Sony UK announces 2.0GHz Vaio P with Windows 7
October 8, 2009 at 7:50 pm
The Sony Vaio P continues to be a mainstay in Sony’s product catalogue, sitting somewhere between the Vaio W netbook and premium 11.1” Vaio X ultraportable that was officially announced this morning.
Three new Sony Vaio P configurations have popped up onto the Sony UK site, with the top-end model (VGN-P39VL/Q) sporting a 2.0GHz Z550 Atom processor, 128GB SSD and Windows 7 Professional.
The other two (VGN-P31ZK/R & VGN-P31ZK/Q) models come with a 1.86Ghz Z540 Atom CPU, 80GB SSD and Windows 7 Home Premium. Pricing hasn’t been revealed, but hopefully we’ll find out close to the launch of Windows 7.
Via Engadget.
Nvidia ION 2 to support VIA Nano processors?
October 8, 2009 at 7:45 pm
We are only now starting to see netbooks sporting the ION chipset come into the market, however that doesn’t stop us talking about ION 2. Fudzilla reports that the second ION chipset is on track to start shipping this year, without citing a launch date.
Whilst not too many details have been revealed thus far, ION 2 will apparently support a number of different processors including VIA Nano, Intel ULV & of course Intel Atom. As the VIA CPUs are normally cheaper than Intel’s equivalents, this could lead to a wave of VIA ION-powered netbooks in the not-too-distant future.
Sony Vaio X gets official: Atom internals & $1,299 price
October 8, 2009 at 8:53 am
The truly desirable 11.1-inch Vaio X has now been officially announced by Sony. The waters are increasingly being muddied as to what defines a netbook or notebook, but Sony refers to it as the “world’s lightest notebook”. Not a surprise since they don’t even refer to the Sony Vaio W as a netbook.
The Vaio X is due to come in a number of hardware options. The most powerful option includes a 2.0GHz Z550 Intel Atom processor, although 1.6GHz Z530 & 1.86GHz Z540 options are also expected. Storage will be catered for by 64GB/128GB SSDs. Windows 7 options include Home Premium & Professional. Read more
Nokia Booklet 3G hits O2 Germany on October 22nd
October 7, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Some of the first official details regarding pricing for the Nokia Booklet 3G has been released. The Booklet 3G netbook will be available on contract for O2 customers in Germany from October 22nd.
The netbook will be available for €249 on a €20 per month tariff over 24 months. Apparently there will also be a flat rate tariff of €25 per month, but it’s not made clear whether you need to pay an upfront payment for this contract. Details on pricing in other markets are expected shortly.
The Nokia Booklet 3G will come with Windows 7, has a 10.1-inch (1280 x 720) display, measures just 20mm thick and is powered by a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU. It will also come with a 16-cell battery that should last for 12 hours. Other features include Bluetooth, HDMI-out and a 1.3MP webcam.
Via Engadget.
HP Mini 311 reviewed – close to 6 hrs battery life
October 7, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Following on from the HP Mini 311 benchmarks that appeared yesterday, Laptop Mag has released its review of the ION-powered netbook. Overall, it scored highly, earning a coveted ‘Editors Choice’ award. Whilst we’d already seen that performance was way ahead than your traditional netbook, we didn’t know how much of a hit this took on battery life.
Luckily, battery life wasn’t compromised. In their tests, they managed to get a very respectable 5 hours and 46 minutes out of the 6-cell battery. Combine this with a reasonable $399 price point, and sleek chassis, it seems that HP are onto a winner with the Mini 311. Check out the key review points after the break. Read more
Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P: 11.6” multi-touch display
October 7, 2009 at 10:20 am
Following on from yesterday’s news regarding the Gateway EC18T, an 11.6-inch convertible netbook, I was waiting to see how long it would be before an Acer equivalent crops up. After all, Gateway is owned by Acer. Lo and behold, macles has revealed the Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P convertible tablet.
Given the similarities in model number to the 11.6-inch Aspire 1810T (or 1410 as it’s known in some regions), don’t expect the technical hardware to differ. Apparently the port layout, components and technical specifications are all the same. The main difference is that the 1820P will be multi-touch enabled (I’m guessing therefore a capacitive screen?)
The tablet mechanism does mean that the 1820P is around 300g heavier than the 1810T. It will ship with Windows 7, so hopefully we should see a release by the end of the year. Check out some larger pictures after the break. Read more
Lenovo Ideapad U150 showcased: 11.6-inch ultra-thin
October 6, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Lenovo has shown off the 11.6-inch Ideapad U150 at the CEATEC show in Japan. I’ve not come across this device before, it seems to be Lenovo’s entry into the 11.6” ultra-thin segment.
It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM and Intel GMA X4500 graphics. It certainly lives up to its ‘ultra-thin’ tag, measuring just 13.5mm in thickness and weighing 1.35kg. There are no details on where this device will be available and for how much, however we’ll keep you posted. Check out some more pictures after the break. Read more
Kohjinsha intros dual-screen netbook concept [Video]
October 6, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Kohjinsha has shown off a very unique netbook at CEATEC 09. The prototype device includes two 10.1-inch LCD displays, one behind the other that slides out to sit side-by-side with each other. The displays can output at either 1024 x 600 or 1366 x 768 resolution.
