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Portables Hardware Technology

Designing The Ultimate Netbook 354

Harden writes "TrustedReviews has an interesting take on what the 'Ultimate Netbook' ought to be. From the article: 'How to solve a problem like the netbook? To my mind, despite nearly every manufacturer taking a stab at the thing, none has yet quite distilled my idea of what the Ultimate Netbook would be. This is partly because, until recently, not everyone had a clear understanding of what a netbook was meant to do, but also because manufacturers have all been far too busy jostling for market share to put a lot of thought into the finer details.' What would your Ultimate Netbook include?"
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Designing The Ultimate Netbook

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  • Easy (Score:5, Funny)

    by antifoidulus ( 807088 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @09:31AM (#25183953) Homepage Journal
    one that can transform into either a Decepticon or a Hooker bot, and is smart enough to know when to turn into each of those.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28, 2008 @09:31AM (#25183955)

    Windows Ultimate of course.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28, 2008 @09:41AM (#25184003)
    1) Gentoo 2) A quantum processor
  • Re:An Apple (Score:3, Funny)

    by danwesnor ( 896499 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @10:15AM (#25184219)

    An Apple Netbook wouldn't be affordable and it would include the usual Apple restrictions and digital rights violations.

    You're talking about Apple circa 1992. The MacBook is quite affordable and doesn't have any "digital rights violations" that I can see.

  • Re:An Apple (Score:3, Funny)

    by Kentaree ( 1078787 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @10:34AM (#25184321) Homepage

    They have. It is called the Air. Just because it is large, doesn't mean it is not a netbook. I think the definition of netbook is wrong in that it requires something under a certain size screen (9-11 inches depending on who is talking).

    Fits in nicely with average price range too...

  • Re:An Apple (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28, 2008 @10:38AM (#25184343)
    The closest Apple has come to having a lightweight notebook was the MacBook Air. Yea... I'm sure they can somehow get that price down to be competitive by cutting out the whole slew of extra features the Air has... oh wait... it barely has any...
  • Re:An Apple (Score:4, Funny)

    by Tubal-Cain ( 1289912 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @10:53AM (#25184441) Journal

    But..But... It would be... environmentally friendly! Yeah, that's it! How can you not see that whatever Apple does is ultimately good for all of us?

  • Re:grrr (Score:2, Funny)

    by bigdavex ( 155746 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @11:11AM (#25184577)
    [Buy more Ovaltine]

    has too many ads.

    << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >>
  • Netbooks (Score:5, Funny)

    by edbob ( 960004 ) on Sunday September 28, 2008 @11:23AM (#25184657)

    1. They need to be cheap. Very cheap. They should be cheap enough that they could be given away much like USB memory sticks are today. A high-end netbook should cost no more than $20. Lower-end models should cost no more than a few dollars.

    2. They need to be powerful to run all the new whiz-bang Web 2.0 stuff and any other application that someone might want to run. The Atom processor may be fine for now, but newer netbooks will need four- or eight-core processors to handle loading web pages. When I press the power button, I want to be ready to go instantly. My first computer booted up in five seconds and it had a 1 MHz (that's megahertz, not gigahertz) processor. With the processors we have now, a computer should be ready to go before I take my finger off the power button.

    3. They need connectivity. Cheap or free Wi-Fi or WiMax so that they can perform their primary function -- loading web pages.

    4. They need to be small. Very small. I should be able to fit one comfortably in my shirt pocket.

    5. They need a large screen to view websites without having to scroll all the time. A 17-inch screen should be minimal with a 19- or 21-inch screen preferred.

    6. The battery needs to last a long time. Even using the wireless connectivity continuously, these things should run for a year or more on two AA batteries.

    7. They need to be durable, yet stylish. I should be able to take it from the job site to the coffee shop. They need to be dust- and water-proof. Maintenance should only consist of a wipe-down with a wet rag to clean off any dust or dirt. I should be able to stick it in the dishwasher to clean it and it should be able to survive being washed and dried with my clothes if it gets forgotten in a pocket.

    8. They need to be dead simple to operate. Someone operating one of these things should not need a CS degree. The interface should be navigable by a 3-year-old. It should not require an easily-lost external mouse or keyboard, but it should have expansion ports (preferably USB) to add one or both if desired.

  • Re:Cheap. (Score:2, Funny)

    by jopsen ( 885607 ) <jopsen@gmail.com> on Sunday September 28, 2008 @03:20PM (#25186301) Homepage
    I guess there's European prices and environmentally irresponsibly American prices... :)

    (I'm sorry for being ) http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/28/1221221&from=rss# [slashdot.org]
  • Re:Easy (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28, 2008 @05:10PM (#25187203)

    I don't know about a Decepticon hooker, but they had a bitch [wikimedia.org].

"May your future be limited only by your dreams." -- Christa McAuliffe

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