Amazon offers exclusive Asus Eee PC 1005PE with matte lid

Amazon.com is currently selling an exclusive version of the Eee PC 1005PE (1005PE-PU27) that comes with a Soft-Touch black matte lid. The new material is soft and smooth to the touch that Asus says is a “pleasant tactile experience”.

We’re not a fan of glossy lids here at NbC, in some ways they are worse than glossy displays in that they can make even a new netbook look very old once covered with fingerprint marks. The new model is now shipping in the US for $354.22.

Via NetbookReviews.net.

Sharp IS01: 5-inch Android clamshell smartbook

Sharp is prepping the IS01 Android smartbook in Japan that will be offered by Japan’s number mobile carrier called KDDI. The 5-inch clamshell device will be powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 1.6 and seems more akin to a smartphone rather than a smartbook in the traditional sense.

The 5-inch capacitive display has a 960 x 480 resolution and comes with a QWERTY keyboard, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 and 4GB of storage. The Sharp IS01 will ship in Japan at the beginning of June and so far it’s not known if it will appear in other regions. Click through for the specs. Read more

Apple iPad pre-orders start to ship; hits Best Buy on April 3

Good news for those customers who have pre-ordered iPads, apparently shipping notifications were sent out to some customers today. The iPads are shipping directly from China (as per usual) and no delivery dates are yet entered into the system, however it’s unlikely they’ll hit consumer’s hands before the official launch day (Saturday 3 April).

For new customers looking to pre-order, you’ll have to wait a little longer as they won’t ship until April 12. You could just wait in line at Apple retail stores on April 3 or another option is Best Buy that will stock the iPad in certain stores and will not be sold online. You’ll have to be quick though as rumour has it that only 15 will be available per store on launch day.

Update: Apple has also released some guided tour videos that explores the different functionality within the iPad. You can check out the videos over on the official site here.

Via TechCrunch.

NbC: MSI Wind U135 Review

The MSI Wind U135 netbook is interesting for a number of reasons. It is one of the company’s first Intel Pine Trail offerings, it moves away from the usual bland MSI Wind design, it’s reasonably fully featured in terms of specifications, provides good battery life and, best of all, is priced at a reasonable price point.

We have put the Wind U135 netbook through its paces and overall we were left with positive impressions. Yes, we did find a few niggles, but couldn’t complain too much given its keen pricing at £280. Click through for our in depth review, along with our customary performance and battery tests. Read more

MSI Wind12 U250 spotted: 12-inch dual-core netbook

It looks like MSI will soon be launching the 12-inch Wind12 U250 netbook that follows the U210 and U230 AMD-powered devices. The Wind12 U250 was spotted on the ENERGY STAR website along with some unveiled specs.

The model will come with an unspecified dual-core 1.3GHz processor, up to 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD. System power in idle is quoted as 10.61W suggesting it will be an AMD processor as it’s higher than typical CULV power consumption. It will come with dedicated graphics (ATi Radeon 3200?) with 512MB memory. Hopefully some more definitive information will be released shortly. Read more

Jolicloud’s new desktop mode goes live

Jolicloud is now rolling out its desktop mode switcher that allows you to view the OS more suited to a desktop environment. If the screen is bigger than 11-inches, the desktop mode will be enabled by default.

Apps can now be organised just how you want in this new mode. To upgrade to the new version just hit “Update All” from the Preferences menu.

Lenovo Thinkpad Mini 10 netbook caught in the wild [Video]

The rumoured Lenovo Thinkpad Mini 10 netbook looks like a reality. The 10-inch N450 Atom powered netbook is currently being rolled out to 60,000 students across Australia. In addition the device comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, a spill-resistant keyboard and HDD protection.

It looks like the Thinkpad Mini 10 uses the same chassis as the X100e, hence the huge bezel surrounding the 10.1-inch (1280 x 720) display. The big question is whether Lenovo plans to release this model into retail, or whether it will only be targeted to schools. Check out some photos and a video of the device after the break. Read more

Asus Eee PC T101MT hits UK in April for £325

The Asus Eee PC T101MT convertible netbook is finally getting closer to a release date. Asus UK has not confirmed pricing but it is listed on several retailer sites for around the £325 mark with a launch on April 12. This particular model will get you a 1.66GHz N450 Atom CPU, 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD, W7HP and a 6.5 hour battery.

