Next-gen NVIDIA ION Acer and ASUS netbooks delayed

The wait to see next-generation Nvidia ION graphics hit netbooks already feels like a long while. NVIDIA's next generation Ion platform was announced back in early March and according to Engadget, it looks like the wait will have to go on a little while longer.

Acer and Asus have both confirmed that their first notebooks with next-generation ION graphics won’t be ready to ship in the US until late May or possibly early June.

The 12" ASUS Eee PC 1201PN will ship first in Late May, in Europe and Asia, then after that in June in the US. The 10-inch Acer Aspire One 532G, announced back in February and was scheduled for a March release has been delayed until early June, when Computex starts.

We just have a feeling there will be some more joining the Ion 2 netbook brigade in the interim, but it's looking like we'll just have to kick off the summer with another Ion showdown.

Via Engadget

Asus Eee PC 1005PR pre-order for US$400

The Asus Eee PC 1005PR is the first 10" netbook from Asus with a high resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, and packs a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator so you can actually watch HD video smoothly on the HD display.

The netbook has a standard 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a battery which is good for up to 11 hours of run time.

It's now available for pre-order from Amazon for US$399.99.





via Netbooked

Samsung NB30 Unboxing

Samsung sent Brad from Liliputing a demo unit Samsung NB30 to review for a few weeks. He noted that the overall design was decent, which manages to come across as both semi rugged and attractive.

Although the specs of this netbook doesn't stray far from the norm, it does have a few features that make is more than a typical netbook. This includes a free fall sensor that helps protect the hard drive in the event of a fall and a case that is scratch-resistant design, and a spill-resistant keyboard.



Via Liliputing

ASUS Eee PC 1018P captured

I'm not really a fan of the Asus brand and its vast line of netbooks, but I have to admit the new ASUS Eee PC 1018P is one of the best looking netbooks that's coming soon.

The aluminium-clad netbook is just 18mm thick and sports the latest USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0 standards (optional) along with DDR3-packing N455/N475 processors. It was showcased at CeBIT and comes with a 10.1" (1024 x 600) display, up to 2GB RAM, 250GB-500GB HDD and Wi-Fi (b/g/n).

The folks over at TechInStyle.tv managed to get hold of the Eee PC 1018P and captured some great pictures.





Via eeepc.it. More pictures at Flickr

Chrome OS netbooks around US$300-US$400, says Schmidt

The netbook market today is pretty much dominated by Windows-based machines, but Google is hoping to change that later in the year with its Chrome OS for netbooks. The idea behind Chrome OS is that you'll be able to boot up your netbook and get online quickly, and do everything online. It is essentially a web browser OS.

Speaking at an event recently, Google CEO Eric Schmidt let loose a few more details of his vision. He expects netbooks running Chrome OS to sell for about US$300-$400, which is about the same price as most netbooks currently on the market.

While Chrome OS will be free, it doesn't actually provide that much of a cost saving, since Microsoft licenses Windows 7 Starter Edition for netbooks at a pretty low price.

Would the Chrome OS make a difference? I would like to hope so, since having alternatives to Windows is always a good thing.



Via TechRadar

Acer Aspire One 521: AMD powered 10” netbook

Information regarding an unannounced netbook from Acer has been leaked. The Acer Aspire One 521 netbook will come with the usual netbook fare with one major difference. It will come with an AMD processor instead of the standard Intel Atom processor.

The netbook will feature a 1.2Ghz AMD V105 single core processor, an AMD M880G chipset and ATI Radeon HD4225 graphics, plus HDMI out and Bluetooth 3.0, and a battery that can last up to 7 hours.

There are no details on when the Acer Aspire One 521 netbook will hit the stores, or how much it will be.

Via Liliputing

Early HP slate impression: No iPad killer

Whatever Apple delivers, you can expect a bunch of others trying to beat it, and the latest iPad is no exception.

HP is one of the first manufacturer off the block with the HP Slate. The Slate is powered by an Intel Atom Z530 1.6Ghz processor with 1GB of RAM non-expandable and a 8.9" 1024x600 pixel screen. Two models will be offered, a 32GB for US$549 price and a 64GB for US$599. It will run Windows 7.

If the specs are starting to look familiar, you're not wrong. The Slate is nothing more than a netbook without a keyboard. A Spanish blogger who had early access, describes the system as "meh", let down by the Windows 7 OS, making the device slow and clunky.

