Hasta La Gadget!

Say hello to your latest personal navigation device: a netbook. Dell plans to introduce a GPS and Wi-Fi card that can be integrated into the company’s netbooks to turn them into gizmos that can offer turn-by-turn direction as well as any Garmin or TomTom.

“Smartphones already have GPS capabilities,” says Alan Sicher, senior wireless product manager at Dell. “We are now bringning it to netbooks so the devices know where you are and can help you where you want to go.”

Customers will have the option to buy the $69 card called the Wireless 700 when ordering their Dell Mini 10 netbook.

Dell’s move comes at a time when navigation devices makers are looking beyond the traditional standalone GPS gadget and are offering their software on other devices.  Last month, TomTom announced that its turn-by-turn directions app would be available on the iPhone. TomTom will also offer accessories such as a car mounting dock and power charger. Meanwhile, Dell is hoping to capitalize on the explosive sales of netbooks.

Dell netbooks with the integrated GPS cards will allow consumers to pop open a netbook and get directions and also also make their netbook location aware. For instance, buyers can geo-tag photos on Flickr or check weather information customized to their current location. The Wireless 700 card combines Broadcom’s GPS technology and Skyhook Wireless’ Wi-Fi positioning solutions.

As for the navigation software, it offers 2D and 3D map views, save addresses for a trip and route optimization– pretty much all the things that a standard GPS devices does.

Netbooks are petite devices still it is difficult to imagine consumers carrying it around as a GPS navigation device or using it their car to find their way around–especially when smaller-sized cellphones could do the job.

Sicher says Dell’s GPS-capable netbooks will come in handy for international travelers. “If you are traveling to Europe romaing costs can be pretty pricey for your cellphone,” he says.

The GPS netbooks could also be handy in areas where cellphone coverage is weak, says Sicher. But there’s fine print to the turn-by-turn directions navigation software on the netbook. Though it will be free for buyers of the card and the netbook, the maps will be updated yearly and customers could be charged for the updates.

Dell plans to offer accessories such as car charger and a dock for the netbooks but they will be available later this month. The GPS cards will be available starting July 7.

See Also:

• Dell Mini 10 Netbook Review
  
• Dell Goes in for Plastic Surgery
• Dell’s Adamo Imitates MacBook Air’s Price, Not Its Profile
  
• Dell Introduces Rugged Netbook for Kids

Photo: (watchcaddy/Flickr)

Interesting piece in the New York Times today about Acer — the company is about to ride the tidal wave of netbooks and other el-cheapo computers straight to the number two spot on the PC sales chart. That’s a big deal — no non-US company has ever made it so high — and it’s interesting that the strategies Acer took to get there are the same things Dell’s been trying to do lately: it’s heavy on low-cost, stylish laptops and netbooks, it keeps inventory extremely lean, and it relies on an extensive set of retail partnerships in Europe. What’s more, the Aspire One has been the best-selling netbook for a while now, and we’d say Acer’s way out in front of the CULV thin-and-light race with the Timeline — in fact, we’d say the only open question here is whether the company can take all this computing success and translate it to something worthwhile in the smartphone space. Based on what we’ve seen so far, we’ve got our doubts, but we’ll see what those super-secret Android sets look like before we place our bets.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Acer poised to beat Dell, become number two PC maker originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sorry Nvidia fans, there’s no Nvidia Tegra netbook on the horizon.

Contrary to reports that Nvidia is planning to release a netbook made  by Taiwanese manufacturer Mobinnova under its brand, the company says it has no plans to do so.

“It’s not true,” Derek Perez, director of public relations for Nvidia told Wired.com

Nvidia will focus on getting its Tegra system-on-a-chip into cellphones and mobile internet devices produced by its partners. The company launched Tegra earlier this month as an ultra-low power chip package that could significantly improve audio and video processing capabilities in pint-sized devices. Tegra includes an 800-MHz ARM CPU, a high-definition video processor, an imaging processor, an audio processor and an ultralow-power GeForce GPU, that can be used together or independently.

