Best Netbook Review

4 Great Netbook Deals From Amazon

Michael — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:32:31 +0000

Amazon is offering great discount on several Windows 7 netbooks, which all of them are under $300 after discount. Below are 4 of the best netbook deals from them:

1. Asus Eee PC 1005HA-MU17 ($281.54)

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA was one of the best netbook around, and you can now get it for just $281.54. It’s available in 3 colors: black, blue, and white. All of them comes with Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Windows 7 starter, and 6-cell battery which can support up to 8.5 hours of battery life. (see full specs here)

Rating: 4 out of 5 >> Read customer reviews here

2. Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with TV Tuner ($299.99)

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with Intel Z530 Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter, and a 6-cell battery which can support up to 6 hours 20 minutes of battery life. A TV tuner is also included which makes this $299.99 netbook a really great deal! (see full specs here)

Rating: 4 out of 5 >> Read customer reviews here

3. Toshiba Mini NB205-N325 ($299.99)

The Toshiba Mini NB205-N325 is another top netbook with excellent build quality and ergonomic keyboard and mouse. Specs include: Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Windows 7 Starter, and 9 hours battery life. It’s available in 4 colors: blue, white, brown, and pink. (see full specs here)

Rating: 4 out of 5 >> Read customer reviews here

4. Gateway LT2108u ($288.58)

The Gateway LT2108u features the latest Intel Pine Trail platform. It should be the cheapest Pine Trail netbook around after discount. Specs: Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8 hours battery life. (see full specs here)

Rating: 5 out of 5 >> Read customer reviews here

I will be doing weekly netbook deals highlight like this going forward. Hope it will help those of you who are on the lookout for cheap and yet with high quality netbook.

Sony Vaio M Officially Announced in Europe

Michael — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:16:50 +0000

The Sony VAIO M netbook which was spotted in a few UK online retailers earlier is now officially launched in Europe. The netbook looks pretty much like the Sony VAIO W with 2 main differences:

it comes with 1024 x 600 resolution instead of 1366 x 768
it has a standard instead of a chiclet style keyboard

Here’s the rundown of the specification for Sony VAIO M netbook:

Intel Atom N450 processor
Intel GMA 3150 graphics
1GB RAM (DDR2 667MHz)
250GB HDD (5400 RPM)
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
MOTION EYE webcam
3x USB, VGA
Stereo speakers, mono microphone
10.1” 1024 x 600 display (matte)
Windows 7 Starter
1.3kg / 2.9 pounds

The Sony VAIO M is expected to sell for £299 in the UK and will be released before the end of March.

Source: Sony Europe

Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t Tablet Convertible Netbook Reviewed

Michael — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:36:10 +0000

Engadget has a review of the Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t tablet netbook up, and concluded that this machine is a no-go for them.

The unit that they reviewed is one with Intel Atom N470 processor, 4-cell battery and Windows 7 Home Premium which cost $649. The touchscreen is found to be pretty responsive and browsing through the internet using the touchscreen is enjoyable. The battery life is also quite decent which lasted for 4.5 hours of continuous web browsing.

However, there are several drawbacks on this machine that Engadget is disappointed about. The first one is that it’s found to be performing slower than the HP Mini 210 which is equipped with a slower Atom N450 processor. And then when they were testing out the built-in accelerometer, they have to manually press the button on the screen bezel for rotation — the accelerometer isn’t working for them. Finally, they also find the keyboard and touchpad of the S10-3t to be too small, and the viewing angle of the screen is pretty poor.

Here’s a hands on video from Engadget showing some touch interface and also the poor screen viewing angle of the s10-3t.

Source: Engadget

Asus Eee PC 1005PE Now With Textured Lid

Michael — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:59:32 +0000

When I wrote about the review of Asus Eee PC 1001P, I did a comparison of it with the Eee PC 1005PE and one of the good thing that I found on the 1001P which is not available on the 1005PE is that it has a textured lid which keeps smudges away and also makes it look more expensive than its price suggests. Well this point is no longer valid as Asus is bringing out an updated version of the Eee PC 1005PE which features a new case design with a painted textured lid much like the one found on the Eee PC 1001P.

This new model is called the Eee PC 1005PE-PU27. Other than the new external design, it has all the same internal components as the Eee PC 1005PE-PU17. You can pre-order it from Amazon now for $389.99. The specification for the Eee PC 1005PE-PU27 is as following:

1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom Processor (512KB L2 Cache)
1 GB DDR2 SODIMM memory, Max Capacity 2 GB
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
Chiclet Keyboard
10.1-Inch Color-Shine 1024X600 WSVGA LCD Display
802.11 b/g/n
0.3MP Webcam
Windows 7 Starter
High Capacity 6 Cell Battery
14 Hours of Battery Life
Black Soft Touch Finish

ASUS Eee PC 1005PR Official Product Page Gone Live

Michael — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:56:26 +0000

Asus has added a new netbook model called the Eee PC 1005PR on their product page. The difference between this model and the 1005PE is that it has a HD 1366 x 768 display and Broadcom Crystal HD card inside the netbook. Other than that, the Eee PC 1005PR is exactly the same as the Eee PC 1005PE in terms of specs and design.

