Netbooks to spur growth of touch panels

The launch of Windows 7 in October is expected to be a catalyst for a number of touch-based devices that utilise its multi-touch gesture software. Apparently, it will be netbooks that lead the way in adopting touchscreen panels over laptops and LCD monitors according to a report from Digitimes.

Industry sources are saying that there is evidence of this already from the models that are currently being sampled and validated. At the moment there is a lot more activity surrounding netbook devices then there are others. The report also says that prices of capacitive panels (for multi-touch gestures) are around $30 for a typical 10-inch sized display. The average cost per inch varies between $2.5-3.0.

Another report talks about something that doesn’t make too much sense to me. It talks of touch panels replacing the touchpad and mouse buttons on netbooks, giving more space for the keyboard. The only way this would work in my eyes is having a device that’s been designed from the ground-up for touch. For a typical convertible netbook (net tablet), I imagine you would still need either a touchpad or trackpoint. That is unless of course the screen is so sensitive it negates the need for one.

Mod leaves Sharp Mebius NJ70A netbook with dual touchscreens

The guys over at UMPC Fever have been busy modding their Sharp Mebius NJ70A which was unboxed just last week. If you remember, the Mebius NJ70A is the first netbook to feature a touchscreen LCD as a touchpad. SKY from UMPC Fever has now modded the main 10-inch display and replaced it with a touchscreen display.

He has loaded the netbook with Windows 7 to make use of the touch features of the new OS. SKY also discovered that the optical touchpad has its own CPU and RAM, whilst taking the netbook apart. He also found two RAM slots, which means upgrading the 1GB standard RAM is quite easy. Check out the dual-touchscreen Sharp Mebius NJ70A in action after the jump. Read more

Asus’ Windows 7 upgrade program includes two Eee PCs

Asus has outlined its plans on how one goes about updating to Windows 7 free of charge, if you buy an eligible product from 26th June 2009 to 31st January 2010. The interesting thing is that whilst the list is dominated by Asus notebooks, it appears though a couple of Eee PC netbooks are included in the mix.

This includes the 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA that runs on Vista Home Premium as well as the Eee PC 1005HA that runs on either XP Pro or Vista Business. Personally, I didn’t even realise that other operating software was being planned apart from XP Home. However, with the number of markets these netbooks are being sold into, different SKUs exist in each. As far as I’m aware, both UK versions of the above Eee PCs will come with just XP Home so the upgrade program won’t really apply here. Windows 7 launches on October 22nd 2009.

Via Liliputing.

Windows 7 upgrades to ship on USB drive for netbooks?

Microsoft is currently considering a number of options on how it plans to upgrade its netbook customers to Windows 7. The complications arise from the fact that netbooks do not have optical drives, which is the most common way to upgrade a Windows OS. Cnet reports that one of the upgrade options includes shipping the Windows 7 upgrade program on a USB flash drive.

So far Microsoft has nothing to announce regarding its preferred option, although other ideas include allowing buyers to download a version onto a USB drive themselves. Or an external drive could be used to hook up to the netbook. Another issue is that since most netbooks come with Windows XP, you will have to do a clean install if you are upgrading to Windows 7. This requires a user to do a complete back-up of their files and applications.

Even OEMs forbidden to change Windows 7 Starter Edition wallpaper

We should be thankful that Microsoft finally came to their senses regarding the three-application limit in Windows 7 Starter Edition, which has now been reversed. Windows 7 Starter Edition will mainly be found in netbooks when the operating system launches in October. As a result, the license is expected to be significantly cheaper, than for example, Windows 7 Home Premium.

As a cheaper SKU, you obviously expect some compromise, so that Microsoft can try to up-sell pricier versions of Windows 7. One of these compromises was the three-app limit (now removed) and another is the inability to change desktop wallpaper. We’ve commented in the past how ridiculous this is, but now we have heard that Microsoft has even forbidden its partners and OEM’s to change the wallpaper. Read more

Acer, HP and Lenovo planning 12-inch multi-touch mini-notebooks?

There is no doubt that a number of manufacturers are planning to release touchscreen netbooks/notebooks in the fourth quarter, coinciding with the Windows 7 launch. From previous reports, we have heard that a number of panel manufacturers will ramp up production in the second-half of the year.

We are now hearing that Cando, which is a subsidiary of AU Optronics, has landed an order to supply 12.1-inch capacitive multi-touch panels to Acer, HP and Lenovo. According to Digitimes, these panels will start to ship in August, which could mean a year-end launch date for some of these models, although a H1 2010 release is more likely. Cando is the first touch panel manufacturer to receive certification or Windows 7 compatibility.

In related news, EETI (Egalax_empia Technology) is pushing for Windows 7 certification for 10.1-inch and 11.6-inch touch-panels. It is currently sampling touch panels based on analogue matrix resistive (AMR) and projective capacitive technology. The focus for Windows 7 netbooks and mini-notebooks will be on display sizes between 10 to 12-inch screens. It sees Windows 7 certification as a big driver to gain orders.

Google Android to support multi-touch gestures? [Video]

Whilst everyone is gearing up for multi-touch support on the upcoming Windows 7, a group of French developers didn’t want us to forget about Linux. They have shown off a proof of concept multi-touch demonstration which is running on the 2.6.30 Kernel.

