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Intel Reader hands-on
Making our all so stealthy escape from the Intel booth today, we came across the Reader -- the big chipmaker's text scanning device which reads aloud and provides a high contrast, large-sized reading facility for people with visual or mental impairments. We tried it out on a real quick and dirty scan from a newspaper, and while it picked up plenty of text bits from articles outside the one we cared to read, it was a pretty robust little setup in our opinion. The readouts were pretty robotic, but this isn't really intended as an ebook reader with vocal chords, so we'll give it a pass for that. We still cringe at the $1,500 price tag, though on the whole it looked like a well thought-out device with a very specific use. Check out the pictures below and a video awaits after the break. %Gallery-81997%
ASUS Eee PC 1001P brings its seashell design, Atom N450 to Amazon's US listings
First Germany, and now the States. ASUS's 10.1-inch, Pine Trail-equipped Eee PC Seashell 1001P has popped up on Amazon's US retail listings. Same Intel Atom N450 processor we saw before. $300 gets you Windows XP and a 160GB HDD, while $350 nets Windows 7 and 250GB of storage. Color options are black, pink, blue, and white, and as for release date? Still M.I.A., but we're hopeful this week offers a few tech news goodies.
BenQ's Joybook Lite U103 packs an SSD for when you're feeling frisky, HDD for when you're not
If money were no issue we'd all be rocking slinky notebooks with terabytes of flash-based storage, but alas this recession means a more budget-conscious approach is warranted. BenQ's solution is to offer a bit of both with its latest Joybook Lite, the U103, offering a large (500GB max) HDD paired with an optional 32GB SSD. Install your OS and critical apps on the SSD, dump everything else to platter, and make the most of what the company advertises will be an eight hour battery. That the laptop packs what is advertised as "Intel's new Atom" processor (surely the N450) is a good sign that battery life will indeed be good, something that should also be helped by a 10-inch, LED-backlit display of indeterminate resolution. Also on the docket is pseudo-3D sound from the two integrated speakers courtesy of SRS TruSound HD, a multitouch trackpad, and a weight of just 2.4lbs. No price yet, but that should change soon enough.
Viewsonic VOT132 nettop review
You don't need booming sales figures to tell you that netbooks have taken over the world -- the mobile computing world, at least. Their screenless and battery-free brethren, however, have yet to find quite the same success. Nettops are great tiny little machines but in general they've been under-powered and, while people love eking out another hour or two of battery life on the road, few sadly care whether their desktop computers pull down 17 or 71 watts of juice. Still, it's hard to deny the appeal of a fully-functional computer that's half the size of a Wii -- especially when it can manage 1080p output over HDMI. Viewsonic's VOT132, with its Ion graphics and trick magnetic DVD drive, is tiny, efficient, and powerful. The perfect media PC? Read on to find out. %Gallery-80890%
Broadcom's Crystal HD tech to liven up HD capabilities of N450-based netbooks
NVIDIA's Ion technology may be hogging the limelight when it comes to netbook graphics, but Broadcom's no stranger to the space. After giving Acer's Aspire One HD playback capabilities that it could only dream of just months prior, the company's newly announced Crystal HD platform could provide Intel's Atom N450 with the multimedia boost it badly needs. The nitty-gritty details are still being withheld, but we're told that "top-tier OEMs including Asus, Dell and Samsung" will be slapping this into their upcoming N450-based netbooks. If you're curious as to why you should care, the BCM70015 promises "near flawless" HD video playback, including support for Flash Player 10.1 and Blu-ray flicks. We're told to expect it to start popping up in forthcoming machines throughout 2010, and if you're looking to soak up anything else in the meanwhile, a promotional video awaits you after the break.
