Samsung’s 10.2-inch colour e-paper display, Pixel Qi need not worry
June 9, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Samsung has been demonstrating a number of new types of display at the SID Display Week 2009 show. As well as 10-inch low-power and touchscreen panels, it was also showing off a 10.2-inch colour e-paper display. Pixel Qi doesn’t have the limelight all to itself, as this screen is also capable of playing video too.
In what seems very similar to Pixel Qi’s hybrid display, the screen combines both e-paper and video technologies, allowing the user to switch between the two. This involves switching between “memory mode” and “dynamic mode” pixels. However, from what I can tell it doesn’t seem as accomplished as the 3Qi display from Pixel Qi and neither does it seem as far down the road. Read more
CrossFold’s DragonFly folding netbook concept
June 9, 2009 at 12:26 pm
CrossFold has shown off a new netbook concept design that is certainly something I’ve not seen before. The DragonFly concept includes a double fold design, the first fold sees it turn into a flip-phone form factor, for which the device can be used as a smartphone. Folding it again, reveals a double display and full-sized keyboard, turning the device into a proper netbook. Folding it back completely should leave the DragonFly small enough to fit into your jacket pocket.
Apparently the display will also use touch panels, so that you can use it as a tablet device too. It all sounds very ambitious and I’d be surprised if such a concept would become a reality any time soon. The concept design is being shown at the Consumer Electronics Association event in New York where there will hopefully be some further details. In the meantime, check out the concept in action after the break. Read more
Acer plans 11.6” CULV model to replace Aspire One 751 netbook
June 9, 2009 at 11:58 am
Acer is planning to launch an 11.6-inch ultra-thin model, which is based on Intel’s CULV platform, in July according to Digitimes. The new model will fit in Acer’s Timeline series of ultra-thin notebooks and will be manufactured by Quanta.
We recently heard that Acer is looking to rein back shipments of its 11.6-inch Aspire One 751 (AO751h) netbook, following disappointing sales. The report goes on to say that Acer will either look to phase out the 751 or drop its price when the new 11.6-inch ultra-thin launches to clearly define the difference between both 11.6-inch offerings.
Specifications for this new 11.6-inch ultra-thin are unknown right now, although it looks like Acer has realised that one of the shortcomings of the Aspire One 751 was its 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU. The Timeline series of notebooks is based on Intel’s Celeron CULV platform and there is no reason why this new model wouldn’t support the same processor. At least with this platform, Acer would make the most out of its 1366 x 768 display by enabling smooth HD 720p content.
Video Tutorial: Upgrading RAM on a Dell Mini 10v netbook
June 8, 2009 at 11:35 pm
One of the benefits of owning a Dell Inspiron Mini 10v over its Mini 10 cousin, is that its RAM is not soldered onto the mainboard. This means that you can upgrade your RAM to 2GB if you wish. However, what Dell don’t tell you is that to actually upgrade the RAM is a daunting process.
On the bottom of the unit, all you have is an access panel to the Wi-Fi module, which seems a strange decision to me. However, for those that are up to the challenge of literally taking apart your Mini 10v, then a MyDellMini Forum member has come with a three-part video tutorial. This involves removing the keyboard and getting access to the motherboard where you’ll find the RAM slot. Check out the detailed videos after the break. Read more
Kinpo demos 7-inch Android Thin Client Tablet
June 8, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Kinpo has shown off a 7-inch Android tablet powered by a Freescale i.MX51 processor. It’s unclear whether it is a prototype or bound for retail soon, but it’s quite a neat little device with the 7-inch screen probably the perfect size for a tablet device.
The touch panel has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and seemed to react smoothly to touch commands. I’m unsure if it has an accelerometer, as the display didn’t flip when being turned around when watching a video. I’d be surprised if it didn’t have one, so this is more likely to be a bug. Check out a hands-on video from TechVideoBlog after the break. Read more
Jetway Zero Mini-100 netbook gets video hands-on
June 8, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Taiwanese manufacturer Jetway, who is more known for making motherboards and graphics cards, has announced its second entry into the netbook market with the Zero Mini-100. Whilst the specifications are pretty average, it has a few features that set it apart.
