Reviews

Asus Eee PC 1201N Review Roundup

Posted in: Best Netbook ReviewsTags: , , , , ,
Asus Eee PC 1201N Review Roundup

Asus Eee PC 1201N Overview

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is the first netbook on the market that comes with Intel dual core Atom N330 CPU and NVIDIA Ion graphics. Its specification is by far the best in the netbook market, listed as below:

  • 1.6GHz Intel Atom Dual Core N330 Processor
  • 2GB DDR2 RAM, 2 x SODIMM Slot, 8GB Max
  • 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
  • NVidia ION Platform
  • Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
  • Bluetooth; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
  • 0.3MP Webcam

Review Roundup

As expected, the performance of the Eee PC 1201N is very good, especially when it comes to video processing, due to the NVIDIA ION graphics and a good list of components being put together in this netbook. The dual core Atom processor also provides a boost when it comes to multitasking or running applications that can take advantage of multiple cores. According to Hot Hardware test, the Eee PC 1201N outperforms the lower cost HP Mini 311 in graphics and overall performance thanks to the dual core Atom CPU.

In terms of design, the Eee PC 1201N is similar to other Eee PCs with ASUS’s Seashell design. The only difference is that it has a comfortable full-size chiclet keyboard. The touchpad support multitouch and is extremely accurate and pleasant to use.

There is one drawback for this netbook though – it has a shorter battery life. While the netbook has an excellent performance, it’s draining up the battery much faster than other netbooks. The Eee PC 1201N’s 6-cell battery helped it last 3 hours and 53 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over Wi-Fi. Engadget gets 2.5 hours in their video playback test. This is considerably shorter than most other netbooks out there.

Video Review

Engadget’s test on the Eee PC 1201N:

Gaming test on Asus Eee PC 1201N by blogee:

Availability

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $499.99, and will start shipping on 15 January 2010. It’s available in 2 colors: black and silver.

Conclusion

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is currently the most powerful machine in the netbook range. If battery life isn’t your top priority, it could be the best choice for those who’s looking for a netbook capable of playing HD video and games like World of Warcraft.

Source: Amazon, Engadget, Laptop Magazine, Hot Hardware, Notebook review

HP Mini 311 Netbook Review

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , ,

HP Mini 311 netbook is the first netbook in the market that comes with NVIDIA ION graphics. In our previous review roundup, we conclude that this netbook is definitely worth going after as it adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic netbook, while still offering long battery life and reasonable price. And we are not the only one who think that.. check out the review of HP Mini 311 from G4TV below. The only thing that they don’t like about this netbook is the touchpad.. but overall this machine is still highly recommended!

Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook Review

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , ,

G4TV.com recently reviewed the Dell Inspiron Mini 10v, and giving this 10-inch netbook a 2.5 star out of 5. What they don’t like about this netbook includes the battery that stick out from the bottom, touchpad with built-in button, slower RAM, and too many pre-installed software. The keyboard of this netbook is very good though.. probably the best, according to G4TV. Also, the price of Dell Inspiron Mini 10v is pretty low compared to other 10-inch netbooks. You can get one for only $299 on Amazon. Check out the full review in the video below.

Asus Eee PC 1201N Reviewed

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , , ,

Eee PC 1201N
ASUS Eee PC 1201N is the first netbook from Asus that comes with NVIDIA ION graphics. What’s even more special about this netbook is that it’s the first netbook on the market that make use of Intel Atom Dual Core 330 Processor. With these combination, the Asus Eee PC 1201N is expected to have not only better graphics but also better CPU performance compared to most other Atom-powered netbooks out there.

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $499.99, and will start shipping on January 15 2010. While waiting for its release in U.S., a few European websites such as Noti in Hungary and Blogeee in France have already published detailed reviews of the netbook.

Overall, both reviews found the combination of the dual-core Atom 330 processor and NVIDIA Ion graphics to give the netbook a great performance boost. It’s able to handle simultaneous video playback, gaming, and also graphics editing using Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom.

In terms of battery life, the Eee PC 1201N is able to last for 4 hours 43 minutes under casual usage (web surfing over wifi with periodic You Tube playback), and 2 hours 45 minutes under extreme usage (playing HD video with maximum brightness in a continuous loop).

