Noon Notebook News March 14th: iPad Uses, BMW Designs and AViiQ

We hope you spent the morning digesting our massive iPad 2 review, but now let’s give you a little notebook news to get you through the afternoon. We don’t have any new notebooks to share, but the good news is that the looks and sound of new notebooks is getting better and we look at why the iPad may be the best quiet notebook.

First off, we look at how the iPad and iPad 2 beat traditional notebooks in a truly mobile setting, like waiting in line at the Apple store. And how the virtual keyboard on the iPad and iPad 2 is much better for using in a quiet environment than even the quietest notebook keyboard. Still, with all of these strengths we wouldn’t want to give up a notebook for the iPad 2, it’s just a reminder of the importance of finding the best tool for your task at hand.

We also discovered that Samsung notebooks are about to get a dose of BMW infused design thanks to a reported hiring of Chris Bangle the former head designer for BMW. Don’t look for a BMW badge on your next Samsung notebook, but rather a sexy looking industrial design. First the Series 9 stole our hearts with a beautiful look and now Samsung wants to go even further. This is a good thing.

Speaking of good things. Klipsch announced that the new Alienware notebooks, starting with the Alienware M17x will have Klipsch speakers inside to deliver a high end sound for gaming and media playback. This follows the trend in focusing on premium audio on notebooks, and we are happy to hear about this addition.

In other news, Google is no longer shipping Chrome notebooks, but you can expect to see more of them this summer and AT&T is beginning to impose limits on the uVerse home internet lines.

Finally, check out our review of the AViiQ laptop stand from late last week. This stand is made of aluminum and collapses down to fit inside your laptop bag without taking up any noticeable space. The stand is a bit pricey at $59.99, but it is worth it for mobile users who place a value on the weight of their bags.