The Jisus laptop? We're asking ourselves the same questions you are. We've never heard of Van Der Led, and we've certainly never heard of the Jisus -- but boy are we intrigued. Apparently, the multi-colored (and multi-graphic'd) little guys will feature an 800 x 480, 8.9-inch LCD display, a 1GHz Loongson CPU (???), 512MB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, 802.11b/g, stereo speakers, and a whole slew of familiar ports. The Eee-wannabe will apparently come with Ubuntu pre-installed (though frankly it's unclear), and will be retailing for €299 when it hits the streets (the European streets, that is) on April 25th. Check the video after the break to see odd, ominously silent images of the device, accompanied by fascinating data.

[Thanks, Gydo]

Remember how we told you Everex's little gOS-sporting Cloudbook was headed to Wal-Mart this month (today, to be specific)? Well hold your check book, friend-o -- they ain't done with it. According to the company's director of marketing, Paul Kim, the system requires, "A couple of last minute software tweaks," before it's ready for prime-time. There's no word on when it will make an appearance, though we're inclined to think this won't be a major delay... but you never know. Should shipments alight, we'll be the first to share the good news.

While we haven't heard much more about the gOS laptop with the $300 price tag, word is that Everex will be equipping another portable model -- the 7-inch, VIA-based, ultra-portable Nanobook -- with a $400 MSRP and its Google-themed Linux OS. The device -- apparently being referred to as the "Cloudbook" -- is rumored to be launching at the CES in January, and will become available to the public the following week. Specs include a VIA C7 ULV 1.2GHz CPU, a 30GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, WiFi, a card reader, two USB ports, and a DVI out. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but there seems to be ample information supporting the rumors. Just give us multiple colors, an SSD, and tell us where exactly the trackpad is and we could be in serious like.

[Via jkkmobile]

While the first generation (and second generation for that matter) of UMPCs fell well short of the bloated origami hype, Compal sees big growth from Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) in 2008. According to DigiTimes, this belief has prompted the giant, Taiwanese ODM to dedicate an entire team to the mobile platform unveiled by Intel in April 2007. As such, MID devices will receive special attention, away from their laptop and UMPC efforts. If nothing else, we find it reassuring that somebody out there can understand the difference between a UMPC and MID device with such clarity.

Last week Asus finally revealed pricing and specs for their much anticipated Eee PC ultra-portable laptop. Anticipated not so much for the specs -- 7-inch LED-backlit LCD, 2 to 8GB of flash storage, up to 1GB memory, WiFi, and webcam -- but for the low, low $199 retail price. Rightly, more than a few of us were dismayed when the entry-level model was revealed to actually cost as much as US$358 in Taiwan and an expected $300 (pre-tax) price when launching Stateside before the month is out. The culprit? Well, according to DigiTimes' Taiwanese component insiders the relatively steep price is in large part due to an unexpectedly high cost for the 7-inch LCD panels. Asus had expected to source the panels for about $15 each but found themselves paying AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) up to twice as much for the hardware. Feel better for knowing? Yeah, didn't think so.

AppleInsider has the word on the updates to Apple's portable range, which have been missing out on all the Santa Rosa action that seemingly every other notebook range has been enjoying lately (this is getting to be a habit). If AI's sources are correct, then we're to expect some rather uninteresting updates to the MacBook range. The next refresh of the MacBooks will supposedly be particularly unimpressive, as AI says they'll be missing out on the Santa Rosa architecture and those LED backlights that SJ promised. For those updates you'll have to cash in for the MacBook Pros, which will be getting Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa CPUs up to 2.4GHz, and the LED backlights if the rumor proves right. In a resurrection of a rumor that seems to have been circulating since the PowerBook 2400 was discontinued in 1998, AI is also saying that an ultra-portable Apple laptop will come with on-board NAND flash for boosting application performance, a 13-inch LCD, and will be thinner and lighter than existing Apple laptops thanks to the absence of an optical drive. Like most cases of Apple rumors, it'll only exist when it's out. Until it does / doesn't, we'll continue to see this kind of speculation.

If Haier's 14-incher is just a bit too unwieldy for ya girlie-man then how about trying on their svelte, new 12-incher? Oh yeah ultra-portable lovers, the W12N 12.1-inch laptop goes WXGA (1366 x 768) and loves on the T5600 Core 2 Duo processor, integrated Intel 945GM graphics, 512MB DDR2 RAM, 80GB disk, CD/DVD combo drive and slaps a 2 megapixel swivelin' camera up in the top bezel. Niiice. Still, without dimensions, price, and launch date well, we're going to keep our pawn shoppe hearts in check for now.

We've been salivating over Dialogue's FlyBook V33i for some time now. Finally, we've dug-out a review of this "dressed to kill" 2.6-pound tablet-style PC with smokin' suite of WWAN connectivity options including HSDPA / UMTS / EDGE / GPRS / GSM and EDGE / GPRS / GSM. Thing is, as the reviewer quickly points out, the V33i is not a tablet PC although you might be fooled by that rotating touch-screen. Instead, Dialogue goes with Windows XP and some Ritepen handwriting recognition software which, when coupled with the keyboard, means you "might not find that a disadvantage" -- just prepare to re-calibrate after each screen rotation. Although the 1.1GHz Pentium M is starting to show its age, the V33i includes a 64MB ATI Radeon XPress 200M which helps offset the load somewhat, albeit not enough for any serious gaming, but certainly enough for normal office-type usage. The Carrypad review also found the key pitch tight on the keyboard which took some getting used to and the stylus was just plain "terrible." Although they were stoked by the removable 2.5-inch hard disk which allows for DIY upgrades while the battery delivered an expected 2-2.5 hours under typical load. After four "privileged" days with the machine, Carrypad dubs the v33i a winner in terms of looks and performance particularly for those in need of an ultra-mobile PC with a full suite of fixed and WWAN connectivity options.

