Looking to get in on the hot low-price notebook market, Lenovo is launching its own bargain laptop offering to compete with small notebooks, such as the MSI Wind and Eee PC. The new laptop, the IdeaPad S10, will ship in October in time for the Christmas season. It will retail starting at $399.

The new notebook features a small footprint with a 10.2 inch LCD screen. The dimensions of the notebooks are 9.8 x 7.2 inches. Weight is 2.4 pounds with the lightest configuration. The notebook is also "super-slim", according to Lenovo, measuring in at approximately 1 inch thin. The device features a slightly-shrunk keyboard which is 85 percent of the size of a standard full-function PC keyboard.

As far as looks, the IdeaPad looks rather slick with a variety of finishes. It can be ordered in "classic white", "bold black", or glossy "ruby red". The white models will have a grayed base.

A couple steps are taken with the design to insure long battery life, a big concern for ultra-portables. First, it uses LEDs to backlight the LCD more effectively than traditional designs. Secondly, it uses Intel's popular Atom processor, in particular the 1.6 GHz N270 with a 945 GSE express chipset.

As the laptop is designed to be used primarily as an internet/word processing machine, connectivity is another major focus. Lenovo added WiFi (b/g), Bluetooth, Ethernet, and an Express Card slot, in order to allow users to get broadband by a variety of methods. The device will also feature 2 USB ports, a 4-in-1 multi-card reader, and a built-in web camera for video messaging. Graphics will be provided by an Intel Integrated Graphics GMA 950 chip.

The notebook will be sold in two different configurations. The first has 512 MB of memory and an 80 GB hard drive. The second, which likely be priced somewhat higher, ups the memory to 1 GB and features a 160 GB hard drive. No solid state drive options have been announced yet. Both configurations come with Windows XP preinstalled, courtesy of Microsoft's stay of retirement on XP for ultra-portables.

The notebooks will be available through a number of major retailers, through Lenovo's partners and direct through Lenovo's website.

Liu Jun, senior vice president, Consumer Business Group, Lenovo states, "IdeaPad netbooks are the latest in a string of recently announced Lenovo products, designed specifically for consumers worldwide and developed through our heritage of technological innovation and exceptional engineering. As rapidly as the technology changes, today’s consumers are looking for mobile products that feature the best of basic computing functions in an extremely compact and affordable form, and Lenovo designed the IdeaPad netbooks for that purpose."

Lenovo also hinted that some countries will have 9 inch screen smaller version available and that Linux preinstalls would also be available in some countries. It is unclear whether the U.S. will get any of these options.

One key factor in the notebook's success or failure will be the battery life. Initial metrics place the life at around 3 hours with 3-cell battery, and up to 6 hours with 6-cell battery, but final measurements remain.

Lenovo's computer lineup, for those unfamiliar, is actual derivative of IBM's former offerings. The Chinese company purchased IBM Personal Computing Division from IBM and rebranded it to launch its computing efforts, back in 2005.

[Source]

The Cell processor first debuted in the Sony PS3 and now is starting to see uses outside of the PS3 gaming console.
Toshiba announced a pair of laptops that will use processors derived from the Cell processor used in the PS3. The Toshiba Qosmio G50 and F40 notebooks will use four of the Synergistic Processing Elements (SPE) from the Cell Broadband Processor. By comparison, the Cell processor in the PS3 has eight of the SPE cores (seven functional) and uses a Power PC main processor.

The modified Cell processor SPE cores will handle the heavy calculations required to handle processor-intensive duties like processing HD video. The main processor in the pair of notebooks will be an Intel Core 2 Duo.

PC World says that by integrating the modified Cell processor into the notebooks Toshiba will be able to offer features not seen on competing notebooks. The new features will include the ability to upscale standard definition video to HD, real-time transcoding of digital video to MPEG4 and the ability to burn video to DVD in half the time needed by current machines.

One particularly interesting feature the Cell processor allows is called face navigation. The notebooks will be able to recognize faces in a video and display them as thumbnails allowing users to find chapters and scenes using faces.

