Netbook Review Roundup 20/03/2009

Netbook Choice’s roundup of netbook reviews from around the web on Friday 20th March 2009.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE @ Good Gear Guide
Rating: 4 Stars

Asus Eee PC 1000HE @ The Register
Rating: 90 percent

Asus Eee 1002HA @ Global Post
Rating: N/A

HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition @ Cnet
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 – Video unboxing

Digital Home Thoughts got round to posting their impressions and unboxing video on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10. The 10-minute video is mostly a walkthrough of the device and at the end of the video he also compares the Dell Mini 10 to the HP Mini 1000. It’s interesting to see that the form-factors of both netbooks are very similar, even down to thier keyboards.

Initial impressions were positive, however he did question its price point compared to other netbooks. The restriction to just 1GB and resolution of 1024 x 576 doesn’t seems as attractive as either the Samsung NC10 or Asus 1000HA which cost the same price and offers more battery life. Watch the video after the break. Read more

Samsung NC10 4G netbook with built-in WiMAX

Samsung and Yota, a Russian provider of mobile services, will release a modified version of the Samsung NC10 netbook which includes a built-in mobile WiMAX module. The Samsung NC10 4G is the first netbook to support WiMAX technology in Russia. Connection to Yota’s fourth-generation network allows speeds of up to 10Mbps.

“This modification of our netbook is a historically first notebook of such class in Russia with a built-in Mobile WiMAX module. Samsung aims to dip into tomorrow, to shape new trends and to build a convenient future. Yota has already brought this future to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and soon will deliver it to other Russian cities. And the 4G netbook NC10 will be the simplest and the most affordable key to this future,” said Sun Hong Lim, General Director, Samsung Electronics CIS & Baltics.

Apart from the built-in WiMAX other specifications remain the same. Samsung’s NC10 is a 1.33kg netbook with a 10.2-inch LED display powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor. It also comes with a 160 GB hard drive, 3-in-1 multi memory slot, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam. The NC10 also features a full size keyboard and 5200 mAH high capacity 6 cell Lithium battery, providing up to eight hours of use on a full charge. The Samsung NC10 4G netbook will be available at Yota stores costing RUB 19,990 (c$600).

Gigabyte releases promo clips for new netbooks

Gigabyte announced three new netbooks at CeBIT that are planned for release during 2009. It has released three short promotional videos for these netbooks giving an idea as to what they look like in motion. All three models sport a 10.1-inch display and are powered by Intel’s Atom N270/N280 CPU.

Judging by the videos it appears that the model names have changed slightly since CeBIT. The TouchNote T1028 (‘T’ standing for touch) seems to be the same model that was paraded as the M1028 at CeBIT. It is a convertible tablet with 10.1-inch LED backlit touchscreen. The ThinNote S1024 (‘S’ standing for slim) was previously known as the M1024 at CeBIT. It is just 2cm thick and weighs only 890g. Finally 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. All three videos plus full specifications after the break. Read more

Demand for 8.9-inch netbook panels drop sharply

The demand for 8.9-inch netbook display panels have dropped sharply over the last month according to DisplaySearch. This is not entirely surprising given that some high profile names, including Asus, have commented that 10-inch models will become the norm. Whilst 8.9-inch panels may not fare as strongly in the western world, they are still expected to be deployed in devices targeting emerging markets. The price of 10-inch netbook panels continue to drop mainly due to the high competition from a number of different suppliers. During the second-half of Mach, the price of a 10-inch panel dropped by $2.

In related news, LCD panel manufacturer, HannStar, has said that shipments of netbook panels are expected to increase. It will start to ship 10.1-inch panels in April and interestingly plan to ship 10.1-inch touch-screen panels from the third quarter of this year. Hopefully this means we should start to see a number of touchscreen netbooks out just in time for the Windows 7 launch, which has been pushing its ‘touch’ features.

Via Digitimes.