It is one of the first models that we’ve seen to include a sim-card slot in amongst the rest of the ports. This means that you can hot-swap sim-cards in and out for 3G access, no more fiddling behind the battery! It also has a couple of physical buttons on the keyboard, one which locks the touchpad and the other that enables “3D Audio”. I imagine this is something similar to SRS audio, but hopefully we’ll hear more on this soon. Read more
Video: Pixel Qi vs. Amazon Kindle + Mary Lou Jepson Q&A
June 8, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Pixel Qi has made a number of demonstrations of its 3Qi display over the past week or so at Computex in Taiwan. All of this coverage has prompted many questions, which its founder & CTO, Mary Lou Jepsen, has only been too happy to answer. Among the questions include battery life and price.
The latter is very interesting as the $200 muted price is for the entire netbook NOT just the 3Qi display itself, as was previously thought. This is mainly because the hybrid panel is based on existing LCD technology.
Another video compares the 3Qi display to the Amazon Kindle, a Toshiba R600 with a transflective LCD and a standard LCD touchscreen, with and without the backlight, indoors and out. The last video talks more about the Pixel Qi display versus current LCD technology as well as the OLPC project.
So far, there is no hardware partner to use this innovative display. Despite this, Pixel Qi is still expecting mass production of this display by the end of the year. Check out all of the videos after the jump. Read more
Acer to launch its third-generation netbook by Q3 2010
June 8, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Acer is currently working on its third-generation of netbooks, which will be released by the third quarter 2010 according to Digitimes. The interesting part of the report is that Campbell Kan, VP of Acer’s mobile computing business unit, says that these netbooks will feature “strong network connectivity and convenience” citing MIDs and smartbooks as an influence.
Smartbooks may start to steal the upper hand from netbooks given their ‘always connected’ status and long battery lives. Acer recognises this and it is possible that we may see this third-gen using an ARM-based processor.
The product roadmap and time line has me slightly confused. Our last related story, talked of a third-generation of Acer netbooks (featuring a touchscreen panel) would launch by the end of the year, with a fourth generation due in 2010. Hopefully, there will be a bit more clarity on this in due course.
Hannspree HANNSnote netbook now on sale in UK
June 8, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Hannspree’s Hannsnote SN10E1 netbook is now on sale in the UK for £259.99. Hannspree, normally known for its LCD monitors, has released the Hannsnote which appears to be a rebadged MSI Wind. Whilst the Hannsnote doesn’t step away from the netbook mould too much, it does offer features found in more premium models. This includes a ‘full-sized’ keyboard, wireless draft-N, Bluetooth and a 6-cell battery good for 5 hours.
Apart from that, this is your typical 10-inch (1024 x 600) netbook running on a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. It also features a multi-card reader, three USB ports and a 1.3MP webcam. The whole package weighs a reasonable 1.2kg too (I assume this includes the 6-cell battery). The netbooks come in glossy piano black and ice white colours and is available now from Misco.
AMD looking to produce Intel Atom-beating CPU
June 8, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Intel has had the netbook processor market pretty much all to itself up until now. However, AMD CEO, Dirk Meyer, has revealed that the company is currently developing a platform to rival Intel Atom. To compete, he expects the AMD platform to be more power efficient and cheaper than Intel’s Atom platform.
Samples of the new platform will not be released until 2010, so it will have to go head-to-head with Intel’s next-gen platform called Pineview. Strangely though, Meyer confirmed that the platform will be targeted to notebooks only and NOT netbooks. He once again talked about the ‘netbook’ term disappearing over time. Read more
WiMAX netbooks from Clevo, Onkyo, Samsung & Sony on the way
June 8, 2009 at 3:37 pm
If you were wondering whether WiMAX would ever really kick-off, a number of WiMAX-enabled netbooks from different manufacturers have been announced this morning. First off, is the Samsung NC10 WiMAX (NC10-12PWBK). It doesn’t come cheap, however, at $519.99 and is available to purchase now in the US. Other than the WiMAX module, the specs are exactly the same. The vanilla NC10, which costs $380, comes with a 10.2-inch (1024 x 600) display, 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, a 1.3MP webcam and a 6-cell battery.
