The Tablet UMPC is going to be relevant again, with the announcement of the Archos9, the first 9-inch Tablet UMPC running Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS. This sexy little machine is billed by Archos as a MiniPC that does away with keyboards in exchange for a virtual on-screen keyboard and stylus support on a resistive touchscreen display. As it comes pre-loaded with Windows 7, multi-touch is going to be one of its top features, though we’re not exactly sure if that’s such as good idea with the screen being resistive and all. It still looks like a pretty interesting offer, though, as the Archos9 is equipped with Intel’s new Atom Z515 processor, 80GB hard drive, built-in Bluetooth and two DVBT TV tuners with “diversity reception,” as Archos puts it in its press release. Besides on-screen controls, it also has several hard buttons on its sides for easier access and controls. Archos hasn’t announced a price or release date, but from the looks of it, we’re betting a lot of people are going to save up for one. Watch out for additional details here.
Shuttle has just announced two new small form factor PCs equipped with Via’s Nano processors. These are the Shuttle XS92 and XS29F, which are expected to be showcased next week during Computex in Taipei, Taiwan. The Shuttle XS92 SFF will feature VIA’s Nano L CPUs while the Shuttle XS29F SFF PC will have VIA’s Nano U line of CPUs to be more power efficient, not needing any internal fans because of low thermal output. Not much else have been revealed about these SFF PCs at the moment, but expect to learn more about them in June at Computex.
Seems like Asus has prepped a little something to go against Acer’s Aspire Revo nettop shortly after it comes out in May. According to info posted on Blogeee, Asus will release an Asus EeeBOX B208 nettop with Intel’s Atom 330 chip and ATI Radeon HD 4350 with 256MB video RAM come June of this year. Official pricing has not yet been revealed. Also part of the Asus EeeBOX B208’s specs are the following: 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD with 10GB Eee Storage, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, built-in card reader, 4 USB ports, HDMI out, DVI-D port, built-in battery with UPS function, Bluetooth connectivity and 1kg weight. I’m not too sure about this being a pure desktop replacement, but for space-saving it will certainly be useful, and will definitely go nicely with any Asus netbook you may already have.
Just like how Acer is sticking to the “One” moniker for their netbooks, it looks like MSI is going to keep holding on to their Wind line of 10-inch screen-equipped mobile computing machines. The Taiwanese outfit has just launched what it calls the MSI Wind U100 PLUS, a new version of the old MSI Wind that comes with an Intel Atom N280 processor. Read the rest of this entry »
Announced recently, the curved and rubbery Samsung N310 has just been put through its very first hands-on session. In press photos, it looks quite toy-like, with its rubberized outer shell and with the huge seemingly-embossed Samsung logo behind the disaplay. In real life, however, it doesn’t look that bad. There’s a decent-sized keyboard paired with its 10-inch screen, although the bright colored chassis still seems somewhat like a distraction. Its thick profile also serves as proof of its 1.23 kg weight. However, that’s also why it manages to tout typical netbook ports and peripherals plus give up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge. The Samsung N310 is expected to become available in Europe, Asia and the US starting May, and will sell at the $400 mark.
One of the latest entries into the netbook space will come from Australian company Kogan, the same one behind the world’s first Australian Google Android phone. A sample of Kogan’s upcoming netbooks, powered by gOS and Windows XP, were showed off recently by The Man himself (Ruslan Kogan) to PC Authority for a quick once over. The guys at PC Authority put the netbook to the test, trying out simple tasks on it as it was only a pre-production device. A full review of the Kogan Agora netbook is expected to be written in the next few weeks, but for now, it looks quite promising. Although it uses a non-Windows OS, it shouldn’t be to its demise since it still has a graphical user interface and compatibility of programs with Ubuntu. Check out the full preview of the Kogan Agora netbook at the link below.
While this netbook will definitely not be able to pull out any magical gadgets out of its breast pocket, it does look cuter, if not cooler than most other netbooks. It’s a Doraemon-styled mini-notebook PC (OK, a netbook, if you don’t want me trying too hard) from a company called KuroKids, which should be able to bring joy to any child’s face, provided he doesn’t break the thing within five minutes of him getting it in the first place. Only 800 units of this cute netbook will be made available, with each costing roughly $487 USD each. Yes, now that you know the price, it isn’t as cute as it was five seconds ago, no? No word on a release date outside of Taiwan, but it’s likely that this will be sold exclusively in that part of Asia.
Currently, Toshiba’s netbook offerings consist of a single model. The Toshiba NB105, a netbook with a 9-inch screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 120GB hard drive and a 3-cell battery. They’re only offering the said netbook in select markets worldwide, and with competitors constantly churning out better and more valuable alternatives, the company is not in a hurry to promote it elsewhere across the world.
So what chance does Toshiba have of succeeding in the U.S. market if it offers the NB105 there? Practically none, or close to it. Which is why it would make sense for the company to introduce a slightly better specced model than the NB105, one that preferably features a 10-inch screen, faster processor and longer battery life. A new report on Channel Web clues us in on the company’s plans to enter the U.S. netbook market, and having an improved version of their first product for the category on tap wouldn’t hurt them at all.
Now that the Taiwan Mobile W101 netbook has finally been revealed in official photos, we were able to identify it as the mysterious slim netbook spotted by NetbookNews.de at CeBIT 2009. Above is a video showcasing the Taiwan Mobile W101 as a new, slim, unidentified netbook. It looks a whole lot slimmer in the hand of NetbookNews.de’s Sascha, and should be great to hold. It looks like it’s running a custom version of the Linux OS, though it could also ship with Windows when it becomes available. In the meantime, see more of it in the embedded video above.
If you’re a fan of box-type stuff, then you might like what Clevo has done in a new netbook it plans to offer some time this year. Yes, the company does indeed have a netbook, and it’s called the Clevo M810L. One of the most prominent features of this netbook is its solid-looking square-esque chassis. Though how sturdy it actually is still remains in question, some specs make it standard netbook fare. It comes with a 1.6GHz intel Atom N270 CPU, 10.1-inch, 1024 x 576 pixel display, a hard drive, and supports up to 2GB of RAM. Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth only comes as options. No word on a price yet or final availability date, but once it comes out we’ll let you know.
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