Packard Bell Dot SE with dual core Atom N550 CPU

Acer owns the Gateway, Packard Bell, and eMachines brands. So it should come as no surprise that shortly after introducing new Acer netbook models, we tend to see similar machines arrive under one or more of these brand names. Latest case in point? The new Packard Bell Dot SE, which appears to be awfully similar to the recently launched Acer Aspire One D255.

Netbook News.de spotted a listing for the new Packard Bell Dot SE.CH/001 at Alltron. Like it's Acer-branded sibling, this new model featurs a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core CPU.

The netbook also has 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. The 6 cell battery is said to be good for up to 7.5 hours of run time, and the netbook weighs about 2.8 pounds.

The Packard Bell Dot SE is available in Europe for about 400 Euros, or roughly $505 US. I don't expect to see this model in the US anytime soon.

Packard Bell Dot SE with dual core Atom N550 CPU is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Acer Aspire One 533 10″ netbook w/Atom N455, Win 7 Starter for $287 – Amazon
• ASUS Eee PC 1201N 12.1″ notebook w/Atom 330, NVIDIA ION for $449 – J&R
• HP Compaq tc200 tablet w/1.86GHz Intel Pentium M CPU, Win XP Pro for $300 – TigerDirect

Accessories

• Rosewill USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter – Newegg (coupon: EMCYWNT48)
• Acer Aspire One Accessory Kit w/wireless mouse, DVD drive for $70 – Newegg
• USB SIM Card / microSD Card Reader for $3 + free shipping – CellularFactory (coupon: iVGOID)
• Dane-Elec 320GB Portable USB Hard Drive for $35 after rebate + 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

Asus Eee PC 1015PEM netbook packs a dual core Atom N550 chip

This week Intel announced that its 1.5GHz dual core Atom N550 processor was now available, and ever since we've seen netbooks sporting the new chipset coming out of the woodwork. Today's model is a 10 inch netbook from Asus called the Eee PC 1005PEM.

Tech In Style reports that the Eee PC 1005PEM will support up to 2GB of DDR3 memory and be able to handle 720p HD video playback. The netbook will be available in red, black, white, and pink colors and should ship for about 349 Euros in Europe. That's just over $440 US, but PC prices have a way of falling a bit once they hit US shores.

The US Energy Star Web site also has a listing for a new Asus netbook called the 1015PDG with a dual core chip. But this model has a 1.66GHz processor, which makes me think that either this machine uses a different chip or that the specs are wrong.

via Notebook Italia and Netbook Italia

Asus Eee PC 1015PEM netbook packs a dual core Atom N550 chip is a post from: Liliputing

Dual core N550 atom processor added to HP Mini 5103

The D225 from Acer, isn't the only netbook to feature Intel's latest Atom processor, the dual core N550. HP are also revamping the 5103 to feature it. HP have only just released the netbook so it's a bit of a surprise to see an upgraded model already, especially for consumers who have already purchased the netbook. Currently, only the service manual has been spotted online and the N550 configuration option isn't visible on their site but, is expected to roll out within the next month. CNET also report, that they expect other HP netbooks to also be refreshed and given the dual core processor option in the coming month.

via

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Link to post: Dual core N550 atom processor added to HP Mini 5103 - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Looks Good on Official Promo Video

If the Toshiba SmartPad got you drolling with its official photos, wait till you see the official promo video of another tablet device also from another previously activate manufacturer of netbooks. We're talking here of Samsung and its Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Unlike the Toshiba Smartpad though, the Samsung Galaxy Tab sports only a 7-inch screen. But it will also run Android OS. In fact we heard that it is going to be Android 2.2.

Other possible features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab include – HD movie playback, Flash support, GPS, e-reader app, video calls, a possible front facing camera and LED flash.

Samsung is set to put the Galaxy Tab on display during the IFA 2010 happening in a few days from now in Berlin. It will be meeting up with the Toshiba SmartPad and other new tablet PCs in the said event.

Click here to watch the video.

via Engadget

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Link to post: Samsung Galaxy Tab Looks Good on Official Promo Video - from: Eee PC - Blog | No comments | © Admarket, 2010.

Gigabyte gives it convertible tablet netbook an Atom N550 makeover

Gigabyte T1000P

Dying to get your hands on a shiny new netbook with a dual core Intel Atom N550 processor? While Intel officially announced the availability of the new chipset yesterday, there aren't a heck of a lot of products shipping with the new chip yet. But for some reason Australia seems to be a hot spot right now.

