Packard Bell EasyNote Butterfly Touch reviewed

The last we heard of the 11.6-inch Packard Bell EasyNote Butterfly Touch convertible netbook was back in December when we reported of a planned UK launch in Feb 2010. Well that date has come and passed and I’ve still not seen it hit UK retail. Despite this, TrustedReviews has come up with a review of the device that may signal it’s about to hit the streets.

The Butterfly Touch is similar to Acer’s 1420P / 1820PT / 1820PTZ models and has an 11.6” multi-touch (1366 x 768) display, powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor and Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics. TrustedReviews found it to be a very capable convertible netbook offering excellent battery life (452 minutes in MobileMark 2007), good build quality, a well packaged software bundle and a reasonable price point (£499). Seems like it’s worth checking out, although you may want to hit TrustedReviews for the full lowdown before you purchase.

Asus’ dual-core ION 2 Eee PC 1215N netbook benched & snapped

Asus’ upcoming 12-inch flagship netbook, the Eee PC 1215N, is set to include a dual-core Pine Trail processor, next-generation ION as well as Nvidia Optimus technology. We knew that much already, but now NetbookNews has managed to get hold of a pre-production sample and spilled the beans on additional specs, benchmarks as well as a good look at the unit itself.

The Eee PC 1215N tested came with the 1.66GHz dual-core D510 Pine Trail processor that is normally found in nettops. It was initially thought that the netbook would come with the upcoming 1.5GHz N550 dual-core processor that would have had greater power efficiency, but maybe Asus have decided against waiting for the new chip. Read more

Acer confirms “no short-term plans” for Chrome OS netbook

In a somewhat unusual move, Acer released a statement refuting recent rumours that it plans to showcase a Chrome OS netbook at the upcoming Computex show in Taipei. Whilst the company believes that Google’s new operating system is an “exciting product announcement”, it says it has “no short-term plans for such a product.”

There have been a number of rumours that Acer will be launching a Chrome OS netbook, along with suggestions that it wanted to be the first company out of the block with a Chrome OS device. The timing of the statement perhaps suggests it has been released to keep those rumours in check and maybe has something to do with Chrome OS not being in a ready state to showcase right now. Click through for the full press release. Read more

Intel recommends dual-core Atom netbooks to cost $349-$399

When Intel launches Atom processors it gives a suggested system price to OEMs that plan to use that processor. Fudzilla is reporting that the guided price range for netbooks using the upcoming 1.5GHz dual-core N550 Atom processor will be between $349 and $399.

Furthermore, Intel will be restricting dual-core netbooks with display sizes between 7-inches and 10.2-inches. The recommended configuration spec includes 1GB DDR3 memory and a 250GB HDD or 20-30GB SSD. We are expected to see the first dual-core netbooks at the upcoming Computex show, with a retail launch during the third quarter.

Update: It looks like Intel is lifting panel restrictions for the N550. Therefore, 11.6-inch and 12.1-inch netbooks will be able to run the N550 Atom.

Via Fudzilla.

Lenovo Ideapad U165: AMD ultra-thin planned for Q3

As well as the Intel CULV-powered Ideapad U160 that was recently announced, Lenovo is prepping the Ideapad U165 ultra-thin that will be powered by AMD’s new low-power processors and is set to launch during the third quarter.

Hard specs and pricing remains a mystery for now, but you can check out a number of photos of the Ideapad U165 after the break. Read more

Acer’s AMD-powered Aspire One 521 netbook in HD video test

Acer officially revealed a new line-up of AMD-powered 10-inch and 11.6-inch netbooks earlier this week. The AAO 521 has a 10-inch display and comes with a 1.2GHz single-core AMD V105 processor along with ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics with HDMI out. The latter highlights the confidence in its ability to handle HD video, even though the screen only has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.

A couple of videos have appeared from Notebook Journal.de and nDevil that give an idea of how well it plays HD video content. As you’ll see HD content seemed to play ok, although the same can’t be said for YouTube HD that seemed to stutter. This could be a driver issue so I wouldn’t get too disheartened if you were eyeing the AAO 521. Check out the videos after the jump. Read more

Asus Eee PC 1015P and 1015PE netbook product pages up

The upcoming Asus Eee PC 1015P and 1015PE netbooks have just got their own product pages up on the global Asus site. The 10-inch models are powered by the 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor, up to 2GB RAM and 160-320GB HDD. They also feature Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, a 0.3MP webcam and 3-cell or 6-cell battery options.

