LG launches X140 netbook... in some parts of the globe

The LG X140 is a 10 inch netbook that packs a ltitle mroe punch than most other devices in its class — with an emphasis on little. The mini-laptop has a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475 processor. It also comes with a 320GB hard drive.

That's compared with most netbooks, which tend to have 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processors, 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel displays, and 160GB or 250GB hard drives. But the LG X140 still has a less than full sized keyboard, integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics, and 1GB of RAM. It runs WIndows 7 Starter Edition, and has 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth.

All in all, if you're looking for a netbook that actually has significantly more power than most, you're probably better off going with an Acer Aspire One 521 or another mini-laptop with an AMD Nile-based CPU or Intel CULV processor. But if you're in US, you might not have to worry about that choice anyway, since the LG X140 is expected to launch in Asia and the Middle East, but not int he US or Europe. It will sell for the equivalent of about $500.

via CNET Asia and nDevil

LG launches X140 netbook… in some parts of the globe is a post from: Liliputing

Meet the new HP Mini 110

Last year HP introduced a netbook called the HP Mini 110. Eventually the company phased it out and replaced it with the HP Mini 210, a smaller, thinner model with an updated processor. And then last month HP brought the HP Mini 110 back to its web store — sort of. What really happened is that HP developed a new low cost netbook that's sort of a cross between the original 110 and the new 210 models and made it the new cheap option at HP.com.

It's taken nearly a month, but I've finally managed to get details from HP that explain what exactly the new model is.

In a nutshell, the new HP Mini 110 is a bit thinner than the original HP 110, but it's thicker than the HP Mini 210. Like the 210, the new 110 has a solid colored lid, but while the HP Mini 210 has a matte lid and a glossy display, the HP Mini 110 has a matte display and a glossy lid.

The new HP Mini 110 does not have a colorful bottom panel like the HP Mini 210. Instead it has a black panel. But like the HP Mini 210, you can easily remove the bottom panel without a screwdriver by removing the battery and pressing on two tabs.

The HP Mini 110 is available with a 3 or 6 cell battery — but both batteries are the same size, and they're both designed to sit flush with the base of the netbook. The HP Mini 210, by comparison, has a 3 cell battery option that sits flush or a 6 cell battery that juts out from the back.

Spec-wise, there's little difference between the HP Mini 110 and the HP Mini 210. They both have 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processors, 1GB of RAM, and GMA 3150 graphics. But the base model of the HP Mini 210 has been phased out, so that now you can only get an HP Mini 210 HD with a 1366 x 768 pixel display and a 7200RPM hard drive. Those options aren't available for the HP Mini 110.

The HP Mini 210 HD is also available with a choice of Windows XP, Windows 7 Starter, or Windows 7 Home Premium while the 110 only comes with Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter. And the HP Mini 210 HD comes with an option for a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator. That's not an option on the HP Mini 110.

And while both netbooks have 93% full sized keyboards, the HP Mini 210 HD has an "island style" keyboard with space between the keys, while the HP Mini 110 has a more traditional keyboard design. The HP Mini 110 also has a touchpad with two buttons placed below it, while the HP Mini 210HD has the left and right buttons integrated into the touchpad.

Finally, the HP Mini 110 only comes in black or white, while the HP Mini 210 HD is available in silver, red, black, blue, pink, or white.

All in all, I imagine some folks might actually prefer the new HP Mini 110 to the HP Mini 210 HD, thanks to its matte display and distinct touchpad buttons. But because of its thicker design lower resolution display, and smaller number of configuration options, HP is positioning the HP Mini 110 as the entry level model. It has a starting price of $279.99, while the HP Mini 210 HD starts at $329.99.

Meet the new HP Mini 110 is a post from: Liliputing

Sub £250 netbook from Hannspree announced

Uk retailer The Carphone Warehouse have struck a deal to exclusively stock a budget netbook produced by electronics manufacturer Hannspree.

Costing £229, the Hannspree SN10 comes in a choice of either black or red however, the red version is absent from the Carphone Warehouse website currently, although it was announced as being available initially. Both colours look great and the SN10 is packed with a decent list of specifications considering the below £250 price tag that this netbook has,  including:

Intel Atom N450 (1.66GHz)
10.1″ Screen
160GB HDD
1GB RAM
1.3MP Webcam
Wi-Fi
Card Reader
3 USB ports

Battery life runs at around 6 hours on the Hannspree.

Further details on purchasing the SN10 can be found at HERE which is a direct link to the netbook order page.

