Whether or not Apple reinvents the tablet PC, it's an idea whose time has finally come. By now you have probably heard of Apple's much-rumored, almost mythical tablet, which the blogosphere has been buzzing about for the last couple of months. Read more…

Mini-laptops based on Arm chips are set to make their way to users, which could heat up the battle in a space dominated by netbooks with Intel's Atom chips. Sharp last week announced the PC-Z1, also called the NetWalker, which will be one of the first mini-laptops based on an Arm chip to reach store shelves. The device has a 5-inch touch screen and a 68-key keyboard and offers 10 hours of battery life. It is designed for those who rely on the Web for computing, and it will start shipping in Japan by the end of September. Read more…

RUMOURS THAT APPLE is about to launch a tablet, similar to the Ipod Touch but larger, have been big on excitement and short on detail. One thing is for sure - if Apple does not come up with one, it risks falling behind in what could become the most important transition in hardware since the late seventies when microprocessors brought nearly mainframe-like power to the desktop. Thirty years on, that power is coming for the first time to truly portable computers, that is, machines small enough to be carried by choice rather than necessity. They are already changing the industry and they will surely evolve into the definitive platform of the early 21st century. Read more…

Netbook makers say the small laptop computers are perfect for Goldilocks - not too big, not too small, just right. But Nvidia wonders if smaller Internet-connected smartbooks might make the netbooks line look like a fairy tale. Read more…

The worst tablet pc I ever purchased was the Dell Latitude XT. It was riddled with bugs, was overpriced, and is still not a shoe-in to get Windows 7 Touch logo certified. Prove me wrong N-Trig and get what was once marketed as the most future-proof tablet on the market, Windows 7 Touch Logo certified. As least give me a little something to be thankful for. Read more…

Modern clamshell and tablet designs have solved many of these issues: screen sizes exceed 17”, RAM can be several gigabytes, and weight can be less than three pounds, deservedly earning names like the Air. What hasn’t been solved is ergonomics, and that’s a costly problem. Read more…

Carl Weinschenk spoke to Creative Strategies' President Tim Bajarin.
Weinschenk: What dynamic is taking place in the sector between smartphones and laptops?
Bajarin: The big trend is that netbooks have evolved to become smaller notebooks because most of them go out the door with Windows XP in them. Microsoft, Dell and HP have not dubbed them mini notebooks. But by nature what these have become is an extension of the notebook line – smaller, lighter notebooks. This smaller notebook category caught the attention of the carriers. HP has cut a major deal with Verizon Wireless. They sell the HP Mini notebook through Verizon for $199 plus a $40 or $50 [extra charge]. Weinschenk: But you suggest there is something of a split. Read more…

Now, another type of netbook is emerging: Qualcomm—and its telecomm partners—seem intent on calling it a smartbook. As they see it, a smartbook may look like a netbook, but it's ultimately designed to be more of an always-on connected device, with browser and Web- or cloud-based apps and services tied to what will be a complete set of telecom-related solutions. Read more…

Just when consumers were starting to understand the concept of the netbook — those smaller-than-laptops PCs — the electronics industry is lobbing another category of computer at them. Now a group of electronics companies that use the ARM processor have banded together to turn netbooks into smartbooks. Read more…

It is safe to say that Netbooks are becoming an increasingly popular trend with sales this year predicted to triple the amount sold in 2008. Web based applications and mobile networking is as trendy as ever, and people are searching for cheaper ways to get their fix. Read more…

In today's fast-paced, efficiency-driven world, mobile computing has evolved from a capability that is nice to have to one that is necessary.  Read more…. Read more…

The recession has hit personal-computer makers, but their pain is good news for PC buyers. Read more…

MOBILE computing can make a financial difference in various parts of a business – whether it’s sales, servicing, delivery, maintenance, certification, repairs, inspections, asset tracking or stock control . Read more…

Despite this optimism in the market, laptop or notebook computer vendors must guard against the reduction in ASP. The laptop market, like many electronics or technology markets, continues to see severe erosion in price points. Read more…

Today, notebooks are second class no more. More notebook machines will be sold worldwide this year than desktops, the first time in the industry’s history, according to the research firm IDC. Read more…

Women will account for as much as 60 percent of future potential netbook customers according to internal Intel forecasts. Read more…

The next stage in mobile computing is to put some interesting plays on the stage. Read more…

As the mobile web evolves, he said, it's no longer good enough to simply port the PC experience to the phone's small screen - it's time to start building "mobile-first" products instead. Read more…

"The netbook effect" means you're not going to pay a lot for your next laptop. This summer's models will be dramatically cheaper and more powerful—including models for business, too. Read more…

No one said that mobile development was going to be easy. Read more…

Laptops, with their more advanced computing solutions, will continue to steal a march over desktop computers until 2014. The ruggedized mobile computer market is also likely to find the going good due to significant demand from specialized enterprise vertical markets Read more…

Mobile broadband services will become necessary to remain competitive in emerging markets and will increasingly be used as a substitute for fixed broadband, according to the latest report by Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com), the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network. Read more…

As the trend toward super-small laptops heats up, more computer makers are looking for a piece of the action. Read more…

Will the company unveil a netbook this summer? Read more…

Sales for personal computers will fall by double digits for the first time in history during 2009, according to the analyst firm Gartner. Read more…

Hewlett-Packard has already overtaken the top spot for worldwide PC sales, but the company is making a stronger run than ever at the business notebook. Read more…

A quick list of the top computing and communications predictions for 2009, ranging from smartphones to supercomputers. Read more…

The term "netbook" becomes a household name because many homes have adopted one or two as a second computer, child’s computer, or mobile companion. Read more…

The use of mobile devices will continue to increase. Cloud computing offloads processing and storage requirements to Web-based servers. Read more…

Article Quotes: 2007 was undoubtedly the "Year of the Notebook." According to analysts, laptop shipments rose 21 percent to a total of 31.6 million units, while desktops sales dropped 4 percent to a total of 35 million units. IDC believes that 2008 will be the first year that notebook sales will exceed desktop sales and by 2011, it expects laptops to represent 66 percent of corporate purchases, with 71 percent of consumers picking a notebook instead of a tower.

"Notebook purchases are driving consumers beyond one PC per household to one PC per person and manufacturers are reacting by focusing their attention on customization and personalization," said Bob O'Donnell, IDC's vice president of Clients and Displays. Read more…

Mobile computing is commonplace for much of corporate America. Employees routinely use cell phones and PDAs, enabling them to work beyond the physical confines of their offices. These ubiquitous devices, however, represent only a fraction of the innovations used by modern companies to facilitate working anytime, anywhere.

Statistics: By 2009, an estimated 14 million workers will be telecommuting or, perhaps more aptly phrased, teleworking. [April 2007 study by Gartner Dataquest].Others have estimated that as many as 22 million people today already work one or more days a week in nontraditional locations. [James Ware & Charles Grantham, Flexible Work: Rhetoric and Reality, at 2, Feb. 2008]. With at least 27.5 percent of the working population estimated to participate in teleworking arrangements by 2009, [April 2007 study by Gartner Dataquest] teleworking is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored.Read more…

You've no doubt heard of the "$100 laptop" project. The idea is to help poor kids around the world by providing them with simple, durable, usable and wireless laptops for downloading and using textbooks and educational software, playing games and communicating… A prototype of the next version was unveiled last month, and it looks a lot like the laptop you're going to buy in five years. Read more…