PC World reports that the Cell processor will also allow the onboard webcam to be used to control video playback with hand gestures. The Qosmio G50 will have an 18.4-inch screen, GeForce 9600M graphics, 500GB HDD, dual digital TV tuners and more with a retail price of $2,700. The F50 will use a 15-inch screen and have a 250GB HDD with a retail price of around $2,300. The notebooks will be sold in Japan, but details on the launch are unavailable.

IBM’s record breaking Roadrunner supercomputer also takes advantage of a modified Cell processor to speed its performance.

[Source]

With all the hoopla surrounding the announcement of the iPhone 3G, it’s pretty easy for other new products to get lost in all the madness. HP is looking to generate a bit of buzz of its own with two new computing products, but it unfortunately doesn’t have the power of the press to generate the insatiable tongue wagging that comes with a new Apple release.

That being said, HP’s latest new high-end products cover both the desktop and notebook fronts in the form of the Voodoo Omen gaming desktop and the Voodoo Envy 133 business laptop.

For gamers that have no limit on how much they are willing to spend on a gaming rig, look no further than Voodoo Omen. The towering desktop features a customizable, all-aluminum case design which can be optioned with Voodoo Allure paints and glass, leather, or wood side panels. Other exterior adornments include a 7" color auxiliary display (800x480) built into the front of the case to display game stats, movies, music videos, etc.


Other features include the ability to rotate the motherboard to plug in system cables from the top of the case, tool-less side panels, eight Voodoo Ink laser engraving designs, RGB accent lighting, and the ability to choose from five different colors for the liquid coolant.

When it comes to hard specs, the Voodoo Omen comes equipped with an ASUS Striker Extreme II motherboard which is paired with either an Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core 3.20GHz QX9770 or 3.00GHz QX9650 processor. Up to 8GB of 1600 MHz CORSAIR PC-14400 DDR3 can be ordered with the system as well. As expected with a high-end gaming rig, the Voodoo Omen supports NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX graphics options.

For those that truly want to splurge on storage options, the Voodoo Omen can be equipped with up to six 64GB Samsung single-level cell (SLC) solid-state drives (SSDs).

The customizable nature of the Voodoo Omen's chassis and the wealth of hardware choices mean that the gaming rig starts at a whopping $6,500. Checking off every option on the spec sheet will cause the price to balloon to $20,000.

On the notebook side of things, Voodoo is also announcing its 13.3" Envy 133. The notebook is just 0.70 inches thick (making it thinner than a MacBook Air) and weighs 3.373-pounds. Despite its thin chassis and light weight, Voodoo managed to cram quite a potent processor under the hood along with enough connectivity options to make certain Mac owners a bit jealous.

Processing power comes from either an Intel Core 2 Duo SP7000 (1.8GHz) or SP7500 (1.6GHz) processor. The 13.3" WXGA display is LED-backlit and is powered by an integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor. Storage options include your choice of an 80GB 4200 RPM HDD or a 64GB SDD while optical duties are handled by an eSATA Super-Multi drive.

Voodoo also takes a page from Apple's playbook by including a gesturing touchpad which supports “multiple finger tracking, supporting chiral scrolling, pinch and momentum gestures”.

When it comes to port selection and wireless options, Voodoo doesn't disappoint. The Voodoo Envy comes equipped with one USB 2.0 port, one eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port, an ExpressCard 34 slot, and HDMI. Wireless duties are handled by an Intel 802.11n adapter and Bluetooth 2.0 is also included -- integrated mobile broadband is optional. As an added bonus, the Voodoo Envy's power adapter doubles as a WiFi access point.

The Voodoo Envy starts at $2,099.

Source from DailyTech

OCZ Barbone Gaming Notebook in-stock at Buy.com for $669.99 after mail-in rebate.

In mid-May, DailyTech broke the news that OCZ would be entering the DIY notebook market with its Barebone Gaming Notebook. Less than a month later, the notebook is finally hit e-tailer store shelves.

