ARM-based netbooks struggling with video

There has been much talk of how ARM processors are set to change the netbook landscape when they start to appear in netbooks by the end of this year. ARM netbooks would have the advantage of being up to ten times more power efficient than their x86 equivalents as well as being designed for 24/7 wireless connectivity. However, the first wave of netbooks may be underpowered according to engineers who are currently working on ARM netbook prototypes.

One issue that engineers have encountered is that Adobe Flash does not yet run natively on the ARM processor. The ARM platforms support for web video will be critical to its success. ARM and Adobe did announce that it will deliver a version of Flash 10 optimised for ARM devices at some point during 2009, although nothing has materialised so far. Another problem is that a number of web video sites are moving from Flash to the H.264 codec. Whilst ARM does support the codec, significant work will be required on the wrapper to make sure H.264 web videos can be played smoothly. Read more

Linux to outnumber Windows on netbooks by 2012

Whilst Windows may currently dominate market share in the netbook segment, it wasn’t always that way. In the second half of 2007, Windows had a market share of around 10 percent growing significantly in 2008 to 75 percent. However, according to ABI Research, the pendulum will swing back the other way by 2012, with Linux netbooks expected to outnumber those running Windows.

ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis says, “ABI Research believes that 2012 will see the tipping-point at which netbooks running Linux-based and mobile operating systems outnumber those running Windows XP. Device vendors, chip-makers and mobile operators can take some comfort from the fact that this trend should help expand the market even in a down economy.” Read more

Qualcomm CEO: Netbooks May Soon Outsell Notebooks

According to Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, netbooks could soon dominate the PC market, outselling larger notebooks. Jacobs did not want to speculate on when exactly netbooks would overtake notebooks, but in an interview with Bloomberg, he said it would happen “relatively quickly”.

Now Qualcomm has a vested interest in seeing netbooks succeed, so I would take the comments with a pinch of salt. It is looking to push its Snapdragon platform to netbooks in competition with Intel’s Atom CPU. There is no doubt that netbook growth is seeing huge growth compared to netbooks. DisplaySearch released a report recently that forecast netbook growth of 66 percent in 2009 compared to just 3 percent for notebooks. However, netbook shipments in 2009 are only expected to be 27 million units, much lower than that expected for notebooks at 133 million units. That gap won’t close that quickly in our view.

ODM Compal developing Android netbooks

Taiwanese Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), Compal Communications, is developing netbooks based on the Android operating system reports Digitimes. The report highlights that Compal is currently in negotiations to cooperate with several netbook vendors on the Android netbook. Compal were tipped to take over manufacturing of the Acer Aspire One and are believed to be the ODM for the Dell range of Inspiron Mini netbooks.

Google recently set up an Android team in Taiwan to tailor its smartphone based operating system to netbooks. Details on the netbook are thin, however the use of an ARM-based CPU is a strong possibility. This could be via a basic ARM CPU or a HD-capable Qualcomm Snapdragon device complete with 1080p support and high-speed WWAN connectivity.

Windows netbook market share continues to grow

Nearly exactly a month ago, we reported how the Windows operating system dominated netbooks sold in the US. Approximately 90 percent of netbooks sold during November to January ran Windows XP and the remainder Linux. It appears that Windows extended this dominance in February, with 96 percent of netbooks running Windows during February 2009 according to the latest NPD Retail Tracking Service data. Read more

Snapdragon-powered Wistron PBook netbook spotted at CTIA

A prototype from Wistron dubbed the PBook has been spotted at CTIA. We recently reported on the Wistron ‘FirstBook’ that was spotted at MWC earlier this year. It seems that the device has undergone a name change since then as the PBook looks like exactly the same device. It has a form-factor similar to that of the Sony Vaio P and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform.

This particular unit had a red lid, housing a 12-inch display and a full-sized keyboard. Laptop Mag reports that it was running a 1GHz CPU with battery life lasting between 8 to 10 hours. Interestingly, it also features hardware accelerated 3D graphics from ATi. There is also an optical mouse besides two mouse buttons.

