Toshiba refreshes its netbook lineup, adds dual core options

Toshiba is unveiling a few new 10 inch netbooks at CES, including the budget NB505 model with a starting price of $299 and a new version of the Toshiba Mini NB305 with an optional dual core Intel Atom N550 processor.

The NB505 comes with the typical netbook specs including an Atom chip, Windows 7 Starter, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. It's available in blue, green, brown, orange, or turquoise. It doesn't have the ability to charge USB gadgets while the computer is turned off, something that the pricier NB305 offers.

The new NB305 will run about $379 with a dual core Atom chip. It will also have a hard drive impact sensor to help prevent damage if you drop the laptop.

I don't see any listings for the new NB305 yet, but you can pick up the Toshiba NB505 from J&R for $299.99.

The folks at Laptop Magazine have some hands-on photos, and I'll keep an eye out for these little guys as the week goes on.

Toshiba refreshes its netbook lineup, adds dual core options is a post from: Liliputing

Hands-on with the Lenovo IdeaPad S100

The IdeaPad S100 is Lenovo's fourth generation netbook, and to be honest, it's not all that different from the models that came before it. The main differences between the S100 and older netbooks such as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 are a new keyboard design and the fact that the new model will be available with a choice of single or dual core Intel Atom processors.

In fact, according to Lenovo, the IdeaPad S100 will support chips up to an Intel Atom N570 processor — even though that model hasn't yet been announced. If I had to guess, I'd say that the N570 might be a slight variation on the Atom N550 with a higher clock speed — just like the Atom N475 is just a slightly faster version of the Atom N455.

I got a chance to check out the S100 last night and snap a few photos. The new keyboard looks a lot like something you'd find on a ThinkPad notebook, and Lenovo says it's a 98% full sized keyboard. That's about as close to 100% as you can get on a netbook with a 10 inch display without adding otherwise unnecessary mass to the computer.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S100 is expected to ship in March for $330 and up.

Hands-on with the Lenovo IdeaPad S100 is a post from: Liliputing

Toshiba at CES 2011: NB305 and NB505 Netbooks

Toshiba just don't want to let of their netbook product line. Despite the onslaught of tablets being announced at the CES 2011, here comes Toshiba announcing two of its latest netbooks – the Toshiba NB305 and Toshiba NB505. The Toshiba NB505 is actually a fresh new mini netbook while the Toshiba NB305 is an upgraded version of the previous model.

Let's see now, the new Toshiba NB505 is an entry-level netbook featuring a rubberized EasyGrip Finish on the cover that makes it easier to carry. It also reduces fingerprints and comes with a flat keyboard with Black textured finish on the inside. Inside this netbook is an Intel Atom N455 processor, 250GB HDD and 1GB of RAM. It will be available in various color designs including  Turquoise, Blue, Lime Green, Brown and Orange. Available on January 9, 2011, the Toshiba NB 505 will retail for $299.99

Going now to the upgraded Toshiba NB305, the netbook now packs in an Intel Atom N550 dual-core processor, 250GB HDD which is suppotred by Toshiba Hard Drive Impact Sensor. It comes with a USB 2.0 port with Sleep and Charge Feature and weighs in a mere 2.6 lbs. This netbook retails for $379.99.

So there, any plans on getting a new netbook this year? Or would you rather get one of those Android tablets instead?

via Business Wire

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Sony to introduce mini-laptops with AMD chips

Sony has long been a reluctant player in the netbook space. A few years ago when everybody and their kid brother had already brought 7 to 10 inch netbooks with sub-$400 price tags and Intel Atom chips to market, Sony took a different path and introduced the $1000 Sony Vaio P mini-laptop with a super-high resolution display and a super-sluggish CPU.

A year later, Sony finally introduced a 10 inch model called the Sony Vaio W, but charged a premium due to a high resolution display and Sony branding.

Now Sony is reportedly taking a new approach, by dropping the Intel Atom chips in favor of new AMD Brazos processors. According to CNET, these devices may be netbook-sized, but Sony will likely price them above $500 and justify the higher cost by pointing to the higher performance the AMD chips offer.

Of course, that doesn't mean other companies won't be launching cheaper notebooks with new AMD chips. But it sounds like Sony is using AMD's new offering as an excuse to drop out of the netbook business it never really wanted to be part of in the first place.

stuff

Sony to introduce mini-laptops with AMD chips is a post from: Liliputing

HP Mini 210 Gets Two New Designs

Nothing new here in terms of features and specs. Just two new designs being introduced by HP to its best-selling HP Mini 210 netbook. Yup, that flagship netbook gets a lease at new life in the upcoming CES 2011 by of two new plaid design. And guess what? Said netbooks also gets a monicker – iceberry and raspberry.

In case you already forgot, the HP Mini 210 was previously available in charcoal, lavender frost, luminous rose and ocean drive. So, these two new exciting colors would hopefull bring a new spark of light for the HP Mini 210 in terms of unit sales.

To make these two new HP Mini 210 netbooks even more enticing, HP is also releasing color-coordinated clutch sleeves to go with the netbooks. There's also a matching USB mice. Both accessories can be yours for $30 each.

