NetbookTech

CNET’s Crave uncovered an additional tidbit about the new BenQ JoyBook U101 netbook. According to this posting, the new U101 is tested to withstand drops of up to 76cm (approximately 2.4 feet) – not bad though I’m willing to bet your netbook will suffer a few dings at that height.

The 10.1 inch U101 features an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, 3.5G support, and of course Windows XP Home. Oh yes, it’s also the first netbook to actually come with a 16:9 aspect ratio display.

Expect the JoyBook U101 to hit the Asian markets by the end of this month for a price of around $594 U.S. dollars.

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The BenQ Joybook Lite U101 netbook has apparently launched in Hong Kong and thanks to UMPCfever.com, it appears there’s a couple of extra features on the netbook that we weren’t aware of. First off, the display utilizes an LED backlight panel but more importantly, has a true 16:9 aspect ratio. Translation – you get a bit more viewing space when watching a widescreen movie or TV show on the device. The keyboard itself is a 90 percent keyboard (relative to a full size desktop keyboard). Of course it’s hard to tell what that will ultimately mean but right now the best netbook keyboard is arguably the one on the Samsung NC10 which is a 93% keyboard. Finally, there’s 3.5G support on the Joybook Lite in the form of HSUPA support. Very cool. The netbook itself has yet to make it on the BenQ website so no word on when it’ll come to the states or what the price will be.

[Check it out via SlashGear]

BenQ announced today that they would be entering the netbook market and had hopes of capturing 5 percent of the market within two years. The first BenQ product to come out for this market will be the Joybook Lite PC which will feature a 10 inch display and weigh around 1 kilo. No word on pricing or availability.

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