Here’s the gaming test video on Asus Eee PC 1201N by blogee:

Gateway LT2005u Netbook Review

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , ,

Gateway LT2005u netbook

The Gateway LT2005u is a pretty standard 10.1-inch netbook. The specification is as below:

  • Intel Atom processor N270 1.6GHz processor
  • 10.1″ LED-backlit widescreen display
  • 1GB DDR2 memory
  • 160GB hard drive
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
  • Built-in webcam with microphone
  • Built-in 802.11b/g wireless LAN
  • Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3

As you can see, the specs is pretty standard. What’s good about this netbook is that it has a screen with a pretty good viewing angle. Also, the hard drive and memory at the bottom of the netbook can be easily reached and upgraded. The Gateway LT2005u is currently available on Amazon for $319.95.

Below is a short video review by jRin.net on the Gateway LT2005u netbook. Similar to most other netbooks out there which comes with Intel integrated Graphics, you can see in the video that the Gateway LT2005u is not able to play full-screen HD video smoothly on Hulu.

ASUS Eee PC 1005HR Netbook Reviewed

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , ,

1005hr-black-300x220
Asus Eee PC 1005HR is the ‘full HD-display capable’ version of the Eee PC 1005HA. It comes with exactly the same specs as the Asus Eee PC 1005HA, except for the 10.1-inch display which has 1366×768 resolution.

Here’s the rundown of the Asus Eee PC 1005HR’s specs:

  • 10.1-inch 1366 x 768 display (glossy)
  • Intel Atom N280 processor
  • 802.11n Wi-Fi
  • GMA 950 Graphics
  • 1GB RAM
  • 250GB HDD
  • Bluetooth
  • 0.3MP Webcam
  • Windows 7 Starter OS
  • 6-Cell Battery (8.5 Hours)

While the Asus Eee PC 1005HR is currently available only in Japan, Netbooked who’s living there has got a chance to get a unit of the netbook and reviewed it. The following is an unboxing video and a review video of the Asus Eee PC 1005HR done by Netbooked. Overall, he’s pretty impressed with the Eee PC 1005HR, and actually recommend it over the Eee PC 1005HA. The reason is that besides having all the advantages that the Eee PC 1005HA has (long battery life, great keyboard and touchpad design, etc..), the Eee PC 1005HR is quieter, and having a higher resolution display, which can be adjusted for a more comfortable viewing experience.

Unboxing video:

Review:

Check out the full review of Asus Eee PC 1005HR by Netbooked here.

Toshiba NB205-N230 Review (With Windows 7)

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , ,

NB205-N230 is one of the new netbook model from Toshiba that comes with Windows 7 and 250GB hard drive. It replaces the the original model, NB205-N210, which comes with 160GB and Windows XP.

Below is a video review on Toshiba NB205-N230 from SLJ.com. Overall, what’s good about this netbook is the large keyboard & trackpad, long battery life (9 hours), shock protected hard drive, and large hard drive space. On the bad side, the speaker is pretty weak and the Windows 7 Starter Edition has limited feature and performance. After watching the video below, you might also want to check out more customer reviews here.

Samsung N140 Netbook Test

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , , ,

Samsung N140 Red
Samsung N140, one of the latest 10.1-inch netbook from Samsung, will be releasing soon in the U.S. (early November). Compared with the NC10, the N140 is said to have a better look, longer battery life, and larger keyboard. The internal components are similar to the NC10. Here’s the rundown of Samsung N140 specs:

  • 1.66GHz Intel N280 Atom Processor
  • 1GB Memory
  • 250GB Hard Drive
  • 10.1″ LED Widescreen Display
  • Intel GMA 950 Graphics
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition
  • Up to 7.5 Hours of Battery Life

The Samsung N140 is not yet released in the U.S., but you can already pre-order it on Amazon at a price of $400.99.

While it’s not yet available in the U.S., ndevil.com from Germany has got a chance to play around with this netbook and taken a few videos on it. Check them out!

First video, the unboxing of Samsung N140:

Second video, testing the N140 with Windows 7 running Counterstrike (game), Youtube HD, 1080p & 720p videos, and Adobe Photoshop.

