NetbookTech

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!!

ASUS announced today that select ASUS netbooks and notebooks sold at Amazon.com would come pre-loaded with the “Kindle for PC” software application. Not familiar with “Kindle for PC”? It’s essentially the Kindle software for the PC platform allowing users to:

• Purchase, download, and read more than 540,000 books
• Browse by genre or author, and take advantage of all the features that they enjoy in the Kindle Store, including Amazon.com customer reviews, personalized recommendations and editorial reviews
• Read the beginning of books for free before they decide to buy
• Access their Kindle books even if they don’t have Kindle with them
• Synchronize last page read between their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, and other devices
• Create new highlights, notes and bookmarks, and manage those created on their Kindle
• Choose from three different color modes: read in white, sepia, or black color modes and adjust the brightness of the display from within the application
• Choose from more than 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
• Read books using full-screen mode of their PC

Keep in mind of course that Kindle for PC is a free software application for any PC system. You can download the app for free over at Amazon.com.

As far as we’re concerned. this marketing promotion between ASUS and Amazon is clearly aimed at consumers considering the Apple iPad – reminding users that an ASUS netbook is a perfectly legitimate eReader platform.

Kindle for PC comes pre-installed on the following ASUS Eee PC netbooks:

• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-BK
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-BU
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-WT
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-PI

as well as on the following thin-and-light UL notebooks:

• ASUS UL30A-X5K
• ASUS UL30VT-X1K

[Check it out]

It may look like a netbook but the new Gateway EC1805u is actually an 11.6 inch thin-and-light notebook with features such as an 11.6 inch display, an Intel Core 2 Solo CULV processor, and 7+ hours of battery life. Features and specs to the EC1805u include the following:

• Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 processor clocked at 1.4GHz
• 2GB RAM
• 250GB SATA HDD
• 11.6 inch HD widescreen LED backlit display
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• Intel GS45 Express Chipset
• Built-in webcam
• Multi-in-1 media card reader
• Dolby Sound Room Audio Enhancement
• 802.11 b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• HDMI port
• Multi-gesture enabled touchpad
• 6 cell Li-Ion battery
• Measures 8.03 x 11.22 x 1.18 inches and weighs 3.08 pounds
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Up to 7 hours of power

The EC1805u will be available on Amazon.com starting on December 9th for $449.99.

[Check it out ]

If you’re looking to purchase a new netbook with Windows 7 pre-installed on it (typically Windows 7 Starter), here’s a list of Windows 7 netbook deals currently available at Amazon.com. Enjoy and check back later for additional netbook Black Friday deals.

• Toshiba Mini NB205-N230 10.1-Inch Black Onyx Netbook – 9 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $348
• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook – 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $371.95
• Gateway LT2022u 10.1-Inch Black Netbook – Up to 3 Hours of Battery Life for $289.99
• HP Mini 110-1125NR 10.1-Inch Black Netbook – Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $349.00
• Samsung N130-13B 10.1-Inch Slate Blue Netbook – Up to 5.8 Hours of Battery Life for $299.99
• Lenovo S10-2 10.1-Inch Floral Sea Netbook – Up to 6 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $349.99
• Samsung N140-14R 10.1-Inch Burgundy Netbook – Up to 7.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $384.99
• Lenovo S10-2 10.1-Inch Nature Netbook – Up to 6 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $349.99
• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA-MU17-WT 10.1-Inch White Netbook – 6 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $410.99
• Gateway LT2041u 10.1-Inch Red Netbook – Over 8 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) for $379.72
• HP Mini 311-1025NR 11.6-Inch Black Netbook – Up to 6.25 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) for $499.99

Happy Shopping!

No it’s not quite a netbook but its the next best thing for me. The ASUS UL series – in particular the UL30A thin-and-light notebooks – are now back on Amazon.com. The systems disappeared from Amazon.com for about two weeks presumably due to the transition to Windows 7. We actually picked up the ASUS UL30A-X3 system with Windows Vista Home Premium a few weeks ago and we’re absolutely loving the system. Yes, it’s a tad bit heavier and larger than your typical 10 or 11.6 inch netbook but if you’re looking for something in the 13 inch space, this is a hard system to beat. The X3 with Vista Home Premium is available now at Amazon.com for $679.99.

The ASUS UL30A-A2 with Windows 7 Home Premium is available for $775.00.

The ASUS UL30A-A3B (in black) with Windows 7 Home Premium is also available for $775.00

The UL30A-X5 in black with Windows 7 Home Premium is going for $679.99.

The new MSI Wind U120 is now available for purchase at both Amazon.com and Newegg.com.

A quick search on the Amazon.com reveals at least two models available for purchase. One model is the U120-024US which is available for $399.99 and features an Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD,Windows XP Home, Wi-Fi, and 6 cell battery. Another model available is the U120-020US which adds Bluetooth 2.0 into the mix and has a price of $469.99.

Newegg.com also has the Wind U120-024US for a price of $379.99.

The price of the Samsung NC10 netbook continues to drop ever so slightly even though it’s still not in stock at major retailers. Amazon.com is now offering the NC10 for a pre-order price of $487.99 – down from $499.99. This new price applies to both the white and blue version of the NC10.

Unfortunately, Buy.com still has both models listed at $499 (and out of stock!)

The new Samsung NC10 netbook is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $499. The e-tailer has both the white model and the blue model up for pre-order at this time (although no estimated ship dates are available). The Samsung NC10-14GW in White features the following:

• 10.2 inch widescreen WSVGA display with 220 nits of brightness
• Intel Atom processor running at 1.6GHz
• 160GB 2.5 inch HD
• 1GB RAM
• Intel 945 GSE chipset
• 802.11 b/g/ Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Ethernet
• 6 cell Lithium Ion battery
• Windows XP Home with SP3
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Measures 10.3 x 1.2 x 7.3 and weighs 2.8 lbs

Here’s the link to the Samsung NC10-14GB in blue