Jul 26

ASUS Eee PC 1004DN lands in Taiwan, gives the netbook a serious identity crisis

Posted in: ASUS, netbook, Today's Chili
Asus makes optical-endowed Eee PC 1004DN official

Sure, an optical drive isn’t going to explode the definition of netbooks as we know it — we’ll have to wait for Windows 7 to do that — but perhaps we can all learn to live lives of greater peace and harmony now that you can spin up a plastic circle of ones and zeros inside an Eee PC. The new 1004DN is now available in Taiwan for NT$19,988, about $609 US.

[Via Liliputing]

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ASUS Eee PC 1004DN lands in Taiwan, gives the netbook a serious identity crisis originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 24

How would you change MSI’s X-Slim ultraportable line?

Posted in: Features, HowWouldYouChange, HWYC, msi, netbook, thin and light, ThinAndLight, Today's Chili, ultraportable

MSI’s seductive X-Slim lineup first dropped jaws back at CeBIT, and it’s been tempting PC addicts ever since hitting the market a few months back. Many have argued that the X-Slim family looks just a bit too much like that other ultraslim lappie over there, but we’d say these are distinct enough to walk their own path. Catering to a wide range of potential customers, MSI has actually issued quite a few of these machines, from the X320 to the X340 to the X600. If you’ve been fortunate enough to pick one of these up for yourself, how has the user experience been? Is it as much a looker in person as you thought it’d be? Are you satisfied with performance? Anything missing for the price? Go on and get heard, won’t you?

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How would you change MSI’s X-Slim ultraportable line? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 24

Video: ViewSonic VNB101 gets handled in the wilderness of Taipei

Posted in: netbook, Today's Chili, video, viewsonic, wifi

The new ViewSonic VNB101 may be rightly accused of aping the EeePC S101 a little too closely, but if you’re going to copy something, it might as well be something sexy. Netbooks News have gone hands-on with an early model, noting a multicard reader, space for a 3G SIM card, and a 3400mAh Lithium-Polymer battery, which should deliver about 5 hours of juice and degrade more slowly over time than its Li-Ion counterparts. Pricing in Taiwan is set for around $485, and for that you’ll get your standard dosage of Atom N280, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD inside and a red, black or champagne paintjob on the outside. Europeans can look for these later this year, but with no word of a US release, you’ll have to make do with the video past the break.

Continue reading Video: ViewSonic VNB101 gets handled in the wilderness of Taipei

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Video: ViewSonic VNB101 gets handled in the wilderness of Taipei originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 24

HP Mini 5101 netbook approved for use by mini executives

Posted in: HP, netbook, review, Today's Chili, wifi

The Mini 5101, or Mini Executive as HP would have it, is now available to purchase, with prices starting at $399.99. While still a netbook at heart, the 5101 has an impressive array of accoutrements: aluminum and magnesium shell for lightweight (2.64 lbs) sturdiness, flat chiclet keyboard, 10.1-inch LED-backlit display, and at an extra cost, 128GB SSD and 1366 x 768 resolution upgrade options. The build quality and keyboard got high marks from us when we handled the machine back in June, and now a couple of online scribes have put together timely in-depth reviews of the device. They share the impression that HP has a strong business product on its hands, highlighted by a class-leading WiFi signal of 37.7 Mbps at 15 feet, though they were also concerned that neither pricing nor battery life (between 5 and 7 hours) are the best available. Hit up the read links for all the delectable details.

[Thanks, Knifex4]

Read – HP product page
Read – Laptop Mag review
Read – PC Mag review

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HP Mini 5101 netbook approved for use by mini executives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 23

Viewsonic goes all out with new nettops, netbooks, media PCs and media players

Posted in: netbook, nettop, PMP, Today's Chili, viewsonic

Viewsonic may still be best known as a monitor company, but it looks to be doing its best to change that with its latest batch of products, which run the gamut from handhelds to media PCs. The bulk of the new offerings are in the small form factor PC category, and include the Atom-based VOT 120 / 121 and 130 / 132 nettops (pictured above), as well as the more beefed-up Core 2 Duo-based VOT 530 / 550 media PC (complete with Blu-ray drive and remote control). Launched alongside those are Viewsonic’s fairly standard VNB 100 / 101 netbooks, and the company’s all new VPD 400 and 500 media players, which pack a 4.3-inch and 5-inch screen, and 8GB and 16GB of storage, respectively. Check out the gallery below for a look at the whole lot, and hit up the link below for a rundown of all the specs.

