Windows 7 CULV-based ultra-thins now up for pre-order

As we approach the launch of Windows 7 this Thursday (October 22nd) a number of notebook manufacturers are making the switch over to the new OS. We’ve been drip-feeding Windows 7 devices over the past few weeks and a number of these Intel CULV-powered ultra-thins are now appearing for pre-order on Amazon.com.

After the break we have listed all of these, typically 11.6-inch Windows 7 devices, which are now up for pre-order. Most are due to land on October 22nd; Windows 7 launch day. There are a few notable Windows 7 absentees including the Samsung N510, Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P, and Lenovo Ideapad U150. Check out the list after the break. Read more

Samsung N130 now on sale in United States

The Samsung N130 10-inch netbook has already been on sale for a while in the UK. However, it is only just appearing in the US. Amazon.com has it on sale for $351, although Buy.com is cheaper at $329 – both have free shipping. The product page for the Samsung N130 is also live on the US site.

The N130 is a pretty normal netbook and has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) display, 1.6GHz N270 Atom and GMA 950 graphics. It also comes with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. Other features include a 0.3MP webcam, Wi-Fi (Draft-N) and 6-cell (4000mAh) battery. There’s no sign of the Samsung N140 right now, but it is expected to appear later this month. The N140 is similar to the N130, but has a higher capacity battery and stereo speakers.

Via Netbooked.

NbC: Samsung N510 netbook unboxed

The Samsung N510 is one of the first Nvidia ION-powered netbooks on the market. It has just seen its retail release in the UK, where it is selling for around the £400 mark. Whilst it is towards the top-end of netbook price-points, it is worth remembering that the Samsung N120 cost around £370 on launch. Not too bad considering that the Samsung N510 offers an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED-backlit display, ION chipset and 7-hour battery.

The much-anticipated Samsung N510 has landed at NbC HQ and we’ve promptly done an unboxing to show you what to expect inside the box. We would like to clarify that we have the UK SKU and it seems that Samsung has been kind to us. The UK model has a 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor and 5900mAh battery. This is an improvement over the mainland European version that is sold with the 1.6GHz N270 Atom and lower capacity 5200mAh battery. Read more

Samsung N510 product page now live

The Samsung N510 is already on sale in a few places including Italy, Germany and Hong Kong. It is expected to go on sale in the UK very shortly, with a number of UK e-tailers opening up pre-orders but no one actually shipping right now.

To gear up for the launch, Samsung has unveiled the official product page for the N510 netbook, which includes an official spec list. The interesting part is that it does look like the UK will get slightly beefier specs compared to mainland Europe. The N510 UK SKU will get the N280 Atom (Europe gets N270) and we believe that the 6-cell battery will be rated at 5900mAH, compared to 5200mAh for Europe.

Also, now that the N510 is already out in Europe, some users have been busy putting the ION-powered netbook through its paces. One such person is Fungus-T, who has ran a number of video tests (including gaming & HD video) to show off what it can do. Check out a selection of videos after the break. Read more

Samsung’s CULV-based X120 ultra-thin full specs unveiled

Details on the Samsung X120 CULV-powered 11.6-inch ultra-thin first appeared yesterday. Whilst the manual was already live, there was little detail in terms of exact specs. However, the Samsung X120 product page is now live on the Samsung website which reveals all.

The X120 comes with an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) glossy display and is powered by a 1.3GHz SU4100 ULV processor, GS45 chipset and 4500MD graphics. It ships with 2GB RAM, but it has 2 DIMM slots suggesting a maximum of 4GB RAM. Storage is catered for by a 250GB SATA HDD. Read more

Samsung intros new N130 & N140 netbooks; now shipping in UK

Samsung has officially announced two new entries to its ‘N’ netbook series. Both 10.1-inch models have very similar in specifications and looks. The official product page for the N130 & N140 is now live on the Samsung UK website. The manuals for both are also available (N130 here and N140 here).

The UK SKUs are both powered by the 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor and 945GSE chipset, and come with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. They have 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) matte displays and feature Wi-Fi (including Draft-N), webcam, 3-in-1 card reader, three USB ports and 6-cell batteries. Read more

Samsung X120: 11.6-inch CULV-based netbook

Samsung will shortly be launching a CULV-based mini-notebook. The Samsung X120 is an 11.6-inch CULV-based ultra-thin device. It will be powered by with an Intel Celeron 1.2GHz 723 processor, Intel 4500M integrated graphics and the Intel GS40 chipset.

The Samsung X120 has a 250GB HDD and fast 2GB DDR3 RAM. It will come with Windows Vista Home Premium and weigh 1.36kg. According to NotebookSpot.nl, the Samsung X120 will cost €550. The manual is already available to download here.

Via Fudzilla.

Samsung N510: 3D graphics tested with Doom 3 [Video]

Samsung’s ION-powered N510 netbook should bring a new level of 3D graphics performance compared to current netbooks. For those wondering just how well it fares with games then it may be worth checking out the video below. It showcases how playable Doom 3 is on the N510.

The Doom3 timedemo was first played at a 640×480 resolution where a FPS of 18 was achieved. Cranking the resolution up to 1024×768 lowered the FPS to 16. Whilst this may seem disappointing, it is worth pointing out that Doom 3 was one of the most graphical intensive games back in 2004. Yes, it may be 5 years old but it can still be relatively demanding on low-end desktop PCs.

