Samsung - Back in Singapore

Samsung is back in the notebook segment here after a two-year break, launching five laptops under the N, X and R series on Thursday.



The N series features two netbooks preloaded with Windows XP. The 1.35kg pebble-shaped N310 (S$899) comes with a chiclet-style keyboard, a scratch-proof exterior and screen, and a six-cell battery that lasts 9.8 hours.



The 1.28kg N120 (S$799) boasts a sizeable keyboard and 2.1 sound system. Both come with WiFi (802.11b/g/*), a webcam, a memory card reader, a 10.1-inch LED screen and sport a 1.66GHz Intel Atom chip with Intel GMA 950 graphics.

Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T takes on the netbooks?

Netbooks have been languishing on the Atom platform for far too long. It seems every new netbook announced is far from being different. Underneath all the different designs, the same processor, hard disk options, ram limitation still exists.



Could Acer's latest addition demonstrate that you don't have to be on an Atom platform to be "netbook"-like? You could easily mistaken the Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T as another Aspire One model, since it shares the chassis as the Aspire One 751, albeit with a few modifications.

However, looking under the hood you'll find that the Atom processor is not present. In it's place is a Intel ULV SU3500 1.4GHz processor which is at least twice as fast as any Intel Atom processor currently on the market. The 1810T can take up to 4GB of RAM instead of the current crop of netbook's 2GB max limit.

It also comes with an 11.6-inch 1366x768 screen, Intel GS45 Express Chipset, with integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics core capable of decoding HD video. HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1, usual Wifi fare are also included, in addition to the optional 3G modem. Let's not forget the 8h battery life also!

Sony launches a new netbook... VAIO W

I'm all impressed by the form factor for the Sony VAIO P but really put off by the extremely high pricing, and you couldn't really call the VAIO P a netbook, but Sony has now fully waded into the netbook market with the new VAIO W.

The 10-incher runs the standard 1.6GHz Atom processor and will come with Windows XP, 1GB RAM etc. Although no pricing is confirmed yet, but expect it to be the usual overpriced price tag.

Anyway, check out the promo video and see for yourself if you like the look of the new VAIO W.