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While Windows 7 is widely expected to be slimmer and more functional than Windows Vista, Iolo Technologies claims the new OS takes longer to boot than its predecessor.

The company sells PC tune-up software and said that its lab unit was disappointed with the new operating system’s performance. Windows 7 took 1 minute 34 seconds to become usable on a new machine as compared to a minute 6 seconds with Vista. The difference could be a deal breaker in netbooks, where boot times can severly hinder or augment the user experience.

Iolo’s main criterion was that the OS be fully usable to be considered booted, “with CPU cycles no longer significantly high and a true idle state achieved”.

CNet News has corroborated those results, leading to a murmur of worry among those anticipating the new OS. Microsoft has not yet commented on the findings, but if the past is any clue, it should come forward in self-defense soon.

The politics of the tech industry are rarely discussed, save for in the most conspiratorial of circles, but they are often of great importance for understanding the market. One question that we have often asked is – why do so many netbooks only offer the same boring formula as others?

While it’s been proven that Intel Atom/160 GB/1 GB RAM/XP netbooks work, manufacturers aren’t just taking the easy road with a tried and true setup that others did the work to figure out. After all, laptop manufacturers follow diverse paths in making their machines. So why all the repetition?

It turns out that Microsoft enacted some restrictions when it decided to sell XP for netbooks. Early in the days of netbooking testers found that Vista was too beefy for the diminutive machines, and Microsoft wasn’t about to let Linux take the whole market. So although XP won’t rake in the profits of newer operating systems, Microsoft was forced to bite the bullet and let manufacturers sell netbooks with XP… with a few conditions.

Reports have surfaced that netbook manufacturers would only put Windows XP on machines too weak to run Vista. This created a problem for netbook makers – should they undercut the RAM of their systems to satisfy Microsoft, or sell netbooks with a clumsier OS just for the freedom to crank the power a little?

As netbooks are a budget product (with a few exceptions), most decided to obey and keep RAM to 1 GB. But Microsoft wasn’t yet satisfied, calling for OEMs to restrict screen size to 10.1 inches and HDD space to 80 GB. As the netbook market proved to be a profitable one Microsoft’s cannibalization fears were assuaged and the restrictions were stretched to accomodate devices up to 14.1 inches and 160 GB, though only if low-powered chips were used.

At least we don’t have to blame a lack of innovation for netbooks’ repetitive formula – manufacturers are just following restrictions set up by Microsoft.

What does this mean for the future? While Microsoft claims Windows 7 will be slim enough to run on netbooks, not everyone’s convinced. Will consumers drop more cash for a snappier version of Windows, or remain content with XP? Nobody can say for sure, but answers will only be a matter of time.

Via NYTimes.

The new HP Pavillion dv2 is a thorn in the side of those who’d hope to distinguish notebooks and netbooks once and for all, but that doesn’t kill our enthusiasm. Regardless of what category it falls into, the new device is intriguing.

HP announced the Pavillion dv2 netbook back during CES 2009; a 12.1-inch machine running a 1.6 GHz AMD processor. It’s reportedly the first netbook to implement the AMD Athlon Neo processor, a chip meant to overtake cheaper chips (like the Intel Atom) in terms of processing power in order to run the 12-inch device.

Naturally, the larger processor has taken its toll on the new netbook’s pricetag. The HP Pavillion dv2 will cost you a garish $749, but on the other hand it has features to compensate: 720p HD resolution, 4 GB of RAM and a monolithic 320 GB hard drive. HP’s new netbook is a powerhouse, enough so that the company feels comfortable making it only compatible with Windows Vista.

No release date for the HP Pavillion dv2 is known so far, but you can reserve one now at HP’s site.

Via ZDNet.

The newest netbook on the market is furnished in true OLPC style. It’s the hardiest machine we’ve encountered yet, with a contender being the relatively unknown CTL 2go PC netbook of last year. Take a look at the new Trimble Yuma tablet netbook, designed for the harshest of environments:

As we reported recently, manufacturers are taking note of midsize firms’ need for rugged machines and are delivering accordingly. Netbooks are filling that gap nicely due to their low cost, and the 2.6 pound Trimble Yuma is the result.

The Yuma tablet netbook  can be submerged in 1 meter of water without sustaining damage. It earned Ingress Protection Ratings of six for dust damage and seven for water.

The netbook can do some hard work itself, too. It is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom, and comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, “dual digital cameras”, and slots for SDIO and an ExpressCard. You only get 32 GB of storage, but for an SSD that’s quite a bit. Moving parts on hardy machines are looked down upon, thus the need for the solid state drive.

Additionally, you can read off the 7-inch screen in direct sunlight. No OS has been specified for the Trimble Yuma thus far, though the pictures suggest Vista. Will it be well-powered enough to run the OS?

Personally, I’d imagine a Linux OS or XP would be a better choice – most netbooks simply can’t handle Vista. On the other hand, if the Yuma works it works, and if it makes it to the industries it’s designed for that’s what it’s going to need to do.

There’s no word on pricing or availability just yet, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Via DailyTech.

CNet recently published a test of the now-available Windows 7 beta on a netbook.

