Via's ultraslim Nano-based thin-and-light

The new range of 13.3-inch Intel CULV laptops from MSI, Lenovo and Asus are incredibly slim yet pretty affordable. However, to maintain their sleek profile, the units had to forego an internal optical drive and go with an integrated graphics chipset.

At the Computex Taipei tradeshow, Chinese OEM manufacturer Tongfong showcased its latest S30A ultraportable based on the Via Nano chipset. Running off a Via 1.3GHz processor and 2GB RAM, this 13.3-inch laptop is a mere 33mm thick and weighs only 1.4kg. But what gives this machine an edge over other ultraportables in the market is that the S30A sports an discrete S3 Graphics Chrome 435 ULP graphics processor capable of 1080p video output as well as a built-in optical drive.
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Netbook SDHC card: Clever branding or ripoff?

Flash-memory manufacturer SanDisk announced at Computex Taipei a SDHC card aimed at new Netbook owners disappointed with the skimpy internal storage the micro laptops may come with. On the surface--in the middle and on the bottom, too--it seems SanDisk took a bunch of old, slow Class 2 8GB and 16GB SDHC cards, rebranded them as Netbook SDHC Cards, and doubled the price of the cards to US$44.99 (S$64.60)and US$88.99 (S$127.77), respectively; the street prices for ordinary Class 2 SDHC cards are S$35 (US$24.91) and S$65 (US$46.26), respectively.

On the product page, SanDisk points out that this is a fast way to add more lightweight storage for videos, music, and photos that is also "hidden out-of-sight" since it'll be jammed into your Netbook's card slot. I guess this is good if you don't want to use a thumb drive or external hard drive, but it's also something that can be done with any SDHC card. (I wouldn't want personal photos and videos hanging out unprotected on removable storage regardless of type, but maybe that's just me.)
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Fantasy features of an Apple tablet

Apple is rumored to be working on something bigger than an iPod touch, but smaller than a MacBook. Past patent applications filed by the company and whispers from contract manufacturers point to a midsize gadget with a screen of 7 to 8 inches in the works, perhaps scheduled to debut early next year. It's been variously described as a tablet-like device, a "media pad" and an iPod touch on steroids.

But the middle ground between handheld device and traditional laptop has historically been a hard sell to mainstream consumers. Apple has some experience reinventing what were thought to be staid or failed product categories, and is known for its stringent product review process, so if anyone has potential to make something compelling for this "tweener" category, it's the company to do so.
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Buttonless trackpad to hit PCs next year

One key gripe we have for Netbooks is the touchpad. It's either having the traditional buttons under the trackpad design and end up with a smaller touch surface or moving the keys awkwardly to the side like on the HP Mini 1000. Synaptics new ClickPad, which is being showcased at the Computex Taipei show this week, turns the entire trackpad into one large button and eliminates the need for separate keys.
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Psion, Intel settle "Netbook" trademark dispute

Psion and Intel have settled their legal battle over the use of the word "Netbook".

Since early 2008, chipmaker Intel has been using the term to refer to small, cheap, low-powered sub-notebooks, and its Atom chipset has become by far the most popular engine for such machines.

However, British PDA maker Psion registered a trademark for "Netbook" in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1996. The company, which is now called Psion Teklogix and is based in Canada, introduced a handheld device called the NetBook Pro earlier this decade but no longer sells the product.

In late 2008, Psion began sending out cease-and-desist letters to manufacturers and news outlets that used the word "Netbook" while referring to the newer devices. Psion also sued Intel over use of the trademark.

Intel had contended that "Netbook" is a "widely used generic term...much like the term 'notebook'."
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