Dual-Core Atom processors in production, says Intel

At Computex, Intel has disclosed that dual-core Atoms for netbooks are in production.

So far, Intel has launched and began shipping 4 new Atom processors this year: N455, N475 for the netbook and the D425 and D525 for the "net-top" market. Even so, only the D525 is a dual-core processor - a 1.8GHz chip.

According to executives, with the new dual-core Atom chip now in production, we can expect to see products with the yet un-numbered processor by the year end holiday season.

The new chip launches are part of Intel's "Atom Everywhere" strategy, according to Anil Naudauri, the markting director for netbooks and tablets for the PC client group.

The addition of a dual-core Atom for netbooks will be significant, since the company's dual-core efforts have so far been confined to the net-top space.

Lamborghini-branded Asus netbook found at Computex

The folks from Pocket-lint found an amazing looking Lamborghini-branded Asus VX6 12.1-inch netbook at Computex, Taiwan and posted some exclusive pictures.

Not only does it look good, it has Intel's upcoming Atom D525 processor which runs at a clock speed of 1.8GHz and supports DDR3 memory. In addition, there's Nvidia's latest generation of ION graphics to match the 1266x768 resolution screen. The combination makes for an impressive next-gen netbook.

I guess with Intel releasing the restriction on the screen-size of netbooks, we're going to see more variety of netbooks poping up.

Check out more Lamborghini-branded Asus netbook photos at Pocket-lint

A look at Ubuntu Linux Netbook Edition 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)

If you're sick of using Windows and looking to try something different, consider Ubuntu Linux Netbook Edition 10.04 (aka Lucid Lynx).

The folks over at Desktop Linux Review has posted a screen-by-screen introduction to the Netbook edition of Ubuntu. It has an alternative interface to the standard desktop edition of Ubuntu, specially optimized for the netbook. If you're not happy with that, and prefer the standard desktop interface, you can toggle between the two, which is a nice touch.

The Gwibber social media client is bundled in, which is a good thing since the netbook is more about communication and web than desktop apps. There's also the Ubuntu One Music Store bundled into Rhythmbox which lets you buy music online, ala iTunes.

All in all, a nice viable alternative to Microsoft Windows. Check it out.

Source: Desktop Linux Review - Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04

Sony Vaio goes Billabong

Sony has teamed up with Billabong to release a netbook to match the fashion label's 2010 summer board shorts range.

The special edition Vaio W series Imperial Lime notebook is also clad in lime green, blue and black hand-drawn art that is intended to represent "the vibrant colour palette that helped define surf fashion in the 1980s".

There's even Billabong images and episodes of a planned new TV series featuring some of Billabong's boardsport athletes preloaded. Perfect with the beach accessories, towels and thongs.

The netbook will feature the standard 10.1" screen, 250GB hard drive, 2 USB ports and built in webcam and mic.

Source: Special-edition Sony Vaio Netbook goes Billabong

Samsung NB30 middle of the pack

Technological innovation has pretty much stayed the same for netbooks, so the real appeal of them now lie in areas of design or build quality as opposed to what's under the hood, and this is no different for Samsung's NB30, according to reviewer Scott Stein at CNET.

Samsung takes a more 'rugged user' approach by wrapping the NB30 in a more rugged and scratch-resistant shell, a hard drive free-fall sensor, and a water-tight, spill-resistant keyboard. Everything screams durability, except the "rugged style" isn't really and truly all that rugged.

For example, the keyboard, which Samsung bills as splash-resistant is limited to an exposure of a maximum of 60ml of fluid and provided that fluid is "removed within 10 seconds". 60ml of liquid isn't really a lot.

The review compares with other netbooks and found the NB30 to be middle of the pack. Pretty much what you would expect with netbooks these days. All in all, the rugged look is the only distinguishing feature, and doesn't quite justify the more expensive price, compared with others.

Source: Samsung NB30 Review @ CNET Asia

HP Mini 5102 reviewed

NetworkWorld has published a new review on the HP Mini 5102 after spending a month with it.

