Classy MSI Wind U160 netbook hands-on [Video]

The MSI Wind U160 has made an appearance at CES as predicted. We drooled over the leaked press shots that appeared a few weeks back and now we are treated to a number of hands-on videos. The U160 is without doubt the sexiest netbook design coming out of MSI’s labs in a while.

It has taken inspiration from a number of other models including the Toshiba NB200, Asus Eee PC Seashell range and even the Sony Vaio. The end result is a slim device with glossy mocha-brown lid (we wish MSI had looked at the excellent Toshiba NB200 matte lid here). The chiclet keyboard was found to suffer from some flex issues.

The MSI Wind U160 is powered by a 1.66GHz N450 Atom, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter. It will be sold for $399 on release. Check out some hands on videos from Engadget, NetbookNews and Laptop Mag after the break. Read more

Lenovo Skylight smartbook gets video walkthrough

The Lenovo Skylight is one of the first smartbooks from one of the big notebook manufacturers to be announced. As a flag-bearer for the smartbook category it has a lot of pressure on it, but according to the first impressions coming out of CES, it looks like it’s a mighty fine device. The Skylight runs the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and has a 10.1-inch HD display (click here for the rest of the specs).

Judging by the videos and write-ups I’ve seen, the Skylight looks like a very sexy piece of kit. It’s one of the thinnest 10-inch devices I’ve seen and the display, keyboard and large touchpad all look of the highest quality. I especially like the slot just above the keyboard where you can store a USB flash drive.

One of the biggest negatives is nothing to do with the hardware itself, but that $499 price point. This will obviously be lower when subsidised through AT&T, but some people are miffed given the promise of $200 smartbooks. Click through for a video hands-on from Engadget, Laptop Mag and JKKMobile.

Update: We’ve also included videos from Liliputing (run through of the custom UI) and NetbookNews. Read more

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible netbook gets video impressions

Lenovo’s premium offering in the 10-inch netbook space, the Ideapad S10-3t has been given the hands-on treatment by a number of publications. As a quick reminder, the S10-3t sports a 10-inch multitouch capacitive display. It comes in a convertible tablet form-factor that means it is likely to go head-to head with the Gigabyte T1028 and upcoming Asus Eee PC T101MT.

The $499 convertible netbook has a responsive touchscreen and the screen will adjust whilst flipping around thanks to an inclusion of an accelerometer. It’s thicker and heavier than the Ideapad S10-3, but that’s to be expected given the hinge mechanism and thick display. Check out some video hands-on impressions of the device from Engadget, Liliputing , JKKMobile and GottaBeMobile below. Read more

HP launches Mini 210, 2102 and Compaq Mini 102 netbooks [Video]

HP is on a roll, we’ve already reported on two of its ultraportables that launched today, the business oriented Mini 5102 netbook and TouchSmart tm2 tablet. Yet we still have more, HP has formally announced a few more 10.1-inch netbooks. This includes the HP Mini 210 which we’ve heard so much of recently, the Mini 2102 and the Compaq Mini 102.

Both HP Mini 210 and Mini 2102 appear to be the same in design and specifications. The latter will be targeted towards business users and therefore it comes in a brushed black metal finish instead of the plastic chassis of the 210. Read more

Lenovo Ideapad U1 Hybrid hands-on video roundup

One of the more exciting ultraportables to be announced so far at CES is the 11.6-inch Ideapad U1 Hybrid that can be used as CULV notebook or tablet depending on preference. It was officially announced yesterday, so check out our previous post for all the details.

However, a number of publications have since gone hands-on with the device and posted their impressions. After the break, you’ll find six videos of the U1 Hybrid. It’s interesting to see that overall impressions were extremely positive, even more impressive given that this was only a pre-production model as the U1 isn’t set to launch until June.

Below you will find videos from Engadget, Liliputing, JKKMobile, NetbookNews, Laptop Mag and Slashgear. Gizmodo’s write-up is also worth a read if you’re fishing for information. Read more

HP intros 12.1-inch TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet [Video]

HP has announced the TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet which sports a 12.1-inch multi-touch capacitive display. The device is powered by a Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor and offers up to 9 hours of battery life.

Unusually for a notebook you don’t even get an optical drive thrown into the package. However what you do get is a sleek aluminum chassis and a large touchpad with integrated mouse buttons. Other features include a Firewire port as well as HDMI and three USB ports.

You can also opt for discrete ATI graphics if Intel’s integrated offerings don’t do much for you. Check out some hands-on videos from Laptop Mag and Engadget after the break. The laptop should be out on January 17th with a starting price of $949. Read more

HP Mini 5102: Business Pine Trail netbook announced & reviewed

HP has announced the follow-up to its 10-inch Mini 5101 business netbook with the Intel Pine Trail enabled Mini 5102. As is denoted by the minor change in model number, the Mini 5102 looks largely the same as the 5101 with its sub 1-inch aluminum and magnesium chassis and 95 percent keyboard.

