NetbookTech

Corsair announced on Friday two new solid state drive product lines – the Reactor Series and the Nova Series.

The Reactor Series is available in 60GB and 120GB capacities and features the new JMicron JMF612 controller which incorporates 128MB of DDR2 cache memory for fast performance. The 60GB drive has read speeds up to 250MB/sec and write speeds up to 110MB/sec while the 120GB drive has read speeds up to 250MB/sec and write speeds up to 170MB/sec.

The Nova Series uses the Indilinx Barefoot controller which comes with 64MB of cache memory and is available in 64GB and 128GB storage capacities. The 64GB drive has read speeds up to 270MB/sec and write speeds up to 130MB/sec while the 128GB drive has read speeds up to 270MB/sec and write speeds up to 190MB/sec.

Amazon has the 60GB Reactor SSD for $187.65 while the 120GB Reactor SSD is available for $363.09.

They also have the 64GB Nova Series SSD for $193.99 and the 128GB Nova Series SSD for $373.29.

[Check out the Reactor Series product page]

[Check out the Nova Series product page]

We’re doing a bit of catch-up news here so I apologize if this is old news for you.

A few weeks back, Acer became the first vendor to announce a netbook featuring the upcoming next-generation NVIDIA ION platform (known to most as the ION 2). Known as the Aspire One 532G, the new 10.1 inch system measures only 1 inch thin, weighs a mere 1kg, and has up to 10 hours of battery life.

With the ION 2 GPU, the 532G supports 720p HD playback locally on the system and 1080p HD playback via an externally connected high-definition display. More importantly, the next-generation GPU supports NVIDIA’s Optimus Technology which automatically and intelligently switches between the discrete graphics and integrated graphics. This allows you to get 3D graphics horsepower when you need it and conserve power consumption when you don’t need it.

All this sounds but will the new ION platform deliver better 3D graphics performance than the first-generation ION platform? According to early test results from Netbook News, this might not be the case.

The site managed to get some time with the new 532G netbook and found the system scored 3049 with 3D Mark 2003. While this is a notable increase over integrated graphics performance, it’s actually lower than what the Samsung N510 scored with the first generation ION platform (the N510 scored a 3513).

Of course these are all preliminary results at this time. The drivers are not fully-baked at this time and this is still pre-release hardware. However, it might be prudent to lower graphics performance expectations of the ION 2 platform.

More importantly, we see the ION 2 as a way for NVIDIA to improve the battery life of ION-powered netbook systems – something that’s been a sore spot for first generation ION-powered netbooks. 

As for the Aspire One 532G, the netbook will be available in three colors (Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red and Pearl Silver), and should be shipping by the end of the first quarter.

ASUS is reportedly planning to launch three new Eee PC netbooks at CeBIT next week – the Eee PC 1015P, 1016P and 1018P. Details on the new systems are scarce at this time but here’s what Blogeee.net uncovered thus far.

ASUS Eee PC 1015P:

• Similar to the current 1005P
• Chiclet keyboard
• Aluminum chassis
• Wider touchpad
• 14 hour battery life

ASUS Eee PC 1016P:

• Thinner than the 1008P and 1008HA – approximately 18mm thick
• Chiclet keyboard
• Aluminum chassis
• Larger Touchpad
• Fingerprint reader
• USB 3.0 ports

ASUS Eee PC 1018P:

• Designed for business users
• Aluminum chassis
• 14 hour battery

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Welcome to our latest installment of “Netbook Deals of the Day”. Let’s get down to it shall we?

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Dell.com

Dell’s running a 3 day sale across various systems on their website. On the netbook front, the company has sale prices for various Mini 10 netbook configurations.

At the low end of the spectrum, you can pick up a base Dell Inspiron Mini 10 for a low price of $279. The system features the Atom N450 processor clocked at 1.66GHz, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP Home Edition, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 10.1 inch widescreen display, Intel NM10 Express chipset, HD audio, 160GB HDD, a 3 cell battery, and 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi.

Next up, there’s the Mini 10 TV Tuner package for a low price of $349. This system adds a Dell Internal Digital TV receiver (ATSC) and a six cell battery into the mix.

Don’t need the TV tuner? How about a GPS version of the Mini 10? For the same price of $349, you can opt for the Dell Mini 10 GPS system which adds a built-in GPS with turn-by-turn navigation and a six cell battery.

And finally, there’s the Dell Mini 10 Design Studio for $379. This Mini 10 edition allows you to customize the top lid with either the “Red My Fortune Cookie” design by OPI or an image from the Dell Design Studio. Sorry no 6 cell battery in this version unfortunately.

