larger than any screen you’ll find on a cellphone anytime soon, making…

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The companies behind the Moblin Linux interface for netbooks and Maemo Linux-based OS for Nokia Internet Tablets such as the Nokia N900 have announced that they’re merging the two projects to form one uber-OS designed for netbooks, tablets, mobile devices, in-vehicle entertainment systems, and internet-connected televisions. The new OS is called MeeGo, and there’s not much information about what it…

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A few days after HP Spain unveiled the company’s first ARM-based Smartbook running the Google Android operating system, Chippy from UMPC Portal spotted one on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Chippy says the user interface looks good and works well with the touchscreen. He was impressed with the build quality, keyboard, and light weight. Overall, the Compaq Airlife…

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