Asus Eee PC 1000HE wins Laptop Mag’s Netbook Madness

Over the last few weeks, Laptop Mag has organised a netbook faceoff featuring sixteen netbooks. Two netbooks have competed against each other vying for public votes to ensure it gets through to the next round. The netbook that has now emerged victorious is the Asus Eee PC 1000HE against the runner-up, the Samsung NC10. There wasn’t that much in it, with just over 13,000 votes cast, the 1000HE took 54 percent of the vote compared to 46 percent to the NC10.

This is probably not surprising given that the Asus 1000HE costs a similar amount to the Samsung NC10 whilst having a longer battery life. However, it would be interesting to see how the 1000HE compares against Samsung’s upcoming N110 which Samsung claims will last for 9.5 hours. Click through for a full chart of the final result. Read more

OCZ Neutrino DIY netbook reviewed – let down by battery life

The 10.1-inch OCZ Neutrino netbook is a dream for tech enthusiasts as it has been designed to allow customers to source their own components. For the Neutrino this means sourcing RAM (up to 2GB), a hard-drive (SSD/HDD up to 250GB) and operating system. As well as keeping costs low, it allows you to build a netbook to your own specifications. It is a shame they haven’t provided access to the CPU which is available on OCZs larger notebooks.

Laptop Mag has taken the Neutrino through its paces and felt that whilst the overall platform was inexpensive it was still let down by a poor touchpad and short battery life. However, the latter is likely to be a short-term issue as a 6-cell battery is due in May. The ‘core’ specifications include a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED backlit display powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 945GSE Intel chipset. It comes with a 4-cell 2200mAh battery, 1.3MP webcam and WiFi (b/g only).

We have attached the key points of the review after the break. What we would point out is to take the performance statistics with a pinch of salt, the results may differ depending on the hardware installed. The OCZ Neutrino costs $269 in the US, we don’t have confirmation of UK/European pricing at this time. Read more

25 hours squeezed out of MSI Wind U115 9-cell battery

Around a month ago, Johannes from Eee-PC.de conducted a battery test on the 6-cell battery of the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid which yielded over 13 hours on a single charge. Johannes has since got hold of a 9-cell battery for the U115 Hybrid and has started to see just how much juice he can get out of it. His first test was running the Battery Eater test on the “Idle” setting which resulted in a whopping 25 hours and 4 minutes!

Now it is worth mentioning that under the “idle” setting, Battery Eater will show a result closest to the maximum possible. Therefore you would not expect to achieve a time of 25 hours under real-world use. He is now running tests in the “Classic” mode which provides the results under a maximum 100% workload.

The U115 Hybrid has been designed to have a long battery life. Its unique storage solution combines both a SDD and HDD, and allows the HDD to be disabled when not in use. It also uses a low-power 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU. The MSI Wind U115s battery recently came top in a 13-way netbook shoot-out. We can’t wait to test it for ourselves in due course. The MSI Wind U115 Hybrid is due in the UK in May for £499. Check out a preview video of the 9-cell battery and comparison with 6-cell battery after the break. Read more

New Packard Bell DOT S and DOT M netbooks

Packard Bell, who cancelled the DOT netbook which was due to hit UK retail in January 2009, is now preparing to release the DOT S and DOT M netbooks in Europe. The DOT S will come with a 10.1-inch display and cost €299 when it hits mainland Europe, whilst the DOT M will sport an 11.6-inch display and cost €399.

Given that Packard Bell is owned by Acer it is not surprising to see the DOT S shares similar specifications to the Acer Aspire One 531, whilst the DOT M is similar to the recently announced 11.6” Aspire One. However, there do seem to be a few aesthetic differences including several chrome effects on the palm rest, trackpad, hinges and lid.

The 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) DOT M will be powered by a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU and come with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-disk drive. It will also come with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional 3G modem, webcam, Dolby Sound and a 5-in-1 card reader. The 10.1-inch DOT S is expected to have similar specifications although as far as I can tell the CPU is unconfirmed.

The DOT S is due to arrive in shops over the next week in mainland Europe, whilst the DOT M is expected at the end of the month. There is no word on UK pricing or availability and there is also no evidence of these netbooks on the UK Packard Bell site. We’ll keep you updated on any developments. Click through for photos of the DOT M and DOT S. Read more

Gigabyte TouchNote T1028M netbook tested

A few days ago, UMPC Portal unboxed the Gigabyte’s 10-inch convertible tablet, the T1028M. They have now posted their thoughts following a couple of days of testing and overall impressions seem to be positive. The T1028M was found to come with some excellent features including a convertible screen, ExpressCard/34, easy access to HDD/RAM panels, wireless draft ‘n’ and a pre-wired 3G antenna.

