Asus VivoBook U38N laptop is AMD's latest attempt to combat Intel-based Ultrabooks

AMD may be going through what seems like continuous turmoil, but that hasn't kept it from trying to compete with Intel wherever it can. That includes in the world of ultra-thin laptops, where the Ultrabook platform has struggled to catch on with large portions of the notebook market.

AMD's latest salvo against its rival's Ultrabooks is the Asus VivoBook U38N, which has cleared the FCC and should hit these shores officially soon. It features all of the hallmarks of an Ultrabook -- lightweight (3.42 pounds) and super-slim (0.73 inches thick) with a hybrid storage solution (128GB solid state drive and 500GB hard drive) -- but includes an AMD A8-4555M quad-core processor instead of having Intel inside.

The 13.3-inch IPS screen packs 1,980x1,080 full HD resolution with touchscreen capabilities to take advantage of Windows 8's multitouch features. It will also ship with 4GB of RAM and Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio technology built in. 

One other thing the U38N may have in common with its Ultrabook competition is a high price. It is listed on Amazon's German site with a price tag over 800 euros, which comes to a little more than $1,000. Presumably you're paying a full premium for having a quad-core processor in such a lightweight package, but it won't do much for mainstream buyers used to paying closer to $500 for a new laptop.

Mini-laptops versus netbooks, and other queries

Sarah wants a netbook or mini-laptop for her 16-year-old to take to school, Bob wants to run Windows 8 on a 1280 x 1024 pixel screen, and another reader wonders if there's anything wrong with keeping passwords on a USB memory stick…

'I keep sensitive passwords, account numbers, pin numbers etc on a small USB drive. Is there a big flaw in my system?' Photograph: Matthew Baker/PA

My 16-year-old wants a netbook/mini-laptop for his sixth form schoolwork, and it needs to be fast enough to handle Word documents in Microsoft Office. He already has a laptop, but it's too bulky and too heavy to take to school. The price is a concern but I really want him to be happy with it.

Sarah

I thought this would be easy because I'd seen the Samsung 305U mini-laptop being sold off for around £300. It has now been discontinued, but you could try to pick one up by searching for Samsung 305U or even NP305U1A-A01UK.

Netbooks are limited by their screen resolution (1024 x 600 pixels), which is below the specification needed for Microsoft Windows 8. Other drawbacks include having only 1GB of memory, and running Windows 7 Starter. The Samsung 305U is about the same size as a netbook, having an 11.6in screen and weighing 1.21kg. However, it has better graphics, better screen resolution (1366 x 768 pixels), much more memory (4GB), and a much better operating system (64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium).

The drawback with the Samsung 305U and similar cheap mini-laptops is that they usually have an AMD Fusion E-450 processor. This is much slower than a low-end laptop chip such as the Intel Pentium B830, though still a bit faster than the sort of Intel Atom you would get in a netbook. Still, the E-450 can certainly run Microsoft Word.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S205 is an excellent alternative to the Samsung 305U and has an almost identical specification for £309 from Laptops Direct.

In some mini-laptops, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad S206, the E-450 has been replaced by AMD's E2-1800. This looks like the same chip with the clock speed bumped up from 1.65GHz to 1.70GHz, which makes no practical difference.

The next step up would be something like an Asus X401A, which is also available for around £300. This gets you a much faster processor such as the Intel Pentium B980 (avoid the Pentium B830 version, which is much slower), and the choice of Windows 7 or Windows 8. However, the X401A has a 14in screen and weighs 1.85kg, so it's bigger, heavier and much less portable than mini-laptops like the Samsung 305U and IdeaPad S205.

Note: After shopping around, Sarah bought her son an 11.6in HP Pavilion dm1-4341sa mini-laptop with an E2-1800 processor and Windows 7 for £279. HP's current price is £329 with Windows 8 installed.