The 5102 comes with either a 1.66GHz N450 or 1.83GHz N470 Pineview Atom. Up to 2GB RAM is included and you also get a fast 7200RPM HDD (160/250/320GB) or SSD (80/128GB), Connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and Bluetooth. Read more

Jolicloud gets Nvidia ION support; 1080p HD video demoed

Jolicloud will be getting Nvidia ION netbook support in the very near future. This means the ability to play back 1080p high definition video content out of the box, certainly a very nice addition. There’s no word on exactly when it will be released but it can’t be too long now. Check out a video demonstration of this in action after the break. Read more

Toshiba NB305 Pine Trail netbook gets hands-on video

I have not seen any official announcement regarding the Toshiba NB300/NB305 netbook, but despite this Laptop Mag has come clean with some hands-on impressions of the Pine Trail netbook. In case you are wondering how it differs from the NB200/NB205, the NB300 has an 11-hour battery that is now flush with the chassis compared to its predecessor whose battery jutted out from the back.

If you were just having a quick glance you’d be forgiven for thinking they were the same device. The design has hardly changed at all, from the stripy textured lid to its chiclet keyboard and large touchpad. This isn’t an issue as we already felt that the NB200 is one of the finest looking netbooks on the market today. Read more

NorhTec’s AA battery-powered Gecko Edubook hands-on [Video]

The NorhTec Gecko Edubook is an 8.9-inch netbook that runs entirely on eight rechargeable AA batteries. Brad from Liliputing has some hands-on impressions of this interesting netbook. It is powered by a 1GHz Xcore86 processor that uses just 1.2W of power, indeed the whole netbook uses just 6.5W of power.

The Edubook has an 8.9-inch (1024 x 600) display and is a fanless device that can be run on either Windows or Linux. It comes with 512MB RAM and a 8GB flash drive. Other features include a card reader, three USB ports, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and a couple of audio jacks. The Gecko Edubook is designed for the educational market (hence the use of AA batteries) and is available for $199.95. You can check out a hands-on and unboxing video after the break. Read more

Acer Aspire 1820PTZ tablet gets first video impressions

The first impressions of the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire 1820PTZ convertible netbook are starting to roll in. VR-Zone forum user Denosha posted up a mini-review of the upcoming tablet and it seems like it will be worth the wait.

As you would expect, the 1820PTZ feels heavier than a normal netbook/ultra-thin of this size. The display has pressure sensitive finger & stylus support. When using it in pen mode, the display can enable palm rejection. The accelerometer worked well although it does take 1 – 3 seconds to rotate.

Denosha posted three videos of the 1820PTZ in action including a demonstration of its multi-touch capabilities with Microsoft Surface and an inking test in Microsoft Journal. He also posted a video showing the device booting up and how it transforms into a tablet. You can catch all three videos after the break. Read more

Dell preps fanless Pineview-powered Inspiron Mini 10 [Video]

Dell is preparing a redesigned Inspiron Mini 10 netbook using Intel’s new Pine Trail Atom platform. The new Inspiron Mini 10 will be powered by a 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor and will offer a slimmer chassis than its predecessor along with a 9.5-hour battery life.

Other changes include a textured palm rest and an integrated battery compartment. Two 6-cell batteries will be offered: the 56Whr battery should last for 8 hours and 44 minutes, whilst the 60WHr battery should last for 9 hours and 34 minutes. The integrated buttons within the touch pad remains and Dell has also has decided to remove multi-touch gesture support. Read more

Intel officially announces Pine Trail Atom platform [Video]

Intel has officially unveiled its next-generation Pine Trail Atom platform. This comprises the 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor for netbooks and 1.66GHz D410 & D510 (dual-core) Atom processors for nettops. Both will use the Intel NM10 Express Chipset. The first devices featuring Intel Pine Trail will be available from 4th January 2010.

The new 45nm platform is a two-chip solution that integrates graphics and memory controller into the processor. The benefits of doing so include a smaller footprint and lower power usage. Intel is quoting that netbooks should use 20 percent less power with a 60 percent package size reduction. Nettops should see even bigger gains with 50 percent less power usage and a 70 percent reduction in package size. Read more

Entourage Edge dual-screen Android e-reader gets video hands-on

The Entourage Edge is an interesting device that sports dual displays, one of them a 9.7-inch e-ink panel and the other a 10-inch TFT LCD. The Marvell-powered device is marketed as an e-reader, however its twin-display setup means its functionality can be much broader and I suspect used for some quasi netbook tasks.

Cnet’s Ina Fried spent some hands-on time with the Entourage Edge that runs on Android. You can move content between displays as well as launch apps from the desktop. However, the Edge is still a bit buggy and feels like a “first-generation product.” It’s expected to launch in February 2010 for $490. Check out the video after the jump. Read more

Kohjinsha DZ dual-screen netbook video review

The guys over at WOW-POW provided us with the first video unboxing of Kohjinsha’s DZ dual-screen netbook. They’ve followed this up with a three-part video review of this unique device. The Kohjinsha DZ netbook has two 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) displays which slide out so they can sit side-by-side.

In terms of the actual sliding mechanism, it appeared to work quite solidly with a sturdy hinge. When fully stretched, the display can wobble a bit due to the weight of the panels. Performance seems reasonable too with the 1.6GHz AMD Neo processor gaining a higher score than the 2GHz Z550 Atom. They are getting around 3 hours on the 6–cell battery.

You can check out all three videos after the break. The first video focuses on the dual-displays, the second video looks at the processor performance, whilst the last video looks at video & gaming performance as well as upgrading components. Read more

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