Yesterday an updated Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 with a dual core Atom chip started showing up for pre-order from Australian retailers. Now an Australian computer store is selling the new Gigabyte T1005M complete with a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core processor.

The Gigabyte T1005M appears to be an updated version of the Gigabyte T1000 TouchNote series. These are convertible netbooks that can function either in laptop or netbook mode. Just flip the screen around and you can hold the computer like a tablet. Or you can place it on a desk, lap, or other flat area and use the keyboard and touchpad to get your typing on.

The Gigabyte T1005M has some killer specs, including a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel capacitive touchscreen display, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 320GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. It supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and has a HSDPA antenna built in (for an optional HSDPA module). You also get 1 USB 3.0 port and 2 eSAA/USB ports.

The computer has a 6 cell, 41Whr, 7650mAh battery, measures 10.4″ x 8.4″ x 1.6″ and weighs 3.3 pounds.

But all those features don't come cheap. The Gigabyte T1005M sells for $905 Australian, or about $798. It will probably be a bit cheaper if and when the computer makes it to US shores, but I wouldn't expect it to sell for less than $600.

via Notebook Italia

Gigabyte gives it convertible tablet netbook an Atom N550 makeover is a post from: Liliputing

Intel release dual core Atom processor for netbooks

When Intel initially released the Atom D330 dual core processor, it was released for desktops and nettops, while a variant was used in netbooks. Now however, Intel have officially released the first dual core processor design specifically for netbooks.

From next month onwards, we should see the N550 1.5GHz processor feature in netbooks released after then. The N550 will feature a similar graphic chipset to the N455, single core processor. It will also feature an updated memory controller, which supports DDR3 memory. We will also see the processor have a similar number of physical cores, as the Core i3s, i5s and i7s do.

via

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Link to post: Intel release dual core Atom processor for netbooks - from: Eee PC - Blog | One comment | © Admarket, 2010.

Dual core Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 with Atom N550 up for pre-order down under

There may not be any netbooks with shiny new Intel Atom N550 dual core chips available for purchase in the US yet, but it looks like several Australian retailers are taking pre-orders for a new version of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 with an Atom N550 processor.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 06475CM looks mostly identical to the model I reviewed earlier this year. But the new version has a 1.5GHz dual core Atom N550 processor and 1GB of DDR3 memory. The rest of the specs are pretty standard fare, including a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel glossy display, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 1.3MP webcam, flash card reader, and Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The netbook is selling for about $559 to $699 Australian, which comes to $499 to $624 US — but computers are almost always substantially cheaper in the US than Australia, so I wouldn't put too much stock in that price unless you happen to be in Australia.

The dual core Lenovo S10-3 may be available as soon as September 7th, if these product listings are correct.

via Netbook News.de

Dual core Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 with Atom N550 up for pre-order down under is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Acer Aspire One 521 10″ netbook w/AMD Neo K125 CPU for $340 + free shipping – Newegg
• ASUS Eee PC 1201PN Atom 1.66GHz 12″ Netbook for $430 + free shipping - J&R (coupon: GEICO10)
• Acer Aspire One 532h w/Atom N450, Win7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $274 + free shipping- Amazon
• Toshiba Mini NB305 Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Netbook for $309 + free shipping – Beach Camera

Accessories

• Kingston 16GB USB Flash Drive (White & Blue) for $24.95 + free shipping – Buy.com
• Samsung SyncMaster 24″ 1080p LCD Display for $160 + free shipping – Dell
• Seagate Expansion 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $70 + free shipping - Office Depot
• Reversible 10″ Netbook Sleeve for $2 + free shipping – Meritline
• Xtreme Netbooks Bluetooth Wireless Optical Mouse for $7 + 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

Toshiba AC100 Android netbook heading to the UK

The Toshiba AC100 smartbook is one of the first commercially available mini-laptops running Google's Android operating system. And when I say commercially available, I mean you can pick one up in Japan. But it looks like Toshiba UK plans to offer the AC100 soon as well.

The company has created a product page for the AC100 on the Toshiba UK web site, complete with pretty pictures and detailed specs. There's not much new information here, but in case you've forgotten, the Toshiba AC100 has an NVIDIA Tegra 250 chipset, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, and runs Google Android 2.1. It weighs 1.9 pounds and Toshiba says you should get about 8 hours of run time or 180 hours of standby time.

