There is no use of using N280 + GN40 combo if you are using Windows XP

Intel N280 processor and GN40 chipset provides better hardware video decoding and 3D graphics performance only if you are using Windows Vista. This is because only Vista (or later) gives you directX 10 and DXVA 2.0.

Unfortunately, most of the netbooks are still shipping with the Windows XP. With Windows XP, you only get DXVA 1.0 due to which hardware video decoding does not work properly. With Vista, DXVA 2.0 is available and hardware decoding worked fine.

Right now, only Eee PC 1004DN and Gigabyte Technology’s Touch Note T1028 have GN40 chipset. It may be true that netbooks with N280+GN40 combo may offer better hardware video decoding, but the overall performance with a BETA product like Vista is simply horrible on the netbooks.

I tried Vista on my EEE 1000H with 2GB RAM and the performance is disappointing. I will (patiently) wait for the Windows 7 instead.

Install OSX Leopard On A Dell Mini 9 Netbook – Video Tutorial

I do not think there remains one netbook which has not enjoyed tasting Mac OS X. This clearly shows that the netbooks have adequate hardware to run full fledge Mac OS X. Then why Apple is not coming out with a netbook? Well, the reason is obvious:

• They do not have a tendency to sell products for cheap
• It would make selling iPod Touch even harder

Anyway, here is a video of how to install Mac OS X on a Dell Mini 9 netbook

Redfly Mobile viewer impressions from a netbook and Windows Mobile user [Video]

Redfly recently released a viewer that can run on PCs. This viewer lets you to view and use your device’s screen directly from the PC. Now, Redly is not the first company to come up with such solution. Many other companies like SOTI have been offering similar solutions from quite a lot of time. What makes the Redfly different then? Well, it lets you:

• use different resolutions (800×480, 800×600, 1024×600 and 1024×768)
• has a projector mode which basically runs the Redfly applications full screen

I decided to load it on my netbook (EEE 1000H) instead of my laptop as netbook is something which I carry almost everywhere I go. Here is a video showing the real-life performance of the Redfly Viewer.

Click on read more to see the download information

Dell mini 10 unboxing video

Digitalhomethoughts have got their hands on the recently released Dell Mini 10. In the video, Jason has given a hardware overview. I’m myself happy to see the great keyboard, which also has full right shift key. The Dell mini 10 is one of the few netbooks which comes with HDMI port. One more nice feature in mini 10 is the small AC adapter, which looks very similar to the one found in the ASUS EEE 700-series. The ones found in other netbooks (esp Aspire One 8.9-inch) are rather bulky.

Video of EEE 1008HA shell

Folks at Registerhardware have posted a nice video of EEE 1008HA. In the video, ASUS representative have shown the concept and theories behind the 1008HA. I really like the improved keyboard and the slim design. They claim that they have made a lot of improvements on the software side too, where they particularly mentioned the new EEE dock. I do not think that it is very useful. I would have appreciated a custom shell for the Windows instead.

Windows Phones video

At MWC 2009, Microsoft changed the name of Windows Mobile to just Windows phones. Here is the video depicting the new sliding panel interface.

ASUS EEE Family Video

As the name suggests, this video shows the EEE family. It is interesting to see how the Asus initially started off with Xandros and lately moved to Windows XP. Infact, in this video they show how well the Windows XP and Live Mesh work together.

UMID M1 launches in Korea (plus typing demo video)

UMID M1 has finally been launched in Korea. This tiny 4.8-inch little monster runs on Intel Atom processor and promises a whoping 6 hours battery life, which should be enough for a full day use. However, due to its small size, do not even think about writing a novel on this small device. According to slashgear, the keyboard is surprisingly nice for thumb-typing.

The base model starts at $465 and goes upto $532 for high end model.

Here is the thumb-typing demo:

SONY VAIO P-series AD

Can you really fit so many VAIO P’s in your pockets? Leave that question. Can you afford so many P-series VAIOs? ;)

ASUS EEE S101 and Lenovo S10 – Hardware Tour and Size Comparison video

EEE S101 and Lenovo S10 hardware overview and size comparison from Kamal DS on Vimeo.