Laptop Notebook

Asus Eee PC 4G Surf Revealed

2009-08-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Just a few months ago Asus rocked the ultraportable market with the release of the EEE PC 701. At the beyond-reasonable price of $399, the 701 came armed with a versatile Linux operating system and tons of handy applications.

Now Asus has released a new version of the tiny wonder. The EEE PC Surf 4G ditches the glitchy webcam of its predecessor and simultaneously sheds a few bucks as well. For $349, the coffee house-bound user gets a two-pound portable with a seven-inch display and 4GB solid state drive. We loved the 701, so we're pleased to say the 4G doesn't land too far from the tree.

Asus' Eee PC and early adopter, yesterday

Asus formally launched the Eee PC earlier this month. Then, it announced four models, including an 8GB version, which doesn't seem to heading Stateside. In the UK, we're likely to get only the 4G model, though the 2G version will be made available to schools by educational computing specialist RM - formerly Research Machines.

Custom laptop skins for asus EEE PC 8G, 4G and 2G

2009-07-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

Cstom laptop skins for asus EEE PC 8G, 4G and 2G

Sony Vaio W netbook priced at $629

2009-07-23T05:09:00.001-07:00

Sony Corporation has officially announced their entry into the Netbook market. The company will launch their first Sony Vaio W netbook in August 2009.

Sony Vaio W netbook photo, pretty in pink!

For the last two years, while the Netbook segment became extremely popular, Sony had expressed their skepticism. “Netbooks were ‘race to the bottom,’” they had said - so industry observers are a bit confused about exactly what Sony thinks about netbooks now!

Photo: Sony Vaio W - netbook or notebook?

Sony Vaio W netbook will feature a 10 inch screen with a resolution of 1,366 by 768 pixels. It will come with Microsoft Windows XP operating system running on a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor and 1 GB RAM. The dimensions are 27 cm by 18cm by 2.7cm. It also has a built in camera and memory card reader too. Looking at the photos of the Sony Vaio W netbook here, you can easily make out that this is a good looker - definitely better looking than most of the netbook computers out there.

We should make one thing clear, though. Sony officially does not call the Vaio W a netbook - rather, the official designation for the little laptop is ’small Notebook PC’.

The Sony Vaio W will hit the markets in France, U.K, Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain in August 2009, whereas the North American launch details are not yet revealed.

What is known, however, is that in the United States, the Sony Vaio W netbook will have a price tag of around $629. That puts the Vaio W somewhere between Netbook and Notebook computer territory.

The Netbook concept was first introduced in 2007 by Taiwan’s Asustek after which followed Acer Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc with their versions of the Netbook.

Netbooks are really nothing but notebook computers with a small form factor, running Linux or Windows XP OS usually, and rely heavily on the internet and web-based applications. Their processors are not as powerful as the ones in popular laptops. However, they are often more energy efficient than laptop processors, and offer 4 hours to 7 hours of usage on a single charge. While they are perfectly capable of a great internet surfing experience, they are not equipped for heavy-duty applications such as games.

Gateway NV Series (NV5807u)

2009-07-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Given that budget mainstream notebooks are now competing with low-cost netbooks for your hard-earned dollar, it’s no surprise that Gateway’s NV5807u rings in at just $599. What is surprising is the level of style and performance that you get for that price. This configuration (there are eight others to choose from in the NV line) has more aesthetic appeal than other budget notebooks we’ve tested recently, and, thanks to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of RAM, holds its own in everyday tasks.
Price as Reviewed: $599.00
Via www.laptopmag.com

Toshiba Satellite U505 (U505-S2930)

2009-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

With a distinctive design and plenty of convenient features, the Toshiba Satellite U505 ($799 as configured) is easily one of the best-looking 13-inch notebooks for the money. In addition to robust specs—a 2.1-GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive—Toshiba includes convenient features, including an Eco utility that helps you save battery life and monitor energy usage, and PC health monitor software to warn against potential problems. If you can live with a small touchpad, you’ll enjoy this thin-and-light machine.
Current Price: $799.99 - $819.99

Via www.laptopmag.com

Asus Eee PC 1000HE

2009-07-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Full review of Asus Eee PC 1000HE

Asus started the netbook craze with its tiny, 7-inch Eee PC. Shortly thereafter, every notebook manufacturer except Apple produced at least one tiny and inexpensive laptop just like it. Nowadays, netbooks are not that tiny anymore - little by little they have increased in size from 7" via 9" and now the standard screen size of a netbook is 10 inches. Even a couple of 12-inch models have been released.

