NetbookTech

Gateway’s outed a new lineup of netbooks on their website called the Gateway LT23 Series. With suggested retail prices ranging from $329.99 to $349.99, the new series feature updated stylish designs, the Intel Atom N450 processor, 8+ hours of power, and a 10.1 inch WSVGA LED-backlit display.

Complete specs for the LT23 include the following:

• Windows 7 Starter OS
• Atom N450 processor clocked at 1.66GHz
• 1GB RAM
• 160-250GB SATA HDD
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Intel NM10 Express Chipset
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• 6 cell 4400 mAh Lithium-Ion battery
• 10.1 inch WSVGA High Brightness LED backlit display
• 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA port
• Multi-gesture touchpad
• Multi-in-1 media card reader with support for MS, MS PRO, MMC, SD, xD-Picture Card
• HD audio
• Built-in speakers
• Built-in microphone, Headphone/Speaker/Line-out jack
• Built-in 1280 x 1024 webcam
• Measures 0.94 x 10.17 x 7.24  inches and weighs 2.76 pounds

The LT23 is available in Champaign Canvas, Pearl Canvas, and Black Canvas. The $329.99 model comes with a 160GB drive while the $349.99 comes with the 250GB HDD.

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Samsung launched the new N150-11 netbook this past Sunday at Best Buy retail locations around the country as well as online at BestBuy.com. The N150-11 features an Intel Atom N450 processor, 10.1 inch LED backlit WSVGA display, a 9 hour Lithium-Ion battery, and Windows 7 Starter OS. Other notable specs include:

• 1GB RAM
• 250GB HDD
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 3W stereo speakers (1.5W x 2)
• Built-in 0.3 megapixel webcam
• 3 USB 2.0 ports (1 rechargeable)
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• DLNA support
• Island style keyboard
• Windows 7 Starter OS
• Measures 10.5 x 7.4 x 0.97 inches and weighs 2.73 lbs

You can purchase the N150-11 now over at BestBuy for $349.

Looking to make computing technology more affordable for schools all around the world, HP announces the new Mini 100e Education Edition netbook. Complete with hardware and software tools, the Mini 100e closes “the digital divide by offering students and teachers an interactive learning experience at an affordable price.”

On the spec front, the HP Mini 100e comes with

• Choice of Windows 7 Starter, Windows XP Home, or SUSE Linux Enterprise 11
• Intel Atom processor up to 1.66GHz
• Intel NM10 Express Chipset
• Up to 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM with a single SODIMM slot
• 160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Optional External USB 2.0 CD/DVD-R/RW drive
• 10.1 inch LED backlit WSVGA (1024 x 600) resolution display
• Intel GMA HD graphics
• HD audio
• Mono speaker, built-in microphone, stereo microphone in-jack, stereo headphone/line out jack, built-in VGA webcam
• Optional 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Ethernet connectivity
• 2 USB 2.0 ports, VGA port, power connector, Ethernet connector, modem
• SD slot supports SD and MMC cards
• Spill-resistant full-size keyboard
• Measures 1.57 x 10.87 x 9.87 inches and weighs a mere 3.19 lbs
• 3 cell or 6 cell lithium-ion battery

The Mini 100e has a clamshell design with a built-in carrying handle making it easy for students to carry around the system. Tack in a spill-resistant keyboard and strong metal alloy hinges with steel pin axies and you have the makings for one durable netbook for student use.

The HP Mini 100e will be available worldwide in July with pricing set on a per deal basis and not expected to exceed $300 dollar per unit.

[Check out the press release]

[Check out the data sheet]

The rumors of an Apple tablet/netbook-like device (the above rendition courtesy of Gizmodo) have intensified recently thanks to an article over at Barrons. According to a “veteran analyst” who claims to have “seen and touched” the Apple “slate-style” device, the upcoming tablet will be announced in September and delivered in November with a price of around $699 to $799.

The device, which many have dubbed a “jumbo iPod touch” apparently impressed the analyst – “The machine impresses with its display of hi-def video content. It’s better than the average movie experience, when you hold this thing in your hands."

