Thursday, December 31, 2009

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

  • Sasmung N130-13B 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N270, Win XP for $279.95 + free shippingBuy.com
  • Refurbished Sony VAIO Atom 1.33GHz 8″ Netbook for $599 + free shippingRCS via Buy.com
  • Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Atom 1.6GHz 10″ Netbook for $259 + free shippingJ&R
  • MSI U100-869US 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N270, Win XP, 3 cell battery for $249.99SuperBiiz (coupon: SHINE0530)
  • Asus Eee PC 1005HA 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N270, Win XP for $259.99SuperBiiz (coupon: SHINE0530)

Accessories

  • Kingston DataTraveler 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $9 + free shipping - eBay Daily Deals
  • 11.6″ rooCase netbook sleeve for Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T for $14.95 + $7.60 shippingPC Micro Store/Amazon
  • Kingston 4GB SDHC card twin pack for $19.49 + free shippingBuy.com
  • 10″ Case Logicneoprene netbook sleeve for $12.99 – $14.99 Amazon
  • Kingston 8GB DataTraveler 112 USB Flash Drive for $18.99 + free shippingBuy.com

You can find more deals on netbooks, gadgets, and accessories in the Liliputing Deals section.

Post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Acer Aspire One 532H Shows Up in High-Res Photos

Netbooknews.de is running some great high-res photos of the new Acer Aspire One 532H.  And boy the netbook looks really nice. But aside from the good looks, what makes this Acer netbook special is the fact that it will be Acer's first netbook with Intel's Pine Trail platform to be released hopefully next week.

Features of the Acer Aspire One 532H include a 10-inch display of course, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of HDD, 1.66GHz Atom 450 CPU, and Windows 7 OS. If you want to bump up its storage, you can opt to upgrade to 250GB HDD.

Another interesting feature of the Acer Aspire One 532H is its more stylized exterior and a larger keyboard and trackpad.

The Acer Aspire One 532H is more likely to be sold for around $430 to $480.

Here are some more photos:

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Acer Aspire One 532H Shows Up in High-Res Photos

Ion King 2: Netbook's Pride

We already covered LaptopMag's take on this and now Engadget releases their own comparison between the four Ion netbooks in the market and reveal the pound-for-pound winner for the top spot.

The results are pretty much the same, with the Asus Eee Pc 1201N leading the pack. Hit the link below to get the full scoop on this netbook challenge

via engadget

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Ion King 2: Netbook's Pride

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 specs leaked by Chinese retailer?

Yesky.com

Chinese retailer Yesky has posted a product listing for an as-yet unannounced netbook from Lenovo called the IdeaPad S10-3. You know, the same model number as the new Lenovo netbook listed at the FCC web site.

The picture on the Yesky page seems to show an older Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2, not the new model. But the specs describe the S10-3 as having a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, GMA 3150 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Windows 7, GPS, and a 3G modem.

No word on the price yet.

via Netbook News.de

Post from: Liliputing

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 specs leaked by Chinese retailer?

Sylvania to sell Foxconn netbooks

Remember those Foxconn netbooks that popped up at the FCC a while back? It looks like those will be selling under Sylvania's netbook brand which also carries rebranded MSI Wind U100 netbooks. There's no word if the netbooks will also come with FoxOS, Foxconn's own Linux remix, for these netbooks.

source FCC via wireless goodness

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Sylvania to sell Foxconn netbooks

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

MSI To Show Off Wind & U160 Netbooks At CES 2010

We've got about a week left before the January 7 Vegas Consumer Electronics Show 2010, where the latest  netbooks and more will be shown off by all the top retailers. MSI has already released a few tidbits about its upcoming U-series netbooks – the iF Product Design Award winning Wind U160 and the U135, another Wind netbook.

The most information has been released about the MSI Wind U135, which comes with a 1024 x 600 pixel 10-inch LED screen and in four different colors: Trendy Blue, Refined Silver, Cherry Red, and Wind Dancer Black. It will feature a redesigned chiclet keyboard with Color Film Print coating on the exterior, offering "the U135 scratch-resistant and anti-wear properties that keep it looking new after a long period of use… [giving] the entire exterior a sparkling and high quality feel."

It sounds like a pretty machine, and we've only a few more days to wait before we can see what MSI really means to bring to the table in 2010. Get excited.

Via LegitReviews.

Netbook Growth in 2010 to Slow Down

Display Search is forecasting that netbook sales will finally slow down in 2010. This will be brought about by the influx of cheaper ULV laptops.  The prediction was made amidst the predicted 33.3 million netbook units to be sold by end of 2009. This is a 103% increase in year-over-year growth for the overall netbook market.

The report was part of Display Search's Dec. 22 "Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report" which also mentioned that total revenue for the netbook market in 2009 is around $11.4 billion, a year-over-year growth rate of 72% in revenue and 103% in shipments.