Dell, HP to release Intel CULV netbooks from Q3 2009

Dell and HP will start to release mini-notebooks based on the Intel CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) platform from the third quarter this year, according to Digitimes. Intel’s new platform is said to be a direct competitor to the AMD Yukon platform with the industry expecting 10 million CULV notebooks to be shipped in 2009.

The CULV platform is aimed at the ultra portable notebook segment in the $699 to $899 range. However, the lines between netbook and notebook are being blurred further as the report states that Dell and HP plan to release models with screen sizes from 11-inches to 13-inches. This move is set to impact the market shares of Taiwanese manufacturers such as Asus, Acer and MSI.

New CULV CPUS will include the Core 2 Duo SU9600 with a 1.6GHz clock speed and the Core 2 Solo SU3500 will run at 1.4GHz. Judging by the names, the latter should be a single-core offering. These CPUs will complement the SU9400, SU9300, SU3300, and Celeron 723 models in the “consumer ultra low voltage” portion of Intel’s notebook CPU line-up. Intel plans to pair the Celeron 723 CPU with its GN40 chipset, which is likely to be a popular choice among the premium netbook segment.

Presto ‘instant-on’ operating system enters beta

Another competitor has thrown its hat into the ‘instant-on’ OS arena. Xandros has announced that ‘Presto’ has entered beta stage and is being offered as a free download until its retail release on April 13th at which point it will cost $19.95. The OEM version of Presto has already been out for a while, but this is the first time the consumer version has been released for beta. Read more

Intel releasing 2.0GHz Z550 Atom CPU in April

Intel is about to introduce a new flagship CPU to the Z5X0 series in April according to HKEPC. The 2.0GHz Z550 Intel Atom is expected to replace the current 1.86GHz Z540 Atom CPU and interestingly has the same power draw. Average power consumption and maximum TDP remain at 0.22W and 2.4W. It will also offer 512KB L2 cache and 533MHz FSB. Overall, the Z550 will offer more speed with the same power efficiency and likely same cost as the Z540.

We have so far seen very few netbooks/MIDs embrace the 1.86GHz Z540 processor and one of the main reasons is that the cost is nearly treble that of the popular 1.6Ghz N270 CPU seen in many netbooks today. This new CPU is not likely to change this in the short-term, although it would mean that the gap between the flagship Z550 CPU and the second most powerful CPU, the Z530 would be 0.4GHz. This would perhaps be a big enough distinction for some netbook manufacturers to differentiate their premium end-models.

Netbook browsing speeds 4x faster using Opera Turbo

Opera has been in the browser business for a long time, yet despite all of its innovations, its desktop market share has never penetrated the market like Firefox has or even recent newcomers such as Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari. Personally, it is my desktop browser of choice and despite trying other browsers I always come back to Opera. One of the main reasons for this is speed. I find that for most day-to-day browsing Opera is the fastest browser with the lowest CPU overhead. Read more

‘Apple netbook with OLED screen’ rumours intensify

We reported last week how the rumoured 10-inch Apple netbook would likely come with an OLED screen. Now it seems as if these rumours will intensify following a SmartHouse report claiming that Apple is working on a netbook prototype with an OLED screen supplied by LG.

The report also suggests that sources at LG Korea are corroborating with the rumours that Apple may be planning a touchscreen netbook or tablet. Apparently LG has been testing OLED panels in the area of touch sensitivity and those that “leave behind finger marks”. The sources claim that in recent testing OLED screens used on a notebook attracted “body oils and sweat” when a finger was constantly used on a screen. LG believe that by adding a layer in the manufacturing process that they can eliminate “finger marking”.

The netbook will be manufactured in Taiwan, most likely by Quanta Computer, who are also manufacturing Dell’s luxurious Adamo notebook. LG had won a contract last year to manufacture screens for Apple. It is believed that OLED screens are planned for a number of Apple devices including the next iPhone, iPod Touch as well as computer monitors. If any of this is remotely true I still do wonder exactly how much such a ‘netbook’ would retail for? Adding in a rumoured flash drive for the device would see its cost easily enter four figures. Regardless, the prospect for such a device remains very exciting.

