Samsung wants full Win 7 on future netbooks, no Linux plans
March 25, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Microsoft has openly talked about its hopes for Windows 7 running beautifully on netbooks. It does not want to make the same mistakes it has made with Vista and is keen for netbook vendors to ship with Windows 7 on launch rather than XP. Higher margins is one of the main reasons MS has actively talked about the netbooks + Win 7 combination. Windows 7 Starter (crippled) Edition will only allow three applications to run at one-time and MS are banking on being able to upsell the more premium versions to consumers. Read more
Netbooks not cheap enough for Chinese
March 25, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Whilst netbooks are supposed to represent cheap and cheerful computing, for some they are just not cheap enough. Netbooks from some of the leading brands, such as Asustek and Lenovo, have seen sales fall short of expectations in China.
This has led to some Taiwanese netbook vendors questioning the potential of the netbook market in China. The main problem seems to be one of price. These vendors feel that the current average selling price of 2,000 Yuan (£192) is too expensive, especially in the rural parts of China. Most consumers find that public Internet cafes are more economical than owning a netbook outright according to sources. Could this also have something to do with the fact that access to the Internet may be patchy in rural parts of the country I wonder?
Via Digitimes.
Pimp My Netbook Gone Wrong
March 25, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Acer is from today sponsoring a month long netbook decoration event in Tokyo, Japan to promote the brand to women bloggers. To kick off the event, Acer hosted the event with the help of some models along with some very girly-pimped Acer Aspire One netbooks. One of them, Shibuya Girl, is the star of a Japanese magazine “Ageha”, famous for pimping everything she owns.
Three ‘pimped’ designs were shown and one of these looks quite monstrous to be honest, its lid has a couple of small teddy bears on it and some pink plastic roses. Is nobody thinking of the potential fire hazard!? The other two don’t look that bad in all honesty, covered in Swarovski crystals. A voting poll is currently underway at netbookcafe.jp where three winners will receive a netbook decoration kit (I’m not sure whether anyone would actually want one of these!) Check out a video of the wacky event after the break. Read more
Moblin Alpha 2 released for netbooks
March 25, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Moblin, the Intel-founded open-source project aimed at netbooks, has just released the second alpha of Moblin v2. The follows the first alpha release a couple of months back. The Moblin Linux kernel was created to be a fast and lightweight platform, specifically designed to run on an Intel Atom CPU.
The release includes an updated kernel, improvements to the graphics framework and revisions to the Moblin Image Creator (MIC2). The kernel still has two graphic issues with Intel’s GMA 500 graphics chipset is not yet supported and 3D performance still a work in progress. Support for the MSI Wind netbook has also been added. This support comes in addition to the Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee PC 901 and Dell Mini 9.
The Moblin project is competing with other mobile Linux-based operating systems such as Google’s Android, Jolicloud and gOS. Moblin’s expected beta release date is still April, however we suspect there may be some slippage here. The Alpha release and pre-built images are available via the official site here. A full list of changes are attached after the jump. Read more
Samsung N120 Picture Gallery
March 25, 2009 at 1:22 pm
When we reported on the Samsung N120 yesterday we only had details on the netbook but no pictures. We now have a full gallery of pictures courtesy of Slashgear. The pictures show that it has a big bezel around the screen, not a surprise given the full 12-inch keyboard attached to this 10.1-inch display netbook. I suppose they did have to fit that stereo sound system, with dedicated subwoofer somewhere! The speakers are integrated on either side of the display.
The screen itself looks glossy rather than matte. Samsung expects that the N120 netbook will be available from April, no pricing has been revealed so far. Check out a full gallery of pictures after the break. Read more
Gigabyte T1028M & M1022 netbooks expected in April
March 25, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Import specialist, Mobilx, has confirmed that Gigabyte’s upcoming range of netbooks will start to hit retail channels from 30 April. The only models that have confirmed dates so far are the T1028M TouchNote convertible tablet and M1022 Booktop.
