NetbookTech

AT&T announces two new mobile broadband-enabled netbooks into the mix – the Samsung Go and Acer Aspire One – both of which feature the new Windows 7 OS. The new netbooks will be available for $199 after a mail-in rebate via an AT&T promotion card as well as a new two year DataConnect service contract with AT&T.

The Samsung Go weighs in at around 2.8 pounds and features the Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, a 4 cell battery, 3 USB 2.0 ports, external VGA port, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Ethernet connectivity, 3 in 1 media card reader, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display. Even better, the Go will come with Windows 7 Starter Edition vs the more common (and older Windows XP Home Edition).

The Acer Aspire One is even lighter than the Go, weighing in at a mere 2.2 pounds. Features include an Intel Atom processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, HD audio support, two built-in speakers, three USB 2.0 ports, and a built-in webcam.

AT&T offers two DataConnect plans to choose from for netbook systems – a 200MB plan for $35 dollars per month and a 5GB plan for $60 dollars a month. Customers will also get free use of AT&T’s Wi-Fi service available in more than 200,000 hotspots around the country.  Both netbooks come equipped with AT&T’s Communication Manager (ACM) 7.0 software package to help manage and use their wireless connections.

Here’s an interesting Costco deal being offered for an Acer netbook package. For $379.99 (that’s after the $50 dollar off), you get:

• Acer Aspire One 10.1 inch netbook
• External USB 8x DVD+/-RW optical drive
• Wireless Mouse
• Protective Bag

Specs on the Acer Aspire One include:

• Intel Atom N270 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
• 10.1 inch display
• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• Intel Acer Crystal Eye webcam
• 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Ethernet
• Stereo speakers
• Multi-in-1 digital media card reader
• 6 cell Li-Ion battery
• Diamond Black Chassis

This deal starts today, August 17th and runs through till Sept. 6th while supplies last.

[Check it out]

AT&T expanded their mobile broadband-enabled netbook product lineup today with the introduction of three netbook models – the Acer Aspire One, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10, and the Lenovo S10. All three models will be available for purchase soon online at www.att.com while the Acer Aspire One will be available throughout stores nationwide. The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and the Lenovo S10 will be available in several stores around the country.

Each netbook will be available for $199.99 after a mail-in rebate (AT&T Promotion Card) and a new two year service contract.

Here’s a quick rundown of specs on the three netbook models.

Acer Aspire One:

• Weighs 2.53 lbs
• Intel Atom processor
• Windows XP Home
• 160GB HDD
• 1GB RAM
• Stereo speakers
• Built-in webcam
• Wi-Fi

Dell Inspiron Mini 10:

• Weighs 2.86 lbs
• Windows XP Home
• 160GB HDD
• 1GB RAM
• Built-in webcam
• Intel GMA graphics
• Wi-Fi

Lenovo IdeaPad S10:

• Measures less than 1 inch thin and weighs 2.63 lbs
• Wi-Fi
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB HDD
• Windows XP Home
• Built-in webcam
• VeriFace facial recognition technology
• Multi-touch touchpad

AT&T also announces three new AT&T ConnecTech services specifically for netbook customers – with prices ranging from $99 dollars for remote online support to $199 for in-home technical support. Check out the AT&T press release for more information.

[Check it out]

Now this is interesting. Acer has announced that they will be introducing a new Aspire One netbook featuring the Android Operating System. According to Jim Wong, president of IT Products Global Operation, Acer Inc.

“Netbooks are designed to be compact in size and easy to connect to the Internet wherever you go,..The Android operating system offers incredibly fast wireless connection to the Internet; for this reason, Acer has decided to develop Android netbooks for added convenience to our customers.”

It doesn’t look like it’ll stop with a single netbook either. The Acer press release states that the majority of Acer netbooks will also offer Android in the future – giving users the choice of either Microsoft Windows or Android (does this also mean that Android will become the de factor Linux-derivative OS for Acer?)

No word on specs but Acer stated that the Android-based Aspire One would be launched in Q3 of this year.

[Check it out]

Want another perspective on Windows 7 RC performance on a netbook system? Check out David M. William’s article over at iTWire where he takes the release candidate for a spin on a “modern Acer Aspire One” netbook. The system specs are pretty much like the NC10 I installed the RC on – an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a spacious notebook hard drive.

