NetbookTech

Just what is Sony up to exactly? Over the weekend, Engadget spotted a teaser webpage pop up on the Sony New Zealand website here. Unfortunately the page is no long around but it does confirm that Sony will be making a big laptop announcement at CES on January 9th. The real question for us is – is this the long awaited Sony netbook? Could this be the device that the FCC recently approved? OR.. is this just something totally different?

Of course everyone knows that both Sony and Apple are noticeably absent from the netbook market. Yet -  is this a market that they absolutely have to enter? As seen by others in the market, entering the netbook industry could result in lower profit margins as well as cannibalization of higher end notebook/laptop system sales.

Sony and Apple are two companies which focus on substance and style when it comes to their products – resulting in devices which are often more expensive than competing products. This holds true for Sony’s notebooks too – so the real question is – would Sony be willing to part with that model and offer an inexpensive netbook?

Our guess here at NetbookTech is no. If Sony is going to make a statement such as “On the 9th of January, you will change the way you look at laptops. Forever.” then a new netbook model wouldn’t justify such a statement.

So what would? I guess we’ll just have to wait.

[Via News.com, Engadget.com]

Not resting on its laurels, Samsung appears ready to debut a new netbook in the coming new year. Dubbed the Samsung NC20, the new netbook will substitute the Intel Atom processor with a Via Nano U225 processor clocked in at 1.3GHz and will feature a larger 12.1 inch display, a 160GB hard drive, and 1GB of memory.

Other notable specs include:

• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Ethernet
• 3 in 1 memory card reader
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• 1.5 kg weight

According to Notebook Italia, the NC20 will cost around 642 dollars which is definitely more than the current NC10. It’ll be interesting to see how the Nano performs against the Atom in this space. Expect the NC20 in February.

BTW, the Notebook Italia article is of course in Italian.

[Via Akihabara news]

Are the days of crappy netbook graphics performance coming to an end? The answer to that might finally be YES. NVIDIA announced the new Ion platform which couples the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GPU with an Intel Atom processor resulting in a system that is actually capable of offering a decent “visual experience.”

There are several use case scenarios for such a system – and of course the one that concerns all of us the most is the netbook scenario. While NVIDIA has yet to demo a netbook utilizing the entire Ion platform, they did say on their website that an Ion based system would:

• Deliver 10x faster graphics and video transcoding
• Full HD video decode and display
• 1/2 the size yet the same battery life
• Be ready for Windows Vista Premium AND Windows 7

Of course the Ion platform is  ideal for other target markets such as Notebooks, Nettops, and all-in-one systems – yet the real issue here is the netbook market which  clearly is booming during a time when nothing else seems to be booming.

If the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 can make its way into future generation netbooks without an increase in cost to the consumer, then this is a clear winner to all of us. As Darren Gladstone of PC World notes, “why stick to low expectations?” when it comes to netbooks. Shouldn’t we be demanding higher performance from systems that cost on average $400 dollars? I couldn’t agree more and let’s hope NVIDIA fulfills that promise.

Make sure to read the PC World article for even more info on Ion and the GeForce 9400 GPU.

[Check it out]

The Samsung NC10 netbook finally gets a review treatment by the folks at PC Magazine here. You already know the NC10 is our favorite netbook here at NetbookTech.com but what do the PC Mag folks think?

“The Samsung NC10-14GB is a well-equipped netbook whose trimmings include a standard six-cell battery, but we’d like to see its price adjusted down to MSI’s and Acer’s level.”

Here are the pros listed:

“93 percent keyboard. 10-inch widescreen. Standard six-cell battery. Excellent battery-life scores.”

And the cons:

“Touchpad is small. Price could be lower.”

I agree that the price for the NC10 could be lower to better match up against the recent price drops with the MSI Wind and Acer Aspire One (with the six cell batteries of course). However, a $50 dollar difference is still palatable when you consider you’re getting a well built netbook with practically every feature you need AND you get the Samsung brand.

[Check it out]

It appears the Lenovo IdeaPad S9 netbook is finally hitting the U.S. shores – thanks to the folks over at CompGeeks (geeks.com). The S9 is essentially the younger brother of the IdeaPad S10 – featuring as you’ve probably guessed by now, a smaller display at 8.9 inches. However, there are other significant changes in the S9 when compared to the larger S10 netbook.

