New Netbook Reviews

The upcoming Foxconn tablet with Nvidia Tegra 2 graphics was unveiled by Nvidia at CES in January, and now it’s getting closer to launch. Did we mention that Foxconn is the company that makes all of Apples’s product from the iPhone to the iPad? With that being said it includes the new Nvidia Tegra 2 graphics chip so playing 1080p videos makes this thing laugh. Oh and you can play those HD videos for 16 hours until the battery runs out. This tablet might give the iPad a run for its money.

It has a custom finger friendly user interface, support for Adobe AIR apps, and a custom Bing search engine built right into the home screen. No word on release date or pricing, but we’ve heard it will cost less than the iPad, so look for sub $500.

HP has just put up their new 5102 and 2102 netbooks on their business website. The 5102 starts at $518 and the 2102 starts at $508. What we’re really looking forward to is when the netbooks will be listed on HP’s normal consumer site (not the business one). This is because when they are listed there the price for the 5102 will fall to $399, due to the removal of the “business markup”.

The 5102 is highly configurable but includes the N450 1.67GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows 7, 160GB hd, etc. Some interesting options include a touchscreen, 1366 x 768 HD 10.1″ display, and wireless broadband cards. Once you start adding options though the price skyrockets.

Another interesting item to note about the 5102 is that it has a built-in handle on the back. This is a pretty ingenious idea.

The estimated shipping date for these netbooks is 2/14, but they should be listed on HP’s other site before then at more reasonable prices.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a new netbook but are looking for a bargain then here is a list of great netbooks for under $300. All of these netbooks feature the new N450 Pine Trail processor and Windows 7, which means that even though they are under $300 they have great battery life and good performance. Here they are:

Asus 1001P – 11 hour battery, N450 processor, Win 7, $290
Acer AO532h – 8 hour battery, Win 7, N450 processor, $299.00
HP Mini 210 Intel N450, 160GB hd, Win 7, $299.99

According to an MSI executive via multiple sources, MSI is planning on making their dual screen netbook prototype a reality. The netbook was debuted at CES as a concept device and drew alot of buzz. It has dual screens, and the bottom one can be used as a virtual keyboard with haptic feedback.

Both screens are 10.1″ capacitive multitouch, and it features an Intel Atom Z processor with 1GB of RAM. Windows 7 Home Premium is the operating system of choice.

The netbook’s all metal construction makes it a little heavier than most, but it does have two screens after all. Each monitor acts as an extension of the other so you can drag items back and forth between them. MSI is looking to capture some of the E-reader buzz with this device, and the rumor is that it will be available sometime later this year.

Here is a hands on of the netbook at CES by Joanna Stern.

via netbooked, engadget

If you’ve just bought a netbook probably the first thing you will want to buy is a carrying case or sleeve. Since netbooks are so small a sleeve is usually the easiest way to go. One important thing many people forget when they buy a sleeve is to make sure it has an outside pocket, otherwise you’ll be carrying the charger and maybe a mouse in your pocket.

Here’s the one I went with, it’s a navy blue faux suede sleeve from Case Crown. It’s very durable and has a nice outside pocket which I can fit my charger cords and a mouse in. If you’re in the market I highly recommend it, especially with its $24 price tag.

You can pick one up for $24 at Amazon.

Acer has a busy year ahead of them. An executive has told Bloomberg today that they plan to increase their income by 3 percent during the next two years. This is part of their plan to overtake HP and become the world’s largest PC maker by 2013.

Within the next year they plan to launch their own E-reader, a mobile app store, and a netbook that runs Google Chrome OS. This netbook is supposed to launch in the third quarter, and should be very interesting. Hopefully some specs and maybe some pictures will leak before then.

The mobile app store will be based on Google’s Android app store and will provide apps that can be downloaded on their new netbook, as well as Android equipped cellphones. We’ll keep you updated on this news as more comes to light.

via bloomberg