The device seems to sit in a unique place with few major competitors. Asus are planning on introducing two models in the near future, the 8.9-inch T91 and the 10-inch T101, but apart from that, Gigabyte has the 10-inch market to themselves. The T1028M also boasts significant improvements over Gigabyte’s first convertible tablet, the 8.9-inch M912, which include better battery life, cooling, noise levels and stronger hinges.

The hard-disk was one of the fastest they had seen, giving a CrystalMark 2003 performance test of over 28,000. The reception on the 3G antenna was also excellent and even outperformed his mobile phone. The main points of criticism came from a glossy screen that made it difficult to use outdoors and battery life. The battery lasted between 2.5 to 4 hours depending on different levels of brightness and 3G connectivity, which is respectable but nothing outstanding. We look forward to seeing how the T1028M fares against Asus’ upcoming offerings.

Battery life of 13 netbooks compared, MSI U115 emerges victorious

Netbook vendors and consumers are placing increasing importance on battery lives. We have seen a number of netbooks announced recently from all of the major players (MSI, Samsung, Asus and Acer) who are trying to push longer and longer lasting battery times. To take the headache out of finding out which ones last the longest, Netbook Review has undertaken the arduous task of comparing the battery life of thirteen different netbooks.

Each of the netbooks were tested with the UserBench Battery 2008 benchmark, which involves stress-testing the battery to an absolute maximum. The author claims that the results present a worse-case scenario and should be the bare minimum life expected. The app plays back a WMV video clip with the display and hard drive set to never switch off. Power management was set to “always on”. Read more

MSI Wind U123 netbook gets unboxed

The 10-inch MSI Wind U123 netbook, which was officially announced at the beginning of the month, has been unboxed by Portable Monkey. It seems that MSI provides no access to upgrade your hard-drive or RAM. This is a strange move especially as the U123 supports 2GB RAM, but only ships with 1GB. I imagine, you would have to send it back to MSI if you want the RAM upgrade or open it yourself and void the warranty.

The white MSI U123 came 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 WiFi (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.

In Japan, the U123T and U123H models are also due which will include a TV tuner and 3G modem respectively. However, judging from the US press release, the Wind U123 will come with a TV tuner as standard. The MSI Wind U123 comes in a choice of four colours (white, red, blue and grey). The unit is not due to launch in the US until May, but releases in Japan tomorrow. There is no confirmation on pricing or availability in other regions. Click through for some pictures of the MSI Wind U123 being unboxed.

Update: Apparently all MSI Wind netbooks come without access panels on the back. However, the bottom casing can be easily unscrewed to access the HDD and RAM.
Read more

CrunchPad Tablet photos leaked

TechCrunch supremo, Michael Arrington, set upon a challenge last July when he outlined a plan to create a very thin and light touch screen computer, minus a physical keyboard and hard drive that boots directly to a browser to surf the web. The main use for such a device would be for internet consumption and be priced at around the $300 mark. The device, called the CrunchPad, has since been under wraps with TechCrunch working with a number of hardware partners to turn the idea into a reality. However, last night some pictures of the CrunchPad leaked. Read more

Acer launching touchscreen netbook in 2009

Acer will be launching its third-generation of netbook by the end of the year and reports suggest that it will feature a touchscreen. We don’t have any further details than that, but the news is hardly surprising. A fourth generation netbook will release in 2010.

We already know that a number of touchscreen manufacturers are gearing up for an increase in capacitive (multi-touch) panels in the second half of the year. Additionally, a number of netbook vendors have already hinted that they will be looking to release touchscreen models to coincide with the launch of Windows 7 (which touts a number of touch-screen features). Read more

Samsung N120 official product page up, full specs revealed

Whilst Samsung announced the 10.1-inch N120 netbook a couple of weeks back, the full specifications were not released at the same time. Since then, a number of retailers have placed the N120 on pre-order which revealed a bit more about what we may find under the hood. However, Samsung has now put up the official specifications on its site.

The reason we find the N120 netbook interesting is its ability to fit in a full 12-inch keyboard into its chassis. It also benefits from a 2.1 speaker system (including subwoofer!) The specifications confirm the pre-order listings found from retailers with the netbook powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. It will come with 1GB RAM and a 160GB (5,400 RPM) hard-disk drive. There will be a choice between black and white colours.

