## Tuesday, February 17, 2009

### Xandros Linux on ARM - When on first ARM Netbook?

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Very interesting news: Xandros has been ported to ARM, we'll soon see EEE PC with an ARM processor?Link to the article: http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2075296337.html
See also chart of 2009-2010 netbook processors and operating systems
"Xandros is porting its desktop Linux distribution -- noted for use in the pioneering Asus EEE netbook -- to two ARM-based platforms for netbooks and other mobile devices. The ports are part of a larger push to support ARM-based devices, including 3G-enabled MID-like devices and even smartphones, says Xandros.
The two Xandros ports are to the Qualcomm Snapdragon and netbook-focused Freescale i.MX515. The ports will include "a variety" of user applications, and will support both keyboard and touchscreen input, says Xandros. Applications are said to include a browser, push-based email, PIM, instant messaging, a photo viewer, a media player, and a Microsoft Office-compatible office suite."

## Tuesday, February 10, 2009

### Kindle 2 on sale/pre order at Amazon.com

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A little off-topic here, however there is a major news: the new Kindle 2 can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com and will be shipped end of February.
I must say the after looking around in the Kindle Store I understand the reason for the big sales success: I'm impressed from the big selection of books and magazines and especially the low price tag. If you are a "power reader" the saving is considerable, you pay:

- $9.99 for new books
- $9.99-$13.99 monthly for newspapers (it means $0,30 to $0,50 per issue!)
- $1.50 for magazines

You can download any time the book/issue you want via 3G wireless, of course you don't pay the data transfer.
Some features of the new Kindle :
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books
Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you
Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available
Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

## Sunday, February 8, 2009

### Netbook Buyer guide update with ExpressCard and High Speed Wifi search

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I already presented the EEE Netbook database, now I've added the possibility to refine the search for netbooks on sale with ExpressCard, high speed Wifi (WLAN draft n) support and a weight limit.
Direct link to the EEE Netbook database/finder
Some examples:

- find 10-inch netbook with high capacity battery and ExpressCard
- any netbook with ExpressCard and weight below 1000gr
- 10-inch netbook below 1000gr and high speed wifi (draft n)i

## Friday, February 6, 2009

### Atom N280 shipping with GN40 Chipset

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Intel started shipping the new Atom N280 together with the GN40 chipset. Both N280 and GN40 aren't mentioned at all in Intel website.
Intel deleted the the confidential document with first official information on CPU clock 1,66GHz (just 0,06 GHz more) and bus of 533MHz while news sites worldwide talk about 667MHz FSB.
In any case, we'll see very soon the first Atom N280 netbooks. Asus and others already announced the first models.
GN40 vs 945GSE: voice say that the (compared to the 945GSE) the FN will have much better 3D performance and will be able to play high video (blue ray). On the other hand, according to unofficial information, the Atom N280+GN40 should be slightly less power efficient.
GN40 vs Nvidia Ion: I doubth that the GN40 will outperform the Ion in 3D performance, Intel doesn't have a big 3D tradition however who knows...
In any case you know what I mean about 3D performance and benchmarks for netbooks: I'm sure that 3D games are not of interest for the vast majority of netbook users! Who really cares about 3D benchmarks for netbooks? If you want to play 3D games you won't be happy with a netbook, the display is far too small and the processor isn't that powerful...
Other posts on Intel Atom

## Sunday, February 1, 2009

### Netbook Processors and Operating Systems for 2009-2010

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Relevant posts

- posts on Apple / Leopard OS on netbooks
- posts on Atom processor
- posts on VIA Nano processor
- posts on dual core processors for netbooks

Netbooks/mini laptops represent now a significant part of the overall IT market, million unit of EEE PC, Aspire One, Samsung NC10 and MSI Wind were sold in weeks.
The netbook race started and in the next 6months to one year we'll see new processors and I bet also the first Android netbooks. The figure shows a possible scenario of operating systems and processors used in netbooks for 2009-2010.
1) Netbook processors
The vast majority of netbooks shipped today are equipped with Intel Atom processor, VIA C7 and Celeron netbooks are almost not shipped anymore.
A lot is moving in the netbook processors segment: we already saw netbooks mounting a MIPS processor, the first VIA Nano netbooks are coming in weeks and a bunch of ARM based netbooks are under development (see below). Voices say that also Apple is developing an own processor (ARM based).
Available Netbook Processors

- Intel Celeron, Atom, Core
- AMD Geode
- VIA Nano, C7
- Ingenic JZ4740 (MIPS based)

Netbook Processors 2009-2010

- x86 compatible: Intel Atom (single and dual core), Intel Core, VIA Nano (single and dual core), AMD Neo, Godson 3 (?)
- ARM based: Qualcomm Snapdragon, Freescale i.MX515, ZiiLabs ZMS-05, Apple (?)
- MIPS based: Ingenic JZ4740, Godson 3(?)

To be noted that Godson 3 processor is built on top of MIPS cores however implements x86 compatibility.
2) Netbook operating systems
While Microsoft Windows well supports x86 compatible processors, ARM and MIPS based processors aren't supported by Windows XP/Vista/7 and I don't think that the situation will change very soon unless ARM and MIPS processors will get a big success in the netbook market. It is also true that ARM and MIPS are already supported by Windows Mobile, however I don't think that Microsoft will let Windows Mobile and Windows 7 compete in the netbook segment.
In any case ARM and MIPS are omnipresent in portable devices and got a very good Linux support.
The Linux community is very active, the first netbook optimized distributions are coming our (e.g. Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Intel Moblin 2)
Google Android targets mobile devices (e.g. mobile phone), nevertheless I don't see a reason why not to use Android on netbooks as well. It means that the effort spent to port Android on ARM and MIPS platforms may enable an easy porting of Android on ARM and MIPS netbooks.
Apple excuse for not entering the netbook market is that actual netbook processors don't offer enough performance. Apple is waiting for next generation of netbook processors (or his own processor) to present the first "iNetbook" of course running MAC OS / Leopard.
Relevant posts

- posts on Apple / Leopard OS on netbooks
- posts on Atom processor
- posts on VIA Nano processor
- posts on dual core processors for netbooks

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