NetbookTech

LaptopMag has published a review of the Acer Aspire One D260 netbook here on their website. Specs for the D260 include:

• Intel Atom N450 and N475 processor
• Intel NM10 Express chipset
• 1GB of RAM
• Up to 250GB 5400RPM HDD
• Multi-in-one card reader with support for MMC, reduced-sized MMC, SD, MS, MS PRO, and xD-Picture Card
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution high-brightness (200 nit) LED backlit TFT display
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Acer Crystal Eye webcam with 1280 x 1024 resolution
• VGA port
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Built-in digital microphone
• Headphones/speakers/line-out and microphone ports
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet connectivity
• 93 percent keyboard
• Multi-gesture enabled touchpad
• Measures 10.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches and weighs 2.8 lbs with the 6 cell battery
• 8 hours of power with six cell battery or 4 hours of power with three cell battery

Here’s what LaptopMag thought of the 10 inch netbook:

“Acer prioritized looks and portability above longevity in the D260, but this netbook manages to be charming even with its below-average battery life. Its $299 price is equally attractive, but for the same amount you could scoop up the ASUS Eee PC 1001P, which, though it has a smaller 160GB hard drive, fared better in several performance tests, including battery life. Still, if you think 5 hours or runtime is enough, the Aspire One D260 has plenty going for it, not the least of which being its charisma.”

[Check it out]

Oh boy.. could the Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3820T be the next thin-and-light notebook to drool over? The new Core i3-based 13.3 inch notebook is now available for purchase over at Amazon.com for a cool $729.99. That’s a pretty good price when you consider Core 2 Duo SU7300-based Acer UL30 series notebooks are ranging in price from $599 to around $700 dollars on Amazon.com.

Not familiar with the Acer AS3820T? Here’s what you need to know about the system (actually it’s the model AS3820T-5246).

• Intel Core i3-350M processor clocked at 2.26GHz
• 13.3 inch HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit display
• 320GB 5400RPM HDD
• 4GB of DDR3 RAM
• Intel HD graphics with 128MB dedicated RAM
• 8x SuperMulti-DVD+/-R/RW drive
• Built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Built-in stereo speakers with third-gen Dolby Home Theater technology
• Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 b/g/n, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• Multi-gesture touchpad
• Multi-in-1 digital media card reader with support for SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, and xD-Picture Card
• 4 USB ports
• HDMI output
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OS
• 6 cell 8 hour battery
• Weight of 3.97 pounds

Hmm.. so let me get this straight. We have a Core i3 processor-based thin-and-light notebook weighing under 4 pounds with an 8 hour battery and priced at $729.99 at Amazon.com . Sounds pretty darn good if you ask me!!

Liliputing reports the new 10 inch Acer Aspire One D260 netbook will go on sale in the UK starting on July 1st, 2010. This updated Aspire One features the following:

• Intel Atom N450 or N455 processor
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Up to 250GB HDD
• 1GB of RAM
• 6 cell battery

The Aspire One D260 will feature Windows 7 Starter but will also supposedly be available with Google Android as an option. No word on pricing as of yet.

[Check it out]

Acer announces two new Aspire One netbook models featuring support for AMD processors and ATI Radeon graphics – the 10 inch Aspire One 521 (which we’ve heard of before), and the larger 11.6 inch Aspire One 721. Although specs for the 521 were lacking at this time, an early report of the 521 indicates the system to have the AMD V105 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, built-in ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics, Bluetooth 3.0, and the AMD M880G chipset.

The 11.6 inch 721 will also feature the V105 processor, and is expected to have up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 1366 x 768 resolution display, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, built-in webcam, optional 3G, and Bluetooth.

No word on pricing as of this time.

[Check it out]

It’s time once again to check out the latest netbook/thin-and-light notebook reviews to hit the web. Here goes nothing:

===

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e reviewed by V3.co.uk (formerly vnunet.com):

Specs for the ThinkPad X100e include:

• 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo processor
• ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB HDD
• 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Optional WWAN
• 3+ lb weight

Here’s what they thought of this lightweight professional notebook:

“Lenovo’s Thinkpad X100e is certainly more powerful than a netbook, and more usable thanks to its 11.6in display. However, its weight and price are comparable with some larger laptops with a 13in screen. Nevertheless, the X100e exudes a build quality rarely seen on other laptops, and many buyers will find this reassuring.”

====

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with T-Mobile 3G service reviewed by LaptopMag:

Priced at $199.99 with a new T-Mobile 3G webConnect 2 year mobile broadband contract. Here are the specs for the Dell Inspiron Mini 10:

• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450
• Windows 7 Starter OS
• 1GB of RAM
• 250GB HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, Ethernet connectivity
• 3 in 1 media card reader

Here’s the verdict:

“If you were to buy the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 directly from Dell with the same specs as the $199 T-Mobile model, you’d pay $329. That’s a savings of $130. But in exchange for that savings you’ll wind up spending $960 over the next two years just for data. That sounds like a lot for a netbook—and it is—but it’s still considerably less than what other carriers charge for their mobile broadband plans. If the touchpad worked better we might be more enthused about this machine, especially since it delivers faster 3G data than the competition. While the Mini 10 with T-Mobile webConnect has some things going for it, the $49 webConnect Rocket USB modem, which you can pair with any netbook or full-size notebook, is a better value.”