The same model will be hitting mainland Europe for €499 according to EeePC.it, somewhat higher than the direct conversion of the above price. The US version will also be landing in early April for $499 according to Liliputing, although it’s unclear what specs this will come with. It is believed this model may only come with 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD and W7 Starter.

Asus gives Eee netbooks some USB 3.0 love

Asus has put a press release stating how it is leading the way with USB 3.0 integration and that its implementation outstrips its peers by as much as 74.38% (to two decimal places so it must be true!)

The first Eee PC netbooks to come with USB 3.0 integrated are the 1018/1015/1016 models that were recently announced at CeBIT. It’s unknown whether we’ll start to see this on all future Eee netbook models or just the more premium devices. My guess is if they’re taking it this seriously then USB 3.0 is likely to hit all models going forward.

Intel AppUp Beta hits Europe on March 31 with Moblin support

Intel’s application store called AppUp Center has been available in the US and Canada but has remained closed to European consumers. However, this is expected to change from March 31.

Intel has said that the AppUp Beta will be available in 27 countries on that date. It will display application prices in local currencies but language localisation will arrive at some point later. It also announced that it will include support for Moblin v2.1 applications in addition to existing support for Windows-based netbooks. Read more

LG X140 passes through FCC, specs revealed

The LG X140 netbook was recently spotted in the wild along with some preliminary specs, however it has now passed through the FCC revealing much beefier hardware. According to the pictures, the LG X140 will sport a 10.1-inch HD display powered by a 1.83GHz N470 Atom processor, 2GB RAM and 320GB HDD.

Other features include a 9-cell battery, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth and Windows 7 Starter. No availability or price details right now but it can’t be too long now before we start to hear something official. Read more

JooJoo tablet now shipping; first deliveries on March 29

After a short delay, the JooJoo tablet with 12-inch capacitive display has finally started to ship. The people that have been pre-ordering the device since last December will get their shipments first with deliveries expected by March 29. I imagine that new orders will ship soon thereafter.

This is a day that I’m sure many didn’t expect to see, especially with all the legal wranglings with former partner TechCrunch. It’s good to see them getting out of the gate before the iPad behemoth devours all. Read more

Lenovo Skylight smartbook hands-on impressions

It has been almost two months since we last saw any news on the Lenovo Skylight. The smartbook was announced at CES in early January and comes with an unusual clamshell design boasting a super-slim chassis, 10.1-inch HD display and 1GHZ Snapdragon processor.

Darryl Kang from DK.sg has had a few days of playtime with a pre-production Skylight. He was impressed that the keyboard and touchpad had not been compromised in terms of size, with the keyboard proving comfortable to type on. The touchpad has integrated left/right buttons that don’t appear to everyone’s taste. Read more

LG X300 super thin ultraportable in video hands-on

The LG X300 is one of the thinnest 11.6-inch ultraportable’s around. It measures just 17.5mm in thickness and weighs only 970g. Engadget has managed to get some hands-on time with the X300 and felt that it was more akin to holding an e-reader rather than a laptop.

Build quality seems solid, despite the plastic construction. The screen was bright although a bit too glossy. The keyboard has no flex, but there are concerns over the touchpad and the click mechanism, despite it being quite large overall.

It is expected to hit some regions by the end of the month (not including Europe or the US) although pricing still remains a mystery (we can guarantee it won’t be cheap though!) Check out the hands-on video after the cut. Read more

Microsoft confirms dual-screen Courier is on the horizon?

The Microsoft Courier is rumoured to be a dual-screen device powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset. Supposed pictures of the Courier were leaked at the beginning of the month, although Microsoft has stayed quiet on its existence.

However, in the first sign from Microsoft that this thing even exists appeared on the Microsoft Careers JobsBlog page. A post on the site about innovation inadvertently mentioned “the upcoming Courier digital journal” when talking about other MS tech including Natal, Windows phone 7 and IE9. The reference as since been deleted, but you can catch a screencap of the evidence after the cut. Read more

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