Now if you’re looking for something with a bit more oopmh than the Atom-powered Inspiron Mini 10, then you might want to check out the Dell Studio 14z thin-and-light notebook. The pre-configured system priced at $708 provides a much more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor clocked at 2.2GHz, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OS, 500GB SATA HDD, 3GB of RAM, a 14 inch 720p capable LED backlit display, a 6 cell battery, Soundblaster X-Fi HD audio, Wi-Fi, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G graphics. Not a shabby deal (although we’re not sure what the actual battery life is like on this machine).

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Dell Small Business

Over at the small business section of Dell.com, you can find the beautiful Dell Vostro 13 for a low price of $449. Now one of the reasons the price is so low for this system is due to the fact it comes bundled with Ubuntu instead of Windows. If you opt for Windows 7, then you’ll be paying $549 for the system. Specs for the $449 Ubuntu system include an Intel Celeron M processor clocked at 1.3GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, and 6 cell battery.

If you want the dual core version of the Vostro 13, then it’ll cost you at least $669 for that system. Added/changed specs include a Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, a 320GB HDD, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, 6 cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium,

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Buy.com

If you’re OK with slightly older netbooks, then you’ll want to check out these two deals over at Buy.com.

First off, they’re selling the awesome Toshiba NB205 netbook featuring the Atom N280 processor for a low-price of $289.95. That’s $110.04 off the original price of $399.99. Specs include:

• Intel Atom N280 processor
• Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB HDD
• 10.1 inch WSVGA LED backlit display
• Built-in webcam
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Ethernet
• 6 cell battery for an awesome 9+ hour battery life
• Media card reader
• 3 USB ports (one is a sleep and charge port)
• Full-sized keyboard

We reviewed the netbook last year and folks – this is one of the best N280 based systems out there. The keyboard is awesome and the touchpad is nice and large. The protruding battery is probably our only real complaint here.

Secondly, Buy.com is offering the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE netbook with the Atom N280 processor for a price of $349.95. This isn’t the cheapest netbook out there – especially when you consider you’re not getting a Pine Trail enabled system but if you’re ok with that, then do check it out. The 1000HE features many of the typical netbook specs you’ve come to expect including a 10.2 inch WSVGA display, the Intel 945GSE Express chipset, 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, WIndows XP Home, a 6 cell battery, stereo speakers, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, media card reader, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. Battery life is 9+ hours.

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Frys.com

Frys is offering the MSI U230-027 thin-and-light notebook for a low price of $379.99. This system features:

• AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor clocked at 1.6GHz
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 12.1 inch WXGA display
• ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics
• 2GB of RAM
• 250GB SATA HDD
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 4 in 1 media card reader
• 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA port, HDMI port
• 6 cell battery

BTW, has anyone noticed that Lenovo has begun selling their new ThinkPad X100e thin-and-light notebook systems? Announced back at the beginning of January, the X100e features:

• 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon Neo single-core MV-40 processor
• ATO Radeon HD 3200 graphics
• Sub-3 pound weight
• 11.6 inch HD display
• ISO full-sized spill-resistant keyboard
• TrackPoint and multi-touch enabled touchpad
• Low-light sensitivity webcam
• 3 USB ports (1 powered)
• 4 in 1 media card reader
• HD audio
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Optional Bluetooth and WWAN
• 1 to 2GB of RAM
• 160GB or 250GB 5400RPM HDD
• 6 cell Lithium Ion battery

Prices for the X100e start at $584 (although it’s on sale now with a starting price of $449). You can save 5% more with the eCoupon code USPTHINKSALE which ends on March 3rd. The high end system (currently on sale for $649) comes with 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, and integrated mobile broadband provided by the Gobi 2000 chipset.

[Check it out]

Lenovo introduced the new ThinkPad X201 notebook today, calling the system the “industry’s fastest ultraportable laptop”. What makes the X201 different from other thin-and-light systems is the use of normal voltage Intel Core processors vs the ubiquitous ultra-low-voltage processors commonly found on competing systems.

While exact specs are still scarce at this time, we do know the X201 will feature Intel Core i7-620M processors clocked at 2.66GHz. Amazingly enough, the X201 is capable of achieving up to 11 hours of battery life with the 9 cell battery.

If you want something a bit smaller than the X201, you might be interested in the new ThinkPad X201s – the thinnest and lightest ThinkPad yet. The X201s weighs at under 2.5 pounds and achieves 12 hours of battery life with a 9 cell battery.

Both models will be available beginning in March with starting prices for the X201 at $1199 and the X201s at $1599.

