COMPUTEX Take Away: The King of Netbooks is still the King . . . but watch for NVIDIA and Qualcomm
Friday 19 June 2009 @ 11:53 am
In spite of all the ballyhoo about the announcements of ARM based netbooks what seems clear from COMPUTEX is that Intel is still firmly ensconced on their throne and still King of the netbook hill. Further, Intel shows no signs of giving up their gilded position; quite to the contrary. With the future Menlo and Moorestown versions of the Atom processor coming they clearly plan to defend and try to expand their market position.
At the core of the ARM netbook challenge is software and application software. At the high end, users need to have that “laptop internet experience”. That requires two things, hardware performance, and support of Adobe Flash technology. Of the various aspirants to enter the MID and netbook market using an ARM core, NVIDIA seems the most likely prepared for success in this arena. The NVIDIA Tegra solution includes support for both hardware decode of Adobe’s Flash and support for high definition 1080p video decode without any intervention of the ARM CPU. This enables Tegra-based netbooks to provide users with a full Internet experience and a far superior multi-media experience versus an Atom-based product (or any of the other ARM netbook products).
Another major aspirant, Qualcomm, introduced a higher performance ARM CPU as well as promised a new dual core product. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, with it’s communications centric approach and integration, seems extremely well suited for branding applications with cellular operators that are phone centric.
Not to be left out of the fray are all the “others”; Broadcom, Via, Freescale, TI, AMD, etc. This sets the stage for a very interesting 2010. We will see Netbooks sporting the Nano processor from Via. We will see entry level Atom processors coupled with the NVIDIA ION. We will see Atom chips with Broadcom’s Crystal video and media accelerator. Not to be left out, there is also the ARM entry from Freescale. Which products will win? Tough to predict. My money is on Qualcomm when it comes to the smaller netbooks that are very communications centric, especially the 3G cellular operator models. I think NVIDIA is next up to bat with the larger models where a consumer wants a more multi-media experience as well as an Internet experience. It feels to me that Freescale will make a valiant try, but is probably too hobbled by debt to mount a serious challenge in this market. The Via guys will put up a valiant fight but the new entries coming from Intel will hold back their ability to gain market share. Finally, there is AMD. They can certainly do it, and with ATI in their arsenal they should be well equipped to make a run at this market. The real issue with AMD is can they truly afford to open yet another front line in the war with Intel. Given the growth rates in Netbooks, they may be forced into it. Their Neo product is evidence they are taking the market seriously. The question remains can they keep up with Intel’s R&D and rate of new product introductions. We shall see. Oh, and by the way, many OEMs discussed ARM based netbooks. However no compelling product was actually introduced (more accurately, none are for sale!).
As a final note, how does this netbook battle relate to “life without wires”? Netbook applications are many and varied. Some are bought as a 2nd lighter laptop to take on vacation for Internet access. Others are sold bundled by the cellular operators as internet travel machines. Still others are being sold as the only affordable PC option the buyer has. What all netbooks have in common, no matter the CPU or the OS, are two things. First, they are light weight and have small screen sizes. Second, they are all about mobility. This is where UWB can help. In particular, with a wireless docking station, the user can walk into a room and quickly attach to a full sized 22” LCD monitor, get full access to a regular sized keyboard, mouse and a plethora of standard USB peripherals all while retaining the superior mobility of a netbook. No Wires. As another example, a PC to HDTV Extender can be useful. I wrote about this in an earlier blog. In particular, with a PC Extender the user can plop down on the couch with their netbook and wirelessly connect to a small adapter sitting next to their HDTV. Think ginormous 52” LCD HDTV monitor. If you buy the right model, you can even plug in a web cam to do Skype video conferencing using the HDTV and plug in your printer. Imagine sitting on the couch surfing the web with your 1.3 lb netbook on your lap and watching Hulu videos or updating your Facebook page or playing online games or whatever. Pretty neat. All courtesy of UWB. Now that is life without wires.
quark xpress 5.0 Adobe Photoshop CS2 v 9.0 Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60.