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Link to post: Sub £250 netbook from Hannspree announced - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Asus Eee PC 1018P, 1015PE reviewed

Asus recently added a few higher end netbooks to its Eee PC lineup. The Eee PC 1015PE and 1018P have all the usual netbook specs including Atom N450 processors, GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. But they have sleek aluminum cases and just look nicer than most earlier Asus netbooks. But is that enough to justify the $350 starting price tags these models carry at a time when you can pick up a number of other netbooks for under $300?

I should have an Asus Eee PC 1015PEB unit to test soon, but Engadget's Joanna Stern beat me to the punch and posted a review today of both the 1018P and the 1015PE.

Joanna seems rather taken with the design of these two netbooks, particularly the Eee PC 1018P which measures just 0.7 inches thick and weighs just 2.4 pounds — but which still manages to pack a 6 cell battery. The Eee PC 1015PE is a bit chunkier and looks more like the other netbooks Asus has released this year. The main difference is the lid.

In terms of performance, these netbooks don't seem to hold any surprises, but Joanna wasn't all that impressed with the battery life — at least not compared with other Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks launched this year. Bear in mind Engadget tests battery life by running a video loop continuously. So while neither netbook lasted for longer than 5 hours in the Engadget test, you could probably get closer to 5.5 or 6 hours of run time if all you're doing is surfing the web.

You can pick up the Asus Eee PC 1018PB from BestBuy for $350 to $380, while the Eee PC 1015PEB goes for $350.

Asus Eee PC 1018P, 1015PE reviewed is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Gateway LT2113u Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Netbook for $290 + free shipping - 6th Avenue Electronics
• Hannspree  10″ netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $249.99 – TigerDirect
• ASUS Eee PC 1005HA Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Netbook for $270 + free shipping – TigerDirect
• Acer Aspire One 532h 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $280 + free shipping – Amazon

Accessories

• Western Digital 1TB USB External Hard Drive for $65 + free shipping - Dell
• OCZ Vertex 2 50GB 2.5″ MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $149 after rebate – Newegg
• Memorex 32GB Mini TravelDrive USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $56 + free shipping - Buy.com

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Get Actual Speakers For Your Netbook From Logitech

Netbooks aren't exactly known for sound quality. This is why netbook owners often use headphones to get a better sound experience from their laptop. Small speakers aren't exactly great for watching videos or playing games with – and the normal speakers for desktops aren't exactly well-made for a portable computer. This is why Logitech's new product is such an innovation. The Z205 provides better sound quality and perfect integration with your laptop. It hooks up via a USB port and can be clipped to your netbook's lid for perfect placement. It's also portable enough to be carried within your laptop bag. Plus, it only costs 40 dollars. A good investment if you want to rock out with your netbook anywhere.

Source: Gadgetmix

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Link to post: Get Actual Speakers For Your Netbook From Logitech - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Eee PC 1005PX re-appears on Asus site in five colors

Asus recently posted their latest netbook offering up on their website, before swiftly being removed. The page for the Asus Eee PC 1005PX, the next generation of the 1005 line, has now been put back in place. The specs remain the same of the netbook with most of the specs being pretty standard. You get the Intel Atom N450 CPU and a 10 inch screen with 1024×600 pixel resolution. It would have been nice to see the newer Intel processor included but, the specs look pretty sound. It also comes with 1GB or 2GB of RAM and a hard drive, with storage of up to 320GB. It also has a 6 cell battery that should last 8.5 hours.

The 10 inch netbook will also be available in a variety of colors. You'll be able to purchase it in the usual black or white but, it will also be released in three pastel colors. It will also be available in pastel pink, red, or blue. As Asus won't be releasing any more netbooks until August, we won't be seeing this until at least then. No information on when it will be released has been announced, nor has pricing.

via

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Link to post: Eee PC 1005PX re-appears on Asus site in five colors - from: Eee PC - Blog | 2 comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Apple iPad to follow footsteps of iPhone in taking up biggest share of tablet PC market

Just as the iPhone snatched the lion's share of profits in the smartphone market amidst competition from many well-established smartphone makers, Apple's iPad is likely to do the same, according to research conducted by Goldman Sachs. One of the main reasons cited for why this is likely is the fact that the iPad shares the same app store that made the iPhone and iPod touch famous, which even after all these years of existence, still has no real competitor from other mobile app makers, not even Android and especially not Symbian. The iPad's instant-on functionality is also being counted as a huge benefit as opposed to the usual startup time needed for most notebooks and netbooks, which can take anywhere from 10 seconds to a full minute. The research finding might hold true if the current situation persists, but with the advent of new Android-based tablets from several different manufacturers, it would be interesting to find out how things will change in the course of the next few months.

