T-Mobile planning Android netbook?
May 6, 2009 at 2:22 pm
T-Mobile is to team up with HTC to produce an Android netbook according to TMOtoday. The news would seem to make sense if true. T-Mobile collaborated with HTC to create the T-Mobile branded G1 smartphone, which uses the Android platform. Also, with a number of mobile operators already selling subsidised netbooks, the move to create a branded netbook with embedded 3G connectivity would be a natural progression for wireless carriers.
Whilst no release date has been leaked, an end of year launch has been hinted at. Apart from that there is little to go on. We are already expecting to see a number of Android netbooks to be announced at Computex Taipei in June. If this rumour turns out to have some truth to it, I for one, certainly will not be surprised.
Via Phandroid.
Asus Eee PC 1000HG 3G netbook hitting UK next week
May 6, 2009 at 12:43 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1000HG was first announced back in February when it was launched in Taiwan. It is not a netbook that Asus seems to be pushing too heavily as we still cannot even find a product page for it on the Asus site. The 1000HG, as you can guess, is pretty much a 1000H but includes integrated 3G. At the time, no details on whether the 1000HG would appear in other markets were given. Nonetheless, according to a number of UK retailers, it now looks like the 1000HG is set to launch in the next couple of weeks.
However, it is not going to come cheap. Play.com has it for £429.99 on pre-order with an estimated release date of 11 May 2009. Amazon
The 1000HG specifications are the same as the 1000H (bar the integrated 3G). The 10-inch (1024 x 600) Eee PC 1000HG netbook comes with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. It will also come with a 6-cell battery which should be good for around 7 hours of battery life. It weighs 1.45kg and will be available in black & white.
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell official UK launch details revealed
May 5, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Official UK launch details regarding the Asus Eee PC 1008HA ‘Seashell’ netbook has finally been revealed. The Eee PC Seashell will be available in stores from 15th May 2009 with a suggested retail price of £379 including VAT.
To celebrate the launch, Asus will also be giving away one Eee PC Seashell each week during its launch period. Details are set to appear at this link, although there’s not much there right now apart from “Coming soon – Eee PC Seashell UK Grand Launch. Join us for the launch and the chance to win the latest ASUS Eee PC Seashell! Stay tuned.”
This price is around £20 higher than was first suggested back in March. Looking around Amazon
The 10-inch (1024 x 600) Seashell is set to become one of the most desirable netbooks on its release with its 1-inch thickness and 1.1kg weight. The specs aren’t too shabby either, with a 1.66GHz N280 CPU, 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD and wireless draft n. Asus claims that its in-built battery should last for around 6 hours. Check out the official press shots after the break. Read more
Celio’s Redfly ‘netbook’ to get Blackberry support by Q4 2009
May 5, 2009 at 2:15 pm
For those that have not heard of Celio’s Redfly device, think of it as a terminal for your smartphone. The Redfly looks like a netbook, it has an 8-inch screen, 8-inch keyboard and an 8-hour battery life. However, it has no CPU and no operating system. Reminiscent of the Palm Foleo, the Redfly is designed to communicate with your Windows Mobile smartphone.
Once connected via USB or Bluetooth, you can see the phone’s home screen on the Redfly at which point you can write emails/texts or browse the internet. The netbook is purely a conduit and apart from the screen and keyboard, the only other parts it has internally are a motherboard and graphics chip. At the back of the Redfly you’ll also find two USB slots and a VGA port.
The device has been on sale for a while now and hasn’t really taken off. However, it has recently being showing proof of concepts running Android and hopes for RIM support by the end of the year. Blackberry support may the catalyst to kick-start sales. The Redfly is on sale now, the 8-inch version costs $299 whilst the 7-inch version costs just $199.
Via EE Times.
Download Windows 7 RC now, lasts uninterrupted until Mar 2010
May 5, 2009 at 1:21 pm
For those of you wondering how Windows 7 may fare on your beloved netbook, we thought we’d highlight that the Release Candidate is now available for public download. The great thing about the RC release, is that the license will run interrupted until 1 March 2010, plenty of time to find out if Windows 7 is right for you.
The actual RC license will not expire until 1 June 2010, but after March 1, the OS will begin to shutdown every two hours. At this point you’ll need to install a legit version of Windows 7 or choose a different OS. How does this differ from the beta you may ask? Well the beta will expire on August 1 with bi-hourly shutdowns beginning from July 1 2009. The RC’s improvements over the beta release can be found here.