HP Mini 210 spied with PineTrail CPU, found cavorting on retail sites
Remember that Mini 210 mentioned in HP's leak from a few months back? Looks like it's on the comeback as the Pine Trail-powered replacement for the Mini 110 (noticing a trend here?). Logichp has some fancy press pics, and additionally, online retailer eCost lists the little guy for $321 and claims 1GB of RAM, 160GB to 250GB HDD, 802.11b/g/n, card reader, and Windows 7 Starter Edition, a.k.a. the new norm for netbooks. [Thanks, Tim]
MSI Wind U135 hands-on impressions
You didn't expect it to rain Pine Trail netbooks without MSI dropping a new Wind, did you? Come January the $330 10-inch Wind U135 will replace the older Diamondville U100 with its new 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. But the U135 gets updated with more than just new netbook specs -- the Taiwanese netbook pioneer has slightly tweaked the chassis with a new keyboard, touchpad and lid design. Read on for our thoughts. %Gallery-80718%
ASUS Eee PC 1005PE review
By our count ASUS has released -- at the very least -- 20 Eee PC netbooks since 2008. Some had 8.9-inch or 10-inch displays, some ran Xandros Linux or Windows XP, and some packed hard drives instead of flash storage. But common to virtually all of them was an Intel Diamondville 1.6GHz Atom N270 or N280 processor. That all changes with the 10-inch Eee PC 1005PE -- one of the first netbooks to feature the next-generation Intel Pine Trail platform, which features a 45-nanometer Pineview Atom N450 processor that integrates both the memory controller and GMA 3150 graphics onto the CPU die. The newly compact package promises improved performance and power efficiency, but will you notice the difference? Does the $380 1005PE blow past the Diamondville Eee PCs of late? Read on to find out in our full review. %Gallery-80648%
Intel's next-gen Pine Trail Atom processors officially announced
Get ready for the next generation of netbooks and nettops: Intel's just officially announced the Pine Trail Atom N450, D410, and D510, along with the NM10 Express chipset, and we should see over 80 machines with the 45-nanometer chips at CES 2010. Nothing too surprising about the 1.66GHz chips themselves, which integrate the memory controller and Intel graphics directly onto the CPU die: the N450 is targeted at netbooks, while the single-core D410 and dual-core D510 are designed for nettops, and each chip should use about 20 percent less power than its predecessor. That was borne out in our review of the N450-based ASUS Eee PC 1005PE, which got 10 hours of battery life in regular use, but unfortunately we didn't experience any performance improvements over the familiar N270 and N280. That jibes with other reports we've heard, but we'll wait to test some more machines before we break out the frowny face permanently -- for now, check out the full press release below.
Fujitsu LifeBook UH900 spotted in the wild, courtesy of shouting speech bubbles
There could only be two reasons for why we got a bit excited upon the discovery of this Asia Pacific-only, $1,415 Fujitsu UH900 in Hong Kong: one was the sugar rush from two custard tarts earlier in the day, and two was the speech bubble overload on this smartbook laptop thing. We quickly sobered up when we heard about the two-hour battery life -- more pessimistic than Fujitsu's own press release, which promises three hours in ECO mode. While there was no hands-on opportunity to try out the multitouch screen -- a self-proclaimed world's first on this form factor -- we weren't impressed by the overall glossiness and the dull side bezel, but kudos to the guy who managed to keep a straight face while revealing the petite battery life. %Gallery-80607%
ASUS Eee PC 1201N review
Six months ago netbooks all had 10-inch displays, fairly cramped keyboards, and couldn't manage to play a 1080p video even if they trained with the best of marathoners. The world's a lot different now: the King of Pop has passed away, the unemployment rate has dropped, and netbook manufacturers have realized 11- and 12-inch displays provide a more comfortable experience -- especially when paired with more powerful hardware that adds multimedia prowess. We'll stop there with the Netbook 101, but looking at the past is necessary in realizing what a game-changer the ASUS Eee PC 1201N really is. The 1201N's dual-core Intel Atom processor, NVIDIA Ion graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium, and 2GB of RAM make it the most powerful netbook to ever grace the purchase pages of Amazon. But does the $500 machine fix all the issues and frustrations we've ever had with netbooks when put to the test? Can it make us forget about cramped keyboards, strained eyes and sluggish video performance? Find out in our full review. %Gallery-80538%
Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)
It's been a long time coming, but the Archos 9 is finally being unleashed wholesale upon the world. The 9-inch tablet has been delayed and had its price hiked, but if you haven't leapt off the hype train yet you'll be interested in watching the unboxing and initial impressions video after the break courtesy of UMPCPortal. The 60GB device contains a mere 1.1GHz Atom processor and has been unfortunately crippled with Windows 7 Starter Edition, lacking the cool tablet features that you might have wanted to use on a tablet device. A few times during this video the Archos is likened to the Joojoo, which will almost surely face some delays of its own before receiving a similar berth months from now. Overall it's looking like a nice machine if you have the bank -- and don't want to do anything particularly processor intensive.
ViewSonic VNB102 netbook gets price, release date, a handful of pretty renders
If you were waiting for ViewSonic to finally put out a netbook, the wait is over. If you weren't, we don't blame you -- we weren't either. At any rate, the VNB102 ViewBook that we saw manhandled way back in September has finally got a street date: December 18, to be exact. Things are pretty much as you were expecting: 10-inch display, Windows 7, Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive, a six cell battery, and 802.11b/g WiFi. This bad boy can be yours for the MSRP of $399. Intrigued? Hit up the gallery below of fly past the break for some stunning PR. %Gallery-80349%
Atom N450 netbook torrent undammed on January 11 next year?
