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Dell Inspiron M101z tosses AMD Neo chips into a new 11-inch chassis
Dell's taking the slightly revamped "forward hinge" design language it introduced with the Inspiron R line and bringing it down to 11.6-inches with the new Inspiron M101z. The laptop is a followup to the Inspiron 11z, and packs your choice of AMD Athlon Neo K125 (single core) or K325 chips (dual core). AMD, which might still be a bit of a sore subject for Dell, really seems to have carved out a niche for itself in the 11.6-inch size, with its blend of more-than-Atom power, cheaper-than-Intel price, and decent-but-not-ULV power sipping; Dell claims a bit over 6.5 hours of battery life with the standard 6-cell battery. The AMD chips bring along integrated ATI RS880M graphics, and the laptops pack 2GB of RAM and 250GB HDDs standard. What we don't have yet is the US price: the laptop starts at £379 for a single core model in the UK, which should translate to something around $400-$450 US -- Dell has to beat out HP's $449, similarly specced Pavilion dm1, after all.
Sony selling AMD powered VAIOs for the first time in years
We've been keeping a close eye on AMD's big laptop comeback over the last couple of months, and in addition to gaining steam with HP, Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo, it appears AMD's also gotten Sony back into its court. Both Fry's and Best Buy are now carrying AMD Athlon II X2-powered machines, and as you may expect, the prices are quite tempting. Conversely, the Intel-based lineup ranges from $699 to $799, but until we get our hands on one of these ourselves, there isn't exactly a fair comparison to draw at this point. You can hit the source links for the complete specs, but the 15.4-inch EE Series with 4GB of RAM / 320GB of storage and a Blu-ray player is going for $650 while the 17.3-inch EF with a 500GB hard drive for $720. Both also have integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics, but regardless, the move certainly bodes well for AMD's newest processor / graphics, since it appears that Sony hasn't used AMD in its systems since 2005. We guess a welcome back hug is in order.
AMD netbooks: Acer Aspire One 521 and Gateway LT22 hands-on
Sure, Acer may already have the Ion 2-powered Aspire One 532g in its arsenal, but who's going to complain about two more HD-capable, 10-inch netbooks? Showing some serious love to AMD, the Acer Aspire One 521 and Gateway LT22 both pack new 1.2GHz AMD V105 processors along with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics. The latter is what had us most impressed when we caught some time with the duo at the Netbook Summit -- the 521 and LT22 handled 1080p WMV video and light gaming without any stuttering. We'll hold our real performance conclusions until we can test the battery life on these bad boys, but other than that they look like decent netbook contenders with the standard 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard drives. And unlike the typical Atom netbook, they have HDMI ports. We can't say we're the biggest fans of the 521's in-your-face Aspire One branding on its glossy cover, but the LT2203 delights with its textured matte lid. No word from Acer on the availability and pricing of these here in the US, but hit the gallery below for some imagery, or the source link even further below for a video of these two in action. %Gallery-93730%
Lenovo ThinkPad X100e review
Ever since we first met Lenovo's ThinkPad X100e at CES we've had it on a virtual pedestal as the perfect solution between a netbook and a larger 13- or 14-inch ULV ultraportable. That's because in addition to carrying the renowned ThinkPad brand, its AMD Neo processor / ATI graphics combo promise more power than the typical Intel Atom N450-powered netbook, and with an 11.6-inch screen the chassis can accommodate a wider keyboard and touchpad. Sounds like the perfect mobile computer, right? Unfortunately, there are two things that hold the $549 X100e from being all we wanted it be. Thought we were going to give it up that easily? Pssh. Hit that read more link for the full review. %Gallery-89306%
Kohjinsha DZ gets unboxed and stretched out
It's been a good while since we've seen an unboxing as thorough as this, even if the quality of the recording could be better. The chaps over at Wow Pow have sourced one of them dual-screen Kohjinsha DZ netbooks, which have had us intrigued since we saw them at CEATEC earlier this year. What we find from their cardboard adventuring is that the DZ comes with a LiteOn charger, a 6-cell 5,200mAh battery with endurance rated at four hours (though they've suggested that might be for only one screen), a 1Seg tuner that works only in Japan, and a multitouch trackpad. Powered by a 1.6GHz AMD Neo and 4 gigs of RAM, this machine definitely wants to escape the netbook tag, and its neat inclusion of an internal USB port intended for wireless connectivity dongles gives it another unorthodox selling point. Go beyond the break to see its de-boxing.
HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order
Since today really needs a good heap of news to somewhat balance out yesterday's glut, HP has updated its online store to give it an abundance of new and revised Windows 7 machines, including the Envy series (Beats edition and all), Pavilion dm3 with AMD Neo or Intel CULV chips, Core i7-packing dv6t/ dv7t / dv8t Quad editions, and the not-so-netbook CQ61. We're still not seeing the previously-leaked dm1 ultraportable anywhere, but the Mini 311 and a slightly updated Mini 110 are, with the option to jump from Windows XP to 7 for a cool $50 / $30 respectively. Most everything in the store, desktops and laptops, has been updated to at least include Windows 7 as the standard shipping OS, and while all claim free 2-day shipping, estimated shipping dates begin sometime the week after 7's Oct 22nd launch -- no early chances here, folks. Browse the read links and keep an eye on the shiny red "new" icons (no flashing GIFs, we're afraid) for the entire revised lineup. Update: As a number of you have pointed, the Envy product page is a bit, well, sloppy. Typos and missing commas notwithstanding, it seems to biggest laugh is the cost of customization, i.e. $800 more to downgrade from a 500GB HDD to 320GB or 250GB (same price), or $900 more to downgrade from 6GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory. Yeah, it might be best to hold off on that one until HP get the kinks worked out. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Read - Desktop lineup Read - Laptop lineup Read - Envy series lineup
HP's ProBook 5310m and Pavilion dm3 keep "thin-and-light" cheap enough for the rest of us
Those new ENVYs too rich for your blood? HP still has some design chops to show off in the ProBook 5310m and the (leaked, pictured) Pavilion dm3. HP is calling the classy 5310m the "world's thinnest full-performance notebook," whatever that means, while the dm3 offers a choice of AMD Neo or Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Both rock 13-inch LCDs, hover around four pounds and measure around an inch thick. The 5310m is available with a Celeron for as low as $699, but to get that "full-performance" Core 2 Duo action, you're looking at a $899 tag. Meanwhile the dm3 starts at $549 for AMD and $649 for Intel. With thin-and-light prices like these, who needs netbooks? Both laptops should be out on October 22, running Windows 7. Full PR is after the break. %Gallery-72817% %Gallery-72815%
HP dm1 and dm3 ultraportables leaked, Pavilion dv8 to pack Core i7? Update: Mini 311 has ION!
Eager HP fans have been doing some digging around and have uncovered details on the company's Fall updates. Heading the pack will be the 18.4-inch dv8, set to feature a quad-core Core i7 720QM CPU, 640GB of storage and 4GB of memory. The processor formerly known as Clarksfield has 6MB of onboard cache and can be Turbo Boosted to 2.8GHz, which should do justice to the gargantuan screen size and included Blu-ray drive. If, on the other hand, you want to be able to move your laptop, there's the CULV-powered 11.6-inch dm1 or 13.3-inch dm3 (pictured). Both will come with 1366 x 768 glossy displays, while the dm3 will also offer a cheaper AMD Neo flavor. Another three models, a TM2 tablet and Mini 210 and 311 netbooks, are also known by name if not spec. While the usual pinch of salt is advisable, a Dutch website already has the new laptops listed in its price comparison engine, corroborating the specs and the expected arrival alongside Windows 7's October 22 release. Update: We've also come across the specs for the Mini 311. Apparently, it'll be an 11.6-inch NVIDIA ION machine, with the Microsoft-mandated Atom N270, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD spec and a six cell battery. See it in the flesh after the break. [Via Liliputing and Notebook Spot] Read - HP Softpaq update reveals new models Read - Pavilion dv8 listing - €1,426.81 / $2,040 Read - Pavilion dm3 listing - €677.11 / $968 Read - Pavilion dm1 listing - €481.89 / $689 Read - Mini 311 specs
MSI's AMD-powered U210 up for pre-order, still not 'official'
Who needs press releases? You can snap up an MSI U210 pre-order right this second on Amazon, so why bother waiting MSI to actually confirm the thing for a Stateside release? Morality. That's why. Kids these days think they can just drop $430 on any old Athlon Neo MV-40-powered (the same chips at the heart of HP's dv2) 12-inch XGA ultraportable with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD and 802.11n and not have to pay the consequences. Well, we're not standing for it. That read link right below? Not an implied approval of these illicit activities. [Via Mark's Technology News]
New AMD Neo Athlon / Turion chips emerge in HP Pavilion dv2z
Well, well -- what have we here? HP's newly unveiled Pavilion dv2z just so happens to have a bit of fresh silicon within, as AMD's latest Neo chips are front and center in the configuration options. The thin-and-light machine can be ordered with single- or dual-core AMD Athlon Neo and Turion Neo dual-core processors, and if you're looking for specifics, you'll find the new 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 L335 and 1.6GHz Turion Neo X2 L625. Other specs on the 12.1-incher include a LED-backlit WXGA panel, optional Blu-ray drive, discrete ATI Radeon graphics, up to 500GB of HDD space, a built-in webcam, WiFi, optional WWAN (Verizon, Sprint or AT&T) and a 6-cell battery. It's up for order right now starting at $599.99, but if you're looking to leave that aged Neo MV-40 behind, you'll have to pony up a bit more than that. Full release is after the break.
Mio's new Intel Atom and AMD Neo netbooks might help you navigate through a sea of me-too computers at Computex
Sure, it's odd to see Mio churning out a couple of netbooks, but what's even more surprising is that they're at least somewhat interesting. The 8.9-inch Atom N270-powered Mio N890 includes 3G, GPS, Mio navigation software, an accelerometer, and a MagSafe-style breakaway power connector. It all weighs in under 2 pounds, and measures less than an inch thick. Meanwhile, the Mio N1210 (pictured) is one of the few computers we've seen so far running AMD's new Neo MV-40 processor. There's no mention of GPS, but the 12-inch laptop is preloaded with Windows 7 and 3G data, measures under an inch thick, and weighs under three pounds. No word on price for either, but both should be headed to Europe this fall.Read - Mio N890Read - Mio N1210
