Netbook

Acer Unveils Colorful Aspire One Happy 2 Netbooks


 Acer Aspire One Happy 2 Netbooks

Did you think netbooks were a thing of the past? Think again. Acer just announced the new Aspire One Happy 2 line of netbooks with flavorful colors including "Banana Cream," "Blueberry Shake," "Papaya Milk," and "Strawberry Yogurt."

The netbooks sport a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display and feature the Intel Atom N570 dual-core processor, integrated Intel graphics, up to 8 hours of battery life and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. The netbooks have a white keyboard that is 93 percent the size of a standard keyboard, a built-in 0.3 megapixel Webcam and microphone, and include 1GB of DDR3 memory and a 250GB hard drive.

Measuring 1-inch thin and weighing just over 2-1/2 pounds, the Happy 2 line of netbooks also come with Windows 7 Starter and Microsoft Office Starter 2010.

The Acer Aspire One Happy 2 Series Netbooks are available now for just $269.99.

A Home Office Widow's Three Stages of Tech Adoption

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com


 BlackBerry Curve 3G

This dispatch is from BestStuff technology and home office contributor Jeff Zbar, who's on a three-week family road trip through the American West. Whether you're a road warrior, a home-based business owner, a teleworker, or just a family in search of the freedom of the road, enjoy Jeff's commentary. Want to learn more? Hit www.chiefhomeofficer.com.

My wife is no technophile. When her netbook wigs out, drops its wifi connection or otherwise gets kinda jiggy, she loses it and shuts the cover. "I hate technology," she'll grumble.

She's had a Facebook going on two years now. But she never uses it. Twitter? Isn't that a nervous response to an unsettling situation – like using technology?

You could say that, aside from insects, prison movies and my immature annoyances, she hates nothing more than technology.

Call her Robbie, Queen of the Luddites.

I think she's slowing realizing, though, that she cannot live — or at least work — in the 21st Century without some tech in her life.

As a nurse practitioner with a budding side business in patient tutorials, she should receive and reply to emails throughout the day. Yet, she could go days without checking email, leading her clients to re-send – and then call – wondering if she received their work assignments.Read more

iWhatever is the Answer...What Was the Question?


 Road House, 1989

"All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."Dalton, "Road House" (1989), Silver Pictures

If Steve Jobs had a Facebook page, he'd probably have more "likes" than, well…anyone.

He doesn't though, he prefers Twitter…yeah, right!

Some people even go beyond liking Steve. Remember the guy at Apple's WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) who blurted out, "Steve, we love you."?

Cupertino city council had a similar view when he presented Apple's super concept for the company's new campus.

Come on, the spaceship is cool.

It'll be great to see a building in the Valley that isn't just another tilt-up slab.Read more

Home Office Highway: Americana a Way Norman Rockwell Never Envisioned

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com


 Home Office Highway

Summertime's a great time to hit the open road – without leaving life behind. Technology widely available to the consumer market helps the "anywhere" office – and online personality – come alive without an electrical outlet or Ethernet cable in sight. This is Americana in a way Norman Rockwell never could have imagined.

This summer, the Home Office Highway '11 road show will showcase the tech, tools and tips that empower people to work and play from the interstate highway – or the information superhighway. The three-week excursion and social media event will highlight how "location independence" can be found wherever life's journey ventures.

This year, we'll travel from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco. Part sightseeing trip, part college tour, all fun-n-games. The van will have laptops, digital cameras and other technology common to the modern family home.

As families grow up, so do their technology needs, even when they're on vacation. We'll file blogs, Facebook updates, tweets and videos from the road. We'll even manage family finances effortlessly from anywhere. "With wifi, the cloud and a computer, you can work and play from anywhere." Read more

A Bad Idea Isn't a Strategy, Just a Bad Idea


 Fool's Gold, Warner Brothers

"It's difficult to maintain enthusiasm for your leadership when you keep getting beat up by that old man." Alfanz, Fool's Gold, Warner Brothers (2008)

You have to admire Google. They're masters at giving stuff away free and making it up on the backend … selling your click, interest, movements to others.

O.K., that's about it.

