Gigabyte T1028X TouchNote with HD display now available

Gigabyte has released a more powerful 10-inch convertible netbook in its T1028 range. The T1028X follows on from the T1028M by including a slightly faster 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, high-resolution (1366 x 768) display and a 6-cell 7650mAh battery that should last for around six and a half hours.

Other specs remain the same and include 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth and an Expresscard/34 slot. It is currently available in Europe from Moblix.hu for a recession-busting €622. Certainly not cheap, but it seems to be one of the few convertible netbooks with 10-inch swivel touchscreen on the market today.

Via UMPC Portal.

Dell Mini 12 disappears from US too

The Dell Mini 12 had already been quietly discontinued from a number of countries (including the UK). It’s taken a couple of months, but it seems that Dell US has also pulled the plug on its 12.1-inch ‘netbook’.

The Dell Mini 12 has been widely expected to be replaced by an 11.6-inch CULV-based ultra-thin, although there’s been no new information on this forthcoming. The rumoured model, codenamed ‘Argos’, will use Intel’s Celeron ULV platform, have 2GB RAM and hard drive storage between 160GB and 250GB. It will come with a 1366 x 768 resolution display and will be priced from $499 according to a leak.

The exit of the Mini 12 from the US may mean this new model is just around the corner. We’ll keep you updated.

Via Engadget.

HP & MSI planning Pineview-powered tablet netbooks for H1 2010?

Both Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Micro-Star International (MSI) are planning to launch convertible netbooks during the first half of 2010, according to Digitimes. MSI will be launching a 10-inch tablet netbook at the start of 2010, whilst HP plans a similar release for April/May 2010 manufactured by OEM Inventec.

The report says that both convertible netbooks will use Intel’s next-gen Pineview N450 Atom processor. It’s therefore very likely that they will be powered by Windows 7, taking advantage of the operating system’s touch features. It also says that Asus will be launching its 10-inch Eee PC T101 tablet netbook with Windows 7. The report goes on to say that Apple may be launching its tablet device as early as November 2009.

Via Electronista.

Asus Eee PC 1101HA netbook review roundup

A number of reviews for Asus’ 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA have appeared over the last few days. The 1101HA can be thought of a larger version of the Eee PC 1005HA that we reviewed recently. It shares a very similar design and has a removable 6-cell battery and no port flaps, unlike the thinner 1008HA Seashell.

One of the main differences, apart from that high-resolution 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display is that it uses a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom processor (the 1005HA uses a 1.6GHz N270 Atom). To compensate for the lack of relative power, however, Asus allows you to overclock the processor by up to 30 percent. Read more

Asus releasing Moblin Eee PC in October?

Asus is planning on releasing an Eee PC netbook that comes pre-installed with the Moblin operating system according to Sascha over at NetbookNews.de.

He confirmed that it will not be a new model and is likely to be found in the company’s Seashell range of Eee PC netbooks. There’s no confirmation of price or exactly which regions these new models will be availale in, but Sascha says that it should be out by October.

He also says that Asus is working very closely with the Google Chrome OS developer team in Taipei. He’s planning on visiting them next week, so maybe we’ll find out some more information about Google’s plans then.

Atom N450 Pineview CPU pricing unveiled

Pricing for Intel’s next-generation Pineview Atom processor has been revealed by Fudzilla. The 1.66GHz N450 Atom will cost $64 at launch, placing it $20 ahead of the popular 1.60GHz N270 CPU. This also puts it in line with the energy-efficient 1.60GHz Z530 at $65, which is rumoured to be axed for netbooks by the end of the year.

The N450’s price also sits unfavourably with the nettop dual-core 330 processor, which costs only $43. However, it is still cheaper than the CULV chipsets that costs $106. The report claims that the Atom N450 will launch in January 2010.

Looking at the pricing I can see, why some manufacturers may be hesitant to be moving over to new hardware. This price hike, along with the extra cost of Windows 7, means that these netbooks are likely to come at a tangible premium over current N270 XP-based models.

Inventec Rainbow / Mobinnova N910 Tegra smartbooks hands-on

Computex 2009 saw the launch of a number of Nvidia Tegra-based smartbooks. The Tegra platform is different to ION in that it pairs an ARM-based processor with an Nvidia GeForce GPU (ION pairs an Intel Atom CPU with the Nvidia 9400M graphics). Nvidia has once again been doing the rounds in Taiwan to further promote its Tegra platform and did so via two smartbook devices.

The first, the Inventec Rainbow, was announced at Computex but we didn’t hear too much detailed information at the time. It has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) LED backlit display and is powered by the Tegra 600 platform (600MHz, ARM 11). It comes with 256MB RAM and just 256MB of flash memory. The Rainbow also has a choice of EVDO Rev.A or HSPA radios. Read more

Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T hands-on pictures

As the Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T gets closer to launch, a couple of sites have managed to get hands-on with the CULV-based 11.6-inch device. The Timeline 1810T has a high resolution (1366 x 768) LED backlit display and will be powered by an ULV (ultra-low voltage) processor (1.4GHz Intel ULV SU3500), Intel GS45 chipset with GMA 4500MHD graphics.

Interestingly, the model logo appears to be ‘AS 1810T’. We’re not sure what the ‘AS’ part stands for (ASpire maybe?) Both hands-on below have the same model number, so maybe this is how it will be marketed. Read more

Jolicloud Alpha 2c out now; ‘Atom super-optimized kernel’ for next release

Jolicloud has released the latest version (Alpha 2c) of its operating system. Improvements to this version include the latest stable version of the Linux kernel, which should result in faster operation and system boots. It also includes quite a number of bug fixes for various netbooks that you can find here.