The UK model will apparently also have a 128GB solid state disk and 512MB of DDR2 memory. There's no word on the price or launch date yet, but it looks like the AC100 should be available for purchase soon.

via Netbook News

Toshiba AC100 Android netbook heading to the UK is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• MSI Wind U123 10″ netbook w/Atom N280, Win XP, 9 cell battery for $245 + free shipping – SuperBiiz (coupon: CLASS15)
• Asus Eee PC 1201PN 12.1″ notebook w/NVIDIA ION 2 graphics for $480 + free shipping – Amazon
• Asus Eee PC 1005PE-MU27 10″ netbook w/Atom N450, Win 7 Starter for $295 + free shipping – Amazon

Accessories

• LaCie 2T external hard drive for $139.99 + free shipping – Buy.com
• Toshiba Canvio 750 GB – External – Hard Drive for $79.99 + free shipping - Buy.com
• Mini 3D USB Optical Travel Retractable Mouse for $3 + free shipping - CellularFactory (coupon: 1JG7KB)

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Intel to launch AppUp Center (netbook App Store) next month

Intel's AppUp Center is basically an App Store for netbooks, with a focus on software that's designed to play well with low power computers with Intel Atom processors, integrated graphics, and 1024 x 600 pixel or lower resolution screens. The company first unveiled the AppUp Center in January, but Heise reports that the company will remove the beta label at the Game Developers Conference in September.

Right now there are about 500 apps in the AppUp Center.

Intel hopes to have the app store preloaded on netbooks before they ship.

via Netbook News.de

Intel to launch AppUp Center (netbook App Store) next month is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Notebooks

• Dell Mini 10v Nickelodeon edition netbook for $199.99 - Dell
• ViewSonic VNB132 13.3 Notebook Intel ULV Celeron SU2300 for $399.99 – Buy.com
• Refurb ASUS Eee PC 900 Celeron 900MHz 9″ Netbook for $140 + free shipping – Mwave (M Club)
• Toshiba NB255 Atom 1.66GHz 10″ Netbook for $270 + free shipping - SuperBiiz (coupon: SHINE8430)

Accessories

• OCZ Diesel 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $28.99 + free shipping – Newegg
• Patriot 16GB SDHC card for $24.49 after rebate - Newegg (coupon: EMCYWNY51)
• Iomega 1TB Prestige Desktop USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $77.99 + free shipping - Buy.com
• Targus Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter for $5 + free shipping - eBay

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

HP: Tablets are eating into notebook sales

Wondering why almost every major PC maker has announced plans to bring a tablet computer to market soon? It's not just because it's an emerging product category representing a huge source of untapped revenue. It's also because companies fear that if they don't have a tablet to offer, they'll lose money since tablet computers may be eating into notebook sales.

Speaking to analysts yesterday, HP exec Todd Bradley said that sales of tablets from rival companies (read: the Apple iPad) have likely affected notebook sales.

Of course, HP isn't offering any hard numbers to prove that tablets are really to blame. And it's perfectly possible that the reason notebook sales are slowing is because the market for netbooks — a huge growth area over the past few years — is saturated, as I suggested a few days ago.

But HP is hedging its bets. The company is expected to launch a Windows slate PC by the end of the year, with a WebOS tablet on track for early 2011.

HP: Tablets are eating into notebook sales is a post from: Liliputing

Qualcomm reportedly investing $2 billion in Mirasol color eReader displays

While Pixel Qi has been grabbing a lot of headlines for its dual-mode LCD displays which can function as full color laptop or tablet screens or low power, high contrast eReader displays, the company isn't the only game in town. Qualcomm has been working on its own solution: a low power eReader display with a faster refresh rate than E Ink. Oh yeah, and it shows color.

The company has been showing off Mirasol displays for a while, and I got a chance to check out a concept eReader with one of these displays at CES this year. To be honest, the colors weren't all that vivid, but the device was certainly capable of showing off color pictures far better than any Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, or Sony Reader device currently on the market.

Now DigiTimes reports that Qualcomm has scored a major new client, leading the company to invest $2 billion to set up a new plant for manufacturing Mirasol displays. The plant won't be set up until late 2011, with production expected to start in early 2012. The focus is on 5.7 inch color displays, so we're most likely looking at screens for eBook readers, not netbooks or tablets.

Engadget hazards a guess that the major client could be Amazon… since CEO Jeff Bezos has indicaed that it will be a while before a color Kindle is ready to go — making a 2012 launch date seem reasonable.

Qualcomm reportedly investing $2 billion in Mirasol color eReader displays is a post from: Liliputing

Coby to offer cheap netbooks in the US?