Via Apple Insider

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Link to post: Apple iPad to follow footsteps of iPhone in taking up biggest share of tablet PC market - from: Eee PC - Blog | One comment | © Admarket, 2010.

Apple may be developing smaller MacBook Air

Apple has spent much of the last two years explaining that the company has no interest in launching a netbook. Instead, Apple launched the iPad this summer. Sure, it costs more than most netbooks, and lacks a hardware keyboard. But like a netbook, the iPad is a light weight, portable device with good battery life, a web browser, and the ability to run thousands of applications.

But the iPad isn't a netbook. It's harder to type on and doesn't run full blown desktop apps. The closest thing Apple has that runs a full version of OS X, is the Macbook Air, a thing, light weight and super-expensive Macbook that was launched a few years ago. But even though the MacBook Air weighs just 3 pounds, it has a 13.3 inch display, which makes it a bit bulkier and harder to carry around than a netbook or an iPad.

Now DigiTimes reports that Apple is preparing to launch an updated version of the MacBook Air. Rumor has it that the new model will have a smaller 11.6 inch display. While that would still make the laptop a bit bigger than most netbooks, it would leave room for a full sized keyboard while leaving enough room inside the computer for a speedier (and more energy-hungry) processor than that found in a netbook or iPad.

According to DigiTimes, the new version of the MacBook Air will use an Intel core i-series processor and should be available in the second half of 2010 — which would be any day now. Maybe Apple has no plans to talk about iPhone 4 reception issues at tomorrow's press conference after all. Maybe Steve Jobs is just going to introduce a new toy to take people's mind off of their dropped calls… nah, probably not.

Rumor has it that the new MacBook Air will be even thinner and lighter than the original — although I suspect that could mean it will carry an even higher price tag than the current model, which sells for $1499 and up.

Apple may be developing smaller MacBook Air is a post from: Liliputing

Well, that's one way to improve your netbook's WiFi reception

I've never had much trouble getting my netbooks, laptops, and other mobile devices to connect to my home WiFi network… or a neighbor's network for that matter. But what if you're ahem, trying to connect to an unprotected WiFi network down the block. While I don't think that's what EeeUser Forum member wakrein was necessarily going for with his WiFi mod, he I think he could probably pull it off.

Basically, wakrein modified his Asus Eee PC netbook so that he could plug in an external antenna. And then he found a directional antenna that's nearly as big as the one I have on my rooftop, threw it on a camera tripod, and now he can pick up WiFi signals from 100 yards away.

via GadgetMix

Well, that's one way to improve your netbook's WiFi reception is a post from: Liliputing

eMachines eM350 netbook: This year's CPU, last year's OS

Acer tends to pull out the eMachines brand name when it's got a cheap product to sell. And the eMachines eM350 is no exception. While the cheapest Acer Aspire One netbook with an Intel Atom N450 processor has a list price of about $300, the eMachines eM350 goes for $280.

Sure, $20 might not seem like a big difference, but when you're talking about dirt cheap computers, every little bit counts.

There is a slight catch though. Kind of. Most recently launched Acer netbooks ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The eMachines eM350 ships with Windows XP. Some folks might consider that an upgrade though.

Rounding out the specs are 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 10/100Mbps Ethernet, 2 USB ports, and a 10 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display. The computer measures 10.2″ x 7.3″ x 1″ and weighs 2.4 pounds. it has a 3 cell, 2200mAh battery.

You can find some hands-on photos at Blogeee. The eMachines eM350-2074 is available from B&H for $279.99 plus free shipping.

eMachines eM350 netbook: This year's CPU, last year's OS is a post from: Liliputing

Skinizi laptop skin giveaway

Skinizi makes decorative vinyl skins for a number of devices, including netbooks, full sized laptops, Nintendo handheld gaming systems, iPods, and the iPhone.

The company's netbook skins are designed to cover the lids of most 7, 9, and 10 inch mini-laptops, and come with a wide array of designs, ranging from geometric patterns to cityscapes to artistic portraits. Most sell for a bit over $13, but the folks at Skinizi have offered to give away a skin to a lucky Liliputing reader.

Here's how it works. Just leave a comment on this post between now and 12:01AM on Monday, July 19th. I'll randomly select a winner and put that person in touch with Skinizi. The winner can select any one device skin for a laptop, netbook, or other device.