Their other strategies have taken the gleam off their golden touch:

  • Nexus was an empty mine
  • So few folks download Android/Honeycomb apps that developers focus on the Apple mines that have action
  • Google convinced a lot of companies to throw money into their wet, musty TV mine; they just forgot the content owners
  • The Google music mine was empty at first and … yep, pretty much still is
Read more

Best Buy Offers Last-Minute Deals for Mother's Day


 HP Raspberry Plaid Netbook

Best Buy is offering great last-minute deals – on everything from entertainment, mobile and computing products to personal care and fitness products – with a Mother's Day Sale that runs through Saturday, May 7.

The following offers are available in stores and at BestBuy.com:

Read more

Best Buy's Buy Back Program Begins


 Best Buy Buy Back Program

Best Buy on Monday launched a Buy Back Program created for those who want to have the most current electronics. With the Buy Back Program, Best Buy will "buy back" your laptop, netbook, tablet, mobile phone, or television anytime within 2 years of purchase (4 years for TVs), and give you a Best Buy gift card (see value schedule below) to use towards another purchase.

The Buy Back Program is purchased when you buy your new devices, with pricing based on the product category. For example, Buy Back protection for a laptop, netbook or tablet is $69.99.

Different from other retail trade-in programs, you don't have to wait for re-payment and can immediately apply money from your Buy Back product to the purchase of new products at Best Buy. You'll know exactly what you'll be paid up front, based on the following Buy Back Program value schedule: Read more

CES 2011 Predictions


 CES logo

CES 2011 officially opens on Thursday, January 6th and Retrevo is already getting a sense of what products and categories are going to stand out from the crowd. They still believe that 2011 will be the year of the tablet and expect to see lots of them in Las Vegas. They have provided us with the following predictions for 2011 CES:

Android Tablets Will Be Everywhere

Google may have been caught off guard in 2010 as far as a tablet-friendly version of Android but with new versions including Gingerbread and Honeycomb about ready to ship we expect to see Android-based tablets make up for lost ground this year. We expect to see large crowds gathering around a Honeycomb-based tablet at the Motorola booth. Android tablets will most likely be featured in booths from vendors like LG, Toshiba, Samsung, Acer, Asus, MSI, Dell, Lenovo, and many others while we expect to see Windows Phone 7 (or some other Microsoft mobile OS) running on tablets in the Microsoft booth. HP and Palm have managed to keep the wraps on their "PalmPad," tablet but we could see a WebOS tablet make an appearance at the show as well. Intel will surely have something to promote in the tablet "engine" department along with Nvidia who will be bragging about Tegra 2's graphic processing power for tablets. Read more

Dell's Inspiron duo is both Tablet and Netbook


 Dell Inspiron duo

Last week Dell introduced the Inspiron duo convertible tablet. Offering something different than the other tablets hitting store shelves, the Inspiron duo features a flip-hinge design, allowing you to use it as touchscreen tablet or like a netbook with full keyboard.

The Inspiron duo comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium and a dual-core processor. It starts at $549. An optional Inspiron duo Audio Station dock with built-in media card reader is also available for an additional $100. It features JBL speakers, two additional USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet adapter and battery charger.

"Dell is changing the shape of computing, with products that usher in new experiences and allow people to stay connected to each other and the content they love from almost anywhere," said Sam Burd, vice president, Dell Consumer, Small and Medium Business Product Group. "The new Inspiron duo's dual purpose delivers one-touch access to great content and yet offers the functionality of a full keyboard for more intensive applications. We're excited to offer such an innovative and unique design to our customers."Read more

HP Rolls Out $299 Netbook for Small Businesses


 HP Mini 1103

HP today announced a new netbook for small businesses – the HP Mini 1103. Its most affordable business Mini to date, the 2.78 pound Mini 1103 is priced at only $299. But don't let the price tag fool you; this 10.1-inch Mini is packed with an Intel Atom N455 or N475 processor, allowing it to run cooler, use less power and have a longer battery life. Additional features include up to 2 GB SDRAM, a 93 percent full-size keyboard, webcam and Window 7 Starter.

Connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi Certified WLAN or optional integrated HP Mobile Broadband. Integrated Bluetooth allows connectivity to other Bluetooth devices, while HP QuickSync synchronizes data across devices. The Mini 1103 also includes HP QuickWeb for getting online in just seconds, even if the Mini is turned off. Battery options include a 3-cell battery or a 6-cell battery for all-day computing.

The HP Mini 1103 is expected to be available in December, starting at just $299.

Syndicate content