What makes the article particularly interesting is the claim that the PC industry is supposedly waiting with abated breath for this new Apple device – so much so that many PC makers have “paused production” of next generation netbooks until they see what Apple’s up to.

That last note seems somewhat dubious to us simply because of the time of the year. We’re already in the back-to-school season and we’re quickly approaching the holiday season which means many manufacturers should already be pumping out units for current and upcoming sales. If anything, whatever Apple does in September will affect product development for 2010 and beyond. 2009 is pretty much set in stone if you ask us – which also means any next generation netbook about to hit the shelf will more than likely continue to do so.

However, the one great thing about this rumor – if it turns out to be true, the pricing is true, and Apple delivers – this is all great news ultimately for netbook vendors because it gives these vendors a new target/goal to achieve. There’s nothing like a product that you can emulate from.

[Check it out]

There are days I love my netbook.

AND then there are days I really love my netbook. Today just happens to be one of those days. I’m sitting in complete darkness thanks to a blackout that seems to have decided to hit a large swath of West LA. No power translates to nothing operational at home which also means I’ve got no Internet connectivity at home..

Ah but wait.. there are two devices that are indeed working for me – my iPhone and my Samsung NC10 netbook. The iPhone has several hours of charge on it assuming I use it sparingly right now and my NC10 has approximately three hours of power left – primarily because I was using it for a few hours the other day and I forgot to charge it back up. Darn ME!

But wait. I digress.. This is where my love affair for my netbook is renewed once again. You see surfing on the net via the iPhone is fun to a certain extent. However after the umpteenth time of resizing a web page to fit nicely into the small display, it gets rather old rather quickly. This is where my netbook with lots of hours of power comes into play. I’m sitting here in pitch blackness with my NC10 connected to the net via AT&T mobile broadband service and I’m loving it! THANK YOU GOD!

Of course being the proprietor of NetbookTech means I have several netbooks on hand to use. Once the NC10 goes down, I’ll switch over to my new Gateway LT3103u which should have about 4 hours of power. After that’s done.. well then I believe it’s time to sleep.

So.. lesson learned: Always have a netbook fully charged. Always have a netbook with loads of battery life. TRY to have mobile broadband handy.. AND MAKE SURE TO HAVE CANDLES WHEN THERE’S A BLACKOUT!

ASUS rolled out their latest ultra-thin wonder at CeBIT – the 1 inch thick Eee PC 1008HA better known as the “Seashell” or “Shell” system. The netbook (pictured above thanks to ZDNet) has the following specs:

• Weight of 2.4 lbs
• 92 percent keyboard
• Optional WiMAX and 3.5G WWAN support
• Multitouch trackpad
• Digital Array Microphone
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• 802.11 b/g/n
• SRS Premium Sound

Yes.. definitely a sexy looking netbook if you ask me.

[Check it out at SlashGear]

[Check it out at ZDNet]

Sotec (Onkyo) has a new netbook model out in Japan called the C102 minimum PC. Available in silver and black, the C102 features an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM (with a max of 2GB in the system), a 160GB SATA HDD, a 10.1 inch LED backlit 1024 x 600 resolution display, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and Windows XP Home Edition.

There are currently four configurations for C102 series – the C102S4, C102S4B, C102B4, and C102B4B. Basically there are two configurations for each of the colors – with one configuration in each color featuring Microsoft Office Personal 2007 SP1.

The C102S4 and C102B4 is priced at 54,800 Yen ($616 U.S. dollars) while the C102S4B and C102B4B is priced at 74,800 Yen ($ 840 U.S. dollars).

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Sony finally unveiled their mystery notebook product at CES 2009 this past week. Dubbed the VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC, it’s the lightest 8 inch notebook out on the market weighing in at a mere 1.4 pounds and measuring a mere 0.78 inches thick (full measurements are 9.65 x 0.78 x 4.72 inches).