Intel along with UQ Communications is promoting the widespread deployment of WiMAX Services in Japan. UQ is committed to cover 90 percent of Japan with its WiMAX service by 2012 and sees the official UQ WiMAX launch on 1st July. As a result of this, several WiMAX-enabled netbooks and notebooks have been announced in Japan. Read more
Intel’s next-gen Pineview CPU “not validated” for Windows 7 Home Premium
June 7, 2009 at 9:52 am
Intel is not validating its next-generation of processor, dubbed Pineview, for Windows 7 Home Premium or higher according to a spokesman. What this basically means is that the Pineview processor will only be intensively tested with the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic Editions.
Intel claims that Home Premium is not “the right solution” for netbooks, so you’ll you have to install it at your own risk when the new Pineview CPUs appear in netbooks at the end of the year. “We are not going to validate it with Home Premium because we don’t believe it’s the right solution (for a netbook)” says Mooly Eden, VP of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group. Read more
GNB’s GL-750 Android smartbook gets video hands-on
June 7, 2009 at 9:29 am
In what is probably our last story relating to this week’s Computex show in Taiwan, GNB unveiled a 7-inch smartbook running on Google Android. The GNB GL-750 was running a port of Android v1.5 powered by Freescale’s 533MHz ARM 11 iMX31 processor.
As the device only has a 7-inch screen, it was very small in the hand, weighing just 680g. The matte screen has a thick bezel surrounding it and runs at an 800 x 480 resolution. Storage is catered for by an 8GB SSD with RAM of 256MB. In terms of ports, it comes with three USB ports, a pair of audio jacks, Ethernet and a multi-card reader.
While the keyboard certainly is small, it does seem usable. The touchpad has mouse buttons on the left and right hand side of it. Given those specs, I imagine it won’t cost too much, although it’s likely to be bundled on a service contract through a mobile phone operator. Check out a hands-on video from NetbookNews after the break. Read more
Freescale demonstrates future smartbook concepts & form factors
June 6, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Whilst the smartbook category is still very new, that hasn’t stopped Freescale Semiconductors to team up with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to come with some real ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas on what the future smartbook concepts may look like.
Smartbooks are based on ARM chips and have been introduced to fill a gap between smartphone and notebook products. Typically, they will be an always connected device via 3G, have instant-on functionality and have much longer battery life than your typical netbook. Freescale has its own ARM-designed chip in the form of the i.MX515.
“This initiative has given Freescale valuable insight into how end-users prefer to interact with smartbooks, and this knowledge will be fed back into our chip design processes, ultimately resulting in future i.MX processors that enable compelling consumer experiences and entirely new classes of consumer devices,” said Glen Burchers, Consumer Segment marketing director for Freescale.
A number of designs were shown including a modular smartbook as well as ones that feature sliding keypads, vertical displays and also one with leather-based casing. See all of the prototypes after the break. Read more
Manli iii netbook series gets video hands-on
June 6, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Manli Technology, which normally specialises in the manufacture of graphics cards and motherboards, unveiled a new series of netbooks at Computex called the iii series, (pronounced ‘I’). The series has been divided into five different models named the M1, M3, M5, M7 and, you guessed it, the M9. These models are available in a number of different colours and each come with their own design.
These 10.2-inch models come with 1024 x 600 resolution and are powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU. They weigh around 1kg and, somewhat uniquely, come with a fingerprint scanner. Other specs include a 3-in-1 card reader, Wi-FI (b/g only), a 160GB HDD, a 1.3MP webcam as well as 3G capability.
NetbookNews went hands-on with the Manli M3, which also had an Expresscard slot in addition to the above. The touchpad seemed quite small for a 10-inch netbook, but it was nice to see a matte display being used. It will also come with an optional TV-Tuner and a number of unique case designs. It will be priced somewhere around the $300 mark on release, although availability is unknown right now. Check out the video after the jump. Read more
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