The new release also includes a new applet that allows you to manage battery life along with CPU performance (pictured above). A Firefox patch is also included to improve browser performance.

The next major release from the Jolicloud team will be the “Atom super optimized Linux kernel”. As the name suggests the release will look to optimise performance for netbooks powered by Intel Atom processors (i.e. the majority of netbooks out there). This means better battery life, faster boot times and better graphic support.

Kinpo N3: 11.6-inch VIA Nano-powered 3G netbook

Taiwanese manufacturer, Kinpo Electronics, has introduced [PDF] a new 11.6-inch netbook called the N3. The N3 differs from most other netbooks as it is powered by a VIA Nano processor and also has an integrated 3G/WiMAX chipset. The N3 netbook is aimed for the Chinese market and comes with the Chinese 3G standard called TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access).

The Kinpo N3 sports an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, up to 2GB of RAM, a variety of storage options (HDD/SDD) and a choice of Windows XP or Vista Home Basic. Other features include a 1.3MP webcam and Wi-Fi (b/g). The N3 will be powered by either a 1.2GHz or 1.3 GHz VIA Nano processor, dependent on the configuration.

The Kinpo N3 measures just 27mm thick (quite thin for an 11.6-inch device) and weighs 1.3kg. Battery life is expected to last around the three hour mark. Details on availability or price were not given, although it’s unlikely we’ll see a release outside of China.

Via PC World [via Liliputing].

Asus gets knuckles wrapped in Taiwan over misleading Eee PC ad

Asustek has been sanctioned by the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission for a misleading Eee PC advertisement. Asus placed an advert highlighting that consumers could receive a TV receiver worth NT$2,900 (£53), by paying just NT$999 (£18) for it when buying an Eee PC netbook.

However, as Asus could not show that the TV receiver was actually being sold for that amount, the FTC deemed the advert to be misleading. When the receiver actually hit the market, it was indeed priced lower than shown by Asus. The company countered the claim by saying that the price quoted was the expected price when the ad was being put together.

Asustek has been ordered to withdraw the advertisements immediately and fined NT$80,000 (£1,453, $2,445, €1,703) for their trouble. It also promised to be more careful with its future marketing efforts.

Via Digitimes.

Newton unveils 5mm-thin MoGo Mouse for netbooks

Newton Peripherals has announced the launch of its MoGo Mouse for netbooks. The MoGo has actually been out for a number of years, but now it has been ‘tailored’’ for netbooks. This Bluetooth mouse is probably the thinnest you have ever used, measuring just 5mm (0.2-inches) in thickness and weighing only 14g. This size should mean that it easily fits any netbook case.

The mouse has a 800dpi resolution and should last for 8-10 hours before the battery needs recharging. To recharge the battery fully takes 30 minutes. It is Bluetooth 2.0 compliant and should work in a range of 10 meters.

The MoGo Presenter Mouse is available right now and costs $99.00. This includes the mouse, Bluetooth adaptor, charging cable and a low-profile removable docking connector. No word on whether we will see this released outside of the US.

MSI Wind U200 hitting Europe in next few weeks

There has not been much news on MSI’s 12-inch Wind U200 over the last couple of months. Despite this, the device is now up for pre-order on German retailer Notebook.de for €629. There’s no release date listed, although availability is expected in 3-4 weeks.

This particular model comes with Intel’s 1.3GHz Pentium US2700 processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD. Other features include HDMI-out, Wi-Fi (Draft-N), three USB ports, a 1.3MP webcam, 6-cell battery and 4-in-1 card reader.

However, Fudzilla claims that we may expect to see a U200 with a lighter 1.2GHz Intel Celeron M Processor ULV 723 by the end of next week. It says that this less powerful version will cost around the €499 mark. This version will come with 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD.

The Wind U200 seems like a solidly built netbook with a full-sized keyboard and high-res display (1366 x 768). The ULV processor is paired with the Intel GS45 chipset and Intel GMA 4500M graphics.

Via NetbookNews.it.

New Sony Vaio P outed by FCC

A new version of Sony’s Vaio P ultraportable has passed through the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Details are scant on the new model, although what we do know is that it will go by the model number ‘PCG-1R2L’. We also know that it will have Wi-Fi (Draft-N) and Bluetooth.

The confidentiality agreement expires in October, highlighting a possible release in the fourth quarter. We recently heard of a ‘Mark II’ release that is on the horizon, it’s unknown whether this is one and the same device. If there’s been no news up until that point, all the detailed specifications should be out of the bag by then. Check out a screengrab of the evidence after the break. Read more

NbC: Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell (N270) Review

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell can be thought of as the spiritual successor to the company’s best-selling Eee PC 1000HE. It is thinner, lighter and sports a nicer design, whilst not compromising on the specifications and battery life. The 1005HA is a worthy update to the 1000HE and in our view, the biggest hurdle Asus’ marketing team will face is communicating the significant differences between the N270 and N280 Atom versions of the Eee PC 10005HA.

We reviewed the N270 Atom model and found it to be a very competent netbook, offering good build quality, a comfortable keyboard and a crisp matte display. However, battery life wasn’t stellar when compared to the standard set by the most recent models and the 1005HA also had heat issues. At its price point though, it offers great value for money compared to its peers. Read on for our thorough review, including some comprehensive performance and battery tests. Read more

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