Samsung’s relatively long-awaited N510 netbook has arrived in the states, just in time for Cyber Monday. It’s a fairly standard ‘ol netbook, but Samsung is marketing it as the “entertainment netbook,” featuring a 16:9, LED-backlit display with an NVIDIA Ion processor for 720p HD capability. That should look pretty nice, even if the screen is only 11.6 inches. It also boasts a 7-hour battery life, 3 USB 2.0 slots, a 3-in-1 card reader, and interestingly, Windows XP (though some retailers will surely sell units equipped with Windows 7). At $599, it’s a little on the steep side for a netbook, but look for this price to drop, perhaps as a doorbuster item in the lead-up to Christmas.
The world’s first convertible netbook-tablet for Windows 7 has arrived stateside. The specs for the ASUS EEE T91mt are pretty similar to the regular ol’ T91, though it does ship with Windows 7 Home Premium and the hard drive is twice as large.
This is an exciting development because we’ve been waiting for a convertible like this one to take full advantage of Windows 7’s advanced touchscreen capabilities. As we previously discussed, touchscreens are all nice and fine, but will end up a novelty on desktop computers–arm strain is an issue, and mouses are easier to use anyway. But a tiny machine like the TC91mt eliminates the strain problem (just lay it flat!) and the touchscreen capabilities could prove to be very useful for, say, students who use it to hand-write class notes with a stylus.
In any case, the T91mt features an 8.9-inch multi-touch swivel display, 1.33GhZ Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB RAM, 32SSD, and a 5-hour battery life.
Apple’s signature touchpad is now available on both their MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops. Now, let’s say you love the features that the touchpad provides you, but you just prefer to control the movement of your cursor with a mouse instead of a touchpad. Unfortunately, you had to choose one or the other — until now. Apple has found a solution for those of you with mouse-separation anxiety: the new Magic Mouse.
Upon first glance, the Magic Mouse is truly an odd-looking creature. It doesn’t seem like something this simple could do anything besides move a cursor. It has no buttons or wheels on it whatsoever. But–and here is where your eyes deceive you–the top of the Magic Mouse has a multi-touch area, and the entire mouse functions as a large button. So, all of the features available on the trackpad are now available to laptop users who prefer a mouse–even iMac users. These features include standard clicking, right clicking, scrolling, zooming, and a few others. Finally, if things get a little too complicated and you would prefer to disable some features, you can easily go into the settings and do as you please.
Apple has also added a few other upgrades, such as Bluetooth wireless connectivity and a more sensitive laser-tracking engine, giving you more control. Also, the technology outfitted in the Magic Mouse can easily differentiate between zooming, swiping, scrolling, and every other action you can perform. So, don’t worry about the mouse not being able to perform exactly as you wish. Priced at $69, this is definitely an accessory that Mac users and even those considering purchasing a Mac, should check out.