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'Netbook' computers coming to market

Dell mini computer

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TEXT OF STORY

Scott Jagow: The computer company Dell may be up to something today. Word on the street -- well, the Web -- is that Dell will unveil a new laptop computer today. Mitchell Hartman has more.


Mitchell Hartman: It's a laptop, it's a souped-up cell phone -- well actually, it's neither. These new so-called "netbook" computers are really ultra-compact wireless PCs. They've got a small flip-top screen -- say 10 inches across -- and a stripped-down keyboard. They weigh in at just a few pounds.

Technology analyst Jayson Noland of Robert Baird & Company says what they lack in computing power, they make up for in convenience.

Jayson Noland: These devices are so small, they don't have a lot of storage capacity on them. So you have to use the Internet cloud for a number of things that would typically be resident on some of the larger, more expensive notebooks today.

And the price point is an eye-opener. One report says Dell's will retail for as little as $299. Others are in the $400 to $600 range. Dell declined to comment on its product unveiling, scheduled for later today.

Retail analysts note that Dell and other computer makers have mostly missed the boat for back-to-school sales of netbooks. So expect a big splash when the holiday shopping season comes around.

I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.

About the author

Mitchell Hartman is the senior reporter for Marketplace’s entrepreneurship desk and also covers employment. Follow Mitchell on Twitter @entrepreneurguy
rabian sunky's picture
rabian sunky - Sep 25, 2008

400USD
IPHONE 16GB......$350USD
iPHONE 8GB.........$300USD
IPOD 32GB.........$350USD
NOKIA N96.........$500USD
PS3 60GB..........$300USD
SAMSUNG SGH-U900...........$300USD
SONY ERICSSON XPERIA X1.......$450USD

AND MANY MORE

FULL SPECIFICATION FOR APPLE IPHONE 8GB

Display Type 16M colors
Size 480 x 320 pixels
Camera Resolution 2MP
Video Yes
Flashlight No
Connectivity GPRS Yes
HSDPA No
EDGE Yes
3G Yes
WiFi Yes
Bluetooth Yes
A2DP No
USB Yes
Ringtones Type yes
Memory
Card slot no
Internal user memory 8gb
Battery
Stand-by time Up to 250 hours
Talk time Up to 8 hours
Features Messaging SMS, Email
FM radio No
Games No
Speaker phone Yes
Operating System OS X v10.4.8
Touch-screen Yes
General Network GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Announced 2007, January
Status Available
Size Dimensions 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm
Weight 135 g
Display Type Touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Multi-touch input method
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
3.5 mm headset jack
Memory Phonebook Advanced, Photocall
Call records Yes
Card slot No
4/8 GB shared memory
Data GPRS Yes
HSCSD No
EDGE Yes
3G No
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features OS Mac OS X v10.4.8
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser HTML (Safari)
Games Yes
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video
Google Maps
Widgets support
iPod audio/video player
PIM including calendar, to-do list
Photo browser/editor
Voice memo
Integrated handsfree

Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion
Talk time Up to 5 h

WE MAKE SHIPPMENT VIA UPS OR FEDEX EXPRESS OR DHL EXPRESS IN 2 DAYS AFTER CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT.........

Email address : rabianmobilestock@hotmail.com
.................sunky_22@yahoo.com

Netbook Guru's picture
Netbook Guru - Sep 7, 2008

Indeed, the Dell netbook (mini-laptop, sub-notebook, net-book, ulta portable PC) hit the market with a thud, nearly three weeks later.
Priced higher than we were led to believe, it fell short of expectations.
You can find reviews or even buy one of them, online at www.netbookcomputers.com

rob enderle's picture
rob enderle - Aug 12, 2008

Well, no Dell E notebook for the school kids. Waited until today to see which we would get and Acer One at $340 it will be. You think someone at DELL has ever heard of back to school shopping? Acer One was on sale July 12th, theyve obviously have heard of back to school shopping. As long as the kids are running safely on Linux on a low cost machine that wont bankrupt us, that's all that matters.