NetbookTech

Lenovo announces a refresh of the ultra-portable IdeaPad U series with today’s introduction of the U160, U460, and U460s thin-and-lights. Features of the new models include the following:

• New “U” shaped outline inspired by a closed book lying on its side
• Textured aluminum top cover
• A measurement of less than one-inch thick and a weight of less than 3.8 pounds
• Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Ambient Light Sensor, Active Protection System, and data recovery tools

The U460 and U460s both feature a 14 inch display and can be configured with up to Core i7 processor. The U460 supports standard voltage processors while the U460s supports ultra-low voltage processors for longer battery life and lower power consumption.

The U160 supports ultra-low voltage processors, weighs a mere 2.9 pounds and, measures 0.9 inches at its thinnest point.

Lenovo IdeaPad U160 pic:

Lenovo IdeaPad U460 pic:

The new U series models will be available in June with prices starting at $699.

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

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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.”

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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.”

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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”

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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”

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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.

Don’t think the Apple iPad has raised the bar on mobile computing products?

Thanks to the success and performance of the Apple iPad, Lenovo has decided to delay the launch of the Skylight smartbook from April to June. The time extension will help the company improve the performance and feature set of the Skylight – hopefully making it more competitive with the iPad.

The Skylight was announced back at CES 2010 and features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3G connectivity, and a 10+ hour battery life.

[Check it out]

Lenovo announces a new addition to their already crowded 10 inch netbook product lineup today in the form of the IdeaPad S10-3s. This latest model features enhancements such as the Intel Atom N470 processor, a 98 % chiclet keyboard with rounded keys, and Lenovo’s Active Protection System (APS) which protects the hard drive from bumps and shocks.

The IdeaPad S10-3s will be available in white, black, and a new “spring colors” cover pattern (I know.. how cute). Key features and specs to the S10-3s include:

• Choice of Intel Atom N450 or Atom N470 processor
• 10.1 inch LED backlit display
• Up to 320GB HDD or 32GB SSD
• Up to 2GB of RAM
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Up to 2GB of RAM
• Built-in stereo speakers with Dolby Headphone surround sound technology
• 98% full-sized chiclet keyboard with rounded keys
• DirectShare synchronizes files with another notebook without connecting to the Internet
• Quick Start instant-on function
• Lenovo Maplife location-based mapping software that detects your location based on Wi-Fi connection
• VeriFace face recognition technology
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 Ethernet
• Optional Bluetooth
• Optional WWAN-WCDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 5 in 1 media card reader
• Headphone, microphone and VGA port
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• 3 or 6 cell battery
• 3.5 hour battery life with the 3 cell or 7 hour battery life with the 6 cell
• Choice of Windows 7 or Windows XP OS

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3s will be available starting the middle of this month with a starting price of $379.99.

DNAIndia.com reports that both Samsung and Lenovo are readying new netbooks based on the VIA VX900 media system processor for a June timeframe launch.

If you’re not familiar with the VX900 MSP, head over to the product page over at VIA’s website. Here are some of the main features of the MSP:

• Hardware acceleration for MPEG-4/AVC, H.264, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV-HD, AVS and Blu-ray – aka smooth 1080p playback without load on the CPU
• Support for Display Port, HDMI, DVI, and VGA connectors
• VIA Chrome9 HCM 3D integrated graphics core for full DX9 support and 128 bit 2D engine
• HD audio support
• DDR3 memory support
• Supports low-power device interfaces of SDIO, UART and SPI, LPC as well as up to 8 USB 2.0 ports.

On a side note, the premise of the DNAIndia article is how smaller chip manufacturers are coming up with faster alternatives to Intel’s Atom processor in the netbook market. To that end, the article cites AMD’s Congo processor advances and of course the above VIA processor. Problem is – the article completely ignores Intel’s own class of CULV processors which compete nicely with these third party processors. With the introduction of the Core i3 processor, one should expect even more powerful (and more expensive) thin-and-lights this year.

All this translates to plenty of options for the consumer – both in the netbook arena and in the thin-and-light arena.

[Check it out via Liliputing, Ubergizmo, Gizmos and Gadgets]

BusinessWeek publishes a review of the third generation IdeaPad S10 series netbook – the S10-3 here on their website. The S10-3 features an Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Starter OS, a 10.1 inch LED backlit display, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional 3G, Dolby Headphone, built-in speakers, and a weight of 2.75 lbs. Here’s what the publication thought of the system:

“Though it’s pricier, slightly less well-configured, and slower out of the box than much of its competition, the S10-3 is more than the sum of its parts. Type and point with one before you grab something else just to save 50 bucks.”