After booting the OS up, Williams compiles another of interesting statistics. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the stats:

• Windows 7 consumes around 465MB of RAM after boot – similar to what we got with NC10 (we hovered around 420MB or so)
• Windows 7 rating was a 2.1 (out of 7.9). (we also got a 2.1 on our NC10) Note you can’t compare this number against Vista because the max rating has changed. It’s only comparable against other 7 machines.
• As expected, the video performance was the weakest (but of course given the Intel integrated graphics)

The final word? He could help but feel that his system needed more ram and processor (speed I think?)

[Check it out via SlashGear]

Not happy with the 8.9 inch or 10.1 inch Aspire One? Well soon you’ll have one more size option to choose from. According to Macles*, Acer is about ready to launch a new 11.6 inch Aspire One netbook featuring the Intel Z530 processor, the Intel USW15S chipset, and a 16:9 display with a resolution of 1366 x 768.

Unlike previous Aspire One systems, the new 11.6 inch system swaps the Intel Atom N270 processor in favor of the Atom Z530 processor (and it’s corresponding Poulsbo chipset). Choosing the Z530 is a common tactic for vendors building netbooks with larger displays thanks to the platform’s lower TDP of 4.3W (compared to the Atom N270 platform TDP of 11.8W). This offsets the higher power consumption of the larger 11.6 inch display resulting in a system capable of delivering 4 hours of power with the standard battery and 8 hours with the high capacity battery.

No word on when exactly the new 11.6 inch model will appear but hopefully soon!

[Check it out via TechSpot]

Just noticed this in my email inbox. CompUSA has two new netbook deals that might peak interest in some of you.

The first deal is for the older HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. This is a completely new system with the following specs:

• Windows XP Home OS
• VIA C7-M ULV processor clocked at 1.2GHz
• 1GB DDR2 memory
• 120GB HDD
• 8.9 inch WSVGA display (1280 x 800)
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• VIA Chrome9 graphics
• 2 USB ports
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 3 cell battery for up to 2.25 hours of battery life

CompUSA is selling this system new for $299.99.

The second system is for a refurbished Acer Aspire One (the 8.9 inch version). System specs include:

• Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 1GB RAM
• 120GB HDD
• 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 display
• Windows XP Home OS
• Intel GMA 950
• Media Card reader
• 3 USB ports
• Ethernet, Wi-Fi
• 3 cell battery for up to 2.5 hours of battery life

CompUSA is offering this system for $239.97. Sure it’s a refurb but it’s still a sweet deal for a small netbook.

[Check out the CompUSA deal for the Acer Aspire One refurb]

[Check out the CompUSA deal for the HP 2133 Mini-Note]

Acer formally announced the U.S. availability of their new 10.1 inch Aspire One AOD150 netbook system. The AOD150 is the follow-up to the successful 8.9 inch Aspire One and features many of the same specifications as the younger brother. This particular model has the following listed specs:

• Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache)
• Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3
• 10.1-inch WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD 1024 x 600
• Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
• 1024MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Single Channel Memory
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 160GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Three USB 2.0 Ports
• 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh)
• Weighs 2.95 lbs.
• Measures 10.2” (W) x 8.0” (D) x 1.31” (H)

One of the notable changes with the 10.1 inch Aspire One is the inclusion of a six cell battery (the 8.9 inch typically came with a 3 cell battery). According to Acer, the new six cell battery should deliver upwards of 6 hours of battery life.

The new Aspire One AOD150 is available now with prices beginning at $349.99.

Wondering what the upcoming 10.1 inch Acer Aspire One will look like? Well wonder no more. The folks at Akihabara News managed to snap up several pictures of the 10.1 incher at an Acer press conference in Tokyo. On the outside, the new system certainly looks promising. Gotta love the color selection and yes.. gotta love the fact that Acer moved the mouse buttons to BELOW the trackpad. Good job. Check out Akihabara News for many more pictures.

Could the 8.9 inch Acer Aspire One’s days be numbered? According to a DigiTimes report, Acer is considering discontinuing the 8.9 inch product line once the new 10.1 inch Aspire One begins shipping in the second quarter. This makes a good deal of sense for the company since the majority of new netbook sales are in the 10 inch netbook segment. 10 inch netbooks have of course a larger display (although the same resolution as a 8.9 inch netbook) and a larger keyboard – a boon to most consumers.  Rumor also has it that Acer will price the 10.1 inch Aspire One at around the same price as the current 8.9 inch model. That’s pretty darn inexpensive folks.

Acer moving to the 10.1 inch Aspire Ones could also spell trouble for Quanta which manufactures the 8.9 inch Aspire One. According to the same DigiTimes report, Acer would outside manufacturing of the 10 inch system to Compal Electronics while the enterprise models will be outsource to Quanta.

[Check it out via Ars Technica]