The contest is open to Liliputing readers across the globe. Please, only submit one entry per person.

Skinizi laptop skin giveaway is a post from: Liliputing

First look at Jolicloud 1.0

As expected, Jolicloud has started allowing beta testers to update the netbook-focused operating system to version 1.0. And one of the first users to receive the update is is Sascha from Netbook News. He's posted a video overview of Jolicloud 1.0, which you can check out after the break.

The biggest change in version 1.0 is that Jolicloud has completely replaced the Ubuntu Netbook Remix program launcher and user interface with a new UI built using HTML5. Now the entire operating system has a more uniform look and feel, including the app launcher, app store, and social activity stream area where you can see what apps your friends and followers have installed on their netbooks.

While Jolicloud is based on Linux and can run native Linux apps, the operating system is designed to blur the distinction between native apps and web apps. So you can install a desktop application such as Skype or GIMP from the app store, but you can also install Facebook or Twitter and an icon will show up on your home screen that you can press to launch the web browser and visit those web sites.

One of the the other things that sets Jolicloud apart is the fact that you can login to your account from any computer with an HTML5-compatible web browser to install apps, reorganize your home screen, or check on your social activity stream.

But it's not just the focus on cloud-based apps that makes Jolicloud good for netbooks. The OS also plays nicely with the power management features of Intel Atom chips, underclocking the CPU to save battery life when it can, and cranking up the CPU cycles when you need a bit more performance.

You can check out Sascha's first look video after the break. Jolicloud 1.0 is rolling out as an update to existing Jolicloud beta testers starting this week.

First look at Jolicloud 1.0 is a post from: Liliputing

NEC's Versapro Ultralite Weighs Less Than A Pound But Heavy On The Pocket

NEC's got a winner with this one. The Versapro Ultralite is probably the most powerful ultraportable currently on the market. With a screen size of 10 inches and a thickness of 0.45 mm, this baby is both thin and small. Usually, this is the mark of a low-level netbook, but with a 1.06 GHz Core i7 processor under the hood, it beats out its nearest competitor, the Sony VAIO P, easily.

Weighing in at less than a kilogram, you have an option to pack  either a 62GB SSD or a 320 GB normal hard drive. You can also opt to lower hard drive space and make up for it with up to 5 gigs of memory. With a run time of over seven hours, you can do a lot of good work with it. This is definitely one fine machine.

The biggest problem is the price. At over 2800 dollars, that is nearly ten times the price of a normal netbook. If you wanted something to just type on, skip on this purchase. However, if you need a real workhorse, then consider picking this baby up.

Source: Gadgetmix

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Link to post: NEC's Versapro Ultralite Weighs Less Than A Pound But Heavy On The Pocket - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Laptop concept with curved design - Video

Arc Computer has put together a concept design for a notebook computer that has a curved body. At first glance, it looks silly. At second glance, I could see how it could be useful. At third glance… it just looks silly again.

You can check out a few videos after the break, but here's the general idea: By giving the computer a curved design, you can outfit it with an ergonomic keyboard and an OLED display that's perfect for showing 3D content.

The concept device also has room for a touchscreen display in the center of the keyboard, which you could use as a touchpad and/or application launcher.

I don't know if we'll ever see this thing come to market — and honestly, if I was a betting man I'd put my money on no. But it's certainly an interesting idea. You can find out more about Arc computers at curved-world.com.

via Netbook News

Laptop concept with curved design – Video is a post from: Liliputing

Google Android tablets to get Android Market access soon?

The Google Android operating system was initially developed for smartphones. But dozens of companies seem determined to bring Android-powered tablets to market to compete with the Apple iPad. And the touch-friendly mobile operating system actually works pretty well on tablets. But there's one major problem: Google only allows phones to access the Android Market, where you can find about 100,000 free and paid apps to download.

Google has never made it entirely clear why tablets and smartbooks don't have full access to the Android Market. But one reason is likely because different devices have different physical properties — and apps designed for a phone (with GPS and 3G with buttons for search, home, menu, and back) might not work on a tablet or a laptop.

But it looks like Google may be preparing to open the Market to Android tablets… or to create a parallel market for tablets. I'm not really sure which way Google is going here. But Notion Ink, makers of the long-anticipated Adam tablet, say that they've been testing alpha App and Content stores on their products.  Adobe Flash is also working without any battery issues.

