BenQ Joybook Lite U101 Reviewed

BenQ Joybook Lite U101 is the first product from the company to join the netbook market. Laptop Magazine has recently made a review for this netbook, and the result is just average (rated 2.5 out of 5).One special characteristic for this netbook, is the lid design which comes with a cute emoticon. Other than that, the features of the BenQ Joybook Lite U101 is pretty standard.


The review unit comes with the following spec:

• 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
• 1.5/2GB RAM (expandable)
  
• 160GB/5,400 rpm HDD
• 10.1-inch display with 1024 x 576 resolution
• Windows XP Home
• Price: $499

Pros and Cons:

Pros

* Unique lid design
* Compact build
* Bright, glossy display
* Loud speakers

Cons

* Cramped keyboard
* Short battery life
* Loud mouse button

Read the full review of BenQ Joybook Lite U101 on Laptop Magazine.

Sony VAIO Netbook

More information is revealed about the Sony VAIO netbook that we read about few days ago -- jkOnTheRun reported that this product placeholder about a new Sony VAIO series that goes by the monicker “P”.

The P laptop series of Sony VAIO will come with the following specs:

• 1.3 GHz Intel Atom processor
• 8-inch LED Backlit Display
• 60 GB HD or 128 GB SSD
• Windows Vista

At this moment, Sony has yet to make any announcement about this "new netbook' which we believe is coming soon. Hope to hear from Sony soon!

HP Compaq Mini 700 Released in Europe

Compaq Mini 700 is another netbook from HP which was announced together with the Mini 1000 several weeks ago. It's now released in European countries.


The specification for this netbook is as follows:

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor
  
• 10.2-inch display with 1024×600 resolution
• 1GB of RAM
• 60GB of HDD
• GMA950 graphics processor
• Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
  
• 3-cell battery
• 2-in-1 card reader
• Altec Lansing Speakers
• Webcam
• Windows XP Home

According to Notebook Italia, the HP Compaq Mini 700 will retails for around $594. No announcement on when this netbook will be available in the U.S. yet.

Samsung to Release NC20 in Febuary

According to Notebook Italia, Samsung will be releasing a new netbook model called NC20 in February 2009.


The Samsung NC20 will have the following specs:

• 12.1-inch display
• 1.3 GHz VIA Nano U225 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 160 GB Hard Drive
• 3-in-1 card reader
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet
• 1.3 megapixel camera

The price of the NC20 will be around around $642. By looking at the spec above, the NC20 which comes with a 12-inch display and VIA Nano processor might not be considered as a netbook, but just a budget notebook instead. But being named as NC20, Samsung might want to relate it with the NC10, and still categorize it as netbook.

Sony VAIO Netbook Finally Here?

It appears that Sony is going to release a new VAIO model which will "change the way you look at laptops forever" on the 9th of January. The teaser page is posted on Sony's New Zealand site.

As of now, most of the big laptop manufacturers have already released their own netbook, except for Sony and Apple. Many are guessing that Sony will be launching a netbook, which we think is highly possible.

Asus Eee PC 1002HA Unboxing Video

We have seen that the Asus Eee PC 1002HA is a pretty awesome netbook from the previous reviews. Now let's look at the unboxing video done by Zeavott:

New Configuration and Price for Dell Inspiron Mini 12

Probably due to the review and feedback of the slow performance of Windows Vista on the Inspiron Mini 12, Dell has recently added Windows XP option in three new configurations/prices on their product page.

Here's the new configuration and price for the Inspiron Mini 12 netbook:

Inspiron Mini 12 Ubuntu Linux Version - $499

• Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz)
• 1GB RAM
• 40GB HDD
• Ubuntu Linux 8.04.1
• 3-Cell Battery
  

Inspiron Mini 12 - $549

• Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz)
• 1GB RAM
• 40GB HDD
• Windows XP Home
• 3-Cell Battery
  

Inspiron Mini 12 - $599

• Intel Atom Z530 (1.6GHz)
• 1GB RAM
• 60GB HDD
• Windows XP Home
• 6-Cell Battery
  

[via Laptop Magazine]

The World's Smallest Mac - Mactini

The MacWorld is just a few weeks away.. What could be the next cool product that Apple will be coming up with? Many are guessing that Apple might come out with their own netbook, but Peter Serafinowicz from BBC has a different idea -- Mactini, a machine with only one button. Check it out from the video below. Enjoy! :D

Asus Eee PC 1002HA Review by PC Magazine

We have seen the review for Asus Eee PC 1002HA from Laptop Magazine.. an here's another review done by PC Magazine. The Asus Eee PC 1002HA is rated as 4 out of 5 stars from this review. Basically, PC Magazine gives almost the same feedback as Laptop Magazine, which is cool design with metallic finish, great keyboard layout and performance, but lacks of six-cell battery being the biggest drawback.


Bottom line:

"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."

Both Asus Eee PC 1000HA and Asus Eee PC 1002HA are available on Amazon for 399.99 and 498.79 respectively.