Meanwhile, the folks at PC World have published two new netbook reviews – one for the Samsung N210 and one for the Toshiba mini NB305-N310.

The N210, a netbook exclusive to Best Buy, features your now typical Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter OS, 10.1 inch matte display, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and built-in webcam/microphone. Here’s what PC World thought of the system:

“The Samsung N210’s matte screen is easy to see in various lighting conditions, but the colors are a little washed out.”

The Toshiba mini NB305 is essentially a Pinetrail upgrade of the popular Toshiba mini NB205 netbook. You’ll get the Atom N450 processor, Intel 3150 graphics, 160GB HDD (a bit small these days), 1GB of RAM, built-in webcam, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and optional Bluetooth. Here’s what PC World thought of the system:

“The Toshiba Mini NB305-N310 is a professional-looking netbook with a comfortable keyboard and a huge touchpad, but it’s not great for watching Web videos on.”

Two more reviews of the Samsung N210 are hitting the web this week – one comes courtesy of the folks over at PC Magazine who had this to say:

“Nothing in particular makes the Samsung N210 stand out in a netbook line-up, but it’s a fundamentally sound netbook at a low price.”

Another review comes courtesy of CNET and here’s what they have to say:

“Though it has some useful software tools, there’s nothing special about the Samsung N210’s components or performance. At S$849, it’s much more expensive than comparable Netbooks.”

Sounds like a middle of the road netbook to us.

Hmm.. could there very well be a Lenovo ThinkPad netbook coming out shortly? A Whirlpool forum member from the land down under spotted several new systems being set up at his school. Here’s what he wrote:

“I saw yesterday at school some guys setting up a whole bunch of Lenovo Thinkpad Mini 10’s. Then I realised, I’ve never heard of it before. It certainly wasn’t an X100e, and had a very thick bezel around the screen (thicker than my X200T) and had a "Mini 10" logo on it (where the Thinkpad model numbers are). However, it also had island/chiclet keys and a trackpad/trackpoint combo. Looked quite nice overall.”

Given that other major PC vendors have already released business-oriented netbooks, it’s not far fetched to imagine Lenovo releasing a ThinkPad-branded netbook.

Just imagine the possibilities. Could a ThinkPad branded netbook feature the legendary ThinkPad keyboard? How about a netbook with both a touchpad AND a trackpoint? How about the incredible build quality of a ThinkPad found in a netbook form factor?

Sounds delicious.. let’s hope it’s real.

[Check it out via liliputing]

LaptopMag recently reviewed the thin-and-light, business-oriented Dell Vostro V13.  Based on the Adamo form factor, but hundreds of dollars cheaper, the Vostro V13 features:

• Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor
• 4GB of RAM
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA HDD
• 13.3 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Windows 7 Professional
• Ethernet
• Headphone and microphone ports
• USB/eSATA combo port, 2 USB ports, VGA port
• 5 in 1 card reader
• ExpressCard/34 slot

Here’s what LaptopMag thought of the thin-and-light:

“Dell has created another attractive notebook that is not only more expensive than its peers, but it comes up short in terms of endurance.”

Next up, Liliputing has a new review up of the $599 Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook featuring the NVIDIA ION platform. Specs include:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• NVIDIA ION
• 2GB of RAM
• 250GB HDD
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 6 cell 52Whr battery
• Windows 7 Home Premium

Here’s what they thought of the system:

“if you want a model that can reliably handle HD video, Flash video, and some 3D gaming, as well as pump out video to an HDTV via an HDMI port, the NVIDIA ION model is the way to go….

But with a starting price of around $599, I can’t think of many reasons to pick up the NVIDIA ION version of the IdeaPad S12 instead of a computer like the Lenovo IdeaPad U150 with an Intel CULV processor which offers better overall performance, even if it doesn’t score quite as highly on graphics benchmarks.”

CNET published a new review of the ASUS Eee PC1005PEB netbook here on their website. The 1005PEB can typically be found at Best Buy for a reasonable price of $329.99. Specs for this netbook include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• Intel NM10 Express Chipset
• 1GB of RAM
• 250GB SATA HDD
• 3 in 1 media card reader
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution LED backlit display
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 6 cell lithium ion battery
• Windows 7 Starter

Here’s the verdict:

“This retail version of the popular Eee PC Netbook, the 1005PEB, hits the required notes, and is a little less expensive than many other retail Netbooks (but more than some online models).”