Windows 7 has been rumored to work very well with computer systems using the Intel Atom, to contrast with Vista which as seemed sluggish. The one exception to this is the Sony Vaio P, which uses an Atom but bumps RAM up to 2 GB.

They installed the beta on “a typical netbook,” which according to the pictures was an MSI Wind, but we wish they’d specified the model. The only initial problem with booting the OS was that it didn’t detect the wireless card, but that was resolved.

CNet’s iTunes benchmark test found, in fact, similar scores to the same test evaluating Windows XP. XP was actually a bit faster, completing the test in 743 seconds as compared with Windows 7’s 760.

According to “anecdotal use,” however, CNet reports that the Windows 7 interface “responded quicker and hung less frequently than Vista.”

The question remains: is Windows 7 really a legitimate option for netbooks? Microsoft is rumored to be working on a netbook-specific version of Windows 7, an interesting prospect, so XP may be retired in the near future.

Via CNet.

The MSI X320 might be a netbook or it might be a notebook, but whatever it is, it pulls off the look. We found a video over at CrunchGear showing the MSI X320 off, and we knew you’d be interested. With no further ado, here it is:

The netbook looks like it’s running Vista, but we don’t doubt an XP version is on the way as well.

It’s a sleek machine, there’s no doubt. The $699 price tag might make you cringe, but analysts are saying this has little in common with a netbook other than the Atom processor, so the price may be warranted. Personally, I wouldn’t drop 700 bucks on a notebook packing an Atom, but I’m reserving judgement until the full specs are released.

It has a 13.4-inch screen and should be out this April.

Via CrunchGear.

The HP Mini 1000 has been getting a lot of hype recently, but that doesn’t mean HP is backing off. It has returned to its original netbook series, the Mini-Note 2100, and has delivered a new one: the HP Mini-Note 2140. And if we may professionally say so, it looks extremely cool.

The new netbook has dropped the VIA C7-M processor of previous machines and replaced it with the now-standard 1.6 GHz Intel Atom. It is supposedly being developed for businesses, and has a HDD which can encompass 80 or 160 GB of space.

It has a 10-inch screen with some strange resolutions – 1366 x 768 or 1024 x 567. It’s keeping the ExpressCard slot, and on most counts, the HP Mini-Note 2140 stays the same as its predecessors.

The new netbook will start at $499 with choices of XP Home or Pro, SuSe Linux, FreeDOS, Windows Vista Home or Premium. It’s a great improvement over the Mini 1000 so it should do well on the market.

This “P-series” VAIO machine was found in the notebook section in the SonyStyle store by someone from jkOnTheRun. Although the picture is a placeholder for a TT-device, this is more info than we’d had before.

It’s got a 1.33 GHz Intel CPU, which has led to some speculation that it uses the Atom chip (although the more popular Atom is 1.66 GHz.) It will shy away from the Ubuntu Linux and XP of netbooks past and run Windows Vista Home Premium or Home Basic. This interesting departure from the standard could be a really good thing, though we’ve heard reports that Vista can be slow on netbooks.

In typical Sony style, the P’s eight-inch screen will have amazing resolution: 1600×768. If your eyes can handle looking at stuff so small, you’ll be a a happy consumer. The hard drive will hold a wimpy 60 GB but you can bump it up to 128 GB if you get the SSD drive instead… which will also raise the price.

It is doubtful that Sony will look to compete for price, which means this new machine may very well cost over $1000. While it may fit in your pocket as in the ad, you may need some pretty deep pockets.

Via jkOnTheRun.

We haven’t heard from Acer in a while, but as the world’s third biggest PC manufacturer, it’s proving it is still in the game. It’s time to check out a few new releases for us in the netbook world to feast upon: a new Acer netbook, and a new desktop computer.

The plans for the new netbook are nebulous and unconfirmed, but we have a few specifics: it is a 10.2″ netbook slated for a 2009 entry to the market. Acer is also introducing a new desktop, and analysts expect this combo will serve well to set Acer up against Apple computers and, of course, netbook giant ASUS whose dominance of the netbook market is hard to contest.

As netbooks increasingly follow a homogenized formula, doubts as to the interest value of new netbook releases may run high. However, Acer intends no confusion – execs have assured us that the new system will be “different”, a quality it will definitely need to take on the magnificently popular Eee PCs.

The company has had only one product in the market thus far, the 8.9″ Aspire One. Despite its long tenure in the netbook world, the Aspire One is still one of the most excellent products on the market. However, as we have noted before, 7″-9″ displays have been fading out in favor of larger devices with better resolutions. The new netbook will follow this trend but will include the recently preferred 1026×768 display, which has proven to be the resolution at which most web pages work best.

The new Acer netbook’s price should rise at least $100 above that of the current Aspire One, placing it at about $500. The extra cash pays for pre-installed Windows Vista and hard drives with up to enormous 320 GB capacity.

The new desktop has even fewer specs confirmed, but it is said to be prepared to launch for competition with the iMac and ASUS’ touch-enabled Eee Top.

Acer has laid out a plan involving the sale of a full six million Aspire One units for 2008, a million more units than competitor ASUS’ intended goal. The challenge has been laid out before the tech industry – Acer is ready to roll. The new developments we’re sure to be seeing in the near future will be enticing to follow.