For those that are impressed with Windows 7 RC on their netbook, it is worth mentioning that the RC is based on the Ultimate version of Windows 7. If you decide at a later period to buy a netbook with Windows 7 preinstalled, then it is likely it will come with the Starter Edition which has the (crippling) three application at a time limit.
To get the RC you will need to register for a product key. You can download Windows 7 RC here. Be prepared though, it’s not a quick download at 2,414MB.
MSI Wind U123 netbook now shipping in US
May 5, 2009 at 11:47 am
MSI’s refresh of its popular U100 netbook, the 10.2-inch U123 has now started to ship in the US. Prices currently range from $349.99 at Newegg.com to $379.99 at Frosty Computers (who allow you different customisation options). Amazon
still has the U123 at pre-order stage for $359.99. Only red and blue models are available currently.
The MSI U123 netbook 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 WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0, 1.3MP webcam and a 4-in-1 card reader.
The Wind U123 comes with a 6-cell battery (5200 mAh) as standard. The unit weighs less than 1.4kg (2.98lbs) including the 6-cell battery. A 9-cell battery is also an optional extra. The Wind U123 will come in four colours (pearl White, grey, black and blue). As we stand, there is still no confirmation on pricing or availability in Europe.
Via Portable Monkey.
Runcore Pro IV SSDs offers super-fast netbook speeds
May 5, 2009 at 11:00 am
Runcore has announced its latest solid-state drive, the 2.5-inch Pro IV SSD. The performance is certainly impressive offering read speeds up to 240Mbps and write speeds up to 185Mbps. However, these scorching speeds come at a hefty price.
Runcore will be offering the Pro IV SSD in storage capacities between 32GB and 256GB. The 32GB drive will cost $149, the 64GB will set you back $249, the 128GB costs a substantial $449, whilst the 256GB will cost an astronomical $889. It’s clear that these products aren’t aimed at your average netbook/laptop consumer. One has to consider how much of a premium those speeds are worth paying for.
Each RunCore SSD includes an USB enclosure and cloning software that should have you up and running very quickly. The press release highlights that it should take a novice user a mere 10-15 minutes to set up. The Pro IV is due to start shipping around the middle of the May. In the meantime, check out a video of the SSD in action after the break, courtesy of JKKMobile. UMPC Portal also has some benchmarks up if you’re interested. Read more
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 manual & images unveiled
May 4, 2009 at 3:38 pm
We already reported that Lenovo were planning to bring 3G functionality to its 10-inch S10 Ideapad netbook early last month. This now seems official as the Ideapad S10-2 manual has appeared on the official Lenovo site along with some pictures of the new netbook.
Apart from 3G support, the IdeaPad S10-2 comes with an extra USB ports, larger trackpad, a slightly different design with curved edges, a range of storage options (8-32GB SSD or 160-360HDD) but it does lose the ExpressCard/34 slot that helped differentiate its predecessor.
In terms of specs, the S10-2 has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 1GB RAM. Check out the technical specs after the break along with a number of photos. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 manual can be downloaded from here. Read more
AT&T to offer 10-inch Acer Aspire One through Costco from May 11th
May 4, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Whilst subsidised netbooks through mobile phone operators are commonplace here in Europe, this isn’t the case in the US. AT&T recently held a number of netbook trials in two US States and we reported recently that positive early results meant a likely national push into its retails stores. Well it now seems that AT&T will be offering the 10-inch Acer Aspire One netbook to customers through a partnership with Costco.
BoyGeniusReport has got its hands on a some Costco training materials which points to availability of these netbooks from May 11. Acer’s existing 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One 3G netbook went on sale back in December 2008. AT&T dropped the price of this model by $20 to $79.99 last month with a new, two-year agreement. There is no pricing details on this 10-inch netbook, but it can’t be that long before some firm details start to appear if the leak is true.
Acer Aspire One 751 UK pre-orders open, official press shots appear
May 4, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Acer’s 11.6-inch netbook, the Aspire One 751, is due to launch in the next few weeks and is already up on pre-order through a number of UK retailers including CCLOnline for £376.12 and Laptops Direct for £399.97. CCL is expecting stock in the next 2-3 days, so the 751 could start shipping by the end of this week.