HD YouTube performance was also tested and played fine apart from in full-screen mode (hardly surprising). However, the content played fine when downloading the file and playing it through VLC. Check out the Doom 3 video after the jump. Read more

Samsung N310 gets improved specs in Singapore

The Samsung N310 netbook is known for its fashionable design, chiclet keyboard and flush glass display. The UK version only comes with a 4-cell battery and we already know that the US version, the Samsung Go, comes with a 6-cell battery that should last for 8.5 hours.

It now looks like Singapore has an even improved SKU. The Samsung N310 is listed with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor and draft-n Wi-Fi, whereas the western versions come with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom and b/g Wi-Fi.

Via Netbooked [via Sammy Netbook].

Samsung N510 now shipping in Europe; first unboxing pics appear

Samsung’s ION-powered N510 netbook is now shipping in parts of mainland Europe. This concurs with the news we received yesterday that Samsung will be shipping the 11.6-inch N510 with Windows XP and won’t be waiting for Windows 7, unlike the US. Italian retailer MediaWorld has the Samsung N510 in stock right now for €499. It is also shipping in Germany.

We don’t know whether different SKUS are planned for the mainland European and UK market, but all of the ones appearing in mainland Europe come with the 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU. This contrasts to the UK SKU (NP-N510-KA02UK) being listed with the 1.66GHz N280 Atom. The UK SKU is also meant to have a 5900mAh 6-cell battery compared to the 5200mAh battery found in the European SKUs. This could be a mistake but we’ll only find out for sure when it releases here in a few weeks time.

NetbookNews.de managed to get hold of the first N510 unboxing pictures via reader, Joerg Ingenbrand. There are a number of pictures of the device itself and also compared against the company’s best-selling 10-inch NC10 netbook. It is nice to see the N510 sporting a matte display and it’s nice to see a bigger touchpad too. Sometimes, despite having a bigger chassis, manufacturers don’t actually increase keyboard/touchpad sizes that much. Check out some of the unboxing pictures after the break. Read more

Samsung delaying ION-powered N510 until Windows 7 launch?

We heard yesterday that Lenovo will not be launching its ION-powered Lenovo Ideapad S12 until after Windows 7 has been released. This left a clear road for Samsung to be first on the market with their N510 ION-powered netbook. However, according to Laptop Mag, the 11.6-inch N510 may also be delayed so that Samsung can ship it with Windows 7.

I’m not sure if the release will be delayed worldwide or just in the United States. But from our sources, a number of retailers are still looking to launch the N510 at the beginning of next month. It will be a shame if the launch were delayed, especially as a wait for Windows 7 may mean a higher price point.

Samsung is planning on shipping the N510 with the ION LE platform and Windows XP. They may have decided that they will deliver a better experience by shipping it with Windows 7 instead and using the full ION platform that is DX10 compatible. Hopefully, all will be revealed shortly.

Update: We have heard from a reliable source that the Samsung N510 will indeed be shipping in Europe with Windows XP. However, this model will be stopped when Windows 7 is released. Whether that means it will then simply ship with Windows 7 or a change of specs is not known right now.

Samsung N510 manual live; ION LE confirmed

The manual for Samsung’s ION-powered N510 11.6-inch netbook has now appeared on the official website. With a release date expected at the beginning of September, the manual’s release is certainly timely.

We’ve been pouring through all of the pages to find out any new information. Whilst the specifications page doesn’t list detailed specs, it does give the first confirmation that the N510 will be running on the DX9-compatiible ION LE platform, rather than the DX10-compatible ION. In real world results, I’m not sure whether this will make too much difference, but it’s worth pointing out. We also know that it will be using the nVidia MCP79-D9 chipset. Read more

Samsung & LG to see strong netbook growth in 2010

Both Samsung & LG will see strong netbook volume growth during 2010 according to industry sources. Shipments are forecast to reach around seven million units, this compares to the 12 – 15 million units that is projected for Acer, one of the leading netbook manufacturers.

Part of this growth is expected to come from the companies close ties with telecom operators. Both companies already manufacture their own handsets as well as netbooks. Bundling subsidised netbooks with data contracts is already big business, but the choice of devices offered is expected to grow.

Via Digitimes.

Samsung ND10: An OS-less NC10 [Video]

The guys over at NetbookNews spotted a Samsung ND10 netbook model on a trip to China. For those wondering how this particular model differs from the best-selling NC10, the answer is not much.

In fact the only difference appears to be that the ND10 does not come with an operating system and therefore is around $50 cheaper. This is great if you wanted to stick your own Linux distro on it without paying the ‘Windows tax’. It’s unlikely to make an appearance outside of China though. Check out the hands-on video after the jump. Read more

Samsung N510: UK price, launch date & battery life unveiled

We have received word from a reliable source that Samsung’s ION-powered N510 11.6-inch netbook will be available to buy in UK retail from the first week of September. We can also reveal that the recommended retail price in the UK will be £449. This seems right when placed against the rumoured European price of €499 and US price of $599.

We have also seen the full specification list of the UK N510 SKU. For those worried about battery life, then fear not. The Samsung N510 will be shipping with a 6-cell 5900mAh battery that should be good for 7.5 hours of use according to the company. The netbook will come with a HDMI port and a chargeable USB port. The whole thing will weigh 1.46kg.

There has been some speculation whether or not the N510 will use ION LE, which uses a DirectX9 GPU instead of the DirectX10 compatible 9400M (ION) chip. From the information we have received, the Samsung N510 will be using the ION platform and not ION LE. You can check out the specs after the break. Read more

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