Coby is a consumer electronics maker known for making cheap, if not incredibly reliable products. For the past two years the company has been toying with the netbook space, showing off a line of budget mini-laptops with 7 to 12 inch displays at CES in 2009 and 2010. A few models even showed up in limited quantities at some retailers last year. But AMD hasn't really ramped up production or distribution yet.

Now Liliputing reader MonkeyKing has spotted a new section on the Coby web site with 7 different mini-laptops, including an 8 inch model, one with an 8.9 inch display, 4 netbooks with 10 inch displays, and a 12 inch notebook with an AMD Sempron processor.

That's the good news. The bad news is that while each of these 7 laptop product pages features a "Buy online" button, there are currently no vendors listed, which means you still can't actually purchase these models. You also can't check the prices.

When I spoke with Coby representatives earlier this year, I got the sense that part of what's been holding the company back is the fact that the profit margins on netbooks is already quite low. Typically Coby can produce cheap items such as MP3 players or portable DVD players and undercut competitors' prices by doing the manufacturing in-house. But with netbooks from major PC makers already selling at rock bottom prices, there's not really much room for Coby to produce something significantly cheaper.

So if and when these netbooks do manage to hit the streets, I wouldn't necessarily expect them to fill the $100 laptop niche… at least not unless Coby drops the Intel Atom and AMD Sempron processors and Windows operating systems for ARM or VIA-based chips and Linux, Windows CE, or Google Android operating systems. You know, kind of like that Sylvania netbook which CVS is expected to start offering for $100 soon.

Coby to offer cheap netbooks in the US? is a post from: Liliputing

More Discount Netbooks, Tablets Hitting Retailer Shelves

Kmart may have started the flood of cheap netbooks and tablets into the market. We've already heard of BestBuy's plans for a cheap tablet, but it seems there's another one jumping into the pool. CVS, the drug store giant, wants to have a piece of the tablet/netbook pie and they're planning to sell $100 netbooks and a $180 e-reader from their branches soon.

They'll be selling a Sylvania netbook that runs on Windows CE and a 7-inch LookBook e-reader. Both of them don't look much – but the Sylvania netbook is a great starter netbook, while the e-reader may not be the best buy. The Kindle's price is dropping like a stone and you can probably get one for less that $180. Still, market exposure may mean the difference, so people may decide to throw this in their shopping cart with their usual drug store purchases.

Sourcd: Engadget

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Link to post: More Discount Netbooks, Tablets Hitting Retailer Shelves - from: Eee PC - Blog | One comment | © Admarket, 2010.

Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks, and Tablets

• Acer Aspire 1551 11.6″ laptop w/AMD Neo K325 dual core CPU for $475 + free shipping – Amazon
• Refurb Asus 1005HAB netbook w/Atom N270, Win 7 Starter, 3 cell battery for $240 – Buy.com
• Archos 7 8GB 7″ Internet Media Tablet with Android for $179 + free shipping – J&R (coupon: GEICO101)
• Refurb ASUS Eee PC Celeron 630MHz 7″ Netbook for $100 + $11 s&h – UncleVic

Accessories

• Super Talent 16GB USB Flash Drive for $20 + $2 s&h - SuperBiiz (coupon: DONUT1810)
• Kingston SSDNow V Series 64GB 2.5″ SSD for $94 after rebate – Newegg
• ASUS USB 2.0 External Slim DVD±R/RW Drive for $20 after rebate – Newegg

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

HP Mini 210 HD review

The HP Mini 210 HD is a small laptop that's both stylish and a bit more capable than many other 10 inch netbooks thanks to its high resolution 1366 x 768 pixel display. HP first introduced the Mini 210 series earlier this year, but after phasing out the budget model with a lower resolution screen, the HP Mini 210 HD is all that's left.

But with a starting price of just $330, this model isn't exactly going to break the bank, and if you're in the market for a 10 inch netbook there are a number of reasons to consider the HP Mini 210 HD.

On the other hand, the high resolution display is both a blessing and a curse in some cases and it may not be for everyone. The touchpad and keyboard can take a little getting used to. And the base model ships with a 3 cell battery which doesn't provide the same kind of run time I've come to expect from other netbooks.

HP sent me a demo unit to review. It features a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and integrated GMA 3150 graphics. It has 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth and runs Windows 7 Starter Edition. As configured, this netbook would run $370. The base model comes with Windows XP and has a black lid.

Some models are also available with a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, GPS, Windows 7 Home Premium or other features, which will increase the price, but my test unit didn't include this feature.

Design

When the lid is closed, the HP Mini 210 HD is one of the most attractive mini-laptops around. It measures just about an inch thick with a 3 cell battery and the slim design is made a bit more interesting because the lid matches the bottom.

