lgpOnTheMove

lgpOnTheMove on Hiatus

As you may have probably noticed, I've been taking a break from writing these past several weeks to catch up on some other business, as well as attend to a minor medical matter. Never fear, more articles are in the works, as well as a notebook (or two) on the way right now to lgpOnTheMove for a closer look.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for more great news and reviews!

Tech Tips - Gaming on the Atom N570

I've been carefully exploring over these last couple of weeks the many possibilities my HP 210 Mini netbook provides, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience. Intel's N570 dual-core Atom really is a decent performer. But working with applications and multimedia is only part of the picture. My testing has shown that, despite popular opinion, the N570 platform is adept at handling more than one 3D graphics title out there!

If you've been itching to get your hands on the smallest/lightest Windows device that will provide a decent casual gaming experience, or need a 10" netbook that can do more than just documents and spreadsheets, these gaming tips here should help turn a lackluster day into something decidedly more entertaining.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Lots of editors and writers like to re-post news found online and put their own "spin" on a story. Big Deal is yet another addition to lgpOnTheMove where l highlight recent news posts from the web that tie into my work here, minus of course the bloated opinion.

Despite all the wild hype around slates these days, it seems I'm not entirely alone when it comes to my preference for netbooks versus the overpriced luxury toys. Softpedia reports that research firm ABI shows consumers still prefer netbooks over slates. Read on to get the link to their article, along with my take on these findings.

Round three of my slate shakedown continues with the HP TouchPad. Yes, HP has thrown it's hat in the slate ring this year borrowing heavily from the advances made by Palm's webOS software. But can the muscle of a hardware giant like HP and the software talent from Palm, now owned by HP, produce a slate that improves upon the likes of the BlackBerry PlayBook and 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab? Unfortunately, not by very much.

Ever since the introduction of the iPad, manufacturers have been clamoring to produce newer, better, alternative models to compete with Apple and tease consumers. 2011 has in fact become the biggest year yet of slate product launches, with HP, RIM, Apple, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and many more companies now offering units on sale. Yes, we are in the midst of a total slate euphoria.

But should consumers and enthusiasts buy into all this wild hype? More to the point, do slates really offer anything functional and useful that a small/light, more-affordable netbook would not already be able to provide? Based on some of my extensive, first-hand experience, I have to say the netbook continues to be the better option.

Once again, I'm happy to present here on lgpOnTheMove yet another very unique netbook. The HP 210 Mini may not be the newest 10" rig on the block, but it does sport an impressive list of specs, starting with an Atom N570 CPU. Can the dual-core HT processor improve upon the existing netbook user experience? Combined with the numerous other features the 210 Mini offers, I'd say that's a definite yes!

Today I take a look at a rather inexpensive but useful little accessory that will be welcome for many netbook users, myself included. Liteon's eNAU108 CD/DVD burner is a portable USB-powered optical drive that does a great job when it comes to burning and reading practically any type of disc out there, with decent performance as well. You may even be so impressed with it that, like me, you'll end up buying two!

My second Glamor Shots piece now features the HP 210 Mini netbook. While my acquisition of this unit was originally for benchmarking the Atom N570, I ended up liking the unit so much that I've decided to keep it, effectively replacing my original HP 2133 netbook. Stay tuned next week for a full review of the 210 Mini on lgpOnTheMove.