"For years consumers have wanted to build their own mobile computing platforms, but the product offerings and market simply did not serve them as they did in the desktop do it yourself segment," said OCZ Systems Solutions Product Manager Eugene Chang back in May. "With the OCZ Do-It-Yourself Notebook initiative, OCZ empowers with the resources like validated component guides, documentation, tech support, and a warranty to allow consumers to configure and build a true gaming notebook with the exact specification that matches their unique requirements."

Buy.com now has the OCZ Barebone Gaming Notebook (OCZNBIAS15DIYA) in stock for $719.99 with free shipping. Buyers can send off for a manufacturer's mail-in rebate to drop that price to $669.99.

That price will get you the actual 15.4" notebook, requisite Intel PM965 chipset, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT mobile GPU, 8x DVD burner, and 9-cell battery. The processor, memory, HDD, WiFi/Bluetooth adapters, and operating system must be provided by the buyers which would easily push the price close to, or over the $1,000 mark.

It's nice to see that OCZ is giving buyers a choice with a system that they can configure and put together themselves, but many may wonder what if any cost savings can be realized by going this route considering the steady drop in pricing for notebook computers.

Source from DailyTech

Dell and MSI talk of their upcoming mini-notes

ASUS may have created the low-cost, mini-note category with its Eee PC 701 4G, but more and more companies are looking to jump in with their own entries. Over the past week, Dell confirmed the existence of its "Inspiron Mini" and MSI officially announced the Wind which will be available June 16.

Dell recently gave some in the media a chance to look at a pre-production Inspiron Mini that was decked out with a glossy black lid instead of the glossy red lid featured in the original press photos. The pre-production unit also had some minor difference in the keyboard lettering and Function modifiers.

Speaking of the keyboard, Dell Consumer Group Senior VP Alex Gruzen went on to discuss the missing feature that had many potential customers up in arms when the firsts images were revealed online: the lack of a top row of Function keys.

"This was a trade off so the rest of the keys could be bigger," said Gruzen. "The reason we were later to the market is we’ve been working on getting the right keyboard."

The keypad design accommodates as best as possible the best user experience for this class of products."

Maybe Dell knows something that the rest of us don't, but the lack of a top row of function keys could be a deal-breaker for some people in what looks to be an otherwise attractive machine. In its current iteration, the Function keys are eliminated due to the intrusion of the battery.



In other mini-note news, MSI is already talking about the next generation Wind. The current model, which was officially announced earlier this week, has seen rave reviews from around the web.

The 10" notebook is already quite small, weighing only 2.2 pounds in its base configuration. MSI is not content, however, and wants to launch a thinner, lighter version during the first quarter of 2009. The new version would be targeted at business customers and will use the same processor/chipset as the current Wind.

MSI is also looking at yet another variant that would be even smaller and more in line with Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs). The device is expected to have a screen of 7" or smaller along with a slide-out keyboard.

Source from DilyTech

MSI delivers a knockout punch with the Wind

It looks like MSI has finally delivered on the promise of an "Eee PC Killer". Details of MSI's new netbook first came to light in mid-May and the specs and pricing were enough to capture the attention of many potential customers.

As announced in May, the MSI Wind is equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor paired with an Intel 945GMS northbridge and ICH7M southbridge. The Linux model will come standard with 512MB of DDR2 memory, while the Windows XP Home model ups that figure to 1GB (2GB maximum) -- both come standard with a 2.5" 80GB 5400 RPM HDD.

Other niceties of the include a 10", 1024x600 display, 1.3MP webcam, 4-in-1 media reader, three USB 2.0 ports, GbE, 802.11b/g wireless, and standard Bluetooth (Windows XP version only). The 2.2-pound Linux model will come standard with a 3-cell battery and the 2.6-pound Windows XP model is equipped with a 6-cell battery (rated at 5.5 hours).

Now comes the part that everyone will want to know about -- pricing. Andy Tung, MSI's Director of U.S. sales stated in May that the Linux and Windows XP versions of the Wind would be priced at $399 and $549 respectively -- those figures weren't entirely correct. While the Linux model is indeed priced at $399, the Windows XP version will slide in at a reasonable $499.

At that price, MSI looks to have a winner on its hands. The 2.6-pound Wind with Windows XP stacks up nicely against its immediate competition (Eee PC 900/901, HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, etc.) as well as notebooks costing more than three times its price. The long battery life and Bluetooth put it over the top.