Hardware

What they all have in common is the hardware - with a few deviations it consists of an Intel Atom CPU at 1.6GHz, 1GB or RAM, a 160GB hard drive and integrated GMA950 graphics. The Eee PC, however, has been upgraded with an ever so slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom processor and a higher 667MHz FSB speed instead of earlier models which had 533MHz.

The speed increase is not big enough to be noticeable, but you might feel better purchasing an upgraded model. Asus' main selling point with the 1000HE is the battery life. According to the manufacturer, you should be able to keep it alive for 9.5 hours without resorting to an outlet. To achieve this formidable battery life, you need to use aggressive power-saving schemes, no Wi-Fi and turn the brightness all the way down. In our general usage test it still delivered more than 7 hours, which is still more than acceptable.

Design

As far as the design goes, the Eee PC 1000 HE stays with the concept we've seen in previous Eee netbooks. The keyboard is almost full size (92%) and the trackpad buttons are slightly tilted in the front. The entire casing of the netbook is glossy, which enhances the overall look but also attracts fingerprints easily.

On the whole, the design of the 1000HE focuses on usability; it's not spectacularly thin like some of its siblings, such as Asus S101 netbook, but it certainly gets the job done with flying colors. Besides, keeping the design simple also helps keep the price to a minimum, which is often the deciding factor for a netbook buyer.

Connectivity and Features

The ports have been placed on the left- and right-hand sides of the laptop - none at the back. On the right is a memory card reader, 2 USB and VGA and on the left is another USB port, Ethernet, and audio line in/out.

Summary

While there are better looking netbooks on the market, the Eee PC 1000HE comes at a very attractive price point and offers excellent battery life. It's also very easy to use thanks to the large keyboard, and has all the features that the competition offer plus a little extra. Combine these aspects and you have one of the best netbooks currently available.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE Technical Specifications

Processor Atom N280 1.66GHz
Memory 1GB DDR2
Harddrive 160GB
OS Windows XP Home
Weight 3lbs
Screen 10 inches
Screen resolution 1024x600
Graphic Card Intel GMA 950
Battery Life 7.5 hours

Pros

Slightly Faster
Very Affordable
Excellent Battery Life

Cons

Glossy Surface
Not much Faster than Previous Models

Range price $369 to $389

ACER ASPIRE ONE AOA 150

2009-06-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Platform	UMPC
Processor Type	Intel Atom Processor
Processor Onboard	Intel® Processor N270 (1.6 GHz, FSB 533, Cache 512KB)
Chipset	Intel 945GM
Standard Memory	1 GB (2x 512 MB) DDR2 SDRAM PC-5300
Max. Memory	1 GB (2 DIMMs)
Video Type	Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 DVMT 64 MB (shared)
Display Size	8.9" WVGA
Display Max. Resolution	1024 x 600
Display Technology	Standard TFT
Audio Type	Integrated
Speakers Type	Integrated
Floppy Drive	Optional
Hard Drive Type	160 GB SATA
Optical Drive Type	Optional
Modem	Integrated
Networking	Integrated
Network Speed	10 / 100 Mbps
Wireless Network Type	InviLink 802.11BG
Wireless Network Protocol	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Wireless Bluetooth	Optional
Keyboard Type	QWERTY 88 keys
Input Device Type	Touch Pad
OS	Windows XP Home
Card Reader Provided	SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, MS Pro Duo
Interface Provided	3x USB 2.0, VGA, LAN, Audio
O/S Provided	Pre-sales Request Available
Battery Type	Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery
Power Supply	External AC Adapter
Web Cam	Yes
Standard Warranty	1-year Limited Warranty by Authorized Distributor
Bundled Peripherals	Carrying Case

Price $ 499

Toshiba mini NB205

2009-06-26T23:56:00.000-07:00

CPU	1.66-GHz Intel Atom N280
RAM Included	1GB
RAM Upgradable	2GB
Hard Drive Size	160GB
Hard Drive Speed	5,400rpm
Hard Drive Type	SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive Type
Optical Drive Speed
Display Size	10.1
Native Resolution	1024x600
Graphics Card	Intel GMA 950
Video Memory	251MB
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Mobile Broadband
Operating System	MS Windows XP Home
Ports (excluding USB)	Ethernet; Headphone; Kensington Lock; Microphone; VGA
USB Ports	3
Card Slots / Readers	3-1 card reader
Warranty/Support	One-year limited/24/7 toll-free phone
Size	10.4 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches
Weight	2.8 pounds

Price $349.99