Details of AMD’s Bobcat netbook processors emerge

AMD already outlined its plans to enter the netbook processor market during an analyst day last November. As a quick reminder, the company introduced two new processor cores codenamed Bulldozer and Bobcat for release in 2011. Bulldozer is designed for desktops & servers, whilst Bobcat is targeted at ultra-thin notebooks. However, netbooks will also be targeted for the first time within the Bobcat family.

We knew that Bobcat was being designed with power efficiency in mind and AMD’s chief marketing officer, Nigel Dessau, recently said that the netbook chip will run with a similar TDP to the Intel Atom (10W-15W) and “it will have a good processor integrated with graphics, so you won’t need the [Nvidia] Ion graphics to give it half-decent performance.” Read more

JooJoo gets UI makeover, new colour & fully working Flash playback

We recently heard that the 12.1-inch capacitive JooJoo tablet had been delayed to the end of this month and it seems that Fusion Garage has been putting this time to good use. A number of improvements to the device have been made including a new user interface, improved text entry, fully working Flash video and even a change of colour casing from black to champagne.

The homescreen now has an icon grid that sits over customisable wallpaper. A vertical swipe reveals a status bar housing the home button, status indicators, navigation controls, and search. Two scroll gestures have also now been implemented. This includes a two-finger scroll (much like a scroll wheel) and a single finger “pan” that functions much like a mouse arrow. Read more

Acer Aspire One 752 ultra-thin gets European pricing

Pricing details for the Acer Aspire One 752 CULV-based ultra-thin are starting to come through. Notebook Italia is reporting that there will be two configurations using the 1.3GHz Intel Celeron 743 processor. The AAO 752-742w in white costs €449, whilst the black AAO 752-742Gk will cost €549 but comes with integrated 3G.

The AAO 752 has an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) ultra-thin device supporting up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 320GB HDD. It measures just 22m in thickness and weighs 1.40kg. It comes with a full-size Acer FineTip keyboard and multi-gesture touchpad. You’ll also find a HDMI and VGA/LAN ports that are placed in the back corners of the body. Other features include Wi-Fi, webcam, Dolby-optimised audio and optional Bluetooth 2.1/integrated 3G. The battery is quoted to last for around 5 hours. Check out the full specs of both SKUs after the break. Read more

ARM expects 50 tablet devices due in 2010

The impending release of the Apple iPad tablet will cause a rush to market of similar devices says ARM. The company expects that it will see ARM-powered 50 tablet devices launching globally this year. Not surprising, considering that this years CES and CeBIT were swamped with tablet devices of one form or another.

This is set to continue at the Computex show in Taipei in June, with ARM renting more space than last year to show off various mobile devices including tablets, smartbooks and e-readers. “The first tablet devices will launch in the second quarter by [mobile network] carriers,” said Roy Chen, ARM’s worldwide mobile computing ODM manager. “You’ll see a lot more in the third quarter.” Read more

Pioneer DreamBook Lite: 12-inch netbook with next-gen ION

Australian company, Pioneer Computers, has released a new 12.1-inch netbook that sports next-generation ION. The ‘DreamBook Lite U12 ION2’ has a number of configuration options for either the 1.66GHz N450 or 1.83GHz N470 Atom processor and comes with a 12.1-inch (1366 x 768) display and 10 hour runtime from the optional 6-cell battery.

Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), HDMI, three USB ports, 1.3MP webcam, and supports a number of different operating systems including Windows XP/Vista/7 and Ubuntu 9.10. No sign of seeing this turn up in Europe, but if you’re interested you can check out the full specs after the break. Read more

MSI Wind12 U230 AMD-powered netbook finally shipping in US

MSI’s 12-inch Wind12 U230 netbook has started to ship in the US, four months after being officially announced. Two AMD-powered models are shipping. The Wind12 U230-033 comes with an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor and 250GB HDD, whilst the U230-040 comes with the dual-core Athlon X2 L335 processor and 320GB HDD.

Both models come with a 12.1-inch (1366 x 768) display , 2GB RAM, W7 Home Premium, ATI Radeon and HD3200 graphics. Other features include a 1.3MP webcam, 6-cell battery, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), HDMI and a card reader. Both models are available now from Newegg, the base model comes in at $429.99 whilst the dual-core version will set you back $50 extra.

HP Slate gets hardware-accelerated Flash? [Video]

The HP Slate tablet is an enigma in many ways. Ever since Steve Ballmer showed it off at CES earlier this year, it’s only appeared in a few videos with most of the hard information still under wraps. Anyway, whilst we wait, a couple of new videos give us more insight into its functionality.