Nvidia will support Mobinnova, which announced a Tegra-powered netbook called élan earlier this month. The élan is expected to be the size of a hardcover book, weigh less than 2 pounds and offer five to ten hours of high-definition video playback.

Looks like Mobinnova will have to market élan on its own or find another company to rebrand the product.

Photo: Mobinnova élan netbook/Mobinnova

Disney, in partnership with Asus, is set to launch a new netbook called Disney Netpal that will be targeted at kids ages six to 12 and will come with features such as parental controls and a customized Disney user interface.

“This is not a toy,” says Thompson Richmond, director of consumer electronics for Disney Consumer Products. “It’s a real product with features that you can put safely into the hands of kids.”

It just happens to come in pink, with lacey curlicues and a big Disney logo right in the middle.

The $350 netbook will be available in August. Here’s a quick hands on with the Netpal and its key features.

Design

The Disney netbooks are rebranded Asus Eee PCs so if you are familiar with the Asus look and design, there’s a sense of deja vu with the Disney Netpal.

The Netpal will be available in two colors: “blue for boys and pink for girls.” The pink is a Pepto-Bismol pink and has floral patterns on the netbook cover, while the blue is more muted.

The keyboard is built to be “spill-proof,” says Richmond, and the corners of the netbook have been reinforced to ensure it doesn’t crack easily.

The netbook has a 8.9-inch display, Wi-Fi connectivity and comes with the option of a 160 GB hard drive or a 16 GB solid state drive.

In terms of hardware alone, there’s little to distinguish the machine from its peers. In that respect Dell’s latest netbook targeted at kids, which has a rubber-like case and an anti-microbial keyboard, surpasses the Netpal.

User Interface

Where Disney hopes to score over rivals like Dell is in the user experience. Like most netbooks, the Netpal runs Windows XP Home, but it offers two modes on start up: a standard desktop, which turns it into a run-of-the-mill netbook, and a Disney desktop option, which is where all the action is.

The Disney desktop mode allows multiple profiles to be created and the profiles can be customized with icons from the Disney stable such as Mickey Mouse or Snow White.

In the Disney desktop mode, the netbook includes programs such as Disney Pix, a software application that lets users customize photos; Radio Disney, which endlessly belts out music from Taylor Swift and Jonas Brothers; games; and a customized Disney browser.

There are also Disney desktop themes, with choice that ranges from Cars to Hannah Montana.

Parental Controls

Parental controls are the netbook’s cornerstone for Disney.  Since the Netpal is for children, the parental controls are a must and Disney’s netbook integrates the software well into the device.

For instance, in the Disney desktop mode with parental controls running, all emails sent and received by the kid need to be approved by the parent. The customized browser also creates a list of restricted and approved sites.

“We wanted to create a user interface that’s fun, easy and safe to use,” says Richmond.

Overall

Adult users are confused between netbooks and notebooks and dissatisfaction with these pint-sized machines runs high, according to a NPD survey. Performance and ease of use of the keyboard remain key issues.

But Disney seems to have its target audience neatly carved out. The netbook will retail at Amazon.com and Toys’R’Us.

If you can get past the incessant Disney branding and the heavy gender stereotyping, the Netpal has some kid-friendly features that just might make this a good netbook for tiny tots.

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

ASUS has certainly changed the netbook game a bit with its Eee PC Seashell line, aesthetically-speaking, anyway. Slimmed down and sleek, the Seashell’s one of the handsomest netbooks we’ve seen. When we reviewed the 1008HA just a few weeks back, we had just a few minor issues with it, but overall, found it to boast a solid user experience. The Eee PC Seashell 1005HA is nearly identical to its elder brother, but presents some small changes for the better without sacrificing these now famous looks. Read on for our full impressions and hands-on photo gallery.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1005HA hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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