Laptop Magazine gave the Windows XP version a glowing review as it received 4.5 out of five stars with the main complaints being the single mouse button and below average wireless throughput. The editors, however, had plenty to like about the machine including its TurboDrive feature which can overclock the system to 1.9GHz in AC mode or drop the clock down to 1.1GHz on battery mode for improved battery life.

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Source from DailyTech

The Eee PC 1000 carries on the same new design introduced with the Eee PC 901, albeit on a larger scale. The biggest change notable should be the significantly larger keyboard. The original Eee PC 701 and Eee PC 900/901 featured a tiny, cramped keyboard that many have complained about. The Eee PC 1000, however, joins the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC with a 92% full-size keyboard.

The increased dimensions of the Eee PC 1000 make it a bit closer in size to the MSI Wind which has garnered a lot of attention over the past few weeks. The increased physical dimensions also mean that weight is also up significantly for the newest Eee PC family member.

Whereas the original Eee PC 701 and Eee PC 900 hovered around the two-pound mark, the Eee PC 1000 weighs in at a "hefty" 3.19 pounds. This compares to 2.42 pounds and 2.88 pounds respectively for the 3-cell and 6-cell versions of the MSI Wind.

As reported this afternoon, the Intel Atom-powered device will support up to 2GB of DDR2 memory and can be equipped with an 80GB HDD. Windows XP Home and Linux version of the Eee PC 1000 will be available for purchase as is the case with previous Eee PC models.

today ASUS officially launched its Eee PC 1000 and Eee PC 1000H. The Eee PC 1000 will be available with up to a 40GB SSD while the Eee PC 1000H will be available with up to an 80GB 2.5" 5400RPM HDD.

The Eee PC 1000/1000H and Eee PC 901 are all equipped with an Atom processor and include ASUS's Super Hybrid engine which allows for easy manipulation of CPU speed, CPU voltage, and screen brightness to extend the life of the battery. When running in its most extreme mode, the Super Hybrid Engine can extract 7.8 hours of battery life from the new Eee PCs.

In addition, ASUS is also providing its new Eee PC family with 20GB of dedicated online storage (per machine) to perform backups or store personal data.

Source from DailyTech

A case of déjà vu sets in with VIA's OpenBook Mini-Note reference design.

The low-cost notebook market has exploded in recent months following the launch of the ASUS Eee PC. Many of the big names in the business have already launched products to compete in the sector (Hewlett Packard, Everex) while others are putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming entries (Dell, MSI, ECS).

VIA doesn't want to be left behind in what is seen as a growing market and today launched its OpenBook mini-note reference design. The OpenBook is based around VIA's venerable C7-M processor (1.0GHz to 1.6GHz) and features the new VX800 integrated chipset (VIA Chrome9, DirectX 9.0) to handle graphics duties.

The OpenBook comes equipped with an 8.9" display -- like many of its competitors -- and features a resolution of 1024x600. Other features include three USB 2.0 ports, 4-in-1 media reader, 2MP digital camera, VGA connector, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The OpenBook can also be optioned with WiMAX, HSDPA, or EV-DO depending on your usage needs. Users can also choose from a variety of HDD or solid state disk (SSD) storage options.

Another thing to take note of is the "open" part of the OpenBook -- VIA gives manufacturers full access to the CAD plans of the notebook so that they can develop their own notebooks thanks to a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license.

"The VIA OpenBook builds on the great success of the VIA NanoBook reference design launched last year, which has been widely adopted by numerous customers around the world," remarked VIA's VP of Corporate Marketing, Richard Brown. "Our unique open approach to case design customization and wireless connectivity flexibility, coupled with the higher levels of performance, further extends VIA's leadership in the global mini-note market."

If all of this sounds familiar, it should come as no surprise that an eerily similar product was announced by Everex in early April. Although VIA informed us that the "[Everex] CloudBook Max was designed by a different company," one only needs to look at the pictures and the specifications to see that the two notebooks are virtual twins.

