Gateway launches new LT20 and LT30 netbooks

Gateway launched a couple of new netbooks following on from Acer’s press event last night in New York. Gateway, which was acquired by Acer in 2008, has added the LT20 and LT30 to its line-up of netbooks.

The 10.1-inch LT20 is effectively a rebadged Acer Aspire One and is available in red or black. It comes with an 89 percent sized keyboard and is powered by an Intel Atom processor. The LT30, as you might guess, is very similar to Acer’s newly announced 11.6” Aspire One launched on the same night. It features an11.6-inch (1366×768) display and full-sized keyboard.

Both are relatively light-weight with the LT30 coming in at 1.2kg (2.62lbs). Both versions come with a multi-gesture touchpad, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity. An optional webcam is also available.

Lenovo adds 3G to S10 netbook, 12-inch model also planned

Lenovo is getting ready to launch some updates to its S1X series of netbooks. It plans to launch a refresh to its 10-inch S10 netbook with integrated 3G and is also introducing a 12-inch model which will also have a built-in 3G module.

Both netbooks will have the instant-on OS, Splashtop. This will give access to a browser based on Firefox 2, Skype, a multi-IM chat client; a basic audio player and a photo viewer. The Lenovo install should also include its social Web site forums too.

According to Liliputing, the official press release for the new Lenovo models has been delayed, however we’ll keep you updated as soon as we have confirmation.

icloud beta launches, first ‘free online computer’

Xcerion has launched icloud, a virtual operating system, where users can access a desktop and applications through a web browser for free. The icloud service features a desktop user interface very similar to Vista and a suite of applications that allow you to create and share text, video and photo files online. Given the limitations of storage space on some netbooks this could be an ideal solution for some.

All in all, it offers 3GB of storage space and 30 free applications. I imagine Xcerion will look to charge for a more reasonable amount of storage space at some later point. The apps include a basic text editor and mail client along with some games. It’s well worth trying for yourself, if only to backup or share some files/photos. Signup is quite painless and it ran reasonably well on Internet Explorer and Firefox when I tried it earlier. It is quite lightweight and the performance isn’t too bad although I did notice that it took some time to switch between apps. This is only a beta launch so there is time for improvement.

Acer trialling Android on netbooks

At Acer’s New York press conference last night, CEO Gianfranco Lanci and product guy Jim Wong confirmed that they are testing Android on its netbooks. Wong confirmed that the Android prototype has a “good chance” of becoming a commercial reality. However, Acer also said that it does not feel that Android is ready for the limelight just yet. Trying to get the full internet experience just right is the biggest obstacle the OS faces in their view.

Wong also confirmed that pretty much every major netbook manufacturer is testing Android on netbooks right now. From what we know, Asus and HP have talked about it. I would guess that we may be in for some exciting Android netbook launches by the end of the year.

“Android in my opinion is for communications,” said CEO Gianfranco Lanci. “And Windows comes at the market from the computing side. An ideal solution would offer both. So right now we are using Android for our smartphone, and we are testing it on our Netbooks. But I think everybody in the industry is testing Android on Netbooks.”

OCZ Neutrino DIY Netbook hands-on

OCZ’s 10.1-inch Neutrino DIY netbook differs from most netbooks in the market by allowing you to source your own RAM, hard-disk drive and operating system from wherever you can find the best deal and ‘build-it-yourself”. Laptop Mag went hands-on with a Neutrino DIY and opened the whole thing up to highlight how easy it is to change/upgrade these components.

Luckily, the bottom of the case has an easily accessible upgrade hatch. Removing five screws reveals a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive slot, a PC-5300 SO-DIMM RAM slot, and a free mini PCI-e slot. The chassis is the same as other netbooks, probably not a surprise since it is designed by a third party. Whilst the looks were somewhat bland, it did feel light. The keyboard offered solid feedback and all of the buttons were in their proper locations. This included the touchpad buttons which were located below the pad.

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). Laptop Mag will have a full review in the next few days when they intend to insert a hard-drive, 2GB of RAM and install Windows XP. In the meantime, check out some pictures after the jump. Read more

Acer Aspire One with WiMAX hits FCC

Acer is planning on launching a new 8.9-inch netbook that will be WiMAX enabled according to some documents that have passed through the US FCC. I find this somewhat strange given yesterday’s news that the company is in the process of phasing out its line of 8.9-inch netbooks.

