OCZ enters netbook segment with Neutrino
March 4, 2009 at 5:28 pm
OCZ, traditionally known for enthusiast DDR memory, has entered into the netbook market with the Neutrino. OCZ already sells both 15-inch and 17-inch notebooks, so moving towards the netbook segment is a natural progression. As you would expect for a company that caters for enthusiasts, its existing range is sold under the DIY Program. OCZ sells a DIY notebook kit that allows consumers to build a notebook to their own ideal configuration. You are free to source RAM, hard-disk drive and operating system from wherever you can find the best deal and ‘build-it-yourself’. In some of the notebooks, they even allow you to source your own CPUs! The idea being that you can save money without needing to replace the entire notebook to change CPU, upgrade RAM or HDD. This is all without losing the warranty.
In terms of the Neutrino, the standard specifications are similar to most netbooks on the market. It is powered by Intel´s N270 Atom CPU and 945GSE+ICH7M chipset. It sports a 10-inch (1024 x 600) LED backlit screen. It will allow up to 2GB of DDR2 memory and up to 250GB of 2.5-inch hard disk drive at 5400RPM. If you don’t fancy sticking in the components yourself, it also comes pre-equipped with OCZ´s memory and 250GB SSD drive. The Neutrino will be available in the next few months.
Via Fudzilla.
More details on Asus Eee PC 1008HA
March 4, 2009 at 4:53 pm
The more we see shots of the Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008HA, the more we like it. It certainly wins the sexiest netbook of CeBIT so far. The chaps over at Jkkmobile, NetbookNews & UMPCPortal went hands-on with the 1008HA and came away very impressed. Some of the key points include a sturdy design and, a solid keyboard (a big improvement over the 1000HA apparently). On the negative side, it looks like the system’s battery is built into the casing and non-replaceable, however given that this is a prototype this is subject to change.
As a reminder, the 1008HA is a 10-inch netbook, just 1-inch thick and weighs 1.1Kg. We’ve listed the specifications that we know of so far after the jump. We hope to have further details on pricing and release date soon. The rumours we’ve heard suggest a ‘Spring’ release date and a price point of 600 Euros. More expensive than your average netbook, but I’m sure many won’t mind if it delivers. Click through for the video and specs.
EETI shipping multitouch 7 and 12-inch Panels in H209
March 4, 2009 at 3:41 pm
EETI (Egalax_empia Technology), the Taiwan-based touch-panel supplier, will start shipping 7 and 12-inch capacitive touch panels in the second half of this year, according to its company president Mei Tsai. We are already starting to see a number of netbooks using touchscreen panels including the Asus Eee PC T91GO, the Touch Book from Always Innovating and Gigabyte’s TouchNote M1028 which was unveiled yesterday. However, the touch-panel technology currently used is resistive. The move to capacitive panels will allow multitouch gestures (such as ‘pinching’).
My guess is that we’re unlikely to start to see any netbooks with capacitive screens until the end of the year, maybe tied in with the launch of Windows 7. Microsoft has spoken of multitouch, being one of the unique selling points of Windows 7. It is likely to be the more premium netbooks that sport these panels at first, but what better way than to tie in with the Windows 7 launch. We’ll keep you posted.
Gigabyte’s slimline offering, the ThinNote M1024
March 4, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Following on from Gigabyte’s reveal of its TouchNote M1028 range of convertible tablets at CeBIT, Gigabyte also unveiled the ThinNote M1024. As the name suggests this netbook is targeted to those that value a thin and sleek form-factor. Gigabyte seem to have succeeded on this front delivering a netbook that weighs just 890 grams (just under two pounds). However, it seems that Asus may have won on the styling front, having announced the super-slim Seashell 1008HA yesterday. Obviously it all comes down to price between the two and as of yet we still do now know exactly which regions Gigabyte plan to market to.