Samsung says that the maximum RAM the unit can handle is just 1GB, but I imagine this is a typo. Samsung listed the same for the N110 but then corrected the mistake later. Other features include WiFi (b/g only), Bluetooth 2.0, a 1.3MP webcam and a 6-cell battery. The N120 is just 1.2-inches in thickness and weighs 1.3Kg (2.8lbs). Click through for a full list of the specifications as well as press photos. Read more

Moblin instant-on OS promises 2-second boot time

Moblin, the Intel-founded Linux-based operating system, hopes to achieve an ambitious boot time of just two seconds in future iterations of its instant-on OS. The Moblin Linux kernel was created to be a fast and lightweight platform, specifically designed to run on an Intel Atom CPU.

Whilst some may view these claims as lofty, Intel revealed that the major components of its software stack, including its graphics system, can already boot up in just a few seconds when using the latest Moblin Alpha 2 release.

Whilst getting the total software stack to boot in just a couple of a seconds is a completely different matter, it is encouraging to see Intel upping the ante for its instant-on OS. The Moblin project is competing with other mobile Linux-based operating systems such as Google’s Android, Jolicloud and gOS.

Intel believes that a fast boot time is paramount to the user experience. We would have to agree. Being able to start an operating system that quickly to check mail or use the Internet could change behavioural netbook habits significantly.

Via Ars Technica.

Intel: Netbooks are not meant for adults

Intel is doing its best to convince the public that netbooks are only meant for kids or emerging markets only. Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president said the following at the recent Intel Developer Forum in Beijing: “There are things that you would do on a notebook you wouldn’t dream of doing on a Netbook…For a kid, a Netbook is fantastic, as an adult you probably want a notebook. So, there are very simple ways of positioning and thinking about it.”

These comments echo Intel’s product page which looks at the difference between netbooks against laptops. According to the list, netbooks cannot multitask, create videos, encode music, watch HD movies and run complex office software. Now I’ll give them HD videos but creating/editing videos or photos? These are things I’ve done with a number of netbooks. Okay, no one expects Adobe Premiere Pro or Photoshop CS4 to run that well on a netbook but there are solutions out there that allow you to do the bulk of photo/video editing if needed to. Multi-tasking also is not an issue. Read more

Early impressions of Asus Eee PC 1004DN plus indicative pricing

Australia’s PC Authority has managed to get hands-on with the Eee PC 1004DN, Asus’ first netbook with embedded optical drive. Interestingly, they also revealed that the 1004DN has an Australian RRP of AUD1399, the first time we have an idea on pricing. This converts to roughly $995/€750/£680 so it certainly will not be cheap if the 1004DN ends up coming to the US/Europe.

Starting off with the chiclet keyboard, they found the comfort level was good with a good response, despite the rattle of the keys (something which a number of chiclet keyboards suffer with). The same couldn’t be said of the trackpad which they found to be “sticky and unresponsive”. Read more

Gigabyte T1028 TouchNote Video Unboxing

Gigabyte’s upcoming 10-inch convertible tablet netbook, the T1028 TouchNote, has been unboxed courtesy of UMPC Portal. They videoed the whole event and gave their first impressions. The T1028M supplied to them already came pre-installed with an in-built 3G modem. Overall the unit fared favourably to Gigabyte’s previous net tablet, the 8.9-inch M912. It has a larger keyboard and touchpad and despite having a bigger screen, didn’t feel much heavier either. They felt noise and heat was also an improvement over the M912 despite some fan noise remaining.

The 1024 x 600 display did not appear to be as sharp as expected, probably due to the touch layer on the screen muting the screen somewhat. The screen felt responsive and supported gestures. Battery life wasn’t brilliant though, predicted to last under three hours. The T1028M comes with a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and 160GB hard-disk drive.

We know that a number of different T1028 models are planned with a ‘P’ version coming with a higher-resolution (1366 x 768) screen and 1.66GHz N280 CPU. The T1028M is expected to launch at the end of this month and it is interesting to see that the unit they played with had final retail packaging. Check out the video after the break. Read more

Kensington introduces new netbook accessories

We are starting to see a handful of companies targeting the growing netbook accessory market. This time, Kensington, who specialise in computer accessories, have announced ‘five essential’ netbook products. These include two mice, one wired ($14.99) and one wireless ($24.99), a netbook power adaptor ($49.99), a security lock ($24.99) and a reversible sleeve ($14.99).

The power adaptor is quite interesting as it also combines a built-in USB port to also charge other devices. It doesn’t look too big either and will provide power for most netbooks out there. The wireless mouse has a nano receiver which works out cheaper than the Logitech Nano series. Checking the Kensington UK site I couldn’t find these products listed, but hopefully it is a matter of time. For those in the US, these products are available to pre-order at Amazon.com now.

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