====

Lenovo S10-3 reviewed by Australian PC Authority:

Specs of the Lenovo S10-3 include:

• 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 1GB of RAM
• 250GB HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 LED backlit display
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Windows 7 Starter
• 6 cell battery

Here’s their verdict:

“The clean looks, impressive keyboard and overall battery life make this a neat little netbook, and while its shortcomings are primarily battery life, they aren’t the death knell they could be, given the excellent ergonomics”

===

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t Tablet PC Netbook reviewed by PC World:

I’ve always loved the idea of convertible netbook/notebook. I’m just not sold on the Atom processor and touch-based Windows 7 end-user experiences.

Specs of the S10-3t include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 10.1 inch LED backlit 1024 x 600 resolution touch-screen display
• Dolby Headphone technology

Here’s what PC World thought of the S10-3t:

“The Lenovo S10-3t is, at best, decent as a netbook and decent as a tablet. While it’s nice to have the functionality of both, I think I’d get better use out of something that was just really good as one or the other–a great netbook or a great tablet would be better than something that’s merely mediocre at being both”

===

Acer Aspire 1410 thin-and-light notebook reviewed by Anandtech:

Specs for the Acer Aspire 1410 include:

• Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 processor clocked at 1.4GHz
• Intel GS40 chipset
• 2GB of RAM
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• 11.6 inch LED backlit display with 1366 x 768 resolution
• 250GB 5400RPM HDD
• Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity
• HD audio
• USB 2.0, HDMI
• 6 cell battery

Here’s what they thought of the 1410:

“If you can live with the hit on battery life, there are many, many reasons to spring for an Acer 1410 or a similarly low priced CULV ultraportable notebook, even with a single-core processor. They offer adequate performance, embarrass the Atom, and come equipped with some nice features that most netbooks leave on the wayside to reduce cost as much as possible.”

Oh yeah – want a contrasting review? Check out our review of the 1410 here.

The good folks over at LaptopMag have published a new review of the Acer Aspire Timeline 1810TZ thin-and-light notebook here on their website. Those of you looking for a bit more oomph than an Atom-based netbook will certainly want to check out the 1810TZ as the system provides approximately double the power of most netbooks thanks to its’ dual-core Pentium SU4100 processor. Specs include:

• 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display
• Intel Pentium SU4100 processor clocked at 1.3GHz
• 4GB RAM
• 320GB 5400RPM HDD
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• VGA, HDMI, Headphone, Microphone, 3 USB ports
• 5 in 1 media card reader
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Here’s what LaptopMag thought of the system:

“The 1810TZ is a very capable ultraportable at an affordable price. Its endurance is excellent, its keyboard a pleasure to use, and it offers a fair amount of speed for a such a small and inexpensive system. However, at $579, it’s just $20 cheaper than the 1810T, which has an even faster processor and the same battery life. If you don’t mind sacrificing a few hours of runtime, the equally totable Toshiba Satellite T135D offers double the graphics performance and a larger 13-inch display for $599. Still, the 1810TZ offers a nice combination of power and portability for less than $600”

[Check it out]

If you’re ok with purchasing refurbished hardware, then you’ll want to check out today’s deal over at woot.com. The site is selling the 10.1 inch Acer Aspire One AOD250 netbook for a low price of $219.99. Color choices include Black, Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, and White while the system specs are as follows:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• 10.1 inch WSVGA display
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB HDD
• Acer CrystalEye webcam
• Acer InviLink 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Windows 7 Starter
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• VGA, headphone/speaker/line-out, microphone, three USB 2.0 ports
• Multi-in-one card reader

The one negative about this deal – it’s for the 3 cell battery system which is woefully weak (approximately 2 hours of power).

[Check it out]

What’s this? An AMD-powered Acer Aspire One?

Yup that’s what the folks at macles are claiming with the yet-to-be-announced Acer Aspire One 521. The 10.1 inch netbook is supposedly powered by the AMD V105 processor which macles describes as a single core “Geneva” processor from the “Nile” platform clocked at 1.2 GHz with 512K of L2 cache. In a word, it’ll probably be slow.

Having an AMD processor inside a Acer netbook isn’t all too surprising actually. Acer is after-all, the parent company of Gateway and we’ve seen plenty of Gateway netbooks powered by AMD processors. It was only a matter of time before the trickle down effect happened with Acer netbooks.

Other reported specs to the Acer Aspire One 512 include:

• DD3 memory support
• AMD M880G chipset
• Integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics with 384MB of dedicated video memory
• 7 hour battery life
• Optional Bluetooth 3.0+HS support
• New compact and light power adapter with interchangeable plugs called “MiniGo”.

Also – notice the new design of the 512. There won’t be any doubt you’re holding an Acer Aspire One in your hands with the logo emblazoned on the top cover like that.

No word on pricing or availability at this time.

[Check it out via ZDNet]

The upcoming Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T based on the Intel Calpella platform looks to be extremely promising. The 11 inch ultraportable reportedly dumps Intel CULV processors in favor of the faster Intel Core i5-520M clocked at 1.06GHz. Better yet – the processor can be brought up to 1.86GHz thanks to Turbo Boost technology.

While the TimelineX 1830T might feature a Core i5 processor, the system is still expected to achieve an 8 hour battery life.

Other specs include:

• 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display
• Intel HM55 chipset
• Intel integrated graphics with a dynamic core capable of transitioning from 166MHz to 500MHz.
• Two memory slots
• HDMI, S/PDIF, Gigabit Ethernet ports
• Multi-card reader
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• Optional 3G and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support

No word on pricing or availability at this time.

[Check it out]

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.