That being said, the VIA OpenBook will be compatible with Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows XP, and Linux when it ships later this year. Pricing has not yet been announced for notebooks using this reference design, but expect them to occupy the $400 to $600 price range depending on communications and storage options

Source From DailyTech

OCZ branches out to include notebooks under its growing umbrella.

While most people know OCZ Technology as a memory company, it has recently branched out into many sector of the computing market. OCZ's portfolio has now expanded to include video cards, power supplies, memory cards and solid-state drives (SSDs).

OCZ hopes to branch out even further with the announcement of a new do-it-yourself (DIY) gaming notebook. End-users will be able to purchase the DIY notebook barebones and add components to the machine to build an entire system. OCZ venders, however, will be able to spec the notebooks however they see fit.

Each notebook comes from OCZ standard with a 15.4" WXGA display, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 512MB GPU, Intel PM965 northbridge/ICH8M southbridge, SATA support for HDDs or SSDs, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard 34/54 slot, and a fingerprint reader. Optional components will include Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a TV tuner, and a Intel 4965AGN 802.11a/g/n wireless adapter.

OCZ's DIY gaming notebook is no lightweight, however, and weighs in at hefty 7 pounds with a 9-cell battery pack. External dimensions for the machine ring in at 14.25" x 11.25" x 1.5".

"For years consumers have wanted to build their own mobile computing platforms, but the product offerings and market simply did not serve them as they did in the desktop do it yourself segment," said OCZ Systems Solutions Product Manager Eugene Chang. "With the OCZ Do-It-Yourself Notebook initiative, OCZ empowers with the resources like validated component guides, documentation, tech support, and a warranty to allow consumers to configure and build a true gaming notebook with the exact specification that matches their unique requirements."

OCZ also plans to go above and beyond the call of duty by offering validated components in the system, toll-free support, and detailed instructions on how to complete a new system build.

Pricing has not been announced for OCZ's DIY gaming notebook, but will be revealed when the system and its siblings arrive later this year.

Source from DailyTech

Lenovo aims to impress with the IdeaPad U110

Back in early January, DailyTech reported on Lenovo's IdeaPad U110 ultra-portable notebook. Details on the swanky notebook where scarce at that time, but Lenovo's latest offering is now available to order.
The IdeaPad U110 features a smallish 11.1" LED-backlit WXGA display coupled with Intel's X3100 integrated graphics adapter. A 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor provides motivation for the notebook and storage duties are handled by a 120GB HDD. Standard memory is a generous 2GB.

When it comes to ports and peripherals, the IdeaPad U110 is pretty much par for the course. It features a 1.3MP webcam, three USB 2.0 ports, a 6-in-1 media reader, ExpressCard slot, VeriFace face recognition, and a Dolby Home Theater audio system. Unlike some other “ultra-portable” manufacturers, Lenovo is also including an external dual-layer DVD burner as standard equipment with the notebook.

Lenovo wishes to make a design statement with the IdeaPad U110, so the screen is frameless and extends to the edges of the lid, the body is made of magnesium and aluminum, and the aluminum LCD lid is etched. The notebook is also available in either red or black.

Given the displays rather small 11.1" diagonal measurement, it's easy to understand that the rest of the notebook's dimensions are equally minimalist. The IdeaPad U110 weighs in at just 2.4 pounds with the standard 4-cell battery and is only 0.7 inches thick -- a 7-cell battery is also included with shipping IdeaPad U110 notebooks.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is currently available for purchase from Lenovo's website at a starting price of $1,899. The price includes the aforementioned 4-cell/7-cell batteries and the external DVD burner. The notebook also comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium.

Source from DailyTech

Dell shows off its second-generation Tablet PC

Dell's Latitude XT was met with great anticipation when specs for the device first leaked in May of 2007. Interest began to dwindle somewhat, however, when Dell announced the $2,499 starting price for its first entry into the Tablet PC arena.

The current generation Latitude XT makes use of Intel Core 2 Solo and Core 2 Duo processors and ATI's Radeon X1250 mobile graphics core. The Tablet features a 12.1" WXGA display that can be had with traditional CCFL or LED backlighting.

