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.

CRN via Liliputing

Well, it looks like Apple has finally figured out how to make “a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk.” Why? A new report from the Chinese-language Commercial Times is said to contain info regarding an upcoming Apple netbook. It cites companies WinTek and Quanta, besides Apple, as among those involved in the making of an Apple netbook. If this report is to be believed, then we will be seeing a touchscreen-equipped little notebook from Apple by the second half of this year. There isn’t really a definite release date for the product, but that is when it’s expected to start shipping. No word on any specs or pricing, either, but that should come once Apple finally announces the thing. Unless someone else leaks all the info ahead of them, that is.

Digitimes Via Electronic Pulp

If Russian site Mobile-Review’s editor Eldar is to be believed, we won’t just see ARM’s multi-core Sparrow processor on netbooks by 2011, but also on Nokia’s very first Linux-based MID. Pictured above is a mockup the guys at Unwired View did of the device, which is said to be a multi-slide keyboard and display equipped computer and cellphone hybrid. Its keys are small, diamond shaped and elevated, and they change with every application running on the device’s display. All this is based on info Eldar spewed after he got the chance to play with a prototype in one of Nokia’s closed booths at Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona. He also revealed a bit of the juicy stuff, but there’s surely more to know that he just won’t say. It would be interesting to see how Nokia’s final, finished product turns out. We’ll be giving updates on this as we get them, but for now, check out the sites linked below for more info.

Via Electronic Pulp and Unwired View