UK Netbook Review

Many netbooks come with Windows 7 Starter Edition which is Microsoft’s low cost version of the Window 7 OS it makes available to netbook makers. To keep costs low, Microsoft has left out a few features including personalization options.  That means you can’t change the desktop background or user the Aero Glass desktop effects with [...]

Remember the battery issues that surrounded the launch of Windows 7? Actually, neither did I. But it was reported that Windows 7 was leading to shorter battery life in netbooks and today PhysOrg reports that Microsoft has now heard enough complaints itself to open an investigation into the matter. Not many details, but Microsoft is apparently looking into the issue in collaboration with its hardware partners, and says that the problem is likely related to the computers’ BIOS, which Windows 7 relies on to determine if the battery needs to be replaced. We’re not sure exactly what that means but hopefully it will lead to something useful.

Despite some initial rumours suggesting otherwise, the last 3 reports first from JKOntheRun and Liliputing, and now Laptopmag seems to cement the fact that battery life is worse under Windows 7 than Windows XP. In the latest tests, LaptopMag took Windows 7 versions of the Toshiba mini NB205 and ASUS Eee PC 1008HA, and the HP (Compaq here in the UK) Mini 311 and tested them using their own battery test which basically consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi. As you can see in the table below, Windows 7 scored worse in each case – ranging from about 30 minutes for the NB205 and a whole hour for the 1008HA and Mini 311.

Asus seems to be one of the few netbook manufacturers actually shipping netbooks today pre-loaded with Windows 7.  With the global launch of Windows 7 today, I was expecting that more netbooks would ship with the new operating system today, but at the last minute, Samsung’s netbooks delayed their Windows 7 netbooks from Oct. 22 [...]

Windows 7 launches today, and with that many new netbooks will start shipping with Windows 7 Starter edition, rather than the old Windows XP mainstay.  However, for those of you running Windows XP and looking to upgrade to Windows 7, the major netbook manufacturers have you covered (with a few exceptions) Today, Liliputing rounded up [...]