Not content with ruling the mobile phone market, it seems Nokia has set its world-conquering eye on the cut-throat laptop arena. It certainly seems like a strange move but when you have Nokia’s clout, it’s no idle threat, especially when it’s the CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo talking. Speaking to Finnish national broadcaster YLE yesterday, Kallasvuo said: “We are looking very actively also at this opportunity. We don′t have to look even for five years from now to see that what we know as a mobile phone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging. Today we have hundreds of millions of people who are having their first Internet experience on the phone. This is a good indication.” The photo above shows Nokia’s new concept mini computer device, codenamed Sparrow, due in 2011.His comments come just a few weeks after laptop maker Acer announced its first attack on the mobile phone sector with 8 new models. That said, the laptop arena might still be growing but it’s incredibly competitive and margins aren′t what they used to be. And, considering that most laptops are made by just a few contract suppliers in the Far East, just how different could a Nokia laptop be? So, Nokia laptops: good, bad or indifferent?-Martin Lynch [Reuters] laptops mobile phone nokia

Mobile phone operators have been using the popularity of netbooks to push mobile data packages and ̘ is about to join the fray by announcing that it will be offering a series of ‘free’ Samsung netbooks and laptops from Feb 27th. There are 3 laptops on offer, kicking off with the Samsung Nᨶ netbook, which will be renamed the ̘ Mini Laptop. The Samsung R510 laptop will be released in two editions and renamed the ̘ Performance Laptop and ̘ Multi-Media Laptop. The Mini Laptop and Performance laptop will be offered as standard for ‘free’ as long as you subscribe to one of 2 packages on offer. The first package cost £29.38 for a 3GB ‘unlimited′ data package that includes 300 texts to other ̘ numbers. The second package is for 10GB and costs £39.15. Users have the option to upgrade to the ̘ Multi-Media Laptop, which sports a faster chip, more memory and a bigger hard disk drive, for an extra £78. Along with the devices, customers will get a laptop support service, ̘ Assistant software, McAfee security software and a 30-day Happiness Guarantee alongside a 2-year laptop warranty. -Martin Lynch [̘] netbook mobile

When it comes to getting a pair of PC/laptop/MP3 speakers the choices run from the mundane to the bizarre and from the massively expensive to the cheap and nasty. Still, if you want a set of speakers that, literally, say something about you we present the very sleek speech bubble speakers. A clever mix of design and practicality the forthcoming ‘Speak-er’, as it’s known, is designed to look like those speech bubbles you get in cartoons and comics, but which uses that unique shape as a stand also. They measure 4 x 6 x 2in are are made from polished white ABS housing with a matte black grille. The speakers are rated at 6Watts each which is not going to blow any doors off hinges but should be sufficient for MP3 player and laptop use. They also weigh a reassuring 2KG each and will probably look a lot cooler than whatever your friends are using. They are priced at around $120 (£85) and if you’re interested you can reserve your pair by emailing here.-Martin Lynch [Geekalerts via thinkofthe] music speakers laptop

Netbooks are cheap and great for taking on the road thanks to their size but, some are let down by short battery life of just 3-4 hours. Netbook pioneer Asus has just launched its latest model, the Eee PC 1000HE, which promises a hugely impressive battery life of 9.5 hours [using Windows XP], which puts most laptops to shame. At 9.5 hours it’s 2.5 hours more than previous 1000 model and well ahead of its netbook rivals. Of course, promising 9.5 hours and delivering 9.5 hours is not necessarily the same thing but, if the 1000HE manages more than the typical 8-hour working day, it will be quite an achievement. Under the hood is a faster 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 160GB HDD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 10in screen. The other key change is the addition of a sexy isolated keyboard like those found on the new MacBooks or Sony’s latest laptop line-up. If it works anything like those then you can expect a much-improved typing experience. The 1000HE is coming soon and will cost - taking into account wildly fluctuating exchange rates - from £280 to £299. See a close-up below.-Martin Lynch laptop netbook asus

What do you do to keep people interested in technology during times of a financial crisis? Release a wi-fi capable notebook for £7, that’s what. Unfortunately we′re not going to be able to benefit; this is a project to provide machines for cash-strapped schools and villages in India. Top scientists from Bangalore and Madras have developed the bargain-basement computers, whose low-power design allows them to be charged with just 2-watts of power input, making them ideal for solar or dynamo-powered application which will be a boon for areas where supply is a problem.There aren’t a lot of details about the specifications other than the fact that they will offer wireless for internet access and 2GB of memory, but even taking components from the very bottom end of the market it’s amazing to think such a machine could be produced so cheaply. Ministers plan to connect 20,000 colleges through a new e-learning initiative, though sceptics have argued that the project may not actually exist, and instead be a publicity stunt to attract voters. Regardless a prototype will be unveiled this week that cost £14 to make, but when the machine goes into full production it should drop to around half this price. - Paul Lester [Telegraph] wireless notebook power

Russia’s Prime Minister Vladamir Putin can be a prickly character at the best of times and if you don′t like it, tough, because he’ll Judo-whip your ass all over the consulate. It’s not often you see someone like Michael Dell of Dell Computers eating humble pie and looking for an ‘Exit: Stage Left’ but he did this week at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After delivering a 40 minutes speech, Putin opened the floor for questions and Dell was first. After praising Russia’s scientific and technical prowess, Dell attempted to cosy up by asking “How can we help” [you to expand IT in Russia]? Putin’s withering reply: “We don′t need help. We are not invalids. We don′t have limited mental capacity.” Ouch. Most of the audience seemed surprised at the slapdown but those that know Putin were probably delighted someone else was on the receiving end. Putin even gave the knife a good twist later when he added that Russian scientists were highly respected, not for their hardware, but for their software. So, you ask a simple question and hope to get some business and instead you get called an invalid, mentally inferior and a hardware grease monkey. How long before Dell puts his hand up at the next conference?-Martin Lynch [Source] politics technology PC

