Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 will have HD screen option

High resolution screens are starting to appear in more and more netbooks. Whilst you won’t find this a standard feature in a 10-inch netbook, manufacturers such as Dell and HP offer this as an option in their Mini 10 and Mini 2140 netbooks respectively. Lenovo will also be doing the same with their Ideapad S10-2 that was announced last week.

Whilst the standard display has a screen resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, Lenovo plans an optional upgrade to a high-def resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. This resolution is slightly different to the 1366 x 768 resolution offered by Dell and HP. Some users have suggested that the higher-res displays found in the Dell Mini 10 and HP Mini 2140 may be a bit too small to read text easily. Lenovo’s choice of resolution may make it a bit easier in this regard, given its lower resolution.

Other options planned for the German market include an optional 32GB SSD drive and possibly, the faster 1.66GHz N280 CPU. It is unknown whether these options are planned for other markets.

Via NetbookNews.de.

Dell intros Latitude 2100 netbooks aimed at schoolkids

Dell has launched a new series of netbooks which will be specifically targeted for the education market. The colourful Latitude 2100 netbook, which was rumoured a while back, has been designed to be as kid-proof as possible. It comes with a firm rubberised exterior all the way round and has an optional anti-microbial keyboard (+$20), carrying handle and shoulder strap.

A network activity light on the lid that helps teachers identify those pesky kids who may be surfing the net. The bottom is also vent free to avoid any accident from spills. There are also some quirky touches such as a slot on the netbook’s hinge for the school log or owner’s name. Read more

Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell US pre-orders start at $399.99

Asus is currently running a promotion in the US and Canada, whereby if you pre-order the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell netbook you will receive a $20 discount. This means that you can pick up the 1008HA Seashell for the discounted price of $409.99 in the US or CAD$509.99 in Canada.

Having a look at a few US retailers, pre-orders at most of the major sites seem to be open. Amazon has both the black and white versions on pre-order at the discounted price of $409.99. Newegg only has the white version on pre-order but at the normal price of $429.29. However, ZipZoomFly has the cheapest pre-order price I’ve seen at $399.99. According to Engadget, Asus expects retailers to deliver the white Seashell by the 27th May with the black version following a day later. Check out a screen grab of the promotion after the break. Read more

Asus Eee PC T91 manual exposed plus hands-on impressions

The Asus Eee PC T91 netbook has hit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and they have left some juicy titbits for us to gander at. As well publishing a number of external and internal photos of the T91 being tested, they have also revealed the T91 manual.

In the documents, we get confirmation of the non-removable battery, which we already knew from recent previews. It does seem that RAM is upgradeable though with an access panel at the bottom of the lid. It also looks like the GPS board can be swapped out for a combo GPS and 3G board, giving you internal 3G. There also seems to be dual SD card slots, one of them being a “Disk-expander Slot”. Read more

Acer launches Aspire One D250 and 751 netbooks in US

Whilst the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One D250 and 11.6-inch Aspire One 751 have been announced for the European markets for a few weeks now, it has now officially launched in the US market. The D250 has a suggested retail price of $298 whilst the 751 will set you back $379.99. The press release says that both models should be available in retail channels now.

The specifications for both appear to be the same as that announced for Europe. The 11.6-inch Aspire One AO751h has a HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and sports a full size keyboard. The 751h is certainly a looker with its slender lines measuring just 1-inch in thickness. The Aspire One AOD250 has a 10.1 inch (1024 x 600) display and is thinner than its predecessor. The specifications are pretty run of the mill, with a N270 Atom CPU, 945GSE chipset, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. The full specs are attached after the break. Read more

Sony Vaio P refresh to feature as yet unannounced Z630 Atom CPU?

Our friends over at Notebook Italia have spotted some new Sony Vaio P models that could end up replacing the current line up. A refresh of the current Vaio P series has been rumoured for some time. As recently as March there was speculation that the top of the line Vaio P (VGN-P90S), which is only available in Japan, would have its CPU bumped up from the 1.86GHz Z540 Atom CPU to the newly announced 2.0GHz Z550 Atom processor.

The highest spec Vaio P currently availability in Europe is the Vaio P19VN/Q, which has a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU. Notebook Italia has spotted a retail product listing that suggests that the replacement for this model, the Sony Vaio VGN-P29VN/Q, will sport an as-yet-unannounced Z630 Atom CPU. This new model will have a 128GB SSD drive, 2GB of RAM, the new ‘Poulsbo’ US15W chipset and Intel GMA 500 graphics. Read more

NbC: Samsung N120 Review

In our view, two of the most important considerations when buying a netbook are the keyboard and battery life. Samsung has ticked both of these boxes with the N120; it provides one of the least compromised experiences yet found in a 10-inch netbook. The wonderful full-sized keyboard offers good tactile feedback and keys that are located in the right places. Accommodating this keyboard leads to a big (ugly) bezel around the screen, but Samsung has made the most of this by placing speakers on either side of the screen. The sound quality is some of the best seen, although that does not mean it is the loudest.

Many netbook manufacturers are now looking at battery life to provide the ‘all day computing’ experience that many consumers crave. The Samsung N120 delivers on this front and should easily last 7 -8 hours whilst web browsing or using Office. On our tests, it didn’t last quite as long as the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, but there wasn’t much in it. However, how does the Samsung N120 fare as an overall package? Read on for our detailed review where we run some comprehensive performance and battery tests as well as address some issues that are worth pointing out to potential buyers. Read more

Dell Mini 10 6-cell battery hits Europe

Dell has finally launched its 6-cell battery option for the Inspiron Mini 10 netbook across Europe. In the UK this 6-cell Lithium-Ion (56 WHr) battery will set you back £40, whilst in mainland Europe the upgrade will cost €45. Whilst the battery may not be the most attractive piece of hardware, it should give you 4-5 hours of use according to initial user reports.