And finally, Anandtech reviews the ASUS Eee PC 1001P netbook – calling it their “favorite netbook” so far. The 1001P is the latest addition to ASUS’s Seashell product lineup, eschewing the glossy finish of the 1005 series with a textured matte finish. Spec wise, the 1001P features:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• Intel NM10 chipset
• 1GB of RAM
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 10.1 inch LED Matte display
• 250GB 5400 RPM HDD
• Ethernet and 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity
• HD audio
• 6 cell 48Wh battery
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Media card reader
• Microphone/headphone jack
• VGA port
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Available in white, black, blue, and pink

Why is this Anandtech’s favorite netbook yet? Here’s why:

“A well built and attractively styled netbook with a great LCD, good battery life, no major design flaws, and few minor faults, but a netbook nonetheless, and as with so many other netbook reviews, the main takeaway remains. They’re the smallest, lightest, and cheapest portable computers that money can buy, but they’re also dog slow and not particularly enjoyable to use.”

The folks at LaptopMag have published two new netbook reviews on their site – one for the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t and one for the Samsung N210.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t is a convertible netbook with the following specs:

• Intel Atom N470 processor clocked at 1.83GHz
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 2GB of RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
• Ethernet
• Headphone/Microphone
• VGA port
• 2 USB ports
• 6 in 1 media card reader

A convertible netbook seems like a wonderful idea – except when you consider the Atom-processor really isn’t up to snuff with touch-operations. Here’s the verdict from LaptopMag:

”The S10-3t does some things right. It’s fairly light for a convertible, offers accurate touch input, and it has a comfortable keyboard. And, provided you get the 8-cell battery, you’ll see 7 hours of unplugged computing time. However, this machines’ sluggish performance and weak wireless range hold it back. If you want a netbook with touch capability, the S10-3t is worth considering, but this netvertible didn’t quite live up to our expectations.”

Read more of the review here.

Meanwhile, the Samsung N210 is the latest addition to Samsung’s fine lineup of netbook systems. The N210 is a Pinetrail enabled netbook featuring a unique scratch-resistant finish and instant-on capability with a widget-based user interface. Specs to the N210 include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1 – 2 GB of RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Windows 7 Starter
• Ethernet
• Headphone and microphone port
• VGA port
• 3 USB ports
• 3 in 1 media card reader

What’s the verdict?

“The Samsung N210 offers solid overall performance, close to 7 hours of battery life, and an attractive design. We also like the matte screen and loud speakers. However, this machine faces stiff competition from the ASUS Eee PC 1001P, which costs $80 less and lasts nearly 90 minutes longer on a charge. And the $399 Toshiba mini NB305 offers a better touchpad/mouse button combo and longer endurance for not much more money. The N210 is good, but it’s not the best.”

$379 is a tough sell when you consider the competition is either cheaper or offering better battery life. Come on Samsung – get back into the ballgame here. Read more of the review here.

The Wall Street Journal has published a review of the new Lenovo S10-3t netbook here on their website. With a starting price of $549, the S10-3t is certainly a pricey netbook – except it’s no ordinary netbook. The system is actually a convertible netbook which means you can rotate the screen and fold it onto itself, transforming the unit into a slate-oriented tablet PC.

Spec wise, the S10-3t features the new Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1 inch LED Glare and multi-touch enabled display, 160GB 5400RPM HDD, 4 cell lithium-ion battery, and Wi-Fi support.

So what does the WSJ think of the system?

“At $549 it’s a little pricier than your average netbook. Some might be willing to pay the extra bucks for the touch screen, which made navigating and using the small computer much easier than some regular laptops. But until the processor gets a little faster, I’m holding out for the iPad.”

Of course the sluggishness reported by the author shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given that we are talking about the Atom processor. However, one statement did stand out – “For the most part, the netbook was all of these things for me, but it was slower than I would have liked”.

We couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the author was expecting from the S10-3t? What was the baseline he was comparing against? Was it an iPod touch? An iPad? Another netbook? A high-end tablet PC? A Core i5 system. We’re just wondering.

In any case, we probably wouldn’t have recommended the S10-3t simply due to the price of the system. At $549, it’s a fairly expensive proposition given what you get, which aside from a touch-screen, isn’t much more than a standard $300+ dollar netbook.

[Check it out via liliputing]