Gallery: Viewsonic goes all out with new nettops, netbooks, media PCs and media players

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Viewsonic goes all out with new nettops, netbooks, media PCs and media players originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 23

Walmart Introduces First-Ever $298 Compaq Laptop, More

Posted in: Laptops, netbook, Today's Chili

Compaq-Presario-CQ60-419WMNot sure what kind of laptop your student needs for the back-to-school season? Walmart today announced that it has increased its assortment of affordable laptops, including the first-ever $298 Compaq notebook with 3GB of memory. The Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM also offers a 160GB hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and Windows Vista preinstalled. You can snag this notebook beginning July 26 at 8 a.m. in all Walmart stores and on Walmart.com while supplies last.

Also available July 26 is the popular Acer 15.6-inch AS5810-4657, with a $50 price drop to $548. It comes preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium (qualified for free Windows 7 upgrade), 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and a claimed 8-hour battery life. Its Intel Display Power Savings Technology reduces backlighting, making this laptop up to 40 percent more efficient than the typical laptop.

Find out what Walmart plans to offer in August, after the jump.

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Jul 23

NEC VersaPro VS-7 netbook manhandled, makes one reviewer positively giddy

Posted in: intel atom, IntelAtom, netbook, Today's Chili

You know that new ultra-light, ultra-thin, and ultra-portable laptop from NEC you got an eyeful of way back in May? Of course you do. You’ve been obsessing, actually — and frankly, we’ve been worried about you. Still, we’d be remiss in our duties if we didn’t turn you on to this mini-review that Akihabara News scored of the VersaPro VS-7. And we must say, the kudos are flowing pretty freely over there: “freaking light,” (that’s right: freaking), “slim and robust.” The reviewer is simply “amazed” at the netbook’s performance. Even in full screen mode HD video plays “just fine,” and 720p DivX video playback is characterized as “flawless.” But that ain’t all — hit the read link for the full, unexpurgated tale. But not before peeping the video after the break.

Continue reading NEC VersaPro VS-7 netbook manhandled, makes one reviewer positively giddy

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NEC VersaPro VS-7 netbook manhandled, makes one reviewer positively giddy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 22

Intel Atom N450 “Pineview” processor delayed until next year?

Posted in: intel, intel atom, IntelAtom, netbook, nettop, Today's Chili

We’d recommend taking this one with a hefty grain of salt for the time being as Intel isn’t saying anything on the matter itself just yet, but DigiTimes is reporting / speculating that Intel’s Atom N450 “Pineview” processor (and the Pine Trail platform that goes along with) has been delayed until next year. That processor, as you may recall, was apparently on track to debut sometime in the last quarter of this year, but DigiTimes says Intel has decided to push it back a bit so as not to shake up the netbook market too much in the second half of 2009.

Update: DigiTimes has further clarified saying the N270 will take up the slack on 2H2009 in part due to low orders of the relatively high cost N450 and worries that the Pine Trail platform could cannibalize sales of next gen thin-and-lights and Calpella-based laptops.

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Intel Atom N450 “Pineview” processor delayed until next year? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 21

Point of View Mobii netbook has Ion inside, psychedelia outside

Posted in: netbook, NVIDIA, Today's Chili

Just by looking at the Mobii ION 230, you can tell it’s a netbook keen on standing out from the crowd. This desire extends through its internals, which rely on NVIDIA’s Ion platform to power an Atom N230 CPU, usually a nettop part, alongside an upgradeable 1GB of RAM and 160GB HDD. Hence, while battery life might take a comparative beating, graphical and processing ability should be appreciably superior to your run-of-the-mill netbook. Point of View promises flawless 1080p playback and DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 support, with an HDMI-out if you don’t feel the 10.2-inch display at 1024x 600 resolution does those features justice. You’d be wrong to expect anything more than a slideshow in graphically intensive games, but it’s good to know the netbook market is getting a juiced-up option, and fret not, there’s a conservative black paintjob available too. European prices are expected around the €349 ($495) mark and availability should hit within the next few weeks.

[Via Netbook News]

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Point of View Mobii netbook has Ion inside, psychedelia outside originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 21

LG’s Xnote Mini X120 Levi’s Special Edition for Deadheads and truckers

Posted in: LG, Mini, netbook, Today's Chili

When your netbook is too bulky to fit in the back pocket then sometimes, not always, but sometimes you just have to bring the back-pocket to the netbook. Meet LG’s Levi special edition of its Xnote Mini X120. It’s exactly like the regular X120 running XP and Splashtop-powered “Smart On” OS only now with Levi graphics and an obligatory denim laptop sleeve just as you’d expect. More pics after the break because sometimes a man needs more than a monkey.

Continue reading LG’s Xnote Mini X120 Levi’s Special Edition for Deadheads and truckers

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LG’s Xnote Mini X120 Levi’s Special Edition for Deadheads and truckers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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