The Lifestyle PC is definitely filled to the brim with features and specs including:

• Intel Atom processor running at 1.33 GHz
• 8 inch LED backlit display with a resolution of 1600 x 768 and XBRITE-ECO technology
• Up to a 60 GB hard drive as well as up to 128GB SSD
• Approximately 4 hours with standard battery or 8 hours with the large capacity battery
• A max of 2GB of RAM
• Built-in GPS
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n via Atheros chipset
• Bluetooth support including Stereo A2DP profile
• WWAN support
• Memory Stick PRO (Standard/Duo) media slot with MagicGate functionality
• MMC slot
• SD memory card slot
• Intel HD Audio Sound System
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
• Built-in MOTION EYE webcam and microphone
• Windows Vista Home Basic for the base model. Windows Vista Home Premium for the higher end configurations
• Available in garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black

The Lifestyle PC also has a one-button quick-boot option allowing you to boot into a small Linux kernel. This mode features Sony’s xross media bar interface and provides access to web (Firefox browser), email, photos etc. A Sony rep told me the boot time for the quick-boot option was timed at around 17 seconds. It’s a great way to access your system without jumping into Windows (especially since Windows Vista is running on this device). Here are shots of the interface

Curious about the keyboard design? Here are shots of the keyboard:

Here’s a welcome change – there is no touchpad on the Lifestyle PC. Sony chose to go with a trackpoint-like device. Smart decision – I’ve always been a fact of trackpoints.

The base model sells for $899.99 and features the Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor, 8 inch display, 2GB RAM, 60GB HDD, GPS, integrated mobile broadband, Bluetooth and Windows Vista Home Basic.

The next model up sells for $1199.99 and replaces the hard drive with a 64GB SSD and replaces Vista Home Basic with Vista Home Premium.

Finally, at $1499, the 64GB SSD gets upgraded to a 128GB SSD.

Not exactly netbook-like pricing is it? Oh wait.. it’s not a “netbook” … it’s a “Lifestyle PC”. Sense a bit of annoyance on my part? You bet.. but more on this later on. For now we’ll stick with the product announcement on the Sony netbook err.. VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC.

MSI also had two other interesting news bursts for their upcoming netbook products – the U115 Hybrid and U120.

With the U115 Hybrid, MSI announced that the netbook in “ECO mode” can achieve up to a 12 hour battery life. This is made possible thanks to the fact that the U115 shuts down the SATA hard drive in favor of the built-in SSD (which also houses the operating system). The U115 is the first netbook to feature simultaneous use of both an SSD as well as a HDD.

Now for the U120, MSI announced that the netbook not only supports 3.5G networks but is also “WiMAX Ready”. Now if only WiMAX was nearby..

[Check it out]

MSI exits 2008 by announcing a new netbook model – the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid. Why the hybrid nomenclature? The system utilizes both a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD) simultaneously. Want to maximize battery life? Switch on “ECO on Mode” which shuts down the internal hard disk drive in favor of the solid state drive which offers a reliable and power efficient storage system.

Interestingly enough, the U115 also features the Intel Poulsbo chipset which means you’ll get the Intel Atom Z530 processor as opposed to the more common N270 processor seen in the majority of netbook systems out there.

MSI claims the U115 can achieve “super long battery life” but offers no details as to how long exactly this is.

Another new feature of the U115 – increased distance between the keys – 17.5 mm to be exact.

You still get a 10 inch display with the common 1024 x 600 resolution. You also get an LED power saving backlight display which offers a brighter more power-efficient display.

Specs for the MSI U115 Hybrid include:

• Intel Atom Processor Z530 running at 1.6GHz
• Windows XP Home
• Intel Poulsbo US15W chipset
• 1GB (by module only) DDR2 533MHz. Chipset support to 2GB
• 10 inch 1024 x 600 LCD panel
• 120GB/160GB 2.5 inch SATA HDD
• 8/16GB SSD
• 4 in 1 memory card reader with support for xD/SD/MMC/Memory Stick
• 2 megapixel webcam
• D-Sub, 3 x USB 2.0 ports. microphone in, headphone, RJ45 port
• 3/6 cell battery
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• 2 Speakers
• Measures 260 x 180 x 19~31.5 mm
• Weighs ~1.0 kg

No word on pricing nor availability as of yet.

[Check it out]