The HP Mini 210 in raspberry and iceberry designs should hit US stores by January 9, 2011.  The HP Mini 210 iceberry flavor will set you back for $349.99 while the raspberry flavor which will be available exclusive at Best Buy will set you back for $329.99.

Via LaptopMag

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Deals of the Day

Netbooks, Notebooks and Tablets

• Gateway LT3119u 11.6″ notebook w/AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core CPU for $359 – Amazon
• Velocity Micro Cruz Digital Reader 7″ Android eReader for $100 – Best Buy
• Asus Eee PC 1005PEM netbook w/Atom N550 dual core CPU for $335 – Amazon

Accessories

• Kingston 4GB microSDHC card w/full size SD adapter for $7 + free shipping - Buy.com
• Centon DataStick 8GB USB Flash Drive for $8 + $1 s&h, 2 for $14 - Walmart
• Targus Eternity 15″ Laptop Backback for $5 + free shipping – Lenovo (coupon: USPC10D46560)

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Dell Aiming To Release New Latitude At CES

More word about CES releases! This time, word on the Internet is that Dell is planning to add to their Latitude line of netbooks.

Designed for busy students, the Latitude series aims to be small, cheap and easy-to-carry – the very definition of a netbook. However, this has usually resulted in a very acute lack of CPU power. Well, worry no more – the 2120 is supposed to double the current processing strength of the current 2110 model. It will be using a dual-core N550 processor and will also get an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator. That's a great bonus – though it may end up adding to the price tag.

Prices and availability will probably be announced at CES.

Source: Engadget

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Link to post: Dell Aiming To Release New Latitude At CES - from: Eee PC - Blog | One comment | © Admarket, 2011.

Most popular Liliputing posts of 2010

As the year draws to a close, it seems like as good a time to look back and see some of the changes in the mobile computing space. While netbooks were hot news in 2008 and 2009, 2010 largely became the year of the tablet — or rather the year of the iPad and dozens of other companies promising to take on the iPad with only a few (such as Samsung and Archos) actually managing to bring products to market during the calendar year.

What's happening in the tablet space looks a lot like what happened in the cheap ultraportable laptop space a few years ago. Tablet computers have been around for well over 10 years — but they were bulky and expensive. Not many people really used them. The Eee PC showed in 2007 that there was a huge demand for low power, cheap, and tiny notebooks. The iPad has shown… well, it's not really clear what the iPad has shown yet, but plenty of companies are hoping to take advantage of its success by launching similar products. It remains to be seen how those devices will fare in the market.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the most visited Liliputing posts from 2010:

1. Closer look at the Archos 101 Android tablet – 9/7/2010
2. Closer look at the eMachines EM250 netbook – 1/17/2010
3. Archos 5 Internet Tablet review – 2/25/2010
4. Closer look at the Samsung N210 and N220 – 1/10/2010
5. Pandigital Novel eReader hacking continues: Meet the $179 Android tablet – 7/13/2010
6. Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 review – 3/8/2010
7. Hands on with the Notion Ink Adam tablet – 1/10/2010
8. Gpad G10: Cheap Android 2.1 tablet with camera, accelerometer – 8/4/2010
9. Asus Eee PC 1201N review – 2/13/2010
10. HP introduces HP Mini 210, Mini 2102 netbooks – 1/6/2010

You may notice a few themes. Posts about tablets and cheap devices were popular. Also, many of the most popular posts were written in January — right around the time of the Consumer Electronics Show, which is kind of like the Super Bowl of new product launches. Oh yeah, and CES 2011 starts next week and I'll be in Vegas again for the show, so stay tuned for much, much more.

Most popular Liliputing posts of 2010 is a post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

Netbooks and Tablets

• Acer Aspire One D255 10″ netbook w/Atom N450, 6 cell battery for $292 – Buy.com
• Asus Eee PC 1001PX 10″ netbook w/Atom N450, 3 cell battery for $250 - B&H
• eLocity A7 Android tablet w/NVIDIA Tegra 2 for $350 – TigerDirect

Accessories

• Ridata 32GB Mini PCI Express SSD for Eee PC for $105 – Amazon
• Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard for $21 + free shipping - Meritline
• Crucial 2GB 204-pin DDR3 PC3-8500 memory module for $27 + free shipping - J&R

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

Deals of the Day is a post from: Liliputing

Gigabyte Shows Off An Upgraded Netbook

More offering for the new year! Taiwanese manufacturer Gigabyte has upgraded one of its Booktop netbooks. The Gigabyte M1005 will feature a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core CPU.

Because of its inclusion in the Booktop line, it the M1005 will be able to use a docking station pictured above and you can use it like a real desktop computer. Just plug-in whenever at home and you don't have to worry about shifting to an actual desktop PC.

Other specs include a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of memory, up to 320GB of HDD storage, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet and audio jacks, a webcam, and a memory card reader. For connectivity,  it can access 802.11b/g/n WiFi or Bluetooth 3.0. The docking station itself adds 3 USB ports, Ethernet, mic, headphone, and D-sub jacks.

Very impressive and will be an interesting purchase for next year.

Source: Liliputing

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