There's a chance that Notion Ink is referring to the Google Chrome operating system rather than Android. After all, we already know that Google Chrome will be aimed at tablets as well as netbooks, and that a market for web apps is in the works. But since Notion Ink has been showing off a tablet running Google Android for the past 6 months, I think it's more likely that we're talking about an Android Market for tablets. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Google Android tablets to get Android Market access soon? is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks

• Acer Aspire One 532h 10″ netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $281.36 + free shipping – Amazon
• Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Netbook for $248 + $1 s&h – Walmart
• HP Mini 210 netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $299.99 + free shipping – Amazon
• Toshiba Mini NB305 netbook w/Atom N450, Win XP, 6 cell battery for $337.95 + free shipping – Amazon

Accessories

• Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student for Windows XP, Vista, 7 for $124.99 + free shipping – Amazon
• Sennheiser MX-400 in-ear headphones for $7.99 + free shipping – Buy.com (via Amazon)
• A-DATA 32GB SDHC Class 6 Card for $60 + free shipping - Beach Camera
• Kingston 16GB DataTraveler 102 USB Flash Drive for $25 + free shipping – Buy.com
• Hitachi LifeStudio 1TB USB External Hard Drive for $80 + free shipping - OfficeMax

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Gateway Announces New Netbook Line

Gateway is about to launch a new series of netbooks with a preliminary offering of four laptops that range from the diminutive 11-inches to the large 16-inches. They will all be coming with Intel Core processors, with the most powerful being powered by a Core i7. Labeled the NS series, it will be offering the following models: the NS10, NS30, NS41 and NS51.

The smallest of the four, and the first we have information on, is the Gateway NS10, an 11-inch netbook that comes with either a low power Intel Core i3-330UM, a Core i5-430UM, a Core i5-520UM, or a Core i5-540UM. That's quite a few choices for a netbook and rest assured that other models in the series will have the same or better options. The NS series netbooks will also support DDR3 memory, adding more power to the punch. The NS10 can have its memory upgraded up to 4 gigs and that's pretty impressive. The other laptops in the series will probably feature all these and more.

Also, all NS series laptops will have the standard Bluetooth 3.0, and either 802.11b/g or 802.11b/g/n WiFi. Hard drive sizes will also be up to your choice. Right now, we don't have any info on the other models or pricing and release dates. Just keep your eyes peeled if you're interested.

Source: Liliputing

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Link to post: Gateway Announces New Netbook Line - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Microsoft: Windows 7 slates coming this year

Tablet computers running Windows have been around for about a decade. But 2010 hasn't been a good year for Windows tablets. Sure, Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions all have built-in support for touchscreen displays and multitouch gestures. But the Windows tablets of yesteryear were expensive (often running $1500 or more), bulky (often having full laptop-style keyboards which fold under the display when you're not using them), and include the dreaded stylus (which is great for precise input and handwriting recognition, but which is awfully easy to misplace).

This year the Apple iPad is busy conquering the world and Google Android and Chrome OS-based tablets are poised to hit the market any day/week/month now. 2010 is also the year when HP was supposed to launch a killer tablet running Windows 7 — before scrapping the project indefinitely and trying to retool the slate to use the same WebOS smartphone operating system found on the Palm Pre and Pixie.

So what's Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's take on all this? Either denial or optimism, depending on how you look at it. At a keynote at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, Ballmer said that Windows 7 tablets hsould start hitting the streets before the end of the year.

According to Ballmer, Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony will all ship Windows 7 slates. Noticeably absent from that list is HP… but it's a pretty good list nonetheless. If at least a few of them actually manage to bring products to market, we could see a pretty big shakeup in the tablet space. MSI is also working on a Windows 7 tablet, as are a number of smaller companies.

The thing about tablets is that there may very well be room for a wide range of different types of devices. Just as there are inexpensive netbooks and high end gaming rigs on the laptop space, we could start to see Android, iOS, and WebOS tablets selling for $500 or less and Windows 7 tablets with more powerful processors and advanced features such as hardware keyboards, active digitizer for handwriting recognition and artistic endeavors selling for much higher prices.

The big question I still have is whether budget Windows tablets will be able to compete in any reasonable way with budget smartphone-style tablets. I haven't seen a sub-$500 Windows tablet that seems as easy to use as an iPad, and often PC makers end up making compromises to keep the prices down, such as shipping cheap Windows tablets with Windows 7 Starter Edition — which doesn't have built-in support for touchscreens and multitouch gestures.

