Archive for March, 2009
Verizon to enter netbook/mobile broadband space?
Bloomberg reports Verizon Wireless will soon begin selling netbook/mobile broadband bundles as early as next quarter – entering a market currently populated by systems bundled with AT&T Mobile Broadband.
According to the report, you’ll be able to purchase the netbook/mobile broadband bundles either through the company’s retail stores or through retail partners. As with mobile phones, you can expect Verizon to subsidize the netbook by offering them at around $100 dollars (along with a new mobile broadband service of course).
Although there’s no confirmation on who would provide the netbooks, a couple of possibilities include Dell and HP. Check out the article for additional details.
[Check it out via CNET]
Acer to release 11.6 inch Aspire One netbook
Not happy with the 8.9 inch or 10.1 inch Aspire One? Well soon you’ll have one more size option to choose from. According to Macles*, Acer is about ready to launch a new 11.6 inch Aspire One netbook featuring the Intel Z530 processor, the Intel USW15S chipset, and a 16:9 display with a resolution of 1366 x 768.
Unlike previous Aspire One systems, the new 11.6 inch system swaps the Intel Atom N270 processor in favor of the Atom Z530 processor (and it’s corresponding Poulsbo chipset). Choosing the Z530 is a common tactic for vendors building netbooks with larger displays thanks to the platform’s lower TDP of 4.3W (compared to the Atom N270 platform TDP of 11.8W). This offsets the higher power consumption of the larger 11.6 inch display resulting in a system capable of delivering 4 hours of power with the standard battery and 8 hours with the high capacity battery.
No word on when exactly the new 11.6 inch model will appear but hopefully soon!
[Check it out via TechSpot]
Gigabyte’s three new netbooks – S1024 ThinNote, T1028 TouchNote, and M1022 BookTop
Thanks to the website “mobilx webshop” (http://www.mobilx.hu), we now have specs and prices for three of Gigabyte’s new netbook models – the S1024 ThinNote, the T1028M TouchNote, and the M1022 BookTop. Without further ado, here’s what you need to know about the three systems.
- 10.1 inch LED backlit display
- Height of only 20.8 mm (hence the “ThinNote” moniker)
- Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
- Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 80GB 4200RPM HDD
- Intel HD audio
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.1
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- Windows XP Home
- Measures 250 x 170 x 20.9 mm
- Weighs 890 grams
- Price of €503.39 inc. VAT
- Convertible Netbook system with 92 percent keyboard
- Intel Atom N270 processor clocked at 1.6GHz
- Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD 5400RPM
- 10.1 inch WSVGA LED backlit 16:9 display (1024 x 600)
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.1
- Media Card Reader
- Express Card slot
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- Optional HSDPA
- Windows XP Home
- 4 cell battery
- Measures 265 x 195 x 38.55 mm
- Weighs 1.3 kg
- Price of €548.23 inc. VAT
- 92 percent keyboard
- 10.1 WXGA LED backlit 1366 x 768 resolution display
- Intel Atom N280 processor clocked at 1.66GHz
- Intel GN40 Express Chipset
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB 5400 RPM HDD
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.1
- 3 USB 2.0
- Express Card slot
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- Docking station
- Windows XP Home
- Measures 265 x 180 x 27.2, 31.3mm
- Weighs 1.3 kg
- Price of €503.39 inc. VAT
Via SlashGear
Samsung’s NC310 – for the bacteria-conscious
Samsung continues their foray into the netbook market with the announcement of the new Samsung NC310 netbook. The system features a gorgeous frameless 10 inch display, an energy efficient Intel Atom processor on the inside, a beautiful “pebble design” keyboard, and a 5 hour – 4 cell battery. Personally – love the look of the frameless display!
Yet what makes the NC310 really unique is the anti-bacterial finish on the netbook (and we all know how disgusting keyboards, touchpads, and arm rests can get after just a few days of usage).
Other interesting specs include:
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- 3 in 1 memory card reader
- Three USB ports
- Optional Bluetooth
- Windows XP Home Edition
- Weight of 2.6 lbs
The Samsung NC310 should be available in May but no word on price as of yet.
Refurb HP Mini-Notebook 1030NR available for $279.99 at Buy.com
Came across another sweet netbook deal. This time it’s for a refurbished HP 10 inch Mini-Notebook 1030NR (model FW376UA) at Buy.com. For $279.99 you get a system with the following specs:
- Intel Atom Processor N270 1.6GHz
- 1GB RAM
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
- 16GB SSD
- 10.1 inch LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1024 x 576)
- 10/100 Ethernet
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- HD Audio
- Stereo Speakers
- 82 keyboard at 92 percent full size
- 2 in 1 digital media reader (SD and MMC)
- 2 USB ports
- Measures 10.3 x 6.56 x 0.99 inches and weighs 238 lbs
- 3 cell Lithium Polymer Battery
- Windows XP Home Edition with SP3
My only complaint would be the measly 16GB SSD but otherwise this seems like a solid deal. For what it’s worth, I’ve purchased a refurbished HP system before from Buy.com and the system (it was an HP Pavilion desktop PC) still works like a champ (had it for one year now).
Some inexpensive netbooks
Sorry for the lack of news recently. I’ve been busy of course and I also decided to head off to Vegas this past weekend so I’m trying to catch up now. Hard to blog and keep a full time job sometimes!
In any case, this is NetbookTech so let’s talk a bit about netbooks shall we?
