Solar powered netbooks on the horizon

In what surely must be a netbook first, some solar-powered netbooks have made an appearance from Spanish company iUnika. It presented the models at a Free Knowledge Foundation sponsored LibreMeeting in Madrid.

These eco-nomical models sported solar panels on their bioplastic (and biodegradeable) casings. The panels will probably produce no more than 4 watts of power, however this should be enough to keep the netbook charged whilst off.

iUnika says that these eco-friendly netbooks will come with an 8-inch (800 x 480) display. They will be powered by a 400MHz processor, 128MB of RAM and come with a very generous 64GB of flash memory. Other features will include Wi-Fi and an Ethernet connection. These netbooks will weigh just 700g and cost between €130 and €160 when they launch in late June. Check out a larger picture after the jump. Read more

Verizon Wireless confirms HP Mini 1000 launch for May 17th

Verizon Wireless has finally confirmed that it will launch a subsidised HP Mini 1000 on May 17, following recent speculation. All of the rumours were spot on, with Verizon planning to sell the HP Mini 1151NR for $199 with a two year contract.

The specs of the HP Mini 1151NR are as previously thought. It has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) display and is powered by a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB RAM and 80GB hard drive. It comes with a 3-cell battery and weighs 1.1kg (2.45lbs). An optional 6-cell battery will also be available from Verizon, but retails for an additional $130.

Service plans start at $39.99 for 250MB of data per month or $59.99 per month for 5GB a month of data usage. The HP Mini 1151NR will be available in both stores and online from this Sunday.

Via Daily Tech.

Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell gets US pricing

Whilst here in the UK we are looking forward to the Asus Eee PC 1008HA launching tomorrow, details on the US launch have been very quiet up until now. Asus has now officially confirmed that that the 1008HA Seashell will launch for $429 when it hits the US later this month, with pre-orders starting on 18th May.

The specifications should be familiar to most by now. 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.

A few sites including Gizmodo, Laptop Mag and PC World have some hands-on impressions that are worth checking out. It will launch here in the UK tomorrow for £379 and in Europe for €399.

Intel plans surcharge for Atom chips in ION netbooks

Nvidia’s ION platform consists of Intel’s Atom processor combined with Nvidia’s 9400M GPU. The combination is said to bring significant benefits to both 3D and HD performance. Whilst some ION products have already been spotted in the wild with some official ION announcements expected at Computex Taipei, Intel may have placed a stumbling block on the ION’s future success.

Intel CEO, Paul Otellini, yesterday confirmed that Intel is charging more for the Atom CPU by itself than it does if combined with the Intel chipset. “We have historically offered better pricing to people who buy more product,” Otellini said. Several OEMs have said that whilst buying the cheaper Atom CPU and chipset and then swapping it for ION is possible, the process is cost and time prohibitive.

Nvidia’s CEO recently claimed that adding ION would add an incremental $50 to the cost of a netbook. However, once you account for the higher Atom processors, the cost may be just too high for some manufacturers to adopt.

Via Laptop Mag.

Toshiba NB200 hands-on video

The Toshiba NB200 netbook is expected to launch within the next few weeks across Europe. Toshiba looks like it will be onto a winner with a unique lid design, strong battery life as well as a very large touchpad. NetbookNews.de went hands-on with two different NB200 SKUs, the 11H which comes with a N280 Atom CPU, 6-cell battery and chiclet keyboard along with the 11L that comes with a N270 Atom CPU, 3-cell battery and normal keyboard.

The 11H sports a comfortable chiclet keyboard which should mean less error when typing due to the spacing between keys. The touchpad was found to be one of the biggest seen on a netbook with large mouse buttons too. The design is unique and feels like it has a strong build quality. The 11L comes with a normal keyboard similar to the HP Mini 1000 and a glossy display. Check out the video after the break. Read more

MSI Wind U200 officially launched – hands on roundup

MSI’s 12-inch Wind U200 leaked out yesterday and, as expected, it has seen its official launch today at an event in Taipei. With this launch, we do get the feeling that the lines between netbooks and notebooks are increasingly starting to blur.

The specifications are no different to that speculated yesterday. The Wind U200 will come with a 12-inch (1366 x 768) display powered by a Celeron ULV SFF 723 CPU and Intel GS45 chipset with GMA 4500M graphics. It will come with 1GB RAM (2GB max), a 250GB HDD, Wi-Fi (including Draft n), Bluetooth, a 1.3MP webcam and a HDMI port. Altogether the U200 will weigh 1.4kg including its 3-cell battery. An optional 6-cell battery will add 200g to the weight.

