According to a report by Digitimes (as cited by Engadget), a section of Taiwanese manufacturers are all set to launch netbooks based on the Snapdragon and Tegra platform, as early as Q4 2009. Users will be able to see the following devices by year end:

• Acer’s Android powered netbook
• Mobinnova’s 8.9-inch élan (for US and European markets)
• Inventec’s 10-inch Tegra based smartbook called the Rainbow
• A netbook based on above platform from Asus (won’t be launched before November 09)

Although the above reports can not be confirmed and are mere speculations but it will be really nice to see such devices in the market competing against the Intel Atom powered netbooks.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform offers a great combination of processing power and battery life. In terms of connectivity it offers 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capability, and GPS. Snapdragon-based devices are thin, ultra-portable and easy to use, with an intuitive user interface, and mobile OS. They have the capability to decode HD video, support high resolution displays, and offer improved 3D graphics.

Similarly, Nvidia’s Tegra system-on-chip with an ARM processor has been developed by NVIDIA for devices such as smartphones, PDAs, and MIDs. The Tegra integrates CPU, GPU, northbridge, southbridge, and memory controller onto a single package. This platform also provides decent performance and good battery life.

It would be interesting to see netbooks based on this platform. Earlier, we have had a glimpse of such devices at the Computex trade fair which was held earlier this year. There are a number of smartphones available in the market that run on these platforms and look quite promising, but, the performance of these processors on a netbook is yet to be seen.

Credit : notebookcheck.net

Looking for a place to buy a netbook? Have you tried any of the thousands of online shops that offer them? Oh, they don’t look quite desperate enough for you? Perhaps you’d rather go somewhere that really needs your money: Blockbuster. Yes, the struggling video chain has made yet another partnership, this time with Archos to sell its Archos 10 10.2-inch netbook at 1,000 of its “select” retail outlets around these United States. The totally predictably spec’d (1.6GHz Atom, 1GB of Ram, 160GB HDD, etc.) netbook lacks any sort of special multimedia customization, and with no optical drive is completely unable to play any of the films you can rent from that same location (those are so obsolete anyway), but does at least come at a decent price: $299. Of course, you can get it right now at Amazon for the same exact moneys, and there you won’t have to fend off any salesmen with hungry eyes. But, if you’re looking for a little attention, this could be your big blue ticket.

Credit : engadget.com