Here’s the rundown of specs for the Eee PC 1005PR:

10.1” 1366 x 768 display
Intel Atom N450 processor
1GB RAM
250GB HDD
6-cell battery (63Wh, 11 hours) or (48Wh, 9 hours)
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (optional)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (optional)
0.3M webcam
Broadcom BCM70015
VGA, 3x USB, card reader, audio jacks, LAN
Windows 7 Starter + Express Gate
Available in black, white, blue, pink (Mod Roller) OR black, white, blue (texture with painting)

via: netbooked

HP Mini 5102 Now Available With Intel Atom N470

Michael — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:29:56 +0000

HP’s business class netbook, the Mini 5102 is now available with 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 CPU. It cost only $25 for the processor upgrade but this option is not currently available on any of HP’s “Smart Buy” configurations. This means that you will need to spend at least $543 to get the configurable model with an Atom 470 CPU.

Source: Liliputing

Tablet Convertible Netbooks Comparison: Gigabyte T1000 vs Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t vs Viliv S10 Blade

Michael — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:24:37 +0000

Sascha from Netbooknews.com got his hands on 3 of the latest 10-inch tablet convertible netbooks (Gigabyte T1000, Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, and Viliv S10 Blade), and recorded them into videos.

While all these devices are sporting a multitouch-display and are running on Intel Atom platforms, each have their own strength and weaknesses. Sascha did a good job comparing the 3 tablet-style netbooks in the following video.. check it out:

Source: Netbook News

HP Mini 210 Review Roundup

Michael — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:07:30 +0000

HP Mini 210 Overview

The HP Mini 210 is the latest generation of consumer class netbook from HP. This 2.7-pound netbook features Intel’s latest Atom N450 processor which gives it a longer battery life and a more unified design due to the N450’s smaller package size.

Here’s the run down of the specs for HP Mini 210:

Intel Atom Processor N450 (1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
1GB DDR2 System Memory (1 DIMM)
A choice of 160GB or 250GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
Windows 7 Starter
A choice of 3-cell battery that supports up to 4.25 hours battery life or 6-cell battery that supports up to 9.75 Hours of Battery Life
10.1″ Diagonal WSVGA LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display. 1024 x 600 resolution for standard version and 1366 x 768 for HD Edition
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 (shared) with up to 256MB Total Available Graphics Memory

The starting price of the HP Mini 210 is just around $299.99, but will vary according to the configuration that you select. HP offers a ton of options to trick out your system, including a full HD display and Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator for smoother full-screen video playback on sites like Hulu.

HP’s commercial on the Mini 210:

Unboxing video of the HP Mini 210 by nDevil:

Review Roundup

In terms of design, the HP Mini 210 looks pretty stylish and are available in several color choices including white, black, silver, blue, and red. The chiclet style keyboard and large touchpad are both pretty comfortable to use. It has integrated touch buttons on the touchpad instead of real physical buttons which some people might not like, but according to Laptop Magazine, the Mini 210 is one of the better implementations of the integrated touch buttons that they have used on a netbook.

In terms of performance, the 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU and 1GB RAM on the HP Mini 450 delivered a score of 1,365 on PCMark05, which is slightly lower than Toshiba mini NB305-N410 (1,383) and ASUS Eee PC 1001P (1,384). There’s no problem performing everyday computing tasks on the HP Mini 210 (eg. web surfing, email checking, word processing, etc..), but playing 1080 HD video is not be possible without installing Broadcom Video Accelerator. Below is a video from nDevil demonstrating HD video playback, gaming (Counter Strike), and running Abobe Photoshop on HP Mini 210. Note that the unit shown in the video is a standard version with no video Accelerator installed.

Here’s another video showing how World of Warcraft (WoW) runs on a HP mini 210 netbook.

In terms of battery life, the Mini 210’s six-cell battery lasted 6 hours and 37 minutes on Laptop Magazine’s battery Test. It’s shorter than other Pine Trail netbooks such as the Asus Eee PC 1005PE, 1001P, and Toshiba NB305, but should be enough to get most users through a full day of on-and-off use.

Customer Rating

3.5 out of 5

PLUSES: Takes 2gb memory module; SD card can be used for ReadyBoost; easy access to memory, PCI-e card slot, and hard drive via “pop off” bottom cover; available slot for PCI-e card (in my case, a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, $25 mail order, but you may want to insert a 3G card etc.); MATTE SCREEN for glare free viewing; more ergonomic keyboard than most in this… (Read all reviews >>)

Availability

You can find the HP Mini 210 netbook with various configuration on Amazon. The lowest price that you can get for this netbook is $299.99.

Samsung Go N315 Is The Go N310 with Pine Trail

Michael — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:29:13 +0000

Samsung has updated the Go N310 netbook with Intel Pine Trail platform. The updated version is called Go N315 and it looks identical to the original Samsung N310 with the same rubberized case and chiclet-style keyboard. The only difference is that the Go N315 will come with matte instead of glossy display.

Specs for the Samsung Go N315:
10.1” 1024 x 600 display, Atom N450 processor, 1GB RAM, GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN, 1.3MP webcam, 4-cell battery (4.5 hours) and Windows 7 Starter.

The Samsung N315 Go netbook is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $429.

Source: Netbooked

Google Chrome OS Will Have A Business Version, Coming 2011

Michael — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:54:34 +0000

While the consumer version of the Google Chrome OS is coming soon by end of this year, Will Drewry, a Google software security engineer, said that there will be a business version of the OS coming the following year in 2011 which will have functionality suited to businesses. He also said that Chrome OS netbooks may come with a hardware switch located underneath the battery which lets users turn off some specialized security functions so they can run in “developer mode”, a feature which will allow developers to tinker with Chrome OS code and bring up new ideas.

Source: Network World