The netbook uses the same Intel Atom processor running at 1.6GHz. It comes with the same base of 512MB of RAM but instead of a large capacity notebook hard drive, the S9 favors a smaller 4GB SSD (SLC kind). The system also forgoes Windows XP for Linpus Linux Lite. Other features on the system include:

• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 4 in 1 media card reader
• 10/100 Ethernet
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• 8.9 inch WSVGA display
• 80 key keyboard with two button touchpad
• ExpressCard/34 slot
• Measures 0.9~1.1 x 9.8 x 7.2 inches and weighs 2.43 lbs

Thanks to Liliputing for catching the other interesting observation. The S9 is essentially the same form factor as the S10 except with a smaller display. Make sense – when you look at many 8.9 inch netbooks, they are essentially using a form factor that could easily house a 10 inch display – they just choose not to. Makes sense from an economic standpoint to have one common housing.

So now, the real question is – is the S9 worth it? Geeks.com has it for $344.99 – which is just a few dollars below the base price for the S10 which has a larger display and larger storage. If the form factors are the same, is it really worth it for you to opt for a smaller display? 

Oh yeah – Buy.com is also selling the S9 – except at $359.46. The funny thing is – it’s actually acting as a proxy to guess who? Geeks.com. You’re better off buying it directly from Geeks.com while you still can.

[Via jkOnTheRun, Liliputing]

Expect to see several new netbook models come out at the upcoming CES 2009 conference in Las Vegas (which we’ll be at to cover of course). Several companies are expected to introduce touch-enabled netbook systems – one of which is Intel Corporation with a tablet-styled Classmate PC system. The folks at LaptopMag managed to get some one on one time with the system (lucky them!) and yes – there are a lot of awesome pictures also. Here are some tidbits from the article:

• The system is being manufactured by CTL
• Top of the system is now a cool sky blue color
• Specs include 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 60GB HDD, 8.9 inch screen, and Windows XP
• Preloaded with touch-screen enabled software including “Vision Objects Pen Input” which performs handwriting recognition
• Touch-screen is responsive to both fingers and a stylus
• Built-in accelerometer

This certainly can be a great addition to kids around the world – but more importantly, this shows hardware manufacturers that touch-enabled netbooks can also be made generally available to all consumers.

[Check it out]

Could your next netbook be powered by a Qualcomm processor inside?

If all goes according to Qualcomm’s hopes and plans, that could very well be the case. The company is actively working on a new processor (code named “Snapdragon” and based on the ARM architecture) that will hopefully enable the vision of “instant-on, always-connected” devices.

News.com sat down with Manjit Grill, Product Management Director of the Connected and Consumer Products Group at Qualcomm, and found out additional details about the upcoming Snapdragon architecture. Here are some of the interesting tidbits:

• Processor is called the Qualcomm QSD8672 dual core Snapdragon
• Two core clocked at 1.5GHz
• Includes HSPA+ for up to 28Mbps download speeds
• Integrated GPS
• Graphics core from AMD ATI
• Built on 45 nm processor (thanks to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company)

Will all of this result in a small mobile platform that will enable all-day, always-on experiences? We’ll hopefully find out in 2009 as companies including Acer, ASUS, and Toshiba are planning products using the Snapdragon architecture.

[Read more at CNET]

PC Magazine has a new review out of the ASUS EeePC 1002HA netbook here on their website. The 1002HA has the following specifications:

• Intel Atom Processor N270
• 1GB of RAM
• 2.7 lbs
• 10.2 inch LED backlit display
• Intel GMA 950
• 160GB HDD
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Stereo speakers
• 4 in 1 memory card reader

The real standout with the EeePC 1002HA is the finish – you have to love that “gunmetal” finish on the new system – far nicer looking than the boring white or black colors we’re seeing from many vendors these days.

Here’s the bottom line from PC Magazine:

“Its metallic finish makes the ASUS EeePC 1002HA the most attractive netbook to date, and its performance doesn’t disappoint. However, this netbook could use some help in the features department.”

MSI Wind owners who want or are running OS X on their respective netbooks have one more reason to celebrate. Official drivers for the Realtek Wi-Fi card have finally emerged although they are not available directly from Realtek. The drivers are currently floating around in the MSIWind.net forums and also available for download here and here. Cool stuff.

[Check it out via SlashGear]

EeeUser.com forum member “lwbweb” just got a 10 cell, 13000mAh battery for his Eee PC 901 netbook and man.. it’s HUGE and UGLY! No word on actual usage times but boy.. I’d rather carry two small 6 cell batteries than carry one large ugly 10 cell battery but that’s just me..

[Check it out via Wired.com]