The first, from Adobe, shows off the HP Slate’s Flash and Air capabilities in Windows 7. Engadget highlights that the Slate is hardware accelerated, which could mean it comes with a Broadcom Crystal HD card or going further, it might even have an ION chip inside. HP has also posted another marketing video. You can check out both after the jump. Read more

Asus confirms Eee PC 1005PR with Broadcom Crystal HD

The official product page for the Asus Eee PC 1005PR netbook has now gone live. It confirms the specifications we previously saw, including a Broadcom Crystal HD media accelerator card out of the box. This means 1080p video content will be playable out of the box on the netbooks high resolution (1366 x 768) 10-inch display.

Apart from that the specs shouldn’t differ from other Eee PC 1005P netbooks including a 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), 0.3MP webcam and three USB ports. Pricing is still unknown, but further details should be expected close to its April launch. The full specs are included after the break. Read more

Intel planning dual-core Atom processor targeted for netbooks?

Intel may be working on a dual-core Atom processor specifically for netbooks according to French site PC Inpact. This would be a departure from the current situation where all netbook Atom chips are single core and select desktop Atom parts are dual-core, like the 1.66GHz Atom D510 Pine Trail processor.

The site says that these new dual-core chips will use the Atom N500 naming structure, although the exact model names are unknown right now (if they exist at all). This would be great news if true, although I wouldn’t hold your breath. Any such chip would surely potentially eat into Intel’s higher-margin ULV line-up. Read more

Acer prepping ultra-thin with touchscreen keyboard and glass lid?

Acer is getting ready to launch a new type of ultra-thin notebook that promises to be one of the thinnest around. It will feature a frameless display and touchscreen keyboard. The lid will be made from the back of the display panel’s glass substrate according to Digitimes.

Doesn’t sound too safe to us, but apparently the company is planning on using Corning’s reinforced glass substrate and print a colour on the back allowing it to be used as a traditional lid found in normal notebooks. The move is being made to reduce thickness and material costs. If this thing ever comes to fruition it is rumoured to launch in H2 2010.

Via Engadget.

LG X300 ultra slim hits the streets later this month

The super-skinny LG X300 that boasts an 11.6-inch display will be launching in selected regions in March according to an official press release. Europe and US are out of the equation for now, the only regions mentioned are Asia, Middle East and South America for an undisclosed price.

The LG X300 won’t come cheap, it measures just 17.5mm in thickness and weighs only 970g. It eschews a bezel and comes with a fancy reflective keyboard and borderless touchpad. It will be available in both shiny white and light brown colours. Read more

DIY Pixel Qi screen kits due in June 2010

Mary Lou Jepsen has confirmed over on her blog that Pixel Qi will be shipping do-it-yourself screen kits for their 3Qi hybrid displays at the end of Q2 2010, meaning a likely June launch date. She rightfully says that many people do not realise how easy it is to change their display, going on to say that it’s only slightly more difficult than changing a bulb.

“It’s basically 6 screws, pulling off a bezel, unconnecting the old screen and plugging this one in. That’s it. It’s a 5 minute operation”, says Jepsen. Pricing and netbook compatibility remains a mystery for now.

Fujitsu LifeBook UH900 reviewed – positives outweigh negatives

The Fujitsu LifeBook UH900 is one of the more powerful 5.6-inch UMPCs on the market that comes with options for a 2.0GHz Intel Atom processor, Windows 7, 2GB RAM and a SSD. Jenn from Pocketables has been reviewing one for the last few weeks and found the UH900 to be a joy to use overall.

Getting the negative points out of the way first, the UH900 had quite poor battery life (2.0 to 2.5 hours of web browsing over Wi-Fi) from its 2-cell 1800mAh battery. Build quality also felt ‘toy like’ and the multitouch felt more to be a gimmick than of any real use. Read more

Samsung Go N315 Pine Trail netbook outed

The Samsung Go N310 was one of the more striking netbook designs from Samsung with its bold coloured lid, large embossed Samsung logo, flush glossy display and chiclet keyboard. Samsung is set to launch a Pine Trail update with the Samsung Go N315 according to the official Samsung US site.

The Samsung Go N315 has a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) matte display powered by a 1.66GHz N450 Atom Pineview processor, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter. Other features include a 1.3MP webcam, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), three USB ports and a 4-cell battery good for 4.5 hours of runtime. It also comes with The New York Times newsreader application. Amazon already has pre-orders up for $429. Check out the full list of specs after the jump. Read more

Microsoft Courier details leak: Dual-screen Tegra 2 ‘Digital Journal’

Details on Microsoft’s Courier device has been under tight wraps since the first rumours started to appear. Now Engadget has managed to get a whole host of details from a trusted source. Apparently the dual-screen device will function as a “digital journal” and will be less than an inch thick and around the size of a 5×7” photo when closed.

The Courier will feature the Tegra 2 chipset and the same operating system as the recently announced Windows Mobile 7 series i.e. Windows CE 6. Other hardware features include a built-in camera and headphone jack. The UI will be pen-based and will focus on drawing and writing. There’s no suggestion on pricing but the release date is said to be at some point in H2 2010.

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