Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T: 11.6-inch CULV-based ultrathin

We heard rumours a month back that Acer was planning to launch an 11.6-inch CULV-based ultrathin device to sit alongside the 11.6-inch Aspire One 751 netbook. We now have some firm technical details and photos of this new device. macles has revealed that it will belong to the Timeline series of notebooks under the model name Aspire Timeline 1810T.

Looking at the pictures its exterior looks almost identical to the Aspire One 751. Apparently, it is based on the same chassis and has the same 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) glossy display. However, that’s where the similarities end, as internally this has a 1.4GHz Intel ULV SU3500 processor, GS45 chipset and GMA 4500MHD graphics. The graphic chipset should be capable of HD hardware acceleration. Read more

Sony Vaio W netbook: 10.1-inch HD screen, N280 Atom, chiclet keyboard

Sony has finally released its first ‘proper’ netbook by announcing the Vaio Mini W-series. Whilst Sony has always claimed that the Vaio P was not a netbook, there’s not a chance they’ll claim the same with the Vaio W, which fits the typical netbook mould.

The Sony Vaio W has a 10.1-inch high resolution (1366 x 768) LED backlit screen as standard. This is powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. It comes with Windows XP, 1GB RAM and a 160GB (SATA) HDD. Other featured include Wi-Fi (including Draft-N), Bluetooth, webcam, microphone, two USB ports and MemoryStick / SD card readers. The three-cell battery should last around 160 minutes. There will be an optional 6-cell battery. Read more

Asus Eee PC LED messaging notifier [Mod]

The last mod we came across for the Asus Eee PC netbook was one that we’d not come across before (Mighty Mouse trackball). Now here is another. JustBlair created a custom-built LED whose primary function is to alert you to new messages, whether it is via email or social networking. Specifically speaking, this LED notifier alerts you to new messages from your email, Twitter and Pidgin .

He modded an Asus Eee PC 901 by creating an extra LED to the top left of the device. He used an AtMel AtTiny45 microprocessor, a 5mm red/green/blue LED that would light a different colour depending on which service the message was from. Judging by the ‘how-to’ post, it’s clearly quite a complicated but ingenious mod, which includes programming the chip. Luckily, he got it all to work first time. For the full details head over to his blog post here.

Via Liliputing.

Red Fox Wizbook N1020i netbook sports Bluetooth 3.0

Red Fox, based in the Philippines, has launched the Wizbook N1020i netbook. Whilst most of the specifications are your standard fare for a netbook, this particular model piqued my interest as being one of the first to sport the Bluetooth 3.0 specification. There may not be too many Bluetooth 3.0 compatible devices but at least it will be relatively future-proofed once they do start to appear. The N1020i also has an Expresscard/34 slot that you don’t find on too many netbooks these days.

Apart from that you’ve find a 10.2-inch (1024 x 600) display powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM (2GB max) and 160GB HDD. You will also find three USB ports, a card reader, a pair of audio jacks, webcam and Wi-Fi (b/g).

It comes with a 6-cell battery rated at 4600mAh that should last at over four hours with heavy usage according to Electronic Pulp. He felt the keyboard was a little cramped and wasn’t fond of the cheap plastics used. The Wizbook N1020i netbook will be available in a number of (bright) colours when it goes on sale in the Philippines for 21,190 Pesos ($440, €315, £271).

Medion Akoya Mini E1312 11.6-inch netbook gets UK launch details

We first heard of the Medion Akoya Mini E1312 netbook during the recent Computex show in Taiwan. This model differs from other netbooks on several fronts. It has an 11.6-inch high-res (1366 x 768) display powered by an AMD 1.5Ghz Sempron 210U CPU, M690E chipset and ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics. It also comes with a 6-cell battery as standard (9-cell optional) and a HDMI-out port.

Other features include 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, three USB ports, 3-in-1 card reader, Wi-Fi (including draft-N), a 1.3MP webcam and Bluetooth 2.1. The 2200mAh rated battery should last for a little over 3 hours. We now know that the E1312 will be released across Aldi supermarket stores from 12th July in the UK for a very reasonable £339.99, which includes a three-year warranty and Windows XP Home. If you are interested you’d better get to Aldi early on Sunday morning as these Medion products are normally quite sought over.

