Despite Apple’s loyal fan base, the company sells far less notebook computers than competitors Asus, Dell, HP and Samsung. But when you add sales of the iPad into the equation, Apple is suddenly the dominant force in the mobile computing space. READ MORE
It depends how you look at it. There’s no arguing with the fact that the iPad is one of the most successful products the world has ever seen, and that Apple is literally selling them as fast as it can get them off the assembly line. READ MORE
At the 2011 Computex expo in Taipei, hometown company Asus demonstrated a novel way to make a tablet and smartphone play nice together: Use the former as a docking station for the latter. READ MORE
At the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas, several companies announced or released amazing new tablets. For business owners, it might be tough to decide which one is right for your employees. InformationWeek has selected the best of the best. CES Tablet Extravaganza: Motorola, RIM, Toshiba & Asus Stand Out [InformationWeek]
Computer makers are betting the farm that small and mid-sized businesses will spring for “netbooks” — you know, those relatively inexpensive, petite, and Internet-enabled devices designed simply to access the Internet and check e-mail. Thanks to breakthrough products like the $249 ASUS Eee, they’re one of the hottest computer categories these days among consumers, and so it’s no surprise virtually every major computer manufacturer wants a piece of the action (er, except Apple). While less straining on your bank account, especially during this economic downturn, the question is whether or not these “dumbed-down” notebooks are ideal to manage your growing business. The good Netbooks distinguish themselves from fully-functional notebooks in a few areas. “The pricing is, in a word, irresistible,” says Andy Walker, author of Microsoft Windows Vista Help Desk and Windows Lockdown!: Your XP and Vista Guide Against Hacks, Attacks, and Other Internet Mayhem (QUE books). “We’ve been trained that small and sleek laptops mean ‘expensive’ — not anymore — as the price is tag is as tiny as these computers,” Walker adds, citing sub-$300 models including the Acer Aspire One, Sylvania G, and aforementioned ASUS Eee. A decent laptop computer, on the other hand, costs about $600. Usually weighing between two and four pounds, these Wi-Fi-ready netbooks are highly portable, continues Walker. “If you spend any time on the road, these small Internet appliances can be a good choice for a businessperson since they can shove it in a bag, purse or luggage and have access to the Net, e-mail and company documents.” “Plus, there’s always a concern of losing or dropping a $2,000 laptop while traveling, but now we’re talking about 10 percent of that cost, so even though I hesitate to say it, it’s almost, well, disposable,” he adds. The bad Netbooks have a lot going for them — an attractive price, small form factor, and wireless connectivity — but while they may be ideal for mobile students, a few limitations might prevent them from catching for the business crowd. For one, netbooks were designed for basic functionality and not high-end applications. “These PCs are great for basic word processing and checking e-mail but not for video editing, gaming or any other demanding apps,” cautions Walker. What’s more, in order to keep costs down, many netbooks ship with a version of the free open-source Linux operating system, opposed to having Windows XP or Windows Vista installed. “Because of this fact, you have to make sure your business applications will work with Linux or else you’ll have to install Windows — if there’s enough memory to do so,” says Walker, alluding to the fact netbooks usually ship with modest storage space such as 2GB of Flash memory, and no optical drive. That said, a few free productivity suites work with Linux, such as OpenOffice.org 2, which includes a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation creation software, and more. “Don’t expect a full computer experience on a netbook, so base your expectations accordingly. You’re not going to design the next space shuttle on these things,” says Walker. The compromise HP, one of the world’s largest computer manufacturers, has also created an aggressively-priced subnotebook — the HP 2133 ($499) — but it’s not quite a netbook either. “HP is definitely in this category — a small form factor, optional Linux operating system, and Flash drive, but it gives you more of what a typical notebook will give you,” explains Robert Baker, product marketing manager for commercial notebooks, North America, at HP. “We see the demand for smaller, entry-level netbooks, but we did some market research and found those who use computers for business didn’t want to give up too much in the power department, so our 2133 is our first offering that splits the difference,” explains Baker. Specifically, users can select from a number of laptop-like options, such as up to 250GB (7200 RPM) hard drive, Windows Vista Business edition, and so on. When pressed on the likelihood of launching a true netbook to compete in this hot category, Baker says, “We’re actively looking into this market….. Yes, we’re watching it extremely closely, but I can’t tell you if we’re going to come out with one.” It all boils down to what you’re using it for. “I know people who are perfectly fine with having a netbook for Web surfing, especially if a lot of your computing is in the ‘cloud’ these days,” Baker says. “From our experience, however, while netbooks are emerging, the business parameters just aren’t there yet.”
