Just because the official release of the cloud-based Chrome OS is still months away, it hasn't stopped Google from launching a massive pilot program. This program offers specially-chosen end users, Google employees and journalists, their own prototype Chrome netbook known as the Cr-48. The sad thing is that these 12.1-inch laptops will never be sold commercially, but they do offer an extremely detailed preview of what can be expected from the very first Chrome systems that will be launched mid-2011.The Cr-48's are not nor will they ever be available to consumers, so it is safe to say that the current design and hardware will more than likely not be exactly the same. On the other hand, there are several interesting things about these test products that may inspire things in the final product.
The Cr-48 is very similar in design to the MacBook. The chassis is rounded and shaped like one of the plastic MacBooks from the last generation and both devices have roughly the same keyboard size, shape and layout. Heck, even the hinges are similar. The chassis is made of a soft, black rubberized material which makes it comfortable to lay your wrists on it. The size is also very convenient coming in at 11.8 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches which makes it easy to fit in a carrying case or on your lap. However, the weight seems a bit heavy for the size ration as this device comes in weighing around 3.8 pounds.
The isolated layout of the keyboard offers you good feedback and key placement which makes typing extremely simple, but users will notice that the keyboard is void of any function keys. Instead, the Cr-48 has dedicated keys for forward, back, refresh, full screen mode, change windows, increase brightness, decrease brightness, mute, increase audio, decrease audio and power on/off. The caps lock key has also been replaced by a search button due to the fact that Google says they wish to "discourage all-caps typing."
The keyboard also has a bunch of shortcuts that you would typically see on the Windows version of Chrome. These shortcuts include things like CTRL + H for your browser history, CTRL + W to close a tab and CTRL +/- for zoom in and out. If you want to see a full list of these commands, all you have to do is hit CTRL + ALT + ?. You won't find any buttons on the touch pad. However, like a majority of netbooks on today's market, the touch pad itself is, in fact, a button. Many people do not like clicky touch pads, especially if they like to scroll with one finger and click with another.
The Cr-48 has a 12.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800. This, as many of you probably already know, is extremely rare on netbooks but is a more than welcome addition. It allows plenty of vertical screen space for easy viewing of web pages and the matte surface of the screen allows the Cr-48 to provide very strong viewing angles to the left and the right.
The Cr-48 doesn't have a lot of ports on it unlike other devices. The right side of the netbook has an SD card reader as well as an audio jack and USB port. The left side includes a VGA port. Storage devices and memory cards work for uploading files to the cloud but do little else. The USB port also supports wired and wireless mouses.
If Google isn't trustworthy, then I don't know who is because, true to their word, the initial setup of the Cr-48 takes only a minute. After powering on the device for the very first time, you are prompted to configure your internet connection by selecting a Wi-Fi network. After this, you are asked to agree to the Google EULA and then to login with a Google account. Then you are given the option to take a personal picture with the integrated webcam which will, if you desire, accompany your login.
The one problem many people are reporting with the login is that the device does not recognize any login that is not followed by @gmail.com. Even if you use any number of accounts that are registered with Google, the Cr-48 will not recognize them. So, if you do not have a valid Gmail account, then you have hit a dead end in the login prompt because creating one during setup is impossible. If this happens, then you may need to log on to another computer that is not a Chrome-OS device and create a Gmail account ending in @gmail.com.
Google is definitely trying to shake things up in the netbook market with this device. A netbook designed completely around Chrome is a bold attempt, but if any company can do it, I'd put my money on Google. I mean, it is only a matter of time before they take over the world.
Lenovo has this quirky way about them in the sense that they like to sneak laptops out to the market without them receiving any fanfare whatsoever. And just as the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", Lenovo has done it again with their newest device, the IdeaPad U260, an interesting device with a brand new chassis, 12.5-inch screen, 3.04lb weight and 0.71 inches of thickness.
Summer is over and school is starting back up. If you’re looking for a laptop and don’t want to pay a ridiculous amount of money or lug around a heavy device all day, there are still options out there for you. Netbooks are the perfect solution for students. They’re light, portable, and usually much less expensive than laptops.
A few days ago Intel announced their new N550 dual-core Atom processor which is said to deliver faster processing, better graphics and be able to handle 720p video. The 45nm Pineview model is said to run at 1,5GHz, support DDR3 memory, have hyperthreading and support 2GB RAM among other things.
Dell announced that the new Inspiron M101z is available to order now and will begin shipping soon. This ultra-portable laptop has tons of great features including some that might lead you to believe it is a netbook. It has an 11-inch screen and a price tag under $600 that makes it seem very netbook-like, but if you dig deeper, there is a lot more to the M101z. 
The N150 netbooks from Samsung quickly rose in popularity after being presented at CES 2010. The netbooks had a really impressive spec sheet. Packing an Intel Atom N450 (1.66GHz, 667MHz, 512KB) processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, 1GB (DDR2/1GBx1) of memory, a 10.1-inch WSVGA (1024x600) anti-glare LED display, a 250GB SATA 5400RPM hard drive, an Intel GMA 3150 video card, HD audio, 2 stereo 1.5W speakers, microphone, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, 10/100 Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate, 3 USB 2.0 slots (one with feature charging from PC off), headphone jack, microphone jack, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 port, 3-in-1 memory card reader (SD, SDHC, MMC), digital LiveCam webcam and a 6-cell lithium ion battery for up to 8.5 hours of battery life. 
Acer is one of the top netbook manufacturers on the market and has held onto a steady lead in terms of sales in the past year. The companies angle was simple, basic netbooks at lower prices would sell like hotcakes and they were right. Well the Taiwanese company's newest netbook, the Aspire One 532h, holds true to the very formula that has boosted the company's sales. 
So there has been a new word that has been circling around…a “smartbook.” I was curious at to what exactly a smartbook was, so I did a little research and this what I have found. Companies have decided that that they want to try to incorporate a iPhone or Motorola Droid-type experience into a much larger device. Is this possible or is this just a bunch of hype?
ASUS is now ready to release their newest ION netbook, the ASUS EeePC 1201. Hewlett-Packard, Lenevo, and Samsung have all featured new ION netbooks, so you knew that ASUS would be quick to follow. 
As the school year quickly approaches and parents and students begin the crazy time-consuming job of preparing everything to head off to college, a laptop is likely at the top of the shopping list. As a college student, I can definitely say that I don’t know where I would be without my laptop. I literally use it for absolutely everything. Whether I’m taking notes in philosophy class, writing a research paper for rhetoric, or just listening to music back in my dorm room, my laptop is constantly by my side. 
I was obviously intrigued and skeptical when I heard that a netbook was being sold for under a dollar, so I felt the urge to investigate further. Here’s what I was able to uncover. Sprint Nextel has teamed up with Best Buy to offer the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX Netbook for 99 cents. As incomprehensible as that seems, its true, but the required two-year service contract is where the money is being made. 
The price of netbooks just continues to go further and further down. Each year they offer better parts and lower price tags. The new HP Mini 110 definitely carries on this pattern. It resembles HP’s Mini 1000, but has many improvements and a much lower price point.
The new Acer Aspire One is now thinner and lighter than any previous Acer netbook. Acer managed to eliminate a sizeable amount of plastic within their best-selling netbook design to allow for these qualities, while still maintaining their reasonable price point. 