Broadcom’s Crystal HD Media Accelerator gets video demo
July 10, 2009 at 3:40 pm
There have been many questions surrounding the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, which gives you the ability to watch 1080p HD content on your lowly Atom-based netbook. The HP Mini 110 XP is one of the first netbooks that uses this Crystal HD solution and more are planned in the future.
Broadcom has given a video demonstration of this technology in action. Naren Sankar from Broadcom’s Consumer Electronics Group, placed two 10-inch netbooks side-by-side. One HP Mini 110 XP (with Crystal HD) and a Lenovo S10 to the right of it. He played a 1080p h.264 video file on both and noted the differences. Read more
HP Mini 110 XP gets HD screen & Broadcom video acceleration
July 8, 2009 at 6:28 pm
The HP Mini 110 netbook was promised a number of optional upgrades this month and right on cue, these options are now available. First off, you can now opt for a high resolution 10.1-inch screen for an additional $30. This will bump up the resolution from 1024 x 576 pixels to 1366 x 768 pixels.
You may want to pair this with the Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator, which will cost an extra $30. This card should allow smooth playback of HD video content. However, you will have to use this with the bundled ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre software to take advantage of the video acceleration. TotalMedia Theatre will give you access to MKV, MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV and TS/M2TS files. Read more
HP Mini 110 video unboxing
June 30, 2009 at 10:56 pm
The recently announced HP Mini 110 netbook was launched to replace the older Mini 1000 series. Tech65 managed to win a Mini 110 in a competition and went on to shoot an unboxing video. The SKU that Daniel from Tech65 unboxed was powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. It also came with a 5-in-1 card reader , Wi-Fi (b/g) and 3-cell battery.
The Mini 110 comes with HP’s usual mouse button placement on either side of the touchpad and I also noticed that it sports a wireless switch and only one audio jack (headphone, no mic). The video is attached after the jump, along with another that shows how HP’s new Syncables software works. As the name suggests, this software allows you to sync files between the netbook and desktop. Read more
HP Mini 5101 – the ultimate business netbook?
June 24, 2009 at 1:19 pm
HP has unleashed its latest netbook, the HP Mini 5101. This model is the successor to the Mini 2140 which is currently being phased out and it looks like a very worth update. As with the Mini 2140, the Mini 5101 netbook is targeted to business users.
The Mini 5101 moves away from the plastics that adorn most netbooks and instead uses anodized aluminium that surrounds the display and a magnesium alloy chassis. The result is a design that some may describe as bland, but personally I’m quite fond of it. Maybe that’s because it is all black and reminds me quite a bit of the Lenovo Thinkpad. Read more
A closer look at the HP Compaq 110c netbook [Video]
June 23, 2009 at 3:50 pm
The HP Compaq 110c netbook is the European equivalent of the HP Mini 110 that is sold in the US. The Compaq 110c is almost exactly the same as the Mini 110, it mainly differs in having a high-gloss ‘infinity’ imprint finish, which compares to the swirl design of the Mini 110. You’ll also find the ‘Q’ logo on the lid that might not be to everyone’s tastes.
Notebook Italia has gone hands-on with the Compaq 110c (110c-1020SL). This particular version comes with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, although we know a 1.66GHZ N280 version is also planned. It comes with a 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) LED backlit display. The BrightView display uses a high-gloss and anti-reflective LCD screen technology.
The other specifications are pretty standard far and include 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD, we’ve included a list of the full technical specifications after the jump. This particular model goes on sale from the beginning of next month in Italy at a price of €299. It should hit the in August from £279. We’ve attached a video of the 110c from Notebook Italia after the break, where they give a tour of the model. Read more
Acer, HP and Lenovo planning 12-inch multi-touch mini-notebooks?
June 19, 2009 at 10:53 am
There is no doubt that a number of manufacturers are planning to release touchscreen netbooks/notebooks in the fourth quarter, coinciding with the Windows 7 launch. From previous reports, we have heard that a number of panel manufacturers will ramp up production in the second-half of the year.
We are now hearing that Cando, which is a subsidiary of AU Optronics, has landed an order to supply 12.1-inch capacitive multi-touch panels to Acer, HP and Lenovo. According to Digitimes, these panels will start to ship in August, which could mean a year-end launch date for some of these models, although a H1 2010 release is more likely. Cando is the first touch panel manufacturer to receive certification or Windows 7 compatibility.
In related news, EETI (Egalax_empia Technology) is pushing for Windows 7 certification for 10.1-inch and 11.6-inch touch-panels. It is currently sampling touch panels based on analogue matrix resistive (AMR) and projective capacitive technology. The focus for Windows 7 netbooks and mini-notebooks will be on display sizes between 10 to 12-inch screens. It sees Windows 7 certification as a big driver to gain orders.
HP planning to release a smartbook later this year?
June 13, 2009 at 11:35 pm
The smartbook term has quickly caught on, despite only being conceived a matter of weeks ago. It refers to a new breed of ultraportables powered by ARM-based chips that are always connected to the internet and have long battery lives. We saw a number of smartbooks at Computex but most were from ODMs, apart from a Snapdragon-powered Eee PC.
Now, according to Collins Stewart analyst Ashok Kumar, Hewlett-Packard is looking to launch a smartbook later this year powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. The report claims that this will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics. In response to this rumour, HP told TheStreet.com: “We don’t comment on rumours or products that may or may not be under way.”
If true, HP would be the first major vendor to embrace smartbooks. This segment could become very big and may become a thorn in Intel’s side. I can’t see these big players selling smartbooks exclusively, but they may start to cannibalise netbook sales just as netbooks did to laptops. My view is that smartbooks will be offered more by telecom operators on subsidised contracts, rather than sold directly to the end-consumer. Despite this I can’t see Intel being happy by such a move and it would be interesting to see how they respond.
Via Liliputing.
Sony Vaio P coming to T-Mobile Germany
March 7, 2009 at 2:03 pm
The trend of mobile phone operators offering netbooks on subsidised contracts continues to grow apace. Now T-Mobile Germany is offering the Sony Vaio P (VGN-P11Z) for 599 Euros on a two-year Web’n’Walk contract. This is an upfront saving of 400 Euros on the current retail cost of the entry-level Vaio P (1.33GHz Atom CPU, 2GB RAM, 60GB HDD, Vista Home Premium) is 999 Euros. The first shipments are expected in April. So far there is no word whether this will appear in the other countries/mobile phone operators. T-Mobile UK currently only offers the Asus Eee PC 904HD netbook.
In other news, HP has announced a three-year deal with mobile operator, Orange, to distribute 3G-enabled HP netbooks/laptops in Europe. The first European countries to be offered subsidised netbooks will be UK, Austria, Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland. The first netbook to be offered will be the HP Mini 1000.
Via Pocketables.
Recent Comments