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Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) Hindi Movie PDVD

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Director: Yash Chopra
Genre: Drama | Romance
Release Date: 13 November 2012
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma

Storyline: A young immigrant falls in love with a NRI who wanted to marry any British person, not a typical brown Indian. But she falls in love with that young musician, but this love story ends with a breakup. Then that man, fed up with life with vast emotion joins Indian army bomb squad, where he flirts with death everyday. A young discovery channel journalist approaches his team to cover bomb squad story but falls in love with him.

Samsung Ativ S could be delayed until 2013

It seems that the Samsung Ativ S is experiencing more issues, as reports suggest it has been further delayed.

The latest reports come via Sam Mobile, which suggests that in Europe at least we may have to hold out until early next year to get our hands on the Ativ S.

We were supposed to see Samsung's first Windows Phone 8 device land in stores sometime during mid-November, but that has come and gone, with the Ativ S release date now completely up in the air.

Still no sign

We reported last month that the Samsung Ativ S had been delayed, and rumours suggested it would arrive during the first week of December.

Samsung even told us "the launch of Samsung Ativ S in the UK is scheduled in December" – but we're not holding out a huge amount of hope.

UK online retailer Expansys recently told us that it now expects the Ativ S to arrive on December 13, but it has previously been told earlier dates by suppliers which have not come to fruition, so we'll keep an eye on the situation.

From our hands on Samsung Ativ S review, the handset looks to be one of the best phones to run the new Windows Phone 8 software, but the delay in getting it out to customers will surely only hinder the Korean's firm presence on this OS.

We're waiting to hear something official from Samsung regarding these latest reports, and we'll update this article if it gets back to us.

LG AirPlay enabled Docking Speaker ND8520 Launched in India at Rs 20,990

In an attempt to add one more offering in its home entertainment portfolio range, LG has announced the launch of new innovative speaker in India — the AirPlay enabled DockingSpeaker ND8520. Price at Rs 20,990, the newly launched docking speaker features a 2.1 channel audio experience with 80 watts of power and also comes with a woofer module for improved low-end depth all in an attractive cube like design.

This device was first showcased by LG in IFA 2012 held a couple of months ago. While launching it in India, S.H. Park, Director-home entertainment, LG India said, “Smart devices have become a part of daily life. It’s now easier than ever for people to enjoy the content they’re interested in, whether it’s movies, online lectures, games, or anything else, whenever and wherever they are.”

“They integrate a range of advanced technologies into sophisticated, unique designs, and they make those technologies work seamlessly with smart devices”, he further added.

For connectivity, ND8520 features an old iPhone/iPod/iPad dock as well as a standard audio jack, Bluetooth and USB along with built-in subwoofer, touch-screen EQ, radio, alarm clock and LG Bluetooth Remote app, which means you can use you iOS or Android smartphone as a remote. The icing on the cake is the addition of AirPlay technology for wireless playback of your iTunes library from computers and mobile devices.

Key Features of LG ND8520 Dock Speaker:

• Sound: 80 W, 2.1 channels
• Built-in Subwoofer
• PBA (Precise Balancing Algorithm)
• AirPlay
• Bluetooth Remote App
• iPod, iPhone, iPad Direct Docking
• Smart Square
• USB Playback
• Alarm Clock Radio

India starts issuing of IPv6 addresses

"This is to test compatibility of hardware and software that has to be in place. In next couple of months we will launch industrial grade of IPv6,” said Govind, CEO of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), in a report Monday by Hindu Business Line.
IRINN is issuing the addresses starting at INR 21,999 (US$396) compared to the prevalent rate of around INR 66,000 (US$1,188)  in Asia Pacific region, noted the news daily.
IRINN was set up by state-run NIXI, and is recognized by APNIC, one of the five authorized bodies for issuing Internet addresses, to do so in India.
The Internet addresses under the present version IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), are limited and service providers often assign single IP address to many users, making it difficult to identify the end user, noted the report.
"The number of IPv6 addresses available is enormous. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can allocate an IP address to their users. People can be easily identified if they are using IPv6," said Sanjaya, director for services and operations at APNIC.