Read more about other new Lenovo Think-branded products over at Krunker.com.

[Check it out via Krunker.com]

WiMAX connectivity is now available as a configuration option for the Dell Inspiron Mini 10. Available as a $60 dollar upgrade to the Mini 10, the WiMAX support comes in the form of a internal combo mini-card supporting both WiMAX and Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you’re not sure about WiMAX coverage in your area, head over to clear.com’s website for more information. Yes, it’s sparse at this time in the U.S., but it’s expanding rapidly in Asia and Europe.

[Check it out via Direct2Dell]

ABI Research is out with some interesting predictions for the new smartbook category. According to Jeff Orr, senior analyst with the group, an estimated 163 million smartbook units will ship worldwide in 2015 – a significant uptick for a category that just recently launched.

So what’s ABI Research’s notion of a smartbook? Here are their exact words:

“As ABI Research defines it, a smartbook is a low-powered device running a mobile operating system that is always connected, either via Wi-Fi or (more often) using cellular or mobile broadband. Smartbooks can take many different shapes. They are a subset of MIDs (mobile Internet devices) and netbooks, and address the same potential users, usage, pricing, and market needs. The difference is that they don’t use x86 processors.”

Products fitting the bill include processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, TI, and NVIDIA. Oh yes, ABI Research also includes the recently announced Apple iPad as a smartbook thanks to the custom-built Apple processor presumably based around an ARM core processor.

And the keys to the ultimate success of smartbooks? Price naturally. The research firm believes entry-level smartbooks need to be priced $200 dollars or less.

So what do you say folks? Would you consider getting a smartbook if it was less than $200 dollars? In addition, would you be ok with a system that didn’t run Windows but some Linux-based derivative? Curious to hear what all of you think here.

[Check it out]

2009 was certainly a banner year for netbook shipments.

According to Tony Smith of the Register Hardware website, 30.2 million netbook/mini-notebook units were shipped in 2009. That’s a 79 percent increase from 2008.

Pit that number up against IDC’s 2009 PC shipment number of 294.2 million units and netbooks made up approximately 10 percent of all PCs sold for the year.

Of course PC manufacturers aren’t particularly thrilled by those netbook numbers – especially when consumers are purchasing netbooks in favor of more expensive notebooks or home desktop PCs.

Market watcher, Strategy Analytics predicts netbooks will continue to grow in 2010 with additional platform vendors entering the mix such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor platform.

Another continuing after-thought proposed over at the New York Times – did Apple miss the boat when it comes to netbooks? Yes it famously regards netbooks as not being good at anything but that’s Apple’s marketing machine going into overdrive; spinning the netbook market into a strategy favorable for Apple’s upcoming product mix (i.e. the iPad). While the iPad is an interesting alternative to the netbook, there’s still one important element that the netbook hits right on target in this day and age. A device that offers “good enough” performance for basic computing at an affordable price point.

We here at NetbookTech doubt the iPad will have any marginal affect on netbook sales for 2010. However, things might be different when it comes to sales of thin-and-light notebooks based on CULV processors. 2010 will likely be the year thin-and-lights truly come into their own and pose a serious challenge to netbook sales – further segmenting the mobile computing market.

[Check it out via New York Times]

Another entrant into the reviving market of tablets and slates this year will be OpenPeak’s new OpenTablet 7 which officially debuted yesterday at  the Mobile World Congress.

Powered by the upcoming Intel Moorestown Atom platform (a SoC chip designed for small devices such as smartphones and tablets), the OpenTablet 7 features a 7 inch multi-touch enabled TFT LCD display with LED backlighting, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, HDMI output, and dual cameras for capturing video and still images. 

On the stats side, OpenTablet 7 measures 9 x 5 x 0.59 inches and weighs a mere 1.15 pounds – comparable to the iPad although it does have a smaller display than the iPad.

Other notable specs include:

• Support for 802.11 b/g/n
• WWAN connectivity support
• USB interface
• microSD slot to expand storage

Now what about the all-important application support? OpenPeak supports Adobe Flash CS4 and will provide a software framework allowing developers and designers to create “highly interactive applications”. In addition, a “white label application shop” is planned which will provide revenue sharing models for service providers and developers.

Dan Gittleman, CEO of OpenPeak, states the “all-in-one device allows you to sync schedules, check movie times, listen to music, watch videos, get weather updates, and even monitor energy usage and home security, all from a single, easy-to-use device.”

The slate will be available with either a desktop docking station or a handset docking station. No word on the price point right now but OpenPeak claims the slate will be available at a “affordable price point”.

[Check it out]