By the year 2015 we could all fly to work with personal jetpacks, the internet may have been taken down by a global virus, and people will use tin cans and strings to talk to one another across great distances (of 25 feet or less). In other words, I’m always a bit wary when someone makes a prediction about what…

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There were an awful lot of devices running Google Android at CES this year. That includes tablets and ARM-based mini-laptops (call them smartbooks or netbooks if you like). But you know who didn’t have one to show? Asus. This despite the fact that the company kind of, sort of showed one off at Computex in June last year. In an…

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[/caption] For the past 12 months or so, we’ve heard a lot of talk about mini-laptops running ARM-based processors. These so-called “smartbooks” feature low power ARM processors which means that while they can’t run Windows XP or 7, they can run Linux, last for a very long time on a charge, and some feature integrated 3G connectivity and HD video…

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Did that rumored $799 price tag for the Nokia Booklet 3G turn you off? Well, first, it’s just a rumor at this point. And second, it looks like the Booklet might not be the only clamshell laptop-style device coming from Nokia. DigiTimes reports that the cellphone maker is working with Taiwanese netbook makers to produce a mini-laptop with an ARM-based…

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Asus teased a few journalists and bloggers with a prototype of a netbook running Google Android and powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragom processor on the eve of Computex in June. But the prototype hasn’t been seen since, and according to PC World, it may never see the light of day. Asus CEO Jerry Shen reportedly says he doesn’t see a…

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Word on the street is that we could see  a new entry in the Smartbook space from Sony Ericsson. And when I say “street,” I mean Netbook News, which heard a rumor from a “reliable Taiwanese source.” Of course, Sony already has a few entries in the mini-laptop space. The company’s Vaio P line of computers that are smaller and…

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Microsoft has no plans to port Windows 7 to run on ARM processors. At least, no official plans. Instead, the company is suggesting that PC makers using ARM-based chips for their netbooks or “smartbooks” go with Windows Embedded CE, which can support devices with ARM, x86, and MIPS based rocessors. IDG’s Dan Nystedt got a chance to ask Microsoft Windows…

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There are two major trends in the netbook space today. On the one hand, PC makers are putting out ultraportable laptops with bigger screens and keyboards and faster processors. We’re talking 11 and 12 inch models with Intel CULV or AMD NEO chips. These machines might not strictly fit last year’s definition of a netbook. But PC makers are taking…

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[/caption] I stopped by a panel discussion at the CEA Line Show today moderated by Laptop Magazine’s Mark Spoonauer.  The panel included executives from Samsung, HP, Verizon, and Intel talking about the current state of netbooks as well as the future. Afterward, I got a chance to catch up with Intel General Manager for nettops and netbooks Noury Al-Khaledy to ask…

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