The documents reveal that the unit will carry the model name of Aspire One Z5G. The WiMAX module will be embedded into the netbook itself which maybe highlights that it will be carried by wireless carriers who will look to bundle the netbook with certain data contracts. No other information such as pricing and availability is available so far.

Intel confirms 2GHz Z550 Atom CPU, demos Moorestown platform

Intel has officially released a 2.0GHz flagship CPU for the Atom series after rumours surfaced last month. The 2.0GHz Z550 CPU supports hyper-threading at under 3W of power. Intel also confirmed the 1.2GHz Z515 Atom CPU which uses Intel Burst Performance Technology for more power efficiency.

The company also demonstrated their next-gen Atom-based MID platform called Moorestown. One particular version shown had ten times more power efficiency when idle compared to current Atom chips. The platform uses a smaller 45nm manufacturing process, and includes both the graphics and memory controllers into the main core.

It will take advantage of a new version of Moblin, the open-source Linux-based platform Intel recently entrusted to the Linux Foundation, with new optimisation for internet access and mobile voice functionality. The platform is due to launch commercially by 2010.

Acer Aspire One 11.6-inch netbook announced

Acer held an event last night in New York to announce a number of products across different ranges. One of these was the confirmation of an 11.6” Aspire One netbook. Judging from the press release, it seems that Acer is holding back on exactly which name it will market this new netbook. Over the last few weeks we have already heard of an 11.6-inch Acer netbook in both a new Aspire One Pro line-up as well as the supposed Aspire One 751 which was previewed recently.

Like the above rumoured models the 11.6” Aspire One looks very sleek and slim and measures only 1-inch in thickness. A full list of technical specifications has not been released, but despite this we still know that it will be powered by an Intel Atom CPU and use the Intel US15W Express Chipset. Acer is also claiming battery life of 8 hours on its 6-cell 5200 mAh battery. The 11.6-inch Aspire One will come with a WXGA (1366 x 768) resolution LED-backlit screen. Whilst the official specifications have not been released, the model shown in New York last night came with a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 CPU and 1GB RAM.

In terms of wireless connectivity, it features WiFi (although no draft ‘n’ here), Bluetooth as well as embedded 3G. The full-sized keyboard comes with a large right shift key and the netbook will also support multi-touch gestures. The mouse buttons are placed beneath the touchpad thankfully. It will also come with a 160GB hard-drive (5,400 RPM), a multi-in-one card reader, digital microphone and webcam (resolution unspecified). The 11.6” Aspire One will come in four glossy colours (white, dark blue, red and black). No confirmation of pricing or availability has been made but some US sites suggest that it will ship at the end of April. More news as we have it. Check out some photos after the jump as well as Laptop Mag who have a video of the netbook in action. Read more

Qualcomm CEO: Netbooks May Soon Outsell Notebooks

According to Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, netbooks could soon dominate the PC market, outselling larger notebooks. Jacobs did not want to speculate on when exactly netbooks would overtake notebooks, but in an interview with Bloomberg, he said it would happen “relatively quickly”.

Now Qualcomm has a vested interest in seeing netbooks succeed, so I would take the comments with a pinch of salt. It is looking to push its Snapdragon platform to netbooks in competition with Intel’s Atom CPU. There is no doubt that netbook growth is seeing huge growth compared to netbooks. DisplaySearch released a report recently that forecast netbook growth of 66 percent in 2009 compared to just 3 percent for notebooks. However, netbook shipments in 2009 are only expected to be 27 million units, much lower than that expected for notebooks at 133 million units. That gap won’t close that quickly in our view.

Asus keeping 8.9-inch netbooks, Acer phasing them out

There was a point earlier in the year when Asus were making noises about phasing out their line of 8.9-inch netbooks. They have now decided to keep them but only for the procurement market according to Digitimes.

Acer, on the other hand, has decided to phase out the 8.9-inch netbook altogether and will focus its attention on 10-inch models. Asus will continue to push 10-inch models to consumers whilst it will target its 7-inch models to telecom partners. Asus also said that Eee PC shipments in Taiwan have doubled since last year, with shipments expected to reach between 16,000 – 17,000 units in April.

In other related news, Asus is planning to release a pink version of the Eee PC 1000HA during Softex Taipei (April 9 – 13). It will also be pushing its luxury netbook, the Eee PC S121.

