Fujitsu Siemens introduces LOOX M netbook

Exactly a month ago today, we reported on a rumour that Fujitsu was about to launch an update to its 8.9-inch M1010 netbook. It looks like it was true as Fujitsu Siemens has today announced a new 10.1-inch netbook called the LOOX M. The LOOX M definitely looks attractive and appears to have an incomplete infinity symbol on the lid (the same as the artist impression in our previous report).

The specifications, however, do nothing to distinguish from the norm. Under the hood you will find a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 945GSE Intel chipset. It will also come with 1GB RAM and 160GB of storage. Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, three USB 2.0 sockets, 1.3MP webcam and a multi-card reader. The LOOX M is retailing now for 59,800 Yen ($610, €470, £420) and comes in red, black and white colours.

Skytone Alpha 680 – World’s first Google Android netbook

Almost from nowhere, the world’s first Google Android netbook has appeared from a Chinese manufacturer, Guangzhou Skytone Transmission Technologies, more renown for producing low cost netbooks targeted to kids. On Skytone’s website, you can clearly see the Alpha 680 which is meant to be a refresh of the Linux-based Alpha 600.

The Alpha 680 has a 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution and is powered by an ARM 11 533MHz processor. Given its believed trade price point at $100, the rest of the specifications are very weak. The Alpha 680 comes with only 128MB RAM and 1GB of flash storage as standard. An optional upgrade to 256MB RAM and 4GB flash storage is possible. For those that want more, a SDHC slot is also supported. Read more

Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A netbook, first to feature LCD touchpad

Sharp has introduced a new netbook this morning, the 10.1-inch Mebius PC-NJ70A. When a teaser was posted on its website last week, we speculated that the netbook may feature some kind of touch element. Right on cue, Sharp has done exactly that, but not in the way I was envisaging. The Mebius PC-NJ70A is the first netbook to feature a second LCD display with resolution of 854 x 480 pixels that doubles up as a touchpad. Read more

Microsoft making just $15 per netbook XP license

The two main operating systems that you will find on netbooks at this present time are either Linux or Windows XP. The majority of netbooks tend to have XP preinstalled, but in retail generally, there is a lack of options allowing you to choose exactly which operating system suits you. Some consumers would rather save money by choosing Linux and often it is very difficult to work back how much Microsoft is charging for each XP license. However a Wall Street Journal report indicates that this amount is just $15.

This has been a deliberate strategy by Microsoft to gain market share in a segment where it had just a 10 percent foothold when netbooks first started to emerge back in 2007. Fast forward to present time and this has swung Microsoft’s way, with approximately three out of four netbooks sold with XP last year.

But why would Microsoft be willing to take such a hit, especially compared to the $50-$60 it receives for bundling Vista in laptops? My thoughts are that it sees XP as a stop-gap to Windows 7 Starter Edition. Much has been made of the three application limit in the entry level Windows 7 edition and Microsoft are gambling on whether the consumer will really ‘upgrade’ to more expensive versions at some point down the line. It will be interesting to see how consumers react to this app limit and the launch of Windows 7 could even see a retaliatory Linux comeback.

Velocity Micro’s NoteMagix M10 netbook shipping this month

Velocity Micro will start shipping its NoteMagix M10 netbook towards the end of this month for $379. The M10 was first announced back in January and whilst its looks don’t veer from the norm, the netbook will at least come with a 6-cell battery for a reasonable price. There is also the option of an optical drive for an extra $69.

The rest of the specifications are fairly standard with a 10.2-inch display powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 1GB RAM. It also comes with a 160GB hard drive, Wi-Fi (b/g), webcam, media card reader and three USB ports. The M10 will be available in red, blue and black colours.

Via Engadget.

Rumoured Apple netbook to be manufactured by Foxconn

Apple has opened the bidding to ODMs for its rumoured netbook according to a Commercial Times report. The report suggests that the current front-runner is Foxconn Electronics citing sources from the component supply chain. Details of when the order would ship, or the system itself, aren’t included with leak.

This follows last month’s news that Quanta was to be the likely manufacturer of the rumoured netbook. Foxconn already manufactures the Apple Macbook, expected to provide a big boost to its notebook shipment growth in Q2 2009. Apple is currently tight lipped on its plans (as always) but speculation points to a device that sits between its iPhone and Macbooks. The rumours seen so far point to a 10-inch touchscreen netbook or convertible tablet. Read more

Toshiba announces Dynabook UX 10-inch netbook

Toshiba already has a netbook on the market, the 8.9-inch NB100. However, given the popular move by many netbook vendors to move to 10-inch screens, Toshiba has followed suit. It has announced the 10-inch Dynabook UX netbook. The UX will have a 10.1-inch display and come with a 1024 x 600 resolution display. It will be powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. It will also come with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-disk drive.

Despite the larger screen, this new model is actually smaller than the TB100 at 26.3 x 19.2 x 3.1cm. Depending on the configuration chosen, the UX will weigh between 1.2kg to 1.3kg (2.6lbs to 2.9lbs). Battery life has also been extended over the NB100 with a life of over 4 hours – it is unknown what cell battery this refers to.

The UX-series will launch in Japan on Friday but will follow in other markets shortly, although no dates have been given so far. The netbook certainly won’t be cheap with prices ranging from 60,000 to 70,000 Yen [$610 – $710, €470 – €550, £420 – £490]. As can be seen in the pictures after the break, the UX will be available in two colours. Read more

So what is a ‘chiclet’ keyboard anyway?

