Intel: Dual-Core Netbook Revolution Starts Now

Intel's a little late to its own game -- a handful of dual-core Ion-based netbooks already exist -- but hey, we're all for closing the door on the single-core Atom netbook era. As of this moment, there are a dozen new netbooks based on Intel's new mobile dual-core Atom processors available in stores, the chip maker announced.

"In their short history, the netbook category has experienced impressive growth," said Erik Reid, director of marketing for mobile platforms at Intel. "Having shipped about 70 million Intel Atom chips for netbooks since our launch of the category in 2008, there is obviously a great market for these devices around the world."

Most of the heavy hitters have dual-core netbooks ready to go, including Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, MSI, and Toshiba. And according to Intel, it's Atom N550 chip offers "similar great battery life" as the single-core N450.

With Netbook Navigator's Nav 9 Tablet's Multitasking Comes Bulk and Price

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

What a strange and topsy-turvy world we live in when a competing product from Apple can be considered a bargain next to its PC (as in, Windows) counterpart. What are we talking about?

Behold Netbook Navigator's Nav 9, the new 9-inch tablet which sticks it to Apple's iPad with the ability to multitask. But at $1,200, you had to be seriously committed to multitasking, because you would have been paying twice as much as Apple's entry-level iPad.

Wondering what's with the past tense? Well, the Nav 9 has been given a recent price drop bringing the base model down to a more affordable $799. Still expensive, but a lot easier to swallow than its previous price point.

What that gets you is an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 multitouch display, an Intel Atom N270 processor, Intel GMA950 graphics, a 16GB SSD, 2GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LAN, 3 USB ports, a MiniSD card slot, SIM card slot, Windows 7 Home Premium, and a 3-cell battery. In other words, it's a netbook that's been flattened out, though at 10 x 6.6 x .8 inches, we hesitate to overstate its flatness.

If you're dead set on paying a premium, there are several higher priced models, the most expensive of which checks in at $1,399 and includes a 128GB SSD.

Netbook Navigator's Tablet Comparison Chart

Image Credit: Netscape Navigator via liliputing.com