Microsoft outs super-cheap Windows laptops to take on Chromebooks

Microsoft is looking to take back the affordable laptop market from the clutches of Google's Chromebooks.

Microsoft COO Kevin Turner revealed that HP is planning to release a $199 (about £116, AU$211) Windows laptop at the company's annual Worldwide Partner Conference going on right now in Washington, D.C. Supposedly called the "Stream," the laptop could be released in time for the holidays.

The Microsoft exec also revealed HP's plan to release the Stream in 7- and 8-inch form factors (i.e. tablets) that will run a version of Windows for $99 (about £57, AU$105) around the same time.

Against Chromebooks

Turner didn't detail any further specifications on the budget Windows machines, but he did make some pointed remarks at Chromebooks.

"We are going to participate at the low-end," Turner said. "We've got a great value proposition against Chromebooks, we are not ceding the market to anyone."

At these super affordable price points the Stream would come at a bargain, beating out many of Google's affordable cloud-powered laptops like the Dell Chromebook 11 and Toshiba Chromebook.

Bargains all around

Meet Microsoft's next affordable offerings

On top of outing the existence of the Stream, Turner also detailed two $249 (about £145, AU$265) laptop options from Acer and Toshiba.

First is the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire ES1 equipped with a 2.16GHz Intel Celeron processor. Storage-wise the affordable notebook will also come with a 500GB HDD and 4G of RAM.

Toshiba, meanwhile, will have a smaller 11.6-inch offering that weighs just 2.4 pounds. The unsurprisingly named Toshiba 11.6 will also hit shelves this holiday season featuring a slightly cramped 32GB SSD - which could be dangerously small considering the amount of space Windows 8.1 takes.

Microsoft also marketed Windows as a better option at the event, noting a few features it does better than Chromebooks. Specifically, the Redmond company stressed Windows is better at running desktop applications, working offline, and sending files directly to a printer.

Microsoft is taking the affordable market fight directly to Chromebooks, and it will be interesting to see if these Celeron-powered, budget machines become popular just as Netbooks did so many years ago.

• Here are the best Chromebooks on the market

Via The Verge

Future iPhones, iPads and MacBooks could run for weeks thanks to fuel cells

Gadgets of the future might run for weeks without needing to be charged, and Apple might help usher in that future with upcoming iPhones, iPads and laptops.

British company Intelligent Energy announced recently it had acquired a set of patents in partnership with an "international electronics company," and "senior sources in the US" told the Daily Mail that the company is in fact Apple.

The two companies are working together and hope to put fuel cells that can keep electronics charged for days or even weeks at a time in laptops and mobile devices "within in a few years," the report says.

According to the Mail, Intelligent Energy's fuel cells are both green and highly efficient, a welcome combo for users looking for long-lasting and environmentally friendly gadgets.

Friendly neighbors

There's more evidence for this partnership than just the hearsay of some anonymous sources, though.

Apparently Intelligent Energy's Chief Operating Officer Joe O'Sullivan used to be an Apple exec, and the energy company recently opened an office in San Jose, Calif., a short drive from Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

Intelligent Energy already supplies tech to companies including Suzuki and Boeing, but the pipe dream of fuel cell-powered consumer electronics has yet to be realized.

Apple was talking about putting fuel cells in MacBooks as early as 2011, though, so it's about time that idea came to fruition.

• Read TechRadar's latest MacBook Air review!