This morning we have a guest contribution from reader, Igor Igorski, who looks at the chiclet keyboard and where the term originates from.

With many developments in the fast changing world of electronics, consumers have been introduced to a new word or rather jargon, the “chiclet” keyboard. In recent months the term has appeared more and more in the context of notebooks and netbooks. But what is it exactly and why is it called “chiclet”? Read more

Video: Installing OSX Leopard On A Dell Mini 9 Netbook

If you have a Dell Mini 9 netbook and Mac OS X DVD to hand then this video tutorial may be just for you. The video by Zollatech takes a step-by-step approach to installing OS X onto the Mini 9 and is well worth a watch if this is something you are considering. Also check out this post from the My Dell Mini Forums which have all the files you need. Check out the video after the jump. Read more

OCZ unveils Mini PCI-Express Solid State Drives for netbooks

OCZ has unveiled its first range of mini PCI-Express Solid State Drives targeted to increase the capacity for netbooks. OCZ is a respected hardware enthusiast brand whose main focus has been memory components. However, it recently announced its first netbook, the 10-inch OCZ Neutrino DIY.

Solid State Drives offer a quieter, cooler and more durable alternative to traditional hard-disk drives. Battery lives are also extended due to lower power consumption and improved access times. They are ideal for netbooks in that they are much more shock resistant compared to normal drives, especially considering a netbook is likely to get knocked around on the move. Read more

OLPC XO-1 switches to 1GHz VIA CPU

The One Laptop Per Child project has announced a v1.5 refresh of its XO-1 laptop. Whilst the unit will use the same design and batteries as v1.0, it will now use the VIA C7-M chipset as opposed to the AMD Geode processor found in the original. This chip has a clock speed ranging from 400MHz to 1GHz but the speed may be throttled back depending on the heat generation. Other improvements include 1GB RAM and 4GB of flash storage including an optional 8GB SKU.

The CPU will be used with the recently announced VX855 media processor that offers among its features the ability to decode full 1080p video. The move to the new chipset will see faster speeds using less power when idle as well as costing less than the Geode processor. This move could theoretically mean that the XO-1 may even be able to run Windows 7! Read more

HD vs. SD HP Mini 2140 netbook screens compared

Now that the high-resolution version of HP’s Mini 2140 netbook has started to filter into people’s hands, it was a matter of time before we started to see some pictures. The ‘HD’ screen option costs only $25 from HP and gives you a screen with resolution of 1366 x 768 compared to 1024 x 600 pixels. The obvious benefit is the increased screen real estate along with less need for scrolling.

Users from the HP Mini Forums have been posting their thoughts on the new screen. Whilst some find the text hard to read, the overall consensus seems to be that extra space is worth it. Given the way a lot of sites are developed, it is likely you will get ‘bars’ on the sides at this new resolution, but the need for less vertical scrolling will be a god-send for some. Digiffiti also has some impressions that are worth checking out. Click through for a large comparison shot between the two courtesy of rberga1. Read more

Stone Neo 101 netbook is not ‘The One’

Seemingly, everyone is trying to get a piece of the netbook pie and this time it’s the turn of UK-based manufacturer Stone. It has today announced its first foray into netbooks with the Neo 101. Now unfortunately for them, it seems that the 10-inch Neo 101 netbook is not ‘The One’. You would have seen the specifications a million times before and the design doesn’t do anything different either. The only redeeming feature seems to be that it comes with a three-year warranty, a first that I’m aware of.

The Neo 101 comes with a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. Other features include Wi-Fi, two USB ports, 1.3MP webcam an ExpressCard slot and optional 3G. The keyboard is 90 percent of a full sized keyboard. The Neo weighs 1.3kg and comes with a 4-cell battery.

The Neo 101 is priced at £275 excluding VAT, which brings it in line with the Samsung NC10 and MSI Wind. Seems like a tough sell to me, even with the three-year warranty. It will be available from 1 May.

Video: Kogan Agora Netbook Pro

The Kogan Augora Netbook comes from Australian technology entrepreneur, Ruslan Kogan. We first reported on it back in March and it looks like units have started to hit Australian retail. The chassis is based on the Sotec DC101 and has a nice patterned effect on the lid. The Kogan comes with the gOS operating system (an option for Windows 7 will also be available later).

The following video shows a user with the Pro version that comes with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard-disk drive for AUD$540. He seems to be impressed with the 10.2-inch screen and keyboard. Check out the video after the jump. Read more

MSI Wind U123 taken through its paces

Following on from the recent unboxing, Portable Monkey has put up a MSI Wind U123 review. Overall impressions on the 10-inch netbook were positive including very good keyboard and screen. However, they felt it was let down by a number of smaller factors including tinny sound from the speakers, no scrolling capability on the touchpad and low microphone volume.

One of the big disappointments, though, was that the RAM/HDD cannot be upgraded without voiding the warranty. Apparently whilst the bottom part of the case can be easily removed, MSI have placed a “void if tampered with” sticker to make sure you don’t upgrade the parts yourself.

The white MSI U123 comes with a 10-inch (1024 x 600) display powered by a 1.66Ghz N280 Intel Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. Graphics are served by Intel’s GMA950. Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0, 1.3MP webcam and a 5-in-1 card reader (the US SKU comes with a 4-in 1 reader). It also comes with a 6-cell battery (5200 mAh) as standard. The unit weighs less than 1.4kg (2.98lbs) including the 6-cell battery. Check out the key points of the review after the break. Read more

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