Hasta La Gadget!

Oops, it looks like a Dell middle manager somewhere got a little too excited and let a full set of netbook roadmap slides leak out. The biggest news is a planned Mini 11 due sometime between now and the end of Q3, but the Mini 10 is where most of the action is in the short term — the current model will get options for Vista, a 3G modem, and potentially a 1.86GHz Atom on April 17th, a new 1.6GHz Atom N270 SKU will arrive in May and everything will be updated again in the second half of the year with Intel’s Pine Trail processors. Interesting, but we’re wondering when Dell will realize that the Mini 10’s HDMI output and 720p screen are useless unless it can handle true HD video — Ion, anyone?

Filed under: Laptops

Dell netbook roadmap leaks out, get ready for the Mini 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA is showing that wacky Mini 1000 / Tegra mashup at CTIA, but Qualcomm’s not far behind with its own creative ways to repurpose smartphone silicon into MID and netbook-class devices. Making an appearance at Qualcomm’s booth was a prototype PurseBook from Taiwan’s Wistron, which stuffs a Snapdragon chipset into a device looking (and weighing) a little bit like a VAIO P. That’s where the similarities to the Sony box ends, though, because Qualcomm sees the PurseBook (and devices like it) hitting in the $299 to $499 range — we’d like to see them even cheaper, truth be told — and you won’t be running Vista here. Instead, you’ve got a pretty slick Linux distro from ThunderSoft that’ll edit Office docs, give you a desktop-class web experience, and connect with social networks, which are the three things most of us spend 90 percent of our PC face time doing anyhow. It’s not going to replace your laptop by any stretch, but with a claimed 8 hours of battery life, we could totally see packing this thing as an ultra-lightweight alternative for day trips. Qualcomm expects the PurseBook and devices like it to ship in 2009 — as does NVIDIA, so we’re definitely lining up for a sweet battle royale here. Follow the break for video.

Continue reading Wistron’s Snapdragon-powered PurseBook gets demoed

Filed under: Laptops

Wistron’s Snapdragon-powered PurseBook gets demoed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While most complain about slow CPU speeds on netbooks, the thing they universally lack is a decent sound system. If nothing else Samsung’s N120 could be an improvement there, featuring enough bezel to house a pair of speakers, and there’s room for what must be the world’s smallest subwoofer in there somewhere. Of course, all that bezel was really to make room for a bigger keyboard, but we already knew that, and we now know the thing is showing up at retailers across the web for pre-order at prices falling in the $450 – $475 range and colors at either end of the light spectrum: black or white. With that keyboard, those speakers, and 10.5 hours of battery life, this sounds like a solid entrant to the netbook races, especially for anyone more interested in sound than color.

Filed under: Laptops

Samsung’s 2.1-channel rocking N120 netbook now available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beginning today in Atlanta, AT&T announced that it will offer a variety of ultra-portable netbooks with
built-in AT&T 3G wireless capabilities starting at $49.99 with the purchase of AT&T “Internet at Home and
On the Go” broadband services.

The company said in a statement that it is also offering similar mini laptop promotional
rates with the purchase of AT&T DataConnect plans in eight AT&T
retail locations in the Philadelphia area.

For some inexplicable reason, AT&T is calling the machines “mini laptops.” But the lineup, which consists of the Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, and LG Xenia, should put to rest any ideas that they’re somehow different than netbooks. Here’s a rundown of the pricing, as per the company statement: 

While MSI has been teasing its Wind U123 and X-Slim X320 / X340 laptops for a little while now, we’ve yet to see the full specifications for each rig laid out. Until now, of course. Over at CTIA in Vegas, the company is revealing all the dirty details about what makes these May-bound rigs tick, and we’re pleased as punch to see a few unexpected inclusions. As for the 10.2-inch U123, you’ll find a 1.66GHz Atom N280 CPU, integrated WWAN and even a built-in TV tuner. As for the X-Slim X340 (starting around $1,000), it’s amongst the first to feature Intel’s newfangled CULV platform, which sucks down one-sixth the power of a regular mobile CPU. The X320 (starting at $700) gets gifted with a less exciting 1.6GHz Atom Z530, but the optional 3G / WiMAX module definitely makes it altogether enticing for those scouting a continually connected ultraportable. Head on past the break for the full hardware breakdown.

Continue reading MSI outs full specs of X-Slim X320 / X340 and Wind U123

Filed under: Laptops

MSI outs full specs of X-Slim X320 / X340 and Wind U123 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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