Connectivity options abound with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11n and optional HSDPA/EVDO support. Users also have access to three USB 2.0 ports.

Dell isn't resting on its laurel with the Latitude XT -- Engadget managed to get its hands on a computer-generated image and specs for the XT's successor: the Latitude XT2.

The Latitude XT2 will be built on Intel's Montevina (Centrino 2) platform and will include Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) and Low Voltage (LV) processors. The Latitude XT2 will also make use of Intel's new integrated graphics core. Dell's port selection for the XT2 is not surprising and will include a VGA, NIC, Firewire, two USB 2.0 ports, and an eSATA port. An ExpressCard slot and SDHC reader are also included in the mix.

Dell is currently studying the feasibility of including an optical drive on the XT2 -- a feature that was lacking on the original XT.

The 3.5-pound Latitude XT2 is expected to launch this November -- hopefully Dell will bring pricing for its second generation closer to Earth this time.

Source from DailyTech

ECS shows off 11" notebook with HSDPA

ASUS made headlines around the globe earlier this week with the 8.9" Eee PC 900 at CeBIT. The second generation Eee PC improves upon its predecessor with a higher resolution screen, larger trackpad, more storage/memory and hopefully a faster/more power efficient processor.

ASUS-rival ECS is tired of letting the Eee PC hog the spotlight in the sub-$500 price range and today showed off its 11" G10IL sub-notebook. Hard specifications for the device (processor, chipsets, memory, storage capacity/type, etc.) were not revealed, but we do know that the G10IL will come with three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, VGA connection, 56k modem and built-in HSDPA 7.2.

Although it wasn't mentioned, 802.11a/g support is a given and Bluetooth connectivity is likely for the production model. As with the Eee PC 401/Eee PC 900, no optical drive is included with the ECS G10IL.

It should be interesting to see what processor platform ECS chooses to power the G10IL. The notebook appears to be pretty feature-packed for the sub-$500 price point, so one would likely point towards a VIA-based platform for cost reasons.

However, Intel's new Atom processor and Centrino Atom platform could give VIA a run for the money in pricing and power efficiency. Regardless of which processing platform ECS chooses, we'll keep you informed with the latest details.

Source from DailyTech

Dell updates one of its workstations and provides a rugged version of its Latitude D630

Dell is expanding its reach into the business market with two business laptops. The first is a refresh to the Precision M6300 Workstation aimed at digital content creators and CAD users while second is the rugged Latitude XFR D630 designed to withstand tremendous abuse.

The refreshed Precision M6300 is built around Intel's new 45-nanometer Penryn processors. Customers can choose from Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.6GHz and up to a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme processor can be selected. Dual memory slots supports up to 8GB of memory, while graphics options include the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1600M (256MB) and Quadro FX 3600M (512MB).


The NVIDIA GPUs will sync up with a 17" LCD on the Precision M6300 -- customers will be able to decide on a 1440x900 resolution, but most will likely go for the optional 1920x1200 display.

Considering that the Precision M6300 packs considerable firepower, it should come as no surprise that the 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.6" weighs in at a hefty 8.5 pounds.

Pricing starts at around $2,400 for a base Precision M6300 -- adding options like a solid-state drive (SSD) will quickly inflate that figure.

The other new notebook from the Dell camp is the Latitude XFR D630. Dell says that this new notebook meets MIL-STD 810F standards from the Department of Defense. Dell is positioning the notebook to take on Panasonic's popular Toughbook series -- in fact, Dell says that its Latitude XFR D630 offers 23% better system performance than the Toughbook CF-30.

"The Latitude XFR D630 represents a tectonic shift towards simplicity in the ruggedized laptop space," said Dell Product Group Director Brett McAnally, director, Dell Product Group. "We are taking a multi-dimensional approach that focuses on simplified deployment, service and durability without sacrificing performance. Major competitors focus their efforts on ‘rugged’ only."

The Latitude XFR D630 features a 14.1" display with DirectVue technology, sealed keyboard, dual locking butterfly mechanisms for access to system components, optional SSD storage options and shock mounting for the hard drive, LCD and other critical points.