Microsoft: Windows 7 slates coming this year is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Refurbished Samsung N130 Atom 1.6GHz 10″ Netbook for $215 + $10 s&h – Yugster (coupon: YUGSAVE5/25)
• HP Pavilion dm1z 11.6″ notebook w/AMD Neo K125, Win 7 Home Premium for $424.99 – HP (coupon: SVMB39487)
• Dell Inspiron 11z notebook w/Intel Celeron 1.3GHz, 11.6″ display, Win 7 Home Premium for $369 – Dell

Accessories

• Kingston 16GB DataTraveler 102 USB Flash Drive for $24.95 + free shipping – Buy.com
• iHome 4-in-1 Netbook Accessory Kit for $25 + free shipping – Walmart
• Refurb Logitech 350 Premium USB Headset with Mic for $12 + $4 s&h – MidnightBox

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks and Tablets

• Asus Eee PC 701SD netbook w/7″ display, 8GB SSD, Win XP for $120 – Mwave (M Club members)
• HP Mini 110 Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Widescreen Netbook for $250 + $12 s&h – Best Buy
• Archos 9 Atom 1.1GHz 8.9″ LED Internet Media Tablet for $490 + free shipping – J&R

Accessories

• OCZ 32GB 2.5″ SATA Internal SSD Drive for $60 after rebate + free shipping – Mwave (M Club)
• Western Digital Elements SE 1TB 2.5″ Portable Hard Drive for $99.99 + free shipping – Newegg
• PQI 16GB SDHC Class 10 Secure Digital Card for $35 + free shipping – Mwave (M Club)

Other

• Refurbished Sony eBook Pocket Reader for $110 + free shipping - J&R

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Three New Asus Eee PC Netbooks Up for Pre-Order, Err..for Grabs Now

Earlier today, Engadget was reporting that three new Asus Eee PC netbooks are about to hit store shelves this August. The three Eee PC in question are the Eee PC 1015, Eee PC 1016P, and Eee PC 1018. These three Eee PCs were first seen during the CeBIT 2010 and since then Asus work doubly hard to produce as much as they can of these netbooks.

So, finally it was reported that all three netbooks are up for pre-order in some stores with a promised delivery date of sometime around July or August. Well, guess what, two of the netbooks, the Eee PC 1018P and 1015 are actually available now at  Best Buy. While both the Eee PC 1018p and Eee PC 1016p are up for pre-order from Excalibur.

So, what are you waiting for, head over to those sites and grab yourself these new Eee PCs. What you have no idea what those netbooks have to offer? Let's see, the Eee PC 1018P features 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 250GB of HDD and 3 USB ports. The Eee PC 1016P will also have the same CPU, 2GB of RAM and 320GB of HDD.

via Netbook News

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Link to post: Three New Asus Eee PC Netbooks Up for Pre-Order, Err..for Grabs Now - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

MeeGo 1.01 for netbooks now available

The folks behind the MeeGo Linux environment for netbooks have pushed out the first update since launching MeeGo 1.0 a few months ago. Version 1.01 doesn't include any major new features, but it does sport a number of improvements including:

• Faster USB storage finding time
• Better 3D performance
• Enhanced visuals
• Support for GNOME proxy configuration in the media player
• Web browser enhancements

There's also a long list of bug fixes. MeeGo 1.0 users can update by clicking the "install updates" button when they get a notification that an update is available. The MeeGo 1.0 download link hasn't been updated yet, but it looks like you can grab the latest release directly from the MeeGo Repository Home.

via Netbook News

MeeGo 1.01 for netbooks now available is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Nettops

• Dell Inspiron Zino HD AMD Athlon 1.6GHz Mini PC for $250 + $9 s&h - Dell
• ECS MD-110 Barebones Kit w/Atom 330 dual core CPU (no memory or hard drive) for $99.99 – TigerDirect

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 netbook w/Atom N455, 160GB HDD, Win 7 Starter for $299.99 + free shipping – Amazon
• MSI Wind U100 w/Atom N270, Win XP  for $235 + free shipping – SuperBiiz (coupon: SUNSHINE15)

Accessories

• Seagate Momentus XT 500GB 2.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive for $129.99 + free shipping – Newegg
• Patriot PS-100 64GB 2.5″ solid state disk for $129.99 – TigerDirect
• ASUS Glossy Black / White 23″ 2ms Widescreen 1080p LCD Monitor for $149.99 + free shipping – Newegg (coupon: EMCYVYW52)
• Belkin Mini Bluetooth USB 2.0 Adapter for $5 + $5 s&h – DealsClick

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Dual core Intel Atom to replace Celeron chips in budget notebooks?