Of course we all know that the reason for this is the netbook's relatively cheaper price compared to traditional notebooks and laptops.

So the only thing that could probably spoil than fun is when traditional laptops become relatively cheaper as well.  And that is what Display Search is predicting to happen in 2010.

Via

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Netbook Growth in 2010 to Slow Down

Meet the Samsung N220 Pine Trail powered netbook

I haven't heard anything from Samsung about any new or upcoming netbooks with Intel Atom Pine Trail processors. But French retailer Rue de Commerce is selling a new model called the Samsung N220 which appears to be an updated version of the Samsung N140. The main difference? the new model has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor.

Here's a rundown of the specs:

  • CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450
  • Display: 10.1″ non-glossy 1024 x 600 pixel screen
  • Memory: 1GB
  • Storage: 250GB
  • OS: Windows 7 Starter Edition
  • Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, Ethernet
  • I/O: 3 USB, VGA, mic, headphone, SDHC card slot
  • Battery: 6 cell, 5900mAh battery with up to 11.5 hours of run time
  • Dimensions: 10.4″ x 7.4″ x 1.4″
  • Weight: 2.9 pounds
  • Price: 349 Euros in France (about $503 US, although it will likely sell for less in the States)

The standout feature for me isn't the CPU so much as the 11.5 hour battery life claim. Of course, it's the new low power CPU that makes this possible, but I'll be very curious to see how long this computer can run under real-world conditions. According to the spec sheet, it should get about 7.5 hours of run time while playing videos, which leads me to believe that you'll actually get somewhere between 7 and 11 hours in most situations. That ain't too shabby… if it's true.

More pictures after the break.

via Netbook 3G

Post from: Liliputing

Meet the Samsung N220 Pine Trail powered netbook

Hands-On: NorhTec Gecko, An AA-Powered Netbook

If you remember way back at the start, the netbook revolution was started to provide a cheap portable computer for education to impoverished nations. This was the thinking of the OLPC project and other similar cheap netbooks aimed at primary and secondary level students. While the OLPC seems less successful than planned, Norhtec might be able to break into this market with their new netbook.

We've covered the Norhtec Gecko before (you can go to the link for the specs) and Brad over at liliputing has a video of an actual unit for a hands-on and unboxing. Here are some of his observations coupled with my comments:

  • The netbook runs on 8 rechargeable AA batteries as well as lithium battery packs that are easily sourced. This makes it easy to replace a dead battery and if you need to get back from a drained state, you can just buy a few AA batteries as replacements if you don't have access to a power outlet. If you do have access to one, there's no power brick required and you can just use a generic power cable to charge the unit and the batteries at the same time.
  • If you're worried about battery drain, just remember that the entire netbook was built around conserving power. The processor 1.2 watts and the entire computer consumes only 6.5 watts making a fully-charged unit run for 4 hours using AA batteries. The device is fanless which helps the battery life as well and needs no external cooling.
  • The design is a bit chunky but I think that was intentional so that modding of parts will be easier and to accomodate the AA  battery slot as well. The larger design also helps it be less prone to damage
  • The netbook was built with a modular design with almost everything being replaceable, from the batteries mentioned above to the processor and drive. The processor and memory module combo is slotted in like a regular RAM module and the drive is actually just an SD card so both can be upgraded without tearing the device apart. There's also room for a 2.5″ hard drive if you opt to get one. The 3 USB ports are also great for adding peripherals that you might need like a 3G dongle and there's an additional internal USB as well for modding purposes.
  • Of course, the processor can't be that powerful if you want it to save on battery juice. The one included is a 1GHz Xcore86 which runs XP and Linux fine. In fact, the pre-loaded WattOS is based on ?Ubuntu Linux and looks similar to XP, bundled with all the basic apps like Open Office Spreadsheet, VLC and GIMP. Don't expect stellar performance but for kids and basic users, this would do just fine for them.
  • The best thing is the price. Volume discounts will drop the price to as low as $99.95 for 100,000 units but the regular retail is $199.95, not bad if you want a moddable netbook or if you want to gift it to someone with basic computing needs.

While this unit isn't as fancy as the mainstream netbooks, it certainly has its own place in the world. You can order one here.

via liliputing

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Hands-On: NorhTec Gecko, An AA-Powered Netbook

Monday, December 28, 2009

Ready or not, 2010 could be the year of the smartbooks

Lenovo Smartbook prototype

For the past 12 months or so, we've heard a lot of talk about mini-laptops running ARM-based processors. These so-called "smartbooks" feature low power ARM processors which means that while they can't run Windows XP or 7, they can run Linux, last for a very long time on a charge, and some feature integrated 3G connectivity and HD video acceleration features. You also get the ability to receive emails, instant messages, and other data even while the computer is in sleep mode. In other words, they're like a cross between a smartphone and a netbook, which explains the whole "smartbook" name.

