New Netbook Reviews

1.83GHz Pine Trail netbooks to ship soon

Published: January 14, 2010Tags: Pinetrail

The new 1.67GHz N450 Pine Trail netbooks have just begun shipping (some just today) but we’re already getting ready for the faster model, the N470. The N470 is the same as the N450 except that it has a faster 1.83GHz clock rate, same GMA3150 graphics, etc.

Even though most manufacturers will probably add this faster chip to their line-up one of the first is the Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t. This 10″ convertible tablet/netbook is pricier than most starting at $549 ($649 for the N470) but is a net-vertible after all.

The shipping time is listed as “more than 4 weeks” on the lenovo site but here are the specs it will have:

Processor: 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470
Graphics: Intel GMA 3150
Windows 7 Home Premium
2GB RAM
250GB hd
4 cell battery
802.11 b/g/n wifi, bluetooth 2.1

via liliputing, lenovo

Lenovo Ideapad U1 Hybrid netbook/tablet

Published: January 12, 2010Tags: Lenovo, tablet

The Lenovo Ideapad U1 introduced at CES this year is one of the most unique netbooks ever. It appears to be a normal Ideapad netbook with all of the usual specs, but the 11.6″ display can be removed and used as a stand-alone tablet.

When the display is plugged into the keyboard it uses an Intel CULV processor, but when removed the display uses a built-in Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor and has built-in 3G as well. Here are the specs:

Intel CULV processor
4GB RAM (512MB in the tablet)
128GB SSD (16GB SSD inside tablet)
eSATA, vga, HDMI, usb x 2, 1.3mp webcam
Windows 7 (custom Linux in tablet mode)

The battery life is around 8 hours in netbook mode and around 5 hours for tablet mode, but this is with 3G turned on. The whole setup weighs 3.7 lbs which isn’t too bad for two devices in one.

You can see in the last video that the custom Linux Skylight UI is very nice and responsive. It also supports multitouch, but the software isn’t quite ready for release yet. They should have all of the kinks ironed out by the time it’s officially released on June 1st for $999.

Hands on videos at end of post:

via engadget

Intel Atom netbook app store now open

Published: January 11, 2010Tags: intel app store

Intel has just opened the beta version of their new netbook app store. If you’re not familiar with their developer program it’s basically like the Apple app store for netbooks.

All you have to do is sign up for the program, write apps in C/C++ and make them compatible with Windows or Linux. Once your app is accepted you can begin sharing in the profits!

Apps can be downloaded now for any Windows based netbook, with Moblin Linux support coming soon.

There are several incentives for submitting apps:

100 Netbooks for 100 Apps- Create one of the first 100 validated applications and get a tricked-out new netbook!
Rock Star Treatment- The talented developers with the most innovative application and most elegant application design will win all-expenses-paid “rock star treatment” trips to GDC* 2010!
Rewards for Parts: Cash winners for app components submitted to the program and validated are announced each week.

Have any ideas for netbook apps or are you working on one now?

Mobinnova Beam smartbook hands-on

Published: January 11, 2010Tags: Nvidia Tegra 2

Remember the Mobinnova Beam smartbook we told you about awhile ago? It features Nvidia’s new Tegra 2 chipset and will allow for HD video and all day battery life. Well our buddies over at Slashgear found the new smartbook at Nvidia’s booth at CES and got a hands on demo.

side

They describe the operation as very smooth and fast (it’s a custom UI built on Windows CE) and the Tegra 2 has no problem with hi-def videos. An HDMI port is included for outputting HD videos to a tv or monitor.

back

When the Beam is launched later this year it’s going to be offered exclusively through AT&T (it has built in 3G) and should come at a fairly cheap subsidized price. Here are the full specs:

Processor: ARM Cortex A9
Graphics: Nvidia Tegra 2
12 hours battery life (estimated)
802.11 b/g wifi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
integrated UMTS/HSPA (850/1900/2100)
display: 8.9″ 1024 x 600

via slashgear

Gateway LT2102H pine trail netbook leaked early

Published: January 8, 2010Tags: gateway

Gateway’s new 10.1″ Pine Trail netbook is set to debut at CES within the next day or two, but someone has already listed it for sale online. The site is called FutureShop and I guess they let you buy stuff before it exists.

Whenever this netbook is announced here is what it will feature:

Processor: Intel N450 1.6GHz
Graphics: Intel GMA 3150
160GB hd
1GB ram
4 hour battery
Display: 10.1″ 1024 x 600
802.11 b/g/n wifi
Price: $289

As you can see the high point is the price, which is listed at $299 Canadian (about $289 US). This is cheaper than you can get current Atom processors at, and for being the next-gen model this is a very good price.

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