Next-gen OLPC to drool for

The first generation of OLPCs may cost as little as toys, but unfortunately look too much like a plaything as well. It's hard to imagine doing serious work on a device which looks more comfortable on the shelves of Toys R Us than in the office.

But the next iteration looks straight out of a Star Trek catalog. Though the first generation missed its US$100 mark and eventually cost US$188, the new version's target price is an even more ambitious US$75. According to the press release, the next generation will be smaller, cheaper, use less power and comes with dual touch-sensitive displays for use as an Ebook.

The current picture shows only a concept design, though hopefully the final unit won't be too far off. No information on when a prototype is expected, but we'll keep an eye out.

Via CNET Crave

ASUS: No WiMax for next Eee PC

WiMax supporters insist the technology is set to take off this year. If it does, it will have to do so without the help of the ASUS Eee PC 901. After giving it some thought, Asus has decided not to integrate the long-range wireless technology in its next mini-laptop, citing a lack of maturity in the US market, according to a report from DigiTimes.

Given the popularity of the Eee PC and Eee PC 900, ASUS' current low-cost little laptops, a WiMax-enabled Eee PC 901 might have given the fledging wireless technology a boost later this year. Instead, WiMax's chief investors--Sprint, Clearwire, Comcast, Time Warner, Intel, Motorola, and Google--will look to Samsung's next version of the Q1 Ultra to help lead the WiMax charge in the US.

Although ASUS has put the kibosh on a WiMax-enabled Eee PC for the moment, the company intends to add WiMax to its mainstream 14- and 15-inch laptops later this year, according to DigiTimes. By the time we start seeing laptops with WiMax, however, we might be talking about LTE-enabled laptops for use on AT&T and Verizon's forthcoming 4G wireless network.

Via Crave CNET | Source: The Tech Report

Wafer-thin: Samsung's OLED laptop prototype

This picture of a Samsung OLED laptop prototype raises more questions than it answers. Just how thin and light is it? Is touch-typing possible on that keyboard? Where's the mouse pad? What's that panel behind the display? Why is the woman pictured on the display checking her pulse? When can I have one?

What a translated-from-the Korean Samsung page does reveal is that it's an AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode) laptop prototype that Samsung's display division developed for the Society for Information Display's gathering in Los Angeles next week. According to Samsung, the prototype features a 12.1-inch screen with a 1,280x768 resolution. Perhaps we'll be able to glean more information next week when the display scientists, engineers, and manufacturers get together. As for when we might see this product on store shelves, Samsung has previously stated it'll start rolling out OLED TVs, monitors, and laptops in 2009.

Via Crave CNET | Source: Engadget

Atom-based ASUS Eee PC 901 spotted

It seems as if only yesterday we were marveling at ASUS' new 9-inch Eee PC 900 (actually, it wasn't yesterday, it was Monday). About the only thing we didn't love about this pocket-sized marvel was its dated Celeron processor--especially since the fine folks at Intel have been talking up this whole Atom thing for so long (that's the company's new low-cost, low-power CPU especially made for netbook-style laptops).

We knew ASUS was working on an Atom-based version of the Eee PC, and now we have the first photos of what will be called the Eee PC 901--posted on French site blogeee.net. It looks pretty much the same--we see a slightly reworked hinge, the AC adapter plug has been moved from the rear to the side, and there seems to be some unlabeled quick-launch buttons right above the keyboard.

No pricing or availability information has been released, but the Magic 8-ball points to summer 2008, and it probably cost about the same as the current US$550 model.

Via Crave CNET

Samsung may abandon laptops by 2011

Samsung will cease operation of its laptop division if it doesn't improve its market share by 2011, according to one of the company's senior managers.

The news was broken to Crave UK while on a visit to Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea. Sukyong Hong, the senior manager of Overseas Sales and Marketing for the company's computer division, said an additional 11 million units must be sold worldwide by the year 2011 in order to reach 5.7 percent market share--a massive task, considering Samsung's worldwide market share has grown only from 1.2 percent in 2005 to 1.7 percent in 2007.

To stay afloat, Samsung says it will have to--at least--overtake Sony, which currently lays claim to 6 percent of the laptop market. The rest of its primary competitors seem out of reach. Toshiba has 10 percent, Dell is on 14 percent, Acer has 16 percent, and Hewlett-Packard tops the charts on 23 percent.

One of the most obvious ways of increasing market share is to venture into the mini-PC market, along with the likes of ASUS, HP, and MSI, but Samsung seems reluctant to do so. The company fears that making a low-cost laptop will jeopardize sales of its existing machines.
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