December 1 - 1:20pm EST   Sony's long-anticipated netbook has been revealed through filings with the FCC, a report from Engadget suggests. Two versions, known as the PCG-1P1L and PCG-1P2L, have been through wireless testing with the government body; the PCG prefix is known to represent Sony's VAIO portable line. More crucially, the computers match typical netbook dimensions, at approximately 9.5 inches long by 4.5 inches wide. This should make them smaller than many rival systems. [full story]

November 25 - 9:45am EST   Apple will likely produce a netbook within the next two years, says analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray. Although the research firm has been predicting the release of a more compact Apple portable for some time, and at one point proposed a release towards the end of 2008, it now suggests that the earliest an Apple netbook could come is sometime in 2009, in the form of a scaled-down MacBook Air. [full story]

November 13 - 10:10pm EST   AMD announced several new projects that will compete with Intel's Atom processor late next year, according to ExtremeTech. The company expects to add the Caspian and Conesus processors sometime next year. Both products are intended for use in mini-notebooks or netbooks, featuring the same 45-nm architecture of the new Shanghai processor announced earlier this week. Dual-cores will be featured in both, along with DDR-2 memory support. [full story]

November 12 - 1:30pm EST   AMD could introduce new proprietary mobile processors as soon as tomorrow, reports indicate. In July, CEO Dirk Meyer announced that a response to Intel's Atom processors -- aimed at netbooks and mobile Internet devices -- would be mentioned in a Q4 analysts conference, which is scheduled for Thursday. One possibility is the announcement of Bobcat, which was first hinted at 18 months ago and is rumored to have a 1GHz 64-bit core, an 800MHz HyperTransport link and a DDR2 memory controller, together consuming 8W of power or less. [full story]

November 4 - 1:05pm EST   Graphics specialist NVIDIA and general chip builder VIA have broken off any plans to develop a netbook platform, say sources at the latter company. The corporations had signed a deal in April, which would have seen VIA's C7 and Nano CPUs coupled with NVIDIA's MCP79 processor, also known as the GeForce 9400M. The chipset debuted with Apple's newest MacBooks, and is expected to become prevalent in the notebook industry, displacing slower graphics accelerators built by Intel. Aside from netbooks, the platform would have applied to mobile Internet devices (MIDs). [full story]

October 29 - 12:35pm EDT   Hardware makers Intel and ASUS have announced a new project, which the two companies say is designed to foster a "community-designed" PC. Through the creation of a website called WePC, the corporations say they hope to gather suggestions for the ideal qualities of a new computer, to be produced at an unspecified point in the future. Some participants are expected to be awarded prizes, but neither the prizes nor their criteria have been formalized. [full story]

October 23 - 1:10pm EDT   New processors designed by ARM will soon find their way into netbooks, says the company's director of mobile solutions, Rob Coombs. ARM is more commonly associated with the low-power processors used in many smartphones, including Apple's iPhone. ARM is working on a successor to its ARM11 architecture, dubbed Cortex-A8, which Coombs notes should be fast enough for both smartphones and netbooks. Some individuals are "playing around with gigahertz speeds," Coombs claims. [full story]

October 22 - 1:10pm EDT   Linux is no longer a choice of operating system on the Picobook Pro, according to Apricot. Although the netbook was only released last week, Apricot has decided to remove the option of SuSE Linux Enterprise Edition, which cost only £279 ($454) instead of the £328 ($534) for a Windows XP system. In compensation the company has lowered the price of the latter, which is now £299 ($487). [full story]

October 20 - 12:45pm EDT   ASUS' Eee PC -- frequently cited as the original netbook -- is still doing extremely well, claims the company's CEO. Jerry Shen says that over 4 million Eees have been sold since the product's debut last year, and the company hopes to reach 5 million before the end of 2008. The Eee line has extended to include several netbooks, and an all-in-one desktop computer, the EeeTop. It is facing increasing competition however, from companies such as Acer, Dell and MSI. [full story]

October 17 - 1:55pm EDT   BenQ's JoyBook Lite U101 -- only recently revealed -- is now on sale in Hong Kong, reports say. The 10.2-inch netbook was originally expected to ship in November, following the release of an 8.9-inch system. English-language slides from BenQ have meanwhile disclosed some more features, such as the use of a 10.1-inch 16:9 LCD display, rather than one in the 4:3 or 16:10 formats more common to both notebooks and netbooks. The screen is also LED backlit, which provides uniform color and better power efficiency. [full story]

October 9 - 1:20pm EDT   Some initial photos and specifications have slipped out for MSI's promised U120 netbook, a report claims. As previously suggested, the U120 should retain a 10-inch screen, but add a 3G modem complete with its own SIM card slot. New information indicates that it will use a 120GB hard drive, with the option of a 20 or 40GB SSD drive being offered sometime after launch. Other wireless technologies should include 802.11n Wi-Fi. [full story]

September 18 - 1:05pm EDT   MSI has plans to expand its Wind netbook range past the U100, according to an interview. Beyond the current system, the company says it is developing the U91, a new 8.9-inch computer whose other specifications are as yet unknown. Also in development is the U120, a system with a 10-inch screen and built-in HSDPA reception. [full story]

September 17 - 9:10am EDT   The iPhone 3G has been voted Gadget of the Year by readers of Stuff magazine, says Reuters. The device beat out a number of rivals, including Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, the Wii Fit add-on from Nintendo, and B&W's Zeppelin iPod speakers. Products were rated in categories including performance, design and value, as well as "cool factor;" in this regard the iPhone 3G is described as a "faster, cleverer version of an already remarkable phone," referring to the original iPhone's award last year. [full story]

September 12 - 1:35pm EDT   BenQ has decided to join the netbook market, according to reports. The company is said to be working on two such systems, both under the Joybook Lite moniker, with an 8.9-inch model due in October and a widescreen, 10.2-inch edition shipping in November. The systems should be equipped with Windows XP and Intel Atom processors, as well as built-in 3G connectivity. Pricing should be equivalent to $468 US, though this is based off of a domestic Taiwanese figure. [full story]

August 29 - 12:50pm EDT   Fujitsu is taking its first steps into the realm of netbooks like the Eee PC and Aspire One, reports indicate. The Amilo Mini Ui 3520 (photo below) is an 8.9-inch system, and relies on a 1.6GHz Atom processor, along with 1GB of RAM. Unlike some other netbooks however, there is said to be no Linux option for its operating system, only Windows XP Home. [full story]