Now in the product database: 12 inch and smaller laptops

culv comparison

The Liliputing Product Database is one of the most comprehensive resources around for finding information about more than 100 mini-laptops that have been introduced over the past two years. But as the mobile computer space continues to evolve, I’ve decided to expand the database to include some of the more exciting thin and light computers that have started to appear.

Up until recently, my cutoff point for including a laptop in the database was that it had to have a 10.2 inch or smaller display. But many laptops with 11.6 to 12.1 inch displays are hitting the market these days, and some of them are cheaper than many 10 inch laptops. And while many have more powerful processor, a number of 11 and 12 inch laptops including the Acer Aspire 1810T, Asus UL20A, and Toshiba T115 are expected to get battery life that is as good, if not better than many netbooks. And most importantly, many of these 12 inch and smaller laptops still weigh 3.5 pounds or less.

I’m fairly certain I won’t expand the database to include 13 inch laptops anytime soon. As far as I’m concerned, a 13 inch laptop is just a laptop. And while there’s no good name to describe this new generation of thin, light, and relatively low power 11 and 12 inch laptops yet, I think they’re something new and exciting. Just like netbooks.

Adding these laptops to the database also gives it a bit more variety. I’d gotten tired of entering Intel Atom, GMA 950, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive over and over. Now you’ll find a number of machines with Intel CULV, AMD Neo, and other processors as well as NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics.

The database is still a work in progress and I still have a number of laptops to add. But if you haven’t checked it out in a while, you might want to take another look.


Posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009, 4:49 pm by Brad
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  • Mikez
    You have needed a keyboard hot-key macro for that phrase for over 18 months. ;)
    My simply listing a few dozen Media Boxes with links to product pages was a challenge.
  • "I’d gotten tired of entering Intel Atom, GMA 950, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive over and over."

    LOL. Brad your honesty is refreshing.
  • Fanfoot
    HP Pavilion DM1 please. Would be nice to to have a complete database of the available thin 'n light laptops, and this one certainly needs to be included...
  • Michael
    thanks brad for your effort. You have a huge following in Malaysia and Singapore.

    Now, its time to figure out all these processors. People are all confused all these SU, Celeron, dual core, core2duo etc.

    Why can't Intel make it easier to understand? Initially we thought the higher the 4 digit number was better (eg SU4100), but now, it seems, there is single core, dual core, celron dual core etc etc.

    Can someone help summarize all these?
  • mateo_j
    Wow, This kind of list was exactly what I was hoping for. You have out done yourself, Great Job!!!
  • voinea
    excellent idea to add those also !
  • Ah, the old 'whatdowecallem' debate. I've always thought that the term netbook is all about the size and form factor. Netbook->Notebook->Laptop. Others have insisted that the name can only be applied to low cost small laptops. I don't see that this restriction has to stay in place, sure the first wave happened to be low cost with low functionality, but even the second generation showed that a netbook was for life, not just for Christmas. Well, not quite but you know what I mean ;)!

    At the end of the day, I can't say I'm too bothered other than a need to rename my site ;)!
  • Mikez
    The old: "What to name the baby?" puzzle. Either web-site or computer classification.

    Maybe you already hit the best name in the first sentence: whatdowecallem.com
    Which appears to be available at first, quick, look. ;)
  • There have been 9 and 10 inch mini-laptops for ages. But they tended to cost
    $900 or more up until recently, so I really think what made the netbook a
    new product class was the size, weight and price.

    Some people insist long battery life is part of the equation, but my first
    Asus Eee PC 701 got about 2-3 hours, tops. I think long battery life has
    just been a byproduct of low power processors... and as the demand for
    excellent battery life has gotten stronger, we've seen more and more PC
    makers up their games on battery life.

    But I still think it's size, weight, and price...

    The new 11 to 12 inch models would probably still fit the bill except they
    do tend to be larger and more expensive than the Atom netbooks that flooded
    the market over the past two years, so it makes sense that there should be a
    new term to differentiate them. I just don't know what that term should be.
    So I'm going with "laptop" for now. :)
  • BoloMKXXVIII
    While I don't think a 12" laptop qualifies as a "netbook", there is obviously a need for your type of coverage for these devices. I think Brad was a bit concerned about how the Liliputing faithful would accept your full inclusion of these larger devices into his web site, but obviously from the comments it is not an issue. Keep up the outstanding work Brad!
  • Thanks Bolo.