The demo shows them using a number of multi-touch gestures, including desktop switching, water ripple effects and rotating and resizing windows. They claim that this is native Linux multi-touch support. It was developed by Mohamed-Ikbel Boulabiar, Stephane Chatty, and Sebastien Hamdani, from the Interactive Computing Lab at the ENAC (Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile) aeronautics academy in Toulouse, France. Read more

Android on smartbooks is snappier than Windows 7 says Gartner

Smartbook devices are set to become much more commonplace as we reach the end of the year. They run on ARM-based processors and as such feature integrated 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the chip itself. They differ from netbooks in that they are ‘always connected’ to the Internet and are meant to have battery lives lasting between 8 to 10 hours.

As they these chips are not x86, it means running Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 is not an option. What manufacturers will be able to choose from is a growing stable of netbook-centric Linux distributions (including Android) or Windows CE. Some Gartner analysts have given their own thoughts after checking out a number of smartbook devices running Google’s Android operating system at Computex. Read more

Windows 7 will ship browser-less in Europe

Microsoft will ship Windows 7 without Internet Explorer 8. This is in response to the EU’s antitrust investigation into its bundling of its browser with Windows. This version will be called Windows 7 E. It will be exactly the same as other Windows 7 versions available in other regions and will only differ with the removal of IE8.

This will apply to both OEM and retail versions, meaning that the question now asked is how will you stick a browser onto your new system without a browser? OEMs will have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser, or ship multiple browsers. “Computer manufacturers will be able to add any browser they want to their Windows 7 machines, including Internet Explorer, so European consumers who purchase new PCs will be able to access the Internet without any problem. Consumers will also be able to add any Web browser to their PCs, to supplement or replace the browsers preinstalled by their computer manufacturer,” said Dave Heiner, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. Read more

Atom N270/N280-based netbooks unlikely to get Windows 7

Netbook manufacturers may end up keeping any models based on Intel’s N270 or N280 Atom processors running on Windows XP rather than upgrade to Windows 7. The rationale behind such a move is that due to intense competition in the netbook segment, putting prices up (as would be the case with Windows 7) would put them at a strategic disadvantage.

It is believed that the latest quotes from Microsoft on Windows 7 is around the $45-$55 mark. This compares to the OEM price of Windows XP which is around $25-$30. Although, other rumours have pointed to an XP price as low as $15. The top manufacturers are still negotiating with Microsoft to try and bring the price down.

However, vendors do not see Windows 7 being a big selling point when it comes to netbooks as they believe that most consumers believe Windows XP is good enough for a netbook. At the moment, Windows 7 is only being considered for the next generation of Atom ‘Pineview’ processors including 1.66GHz Atom N450 based devices.

Update: Samsung has said that it “will run Windows XP for as long as we can,” speaking to Laptop Mag. It said that as things stand, it wasn’t convinced of Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Via Digitimes.

Intel’s take on restricting netbooks to 10.2-inches

Intel was accused of colluding with Microsoft from some quarters when supposed maximum specifications for Windows 7 Starter Edition were revealed. These specs relate to being able to stick Windows 7 Starter Edition on a netbook, which is likely to be a much cheaper proposition than using more expensive Windows 7 SKUs such as Home Premium.

Whilst most of the specs were very similar to that seen currently (for XP), there was one significant change. To get a discounted Windows XP licence, a netbook can be no bigger than 12.1-inches, however to qualify for Windows 7 Starter Edition license this screen size requirement has been reduced to just 10.2-inches. Some say that this has been done to limit cannibalisation of notebooks, which have been hit hard from the growth of the netbook segment. Read more

Intel’s next-gen Pineview CPU “not validated” for Windows 7 Home Premium

Intel is not validating its next-generation of processor, dubbed Pineview, for Windows 7 Home Premium or higher according to a spokesman. What this basically means is that the Pineview processor will only be intensively tested with the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic Editions.

Intel claims that Home Premium is not “the right solution” for netbooks, so you’ll you have to install it at your own risk when the new Pineview CPUs appear in netbooks at the end of the year. “We are not going to validate it with Home Premium because we don’t believe it’s the right solution (for a netbook)” says Mooly Eden, VP of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group. Read more

Official: Microsoft drops three-app limit in Windows 7 Starter Edition

Microsoft has confirmed the recent rumour that it is to ditch the three-application limit in Windows 7 Starter Edition. This issue has been one of the biggest criticisms this particular Windows 7 SKU has faced and it appears that Microsoft has been listening to the chorus of disapproval.

“We are also going to enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the 3 application limit that the previous Starter editions included,” said Brandon LeBlanc on the Windows 7 Blog. Read more

Microsoft prepping maximum specs for Windows 7 netbooks

Up until now, the presence of Windows XP has dominated the netbook scene. This may be set to change with the launch of Windows 7 which, unlike Vista, has been designed to work on these lower spec devices.

Windows 7 will come in a number of different SKUs, all of which can run on netbooks. However, given that price is crucial when it comes to marketing netbooks, it is expected that most OEMs will preload the Starter Edition. Now that the three app limit is rumoured to be removed from the Win7 Starter Edition, this may yet be a viable alternative to XP. Read more

Microsoft to bin “three app limit” on Windows 7 Starter Edition

One of the biggest criticisms facing Windows 7 Starter Edition is the “three app limit”. By only allowing three applications to be open at any one time, many have referred to this base edition of Windows 7 as the ‘crippled’ version.

However, it appears that Microsoft is doing a u-turn on this decision. According to Paul Thurrott, Microsoft will now be removing this limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition. This is good news as the Starter Edition is the version of Windows 7 that is likely to appear on the majority of netbooks when the new OS launches later in the year.

This limit was creating a lot of bad press for Microsoft, so it will be hardly surprising if this turns out to be true. Now, let’s just hope they’ll overturn the ridiculous inability to change the desktop wallpaper.

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