[Source]

Lenovo IdeaPad S9 Hits US

The sibling for Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook, IdeaPad S9 is now available in US online stores. It's spotted on Geek.com and Buy.com for $344.99 and $359.46 respectively.

The IdeaPad S9 netbook has the following specification:

• 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
• 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB solid state disk
• Linpus Linux Lite

MSI Wind U110, U115, and U120, Arriving on January 2009

According to an interview with Andy Tung, the Director of Sales for MSI U.S., the company is planning to release 3 new models of MSI Wind -- U110, U115, and U120 in January 2009. In addition, there will be a 13.3-inch MSI notebook called U300 which will not be branded as MSI Wind released in the same month.

Andy Tung has confirmed that both the MSI Wind U110 and U115 will come equiped with the newest Intel Z530 Atom Processor, 1GB of RAM (2GB max), 10-inch LED backlit displays, WiFi b/g/n, a choice of 1.3-megapixel or 2-megapixel webcam, and either a 3-cell or 6-cell battery. Only the U115 will support the dual storage setup: the U110 will have either a 160GB or 250GB hard-drive, the U115 can pair either of those with 16, 32 or 64GB of SSD capacity. With the same 6-cell battery, the MSI Wing U110 is said to have 8 hours of battery life, while the U115 will have up to 10 hours of battery life.

Other than releasing the 3 new models of MSI Wind, the company is also planning to launch a touch-enabled MSI Wind during the CES 2009.

Eee PC Battery Charger

Your Eee PC netbook battery do not need to be attached to the netbook anymore to be charged. Yes, you can get a standalone charger for your Eee PC netbook at a pretty low price.

The charger light, durable and tidy and let you make full use of your spare battery. It can also be a nice docking station for your battery even when you are not charging it. The charger however is not available for all EEE PC models. Check out the following stores for the charger. The starting price is as low as USD 15.99!

Premium Batteries
GPSforless

Price Drop for HP Mini 1000

HP has has recently cut the price of the Mini 1000 netbook from $399 to $359, a price drop of $40. The specs that you will be getting from the new price is the same which is 1GB RAM, 8GB SSD, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 8.9-inch screen, and a 3-cell battery.

The price for the Vivenne Tam edition netbook however is not changed at $699.99.

[via Liliputing]

Asus Eee PC 1002HA Reviewed

Asus Eee PC 1002HA has been reviewed on Laptop Magazine recently. Overall, this machine which is said to be the combination of Eee PC S101 and 1000HA, score a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars from the review.


The specs of the review unit is as follows:

• 10-inch 1024x600 display
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB 5400 rpm HDD
  

Laptop Magazine is pretty impressed by the design and slimness of 1002HA, and also the comfortable keyboard layout. Also, they found the 1002HA to be a fast booter and with speedy performance overall. The only disappointment comes from the 2-cell battery which can last only for 3 hours and 39 minutes, and the company isn't planning to offer an extended life model either.

[Source]

HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition Now Available for Purchase

The Vivienne Tam Edition of HP Mini 1000, which was announced in October, is now available for purchase on HP website. The starting price will be $699.99, and the features of the netbook will be as follows:

• 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 16GB SSD or 60GB HD
• 10.2-inch diagonal WSVGA HP LED Brightview Infinity Display
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Integrated HP Mini Webcam
• 3-Cell Battery
• Wireless G-Card, Bluetooth
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• Windows XP Home
  

As a fashion-conscious netbook, the HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition is less than an inch thick, and weight only around 2.45 pounds. It also features a peony-flower design which makes it looks fashionable.

Samsung to Release NC11 Netbook?

Samsung NC10 netbook is popular with its great performance.. and probably due to the success of Samsung's first netbook, looks like the company is now planning to release a new model called NC11.

Samsung has put up the manual for NC11 on their official website. Although it's in Korean language, we can see that there isn't much between NC10 and NC11, except for NC11 being available in Windows Vista and using Intel 945GSE chipset instead of Intel 945GME which NC 10 is using.

[via Netbook Magazine]

MSI to Release U110 and U115 Netbook

MSI has been quite successful with their MSI Wind U100 netbook, and has set to release a new model U120 at CES 2009. Now the company is planning on releasing another 2 new models: U110 and U115.

Different with other netbooks, the MSI U115 features a SSD and also a HDD. The operating system will be installed on the SSD, while the HDD will be used for storing data and information. The SSD/HDD combination will be 8GB SSD/80GB HDD, 16GB SSD/120GB HDD, or 32GB SSD/160GB HDD.

The MSI Wind U110 has the same basic specs as the U115, but comes with HDD configurations only. It will be available with a 120GB, 160GB, or 250GB hard drive and an Intel Atom Z530 CPU. Both models come with a 10-inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 802.11b/g/draft-n WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The U110 will be available with 1GB of RAM, while the U115 will come with 1-2GB.

[via Liliputing]