    And stay tuned for my upcoming coverage of supercomputers and high end
    gaming rigs... or not. :)
  • James
    Personally, I'm glad to see it. I think it's within the spirit of the site.

    The interesting thing for me is that a machine is very light, pretty small, and has decent battery life. A lot of Atom/10" netbooks have big bezels, and so a 12" CULV with a small bezel can be only fractionally larger, have (near) full size keyboard, much better performance, and be just as light. For me, it's the sweet spot. I just bought a ThinkPad X200s (<3lb, <$700) which should perhaps be in the db, though it's list price is higher, Lenovo always seems to have deals...
  • kdviner70
    Where did you find an X200s for <$700? That seems to be a great deal. Lenovo currently has them on sale for around $1K.
  • James
    You have to enter the Lenovo site through the "Click Here" link on this: http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cf...

    The $664 deal is over, but is still now starting at $699 through that link... Search around for other coupons, you never know.

    I went 6-cell battery, faster proc, more memory, etc... and ended up with $840... Bearing in mind I was seriously contemplating buying at a starting price of $999, before I did a web search for coupons, I am happy. Very nice machine. Runs Ubuntu flawlessly.
  • kdviner70
    Thanks!
  • JohnW
    Good work! One suggestion would be a nice addition would be to state if the display/screen is glossy or matte. For those who can't use glossy displays, like myself, this would be a time saver.
  • MonkeyKing1969
    We could call them Liliputers....nah that will never work! ;-)

    Oh, lets call them SLATES! That should force Steve Jobs to run around his office for a week shouting at thin air while throwing cups of cappuccino at people who poke their heads in his office.
  • Mikez
    iSLATES? A.K.A: Apple iS LATES That one almost slipped past me. ;-)
  • JB
    Nice database. Would it be possible to add some additional information such a glossy/matte screen, bluetooth, and what type of wireless card? It would probably be a lot of work, but maybe the community could help provide the information. I think those are some of the other important points I look at when evaluating these laptops.

    Thanks
  • Firepower
    Could you please also include display screen resolution in your LCD size,
    e.g. 10.1" 1024x600 or 11.4" 1366x768 etc screen res is one of the most important decisions when buying as most other specs are identical.
  • If you click any of the links in the database you'll be taken to a page with
    more detailed information including the screen resolution. Or you can click
    the compare buttons to compare laptops along a variety of fields including
    display resolution.

    Unfortunately there's only so much room on the front page so I had to be
    careful when selecting which data to display.
  • I have moved from the 10 inch netbook screen towards the 12 inch. Has anyone heard of this affordable 2 ghz 3.9 lb. machine - Averatec N2573VH1E? It fits what I need to a T.
  • jordic
    Do you like it moving from 10inch to 12inch?

    I'm currently using a Sammy NC10 but thinking about switching to the Asus UL20A

    My mean use is @school
  • kdviner70
    An additional thanks for your efforts. Having all of these in one chart is very helpful when contemplating a purchase.
  • DougC3
    The new database addition is a great idea. I've "blinked" a few times and gotten hopelessly behind with all these new devices. I confess that I was taking it for granted that Brad would get around to doing it.

    Also, at some point after the dust settles, it would be nice to have some sort of comparison of all the new processor and graphics combinations with explanations of their advantages and disadvantages... whether it be articles, charts, or whatever, in the blog or linked to the database (very easy for me to say :-).

    It's very interesting how the laptop is re-evolving from the netbook. This sort of parallel evolution is fairly common in biology (things with different origins evolving to fit a similar niche and winding up looking a lot like each other).
  • MonkeyKing1969
    I'm very glad for the inclusion of 11" and 12" machines. They were within the same size range of some of the bigger 10.1" devices already, so what are a few millimeters between 'good friends'?

    We can't get too prissy about what netbooks become, if they stiller were 7" screen devices with VIA chips they wouldn't be where they are now. In a single year's time I think 11" devices will be the common netbooks size. This was a good move, but also one that was inevitable.

    Speaking of which is there another website that covers 'all-in-ones' as well as this site covers netbooks?
  • Not that I'm aware of, which is one of the reasons I've started covering
    low-end all-in-ones. But if you find a good site, let me know!
  • mateo_j
    Anyone have a hands on for a worthy Asus N10J replacement yet? Or a suggestion or two?
  • 406notacceptable
    Thanks these are exactly what I am after. I need a 12" lappy to replace my cheap Advent 12", but I need a non Intel card inside! I only really play Trackmania so a dual core ULV or Neo with some graphics would fit the bill. Hopefully I can now find one!
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