bruceb news

Dell has added the Latitude 13 to its business notebook lineup, with a design that is identical in virtually every respect to the Vostro V13 introduced in December. The “Latitude” brand name is used by Dell to indicate that the notebook includes features for management by large companies. Here’s the description of the added features distinguishing the Latitude 13 from the Vostro V13:

The Latitude 13 adds features such as remote manageability and  desktop virtualization through certification from Citrix and VMware to deliver a full PC experience to users in non-standard computing environments such as

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Once my wife saw my Dell Vostro V13, it didn’t take long before we had two Vostro V13s.

The Vostro V13 is an ultrathin notebook with a 13” 1366×768 nonglare screen and a full-size keyboard. It’s two-thirds of an inch tall with the lid closed and weighs just 3.5 pounds. The aluminum body oozes style and elegance, with curved edges and a polished exterior that is surprisingly solid for such a light machine. It has the same appeal as some very expensive ultrathin laptops, the Dell Adamo and Sony Vaio Z, but sells for far […] continued

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Who’s going to buy an Apple iPad?

Well, not you or me, anyway – not this version, not at $600-800.

It’s not going to revolutionize anything, it’s not going to replace netbooks, but it will find large and devoted audiences, particularly after the price drops and some features get added. It’s easy to imagine version 2 or 3 with the built-in camera that ought to have been there all along, and with the GPS receiver that is driving the most interesting uses of the iPhone. More importantly, a couple of years from now the low-end version of the […] continued

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Happy holidays from all of us at Bruceb Consulting! All my best wishes for an abundance of happiness and good cheer!

I’m looking forward to working with you in 2010 in a rapidly changing world of technology. These are the trends that will shape next year for small businesses:

• WINDOWS 7  Many of you will be getting new computers to replace the aging, slow Windows XP systems under your desk, and finding that Windows 7 is quite delightful for work and play.
• MULTIPLE COMPUTERS  You’ll be more likely to have several computers as prices drop

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It won’t be long until netbooks take their place as something you’ll be considering as your second or third computer.

On January 10, Intel will formally unveil the next-generation processor that will allow netbooks to function at a reasonable speed. Asus, Acer, Lenovo, MSI, and others will have netbooks using the “Atom N450” processor available immediately. Dell and HP will presumably follow suit. Early reports suggest that prices will be similar to netbook prices now.

Netbooks with the new processor will run simple programs on Windows 7 at full speed, or close to it. They will be fast enough […] continued

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Now that we’ve all had our fun looking at ultraexpensive ultrathin notebooks, Dell announced one this week that looks much more reasonable. The Dell Vostro V13 has all the characteristics we want from an ultrathin notebook – a 13” screen and a full-size keyboard, in a package that’s two-thirds of an inch thick and weighs three and a half pounds. It can be configured with a Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4Gb of RAM, a 7200RPM hard drive. It’s beautiful.

Prices for the Dell Vostro V13 start at $650 for Windows 7 and a Core […] continued

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Let me show you some of the ultrathin notebooks that have caught my eye. There are more on the market and new ones are appearing every week, so this isn’t an endorsement, just an idea of what’s out there.

There are a few Dell models that look svelte and sleek. Click here to go to the Dell Small Business web site, then let your mouse hover over “Laptops & Netbooks.” You’ll be able to pick the specific models I mention from the menu that drops down.

Start with the Dell Studio 14z. It’s relatively inexpensive; it’s thin […] continued

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The variety of notebooks is overwhelming and new models are appearing daily. The market is starting to look like this:

• Netbooks with 10”-11” screens, powered by Intel’s weak Atom processor, with 1-2Gb of RAM, running the stripped-down Windows 7 Basic. You’ll likely get one from the cell phone carriers, who will practically give them away as long as you sign up for a two-year data plan. They’re smaller than you think – perfect for Internet browsing and checking the mail, but definitely not what you want as your only computer. The next generation will be better, with

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There are an overwhelming number of new computers on the market! It will be impossible to stay up to date on the brands and models – and almost impossible to get hands-on experience with more than a small fraction of what’s out there.

Click through to this article and take a look at some (but not all) of the new computers introduced by manufacturers on the day that Windows 7 was launched.

Random example – the first one on the list: Sony’s Vaio L is an all-in-one with a 24” touchscreen. You’re looking at the whole thing! […] continued

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There’s good news about shopping for a new desktop or notebook computer running Windows 7: they’re all good enough.

It’s such a relief! One of the important reasons that Vista got a bad reputation was its poor performance on underpowered systems. Consumers demanded cheap computers and manufacturers pushed out too many computers that could not run Vista well. What’s worse, it was done with Microsoft’s blessing in what stands out in my mind as one of the worst decisions in Microsoft’s history.

Three years later, prices have come down and specs have gone up on cheap […] continued

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