I’m not entirely sure on the differences between the 1015P and 1015PE. The latter appears to have a chrome effect surrounding the left/right sides of the touchpad. It also appears to have a rubber moulded lid rather than a textured/ribbed surface on the 1015P. Hopefully the difference will become clearer closer to launch.

Via Netbook Italia.

Asus netbook with slot-in mobile phone on the horizon?

Asus is apparently planning to launch an Eee PC netbook that will come with a built-in mobile phone. The phone will double as 3G connectivity for the device so that you have access to it whilst in the netbook and when you’re out and about you can just take the phone out and use that instead (this means you can use the same SIM card for both devices).

The phone module is already on sale from an Israeli company called Modu, who also provide a number of feature-phone shells that it can slot into. You can have a number of different shells depending on what you need i.e. one shell is in the form of a photo frame displaying pictures stored in the phone. Read more

Intel N550 Atom: 1.5GHz dual-core CPU lands in Q3

Intel will launch the dual-core N500 Atom processor series during the third quarter of this year. The first CPU out of the block will be the 1.5GHz dual-core N550 Atom. It will support hyper-threading and come with 1MB total L2 cache (2 x 512KB per core).

The TPD (thermal power dissipation) for the N550 is 8.5W, which is around 2W higher than the single-core 1.83GHz N475 Atom. More detail on these new chips should be expected at Computex in a few weeks time.

Via Fudzilla.

Acer prepping Chrome OS netbooks for Computex?

Acer really wants to be first out of the door with a Chrome OS device. According to a report from VentureBeat, Acer will be launching new Chrome OS devices (most likely netbooks, smartbooks or tablets) sporting the new OS at Computex Taipei in early June.

Acer may not have the Chrome OS limelight to itself though. Samsung has also talked of developing ARM-based smartbooks powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset. Google is expected to release Chrome OS during the second half of the year. Techcrunch says that Chrome OS is coming along quickly but isn’t ready as things stand, they’ve also got some images of what the OS is likely to look like.

Update: Acer has confirmed that it will not be showcasing Chrome OS netbooks at Computex.

Details on AMD’s ultrathin Nile platform revealed

AMD has released some more details on its ultrathin ‘Nile’ platform range of processors. We have attached the relevant slides after the break, but basically the new platform will see a 22 percent performance increase and 36 percent increase in 3DMark06 scores compared to the older Congo platform.

Battery life is expected to be around the 4-8 hours mark. Quite a wide range, but 4 hours is active and 8 hours is “resting”. Other features includes DDR3 support, 5.1 surround sound, HDMI out and DX11 support (DirectX 10.1 for HD 4200). Click through for the slides. Read more

Dell Latitude 2110 Pine Trail Atom refresh for education/business

Dell has announced the Latitude 2110 netbook as expected. The refresh over the 2100 comes in the form of the newer Pine Trail Atom processors with Dell targeting the device to not only the education market, but also business customers too.

Given that different segments have different needs, the netbook has not been designed with a one-size-fits-all mentality. The 10-inch model comes with either 1024 x 600 or 1366 x768 resolution options. As before the 2110 has a -resistant keyboard and anti-microbial rubber coating. Read more

Acer reveals Aspire 521, 721 1551 AMD-powered netbooks [Video]

Acer has revealed a new line-up of AMD-powered netbooks at an event in Cannes. This includes a 10-inch model (AAO 521) and two 11.6-inch models (Acer Aspire 721 and 1551). Subsidiary Packard Bell also announced the dot.a, a rebranded version of the 11.6-inch models above.

The Acer Aspire One 521 has a single-core 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, DDR3 support, ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics and a HDMI output. You’ll still only get a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display though. It comes with 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD and a 7-hour battery life. Read more

Asus Eee PC R101 gets snapped

The first picture of the Asus Eee PC R101 has emerged on a German retailer NotebooksBilliger.de. It doesn’t reveal too much new information, but we now know that it comes with a chiclet keyboard and patterned palm rest.

In terms of specs, the Eee PC R101 is typical netbook fare with a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, 1.66GHz N450 Atom, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter. The 4400mAh battery should be good for 9.5 hours. The model listed is available for pre-order at €299. Read more

Ubuntu Light: Instant-on OS with 7-second boot

Canonical has announced its own instant-on operating system called Ubuntu Light. This lightweight OS has a tailored netbook interface called Unity and will boot into a browser in 7 seconds. It also features chat, IM, browser and media player applications.

Unity will be the desktop environment for Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition that is expected to be released in October 2010. Unity is designed for netbooks and touch devices and will include a new panel and app launcher.

Via Mark Shuttleworth.

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