Asus Eee PC T91MT now shipping in US; 1001HA available in UK

That was quick, the Asus Eee PC T91MT (‘multi-touch’) convertible netbook only appeared on US pre-order at the beginning of the month and it is now shipping. The white model (T91MT-PU17-WT) is currently in stock at Amazon.com for $532 including delivery, I couldn’t find any sign of the black model.

The specifications of the 8.9-inch T91MT are similar to the T91, coming with a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom processor, 1GB RAM and an upgraded 32GB SSD. It also comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, which fully supports multi-touch features. Battery life should be good for 5 hours. Read more

Dell Mini 9 slate tablet mod now gets accelerometer

We previously reported on a mod that enabled you to convert your Dell Mini 9 netbook into a slate tablet. For those of you that actually went through the effort then you’ll be glad to hear that another mod exists that puts accelerometer functionality into the tablet.

You can check out the results after the jump, but it seems pretty good and much cheaper than pre-packaged alternatives. The full guide on how to do this can be checked over on the MyDellMini forums. Read more

Nokia Booklet 3G hitting Best Buy stores on November 15th

The Nokia Booklet 3G netbook will be arriving in Best Buy stores from 15th November. Those of you who are Reward Zone members can place your pre-orders as we speak, however some stores already have them in stock. The Booklet 3G can be bought for $599.99 or $299.99 plus two-year AT&T data contract.

The Nokia Booklet 3G has a 10.1-inch (1280 x 720) display, measures just 20mm thick and is powered by a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU, 1GB soldered RAM and a 120GB HDD. Other features include Bluetooth, HDMI-out and a 1.3MP webcam. For a ‘premium’ netbook however, it only gets Windows 7 Starter. Check out a larger image of the flyer after the break. Read more

Acer Aspire 1410 (dual-core) review roundup

A number of sites have posted reviews of the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire 1410 in recent days. Just to be clear, the device reviewed is the recent dual-core Windows 7 refresh, rather than the earlier single-core machine. This SKU features a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron SU2300 processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD and a 6-cell 4400mAH battery.

Along with updated specs, Acer managed to knock $50 of the RRP to $399, which makes it look like an enticing bargain. This a point echoed by Liliputing, who felt that there isn’t “another machine that offers as much as the Aspire 1410 at this price point.” They managed to get around 5 hours out of the battery under normal web use. Read more

Litl Webbook hands-on impressions & engineering videos

Litl should be commended for trying to do something different in the mobile computing space. Their Litl Webbook launched last week, it is a 12-inch device that has a special hinge allowing the display to fold over into “easel mode”. It also has its own Litl operating system with a unique GUI.

Hands-on impressions were few and far between last week, but Crunchgear managed to sit down with CEO John Chuang for a thorough overview of the Webbook. The machine isn’t a netbook par se as it only comes with a 2GB flash drive, however this isn’t too much of an issue as Litl targets the Webbook as an Internet consumption device (hence the name). This involves viewing photos, videos or checking the weather etc. Read more

ThinkPad X100e netbook to launch in January 2010?

Thinkpad will release the X100e netbook in time for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2009) on 5th January 2010 according to ThinkpadToday. The device has been dubbed the “entry level ultra portable, the first ThinkPad of its size” according to its sources.

Pictures floating around the web show a device with white lid, flush touchpad and chiclet keys. I hope I’m not the only one who would love to see the traditional black styling and normal keys. Specifications of the X100e remain a mystery for now, ThinkpadToday have taken a guess and believes it will come with a 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) display and 1.6GHz AMD Neo processor.

As a Thinkpad user myself, this sounds like great news, although I’m personally a bit skeptical until we hear something more official. However, back in April, the company were fishing around for consumers thoughts on whether a Thinkpad netbook was a good idea. So we know it is something they have been thinking of. Thinkpads are renowned for their bullet-proof build quality, excellent keyboards and reliability. I’d love to see a Thinkpad netbook, as long as it doesn’t compromise too much on the brands core attributes.

Intel plans “fast transition” to next-gen Pine Trail platform

Intel will be moving quickly to its next-generation Atom platform for netbooks & nettops, dubbed Pine Trail according to sources at X-bit labs. They managed to get hold of a document that says: “Intel is planning for a fast transition to Pine Trail. To generate excitement for the platform ahead of launch, Intel is planning a press release in late December publicly disclosing the details of the platform.”

Further details on the Pine Trail platform (and Pineview processors) are expected on 21st December. Manufacturers are expected to have products using the new chips, including the 1.66GHz N450 Atom, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2009) from 4th January.

