We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jamison, who can't seem to settle on a minuscule new desktop to handle email, web browsing and the occasional Skype call.

"All of these new nettops have me intrigued. I'm looking for a small, quiet and cheap PC to replace my aging tower in my home office, and all it really needs to do is load Microsoft Office, check email and surf the web. Is there a particular nettop that's better (or a better value) than another? I know it's a rather new segment, but hopefully someone has taken a chance on one already. Thanks!"

Look, we know you're scared to admit that you own a nettop, particularly in front of your hardcore gaming pals. But trust us, there's no shame in using an underpowered machine to handle low-power tasks. Toss your opinions in comments below, and feel free to send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

Lenovo's S10-2 was a minor update to the original S10 (to put things nicely), but that's not to say it's not worth a look for those in the market for a 10-inch netbook. Boasting a slightly thinner, more beautified frame, the S10-2 also includes a tweaked keyboard, optional 3G, an extra USB port and none of the quirks that plagued the first edition. The benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware managed to sneak one of these things into their labs for testing, and while they largely found the S10-2 to be about the same as every other N270 + GMA 950 netbook out there, the 5.5 hour battery life was definitely impressive. All told, the S10-2 was found to be solid from top to bottom, but the $350 price tag did feel a bit steep considering just how many alternatives are out there. Still, even with the positive vibes, it's hard to recommend buying a WinXP netbook now with Windows 7 (and thus, no hardware limitations) just around the bend. Tap the read link if you're jonesing for more.

Here's an interesting one. While one would assume that Intel would be quaking in its boots with the emergence of Chrome OS, Michael Chen -- director of Intel's embedded sales group and ultra mobility group in Asia-Pacific -- recently proclaimed that the company isn't worried at all. In fact, Intel seems pretty stoked that Google has introduced an operating system that will undoubtedly rival its own Moblin. To quote: "Our long-term goal is providing hardware for devices with different operating systems... more competition will drive up more innovations and that's good for consumers." Furthermore, we're told that Intel is looking forward to providing chips for machines based on Chrome OS, and frankly, we reckon that Intel's foothold in hardware and software makes it easier to brush this whole thing off. Must be nice, right?

We've held onto our hats for quite awhile waiting for this day to come, but at long last, Viliv is dishing out the final specification lists and prices for its remarkably striking S7 UMPC. First shown way back at IDF 2008 as a prototype, this QWERTY-packin' machine has matured quite nicely over the months, with a trio of models on tap to showcase its mobile prowess. The entry-level I-LOG HX is equipped with a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, a battery good for 9.5 hours of use and Windows XP, while the mid-range I-LOG 3X steps up to a 32GB SSD. The flagship D-LOG 3X even gets an internal DMB TV tuner, while WiBro (South Korea's WiMAX) is an option on all three. We expect the 7-inch device -- which is priced at ₩729,000 ($572), ₩799,000 ($628) and ₩849,000 ($666) in order of mention -- to ship in its homeland soon, though no official release date has been made public.

[Via SlashGear]

Update: jkkmobile has it that international versions could feature processors as speedy as 2GHz along with Vista and a free upgrade to Windows 7.

It's 12-inches so technically you won't find Intel calling it a netbook. But don't let semantics come between you and Lenovo's $499 IdeaPad S12. Inside you'll find a very netbook-y 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor with GMA 950 graphics, 1280 x 800 resolution, 1GB of memory and 160GB disk, 802.11b/g WiFi, and 6-cell battery. Only the black model is shipping in the US while the white and VIA Nano editions are still tagged with that standard Lenovo "ships in more than 4 weeks" placeholder. Click through for a bit of hands-on video from a show that shall remain anonymous even from those in attendance.

Why leave all the new computer fun to your desk or lap, right? In an effort to give that barren wall of yours something to cheer about, Eurotech has recently introduced a new trio of Panel Computers, all of which are powered by Intel's less-than-amazing Atom CPU. The Vx-120F-N270 and Vx-150F-N270 are practically identical save for the 12.1- and 15-inch touchscreens (respectively), with each possessing an Atom N270 processor, a fanless design, high-brightness LCD, twin gigabit Ethernet jacks, a front-mounted USB port and an expansion slot for add-on boards. The outfit also debuted the rugged Bx-400F-N270, which should withstand abuse not seen on typical in-wall PCs. Prices have yet to be made public, but you can pretty much bank on your local home automation dealer charging a boatload come mid-September.

We're used to seeing nettops from the likes of Asus and Acer, but EMTEC's the newcomer in this field and let's see what we're working with. At about one inch thick by TechDigest's estimates, the G Box (working title) certainly compact, and we definitely give points to it running NVIDIA's Ion platform, Windows XP, at least six USB ports, and a 160GB hard drive. Unfortunately, there's no HDMI port -- that's coming in a later model -- and at £179 ($293 US), we'd be hard pressed to pick this over the HDMI-equipped AspireRevo, but we'll await judgment until we can try this thing out for ourselves. In the meantime, hit up the read link for a brief video hands-on.