The Mini 5102 is targeted at the business user and it shows. It has a durable metal case with a magnesium alloy shell bottom, and a screen wrapped in anodized aluminum. It is 10 by 7 by 1 inch and weighs in at about 2.64 pounds. The 5102's keyboard is 95%-full and has a nice, responsive, positive feel, and the 10-inch LED backlit WSVGQ screen is bright and clear (1024x600 resolution).

It seems there's quite a lot to like about the Mini 5102, with decent build quality, an adequate keyboard, and a size perfect for travel. As a companion to the office machine, it's a plus.

It comes with a set pretty cool tools, The first is HP QuickSync, which easily syncs the contents on the netbook with your desktop over a wired or wireless link. Pretty handy.

QuickWeb launches an HP browser without starting up the operating system. Great for that few minutes between stops. QuickLook lets you access three months of Outlook calendar items, contact info and stored e-mail (up to 1,000 cached messages) without booting the computer.

Check out the HP Mini 5102 review at NetworkWorld.

MSI Wind U160DX capable of 15 Hours usage

With Computex around the corner, MSI let some information slip about the Wind U160DX netbook. Since it is the next step up, the netbook seems more than ready to assume the role of successor to the Wind U160. The U160 showed up at this year's CES and its appearance will live on in its sibling. The insides, however, are another story.

The U160DX runs on a N455 Atom CPU, and has one major improvement - DDR3 memory instead of just DDR2. It is not exactly clear how much DDR3 the model has, but its speeds will definitely make more than just a little difference.

Another vital detail that was disclosed. With the MSI power management system called "Turbo Drive Engine," the netbook will supposedly be able to work up to 15 hours on a single battery charge. That's as long as most people will stay awake during a day.

Unfortunately, little other information is available on the hardware, which means that we will have to wait a bit longer before learning about graphics and connectivity, not to mention pricing and availability.

Unboxing the Compaq Airlife 100

Chippy from Carrypad gives us an gives us an unboxing and demo of a Compaq Airlife 100 Spanish model. The Compaq Airlife 100 has yet to go on sale in Spain but is expected soon.

The whole unit weights in at around 1kg, with 16GB of storage, and 10.1" 1024x600 resistive touch screen. It runs Android 1.5, which means no Google marketplace and no multi-touch gestures. With the 3-cell li-poly battery, it is touted to give you up to 10 hours of battery life. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, you can expect performance similar to the iPad, which is slightly less than that of your average netbook.

The Airlife seems to be built pretty decent, with nice plastics, and a very lightweight power adapter. The screen however, only tilts back to probably around 120 degrees maximum, which might be a bit limiting for some.



Link: Compaq Airlife 100 Unboxing, Overview, Demo

Tired of Windows on your netbook? Try Ubuntu for a change

When it comes to installing operating systems on netbooks, things becomes a bit more tedious since there's no native CD/DVD drive. Well, it just got a lot simpler with the Wubi installer.

Wubi is a Windows installer for Ubuntu. It takes away the headache of installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix edition onto your netbook (without needing an external drive), and it easily uninstalls with just a few clicks!

The folks over at How-To Geek has published a very simple, but detailed step-by-step tutorial to get your netbook breathing Linux instead of stuffy Windows.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is considered one of the more attractive and user-friendly Linux flavors available. Now with the Wubi installer, it's perfect for anyone who's interested to try something alternative on their netbook.

Link: Install Ubuntu Netbook Edition with Wubi Installer

Bigger netbooks may be on the horizon

There's rumor that Intel may be lifting their restriction on the netbook size later in the year, allowing larger screens on netbooks that use the dual-core N550.

Given that netbook sales have started to plateau, Intel is probably looking for a way to keep netbooks interesting by offering more form factors. It's also the case that Intel has been pitching the Pine Trail + Broadcom CrystalHD combo as a way to do 1080p video on a netbook—and 1080p certainly makes more sense for larger screens than it does on a sub-10" panel.

It could also be possible that Intel is foreseeing the coming wave of ARM-based "smartbooks" and Intel doesn't want the Atom competing with the ARM-based offerings. With the restriction lifted, OEMs can get to work on making larger Atom-based netbooks to hit the shelves soon.

This also raises the question of what makes a netbook a netbook? If the form factor is starting to resemble a traditional notebook, what's the difference?

Source Digitimes