What we still don’t however are any pricing details or an idea of availability. Maybe further details will be provided at the Computex show in a few weeks time. Both Fudzilla and Netbooknews.de went hands-on with the U200 where you can check out lots of photos from the launch event.

Update: NetbookNews.de also has a video hands-on with the U200 which we’ve attached after the break. Read more

Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 netbook gets UK price, hands-on video

Lenovo officially launched the Ideapad S10-2 netbook a few days back. The S10-2 is a 3G enabled version of the current Ideapad S10. However, Lenovo has also improved the S10 in a number of subtle areas including a bigger keyboard and touchpad, a new textured lid design as well as making the S10-2 both thinner and lighter.

Whilst the Ideapad S10-2 is expected to launch in the US over the coming days, we now know that it should be hitting UK shores at some point in July with prices starting from £299. This is a similar price for current S10e models with prices on the official site starting from £289 (for the Windows version). I imagine that the £299 starting price for the S10-2 will not include 3G. We’ll bring you more firm news on pricing as we have it.

If you want to see the Lenovo S10-2 netbook in action then check out the following video from Xavier at GottaBeMobile. The unit that Xavier played with came with a 3-cell battery, but apparently units sold in the US will come with a 6-cell battery as standard with a quoted time of six hours. Whilst only HDD options will be available in the US, 8GB – 16GB SSD options are being planned for overseas markets. Read more

ION netbooks snapped

If there were any doubts that ION netbooks were on the horizon, then a gallery of pictures from PCPop should lay those to rest. These pictures show a number of ION-based products including motherboards, nettops as well as netbooks. The ION netbooks are all from non-descript manufacturers, but at least it highlights that (hopefully) it can’t be too long before we start to see ION from the major netbook brands.

The netbooks looks fairly cheap in terms of design, but all models seem to feature HDMI output which will be appealing to some. We are hoping for lots more exciting ION announcements at the start of Computex Taipei on June 2nd. Click through for some pictures of the ION netbooks. Read more

First Asus Eee PC T91 review hits the web

TechRadar has this morning released the first review of the much anticipated Asus Eee PC T91 netbook. The 8.9-inch convertible tablet is probably one of our most eagerly awaited netbooks and judging by the review, it won’t disappoint. TechRadar says that the T91 “genuinely moves things forward” in the netbook space and the only factor that could hinder its success will be its price. They also confirmed that the T91 is expected to launch at the beginning of June.

It’s worth noting that the review was based on a pre-production sample so there may be a few differences come the final retail release. This is probably the reason that they found the Asus Easy Mode touch interface still needing a bit of polishing. Other than that, the T91 was found to have a comfortable keyboard, an excellent touchscreen display as well as a reasonable battery life of over 3 hours.

Unfortunately, it looks like the T91 is taking a leaf out of the 1008HA’s book by having a non-removable battery. The touchscreen display also means that fingerprint smudges are something you just have to get used to. The Asus Eee PC T91 is expected to hit the UK at a £449 price point. This is certainly not cheap, but the T91 is placed in a unique position with few competitors. TechRadar awarded the T91 an impressive four and a half stars. Check out the key review points after the jump. Read more

MSI to launch CULV-based 12-inch Wind U200 netbook

MSI is planning a new 12-inch ultra-thin ‘netbook’ called the Wind U200 according to Engadget. The MSI Wind U200 will be powered by Intel’s new CULV platform and official launch details are expected tomorrow. It is interesting that MSI sees this 12-inch device as a netbook, which is what they are claiming by branding it under the Wind umbrella. MSI aren’t alone in doing this, Acer is marketing its 11.6-inch ‘netbook’ under the Aspire brand name, whilst rumours suggest that Asus will be branding its upcoming 11.6-inch device under its Eee PC line.

The Wind U200 will have a 12-inch LED-backlit display running at a 1366 x 768 resolution. It will come with GMA 4500M graphics, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard-disk drive. It will also feature Draft-N wireless. Despite the size, it will weigh just 1.4kg with its 3-cell battery. More information, including pricing, as we have it tomorrow. Engadget speculates that it will be priced around $700.

New Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell with removable battery planned?

Asus is looking to follow the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell with another netbook using the ‘Seashell’ brand name later this summer. The Asus Eee PC 1005HA will be very similar to the 1008HA in looks and specs but will come with a removable battery as opposed to the sealed battery found in the 1008HA.