The ThinNote M1024 sports a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED backlit screen and is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and Intel 945GSE chipset. Given the size, the M1024 is limited to 1GB RAM and a 60GB/80GB hard-disk drive. It also supports Wifi and Blutooth 2.1 and has optional 3.5G modem support. It comes with two USB ports, a memory card slot and a six-cell 3,400mAh battery as standard. As with the M1028, there is no word on pricing or indeed which regions the M1024 will be available in. We’ll update with further information as we have it.
UPDATED (17.01): We’ve included a video after the jump, from the guys over at jkkmobile who went hands-on with the M1024.
Via Slashgear
OLED screens coming to Eee PCs?
March 3, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Asus company Chairman Jonney Shih has reportedly hinted that the firm is considering bringing OLED screen technology to its Eee range of netbooks. Whilst this is likely the next natural evolution for netbook screens, given that they are now starting to appear quite frequently in the latest mobile handset models, I would be surprised if we see OLED technology appear en masse any time soon.
Asus favours the 10 inch form factor and it’s hard to get away from the fact that the cost of a 10 inch OLED screen certainly would be prohibitive. Especially given the fact that netbooks are supposed to envisage low-cost mobile computing. Besides, first up, it would be nice to see LED backlit screens appear more in netbook ranges before the jump to OLED. However, there may be a market for those willing to pay extra for the benefits of an OLED display (quality of display, thinness and better battery life).
Via Reg Hardware.
Vote for ‘Netbook of 2008’ at Engadget
March 3, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Voting is currently open at Engadget to determine nominations for Netbook of the Year 2008. It’s worth popping along to nominate which netbook you feel deserves the accolade. At the current comment count of 67, it looks like the Acer Aspire One is leading the charge along with the Dell Mini 9 with ten votes and nine votes respectively. Those just behind on six votes each are the Samsung NC10, MSI Wind U100 and the Lenovo S10. A solid list of nominees so far.
LG to ship X110 netbook in US by July
March 3, 2009 at 6:22 pm
LG plans to ship its 10-inch netbook models, the X110 and X120, to the US this Summer. The X110 model had already launched in most territories last Winter and now the company is preparing to bring it to the US. Whilst no firm date has been given, it hopes to release the X110 before July. It is believed that the X110’s unsubsidised price will be around $400. LG’s X120 which debuted at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month is also scheduled to launch in the US this summer, whilst hitting European markets later this month.
The X110 was LG’s first foray into the netbook market and bears a strong resemblance to the well-established MSI Wind U100, this time with an HSDPA 3G modem added. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, a 10 inch (1024 x 600) screen, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. The LG-X120 netbook is powered by an Intel Atom 1.6Ghz CPU and includes integrated HSDPA, a 10.1″ WSVGA screen and 1.3 megapixel webcam.
Via Forbes.
Asus denies dropping 8.9 inch netbooks
March 3, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Following a number of rumours over the last few weeks, Asus today denied claims that it would be axing 8.9 inch netbooks. Company Chairman Jonney Shih said, “It seems that customers prefer to have a greater screen, which also means a larger keyboard. I still believe we have a good opportunity in 8.9-inch for kids, telecoms or emerging markets.”
Rumours suggested that 8.9 inch netbooks were to be axed with 10 inch netbooks being the main focus across 2009. It was thought that 7 inch netbooks would survive, however, Asus confirmed during a press conference at CeBIT that 7 inch netbooks will be axed in mature markets.
Via Cnet
Gigabyte TouchNote M1028 offically unveiled
March 3, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Gigabyte has offically unveiled its latest ‘net-tablet’ called the TouchNote M1028, which debuted at CeBIT today. The TouchNote M1028 has a 10.1-inch swivelling touchscreen display and is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU. The M1028 will have a a 160GB hard-drive, 1GB of DDR2 memory (2GB maximum) and the Intel 945GSE graphics chipset. It will run on Windows XP.