I find it odd why this particular upgrade costs a lot more in Europe than it does in the US. The US 6-cell upgrade costs an incremental $30 (£20/€22), so it seems that we are paying nearly double here in Europe. Like the US, this upgrade only applies to the Mini 10 netbooks and not the new Mini 10v line-up. We’ve attached a screen grab after the jump. Read more

Asus UK refocusing Eee PC line-up to just 3 netbooks by July

We have often lamented the sheer number of different Eee PC netbooks that Asus offers, complete with confusing naming structure. It becomes difficult from a marketing point of view given the confusion it causes to the public and it can even end up diluting the brand. It seems that Asus UK agrees, it will be offering just three Eee PC netbooks to the general public come July according to Reg Hardware.

Asus’ John Swatton told them that only the 1008HA Seashell, the 1005HA (which was only announced today) and an as yet unnamed model will complete the UK line up. It does beg the question, what happens to the Eee PC T91 net tablet? According to Swatton, the 7-inch and 9-inch models will be reserved for sales to schools and other large organisations. Somehow, I find that hard to believe, especially given the amount of interest surrounding this particular 9-inch convertible tablet. Will Asus really restrict the sale of the T91 to the public? It seems a very odd move if true. Read more

Acer cutting netbook orders on low demand

Acer is reportedly cutting back on netbook orders from its ODM (original design manufacturer) partners due to weak demand and a focus on the higher-margin CULV ultra-thin notebook segment.

According to Digitimes, weak demand in Europe has left a high inventory of Acer netbooks in local retail channels. Cutbacks for some netbook models will be reduced by over 50 percent with the reductions starting in June.

This news comes at the same time that Taiwan netbook vendors, such as Acer, are lowering their CULV notebook shipments due to a short supply of key components. These shortages have led to the total cost of CULV ultra-thin notebooks to increase by 10 percent higher than expected.

Video: Albatron’s super-slim netbook hands on

The first details of Albatron’s netbook have emerged over at NetbookNews.de. As can be seen from the picture, this netbook certainly looks attractive with its skinny form-factor. The picture is not deceiving either as it weighs less than 1kg, which is very lightweight considering it has a 10.2-inch (1024 x600) glossy display and a 6-cell (3600mAh) battery.

The internals won’t surprise too many people. It will be powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and come with 1GB RAM and either a 1.8-inch 60GB HDD or optional 8/16GB SSD. The netbook will also have a 1.3MP webcam and optional 3G/Wimax.

In terms of ports it will come with a 4-in-1 card reader, audio jacks and two USB ports towards the back of the unit. Something else quite unique is a special connector dongle that attaches to the back of the netbook and provides access to VGA and Ethernet. No details on pricing right now, but it is expected to release in the second-half of this year. Check out the hands-on video after the break. Read more

Acer Aspire One 751 video unboxing

We have already seen a lacklustre review for the Acer Aspire One 751, but that didn’t stop Riccardo from NetbookNews.it wanting to test the 751 himself. He has posted a video of his first impressions along with the full unboxing.

The Aspire One 751 is a model we were quite interested in, mainly due to its stylish and slender design along with an 11.6-inch high-resolution display. Initial impressions seem to be positive, with an attractive, thin and lightweight design that rivals some 10-inch netbooks. The full-sized keyboard is comfortable. The 751 comes with a glossy display that is very reflective but isn’t too much of an issue given the high brightness levels of the screen.

The main criticisms seem to be the fingerprint smudges on the glossy lid and slight keyboard flex. Also, for some reason, the 6-cell battery was rated at 4400mAh, whilst the manual indicates it should be 5200mAh. A full review is expected in the next few days in the meantime check out the video after the break. Read more

Acer to introduce Aspire One 571, a 10-inch HD netbook

Asus is a pretty bad offender when it comes to model names. When looking at their line up of 10-inch Eee PCs it’s a nightmare trying to work out and remember which features they all have with their slightly changed names. But I think Acer is just as bad, we already have the Aspire One 531, Aspire One 751 and Aspire One Pro 531 and now, according to macles, the Aspire One 571 will shortly be launched. Given that these are the same three digits used in the 11.6-inch 751 will only confuse the matter further. Read more

New Asus Eee PC 1005HA-M and 1005HA-H Seashell netbooks get official

A few days back we came across evidence from the Asus support pages that the company was planning to launch a little brother to its 1008HA Seashell netbook. Well this has now been officially confirmed by Asus France who has presented some official specifications, press photos, pricing and launch details for two new Seashell models, the Eee PC 1005HA-M and Eee PC 1005HA-H. Read more

Samsung N120 innards exposed

For those potential Samsung N120 modders out there, Netbook Italia has come up trumps. It has ripped open the N120 netbook highlighting exactly where the HDD, memory, subwoofer etc sits. The photos are very clearly labelled, pointing out where all of the screws are and which direction certain latches need to be pulled. They also show you how to access the display just in case you want to opt for a touchscreen in the future. It’s an extensive gallery and well worth checking out.

For those wondering where our Samsung N120 review has disappeared to, we hope to have it up early next week. It won’t dissect the N120, like shown here, but it will cover the netbook in detail and give our thoughts after extensively using it over the last fortnight. Until then, click through for some more pictures of the N120 dissected. Read more

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