Asus Eee PC 1101HA reviewed – hindered by poor performance

The Asus Eee PC 1101HA is the company’s first foray into 11.6-inch netbook territory. We were quite fond of the form-factor when getting hands-on a couple of weeks back. It didn’t feel significantly bigger than the 10-inch models and that space has been put to good use, including a full-sized keyboard and high resolution (1366 x 768) display. Our main concern was that the 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU would not do the screen justice, especially as a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom SKU is ruled out for now.

Cnet UK has posted the first review of the Eee PC 1101HA and it seems our fears were well founded. The Acer Aspire One 751 was criticised for not having enough grunt (it also used a Z520 Atom) and the same negative point has been levied at the 1101HA. Whilst Cnet liked the comfortable keyboard, high-res screen and excellent battery life, they felt it had been let down by “rubbish processing power”. They scored it 7.0 overall.

However, it sounds like they didn’t play around in the BIOS too much as we know that the 1101HA can be overclocked by as much as 32 percent. Even boosting this by 25 percent would put the performance on par with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom netbook. Obviously there will be an impact on battery life, but at least the option is there for those who want it. The key Cnet review points are after the jump. Read more

Asus confirms three Eee PC T91 SKUs: base, 3G & multitouch

Asus has a lot riding on its first convertible netbook, the 8.9-inch Eee PC T91. It is their first netbook to have a swivel screen that can also be used as a tablet device. We know that several different versions of the T91 are planned, including the 3G-enabled T91GO. We also know that a Windows 7 multitouch version is planned from our conversations with Asus. However, what we didn’t know were the model numbers and specification differences.

According to AsusTablet, the standard version (T91) will be followed by the 3G T91GO, which will also have GPS and a digital TV Tuner. The multitouch Windows 7 version will use the model name T91A. The Eee PC T91GO will weigh 0.06kg heavier than the standard SKU at 1.02kg, probably to account for the weight of the TV Tuner.

As things stand, we have no idea when the T91GO will release, or even if an UK launch is planned. From our conversations with Asus, the T91A will probably not launch until the end of Q3 at the earliest. The standard Eee PC T91 is expected to launch at the end of this month for £449.

Thanks John!

Samsung & Lenovo lose preferential pricing for Intel Atom processors

Since the first netbook was launched nearly two years ago, screen sizes have got progressively larger. The ‘typical’ netbook size has moved from 7-inches, to 9-inches and the current standard, 10-inches. However, a number of manufacturers haven’t stopped there and are looking at 11.6”/12.1” devices to launch under their netbook brands.

The likes of Microsoft and Intel are keen to draw a line under what a typical netbook should be, mainly to ensure discounts are only awarded to devices that meet strict guidelines. For example, Microsoft will only allow OEMs to use Windows 7 Starter Edition if the screen size is no bigger than 10.2-inches. Read more

CrunchPad tablet landing “as soon as possible” for under $300

Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, has been beavering away on “an Internet consumption device,” dubbed the CrunchPad. We have already seen a number of prototype pictures and now it looks like we are gearing up for a full retail release. He told the NY Times Bits Blog, that an event would be held at the end of July or early August to make a big CrunchPad announcement. He also confirmed that the device would cost less than $300 and be on sale “as soon as possible.”

This news follows a report from the San Francisco Business Times that said Arrington had set up a separate company called CrunchPad Inc. The company, based in Singapore, will employ a total of 14 employees according to the report. The CrunchPad has been dubbed “Mike’s science project,” of which he has spent two-thirds of his time working on it over the last six months. The device will have a 12-inch display that is flush with the aluminium case and come in different colours. It will be just 16mm in thickness and be powered by an unspecified Intel Atom processor and support Adobe Flash.

PC Pitstop’s survey rates MSI Wind U100 as most “loved netbook”

PC Pitstop run an online diagnostic and tune-up service, which has been scanned onto millions of PCs. As part of this service, they also ask owners how satisfied they are with their PCs. According to the results, it seems that netbook owners are largely satisfied with their purchases.