oem office 2000 software Macromedia Flash Pro 8 for Mac “upgrade window 2000 to xp”
dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4 System Mechanic Professional v5.5 inkjet definition oem software,
The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6 Symantec Norton Antivirus 10.1 for Mac financial planning software australia
Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2 Adobe Fireworks CS3 for Mac iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52,
software oem cd line business Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 adobe cs2 photo shop total training
microsoft office 2003 oem Daz 3D Bryce 6.1 “locate software oem files”
widows oem software Macrovision InstallShield 2008 Premier Edition window 2000 upgrade download
quark xpress 6 crack MS Windows 2003 Enterprise Server - Full Version oem software bundle
Software oem italiano software oem legale 460. Microsoft Frontpage 2003 adobe photo shop element
oem software cds Acronis Recovery Expert Deluxe microsoft window 2000 professional oem software!
cheap software downloads Acronis True Image Home 11.0 oem Microsoft Office
Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60. Minitab 15 oem office 2000 software
“upgrade window 2000 to xp” Adobe InDesign CS3 for Mac dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4
inkjet definition oem software, Nero 8 The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6
financial planning software australia Cadlink SignLab Vinyl 7.1 Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2
iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52, Mindjet MindManager Pro 7.0 software oem cd line business
adobe cs2 photo shop total training Adobe Audition 2.0 microsoft office 2003 oem
“locate software oem files” Autodesk AutoCAD Electrical 2006 widows oem software
window 2000 upgrade download Cakewalk Project 5 quark xpress 6 crack
oem software bundle Wealth-Lab Developer 4.0 Software oem italiano software oem legale 460.
adobe photo shop element Ontrack EasyRecovery Professional 6.0 oem software cds
microsoft window 2000 professional oem software! Microsoft Visual Basic RAD Professional v1.01 cheap software downloads
oem Microsoft Office Roxio Toast 7.0 Titanium Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60.
oem office 2000 software McAfee QuickClean 4.0 “upgrade window 2000 to xp”
dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4 Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 DVD (x86, x64) inkjet definition oem software,
The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6 Altova XMLSpy Enterprise 2007 financial planning software australia
Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2 Microsoft Frontpage 2003 (DEUTSCH) iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52,
software oem cd line business Norton 360 all-in-one v2, Norton Internet Security 2008, Norton Antivirus 2008, Norton Save&Restore v2 adobe cs2 photo shop total training
microsoft office 2003 oem Extensis Suitcase for Windows 11.0.1.52 “locate software oem files”
widows oem software Macromedia Studio 8 for Mac window 2000 upgrade download
quark xpress 6 crack Indigo Rose AutoPlay Media Studio 7 oem software bundle
Software oem italiano software oem legale 460. Macromedia Flash Professional 8 adobe photo shop element
oem software cds Microsoft Office 2008 BETA for Mac microsoft window 2000 professional oem software!
cheap software downloads Autodesk AutoCAD Mechanical 2005 oem Microsoft Office
Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60. Roxio Toast 8 Titanium oem office 2000 software
“upgrade window 2000 to xp” Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Professional for Mac dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4
inkjet definition oem software, TurboTax 2006 Home & Business Schedule C (USA only) The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6
financial planning software australia Microsoft Office System 2007 Hebrew Language Pack Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2
iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52, Roxio DigitalMedia Studio Deluxe Suite 7.0 software oem cd line business
adobe cs2 photo shop total training SWiSH Max2 microsoft office 2003 oem
“locate software oem files” Adobe Contribute CS3 widows oem software
window 2000 upgrade download MasterWriter 1.0 quark xpress 6 crack
oem software bundle Sony ACID Pro 6 Music Workstation Software oem italiano software oem legale 460.
adobe photo shop element Borland Delphi 7 Studio Enterprise oem software cds
microsoft window 2000 professional oem software! Corel Painter IX cheap software downloads
oem Microsoft Office TrendyFlash Site Builder 1.0 Standard Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60.
oem office 2000 software Cakewalk Music Creator Pro 24 “upgrade window 2000 to xp”
dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4 VTC Fruity Loops Studio 7 Training inkjet definition oem software,
The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6 Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium for Mac financial planning software australia
Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2 Parallels Desktop 3.0 (build 5584) for Mac iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52,
software oem cd line business Microsoft Money 2004 adobe cs2 photo shop total training
microsoft office 2003 oem Realviz ImageModeler 4.02 “locate software oem files”
widows oem software Adobe Flash CS3 Professional for Mac window 2000 upgrade download
quark xpress 6 crack Riverdeep 3D Home Landscape Designer V 5 oem software bundle
Software oem italiano software oem legale 460. Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended adobe photo shop element
oem software cds Conceiva Mezzmo 1.1 microsoft window 2000 professional oem software!