EDGE, smedge, prepare to taste the speed of EV-DO rev A folks as Sony and Sprint team-up on the ultra-portable VAIO VGN-TXN10. Previously, only available on Cingular's EDGE network, Sprint will be packin' their Power Vision network into this 2.8-pound, sub-incher giving subscribers 450-800 kbps downloads and 300-400 kbps upload speeds (on average) when they begin upgrading to Revision A. For their part, Sony brings that 11.1-inch widescreen display, Core Solo proc, WiFi, Bluetooth, up to 11-hours off battery, and dual-layer DVD burner with Instant Mode for soaking up media without the need to boot into XP. It's not clear when, exactly, this combo will all come come together, but the notebook will cost you about $2300 when this whole thing kicks off in Q4.

Mmmm, that tasty Samsung Q35 just went Core 2 Duo. And from the looks of things, that's the only change you're gonna see; same 12.1-inch widescreen display, 80GB SATA disk, up to 1GB memory, and integrated Intel graphics swaddled in a sleek, 4-pound ultra-porable. Still, while the new proc won't be any more efficient with the juice than the Q35's former Core Duo, that promised 20% boost in performance ain't chicken feed. Most of all, kudos to you Sammy for not calling this the World's Smallest Core 2 Duo laptop held by a shoeless waif. Nice to see a bit of restraint on this one. Also announced is the less interesting 15.4-inch, R55 with that same 1.8GHz T5600 Core 2 Duo CPU, disk, and RAM but with GeForce Go 7600 graphics for that extra bit of oomph. Stay tuned for the deluge of Core 2 Duo lappies to come dear readers.

PCMag got their hands on the top dog in Averatec's "ultra portable" – although at 4.2-pounds and 1.43-inches thick, we would classify it as more of a thin-and-light – 2200 series, and the verdict seems to be a resounding "meh". The AV2260-EK1 sports some solid specs, like a built-in DVD burner, 1GB of RAM, 80GB of storage and a 12.1-inch WXGA screen with Averabrite, but the AMD Turion 64 MT-32 can't keep up with most of the new Core Duo machines and dropped battery life to a pitiful 1 hour 42 minutes with the included cell. You can add an extended life battery for an extra $100, but that puts a hurt on the $1079.99 retail price, bumping it to about the same level as the thinner, faster Macbook or Dell's shiny M1210. All that plus a "cramped" keyboard lead us to believe we should keep scrimping and saving until we have enough for something truly ultra-portable.

Sony is never a company to back down from raising a few eyebrows or ruffling a few feathers in the standards game, and so shall it be with the not-quite-UMPC UX180P. There's little question that the UX whips up on the current crop of UMPCs in the marketplace, sporting a more powerful processor, higher-res screen, integrated keyboard and EDGE -- but at $1800, it needs to. And right there lies the million-dollar question: at almost double the cost of a UMPC, does the UX serve its function? And what exactly is its function, for that matter? Read on for our take on the answers, along with some in-depth imagery.

It might not be as fancy as the high-class Lamborghinis our pals at Engadget Chinese saw at Computex, but according to this review, the 14-inch Centrino Duo W3J is a winner. Weighing in around 4-pounds, it fits right into the ultra-portable category, but doesn't skimp on specs including a Core Duo processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 that maxes out at 512 MB when the HyperMemory kicks in (256MB onboard and 256MB shared RAM). It even has the Bluetooth 2.0 that its cousin the A8Jm was so tragically missing – at least here in the States. All that, plus Asus' signature brushed metal styling and a battery life of about 2.75 make this machine sound like a champ, but we still can't help but think about the slick Q35 we could buy with the £1029 asking price.

Maybe you've noticed that we likes our laptops small, powerful, and foxy 'round here. NEC looks set to indulge our whims with their new VERSA L1100 series of ultra-portables. Weighing in at 4.4-pounds, these widescreen 13.1-inch (1280 x 768) laptops feature dual-layer DVD writers, 802.11b/g WiFi, up to 2GB DDR2 memory (256MB shared with graphics), 100GB disk, a 5-in-1 card reader, and scads of expansion and multimedia outs. Systems can be configured with either Intel Celeron or Pentium M processors -- by the latter we assume NEC means the Intel Core, be that Single or better yet, Duo processors which are based on the Pentium M micro-architecture. If not, then we'll just have to pass when these drop in mid-June.

[Via MobileWhack]

Sony just revealed the details on their TX3 lineup of ultraportable, wide-screen Vaios. The TX72 finally brings these hotties into Core Duo Solo land by dropping the 1.2GHz U1400 CPU into that fine chassis. The TX72 also features a OneSeg digital TV tuner with iEPG programming guide for scheduling Japanese TeeVee recordings to that 80GB disk. Other than that, she still sports that same great 11.1-inch widescreen LCD with LED backlighting, now up to 10 hours off battery with the Core Solo at the wheel (7 if configured with 1.06GHz Celeron M), dual-layer DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth in a sleek 1-inch wedge still weighing less than 3-pounds. Expect to see 'em around Japan later this month for ¥229,800 nicely spec'd or about $2000 of the green stuff. Click-on to see 'er dressed-up in blue.