But like I said, we've been hearing a lot about them for the last year or so, and haven't actually seen any hit the streets. But according to ET News, that could all change very soon. The president of ARM Korea says that as many as 20 ARM-based smartbooks could hit the streets in the first quarter of 2010.

Most, but not all of these devices will likely be sold by mobile broadband providers at subsidized prices. That means you may be able to pick up a smartbook for less than $200 up front. Some might even be free. But you'll probably end up paying up to $60 per month to actually use the 3G wireless capabilities, which means that over the course of a 2 year service contract you could end up paying between $1400 and $1600 for a device that looks like a laptop, but which has a slower processor and won't run Windows.

Of course, they'll also get much better battery life than a typical notebook. But I'm still of the opinion that when you hand somebody a device that looks like a laptop, they'll expect it to function like one. And for most people that means it needs to run Windows.

On the other hand, I think you could make a case that people would love a device that lets them check email, surf the web, and send short messages on the go over a broadband connection, if it didn't have such a high monthly cost. If the UI looks more like a cellphone than a computer, maybe people would get used to the idea that smartbooks aren't supposed to do everything that traditional computers do. For instance, they could run Google's upcoming Chrome Operating system, which is essentially a glorified web browser. And if wireless carriers charged just $10 or $20 a month on top of your existing phone bill instead of $60, I'd be a lot more interested.

So will 2010 be the year of the smartbook? It certainly looks like we're going to see a whole lot of smart books hit the market soon. But it's too early to say whether anyone will actually buy them. It seems like the industry is taking the exact opposite approach here than it did with netbooks. In the netbook space, Asus was the only company to launch a low cost 7 inch mini-laptop in late 2007. It was wildly successful, proving that there was demand for this type of product. In 2008, everybody and their kid brother launched a netbook.

In 2010, it looks like we can expect everybody plus that little sibling to put out a smartbook without waiting for anyone to test the waters first. It's a gamble. But you know, sometimes gambles do pay off. Sometimes.

via Netbook Choice

Post from: Liliputing

Ready or not, 2010 could be the year of the smartbooks

Acer, Gateway convertible notebooks visit the FCC web site

It looks like Acer is preparing to bring its new 11.6 inch convertible tablet-style notebooks to the US. The FCC has posted documents related to an unnamed Acer laptop that has a touchscreen display that can be swiveled and folded down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode. The pictures show the laptop with three different brand names: Acer, Packard Bell, and Gateway. Acer owns the other two companies, and it appears that these are basically the same laptop in every respect but branding.

So it seems pretty safe to say that what we're looking at are the Acer Aspire 1820P and Gateway EC18T and Packard Bell Butterfly Touch. It's not entirely clear if all three versions will be available in the US, but they're all visible on the FCC web site.

You can also find generic user manuals for Acer laptops and touchscreen laptops on the FCC site, which feature helpful instructions for turning on a notebook, rotating the screen, and using a stylus and on-screen keyboard. The laptop does feature a sensor that will automatically rotate the display orientation if you shift the computer from landscape to portrait mode.

There appear to be two similar listings with the FCC: The HLZ-AR5B93 and the HLZ-AR5B95. I haven't really been able to spot the differences between these two models, but there are internal photos of the AR5B93 (PDF link) if that's your kind of thing.

All of these models will likely have Intel CULV processors, integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics, 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel displays, and ship with between 2GB and 4GB of RAM and between 250GB and 500GB of hard drive space. HDMI, VGA, and 3 USB ports will come standard.

via New Netbook Reviews

Post from: Liliputing

Acer, Gateway convertible notebooks visit the FCC web site

HCL Releases 3G HCL ME 06 Netbook In India

HCL has released a new 3G netbook in India known as the HCL ME 06. It's Energy Star 5.0 tested and certified for you environmental nuts and runs an old-school Atom-N270-with-Windows-XP combo.

The new netbook comes with pretty standard features – 160 GB HDD, 1 GB RAM, a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 pixel screen, 6-cell battery and Intel 945 chipset. It has solid port selection as well – LAN, a Kensington lock port, and 2 USB ports.

The 3G HCL ME 06 comes with a few applications for common security tasks – LOCK ME for preventing data theft, ENCRYPT ME for data encryption, SECURE ME to lock an application and SPLIT ME to share files. It's hard to imagine what those utilities look like in the XP user interface, but they sound useful.

You can get this thing online for Rs 21,640 – around $465 USD – with a 1-year warranty and free MTV netbook bag.

