NetbookTech

Ah good ol LaptopMag. You can always count on them to offer the very latest in netbook and laptop reviews. Their latest set of netbook reviews offer a peak into what to expect out of Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks. The N450 is at the heart of the new Pine Trail platform which includes a new Atom processor core with integrated graphics in the core and a new chipset with reduced power requirements. In short, Pine Trail appears to promise minimal performance gains while achieving noticeable power consumption savings.

The first of two reviews from the publication was the newly announced ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-P. Similar to the extremely popular ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, the new 1005PE-P offers a larger hard drive (250GB), a better keyboard, and of course, an incredible battery life – thanks in no small part to the new Pine Trail platform. Here’s a blurb from the summary:

“While Intel’s new Atom N450 processor doesn’t really improve performance, the extra endurance it provides will certainly be welcome among netbook users. At $379, this netbook is a bargain, undercutting the Toshiba mini NB205 by $20 while lasting longer on a charge. We give the edge to the NB205 because of its more comfortable touchpad and mouse buttons, but the 1005PE is a still a stellar value.”

The second review is of the new MSI Wind U135 netbook which offers an extremely competitive price of around $329 dollars while also featuring the new Atom N450 processor. Unfortunately it appears the U135 doesn’t quite have the battery life of its competition with LaptopMag timing battery life at around 5+ hours. That’s an incredibly poor showing for an MSI netbook.

An excerpt from the verdict says it all:

“If you can swing the extra $50, we recommend the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE and its 5 extra hours of work and play time. But, if you’re really watching the bottom line, the U135 is worth a look.”