Admit it: you've been sitting around all day waiting to hear tell of the latest Joybook offering from BenQ, right? Well, have we got the story for you! BenQ's just dropped word of its newest -- the Joybook Lite U102. While we don't have full specs, we do know that this 10.1-inch baby boasts a 16:9 WSVGA backlit LED, an Intel Atom CPU, and a 250GB HDD, with a 90 percent-sized keyboard. Pretty generic netbook specs, but its super-shiny black shell also makes it decently attractive. The BenQ Joybook Lite U102 will be available any day now in Taiwan, Thailand, and China.

[Via FarEast Gizmos]

Interesting piece in the New York Times today about Acer -- the company is about to ride the tidal wave of netbooks and other el-cheapo computers straight to the number two spot on the PC sales chart. That's a big deal -- no non-US company has ever made it so high -- and it's interesting that the strategies Acer took to get there are the same things Dell's been trying to do lately: it's heavy on low-cost, stylish laptops and netbooks, it keeps inventory extremely lean, and it relies on an extensive set of retail partnerships in Europe. What's more, the Aspire One has been the best-selling netbook for a while now, and we'd say Acer's way out in front of the CULV thin-and-light race with the Timeline -- in fact, we'd say the only open question here is whether the company can take all this computing success and translate it to something worthwhile in the smartphone space. Based on what we've seen so far, we've got our doubts, but we'll see what those super-secret Android sets look like before we place our bets.

At long last, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is available for pre-order. The 12.1-inch, WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution netbook, if you've forgotten, boasts an Intel GMA950 chipset (and will have NVIDIA's Ion chipset as an option in September), an Intel 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. It also has a full sized keyboard, and optional 1080p video playback. Starting price for the base model is $499. Hit the read link for the full host of options -- we'll let you know when it's shipping!

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It's one of the hottest selling items in the consumer electronics market today. At a time when vendors are struggling to sell PCs, it's the one category that has been selling consistently in Amazon's top ten list of technology purchases. Apple and Sony have both dismissed the category, even as other vendors bring more models to market. Yes, I'm talking about the phenomenon called the netbook. Here's why I think it's going to be pretty short lived as a category.

ASUS' Eee PC 1005HA (the cooler, younger brother of the 1008HA) impressed us when we first caught a peep of it in the wild. Internally, the two netbooks are identical -- but the 1005HA boasts a user-replaceable battery, and leaves out the recessed ports and port doors (which we found to be slightly annoying -- though attractive -- in our review of the 1008HA). Well, it's up on Amazon for pre-order now, which means we might be seeing this one sooner rather than later. For now, it's priced at $349.99, but we'll see if that price holds when it's actually available.

[Via Netbook Reviews]

Lenovo's T400s has been caught in the wild once before -- if by wild you understood us to mean a well-lit, relatively clean and sterile environment. Well, we've caught another several glimpses of the latest ThinkPad, but this time, it's actually in the wild. As in, dropped in the middle of the road to be run over by a giant truck, or left in the downpour of a tornado. Sounds fun, right? No, it doesn't expand our knowledge of price or availability for this puppy, but it is fun to watch in a sick, twisted sort of way. Check both videos after the break.

Turns out Pixel Qi's CTO Mary Lou Jepsen reads Engadget, or at least the posts relevant to her company and her invention, the 3Qi screen. In addition to a side-by-side comparison of the display against the Kindle and a few other devices, in an interview with techvideoblog, she can be seen going through our most recent post and answering some of our readers' questions, including clearing up what seems to be a pretty big misconception that the screen uses e-ink for being visible in direct sunlight -- "it's standard LCD, just clever design," she explains. In one scene, she demonstrates that even in those very bright situations when the screen looks to go monochrome for visibility, you can still see a hint of color, with the full "Pleasantville" experience entering the more she moves the hardware into the shade. As for reports of the tech adding a $200 premium, she dismisses this as a misquote and infers that it was more of an example price for a laptop that'd be using the technology. There's a lot of fascinating tidbits here, including some talk on the nature of the display and laptop industries. As it stands, mass production begins this Fall, and even though you're seeing that Acer logo on the demo unit, Jepsen says it's just a prototype built into a laptop they bought at Radio Shack and that no manufacturing partners have been confirmed. Make sure the closest star isn't beaming down at your screen and head on after the break for the both videos.

Read - Mary Lou Jepsen answers user comments
Read - Pixel Qi vs Kindle vs Toshiba R600 vs regular LCD tablet

Our compatriots at Engadget Chinese have been doing all the leg work at Computex for us this week, and here's another beauty they caught sight of: the ASUS Eee PC 1101HGO. Yes, this is something we have not previously spied... or have we? This newest addition to the Seashell line is extremely similar to the 1101HA we've caught wind of, but this one's got 3G built in. The 11.6-inch, 1,366 x 768 resolution LCD-boasting PC houses an Intel Atom Z-series CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, three USB 2.0 sockets, a multicard reader, and a six-cell battery. We don't have any information about pricing or availability as of yet, but we'll let you know when we do. Two more shots after the break.

Laptop's just put up its hands-on of Toshiba's latest 10.1-inch netbook, the NB205. They're giving it pretty high marks as far as design goes, calling the keyboard and trackpad "stellar," and the battery "promising." It boasts an LED-backlit LCD which they're pretty fond of, and we have to say we're really liking the metal look ourselves. The NB205 will come in two configurations, with the higher-end boasting an Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM and an 160GB hard drive with Windows XP Home. The lower end model can be had for $349 (it's got a plastic, non-island style keyboard), while the metal, higher end model will will run $399 (the former will come in pink, white, blue and brown, while the latter will be available in black only). There is one more shot after the break; hit the read link for video of it in action.

Acer's 11.6-inch, WXGA Aspire 751h-1192 and 10.6-inch, WSVGA D250-1042 are nothing new around these parts, but now the company's officially priced the units and put up the "on sale" sign. Looks like both models are sporting the corner-placed VGA port as well as the usual netbook specs like a 160GB HDD, up to 2GB RAM, a three or six cell battery, 802.11b/g, GMA 950 integrated graphics, webcam, and Windows XP Service Pack 3. Both have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but the 751h can swap it out for a 1.22GHz Atom Z520 instead. The larger screen portable's also got a multi-gesture trackpad and a slightly heavier body -- 2.75 pounds vs. 2.44. Starting prices are $298 and $380 for the D250 / 751h, respectively, with your choice of Diamond Black, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue or Seashell White for colors. Full press release after the break.