We’ve already had one hell of a debate in Gizmodo UK Comments about the accuracy of calling Windows 7, Windows 7 but, if you want to know what all of the fuss is about, then Microsoft is giving you the chance by extending the download date for the Windows 7 beta until next month. According to Windows Communications Manager, Brandon LeBlanc on the official Windows 7 blog: “The amount of feedback we have received has been amazing and continues to pour in. We are at a point where we have more than enough beta testers and feedback coming in to meet our engineering needs, so we are beginning to plan the end of general availability for Windows 7 Beta. Because enthusiasm continues to be so high for the Windows 7 Beta and we don′t want anyone to miss out we will keep the Beta downloads open through February 10th. Customers who have started but not completed the download process will be able to do so through February 12th.” There will be a gradual shut down process, which you can get the details of after the jump.Starting January 27th, the Windows 7 page will be updated with a warning that time is running out on downloading the Windows 7 Beta and that we will be limiting downloads shortly. People will be encouraged to register and start the download of the Windows 7 Beta sooner rather than later. February 10th, new downloads of the Windows 7 Beta will no longer be available. People who have already started their Windows 7 Beta download and have not yet finished will still be able to finish their download and are encouraged to do so. February 12th, people will no longer be able to complete their download of the Windows 7 Beta. Anyone who hasn′t finished downloading the Windows 7 Beta will be unable to do so. Seeing as Windows Vista is still hated - and liked - in equal measure, Microsoft is banking on Windows 7 to appease all the Vista haters. Before you get too excited though, it’s speculated that Microsoft is planning to introduce lots of different versions of Windows 7 like Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. Oh dear.-Martin Lynch [Windows 7 Blog] microsoft windows vista

Intel has joined a swathe of other companies in dropping prices to try and attract consumers during the credit crunch, with as much as 48% coming off a range of processors. Five Intel Core 2 Quad models have been slashed, including the 3GHz Q9850 which will now cost $316 (down from $530) and 2.33GHz Q8200 at $163 (down from $193). The Mobile Celeron 570 is the ‘half-price’ offering at $70 (down from $134) and a range of others have seen smaller but not insignificant decreases. With AMD competing heavily on both the price and performance front, these reductions are designed to lure consumers back to (or keep them with) Intel, and is a strategy that’s almost essential in the current environment, where people are looking to make savings wherever they can. We’re assuming these drops will translate to the UK market in similar fashion and should hopefully see a few pounds shaved off the retail prices of desktops and laptops as well. - Paul Lester [InformationWeek] Intel processor discount

They may be cheap as chips but enough netbooks sold in Q4 2008 to help offset a gloomy, recession-laden year-end for the PC sector . Market watcher IDC, has reported that the despite strong double-digit growth for the EMEA region earlier in 2008, Q4 sales collapsed to just 1.8% year-on-year. Western Europe fared considerably better than Central Europe though, recording a growth rate of 11.9% but still far short of expectations. Demand for netbooks [mini-notebooks, according to IDC] though drove strong consumer portable growth at above 56%. At the same time, desktop PCs sales took a real hit from the global economic recession with the market shrinking in Q4. “As expected, the Christmas season saw continued uptake of mini-notebooks driven by strong vendor push, with several manufacturers launching new products from October onwards, stimulating fierce competition for retail shelf space,” said Eszter Morvay, senior research analyst for IDC. “However, telco operators also drove strong momentum, with both first- and second-tier players setting up new partnerships and offering heavily subsidized mini-notebooks. And while standard portable sales slowed down, mini-notebooks will continue to drive market expansion and multi-equipment trends in Europe in 2009.” In the vendor charts, the Top 5 for Q4, and the year as a whole were, HP, Acer, Dell, Asus and Toshiba. See how they squared in terms of growth and marketshare in the charts below.-Martin Lynch netbook laptop

If you don′t have home broadband then fear not, because there are lofty plans afoot to guarantee all UK households access to broadband. A draft report by Lord Carter on the future of UK telecoms and the media sector proposes a “universal service commitment” to broadband along the lines of what’s in place for postal and telephone services. According to the FT the report, due out in a few weeks, calls for a minimum of 2Mb broadband to be made available to every home in the UK by 2012 - no matter what cloud-scraping mountaintop or out of the way hamlet you′re stuck in.The government has earmarked the communications sector as a recession-boosting growth sector and right now, around 40% of homes [according to Ofcom] have no broadband access. That said, many of you that do may have noticed that you′re not really getting what you paid for. Carter told a Westminster meeting on Wednesday that broadband is no longer for the ‘technologically keen′: “It is an enabling and transformatory service and therefore we have to look at how we universalise it.” Unsurprisingly, BT has some concerns, claiming a universal broadband commitment will cost much more than its existing universal service obligations for fixed line phones and narrowband Net access, which cost it up to £76m in 2006. It’s a nice idea but the government will have to simultaneously pull some clever stunts, smooth some ruffled feathers and wield a big scary stick to raise the public and private money needed to put this in place.-Martin Lynch [FT] Broadband Ofcom UK