Unlike most laptops which have a black plastic base with maybe a few vents and space for access panels, the HP Mini 210 HD has a single sheet of plastic covering the bottom, and it's the same solid color as the lid.

While this definitely gives the netbook a distinctive look, it means there's no space for vents on the bottom. Instead you find one on each side of the laptop, and while I'm used to hearing a little fan noise from most netbooks when the CPU kicks into high gear and the fan snaps to attention, the fan really seemed to be running most of the time I was using the Mini 210 HD. It's not the loudest computer fan I've ever heard, but it is loud enough to be noticeable if you're in a quiet room.

But back to the base plate for a second. While you might think that a solid base would make it difficult to upgrade the RAM, hard drive, or other internal components, HP has actually made the Mini 210 series one of the easiest netbooks to upgrade.

You don't need a screwdriver at all. Just pop out the battery, press two yellow buttons hidden in the battery compartment, and you can remove the entire base panel.

It takes a little more effort to remove than you would expect, but the plastic is sturdy and odds are you won't break anything unless you really try.

The video below shows how to remove the panel and what you'll find once you get inside.

The netbook is available in black, white, silver, blue, red, or pink. But the sides of the laptop and the keyboard, touchpad, screen bezel, and pretty much everything that's not the lid and base plate are black.

Around the sides of the laptop you'll find the usual array of ports including 3 USB ports, a VGA output, Ethernet jack, and SDHC card slot. HP also placed the power button — or switch, rather, on the right side.

For some reason the HP Mini 210 HD has a combination mic/headphone jack — which works pretty well if you're pl

Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks and Tablets

• Toshiba Satellite T215D 11.6″ laptop w/AMD Neo K125 CPU for $450 + free shipping – Amazon/Buy.com
• Archos 9 Atom 1.1GHz 8.9″ LED Internet Media Tablet for $410 + free shipping – Mwave
• Refurb ASUS Eee 100HE w/Atom N280, Win XP  for $200 + free shipping – Mwave
• Asus UL20FT 12.1″ notebook w/Intel Core i3-330UM CPU for $630 + free shipping – Amazon

Accessories

• Kingston 64GB SSDNow V Series SSD kit for $99.95 + free shipping – Buy.com
• USB SDHC Memory Card Reader 2-Pack for 79 cents + free shipping – Meritline (via Dealnews)
• Merax Universal USB Car Charger for Laptops for $13 + free shipping - Meritline (via Dealnews)
• Fantom 1TB eSATA / USB Hard Drive for $60 after rebate + 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

Asus to Lower its 3Q Netbook Shipment, Will Focus on Tablets Instead

Are we now looking at the bleak future of netbooks? Are tablets the new netbooks? Well, if  we're going to base this on Asus' decision to lower its netbook shipment for the 3Q 2010, then it looks like netbooks are off to a not so bright future.

In fact, according to Asus, as reported by Digitimes, the reason why they are decreasing their netbook shipment is because demand has been affected by the iPad.  To compensate for the decreasing demand for netbooks, Asus will instead focus on tablet PCs, the so called iPad rivals.

Up on Asus' sleeves are three tablet PCs:

Eee Note – 8.9-inch tablet PC running on Linux OS, to be launched in October

Eee Pad – 12-inch tablet PC running on Windows  Embedded Compact PC which will be launched in December 2010 or January 2011

Eee Pad – 10-inch tablet PC running on Android OS to be launched in March 2011.

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Link to post: Asus to Lower its 3Q Netbook Shipment, Will Focus on Tablets Instead - from: Eee PC - Blog | One comment | © Admarket, 2010.

Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks, and Tablets

• Acer Aspire 1551 11.6″ laptop w/AMD Neo K325 dual core CPU for $475 + free shipping – Amazon
• Refurb Asus 1005HAB netbook w/Atom N270, Win 7 Starter, 3 cell battery for $240 – Buy.com
• Archos 7 8GB 7″ Internet Media Tablet with Android for $179 + free shipping – J&R (coupon: GEICO101)
• Refurb ASUS Eee PC Celeron 630MHz 7″ Netbook for $100 + $11 s&h – UncleVic

Accessories

• Super Talent 16GB USB Flash Drive for $20 + $2 s&h - SuperBiiz (coupon: DONUT1810)
• Kingston SSDNow V Series 64GB 2.5″ SSD for $94 after rebate – Newegg
• ASUS USB 2.0 External Slim DVD±R/RW Drive for $20 after rebate – Newegg

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing