Asus introduces Eee PC 1005PX netbook with matte display

Most of the 10 inch netbooks Asus has released this year ship with glossy displays. The recently introduced Eee PC 1005PX bucks the trend with a matte, non-glare screen which is a bit easier to see in direct sunlight.

The display is the biggest thing setting the Eee PC 1005PX apart from the Eee PC 1005PE model I reviewed earlier this year. Both netbooks feature the same basic design, and both come with 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processors, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and6 cell batteries.

But there are a few other differences, which would seem to suggest that at least the base model of the Eee PC 1005PX will carry a lower price tag than its predecessor. While the matte display might appeal to some, this netbook has 2 USB ports instead of 3. And the 6 cell, 48Whr battery i srated at up to 8.5 hours. That's pretty good, but not as good as the 63Whr battery that came with the Eee PC 1005PE I reviewed.

The Eee PC 1005PX has a number of different configuration options. It can run Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows XP Home, there's a Bluetooth 2.1 option, and the hard drive comes in 160GB, 250GB, and 320GB varieties.

The Eee PC 1005PX isn't the only Asus netbook to launch this year with a matte display instead of glossy. The Asus Eee PC 1001P budget model netbook also has a non-glare screen.

via Eee PC News.de

Asus introduces Eee PC 1005PX netbook with matte display is a post from: Liliputing

How to install a Pixel Qi display (in an Acer netbook)

A few days ago Pixel Qi started shipping DIY kits allowing netbook users to add a 10.1 inch Pixel Qi 3Qi display to their mini-laptops. While the $275 price tag may seem a bit high, what you get for your money is a dual mode display that you can use outdoors just as easily as indoors. That's because you can enable a low power, high contrast mode for use in direct sunlight. As an added bonus, the screen uses 80% less power in this mode.

There still aren't any actual computers shipping with Pixel Qi displays, which means if you want one you're going to have to pony up the cash for a DIY kit… but you'll also end up voiding your netbook warranty if you open up the case, remove the old display and replace it with a new Pixel Qi display. So if you want to know what you're in for before pulling out your credit card, you might want to check out the video after the break, courtesy of Make Magazine.

Basically, the 10 minute video shows how you remove the original screen from an Acer Aspire One laptop, and how you insert and connect the new display. If this all looks too difficult, then you should probably hold off on buying a Pixel Qi display for now and wait until you can actually buy a netbook or tablet with the screen preinstalled. It'll probably be cheaper than buying an off-the-shelf netbook and a display anyway.

via Netbook News

How to install a Pixel Qi display (in an Acer netbook) is a post from: Liliputing

Verizon adds the Samsung N150 to its 3G lineup

Looking for a cheap netbook that comes bundled with 3G wireless service? Verizon has just started selling the Samsung N150. When you sign up for a 2-year mobile broadband contract you can pick one up from a Verizon store for $49.99 after rebate, or you can snag one for just $29.99 from the Verizon Wireless web site.

This is the first Samsung netbook available from Verizon. The wireless carrier also offers 3G netbooks from HP and Gateway. But at just under $30, the Samsung N150 is the cheapest model you can currently get from Verizon.

The netbook features a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, and a 6 cell battery. It runs Windows 7 Starter Edition and includes 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 160Gb hard drive, 1GB of memory, and a flash card reader.

via TWICE

Verizon adds the Samsung N150 to its 3G lineup is a post from: Liliputing

Google probably won't "need to" launch its own Chrome OS netbook

Google is a software company. Google's best known product is probably its search engine, but over the last few years the company has also launched the Google Docs online office suite, acquired YouTube, and introduced the Android operating system for smartphones, among other things. And Google is working a new operating system for netbooks called Chrome OS, which will have the Google Chrome web browser at its core.

But earlier this year the company did launch one high profile piece of hardware to go with it software. The Google Nexus One phone was probably the most advanced phone around when it was introduced in January, thanks to its 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, OLED display, and Android 2.1 operating system. Half a year later, those specs hardly make the Nexus One stand out, and Google has already stopped offering the phone (which is manufactured by HTC) on its web site.

But while the Nexus One, which was never sold in stores, hasn't been the runaway sales success that competing phones like the iPhone 4 or even the Motorola Droid have been, Google seems pretty happy with how things worked out. The idea, Google CEO Eric Schmidt tells the Telegraph, was to move forward development of smartphone hardware to match the needs and capabilities of the Android operating system. And while a relatively small number of Nexus One phones were sold, there are at least half a dozen phones with similar specs already available. Mission accomplished.

Of course, that leads to the natural question: Will Google use a similar strategy with netbooks? There's been speculation for ages that the company was planning to launch a Google-branded netbook. But Schmidt says Google probably "won't need to," because "the PC industry is different from the phone industry." In other words, the hardware is already available and PC makers already know how to build systems which will meet the needs of Chrome OS.

It doesn't sound like Schmidt is completely ruling out the possibility of a Google netbook. If PC makers decide to take their own approach to Chrome OS hardware… and if it's an approach that Google isn't happy with, the company has already shown that it's willing to bring its own product to market to shake things up a bit.

But it's also possible that this is all just positive spin after the fact. Maybe Google does consider the Nexus One a failure, and maybe similarly powerful phones from HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and others would have hit the market even if the Nexus One never saw the light of day.

So maybe Google simply scrapped any plans for a Google netbook after realizing that people don't want Google hardware. They want Google software. Millions of phones running Google Android are already available. They just don't have the Google name on the back of the case like the Nexus One does. Android has been a huge success, whether you consider the Nexus One to be a successful product or not.

via SlashGear

Google probably won't "need to" launch its own Chrome OS netbook is a post from: Liliputing

LG to launch an Android tablet

LG is the latest company to jump on the Android tablet bandwagon. The company has announced plans to bring a tablet running Google's mobile operating system to market during the fourth quarter of 2010.

The company already offers a handful of Android powered smartphones, so LG is no stranger to the Android space. And LG has built a number of netbooks over the past few years, so the company is also experienced in the mobile PC space. LG also showed off a 10.1 inch tablet running Windows 7 at Computex in June.

But there's no word at this point on what kind of processor, display, or other features the upcoming Android tablet will have.

via Engadget and The Wall Street Journal

LG to launch an Android tablet is a post from: Liliputing

Next-generation Asus netbooks to ship later this month

Asus started showing off the Eee PC 1015, 1016, and 1018 line of netbooks a few months ago, but the company has been pretty quiet about launch dates. While I've been told that the pretty-much-unannounced Eee PC 1005PED should ship the week of July 19th, there's still no official launch date for these models which have been making the rounds since March.

But now the folks at Netbook News have noticed that Excaliber PC is taking pre-orders for two of the three models, with estimated ship dates of July 29th. And Engadget reports that Asus says all three should be available in 3-4 weeks.

The pre-order page for the Eee PC 1018P says the netbook will run $430 and will ship with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 3 USB 3.0 ports, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 44Whr battery, and Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The Eee PC 1016P is a bit pricier at just a bit under $500. But while this model has the same 10 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and Atom N455 chip as the Eee PC 1018P, it also has a few premium features. It comes with 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 48WHr battery, and Windows 7 Professional.

Anyone see an order page for the Eee PC 1015P anywhere?

Update: It looks like Best Buy has the Eee PC 1015P in stock for $350, while the Eee PC 1018P is available for $350 to $380.

Next-generation Asus netbooks to ship later this month is a post from: Liliputing

Pixel Qi display kit in the wild - Video

A few days after the Maker Shed started selling DIY Pixel Qi display kits, we have one of the first reports from a computer user that actually purchased one. Apparently, installation was pretty simple (if you don't mind removing some screws in your computer, and the end result is a netbook display that's perfectly usable outdoors in bright sunlight.

Sure, it pretty much looks like a black and white screen outdoors with the backlight shut off instead of a full color display. But that's a lot better than looking like a mirror — which is what happens to most netbooks when you carry them outdoors.

You can check out a video after the break.

The Maker Shed is currently sold out of Pixel Qi displays, but is taking pre-orders for the next batch for $275 each.

thanks Meh!

Pixel Qi display kit in the wild – Video is a post from: Liliputing

UMID mbook Special Edition, now with faster CPU

The UMID mbook BZ is a mobile internet device with a QWERTY keyboard and a 4.8 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display. I have a habit of calling 10 inch netbooks "mini-laptops," but this thing is best described as an itty bitty laptop. Now UMID has released a special edition of this little guy, with twice the RAM and a faster processor.

The UMID mbook SE replaces the 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z515 CPU found in the original with a zippier 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor. And instead of 512MB of RAM, the special edition ships with 1GB.The new model also comes with a 2800mAh battery, which is a little beefier than the 2600mAh that comes with the original mbook.

The rest of the specs remain the same, which means you get a 32GB SSD, the same 4.8 inch touchscreen display, 802.11b/g WiFi, 2 USB ports, and a microSDHC card slot. The UMID mBook SE runs Windows XP, although there are drivers for Windows 7 if you feel like upgrading on your own.

The UMID mbook Special Edition sells for about $568 in Korea. No word on whether we'll see this model in the US anytime soon, but you can pick up the original UMID mbook BZ for $499 from Dynamism.

via SlashGear

UMID mbook Special Edition, now with faster CPU is a post from: Liliputing

HP Quietly Updates Mini 110 and Mini 210

HP has quietly upgraded the processing prowess of its two major netbook products, the HP Mini 110 and HP Mini 210. Both these netbooks now run on Intel Atom N455 or N475 if you so choose.

What does this new chip brings to the HP Mini 110 and 210? Nothing much really except for the fact that both netbooks are now compatible with DDR3 memory. And if you choose to have the Intel N475 instead of the N455, your HP Mini will have 1.88GHz clockspeed. But then, you will have to pay $25 extra for that.

Pricing for the HP Mini 110 and HP Mini 210 are now set at $280 and $330 respectively.

via Notebooks.com

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Asus Officially Unveils the Eee PC 1215N

Still remember the Eee PC 1215N which got previewed not so long ago? Well, it looks like Asus is already prepared to release this new netbook but unfortunately it wil be initially available in the Middle East market first. As of now, it's not yet known whether the Eee PC 1215N will be made available to the US market.

Still for curiousity's sake or if you have access to Middle East market you might want to know what this new Asus netbook is capable of.

The new Eee PC 1215N features:

• 12.1-inch LCD (1366×768)
• Intel dual-core D525 CPU
• NVIDIA 2nd Generation ION discrete graphics
• USB 3.0
• Bluetooth 3.0
• HDMI Output

Pricing is yet to be announced.

via Electronista

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