A firm release date for this hasn’t been given, although we understand that it is expected to launch within the next couple of months. The ‘Eee PC 1005HAB’ is already listed on the official Asus support pages although there are no documents there for now.

A quick search on Google highlights a number of European retailers already listing the 1005HA-M for pre-order. According to the specs listed, the Eee PC 1005HA will come with a 6-cell (2200 mAh) Li-Polymer battery as opposed to the 4-cell battery in the 1008HA. This means that it will end up weighing 1.4kg as opposed to the 1.1kg for the 1008HA. This new Seashell will come with three USB ports as opposed to the two found on the 1008HA.

Other than that, the specs are the same. It has a 10-inch LED backlit display with resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It will be powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. Our sources indicate that the 1005HA could be priced as low as £349 on launch. The current European pre-order pricing is between €350 and €400. We’ll bring you more information on this as we have it.

Dell Mini 10 TV Tuner heading for summer release; Mini 10v impressions

Dell is looking to add a TV Tuner option to its Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook this summer according to Engadget. The tuner will cost roughly $50 and will also include an external antenna. The few channels that they saw using the tuner were of good quality. This TV Tuner is one of the options that we were expecting at some point, judging from a leaked internal Dell roadmap. Other options that we have already seen include a high-res display, 6-cell battery and Linux Ubuntu.

Engadget also managed to get hands-on with Dell’s latest Mini 10v netbook. It seems that the lower price means a few compromises from the current Mini 10. Gone is HDMI, which is replaced by a VGA port. Additionally, the Mini 10v does not have a flush display found in the Mini 10. Impressions of the 6-cell battery also weren’t favourable, adding considerable bulk to the back of the netbook. For some reason, the TV Tuner option won’t be available on the 10v unfortunately. So there you go, the Mini 10v is much cheaper than the current Mini 10, but that is at the expense of quite a few trade-offs.

First pictures of Skytone’s Alpha 680 Android netbook

Skytone’s Alpha 680 7-inch netbook with 800 x 480 resolution screen won’t get too many people excited, especially with its anaemic specifications, its appearance is more symbolic than anything. It is the first known Android netbook and also one of the first ARM-powered netbooks we’ve seen.

We have already seen a video demo of the Alpha 680’s Android OS in action and we now have some pictures of the netbook in the flesh. These particular photos show a bright red 680 complete with swivelling screen as well as game controls mounted on the screen.

The Alpha 680 is powered by an ARM 11 533MHz processor, 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. The unit is expected to launch within the next three months for around $250. Click through for some photos of the Alpha 680. Read more

Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell product page now live

Asus looks like it is onto a real winner with the Eee PC Seashell netbook. It marries performance and strong battery life without sacrificing design and a slim form-factor. The official UK launch will be this Friday 15th May with the official price at £379.

Just in time for the launch, it looks like Asus Global has updated its site, with the 1008HA Seashell netbook product page now live. About time too, as we’ve already seen the 1008HA manual, an unboxing and even a couple of reviews!

There isn’t any surprises that I can see from the listing, although it does look like Linux will be an option along with Windows XP. We’ve attached the full specs after the break.

Asus is having a special event to celebrate the Seashell’s launch, if you are interested head over to Tottenham Court Road, London at 10AM. There’s even a chance to win one for those that attend. Read more

Dr. Mobile introduces 11.6-inch Freestyle 1300n

Taiwanese manufacturer, Dr. Mobile, has introduced a new netbook into its portfolio with the 11.6-inch Freestyle 1300n. The 1300n comes with a 1366 x 768 resolution display, powered by a VIA Nano 1.3GHz CPU. The whole thing is less than 1-inch in thickness and weighs 1.3kg (2.9lbs).

The 1300n has a maximum RAM limit of 4GB which should be more than enough to run Vista Basic or XP. Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, card reader and a webcam. It will be interesting to see how the 1300n fares against the Acer Aspire One 751 which comes with the Intel Atom chipset.

VIA’s “How To Be Mobile” blog has taken a look at the Dr. Mobile FreeStyle 1300n and we’ve included their hands-on video after the break. The video suggests that the 1300n will make an appearance at Computex Taipei in June.

The netbook can be customised with different colours and finishes available. There is no indication of pricing right now, but the 1300n is expected to launch next month. Watch the video for more insight, but bear in mind that it is sponsored by VIA, so they will naturally be bullish about the 1300n. Also check out NetbookNews.de who have some comparison pictures against the Samsung NC10. Read more

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