Computer makers are betting the farm that small and mid-sized businesses will spring for “netbooks” — you know, those relatively inexpensive, petite, and Internet-enabled devices designed simply to access the Internet and check e-mail. Thanks to breakthrough products like the $249 ASUS Eee, they’re one of the hottest computer categories these days among consumers, and so it’s no surprise virtually every major computer manufacturer wants a piece of the action (er, except Apple). While less straining on your bank account, especially during this economic downturn, the question is whether or not these “dumbed-down” notebooks are ideal to manage your growing business. The good Netbooks distinguish themselves from fully-functional notebooks in a few areas. “The pricing is, in a word, irresistible,” says Andy Walker, author of Microsoft Windows Vista Help Desk and Windows Lockdown!: Your XP and Vista Guide Against Hacks, Attacks, and Other Internet Mayhem (QUE books). “We’ve been trained that small and sleek laptops mean ‘expensive’ — not anymore — as the price is tag is as tiny as these computers,” Walker adds, citing sub-$300 models including the Acer Aspire One, Sylvania G, and aforementioned ASUS Eee. A decent laptop computer, on the other hand, costs about $600. Usually weighing between two and four pounds, these Wi-Fi-ready netbooks are highly portable, continues Walker. “If you spend any time on the road, these small Internet appliances can be a good choice for a businessperson since they can shove it in a bag, purse or luggage and have access to the Net, e-mail and company documents.” “Plus, there’s always a concern of losing or dropping a $2,000 laptop while traveling, but now we’re talking about 10 percent of that cost, so even though I hesitate to say it, it’s almost, well, disposable,” he adds. The bad Netbooks have a lot going for them — an attractive price, small form factor, and wireless connectivity — but while they may be ideal for mobile students, a few limitations might prevent them from catching for the business crowd. For one, netbooks were designed for basic functionality and not high-end applications. “These PCs are great for basic word processing and checking e-mail but not for video editing, gaming or any other demanding apps,” cautions Walker. What’s more, in order to keep costs down, many netbooks ship with a version of the free open-source Linux operating system, opposed to having Windows XP or Windows Vista installed. “Because of this fact, you have to make sure your business applications will work with Linux or else you’ll have to install Windows — if there’s enough memory to do so,” says Walker, alluding to the fact netbooks usually ship with modest storage space such as 2GB of Flash memory, and no optical drive. That said, a few free productivity suites work with Linux, such as OpenOffice.org 2, which includes a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation creation software, and more. “Don’t expect a full computer experience on a netbook, so base your expectations accordingly. You’re not going to design the next space shuttle on these things,” says Walker. The compromise HP, one of the world’s largest computer manufacturers, has also created an aggressively-priced subnotebook — the HP 2133 ($499) — but it’s not quite a netbook either. “HP is definitely in this category — a small form factor, optional Linux operating system, and Flash drive, but it gives you more of what a typical notebook will give you,” explains Robert Baker, product marketing manager for commercial notebooks, North America, at HP. “We see the demand for smaller, entry-level netbooks, but we did some market research and found those who use computers for business didn’t want to give up too much in the power department, so our 2133 is our first offering that splits the difference,” explains Baker. Specifically, users can select from a number of laptop-like options, such as up to 250GB (7200 RPM) hard drive, Windows Vista Business edition, and so on. When pressed on the likelihood of launching a true netbook to compete in this hot category, Baker says, “We’re actively looking into this market….. Yes, we’re watching it extremely closely, but I can’t tell you if we’re going to come out with one.” It all boils down to what you’re using it for. “I know people who are perfectly fine with having a netbook for Web surfing, especially if a lot of your computing is in the ‘cloud’ these days,” Baker says. “From our experience, however, while netbooks are emerging, the business parameters just aren’t there yet.”