They have compiled a top nine list of netbooks for user satisfaction, which is topped by the MSI Wind U100. The overall rating scale is measured out of four stars. The survey also asks whether the PC freezes, reboots and how fast they are. All top 9 machines fare very well in the survey, with even the ninth position scoring 3.03 stars.

Interestingly, the MSI Wind U-100, Asus Eee PC 1000HE, and Samsung NC10 are also among Pitstop’s top 10 for notebooks of all types. This suggest that many people don’t see them as substitutes for laptops and are happy with their performance. Check out the top nine most loved netbooks after the jump. Read more

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed – let down by keyboard & battery life

As the name suggests the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 is a refresh of the Ideapad S10. It improves on the S10 in a number of areas including a bigger keyboard and touchpad. It is also thinner, lighter and has a new textured lid design. Despite these improvements, it takes a backwards step by removing the Expresscard slot seen in the S10. It also has a glossy display compared to the matte display on the S10.

Laptop Mag has given the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 netbook a thorough run through and whilst they thought it was a competent performer, it didn’t have the same appeal as some of its peers. They liked the performance, its lightweight form-factor, bright screen and the instant-on OS. However, it was let down by a poor keyboard and mediocre battery life. Overall, Laptop Mag scored it 3 stars out of 5 and preferred the Toshiba N205 and Asus Eee PC 1005HA, which offer better keyboards and longer battery lives. Check out the key review points after the break. Read more

Nvidia Chief confirms ION price: 3x more expensive than Atom

There has been much speculation as to how much Nvidia’s ION platform costs netbook manufacturers. Now Nvidia’s Chief Executive, Jen-Hsun Huang, has unveiled the price via an interview with the French La Tribune newspaper. It appears that the ION platform (GeForce 9400M GPU + Atom CPU) is approximately three times more expensive when compared to Intel’s own platform.

“[The price of Nvidia Ion chip] is between $30 and $35. This is significant, but it is [needed] to have a good high definition video on the screen,” said Jen-Hsun Huang. Intel recently confirmed that it was charging more for the Atom processor than it does when combined with the Intel chipset. Read more

Kohjinsha SK3 convertible tablet gets video unboxing

Kohjinsha recently announced the SK3 7-inch convertible tablet that is the spiritual successor to the SC3 released last year. The SK3 sports a 7-inch (1024 x 600) LED backlit display and is powered by a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU. It’s quite a fully featured device that includes Wi-Fi (draft-n), Bluetooth, Expresscard, two USB ports as well as two cameras.

Chippy from UMPC Portal has managed to get hold of the SK3 and has already shot an unboxing video. Build quality is impressive along with the size (30mm thick) and weight (720g). As you can probably tell from the pictures, it comes with a personal organiser type case with the SK3 nestled inside. Kohjinsha certainly wanted to highlight the size of the SK3!

The keyboard is the same as the SC3 and the speed of the device is good, however battery life may be its weak point. The swivel mechanism also appears to be solid. A full hands-on report is expected early next week, until then feat your eyes on the unboxing vid after the break. Read more

Asus Eee PC hacked to include Mighty Mouse trackball

We have seen a number of netbook mods here at NbC, but this is a first. One hacker, who was fed up with the scrolling on the touchpad of his Asus Eee PC 901, decided to stick an Apple Mighty Mouse trackball into its palm rest. Plasti-Bots has the complete tutorial on how you go about doing this for the enterprising modders out there.

It’s certainly not one for the novices out there. The trackball wires had to be unsoldered from the mouse, and then soldered onto the motherboard. The finished result looks very professional and the video below shows how well it works. I wonder whether this is something manufacturers may intend on building into their netbooks in the future… Read more

Always Innovating Touch Book video demonstration

Always Innovating’s Touch Book device is due to start shipping to customers this month. Up until now, we have not been privy to any videos of the device in action. A video has now emerged that’s a few months old, from a conference called Demo. However, it does a good job of showing exactly what the Touch Book is and why it’s different to your average netbook.

The Touch Book is one of the first devices that is effectively a tablet with dockable keyboard. This means it can be used in a traditional netbook form-factor as well as a tablet. It is based on an ARM processor (TI OMAP3530 CPU) and is therefore a fanless system with a battery life of between 10-15 hours. Read more

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