Intel previews next-gen Pineview CPU for netbooks

Intel’s Sean Maloney, Executive Vice President, kicked off the company’s keynote to talk about a number of developments as well as giving the first public demo of Pineview, Intel’s next-generation Atom processor for netbooks.

Pine Trail is a two-chip platform. The Pineview processor features a CPU, GPU and memory controller on a single die. Combining this with Intel’s Tiger Pint I/O is what makes up the Pine Trail platform. Read more

Acer cutting orders on 11.6” Aspire One 751 due to poor sales

Acer is reportedly reducing volumes of its 11.6-inch Aspire One 751 netbook due to disappointing sales. Industry sources say that sales of the 11.6-inch netbook have not met expectations, with consumers picking 10-inch models instead, that offer better mobility.

Quanta Computer who manufactures the netbook is said to be winding down volumes. This seems like a strange move, especially since the 751 (or AO751h as it is known in the US) has not yet made it to US shores. Pre-orders only recently went up from our quick look around. Demand may start to pick up as the price inevitably declines.

The Aspire One 751 has mainly been criticised for poor hardware performance (mainly down to the Z520 Atom processor), despite offering an attractive and slim chassis with high-resolution display.

Qualcomm announces 1.3GHz Snapdragon 45nm CPU

Qualcomm already has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor that is found in the Toshiba TG01 smartphone along with the recently spotted Asus Eee PC prototype smartbook. Qualcomm has now announced a new 1.3GHz QSD8650A chipset that will use 30 percent less power than its 1GHz equivalent, whilst running 30 percent faster.

The low power draw is down to the 45nm manufacturing process, with the chip drawing just 10 milliwatts in standby. This chip will include integrated 3G connectivity, GPS, 3D graphics and HD video playback. Other features will include support for 1280 x 800 resolution displays, Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi.
This new chipset will sit between the 1GHz (QSD8x50 ) CPU and its 1.5GHz dual core offering (QSD8672). Read more

NEC intros LaVie Light netbook with hybrid storage

The only netbook we have seen to date that incorporates a dual HDD/SDD storage system is the MSI U115 Wind Hybrid. Whilst expensive, the benefit of such a system is that battery life can be prolonged by disabling access to the HDD when not needed. NEC has now announced a similar system for its latest LaVie Light netbook (BL350/TA6) which will come with a 160GB HDD and 16GB SSD.

It comes with a 10.1-inch LED backlit display, 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and Wi-Fi (draft-N). It is also slightly slimmer than its predecessor measuring 1.4-inches at its thickest point. An optional high capacity battery should be good for up to 7.4 hours. The standard battery should be good for 4.2 hours.

This latest LaVie Light (BL350) is expected to retail in Japan later this month for 70,000 Yen (£440, $729, €512). A couple of other lower-end LaVie Light netbooks were also announced. The BL300/TA6 has a non-hybrid version of the BL350 and comes with just a 160GB HDD. This model will be priced at 60,000 Yen, a reasonable saving if you don’t fancy the benefits of hybrid storage. The BL100/TA includes SSD storage and is priced around 50,000 Yen. Unfortunately, there’s no word on availability or pricing outside of Japan yet for any of these models.

Via Akihabara News.

Fujitsu M2010 netbook hits US shores

Up until now, the 10-inch M2010 netbook from Fujitsu has only been officially announced in Japan (under the ‘LOOX M’ name) as well as the Asia Pacific. It has now been formally announced for the US market for $449 and is available at retailers now.

The specifications remain the same and it also carries the infinity motif on the lid. This update to the 8.9-inch M101 netbook does look attractive with its glossy lid, but apart from that it is distinctly average. It weighs a reasonable 1.15kg (2.5lbs) but that’s only with a 3-cell battery, adding a 6-cell battery ($129 extra) means the weight creeps up to 1.3kg. It’s also quite thick at 1.5-inches (at its largest point).

The M2010 comes with a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1024 x 576 pixels. It will be powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU (a 1.66GHz N280 Atom option will be available from June) and Intel 945GSE chipset. It will also come with 1GB RAM (2GB max) and a 160GB hard-disk drive. Other features include Bluetooth 2.1, a 1.3MP webcam, three USB slots and a 4-in-1 card reader. Laptop Mag already has a review of the M2010 and scored it 2.5 stars out of 5.

