Acer Aspire Timeline review roundup

Acer’s range of CULV-based Timeline machines should be trickling out to US stores any moment now, and if you’re wondering if any of these are right for you, we’ve rounded up a trio of reviews that are guaranteed to be relevant to your interests. If you’re looking to get the long and short of it, here it is: those seeking great battery life in a relatively affordable package need look no further, but performance junkies should definitely hunt elsewhere. All told, Acer managed to concoct a few machines that’ll go eight hours or so under the right conditions, but none of ’em will set any records in the benchmarking department. It’s called compromise people — are you willing to make it? Check the links below to help answer that.

Read – PCPro (“Nondescript looks and plodding performance are elevated by absolutely stunning battery life”)
Read – Laptop (“Lightweight design. Eight hours of battery life. Good-enough performance”)
Read – ComputerShopper (“Delivers great battery life in a lightweight chassis; however, comes up short in terms of features and performance”)

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Acer Aspire Timeline review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS trickles out UX30 laptop, MS Series display

ASUS is doing its best to keep pushing that Eee PC Seashell that we peeked a few days back, but it’s the heretofore unannounced gear that has caught our eye. The UX30 is a new lappie based around Intel’s fresh CULV platform, though little else is known about the presumably thin-and-light machine. Moving on, we’ve got the MS Series display, a striking monitor that measures just 19 millimeter deep and stays put via a uniquely designed ring stand. We’ll do our best to grab some face time when the Computex floor re-opens, but for now, it’s just you, these words and your imagination.

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ASUS trickles out UX30 laptop, MS Series display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire Timeline thin-and-lights priced for the US: $600 to $900

Acer’s Aspire Timeline inexpensive thin-and-lights have been popping up here and there around the world since we first laid eyes on ’em in April, and now the CULV machines are ready to hit the States. Pricing is actually a little lower than we initially heard, with the base 15.6-inch 1.3GHz Pentium SU2700 machine coming in at $598, but you’re more interested in the two smaller machines: the 14-inch, 4.2-pound 1.4GHz SU3500 Core Solo unit is $699, while the 13.3-inch, 3.5-pound 1.4GHz SU9400 Core 2 Duo pictured above is $899. All three machines feature 16:9 1366 x 768 LED-backlit displays driven by Intel 4500MHD graphics, and battery life exceeds eight hours, aided by a PowerSmart energy-saving switch. So — anyone still thinking about an Adamo? Full press release and two more pics after the break.

Continue reading Acer Aspire Timeline thin-and-lights priced for the US: $600 to $900

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Acer Aspire Timeline thin-and-lights priced for the US: $600 to $900 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte shows off thin-and-light Booktop M1305 and super slim Myou netbook

Apparently people are really falling hard for this whole “thin” fad, and Gigabyte’s design department is the latest victim. The new Booktop M1305 (pictured) sports a CULV Intel processor and a 13.3-inch screen, putting it squarely in the land of MacBook Air and ThinkPad X300-style thin-and-lights, while also managing a disc drive and room for up to 8GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the new Myou netbook is actually Gigabyte’s ThinNote S1024, which weighs under two pounds, measures less than an inch thick, and still leaves room for a 10-inch screen and 6 cell battery. It should be shipping in the next few months for an estimated $600 pricetag. Video of the surprisingly excellent form factor is after the break.

Read – Booktop M1305
Read – Myou

Continue reading Gigabyte shows off thin-and-light Booktop M1305 and super slim Myou netbook

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Gigabyte shows off thin-and-light Booktop M1305 and super slim Myou netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire Timeline out of the box and loving life

While it’s always a fun rush to see an unopened box in a Canadian store room, we’re much more excited about what’s inside the box, and friendly tipster James somehow managed to buy himself an Acer Aspire Timeline 5810TZ-4657 in Iowa about a week ago. For a scant $598 he got a 15-inch display, DVD drive, Intel U2700 1.3GHz processor and 3GB of RAM — which makes most similarly specced “thin and lights” seem a little silly in comparison. He says he’s gotten around 7 hours of battery on max power saving mode, and about 4-5 hours on max use, finds the 720p webcam comparable to a Flip camera, enjoys the keyboard and multitouch trackpad, and overall finds the system to be very quick and responsive running Vista. Acer still hasn’t confirmed an official lineup, price or availability for these things, but we’ve gotta think it’s gonna be soon — if this is right, it’s almost too good not to share.

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Acer Aspire Timeline out of the box and loving life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind U200 gets the hands-on video treatment

We already got a pretty good look at MSI’s new 12-inch Wind U200 at its debut at Computex in Taipei, but the folks at NewGadgets.de have had a chance to spend a bit more quality time with the not-quite-a-netbook, and they’ve thankfully provided a hands-on video (in both English and German no less). While they aren’t offering much in the way of actual impressions just yet, they do provide a fairly thorough overview of the device, and even discover a working SIM card slot in the battery compartment, along with a mysterious rubber plug on the side that may or may not actually conceal something. Head on past the break to check it out for yourself, or hit up the link below if you’re looking to practice your German.

Continue reading MSI Wind U200 gets the hands-on video treatment

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MSI Wind U200 gets the hands-on video treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 23:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albatron storms back with 10.2-inch ultrathin netbook

Nice timing, Albatron. With the whole world feeling that the time is right to enter the quaint and mysterious realm of “thin and light” netbooks, this just proves that you’re totally vibing with money-hungry suits the world over. Truth be told, there’s not much we know about the admittedly striking laptop above. It’s got a 10.2-inch panel, weighs around 2.2 pounds and packs at least an audio input and output. We’re promised that more images and even a video are on the horizon, so hold tight, vaquero.

[Via Slashgear]

Update: Hands-on videos are up! Check it after the break.

Continue reading Albatron storms back with 10.2-inch ultrathin netbook

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Albatron storms back with 10.2-inch ultrathin netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI’s X-Slim X340 vs. X400 vs. X600 CULV laptops… Fight!

The big Computex show in Taipei is just a few weeks away and that means laptops, tons and tons of laptops. Specifically, CULV thin-and-light laptops that Intel’s hoard of dutiful manufacturers have positioned between netbooks and super-expensive, ultra-portables like the MacBook Air or ThinkPad X301. Engadget Chinese is at the unveiling of MSI’s full range of X-Slim laptops. We’ve already seen the X320/X340 up close, but this is the first time we’ve received official specs on the 14-inch (1366 x 768) X400 and 15.6-inch (1366 x 768) X600. Both feature Core 2 Solo CULV processors, an HDMI jack, hard disks up to 500GB in capacity, up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, and a 2-in-1 card memory reader. The X600 adds eSATA, options for 6 or 9-cell batteries (compared to the X400’s 4 or 8-cells), and bumps the graphics from integrated GMA 4500MHD to ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. Now we’re just waiting for the ship dates and prices which should start at $699 to about $1,100.

Update: Official press release says to expect these before June is through.

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MSI’s X-Slim X340 vs. X400 vs. X600 CULV laptops… Fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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