Somewhat confusingly, four versions of the M1028 were announced. The ‘M’ and ‘G’ versions will come with a 1024 x 600 resolution display and the ‘X’ and ‘P’ versions will come with a 1366 x 768 display. Each model will come with WiFi a/b/g and Bluetooth but only the ‘G’ model will support 3G. No word on pricing or indeed which regions these will be available in for now.
Via Slashgear
Asus Eee PC ‘Seashell’ 1008HA showcased
March 3, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Asus has shown off it’s latest Eee PC netbook called the Seashell 1008HA. Details are thin on the ground in terms of specifications however what we do know is that the Seashell is a slimline Eee (1 inch thick) with a 92 per cent-size keyboard and multitouch keypad, weighing approximately 1kg. It will also have a 1.3-megapixel camera and standard WiFi and Bluetooth. The 1008HA will have optional WiMAX and 3.5G connectivity. No word yet on how much the device will cost nor any details on release date. We will keep you posted on further developments.
Some more pics, a video and the full press release after the jump.
Asus Eee PC T91GO at CeBIT
March 3, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Asus is showcasing the T91GO at CeBIT, which is the 3G enabled version of the T91 that Asus first officially announced in January. The device is a convertible tablet (or net tablet if you like) with a swivelling screen enabling it to be used as a tablet device. The device has an 8.9″ (1024 x 600) LED backlit touchscreen display and runs a customised version of Windows XP which Asus has developed including a series of touch-friendly applications. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z520 CPU and comes with 1GB RAM.
Some more pics and a video after the jump.
MSI Wind U100 ‘Plus’ spotted
March 3, 2009 at 12:05 pm
A refresh of the popular MSI Wind U100 has been spotted by the guys over at Notebook Italia. The main upgrade seems to be CPU/chipset based with the rest of the specs remaining the same. The ‘Plus’ version will include an Atom N280 processor (instead of the N270 on the original version) along with the Intel 945GSE + ICH7M chipsets. Other specs, which remain the same, include a 10″ (1024 x 600) screen, 160GB HDD, 2GB RAM, 1.3MP Webcam and 3 Cell battery. Pricing is expected to be similar to the existing U100 range and will launch in a few months.
Via Notebook Italia.
ASRock releasing 12 inch netbook in April
March 3, 2009 at 10:48 am
ASRock plans to enter the mobile computing market by launching a 12″ netbook/notebook called the G12 in late April this year. It will come equipped with either Intel Pentium or Celeron processors and multi-touch pads according to a Chinese-language Apple Daily report. ASRock have up until now concentrated on motherboard manufacture, highlighting that the low cost mobile computing segment is proving hard to resist. The M12 will be priced below US$500 but no firm details on pricing yet. We’ll bring you more as we have it.
Via Digitimes.
Samsung NC20 set for US launch on 16th March
March 3, 2009 at 10:18 am
The Samsung NC20, the big brother to the hugely successful NC10, is set to launch exclusively in the US through Newegg.com from 16th March. The Samsung NC20 features a 12.1″ (1280 x 800) screen as opposed to the 10″ screen found in the NC10, entering into borderline notebook category. There is no confirmation on US price right now (it is not yet listed on Newegg), however it is listed on Amazon UK at just shy of £380.
The Samsung NC20 will be the first netbook to support the 1.6GHz VIA Nano CPU and will come with 1GB Ram and a 5900-mAh battery. According to the guys over at Laptop Mag, it will come in black only. Click through to the link below to read their thoughts on the main differences over the NC10 and a short video on the NC20.
Via Laptop Blog.
Early impressions of Dell Mini 10 filtering through
March 2, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Electronista has posted its early impressions of the Dell Mini 10 from an early review unit. Some of the main points coming through was the solid build construction, the multi-touch trackpad and an edge-to-edge keypad which proved comfortable to use. In fact, they feel that Apple may have to start eating their words regarding all Netbooks not really ‘working’ given their cramped keyboards.
Some more pics after the jump.
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