Video: Gigabyte ThinNote S1024 rebranded ‘Myou’

Gigabyte initially announced three 10-inch netbooks a few months back. We’ve already heard quite a bit about the TouchNote T1028 and the Booktop M1022, but there has been little news surrounding the skinny ThinNote S1024 (‘S’ standing for slim).

It seems that Gigabyte has now rebranded the ThinNote S1024 and is now known as Myou. The specifications appear to be exactly the same, the Myou is just 2cm thick and weighs only 890g.

The Myou has a 10.2-inch (1024 x 576) LED backlit display and is powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU and 945 GSE chipset. Other features include 1GB RAM, 60GB/80GB PATA HDD (4200RPM), Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 and optional 3G. It also comes with a 6-cell Li-Ion battery rated at 3600mAh. Check out a hands-on video of the Myou (courtesy of Engadget) after the break. Read more

Jolicloud website now live, private alpha to launch imminently

The Jolicloud website is now live. There’s not too much on there right now, you’ll find a new Blog page where you’ll find continuous updates along with Jolicloud’s twitter feed. There is also a list of supported hardware, it’s only an initial list and will be added to as time goes on. I found the most useful part the ‘First Look’ section, which gives you a number of screenshots which are annotated to give you an idea of what to expect.

It all looks very user friendly and invites for the Alpha will start to be sent out in the next couple of days. Due to some bug-squashing and server issues it may take some time before invites start to arrive though. On the site you’ll also find the Jolicloud Manifesto which lays out the ideas behind the operating system. Read more

Pixel Qi 3Qi display gets video demo

We have heard quite a bit about Pixel Qi’s 3Qi Hybrid display recently as well as seeing photos of the screen in direct sunlight and photos comparing it to the Amazon Kindle. The 3-in-1 display can not only switch between an efficient black-and-white mode and a high resolution colour screen, but also to an e-paper mode suitable for reading in direct sunlight.

A video of the display has now been released which shows John Ryan, COO and VP of Sales and Marketing at Pixel Qi, describing the technology as well as the company’s plans for the display. The video also demonstrated the display outside when using it in e-paper mode, very impressive stuff. Pixel Qi is planning production of these panels by the end of the year.

Another video, shows the 3Qi display playing a movie in full colour mode. The screen can handle video playback at 60fps. It’s only a very short clip (9 seconds) but well worth a watch for this promising technology. Check out both videos after the break. Read more

Video: Mobinnova élan, Tegra-powered smartbook running Windows CE

Mobinnova has unveiled the élan smartbook (or netbook if you prefer) which is an 8.9-inch device that is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra platform. As mentioned in the previous Tegra post, there are numerous benefits to the platform including an ‘always connected’ environment, HD video, flash player support and superb battery life.

The Mobinnova élan doesn’t disappoint here, offering 5-10 hours of continuous 720p HD video playback in an ultramobile package that weighs just 836g (1.84lbs) and is just 0.8-inches thick [Dimensions: 9.1 inches (232mm) x 7.3 inches (186 mm) x .8 inches (20.5 mm)]. Read more

Video: ECS launches 8.1-inch T800 netbook running Android

We knew that ECS was planning to launch three netbooks during Computex, however one that we didn’t hear about is the T800. The ECS T800 bears more than a resemblance to the Vaio P in design terms, although the similarities stop there. The T800 has an 8.1-inch screen and comes with a 800MHz OMAP3 3440 or 1GHz OMAP3 3450 processor. It also runs on Google Android.

Sascha from NetbookNews managed to go hands-on with a (non-functioning) prototype and it certainly looks the business. It’s very slim-line, measuring just 20mm in thickness (dimensions: 246 x 121 x 20-mm) and weighing just 800g (1.76lbs). In terms of specifications, it comes with 512MB of RAM, 2.5-inch storage (HDD/SSD), a pair of internal Mini-PCIe slots for WWAN cards, two USB ports, card reader and audio jacks.