But there are some positives, the Slate has expansion slots which includes an expansion dock with HDMI and USB connections, built-in camera, and a decent (if smaller than iPad) screen.

Read the review at Conectica.ca

If you're curious how the Slate compares to the iPad, Engadget managed to get its hands on an internal HP presentation.

Dual-core Atom chip for netbooks on the horizon?

Intel was rumored for working on dual-core Atom chip for netbooks that are usually considered as low processing power carrying computers.

Recently, Intel CEO Paul Otellini confirmed that Intel will bring dual-core Atom processors for the netbook segment.

Intel already has 1.6GHz Atom 330 microprocessor for the netbooks such as Asus Eee PC 1201N. But these new dual-core Atom processors will have integrated memory controller and integrated graphics.

Otellini said, "I think there will still be significant growth in the netbook business year-over-year. I think that there are rather than pricing, I think, we would look to features and integration as a technical novelty or twist here. The next innovation coming out on Atom is dual-core, which comes out in the second quarter, so that it will ramp for the holiday season this year and I think that will be a very attractive product."

More processing power for the low-cost and light weight netbooks is always welcome, and a natural progression in technology. Intel didn't share more details about these dual-core Atom chips but we can expect netbooks with these chips before year-end at least.

Samsung's NB30 netbook gets touchy

Samsung has added a touchscreen to its rugged NB30 netbook, dubbed the NB30 Touch. But everything else is pretty the same.

The screen is LED backlit, has a 1024 x 600 resolution, and can be viewed outdoors. The processor is the same 1.66GHz Atom and the machine runs Windows 7 Starter. Storage is to a 160GB or 250GB HDD and the netbook has 1GB of RAM.

The same liquid-proof keyboard, isolated hard drive to resist shock and rugged shell of the standard NB30 is still there.

The touchscreen NB30 costs about $164 more than the NB30's base price, which reaches the equivalent of $380 in Europe.


Via Notebook Italia

IT Show 2010 is back

The first of 4 annual tech bazaar is back! This year, the show has reportedly been completely sold out in terms of space, so expect lots of goodies to be on sale.

For netbook fans, this is the chance to get hold of the latest and newest "Pine Trail"-ed units, offering better graphics, longer battery life and smaller sizes.

Here's my top 5 netbooks to look out for:

Lenovo S10-3t
This latest offering from Lenovo sports a twist-and-turn 10.1" display, as well as the latest Intel Atom N450 processor. Lenovo also ships this with QuickStart 2.0, an "instant on" tool that lets you browse the web without booting up your netbook.
Price: S$949, with free upgrade to 2-years on site warranty.



Asus Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid Collection
Following the trend of designer styled netbooks, Asus got award-winning New York-based designer, Karim Rashid, to design this chic looking netbook. The cover is a textured-pattern that comes in glossy hot pink or stylish matte coffee brown. At only 1" thick, this one makes a pretty looking mobile companion.
Price: S$798, with free additional battery.



HP Mini 210
This latest offer from HP boast a near full-size keyboard. HP also includes the HP Cloud Drive, where you can park your music, photos, and documents in an online storage space, leaving your free to get access to those files even when you using another notebook. Like most of the other netbooks, it's powered by the Atom N450 processor, and comes with an option to upgrade your hard-disk storage to 320GB.
Price: S$699.
For folks looking for broadband plans, M1 is offering this netbook as a free gift for new sign-ups.



Sony Vaio W
Sony is known to be pricey, and the Sony Vaio W is no different. Under the hood, Vaio W doesn't offer anything different from the rest of the pack but the appeal here is for the environmentally-conscious individuals. The limited-edition Mint White Eco model is built using recycled parts. The cover, palm rest and other parts of the netbook are made from recycled plastics.
Price: S$999/S$1099.



Acer Aspire One Slim AO532H
Acer is one of the best selling netbook makers. This latest Aspire One will keep buyers interested in Acer's offering. The netbook comes with a redesigned power adapter which is 30% lighter than typical adapters and charges 30% faster. Another highlight is the multi-gesture touchpad which allows you to flip and zoom anything on the screen.
Price: S$599.


The IT Show 2010, is held at Suntec Convention Center, starting today 11 March and ends this weekend 14 March. Doors open at 12pm.