As with most ARM-based processors, the unit is designed for 24/7 wireless connectivity via mobile broadband, WiFi and Bluetooth. Given that ARM-processors cannot use Windows XP/Vista, you are limited to Linux, however the icon-based user interface seemed fairly intuitive. Apparently the PBook will also support Android and Windows Mobile in the future.

Wistron expects that we could see this unique netbook appear on retail shelves by the third quarter this year. In the meantime, we know that a Wistron netbook with Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU is due to appear at Computex Taipei in June, so hopefully there will be further details then. Click though for a full PBook photo gallery. Read more

Novell sets up dedicated Linux netbook team

Novell has set up a dedicated research & development team to work on the development of Linux operating systems on netbooks. Novell Taiwan claims that the team will work in conjunction with Taiwanese netbook manufacturers to develop driver programs and design interfaces to support their hardware.

New netbook models featuring Novell’s SUSE Linux operating systems are expected to be showcased at Computex Taipei in early June. The vendors that Novell is currently working with are the usual suspects, Acer, Asus, Micro-Star International (MSI) as well as other vendors. SUSE currently comes pre-installed on four netbooks. Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10e, MSI Wind, First International Computer Inc.’s CW0A1 and the HP Mini 2140 netbook.

Whilst some may suspect that maybe some ARM-powered models with SUSE may be shown, Novell ruled this out. Markus Rex, senior vice president and general manager for open platform solutions at Novell, recently said: “There certainly is a lot of hype around ARM-based netbooks, [but] at the moment, we don’t do anything on ARM-based devices.”

Via Digitimes.

Palm’s WebOS Perfectly Suited to Netbooks?

Whilst Microsoft may hold the dominant market share for netbooks, there’s no certainty that it will remain the leader. There a number of Linux-based operating systems being tailored for netbook use from a number of different parties. ARM, who design low-cost, low-power processors, is knocking on the door of the netbook world and its CEO expects at least ten ARM-based netbooks this year. As it does not make x86 processors, using Windows for these netbooks is not an option. While many have talked about Google’s Android as being the most natural Linux-saviour, Laptop Mag’s Mark Spoonauer argues that it is in fact Palm’s Web Operating System that could make waves in the netbook market. Read more

ARM-powered Wistron ‘FirstBook’ netbook spotted

A recent video highlighting some ARM-based Qualcomm products at the recent Mobile World Congress had a hidden surprise towards the end. The video appears to show the first hands-on of Wistron’s FirstBook, a 3G-enabled netbook powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. It is the Snapdragon chipset that Asus is apparently considering in future Eee PCs.

The Linux based netbook looks quite attractive and has more than a resemblance to the Sony Vaio P form-factor with its widescreen display. It appears to be extremely light and thin for a netbook. A 3G demonstration was made by surfing the net which showed it had a good response time. No specifications of the unit are known at this point, although it is rumoured to have an 11.1-inch display.

The unit may just be a concept, but given that it was demonstrated along with Toshiba’s upcoming TG01 smartphone, we hope it will become a commercial reality at some point. Interestingly, we already know that a Wistron netbook with Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU is due to appear at Computex Taipei in June. We’ll hopefully have further details on the FirstBook then, if not before. Check out the action in the video after the break. The FirstBook is spotted from 2 minutes 33 seconds onwards. Well worth a look. Read more

AT&T to launch non-Windows $99 netbook this Summer

Now we really don’t have much too much information on this story. However, it has emerged that AT&T will launch a $99 3G-enabled netbook this summer. The real interesting point is that the first netbook that AT&T releases will not feature a Windows operating system. Could this be an ARM-powered netbook that has been talked about so much? ARM’s CEO already expects at least ten ARM-based netbooks to appear in 2009, so this could indeed be one of the first.

What would debunk that theory however is that the netbook is said to be manufactured by Dell. Now we know that Dell already offer Linux based netbooks so this could be a likely candidate. Either way, we hope to have more information on this soon.

