Hasta La Gadget!

Hewlett-Packard’s next netbook is shipping February, and you shouldn’t buy it.

That’s because HP plans to release an upgrade for the netbook just four months later, according to a Taiwanese publication.

DigiTimes cites "sources at notebook makers" who claim the HP Mini 2150 is set for release in June — just four months after the Mini 2140 hits stores.

Unlike its predecessor, the Mini 2150 will ship with a built-in 3G modem. That was the only difference disclosed.

Early January, HP showcased its Mini 2140 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Mini 2140 features a 10.1-inch widescreen LED display, a keyboard that’s 92 percent the size of a standard keyboard and a six-cell battery that HP says will last eight hours. Marketed for business users, the Mini 2140 starts at $500.

Price details for the Mini 2150 have not been revealed, but you can expect HP to keep it close to the same cost as the Mini 2140.

A 3G modem may not sound like a big deal, but I personally think it’s a feature worth waiting a few months for. Imagine a scenario where you’re in dire need for an internet connection but can’t find a Wi-Fi hotspot. With a 3G modem you could purchase a one-day pass to browse the web, and presto — problem solved.

And if you don’t wish to wait till June for a 3G-equipped netbook, you can always look at other options such as the MSI Wind U120, which is already shipping.

HP to add more members to its Mini-note family [DigiTimes]

See also:

• Review: HP Mini 2140

Photo: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

LAS VEGAS — Dell doesn’t have a booth here at CES, but the company staked out a floor at the trendy Palms casino to make several product announcements — and to try to win a few style points.

The stodgy PC maker from Round Rock, Texas has been known for years for its workhorse PCs and notebooks — functional, economical, generally reliable, and butt-ugly. But in the last year, the company has been working hard to change that perception. For instance, its compact Studio Hybrid PC has a sleek look and can be modded with replaceable outer sleeves, so you can color it (red, black, bamboo) to suit your decor. And its line of Studio laptops, which can be customized with any one of more than 100 different artistic designs, has been selling well.

This week, the company rolled out two new laptops, the Studio XPS 16 (shown above with Dell’s head design guy, Ed Boyd) and the Studio XPS 13, that continue the trend of wrapping computers in cutting-edge cases made out of interesting materials. And the company announced a mysterious "luxury brand" called Adamo, which so far seems to be little more than a slim black notebook (or the chassis of a notebook) in the hands of a supermodel.

The XPS 16 and XPS 13 are notebooks with, respectively, 16-inch and
13-inch screens. Both have distinctive multi-toned exteriors in
differing shades of black, gray, and charcoal gray, and both include
leather trim along the back (hinge) edge of the top lid. While tastes
may differ — and some may find the inclusion of animal skin a bit
abhorrent — these notebooks have a classy, refined look that’s a world
away from Dell’s earlier work.

Both laptops are available now, starting at $1,200.

As for Adamo, very little is known. Dell hired a model to show off
the notebook, but no one was allowed to touch it and Dell
representatives didn’t turn it on. They also did not release any
specifications. So for now, Adamo is little more than a pipe dream.

Read on for more pictures of Dell’s new products.

Dell’s Studio XPS 13 notebook. Photo courtesy of Dell

The 16-inch Studio XPS 16. Photo courtesy of Dell

The Studio XPS 16 has a slim profile and a glowing power connector in the hinge that resembles those on some high-end, slim Sony Vaio notebooks. Photo courtesy of Dell

Dell acknowledged its laptops’ homely past with this display, which showed the stylistic progression of laptops from 2005 to 2008. Photo: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

Dell’s suite at the Palm casino was bedecked with laptop art available for installation on current laptop models. Some of the artists commissioned to create art for Dell, including graffiti artists Mike Ming and Tristan Eaton, were in the suite, painting giant canvases and printing original designs on T-shirts. Photo: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

Top photo: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

LAS VEGAS — Even as inexpensive netbooks have caught the attention of most gadget enthusiasts, their richer cousins from the mobile internet devices (MIDs) category have faded into the background.

But at CES 2009, OQO’s smallest PC sporting a OLED (organic light-emitting diode, an alternative technology to LCD) display took centerstage. What really sets the device apart is its luminous, crisp screen. OQO claims its the world’s first PC with integrated active matrix OLED display.

The little American beauty called OQO model 2+ is based on the 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor, has 2GB RAM and a Qualcomm chip to support 3G worldwide. The device offers up to 3.5 hours of battery life, has an integrated touchscreen and runs Windows XP or Vista operating system.

Other key features includes 60GB to 120 GB hard disk drive storage, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and 5-inch display. The device weighs 1 pound with standard battery.

This is the second version of the OQO PC. The model 2+ will be available in the first half of 2009 with two versions priced at $1000 and $1500 respectively.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

LAS VEGAS — Some of the latest notebooks include an instant-on mode, which immediately boots into a stripped down virtual environment to run basic apps. And by downloading new software introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show, you don’t have to buy a brand new notebook just to take advantage of that feature.

Phoenix Technologies this week launched its downloadable virtual environment dubbed HyperSpace.

Instant-on can benefit users not just by saving time. It reduces battery power consumed by about 30 percent compared to running a full operating system, according to Phoenix.

This will be incredibly useful for those who mostly use their computers to surf the web, check e-mail or IM (cough, netbook owners).

The software starts at $40. Unfortunately, you have to pay to renew the license each year. The software can immediately be downloaded at HyperSpace.com. Currently, the software is for Windows machines only.

Product Page [Phoenix]

Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com

LAS VEGAS — Lenovo’s dual-screen ThinkPad w700ds, which was announced yesterday ahead of CES 2009, is the plus size model of the mobile computing world. The 11-pound notebook is much fuller compared to its skinnier, anorexic peers thanks to the pop-out second screen.

As this picture from the event floor shows, the $3600 ThinkPad has a 17-inch primary screen and a 10.6-inch secondary screen that slides out to the right.

The notebook is perfect for business users who prefer dual monitors, says Lenovo. But isn’t it too clunky to be a "mobile" workstation?

Also see:
Lenovo Introduces New Dual-Screen Notebook, Slim Desktop

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com