Intel is set to launch the Atom N550 dual core processor for netbooks and budget thin and light laptops soon. But while the dual core 1.5GHz chip should offer better overall performance than the single Core Atom chips used in most netbooks today, DigiTimes reports it will also cost $11 to $22 more than current Atom chips. And that could drive up the cost of netbooks enough to blur the lines between machines with Atom chips and those with low cost CULV processors.

So what's Intel to do? If DigiTimes is correct, the company will kill off its budget Celeron line of Ultra Low Voltage processors. In other words, yes, dual core Atom powered netbooks will cost more than today's netbooks — but they won't be about the same price as a notebook with a CULV chipset because in a few months you probably won't be able to find CULV-powered notebooks for $400 anymore.

Yay?

DigiTimes goes on to suggest that Acer and Asus are putting off developing new models with Atom N550 chips until mid-August. That will give the companies time to clear out some older entry-level models. We've already heard that both companies do plan to release netbooks with Atom N550 chips. But we haven't seen official release dates for the Acer Aspire One D255 or Asus Eee PC 1015N.

Dual core Intel Atom to replace Celeron chips in budget notebooks? is a post from: Liliputing

AMD Nile platform vs. video games: Who wins?

AMD's Nile platform for netbooks and thin and light laptops includes a range of chips such as the 1.7GHz single core AMD Athlon II Neo K125 CPU and the 1.5GHz dual core AMD Turion II Neo K625 processor. They all have a few things in common: They tend to be more powerful than Intel Atom chips at most tasks, and they tend to come bundled with ATI Radeon HD4225 graphics, which provides significantly better performance than the integrated graphics that come with Intel's Atom-based chips.

What that means is that you should be able to watch HD video on a system even with the slowest AMD Nile-based chip. But it also means you should be able to play many video games that require DirectX 10.1 and decent 3D graphics performance. No, these systems aren't designed to play bleeding edge games. But they can handle a number of relatively modern games with ease.

Peter from NetbookNews put together a video showing an HP Pavilion dm1z laptop with an AMD K125 processor and ATI Radeon HD4225 graphics playing a bunch of video games. While a few were a bit choppy, the vast majority of the games ran very smoothly on this 11.6 inch laptop. And that's impressive because it features the cheapest and slowest chip in AMD's Nile lineup — the same chip used in the Acer Aspire One 521 netbook I'll be reviewing over the next week or two. I probably won't be quite as thorough as Peter, but I do plan to test the graphics performance of the laptop as well.

You can check out Peter's video after the break.

AMD Nile platform vs. video games: Who wins? is a post from: Liliputing

New netbook releases from Asus and Acer on hold until August

Both Asus and Acer have produced numerous netbook models to keep potential costumers feeling as though they are getting the latest and greatest netbook.  This marketing tactic has awarded both companies as they are currently the top netbook dealers worldwide.  Despite this fact they have decided to put a hold on new netbook releases until the middle of August.

The decision to freeze new netbook releases is likely due to the fact the Intel is releasing the Atom N550 dual core processor for netbooks in the third quarter of this year.  Asus and Acer need to liquidate excess inventory to make room for future netbooks with the N550 processor.

The faster N550 processor will increase performance but also the cost of the netbooks that carry them.  The cost increase will be minimal so current Asus and Acer netbooks with slower processors will be harder to sell.  Because of this it doesn't make much sense for the companies to produce many new netbooks with the slower processors prior to the A550 processor release.

Via http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/07/acer_and_asus_stops_netbook_releases.html

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Acer Aspire One 521 unboxing - Video

The Acer Aspire One 521 is a nice looking mini-laptop. That's not too surprising. Acer has been pumping out netbooks almost as long as Asus and HP, and the company has had plenty of time to tweak the design. The keyboard is nearly full sized, the lid is quite classy looking, and there are two distinct buttons below the touchpad — which is something you don't find on many netbooks these days.

But it's not the design that sets the Aspire One 521 apart. It actually looks a lot like several other 10 inch netbooks that Acer has released in recent months. What makes this little laptop different is the chipset: It's powered by a 1.7GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 single core CPU and ATI Radeon HD4225 graphics.

Performance0-wise, these components should allow you to watch HD video on the Aspire One 521 and it should outperform a typical Intel Atom-powered netbook in some performance tests. But I'll be curious to see what that performance boost does to battery life.