The hardware is driven by a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon NeoMv-40 processor, a maximum of 4GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. Other features include Bluetooth 2.1, fingerprint scanner, TV Tuner and it will run on Windows 7 Home Premium. I wouldn’t like to think what the battery life on such a device would be, especially considering the juice required to power two 10-inch displays.
At its thickest point, the device measures 1.7-inches and just 0.75-inches at its thinnest. Not bad considering the dual displays. So far, there are no firm details on whether this concept will become a reality. Engadget has a video hands-on of the netbook, which we’ve attached after the break.
Update: We have also attached a more detailed video from DigInfo. Read more
Gateway EC18T: 11.6-inch convertible tablet leaked
October 6, 2009 at 7:58 pm
It looks like that Gateway may be prepping its own answer to some of the convertible netbooks we’ve seen recently including the Gigabyte T1028 and Asus Eee PC T91. The Gateway EC18T is an 11.6-inch convertible tablet that will run Windows 7 Basic or Home Premium.
A tipster has leaked quite a few official-looking photos of this new device to Engadget. Other specifications that the EC18T is rumoured to have includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM and the Intel GS45 Express graphics chipset.
Other things revealed by the pictures include what looks like a HDMI port and a stylus holder built into the screen bevel rather than the chassis. There are no details on availability or pricing right now, but hopefully more news is around the corner. Check out some more pictures after the break. Read more
HP’s ION-powered Mini 311 netbook benchmarked
October 6, 2009 at 7:49 pm
The HP Mini 311 is one of the first ION-powered netbooks hitting the market (along with the Samsung N510 & Lenovo Ideapad S12). The inclusion of Nvidia’s ION circuitry should propel the netbooks performance way past than one with just Intel graphics. The difference will mostly be felt in 3D graphics, HD video content and flash (GPU-accelerated flash was officially announced yesterday by Adobe).
Laptop Mag has revealed its first set of benchmarks that it has for the HP Mini 311 and compares this against traditional netbooks along with some of the latest CULV-based ultra-thins. The Mini 311 scored 1,917 on the PCMark05 test, nearly 500 points better than the current netbook average. Read more
Adobe officially announces GPU-accelerated Flash Player 10.1
October 5, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Adobe has finally got round to announcing that the latest Flash player 10.1 will pretty much work on pretty much most mobile devices. On the netbook side of things, Adobe has partnered with Nvidia to enable hardware acceleration of the flash player. Adobe has said that a beta of Flash Player 10.1 is expected by the end of the year.
What this means is that HD flash content from YouTube, Hulu & BBC iPlayer should work stutter-free on Nvidia ION-powered netbooks or Tegra-powered smartbooks. Nvidia ION netbooks coming out by the year-end includes the Samsung N510, HP Mini 311 and Lenovo Ideapad S12.
Adobe has also partnered with Qualcomm to get flash working on its Snapdragon chipset. This should hopefully mean a smooth flash experience on smartbooks too. Check out a few video demos of the new flash player in action after the jump. Read more
Acer’s Android netbook to launch in November?
October 3, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Acer’s dual-boot Android/XP netbook was expected during the third quarter, but that launch window has come and gone. Gizmodo is now reporting that the netbook is expected to arrive by November without citing sources.
The netbook is expected to be similar to its current netbook range and it will not be cheaper either as it will still ship with Windows XP. It will be interesting to see how Android has been tailored for the netbook experience, especially considering that Google’s Chrome OS is around the corner.
NbC: Microsoft Mobile Mouse 4000 Review
October 3, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Whilst touchpads do an acceptable job of navigating around a netbook/laptop, there’s no substitute for a mouse for pinpoint accuracy. There are a number of good mice to cater for those on the move, however there are not too many that use new mouse technology such as Microsoft BlueTrack or Logitech’s Darkfield laser tracking tech.
These new technologies have been developed to allow you to use on the mouse on pretty much any surface, whether that be an airport bench to your living-room carpet. This is quite an attractive feature for portable mice as you no longer need to carry a mouse mat with you whilst travelling. Even in limited spaces, your lap could work with these new mice. We give you an overview of one of the latest portable mice using Microsoft Bluetrack called the Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000. Read more
Yones X11A 11.1-inch netbook gets video hands-on
October 2, 2009 at 11:59 pm
If the X11A from Yones Technology sounds familiar, than that’s because it is basically the same 11.1-inch netbook as the Olevia X11A that we’ve reported on previously. Sascha from NetbookNews went hands-on with Yones’ take on the X11A.
As before it comes with a high-resolution (1366 x 768) display, powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom and 945GSE chipset. Where it differs is a unique imprint on the lid and palm rests. Other features include chiclet keyboard, three USB ports card reader and a couple of audio jacks. Check out the video after the break. Read more
Nokia Booklet 3G hitting Best Buy stores for $600?
October 2, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Yesterday we brought you the news that the Nokia Booklet 3G netbook is set to launch exclusively through Best Buy stores when it lands in the United States. What wasn’t known, however, was the price. The guys over at PhoneArena managed to get hold of a screen-grab that shows a possible $599.99 price point from the Best Buy inventory system.
Whilst, some may argue that this price is too high for a netbook, I can’t understand how it could be priced so cheap, when considering the European pricing. Recently, the Booklet 3G hit the Italian Nokia Store for pre-order at €699. If that price is indeed correct, then how can Nokia be selling it for such a discount in the US? Hopefully, some official information should come out shortly that clarifies pricing for all. Read more
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