cheap software downloads Advanced IM Password Recovery v2.32 oem Microsoft Office
Adobe standard encoding adobe standard oem download 60. IMatch Professional Edition 3.6 oem office 2000 software
“upgrade window 2000 to xp” Acronis True Image Echo Server for Windows 9.5 dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4
inkjet definition oem software, Ulead PhotoImpact X3 The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6
financial planning software australia Adobe Soundbooth CS3 Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2
iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52, Macromedia Flash Media Server 2 software oem cd line business
adobe cs2 photo shop total training CyberLink PowerDVD 6 Deluxe microsoft office 2003 oem
Oem used software oem vars license sis software 314. Microsoft Office 2003 Professional with Business Contact Manager for Outlook Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2
“iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52″ Corel Rave 2 software oem cd line business
adobe cs2 photo shop total training Microsoft Money 2006 Deluxe microsoft office 2003 oem
locate software oem files; MS SQL Server 2000 - Full Version widows oem software
window 2000 upgrade download Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.2 Multilingual “quark xpress 6 crack”
oem software bundle eBook: Adobe Premiere Pro Classroom in a Book(Adobe Press) software oem italiano
Adobe photo shop element adobe photo shop elements 870. Adobe CS4 Master Collection oem software cds
microsoft window 2000 professional oem software Adobe Soundbooth CS3 cheap software downloads
oem Microsoft Office Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 adobe standard encoding
oem office 2000 software? MS Windows 2000 Server - Full Version upgrade window 2000 to xp
dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4, Cakewalk MediaWorks 3.0.162 inkjet definition oem software
The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6 SmartDraw 2007 financial planning software australia!
Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2 Tom Clancys H.A.W.X. “iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52″
software oem cd line business McAfee UnInstaller 6.5 adobe cs2 photo shop total training
microsoft office 2003 oem Traktor DJ Studio 3.2.1.030 locate software oem files;
widows oem software Crystal Analysis Professional 9.0 window 2000 upgrade download
“quark xpress 6 crack” Roxio Creator 2009 - multilingual oem software bundle
software oem italiano Steinberg Nuendo 3.1 + Sony Sound Forge 9.0 Adobe photo shop element adobe photo shop elements 870.
oem software cds Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition v16 microsoft window 2000 professional oem software
cheap software downloads Propellerheads Reason 4 for Windows oem Microsoft Office
adobe standard encoding Adobe After Effects 7.0 Standard oem office 2000 software?
upgrade window 2000 to xp Adobe Photoshop CS for Mac dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4,
inkjet definition oem software VTC AutoCAD 2005 for Architects (Video Tutorials) The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6
financial planning software australia! “iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52″
software oem cd line business Corel XMetaL Author 4.0 adobe cs2 photo shop total training
microsoft office 2003 oem eBook: Firewalls for Dummies (2nd Edition) locate software oem files;
widows oem software eBook: Adobe Encore DVD 1.5 (Peachpit Press) window 2000 upgrade download
“quark xpress 6 crack” Altova StyleVision 2009 oem software bundle
software oem italiano Pixarra TwistedBrush Pro Studio 15 Adobe photo shop element adobe photo shop elements 870.
oem software cds Roxio Popcorn microsoft window 2000 professional oem software
cheap software downloads Chief Architect X1 oem Microsoft Office
adobe standard encoding Native Instruments Absynth 4 oem office 2000 software?
upgrade window 2000 to xp MS Windows 2000 Professional - Full Version dvd to pocket pc 1.2.4,
inkjet definition oem software Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium for Win The Logo Creator MEGA pak 3.6
financial planning software australia! CA Personal Firewall 2009 Buy cheap PhotoShop CS 2
“iCorrect EditLab Pro 4.52″ Adobe Fireworks CS3 software oem cd line business
adobe cs2 photo shop total training Adobe Presenter 7 microsoft office 2003 oem
locate software oem files; SolidWorks 2009 x32 widows oem software
window 2000 upgrade download Atomix Virtual DJ 5.0 rev5 “quark xpress 6 crack”
oem software bundle eBook: Adobe Creative Suite 2 How Tos 100 Essential Techniques software oem italiano
Adobe photo shop element adobe photo shop elements 870. Symantec WinFax Pro V 10.03 oem software cds
microsoft window 2000 professional oem software Solid Edge v17 cheap software downloads