The TouchNote series will come in four different variants (M, G, P & X). All four have a 10.1-inch LED backlit display but the M/G models have 1024 x 600 resolution whilst the X/P models will be the HD models, supporting a resolution of 1366 x768. The Booktop M1022 is a white netbook that comes with its own docking station. The docking design allows you to connect a keyboard and monitor so that you can use it as a desktop at home and then take it out of its dock when on the move. The ThinNote S1024 (‘S’ standing for slim) is just 2cm thick and weighs only 890g.
Mobilx already has a sample unit of the T1028M TouchNote in their possession and have upgraded it with a 3G-module as the antenna is pre-wired. The TouchNote also has a pre-enabled SIM card slot. The Gigabyte T1028M TouchNote has a pre-order price of €477.63 whilst the M1022 Booktop has a pre-order price of €440.34. The S1024 Thin Note is listed at the same price as the Booktop although has no date listed yet. All of the above prices exclude VAT and 3G options cost extra. Check out the full specifications for Gigabyte’s range after the break. Read more
Samsung N110 supports max 1GB RAM, may be deal-breaker for some
March 25, 2009 at 8:52 am
The Samsung N110 netbook is now listed on the official Samsung US site. From the initial announcement and review that appeared on Monday it appeared that the N110 was an improved version of Samsung’s best-selling NC10 netbook. Its improvements include an expanded touchpad and a higher capacity 6-cell 5900 mAh battery (versus 5200 mAh in the NC10) that should give 9.5 hours of continuous use according to Samsung.
However, browsing through the product page shows that the maximum support RAM for the N110 is only 1GB. This is a strange move in our view, especially given that the NC10 supports 2GB. Apart from that there doesn’t seem to be any surprises to what we already knew. The official product page already has user manuals, drivers and software listed.
The N110 is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU and 1GB RAM. It also has a 160GB (5,400 rpm) hard-disk drive. It also comes with Wifi (b/g), Bluetooth and Windows XP Home SP3. The Samsung N110 is set to launch in the US in the first week of April for $469.99. A full list of technical specifications is attached after the break.
Update: The Samsung N110 manual refers to the maximum amount of RAM being 2GB. At the time of writing, the Samsung website still says that the maximum RAM is 1GB but this is likely to be a typo. Thanks VSB!
Official England football netbook released
March 24, 2009 at 11:06 pm
UK manufacturer, Hi-Grade, has kitted out a number of its netbooks & laptops in official England FA colours. For those patriotic England football (or soccer if you prefer) fans out there, the 10.2-inch Notino µL100E could be right up your street.
The Notino is powered by a Via C7-M 1.6GHz processor and 160GB hard disk drive. Battery life is rated at 2.5 hours, which doesn’t seem good enough compared to its peers. Other features include three USB ports, Wi-Fi and a built-in card-reader. Read more
Netbook Review Roundup 24/03/2009
March 24, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Netbook Choice’s roundup of netbook reviews from around the web on Tuesday 24th March 2009.
Asus Eee PC 1000HE @ Tech Radar
Rating: 4 Stars
Asus Eee PC 1000HE @ ubergizmo
Rating: N/A
HP Mini 1018TU Vivienne Tam Edition @ TechTree
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Samsung NC20 @ Notebook Review
Rating: N/A
Toshiba NB100 @ Stuff.co.nz
Rating: N/A
Mini-Shuttle netbook case doubles as portable desk
March 24, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Higher Ground has launched a netbook case called the mini-Shuttle which is designed to provide 24/7 protection. The mini-Shuttle is one of those cases that the netbook is not meant to leave, even when in use. It features a rigid frame and shock absorbing foam padding with reinforced stress points. The case also has a separate pocket for batteries, power supplies as well as other accessories.
The case also has a ‘cooldeck’ which shields your lap from excessive heat build-up. It certainly sounds like a very robust case and is one we’d definitely consider buying. However, given the small form-factor aren’t netbooks just meant to be thrown into whatever bag you’re carrying? The case should fit netbooks with a display size of 9-inches or dimensions of 10.2” x 7.2“ x 1.25” should fit. As far as we can tell the mini-Shuttle is available in the US only for $34.95 but is currently temporarily out of stock.