Netbook LCD shipments expected to quadruple by 2012

Netbook LCD unit sales are expected to hit close to 50 million units per year by 2012 according to market research firm iSuppli. Shipments are expected to quadruple from the 13.1 million units shipped in 2008 to 47.4 million units shipped in 2012. The forecast numbers are for netbook PCs that use TFT-LCD displays in the size range of 7- to 12-inches. Revenue for 7-inch to 10-inch displays will climb from $625.2 million in 2008 to $2.1 billion in 2012. 2009 revenues are expected to break through the $1 billion barrier.

“The rapid expansion of the netbook market represents an attractive opportunity for small/medium display suppliers that are seeing slowing growth in other segments,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst, small/medium displays, for iSuppli. “The rise of the netbook segment, along with the advent of the digital photo frame area, has opened up the development of medium-sized displays in the range of 7 to 10 inches.”

The rise of the netbook display segment allows TFT-LCD makers to utilize third- fifth-generation fabs for production, iSuppli said. These fabs, previously employed for larger sized display production, are now fully depreciated, allowing LCD makers to produce netbook displays at a low cost.

The netbook sector is one of the few areas of electronics still showing promising growth amidst the economic downturn. Worldwide unit shipments of netbooks soared by more than 2000 percent in 2008 and are expected to rise by 68.5 percent in 2009, according to iSuppli.

Asus Eee PC 1008HA netbook hits the FCC

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA is certainly one of the most attractive netbooks due for release soon. The 10-inch netbook is just 1-inch thick and weighs 1.1Kg (2.4lbs). The 1008HA is expected to be launched in the UK this month at a price point of £359. The US launch should follow soon as the 1008HA has now hit the FCC.

There aren’t any test photos (either internal or external) of the 1008HA, the only one I came across showed the bottom of the unit with the label and FCC certification location. What is concerning is that there appears to be a lack of access panels for the HDD and RAM. Also, I can’t seem to make out a removable battery either. I really hope Asus don’t go the way of the Macbook Air with its sealed battery as I’m sure that would be a turn-off for many.

The Eee PC 1008HA has a 10.2-inch LED backlit screen which supports a resolution of 1024 x 600 and is powered by an Intel N280 Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM. It will also come with a 160GB hard-disk drive.

Via Netbook 3G.

Netbook Review Roundup 06/04/2009

Netbook Choice’s roundup of netbook reviews from around the web on Monday 6th April 2009. We have also included a few reviews that popped up over the weekend.

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE @ Future Looks

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini Ui 3520 review @ Cnet UK

HP Compaq Mini 703EA @ Pocket Lint

HP Compaq Mini 703EA netbook – first look review @ What Laptop

HP Mini 2140 @ geek.com

Samsung NC20 @ Cnet

Zoostorm Fizzbook Spin @ What Laptop

Dell Mini 9 mod – installing a 128GB SDD

For those owners of the Dell Mini 9 who find their solid-state drive (SDD) storage capacity is just not enough, JKKMobile has a mod that you might be interested in. The video tutorial explains how you go about installing a 128GB SSD into the Dell Mini 9. Why is this so special you may ask? Can you not just swap one out for the other?

The reality is not so simple. If you want to upgrade to a larger capacity SDD in the Dell Mini 9 you are limited to 64GB. This is as these SDDs come in Mini PCI-e sizes of 50mm. The larger capacity SSDs (>64GB) come in a Mini PCI-e size of 70mm, the only way of fitting in the extra 20mm requires you to actually cut into the Dell Mini 9 case with a dremel.

For those that feel confident enough to do this mod, the result will be a SDD that offers 20 percent more speed and double the capacity. Just remember, you need to source a PATA SDD as the Mini 9 does not accept SATA SDDs. Check out the video after the jump. Read more

Intel discontinues 4-16GB netbook SSD line

Intel is discontinuing its line of Z-P230 PATA solid-state drives according to TG Daily. The SSD drives which launched last Summer were specifically designed for “value mobile and desktop systems such as netbooks and nettops.” They came in capacities ranging from 4GB to 16GB.

The drives were one-fourth the size of a standard 1.8-inch hard drive and benefited from the low-power requirements you’d expect from a SSD. The main difference between the Z-P230 and the company’s Z-P140 for MIDs (mobile Internet devices) was a focus on low cost for the Z-P230s. Z-P230 flash drives sold for less than $15 in 4 GB versions, for less than $25 in the 8 GB version and for less than $45 as 16 GB models.

Intel has not announced a successor to the Z-P230 SSD range and is instead focusing on the higher capacity 80GB and 160GB SSDs which sell at higher prices. Final orders will be taken on May 4 of this year with last shipments planned for June 4, 2009.

« Previous Page — Next Page »