Well, well, here's something to spice up that upcoming post-CES malaise. The second Monday of the first January of the 2010th year of the Gregorian calendar seems set to be the day Atom-powered netbook lovers have been waiting for. DigiTimes today reports that the long (much too long) awaited move to the Pine Trail platform is set to go off with a pretty major bang of vendor support come next month. Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI are all said to have lined up their N450 wares -- we know that for a fact with Lenovo -- and are now awaiting Lord Intel's predetermined date to start shipping. We're also hearing the even faster N470 chip will start making the rounds in March 2010, meaning that the first quarter of next year will see more netbook innovation than the last year and a half combined.
Intel brings out Atom SDK wanting more apps, acts oblivious to Windows
Intel wants people to develop apps for the x86 instruction set. Think about that a little, let it sink in. Now that you're appropriately unimpressed, let's discuss this new developer kit that's just been brought out. Designed to assist coders in that overwhelmingly challenging and new environment known as Atom-powered netbooks, the SDK has now hit Beta and is being distributed to developers of apps for Windows and Moblin. Yes Moblin, the light and snappy Linux flavor intended to spur on the sinking ship known as the MID category, still hasn't been abandoned by Intel, even if its original goal now seems out of reach. Intriguingly, apps approved by Intel will "sell at stores opening next year," which perhaps hints at grander plans than the mere optimization of software to undernourished hardware.
ASUS Eee PC 1201HA now on sale in the US
A little later than mid-November, sure, but ASUS has finally unleashed to the US masses its 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201HA. Available at Best Buy for a penny under $330, it's got all the standard affairs: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520, 1GB RAM upgradeable to 2GB, 160GB HDD, WiFi, and a touted 6 hour, 38 minute battery life. The catch here is Windows XP -- sorry 7 lovers, but if you're feeling particularly adventurous, there's always Chrome OS.
Intel's Cedarview Atom chip rumored to go 32nm in 2011
We know you aren't publicly keeping count, but considering that you're carefully watching process technology numbers in the depths of your mom's basement, we felt it prudent to pass along the latest juicy nugget from the folks at Fudzilla. According to raisins in their grapevine, Intel is gunning for a 32nm Atom chip in 2011, with the codename of the CPU being Cedarview and the name of the platform being Cedar Trail. If you'll recall, we recently heard that Pineview was expected to be formally unveiled in a slew of machines come January, but we're already anxious for Cedarview's DDR3 support and fresh, sun-ripened scent. Oh, and support for Blu-ray playback, too.
ASUS' Ion-packing Eee PC 1201N gets official, gets handled (video)
It was late-August when we first got word of a new addition to the Eee PC lineup, the 12-inch, Ion-smuggling Eee PC 1201N. ASUS has just now confirmed the thing and a few sites have rather coincidentally posted hands-on impressions of it -- but let's go over those specs one more time before we dive into that, shall we? It has a 12.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LED-backlit display (that's sadly glossy), a dual-core Atom 330 processor at 1.6GHz, 2 or 3GB of DDR2 memory, either a 250 or 320GB HDD, a six-cell battery, and Windows 7 Premium. All that for just $499 which, to us, sounds like a stupendously good deal. So, those impressions? They seem intentionally brief, as if nobody's quite allowed to give real opinions, but a short video below from Laptop shows off the sleek, Seashell-style design from all angles. Surely more thorough coverage will be online before the latest netbook hits retail sometime in mid-December. [Thanks, John B]
Lenovo IdeaPad shown to possess Pineview CPU by FCC photo shoot
Remember that Pine Trail fast-tracking we were talking about? Yeah, it's for real. Intel's latest submission to the FCC reveals details of a new member of Lenovo's IdeaPad netbook range, and is the first confirmed sighting of the Pineview processor every netbook diehard has been waiting for. The documentation suggests an S10-3 moniker for the new 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 machine, which is likely to pair up that Atom N450 with 2GB of RAM and 250GB of storage. Click past the break to see the sticker with all the specs on it, and do make your voices heard in the comments below regarding that buttonless touchpad -- a Synaptics ClickPad, perchance?
NVIDIA takes its feud with Intel to cartoonish new levels
Oh, boy. Just when you thought NVIDIA 's feud with Intel couldn't rise above endless name-calling, lawsuits and production shutdowns, NVIDIA does this. In a series of not-so-subtle cartoons on the recently established Intel's Insides website -- which NVIDIA's spokesperson has confirmed is, in fact, hosted by NVIDIA -- NVIDIA takes aim at Intel (and CEO Paul Otellini, specifically) over a range of alleged ill doings, and even goes so far as to include a cheeky disclaimer that the site "is not provided, sponsored or endorsed by Intel Corporation." Hit up the gallery below for a quick retrospective, and stay tuned for what we can only hope is a decent comeback from Intel.