Acer sent me a demo unit to review and I haven't really had time to put it through the paces yet. But you can check out my unboxing and first impressions video below, where I take a look at the physical design of the laptop. Sorry about the band of light on the left side of the video. It's 100 degrees in Philadelphia today and I was a little careless while trying to shoot this video quickly before turning the air conditioning back on.

Acer Aspire One 521 unboxing – Video is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks and Tablets

• 7″ Widescreen 2GB Internet Tablet with Google Android for $120 + free shipping – Mertline
• Gateway LT3117u 11.6″ notebook w/1.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 L110 CPU, Win XP for $285 + free shipping – B&H
• ViewSonic ViewBook  VNB102 w/Atom N270, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $250 + free shipping - PC Connection
• Free Shipping on all Laptops and Desktops $599 or greater with coupon code: ?8CN$RJ?W5TQ0C – Dell
• $10 off $200 in Computers, Software, Home Networking, Digital Cameras and Electronic Stores – Buy.com

Accessories

• Fantom GreenDrive 1TB, 7200RPM external hard drive for $79.99 – TigerDirect
• Acer 23″ 1920 x 1080 LCD monitor for $169.99 – TigerDirect
• All-in-One USB Memory Card Reader for $1 + free shipping – Meritline (coupon: MLC400576070755AL1)
• USB 6-Channel External Sound Adapter for $15 + free shipping – Meritline

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Aspire Aspire One D260 reviewed

The Acer Aspire One D260 netbook is sort of what you would get if you crossed an Aspire One 532h with an Aspire One D521. If that doesn't mean anything to you, all three netbooks are 10 inch machines with 1024 x 600 pixel displays and low power processors. But like the 532h, the Acer Aspire One D260 has an Intel Atom processor and GMA 3150 graphics… but it has almost the same case design as the Acer Aspire One 521 (which has an AMD chipset instead).

The folks at Laptop Magazine took the new Aspire One D260 for a spin and found that it performs pretty much as you'd expect a netbook with an Intel Atom Pine trail processor. And that's not a bad thing at all, given the low $299 price tag for this model.

The netbook also has a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi. There's no Bluetooth, and the 6 cell battery lasted for about 5 hours in Laptop Mag's test. That's below average for an Atom powered netbook, but 5 hours really isn't that bad for any laptop at this price point (although there are models such as the Asus Eee PC 1001P which get much better battery life and cost about the same).

For more details, check out Laptop Magazine's review. It's worth pointing out that while we'd seen reports suggesting that this model would be available with Google's Android operating system running alongside Windows 7 Starter Edition, it doesn't look like Acer is offering that configuration at the moment.

Aspire Aspire One D260 reviewed is a post from: Liliputing

Cheap Acer Clones Are Getting Almost As Good As The Real Thing

When you hear of hardware clones, you're probably familiar with stuff coming from China. A lot of these clones are usually substandard but with the increasing skill of the manufacturers and the components becoming even cheaper, these clones can practically go toe-to-toe with the real thing. The above picture shows a good example of this phenomenon. Called the S30 by the manufacturer, Dai Rui, it is inspired by the Acer Aspire One series.

The S30 is so fascinating because it essentially has the same specs as the product it's trying to clone: 10″ LCD screen, an Intel Atom N450 chip (1.66MHz), a gig of DDR2 RAM, a 5400rpm 2.5 hard drive, Wi-Fi and USB ports. Also, you'd be hard-pressed to choose which one is the original when you put them beside an actual Acer Aspire model. The biggest and only difference it seems is the price. Most netbooks from the big companies are around 350 to 500 dollars – this baby costs only 120 dollars. Now that's a lot of savings.

Source: Shanzai

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Bandai introduces limited edition Miffy netbook

Bandai is celebrating its 55th anniversary by doing what the company does best: adorning something with cute cartoon characters. The limited edition Miffy netbook features cutesy drawings of a bunny as well as fish, puppies, elephants, and other members of the animated animal kingdom on the case.

As with other Bandai-themed netbooks, the Miffy edition also comes with several games and other apps associated with the cartoon character.

On the inside, the Miffy netbook is pretty standard netbook fare, with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi. It has a 3 cell battery, 2 USB ports, and weighs 2.4 pounds. The netbook is available with either Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Oh, and these Japanese netbooks are available for pre-order today for about $900 and up. Cuteness doesn't come cheap.

via Netbook News and PC Watch

Bandai introduces limited edition Miffy netbook is a post from: Liliputing