Up until now, the only way to really get the all-in-one "Allio Experience" was to purchase one of its HDTV / HTPC hybrids. But, let's just say you wanted to have that same experience on your current set. The answer? Silicon Mountain's latest wares: two new media streamer models and five Allio Link HTPCs. The entry-level $299 Allio Link ADTI-194500 gets powered by an Intel Atom N330 CPU and features 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4GB of flash storage, GMA950 graphics, four USB 2.0 sockets, VGA / S-Video ports, Gigabit Ethernet and Ubuntu 9.04 running the show. If you're interested in an integrated DVD player, you can snag an upgraded model for $399. If those just aren't potent enough for your needs, you can snag one of five Allio Link Media PCs, which range from $659 to $1,199 and feature Windows Vista, 2GB of RAM, the same Atom N330 CPU, a built-in TV tuner and a 250GB HDD. Each of the units are available to order right now, with most shipping out within a week.

Sony's finally throwing US consumers a bone by offering its VAIO P with a faster "1.6GHz Atom" processor we presume to be the Z530. Model VGN-P698E also adds a 128GB SSD to the mix along with a Verizon WWAN module and GPS radio. Problem is, the US Version doesn't have an XP option like the VAIO P in Japan let alone the 1.86GHz Atom Z540 option. That means you'll be stuck watching Vista Home Premium overwhelm that Atom processor and integrated GMA500 graphics when Windows 7 and those new Tegra-based smartbooks (running CE or Android) arrive in October. Come on, don't you want a glorified $1,500 netbook?

You see, there's not much wiggle room when it comes to netbook pricing. By and large, vendors have priced their machines about as low as they can in order to receive but a sliver of a profit, and there's certainly no way they could eat another $20 to $30 on each unit and still feel good about themselves. To that end, we're hearing that many companies may make their Atom N270 and Atom N280-based netbooks ineligible for the Windows 7 upgrade (from the factory, anyway), with those always-mysterious "industry sources" pointing to "increasing costs and low consumer demand." In essence, these guys feel as if consumers will view Windows XP as sufficient for those underpowered machines, while it'll be the Atom N450, Atom D410 and Atom D510 machines that'll be most suited for Win7. 'Course, we suspect you'll be able to pony up for whatever upgrade you'd like once it's in your hands, but we wouldn't anticipate any handouts to suddenly be attached to existing machines.

[Via GadgetMix]

Archos attempt to resurrect the UMPC category of devices got off to a good start yesterday in Paris with the launch of its 16-mm thick Archos 9 pctablet -- a 8.9-inch 1024x600 pixel tablet riding an 800MHz or 1.2GHz Atom Z515 processor, 1GB of memory, up to 120GB disk, webcam, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g WiFi, and SIM card slot for WWAN connectivity. Archosfans just posted a video of the Archos 9 prototype in action and honestly, that resistive touch-screen looks pretty damn impressive to finger taps. However, since it's running Windows 7, a full-blown desktop OS, you'll still need to pull out the included stylus on occasion to interactive with the Windows 7 UI or applications designed for a mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, the Archos 9 offers an optical mouse on the right-side bezel and left and right mouse keys along the left. Other notable highlights include a removable battery of undetermined capacity, a docking port for added expansion (Ethernet, 2x USB, VGA output), stereo speakers, and an adjustable kickstand for viewing video or working on the Archos 9 with attached USB keyboard and mouse. The Archos rep says it'll be priced between €450 and €500 when it ships around the time Windows 7 launches at the end of October. What we're wondering is how much finger-friendly UI customization will be included by Archos and how they plan to market the device to consumers who already own smartphones, laptops, and even netbooks. Video after the break.

P.S. While Archosfans claims the Archos 9 is multi-touch, nothing that we've found supports that claim on the Archos site or in the video demonstrations. Nevertheless, multi-touch resistive touchscreen technology does exist as demonstrated to us by Stantum back in February. In fact, the ASUS Eee PC T91 also features an 8.9-inch resistive display that does support mult-touch.

Tough luck, Fujitsu -- seems your entry into the entirely oversaturated netbook market is just "too little, too late." That's the conclusion drawn by critics over at Laptop, who found the M2010 to be a solid performer, but one with a cramped keyboard and a battery life of under two hours. No doubt, a longevity mark such as that has no place in a netbook, and the surprisingly high $449 price tag certainly didn't do it any favors. Reviewers pointed out that for $10 less, you could snap up the Samsung N110, which offers up four times the battery life and a more comfortable keyboard. Heck, the $379 Eee PC 1000HE goes for six hours strong and seems to be just as potent. Of course, this one's definitely doused in red, so if that's your shade, good luck thinking logically about this.