What is the perfect hinge strength for netbooks?

Personally, this is something that I haven’t thought about too much nor is it something that would worry me either. However, the guys over at UMPC Portal have made a short video post looking at the issue of hinge strength on netbooks (how easy is it to open/close the screen without using two hands).

They look at two netbooks, the HP Mini 1000 and Sony Vaio P. In their opinion, the HP Mini 1000 does not have optimal hinge strength as when you try lifting the screen the hinge is so strong that the whole netbook moves. This is not ideal as when the lid is lifted the body comes up with it and then slams back down onto the table. The Vaio P on the other hand has a lightweight chassis and the hinge is such that when moving the display, the base hardly budges at all. It looks like the chassis is glued to the table. The design is such that you can easily move the screen with one hand.

If I were to choose between the two, then it would definitely have to be strong hinge over a loose one. At least that is until we see a device with an adjustable strength hinge. From my experience with these things, hinges tend to get looser as time goes on. Once a hinge is loose there is little to do to make it strong again. Also when you are on the move in a car or train the last thing you need is a loose hinge in my view. Anyway check out the interesting video after the jump. Read more

HP’s next-gen netbooks to begin production in May/June

Hewlett Packard is to begin volume production of its next-generation of 10-inch netbooks in May or June according to Digitimes. The new netbooks will be manufactured by Inventec. Other information is scant at this time, including zero details on technical specifications.

What improvements would you like on the HP Mini 1000? A better battery in the box would be the first point for me, a 3-cell battery just doesn’t cut it anymore, especially when you consider the likes of the Samsung NC10 comes with a 6-cell battery as standard. More news as we have it.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE Unboxing Roundup

The Asus Eee PC 1000HE, successor to the best-selling 1000H, will not only come with a much improved keyboard but also a battery (rated at 8700 mAh) life of 9.5 hours per charge. It also has a chiclet keyboard like the new MacBook range.

A number of publications have unboxed the 1000HE over the last 24 hours. First up is Electric Pig who had just received the unit through the door and posted some initial pictures. Blogeee has a much more comprehensive range of photos, looking at every conceivable angle of the 1000HE. Lastly, Einfach-Eee.de has an unboxing video (in German) of the unit which we’ve included after the jump.

In other related news, Asus has announced that its Eee PC 100HE has achieved a record number of global pre-orders. The 1000HE is also ranked among the top three most wanted gadgets on Amazon according to the company. We’ll hopefully have our review of the 1000HE in the coming weeks. Read more

MSI Wind U115 Hybrid stripped to bare bones

The guys over at UMPC Fever have taken the traditional ‘unboxing’ to new levels by stripping the Wind U115 right down to its Hybrid storage. The MSI Wind U115 Hybrid promises the longest battery life yet seen in a netbook through a combination of 9-cell battery and hybrid storage solution. Recent tests have shown that the battery life lasted as long as 13 hours on a single charge.

The model came with a 160GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue HDD and 8GB SDD, seated next to 1GB of RAM. Overall, the U115 Hybrid is believed to come in three HDD/SDD combinations. There will be 8GB SSD + 80GB HDD, 16GB SSD + 120GB HDD and 32GB SSD + 160GB HDD models planned. The model won’t be cheap though with an expected price point of €549 in Europe. Check out some more pictures after the jump. Read more

Chinese sources confirming 9-inch Dell Adamo?

The Chinese-language Apple Daily is reporting that Dell is planning to develop a 9-inch version of the Dell Adamo later this year according to Digitimes. Rumours surfaced earlier in the week of a 9-inch Adamo following the model number ‘Adamo 9’ inadvertently appearing in a Dell firmware update. It is unknown whether Apply Daily has any new information or whether it is just re-citing earlier rumours.

The report also claimed that the 13.4-inch Dell Adamo will be manufactured by Quanta Computer. It is Quanta who was rumoured to be manufacturing the rumoured Apple 10-inch netbook/tablet. More information as we have it.

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