In the wake of a bit of negative feedback and press, some small and mid-sized business leaders are understandably reluctant to move to upgrade to what Microsoft calls its “next logical step,” the latest version of its popular Windows operating system software, Windows Vista. The reports have raised concerns about incompatibilities with existing software, lack of drivers for existing hardware, and confusion for employees. As a result, some businesses are opting to stay with the last version, Windows XP, or find alternatives. The trouble with staying put with XP is that Microsoft has a reputation for eventually forcing users to migrate to the newest edition of its software. Windows XP will continue to be supported by Microsoft for only a few years. All versions of Windows XP will receive free security patches as well as non-security related updates, but only until April 2009. After that, they will receive security related patches only, until April 2014 when they stop supporting XP completely. So the pressure is for small and mid-sized businesses to make a choice. While some may decide to stay with XP and switch to Vista only when they buy new machines, others feel that simply sitting still just isn’t an appropriate plan for the future. The new Intel-based family of Mac computers is an attractive alternative for home computer users, but ultimately there are simply too many PC-specific needs in the business realm, at least at the enterprise level. Decisions, decisions “You have to live in this world as it exists,” says Richard Giroux, IT Manager at Whitelaw Twining Law Corp. of Vancouver, B.C. “but sometimes you get to choose alternatives. Deciding not to upgrade to Windows Vista was one of those times.” Last year, Giroux moved all the desktops in Whitelaw Twining Law, more than 40 workstations, away from Microsoft to Novell Linux Desktop and SUSE Linux. The firm is planning to bring all the laptops over to Linux as well later this year. Just in operating system (OS) licenses alone, he figures Whitelaw Twining has saved between $10,000 and $15,000. “And that’s not counting the amount of time it used to take for Windows maintenance on each desktop,” Giroux says. “Updates, patches, virus, and spyware problems, it was a never-ending treadmill. Now? Hardly any, almost none. Some desktops now running Linux I haven’t touched in a year.” For the most part, Windows users don’t have to give up their preferred software to move to Linux. Giroux says the firm still uses a few Windows proprietary apps, but using Wine (an Open Source Windows emulator) on Linux to deal with it does the trick. Linux has often been considered too “geeky” for the average desktop user, but that’s no longer true. Some Linux distributions have been crafted specifically for Windows users seeking an alternative. Xandros Linux is one of the easiest desktop systems to make the Windows-to-Linux cross-over. So easy, in fact, that Xandros was the company chosen by AsusTek Computer to build an operating system for it’s highly regarded Eee PC. The tiny ground-breaking laptops run a customized OEM version of Xandros. “Xandros Linux was created just for this purpose, to be an alternative choice that just works,” says Steven Harris, vice president of communications at Xandros. “Xandros Desktop works as well as any Microsoft based system in a Windows-centric environment. And while Xandros comes with loads of productivity tools like OpenOffice, most Windows specific applications, like Microsoft Office, will easily run on Xandros Linux as well.” Windows replacements Novell SUSE and Xandros aren’t the only potential replacements for Microsoft Windows. Some other excellent alternatives to Windows Vista — but by no means all — include PCLinuxOS, MEPIS, Linspire, openSUSE, Fedora, Mandriva, CentOS, Ubuntu and more. Probably the best place to begin your search through potential Linux versions is Distrowatch.com, a website devoted to listing all the different Linux distros. You can find these and more at Distrowatch, as well as links to all webpages relevant to each, including reviews and community sites, both excellent resources to help make that important decision. “Linux has proven to be rock solid, with no need for retraining staff. No one here has ever had a problem working with this OS, it takes no more than 10 minutes training to set someone up on one of our desktops,” says Giroux. “Linux works just like Vista, only without the pain.”