Via NetbookIndia.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

OLPC Plans to Release XO 3 Touchscreen Netbook for under $100 by 2012

The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) charity organization has ambitious plans for its latest netbook design. Earlier this month, the organization announced its plans to create the impossibly thin OLPC XO-3 tablet in two years time.  Now OLPC is hoping to distribute the XO-3 touchscreen laptop to impoverished children around the globe by the year 2012. Note: the projected price range of the device is less than a hundred dollars.

The original OLPC XO netbook is already out in the market and has been distributed to 1.4 million children in 35 different countries. The charity's new creation will have a 9-inch touchscreen and will contain neither a mouse nor keyboard.  It is also planned to be extremely sturdy and run an ARM processor.

If the success of its XO netbook is any indicator, OLPC will likely reach its goal and continue to provide valuable education to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

Via TechWatch, image via Guardian.

Ion King: What's The Best NVIDIA Ion Netbook Around?

Laptopmag got four NVIDIA Ion netbooks and pitted them against each other to see what's the best one. They put them through their paces in seven categories: Design and Ergonomics, Overall Performance, Overall Graphics Performance, Video Performance, Gaming Performance, Battery Life and Value. The competitors were the HP Mini 311, Lenovo Ideapad S12, Asus Eee PC 1201N and Samsung N510.

HP Mini was the best in design with the very svelte silver palm rest and keyboard combined with a contrast of black bezel for the screen. The keyboard was also nice and comfortable with a large touchpad and separate left and right buttons. It also was the winner in graphics performance, giving solid marks for HD-video playback and video transcoding.

For the best performance in regular tasks, video and gaming, it's no surprise that the Eee PC 1201N led the pack with its dual core CPU providing fast processing overall. Having Flash 10.1 on top of the Ion graphics really helped as well.

In the battery category, it was the Samsung N510 that came on top with almost 5 hours of battery life for continuous surfing via WiFi. As for the value, the best bang for the dollar was the 1201N which keeps with what most of us experience with the Eee PC line. Most netbooks from Asus are spot-on their prices for what they offer versus other brands often with a few more added features, accessories and freebies bundled in.

Hit the link below to see the big winner but I think you already know who it is based on the results above.

source Laptopmag via liliputing

A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.

Ion King: What's The Best NVIDIA Ion Netbook Around?

PerfectNotes Offers Dynamic Netbook Note-Taking Solution For Students

Most student netbook users probably drop cash on Microsoft Office or go for OpenOffice for notetaking purposes. However, the new PerfectNotes software may prove to be a superior solution.

Rachel Rehm, VP of PerfectNotes Corp., says that PerfectNotes will fill a void for netbook users:

"Netbook computers are popular because of their low price and small size, but they are short on software that can run on them. As they come, netbooks are really only practical for surfing the Web. When I got my netbook, I was delighted at the size, but there wasn't much I could do with it. After installing PerfectNotes® note taking software, it became much more useful. Now I take it with me wherever I need to take notes."

PerfectNotes has a sound recording mechanism that uses "a unique way of cross linking a real-time sound recording with a visual timeline of the class," showing when in a recording you took your notes. Students can bookmark moments in a recording for instant review later, allowing for a more engaged review when students need it most.

You can download a free demo of PerfectNotes at www.perfectnotes.com and convert to the full version for only $30.

Via PRWeb.

Friday, December 25, 2009

After Christmas Netbook Deals And More

Christmas morning has passed, and that means retailers are itching to sell off excess holiday inventory. Luckily for you, that means some solid price cuts.

Best Buy has already listed sales in a press release, which include a Lenovo netbook for only $197. Walmart is extending its Blu-Ray movie sale to more movies, all available for under $20, and will be selling an eMachines netbook with a $150 subsity.

JC Penney is in on it too, opening at 5 AM on December 26th. They've got over 100 doorbuster items on sale when you get up in the morning, and if you're afraid you won't get up on time, they're offering an "after Christmas wake-up call" via text message.

Target is offering giftcards with certain purchases as well as special camera and LCD TV deals available for a short time only.

Via LimeLife.

Two more Foxconn netbooks hit the FCC

Hot on the heels of the Foxconn SZ901P, two more models from this Taiwanese OEM have popped up on the FCC web site. There's not a ton of information about these new models, but we do have a bunch of photos, including some pictures of the computers' innards.

Here's what we do know. The new models are called the Foxconn NS20 and NS24 for now. But since Foxconn usually manufactures products to be rebadged and sold under different brand names, these computers will probably be renamed by the time they come to market.

They're available with Foxconn's FoxOS Linux distribution, although they can also run Windows XP and the user manual includes instructions for installing Windows XP. And both models feature 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a webcam.

You can check out some more photos after the break

via Wireless Goodness

Post from: Liliputing

Two more Foxconn netbooks hit the FCC