The ECS will be released in the fourth quarter of this year and priced under $500. I imagine if some wireless carriers get in on the act, then there’ll be a significant discount albeit with a tied contract. Check out the hands-on video after the break. Read more

Nvidia intros 12 new Tegra devices – 1080p, Flash, & huge battery life

Nvidia is out in full force at the Computex show in Taiwan. We have already seen it outing 21 devices based on the ION-platform. However, it has also revealed 12 new devices (mostly Mobile Internet Devices) based on the Tegra platform. The Tegra platform is different to ION in that it pairs an ARM-based processor with an Nvidia GeForce GPU (ION pairs an Intel Atom CPU with the Nvidia 9400M graphics).

Nvidia claims that the Tegra processor is the “world’s smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip”. The chip will be able to handle 1080p video and will come with a massive battery life. Nvidia claim that it can handle 10 hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge – that is a frankly astonishing claim!

It will also come with Flash GPU-acceleration, which means that the likes of YouTube and Hulu will be no problem. The chip will include 3G and Wi-Fi support and will effectively be ‘always-on’ to the internet. These chips will be found in both tablet and netbook type devices and are expected to launch by the end of 2009 with prices around the $200 mark with carrier subsidies. The full press release is attached after the break. Read more

Adobe working with Nvidia/Broadcom to bring hardware-acceleration to Flash

Adobe is working hard behind the scenes with both Nvidia and Broadcom to ensure that Adobe Flash gets GPU acceleration. They will look to upgrade Adobe’s plugin resulting in smooth playback of HD flash video as well as lower CPU usage.

Without Flash acceleration, the Intel Atom processors inside netbooks are often incapable of playing large Flash videos from video sites. However, when GPU acceleration is enabled, viewing the likes of YouTube HD and Hulu will become more bearable on netbooks. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will be hitting any time soon, with Broadcom talking about H1 2010 for Flash Player support. Read more

HP and Dell to launch ION netbooks in Q3 2009

It’s a bit disappointing that we haven’t seen more big name manufacturers announcing ION netbooks at the Computex show, the only new ones we’ve seen are from the likes of Telecast and Weibu. However, both Hewlett-Packard and Dell are expected to launch netbooks using the ION-platform in the third quarter of this year according to Digitimes.

The main big profile ION netbook that has been announced so far is the Lenovo Ideapad S12. Other big names such as Asustek and MSI are also looking to launch ION products in the second half of this year.

However, Intel is looking to spoil the Nvidia party. According to the report, Intel is “reducing its offer of price incentives to PC vendors who are considering Ion-based products”. It is also closely monitoring vendors’ Atom inventories, to prevent them from dumping chipsets bought at a discount and using the CPUs with Nvidia’s ION. Is Intel not learning anything from its EU anti-competitive ruling and subsequent €1.06 billion fine?

Official: Dell terminates the Inspiron Mini 9 netbook

It looked like the writing was on the wall for the Dell Mini 9, when at the weekend all listings for the popular 9-inch netbook vanished. Unfortunately, this has now been confirmed on the Dell Blog. Yesterday marked the official retirement of the Mini 9 and from the sounds of things there will be no 9-inch replacement.

The Dell Mini 9 was a big favourite with modders and those who looked to hackintosh their netbooks. Dell is touting the Mini 10v as a capable netbook to fill its modding shoes. It offers the same spec as the Mini 9 but with a bigger screen and keyboard, and a 160GB hard drive. However, according to Boing Boing’s guide to netbook hackintosh compatibility, the 10v isn’t as Mac OS X friendly as the Mini 9 was.

However, if you really want to get the Inspiron Mini 9, you might want to go for the business-targeted Dell Vostro A90 (a rebranded Inspiron Mini 9) which is still being sold (for the time being).

Acer to introduce Android netbook in Q3 2009

It was not too long ago that Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci was talking about it being “too early to say if we’re going to see Android on a netbook in the near future.” However, Acer has now confirmed that we will see an Acer netbook running on the Android operating system by the third quarter this year.

“Today’s netbooks are not close to perfection at all. In two years, it will all be very different,” said Jim Wong, Acer’s global president for IT products, at a Computex news conference. “If we do not continue to change our mobile Internet devices, consumers may not choose then any more.” Read more

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