Yes netbooks are inexpensive.. but how cheap can they really get? As it turns out – pretty darn cheap! PC Magazine lists three netbooks that can be had for under $400 dollars right now – even one under $300 dollars. The specific systems are the MSI Wind (around $300 dollars from Buy.com), the Acer Aspire One (around $255 from PC Connection), and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (around $350 from Amazon.com).
You might think these are “old” systems but they are in fact comparable to current netbooks minus the battery performance. If you’re willing to spend a bit more – go for a system with at least a 6 cell battery. Heck, if you’re willing to spend close to $400 dollars you might as well consider the Asus Eee PC 1000HE with its amazing battery life!
HP 2133 and Acer 8.9 inch netbook deal at CompUSA
Just noticed this in my email inbox. CompUSA has two new netbook deals that might peak interest in some of you.
The first deal is for the older HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. This is a completely new system with the following specs:
- Windows XP Home OS
- VIA C7-M ULV processor clocked at 1.2GHz
- 1GB DDR2 memory
- 120GB HDD
- 8.9 inch WSVGA display (1280 x 800)
- ExpressCard/54 slot
- VIA Chrome9 graphics
- 2 USB ports
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 3 cell battery for up to 2.25 hours of battery life
CompUSA is selling this system new for $299.99.
The second system is for a refurbished Acer Aspire One (the 8.9 inch version). System specs include:
- Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
- 1GB RAM
- 120GB HDD
- 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 display
- Windows XP Home OS
- Intel GMA 950
- Media Card reader
- 3 USB ports
- Ethernet, Wi-Fi
- 3 cell battery for up to 2.5 hours of battery life
CompUSA is offering this system for $239.97. Sure it’s a refurb but it’s still a sweet deal for a small netbook.
VIA announces Surfboard C855 Reference Design mobo for netbooks
The proliferation of Intel-based (Intel Atom processor + Intel integrated chipset) netbooks has exposed one notable flaw – the inability for these systems to smoothly play back high definition video content. Play some 720p or 1080p content and see what happens to your system – not a lovely sight to behold. As a result, it’s not surprising to see VIA Technologies attempt to address this deficiency with the announcement of a new netbook oriented motherboard reference design – the Surfboard C855. Powering the C855 is a VIA C7-M ULV processor (which quite honestly is a bit of a yawner when compared to the Atom). However what makes the C855 tick when it comes to HD video playback is the new VIA VX855 unified IGP chipset/media system processor. We’re talkin hardware acceleration of video playback!
First off, here are the stated features of the Surfboard C855:
- VX855 is a power efficient integrated all-in-one chipset
- Provides playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video
- Support for internal display resolutions up to 1366 x 768
- Support for external display resolutions up to 1920 x 1440
- VIA Chrome9 HCM IGP for hardware acceleration of video playback including H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1, and WMV9
- Low power consumption
The reference design specs are as follows:
- 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV @ 800MHz FSB
- VIA VX855 Media System Processor
- Shared memory architecture – up to 512MB
- One SO-DIMM socket , Support DDRII 667/800, up to 2GB
- supports 2.5 inch SATA HDD or 1.8 inch PATA HDD via ZIF Connector
- VIA Vinyl VT1702S audio codec
- VIA Rhine VT6107 10/100Mb Ethernet
- 0.3 megapixel webcam support
- VIA VT6656, 802.11b/g
No word on when netbooks based on this reference mobo will come out.
If only we could have decent hardware acceleration on the Intel-based netbooks.
Register Hardware reviews the Dell Inspiron Mini 12
The folks at the Register Hardware UK have published a review of the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 here on their website. Now I know, the Mini 12 barely quantifies as a netbook system.. but oh what the heck, we’ll include it here anyhow! Here’s a snippet from the review:
“Not a bad bag of tricks. The 12.1in screen is great, but as whole, the Mini 12 is a little on the staid and costly side.”
Now on a side note, there are several refurbished Inspiron Mini 12’s available on the Dell Outlet website. If you’re interested in getting the 12, this might not be a bad way to do so.
Lenovo Pocket Yoga – 2 year old design concept
The story behind the “Lenovo Pocket Yoga” has finally surfaced courtesy of a blog posting by Johnson Li, Director of Lenovo’s Beijing Innovation Center and .. we’re sorry to say that the system was in fact a 2 year design concept that never saw the light of day from a production standpoint.
Boo.. Hiss….
According to the posting, the “Yoga notebook experiment is finished". A real shame…
However the rest of the posting is certainly interesting if you’re into the design characteristics of the Pocket Yoga. There’s even a brief mention of a “similar form factor by one of [Lenovo’s] competitors” (ahem.. Sony VAIO P Lifestyle PC).
Here are some tidbits from the posting for your edification:
- Called the “Pocket Yoga” because it was an extension of their other folding concept design which was inspired by the practice of yoga. The design came from one of their New Zealand –based designers
- Shaped liked a large wallet – the system could be placed in your pocket
- Surfaced is covered with wallet leather which is designed to be soft and comfortable
- 360 degree soft hinge design. Supports three modes – which each mode lockable.
- One mode was to use it in “normal angle” similar to how you might use a laptop
- Second mode was to open it “360 degrees” – folding the top cover back on itself thereby converting the system into a tablet PC
- Full function keyboard
- Elegant belt which wrapped the system AND can be used as a mouse
Make sure to read the rest of the Lenovo blog posting to understand the nuances of the design. Unfortunately, the “Yoga” experiment, as we said in the beginning, is “finished”.
[Check it out via SlashGear]