Beyond budget, it’s usually the biggest decision you’ll need to make when buying a personal digital assistant for your business: should you use the Palm operating system or the Windows-based Pocket PC technology? “While they’re similar devices to a degree these days, it boils down to what you want out of a PDA and how easily it’ll plug into business needs,” says analyst Michael Gartenberg, of New York-based Jupiter Research. “On one hand, Pocket PC is very compatible with [Microsoft] Outlook and Exchange, but the Palm OS tends to be simpler and more user-friendly.” Before deciding which PDA system to deploy at your company, another factor to consider is “what the third-party application support is for each platform and how it relates to your business,” says Bob O’Donnell, IDC’s Program VP for Clients and Displays. This common operating system debate has grown a bit more complicated for a few reasons. Palm now gives its customers the choice of operating system for their signature device — the Treo. Microsoft, which now refers to its software as Windows Mobile, offers two versions: one for Pocket PC-based PDAs with a touch-screen interface and another for button-based smartphones, such as the Motorola Q. It doesn’t need to be confusing, however, if you consider both the Palm and Pocket PC each has its share of pros and cons. The following provides a brief look at what these are for both PDA types: Why buy a Palm OS device? With ten years of experience under its belt, not only has Palm created a time-tested operating system, but along with this comes a dedicated community of developers. In fact, those who use one of the many Palm OS-based PDAs can choose from more than 28,000 downloadable programs for their handheld device. And many prefer the Palm for its clean and simple (and thus intuitive) icon-based interface. “Palm has a legacy of applications available for it, and for many users, the graffiti interface is an easy way for them to enter data,” says O’Donnell. Palm OS-based digital assistants are also ideal for those businesses on a tight budget since you can pick up one, such as the palm Z22, for less than $100. If you want more features, consider the Palm TE2 ($199) with Bluetooth and an expandable SecureDigital (SD) memory slot. The Palm TX ($299) offers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For $399, the Palm LifeDrive includes a 4GB hard drive, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Finally, the Palm Treo 650 or 700, which is also a cell phone, can be found for $199 to $499, depending on the carrier and length of commitment. You can tell which operating system is used by the product name: the Palm Treo 700p uses the Palm OS, while the 700w uses the — you guessed it — Windows Mobile v.5.0 platform. Why buy a Pocket PC device? Pocket PC-based products are ideal for business for several reasons. Windows Mobile 5.0 devices communicate directly with Microsoft Exchange Server and Small Business Server, so businesses can use Outlook Mobile — without requiring the management of an additional e-mail server and related costs (thus saving money and time). Plus, what this means for Pocket PCs with phone functionality, is BlackBerry-like “push e-mail,” so messages are sent to the portable device as soon as they’re received instead of having to log onto the Net to “pull” them down. As with other Windows Mobile-based devices, this push e-mail solution enables compatible devices to connect directly with Microsoft Exchange Server and Small Business Server. Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology also gives customers up-to-the-minute access to all of their Outlook information, such as e-mail, calendar, contacts and tasks. “For the same reason the BlackBerry is so successful, people want access to e-mail at any time, without booting their PC,” says ‘O’Donnell. “It’s a huge benefit for the business.” Pocket PCs sync well with desktop PCs running Windows XP. The look and feel of the Windows-based PDA will be familiar to PC Windows users. For the most part, Pocket PCs are also more powerful than their Palm OS counterparts. This extra computing power is perfect for multimedia, such as digital audio, photos, video and Web surfing via Pocket Internet Explorer. “While the Palm OS tends to be simpler and easier to use, Pocket PCs offer more functionality, and as a result, they’re more capable machines,” says Gartenberg. While generally pricier than Palm OS-based PDAs (Pocket PCs start at about $200 for an entry-level model), Pocket PC machines come from more vendors, namely: Asus, Casio, Dell, Garmin, Gateway, HP, Toshiba, and ViewSonic.
