The biggest story in laptops over the past few years has been the incredibly popular Netbook. These 10- and 11-inch (and originally 7- and 9-inch) laptops came out of nowhere to capture the attention of a public tired of paying for too much computing power. After a couple of good years, however, Netbooks are being replaced by new systems that offer a little more performance for a little more money, first in the form of dual-core premium Netbooks and now in systems such as the HP Pavilion dm1 with AMD’s new Fusion platform.

The trade-up makes sense for two reasons. First, Netbooks, though great for specific tasks such as basic Web surfing and e-mail, simply aren’t suited to being full-time PCs, which is something many users discovered after buying one. Second, the PC makers who only begrudgingly released many of these Netbooks in the first place knew selling a low-power $299 laptop wasn’t exactly a money-making proposition.

AMD has been promising a hybrid platform for years now, combining a workhorse CPU with better-than-integrated graphics in a single package. It’s called Fusion, although confusingly, AMD doesn’t play up that name or the processor model number, instead choosing to label laptops outfitted with the technology with a sticker that says “AMD Vision.”

As the first of these systems to cross our desk, the $450 HP Pavilion dm1 is an interesting test case. It’s an 11-inch laptop with a decent design, but one that doesn’t hide its budget origins. It’s about $100 more than an entry-level Netbook and $50 to $100 less than previous premium Netbooks that had AMD’s previous low-end dual-core CPU.

In practice, it gets the job done, and it certainly feels a world away from Atom Netbooks. At the same time, there’s no mistaking the experience of this computer for a high-end 11-inch, such as Apple’s MacBook Air (except when it comes to battery life, where the Pavilion dm1 was easily one of the best performers we’ve seen).

The biggest needle-mover may be the AMD graphics, which aren’t meant for serious gamers, but still offer a solid alternative to low-end solutions such as Nvidia’s underused Ion GPU. We played some basic games and full-screen HD videos with no problems, which is something Netbooks typically can’t do.

With Intel lacking a halfway point between its Atom processors and the mainstream Core-i-series (except for the too-expensive and underpowered ultralow voltage Core i3 ULV), there may finally be a spot at the table for AMD, which has been seriously underrepresented in laptops of late. Based on this one initial review unit, AMD-shy shoppers should at least give Fusion laptops such as this one a serious look.

Via CNET

I remember one of the first mobile phones I ever used being a Nokia 5110i. It was among Nokia’s earliest of devices that packed an easy to use and straightforward interface in a supremely well-built package. Since we didn’t have as many phone launches each month back then as there are stars in the sky, the 5110i served me very well for more than three years without showing any signs of aging. That was in the mid to late 90’s. Fast forward to the end of this decade and we see Nokia’s current flagship, the N8-00, continuing to hold on to the Nokia tradition of building what are arguably some of the best constructed mobile devices on the market.

In many ways, with the Nokia N8-00 (referred to as the N8 from here on) it seems as though Nokia let its hardware and industrial design teams have a field day; this phone feels almost over engineered when held in your hands. While the current flagship demonstrates Nokia’s engineering prowess quite well, previous models seemed to epitomize what I felt was the company’s philosophy; build the software around the hardware. This worked just perfectly for as long as mobile phones were just that, devices used to make and receive calls and/or texts. Sometime in the last decade, Apple, Google, Palm and Microsoft redefined mobile experiences, and as a result old flaws have slowly become gaping holes in the Finnish device manufacturer’s proverbial armor.

Does the N8 smooth over those problems? Read on to find out.

Via AnandTech

Today At CES 2011 we were able to go hands on with the new 11.6″ AMD powered Lenovo IdeaPad S205. The S205 has the form factor of a netbook, but with an AMD Fusion processor and plenty of room for upgrades like up to 8GB RAM and a 750 GB hard drive it has the potential to be more.

Overall we are pretty impressed with our initial look at the IdeaPad S205 and can’t wait to spend more time with it to see how the Fusion processors hold up in real life and if the keyboard is as good as we think it is on first touch.

Via Notebooks.com

The smartphone uses Qualcomm MSM 7227 platform with a 600 MHz central processor. We receive 512 MB of RAM and the same 512 MB for data storage. Besides, the handset boasts an additional 4GB module (with around 3.7 GB available to users). I would also like to mention video playback and overall performance. Video samples in resolutions close to that of the screen itself (320×480) are played well, while higher resolution shots depend on their quality. The general speed of the interface is impressive and delays are hardly visible.

Via Mobile-Review

We know that the quest for the perfect laptop is ultimately fruitless. Different users have different needs, budgets, and expectations, and tomorrow’s technology threatens to make any just-purchased laptop semi-obsolete before it even comes out of its cardboard box. That said, the new Toshiba Portege R705 comes about as close as anything we’ve seen this year, offering a great mix of price, design, features, and performance.

The Portege R705 is a 13-inch laptop (similar to Apple’s MacBook), which is the biggest screen size we’d consider carrying around on a regular basis, but also the smallest we’d be able to comfortably use for full-time computing. It’s thinner than the current white plastic MacBook (but not as svelte as the MacBook Air or Dell Adamo XPS) and has a sturdy magnesium alloy chassis.

Toshiba lists this version of the Portege R705 for $899, but as of this writing, it can be found online for $749. A handful of business-oriented configs are also available (called the R700, instead of the R705), adding a docking port and a few other corporate-friendly features for $999 and up.

Via CNET

HP is offering a post Christmas deal on the HP dv7t Select Edition customizable laptop with an instant $150 discount, and free upgrades including up to 30% off accessory bundles.

The HP dv7t Select Edition comes with a 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor, free upgrade to 6GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive and has a 17.3″ display powered by a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5470 switchable GPU. The deal also includes 4 years of Lojack for Laptops for the price of one and a 15 month subscription to Norton Internet Security for $1. Read more…