Third video, using Samsung N140 outdoor.

A Quick Review On Acer Aspire AS1410

Posted in: Netbook News & VideosTags: , , , ,

acer aspire as1410

The Acer Aspire AS1410 is not really a netbook. It’s an “in-between” of netbook and laptop.

If you think that a typical netbook with Intel Atom processor is not powerful enough for you, the Acer Aspire AS1410 will be a great alternative.. Not only it comes with a more powerful 1.44GHz Intel Core2 Solo ULV SU3500 Processor, it also comes with higher capacity of RAM (2GB) and hard drive (160GB).

Here’s the run down of specs for Acer Aspire AS1410:

  • 1.4GHz Intel Core2 Solo ULV SU3500 Processor
  • 2048MB DDR2 667MHz Memory
  • 250GB SATA Hard Drive
  • 11.6″ HD WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit Display
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
  • Acer Crystal Eye Webcam
  • Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N
  • 1 HDMI port
  • 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh)
  • Windows Vista Home Premium (SP 1)

If you want to know how well this machine can perform, check out the customer reviews on Amazon. As of the moment when this post is written, there’s a total 63 customer reviews and the average rating is 4.5 out of 5!

Below is a short video review on the Acer Aspire AS1410 (by TigerDirectBlog)

The Acer Aspire AS1410 is currently available on Amazon for $437. Price comparison is available here.

HP Mini 311 Review Roundup

Posted in: Best Netbook ReviewsTags: , , ,
HP Mini 311 Review Roundup

HP Mini 311 is the first 11.6-inch netbook with NVIDIA ION graphics to hit the market.

Specification of HP Mini 311:

  • 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor (512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB)
  • 1 GB DDR2 RAM (1 Dimm), Max supported 2 GB
  • 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
  • 11.6-inch Diagonal HD LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768) NVIDIA ION LE for Windows XP with up to 319MB total graphics memory
  • Genuine Windows XP Home (SP3)
  • Up to 6.25 Hours of Battery Life

HP Mini 311 Overview

Just like many other netbooks out there, the HP Mini 311 comes with Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, and 160GB HDD. So for daily tasks like web surfing and document processing, it’s expected to perform just as well as many other 10.1-inch netbooks which comes with similar specs.

What’s special about this netbook is the NVIDIA ION graphics.

When it comes to tasks that really take advantage of the NVIDIA GPU like watching HD video and transcoding video (using software with GPU acceleration), the HP Mini 311 outperforms all of the netbooks which come with Intel Integrated graphics.

In terms of design, the Mini 311 has a pleasing swirly pattern in the glossy HP Imprint finish on the lid. It’s available in either black or white colors.

HP Mini 311 Review Roundup

The summary of good and bad about HP Mini 311:
Good:

  • Nvidia Ion graphics give excellent graphics performance, providing HD video and basic gaming functionality to this netbook
  • Stylish design and 92 percent of full size keyboard
  • Great battery life even with a discrete graphics card (more than 5 hours)
  • Loud speakers
  • Big 11.6-inch wide screen with high resolution (1366 x 768)
  • Reasonable price

Bad:

  • Touchpad has too much friction
  • Slow boot time
  • Mouse buttons are noisy

Customer reviews:
As this netbook is just released recently, there’s no customer review available yet.
Update: Customer reviews start coming in.. As expected, this netbook is getting great customer feedback!

Professional reviews:
The HP Mini 311 scores pretty good rating from most professional reviews:

  • Laptop Magazine: 4 out of 5 (Editors’ Choice)
  • Cnet: 4 out of 5
  • PC Mag: 3.5 out of 5

Video reviews:
HP Mini 311 quick overview:

Various video playback and gaming test on Mini 311:

Availability
The HP Mini 311 is currently available with a starting price of $399. It’s worth noting that the default color is black, and if you opt for the white color option, there will be extra $20 charge. Also, the current version still comes with Windows XP but will be available with Windows 7 on October 22 with a higher price tag.

Conclusion
HP’s Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic netbook, while still offering long battery life and reasonable price. It’s definitely one of the best netbook around, especially after Windows 7 is made available on this netbook.

Source: Amazon, LaptopMag, CNet, PCMag

« Older Entries