Update: We have just come across some comments from Dell founder and Chief Executive, Michael Dell, that may just corroborate the view that Dell wants to get into potentially lucrative wireless 3G data deals. “We want to get a larger share of the profit streams embedded in our growing installed base of the hundreds of millions of products we deliver,” Mr. Dell said in a recent Q4 analyst conference call. “Opportunities like search services, 3G originations and other telecom opportunities.”

Later, Mr. Dell added, “We have been particularly focused on 3G and agreements with carriers embedding 3G and using our own sales engines as well to sell 3G netbooks.”

Android to be saviour of the Linux netbook

Google’s Android will be the saviour of the Linux netbook, and we’ll start to see small, cheap computers based on the phone-oriented operating system later this year according to Ovum. After a strong start, Linux-based netbooks are now outsold by those with Windows XP. Some estimates suggest that Windows recent dominance gives it a 90-pecent market share. Ovum suggests that netbook buyers seeking a small and/or cheap laptop will generally opt for Windows machines – presumably for the familiarity and software compatibility it brings.

Linux’s opportunity is for the netbook to be seen as an always-on internet device, helped by ARM’s infrastructure. Some of the larger Linux distro’s have not looked to develop a specific Linux version for netbooks. Just today, Novell said that it will not be producing a version of SUSE Linux for ARM-based Netbooks. Ovum suggests that Android, which has a Linux foundation but a more tightly controlled user environment on top, will allow netbook makers to better define them as internet appliances.

Ovum said it expects “back-to-basics” netbooks to appear later this year at the $200 (£142/€154) mark – half the price of the majority of today’s netbooks. They particularly want to increase battery life and deliver fast start-up times, which may also favour ARM/Android designs.

Two ARM-powered netbooks to appear in June

At least two ARM-powered netbooks are expected to appear at Computex Taipei according to Digitimes. One netbook due to appear will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology and equipped with Freescale’s i.MX51 CPU (ARM Coretex A8) whilst the other will be manufactured by Wistron equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.

ARM’s Chief Executive has already revealed that he expects ten ARM-powered netbooks to launch in 2009, therefore the Computex launch fits in with this timescale. Others are likely to follow suit, we already know that Asustek is considering future Eee PCs equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. MSI has also expressed interest in developing for the Nvidia Tegra system-on-chip platform too. Computex takes place between 2 – 6 June 2009.

OLPC urging Microsoft to makes Windows compatible with ARM

The next notebook due from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, nicknamed XO-2, is likely to drop AMD’s x86 Geode CPU in favour of an all-in-one ARM processor according to PC World. While x86 chips have the potential to become more power efficient, ARM has the upper-hand in this area with advanced power management features and built in integrated graphics and Wi-Fi networking. Read more

ARM to take 55 percent netbook market share by 2012

Whilst Intel’s Atom is expected to hold a commanding 80 percent netbook market share in 2009, ARM is expected to turn this around in the next three years by taking a 55 percent netbook market share by 2012 according to The Information Network. “ARM processors, not Intel’s Atom, will benefit from the current technology-economic cycle. Anyone thinking that ARM will make up only a small percentage of netbooks gong forward is not thinking outside the box,” Dr. Robert Castellano noted, President of The Information Network. Read more

Ten ARM-powered netbook models expected in 2009

Arm’s Chief Executive, Warren East, expects that at least ten ARM-based netbooks with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale and Texas Instruments will hit retail shelves this year. We already know that Asus is considering Qualcomm chips (based on ARM designs) for upcoming Eee PCs.

East is frustrated on the lack of Microsoft support for upcoming ARM-powered netbooks. It is widely understood that Windows XP, Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 cannot run on ARM CPUs given their need for x86 processors. Linux or Google’s Android are the most likely operating systems for ARM-based netbooks. However, Windows Mobile and Windows CE are used in close to 150 different mobile phones powered by ARM chips. Presumably little adaptation would be needed for netbook usage.

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