Via Liliputing.
Asus takes top position in reliability study
March 24, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Asus is the most reliable computer manufacturer according to the latest RescueCom reliability report. The study compares computer manufacturers market share with consumer service calls from RescueComs call centre to determine the most and least reliable brands. Scores are based on a sample of 15,000+ calls during the last quarter (Q4 2008), with the two most important measures of reliability placed on quality of components used in manufacturing the computer and after-sale support to customers.
Asus has taken the lead over from Apple, which was ranked number one in 2008 for the lowest number of service calls. Apple slipped into third place in the latest report behind IBM/Lenovo. Sony and Dell did not rank. Asus’ score of 972 was well ahead of IBM/Lenovo at 348. However this is mainly due to the fact that Asus Eee PC shipping numbers skyrocketed from September yet RescueCom received a disproportionately small number of calls during this period. It will be interesting to see whether Asus can hold onto the Eee PCs are put through rigorous use.
The PCs reported to have the strongest reliability scores are as follows:
ASUS (972)* & IBM/LENOVO (348)
APPLE (324)
TOSHIBA (172)
ACER (151)
HP/COMPAQ (142)
Samsung N310 initial impressions
March 24, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Despite only being officially announced yesterday, Samsung’s N310 netbook has already been shown off to journalists at Samsung’s European Forum in Vienna today. We revealed the full list of specifications yesterday and UK pricing (£399) as well as European pricing (€499). No new details were revealed today apart from the chance to go hands-on. Read more
Samsung announces another 10-inch netbook, the N120
March 24, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Following yesterday’s launch of two 10-inch netbooks, the successor to the NC10 called the N110 and the colourful N310, Samsung has announced yet another model. To fill in the model numbering gap, Samsung has announced the 10.1-inch N120 netbook, which offers a full 12-inch size keyboard. Samsung claims that the keyboard will have optimised key spacing, which should place less strain on your wrists, fewer errors and faster typing speeds. Read more
Acer Aspire One touchscreen video tutorial
March 24, 2009 at 11:16 am
Following on from last week’s Asus 1000HE touchscreen video tutorial, another has emerged, this time for the Acer Aspire One. Once again, the tutorial was put together using a solderless Hoda Technology touchscreen kit and cost the modder, tarzanna75, $95 from ebay.
The tutorial encompasses three videos, the first covering disassembly, the second covering hardware installation and third covering driver installation and testing. The installation was relatively straight forward although she did have some problems with the screws. A good tip from the comments section is taking a photo of the device and then, once printed, taping each screw to the printout where the screw was removed.
You can find the Hoda Touchscreen kit on eBay for around $99 (with varying shipping costs) giving you everything from the touch panel, USB harnesses and all cabling, and even the stylus. You’ll also get three more internal USB ports for future hacks. Check out the three videos after the jump. Well worth a look for the more adventurous modders out there! Read more
AT&T to launch non-Windows $99 netbook this Summer
March 24, 2009 at 9:44 am
Now we really don’t have much too much information on this story. However, it has emerged that AT&T will launch a $99 3G-enabled netbook this summer. The real interesting point is that the first netbook that AT&T releases will not feature a Windows operating system. Could this be an ARM-powered netbook that has been talked about so much? ARM’s CEO already expects at least ten ARM-based netbooks to appear in 2009, so this could indeed be one of the first.
What would debunk that theory however is that the netbook is said to be manufactured by Dell. Now we know that Dell already offer Linux based netbooks so this could be a likely candidate. Either way, we hope to have more information on this soon.
Update: We have just come across some comments from Dell founder and Chief Executive, Michael Dell, that may just corroborate the view that Dell wants to get into potentially lucrative wireless 3G data deals. “We want to get a larger share of the profit streams embedded in our growing installed base of the hundreds of millions of products we deliver,” Mr. Dell said in a recent Q4 analyst conference call. “Opportunities like search services, 3G originations and other telecom opportunities.”
Later, Mr. Dell added, “We have been particularly focused on 3G and agreements with carriers embedding 3G and using our own sales engines as well to sell 3G netbooks.”
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