The Aspire One 751 saw its official UK launch last week, along with a full list of detailed specs. The 751 will come with a 1366 x 768 LED backlit display, powered by a 1.33GHz Z520 Intel Atom processor and Intel’s newer US15W (Poulsbo) chipset. What we didn’t have though is any official press images of Acer’s netbook. The 751 definitely has some sleek looks measuring just 1-inch in thickness and weighing 1.25kg. We have included the official shots after the break.
Also, after the jump, we include a video demo of the 751 in action, hosted by Acer’s UK MD, Bobby Watkins. A couple of new things we learned is that pricing is expected to start at £379 (in line with the above pre-order prices) rather than the £349 price quoted last week. Also, battery life was said to be 5 hours with the 3-cell battery and 9 hours with the 6-cell battery. I imagine this is a mistake as the official specs on Acer’s website point to 4 and 8 hours of battery life respectively. Read more
Asus planning new 11.6-inch Eee PC for May launch
May 4, 2009 at 11:37 am
Asus is planning to introduce an Eee PC netbook with an 11.6-inch display later this month according to Asustek President, Jerry Shen. The move is likely to be a direct response to Acer’s 11.6-inch offering, the Aspire One 751 that is expected to start shipping this month.
While the news is hardly surprising, it is unclear whether the Asus plans on just announcing the model in the next few weeks or whether it plans on shipping it too. Shen made some bold predictions for this bigger Eee PC, estimating that he expects the 11.6-inch models to account for 30 percent of total shipments in 2009. Asus’ 10-inch Eee PCs will still be the main focus though, with this segment expected to account for 50 percent of 2009 total shipments. There are no other details on this 11.6-inch Eee PC, but expect some further details shortly.
Via Digitimes.
Toshiba NB200 to launch with 5 SKUs, pricing confirmed
May 3, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Toshiba is planning to launch its 10-inch NB200 netbook with five different models according to the official UK website. All five different SKUs are now priced up on the Toshiba UK site but none are available to order right now.
The cheapest SKU at £319 is the only one to come with a 3-cell battery that should last 3 hours and 36 minutes according to Toshiba. This model is also the lightest at 1.18kg (2.6lbs) and smallest with a depth of 192.3mm. The other SKUs all have a 6-cell battery that lasts over 9 hours, weigh 1.33kg (2.9lbs) and have a depth of 211.5mm. There are both N270 and N280 Intel Atom options and the most expensive SKUs at £369 come with Bluetooth included. Click through for a list of the different models, prices and where they differ in terms of specs. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Manual appears, non-replaceable battery confirmed
May 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm
The manual for Asus’ slender Eee PC 1008HA Seashell netbook has appeared on its official support page. The manual confirms that the battery will not be user-replaceable, which means that if you do need the battery changed you will have to send it back to Asus. The 1008HA Seashell should last for around 6 hours according to the company.
Apart from that, there’s not too much we didn’t already know. Asus has made strange port placement decisions, where we find the VGA port under a flap on the bottom of the chassis. To maintain the sexy image, Asus has also placed ports on the left and right side of the chassis under flaps too. However, in another strange move, it has placed the battery and power charge indicators towards the rear of the chassis. This means you’ll have to keep turning the Seashell around to see the lights. The manual can be downloaded here. Check out some pictures after the break. Read more
Software Apps to Maximise your Netbook Battery Power
May 3, 2009 at 10:53 am
This morning we have a second guest contribution from reader, Igor Igorski. He has followed his first article on the chiclet keyboard with a look at ways in which you can maximize your netbooks battery life through the choice of software used.
Netbooks are known for their portability. Not only are they small and lightweight but with their increased power efficiency, batteries can last much longer than conventional laptops. This also means you no longer have to carry a power adapter with you! Several brands emphasis the longevity of the battery as a strong selling point, and for those people who travel a lot, it sure is. Read more
Video comparison: Samsung N120 vs. Samsung NC10
May 2, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Yesterday, we brought to you our unboxing photos of the 10-inch Samsung N120 netbook. Today, Notebook Italia has provided a couple of N120 videos. The first goes through the unboxing whilst the second compares the N120 to the best-selling Samsung NC10.
The Samsung N120 has a similar 10-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution as the NC10. The Samsung N120 comes with a glossy screen compared to the matter screen of the NC10. To account for the full-sized keyboard, the chassis of the N120 keyboard is slightly wider and thinner. Check out the videos after the break. Read more
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