The new Pineview processors are built around 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. The benefits of moving from 3 chips to 2 chips are power efficiency, lower costs that enable more fanless netbook designs. The specs and price-points of the various chips are as we have seen before; check them out after the break. Read more

Flybook v5: Dual-core 8.9-inch convertible netbook hands-on [Video]

You probably won’t find the Flybook v5 in the west, but it does seem like an exciting device. It has an 8.9-inch touchscreen display in a convertible netbook form-factor and takes advantage of Windows 7 for all the latest touch gestures.

The specs are quite reasonable too, the Flybook is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core ULV processor and can support a maximum of 4GB RAM. The battery unusually sits at the front of the device rather than the back, but should be good for 4-5 hours. It also features an ExpressCard slot and a couple of USB ports. Check out the video from NetbookNews after the jump for the full hands-on. Read more

Asus planning big line-up for CES 2010

Asus will be showing off a number new of devices come next January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. We will get the first glimpse of the company’s 1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom-powered netbooks, the 10-inch Eee PC T101 convertible tablet, as well as several smartbooks and ultra-thin devices.

It will also be showing its first entry into the e-book reader space with a 9-inch model along with several Google Android-powered smartphones (only the Acer Liquid has been announced right now). Asus’ 1.83GHz N470 Atom netbooks will not be presented until CeBIT 2010 in March.

Via Digitimes.

HTC considering netbook entry

Taiwanese based, HTC, may be known for its Windows Mobile and Android smartphones, but it looks like they are considering a move into the netbook segment. HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou, said that it is “carefully looking into that category and how it can be part of that”. However, it would only release a model that added “unique value” to current netbook offerings.

This wouldn’t be HTC’s first look in the mobile computing space. The company previously released the HTC Shift that had a 7-inch touchscreen, ran Windows Vista and weighed just 800g. It also featured a full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB connectivity and even a fingerprint sensor.

Via Cnet Asia [via Fudzilla].

Nvidia Tegra 2 details emerge

Details of the second generation of Nvidia’s Tegra platform are starting to emerge. Fudzilla is reporting that the new chip will arrive in 2010 and will use the dual-core ARM 9 processor. This will give it twice the computational and graphics power of the current Tegra chip according to “high ranking industry sources”.

Nvidia CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, wants Tegra to account for over half of the company’s revenues in the next few years. Whilst it’s presence is likely to end up in high-end smartphones, they will also feature in smartbooks too.

Sony Vaio P gets Windows 7 refresh in US

Sony is now selling its ultra-portable Vaio P with Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional in the United States. An option now also exists for a higher-specced configuration, which includes a 2GHz Atom and 256GB SDD, costing a whopping $1,900.

Other configurations include the base model (1.33GHz Atom, 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD) for $850, whilst another model with a 1.6GHz Atom and 64GB SSD will cost $1,000. These models will appear by the end of this month.

Checking the UK site, it appears that they may be offering something similar soon. The SonyStyle product page for the Vaio P only lists one model, but goes on to say that “this product is no longer available”.

Via Electronista.

Asus smartbook pushed back to Q2 2010?

It was only last week that Asus were talking about launching a smartbook device to hit shelves in the first quarter of next year. However, the Asus smartbook will now be delayed until the second quarter of 2010 according to Judy Wu, Asus market specialist.

No reasons were given for the delay and there is no confirmation whether we’ll even see the device hit UK shores. Asus says that the biggest market for these smartbook devices are in the emerging markets and Asia-Pacific region.

Wu’s definition of a smartbook is a device that has a 5-7-inch screen, although she wouldn’t define what processor would be included. The choice of operating system is still undecided, Wu says that “Android is an option”, although it will depend on product schedules as to which is used.

Via Reg Hardware.

Hackintosh netbook slaying premature

Well it looks like all the talk of Apple removing Intel Atom support from its upcoming Mac OS X 10.6.2 update has been premature. A blogger named Stell originally discovered the issue but has found that Intel Atom support has returned in the latest build (10C535).

This is, of course, no guarantee that we will definitely see Intel Atom support on final release, but it looks promising. Why the code was removed in the previous release is anyone’s guess. For now, all you Hackintosh netbook owners can rejoice that support is continued (for now).

Via Electronista.

Moblin v2.1 ‘project release’ for netbooks available to download

The project release for Moblin v2.1 is now available to download for Intel Atom-based netbooks (& nettops). The Linux Foundation must be working hard behind the scenes as it wasn’t that long ago that they delivered v2.0.

This new release brings a number of significant improvements including 3G and Bluetooth (device discovery and pairing) support, enhanced browser functionality, UI enhancements, integrated Moblin Garage (online application store) as well as a number of performance and stability improvements.

We’ve listed the full Moblin v2.1 feature summary from the press release after the break. You can download Moblin 2.1 here or check out a number of screenshots of the new release here. Read more

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