The Latitude XFR D630 is available now with a starting price of $3,899.

Source from DailyTech

ASUS' popular Eee PC gets a screen, memory boost

The wait is nearly over for an Eee PC with a larger screen. DailyTech reported in early January that ASUS was hard at work on an 8.9" version of its wildly popular Eee PC sub-notebook. Today, images and details are finally rolling out for the highly-anticipated update.

Engadget was able to fondle ASUS's new Eee PC at CeBIT, but ASUS officials would not allow the publication to boot the machine up -- likely for fear of spilling the beans on the Eee PC's processor/chipset. However, we do know that the Eee PC 900 will feature 1GB of memory and will be available in storage capacities up to 12GB (up from 8GB max on the current Eee PC).

As previously reported, the 8.9" display should have a 1024x600 resolution which is a welcome jump from the confining 800x480 display on the first-generation Eee PC. The increase in screen real estate made a minimal impact on the exterior dimensions of the device -- the Eee PC 900 is slightly larger and thicker and features a larger touchpad. The keyboard looks to identical to the previous model.

According to Engadget, the larger display will have a negligible impact on battery performance with battery lifetime quoted at 2.5 to 3 hours.

We will have to wait until tomorrow to get the full specifications for ASUS' Eee PC 900 -- at that time, we'll learn if the new model will use a traditional Mobile Celeron processor as its predecessor or one of Intel's new Atom processors.

ASUS says that the Eee PC 900 12G will launch in mid-2008 with a price tag of €399 ($600 USD).

Source from DailyTech

Toshiba Portégé R500 gets another wireless option

There is a steady stream of new, Windows-based, ultra-portable notebooks making the rounds these days. Fujitsu launched its 2.2 pound LifeBook P1620 on Friday and Lenovo's 13.3", 2.5 pound X300 was also leaked to the web.

Toshiba is now throwing its weight behind the idea of lightweight notebooks with a 3G update to its Portégé R500 notebook. Toshiba also claims that its R500 is the thinnest and lightest notebook on the market: it is just 25.5mm thick and weighs only 1.7 pounds.

The addition of HSDPA support makes the R500 a worthwhile companion to any mobile warrior. The notebook is available in two versions: The R500-11J and the R500-11I.

Both notebooks feature a 1.2Ghz Intel ULV Core 2 Duo U7600 processor, Intel 945GMS Express chipset, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 12.1" (1280x800) LED-backlit display, 2GB of DDR2 memory, GbE, 802.11a/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.

The two differ in storage options and weight. The 1.7 pound R500-11J comes equipped with a 64GB solid-state disk (SSD) and no optical drive. The 2.2 pound R500-11I uses a traditional 120GB, 5400 RPM HDD and an ultra-slim Super-Multi DVD burner.

Those willing to take a look at the Portégé R500 Series will have to fork over some big bucks if they decide to take the plunge. The R500-11I will retail for an estimated $3,000 USD. Stepping up to the R500-11J with the 64GB SSD will boost the price to $3,658 USD.

Source from DailyTech

Lenovo readies an ultra-light notebook of its own

It seems quite convenient that just days after the launch of the MacBook Air that a new lightweight notebook from Lenovo finds itself leaked onto the web. We're not ones to sweep such items under the rug, so here's the skinny on Lenovo's latest and greatest.

According to Gizmodo, the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 uses a Merom-based 2.0GHz "Dual Core Hybrid LV" processor with a 12W thermal envelope. The hybrid nature of the processor could mean that it is related to the special processor that Apple worked with Intel to develop for the MacBook Air.

The ThinkPad X300 features a 13.3", 1440x900 LED backlit display, two DIMM slots for a maximum of 4GB of DDR2 memory, fingerprint reader, touchpad and trackpoint inputs, webcam, and a full-size keyboard.

When it comes to connectivity, Lenovo throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Physical connections include three USB 2.0 ports, three internal PCI-E slots and GbE. Lenovo covers the entire wireless spectrum with Bluetooth, 802.11n, Verizon EV-DO Rev A, Cingular HSDPA and WiMAX options.

Surprisingly, Lenovo lists just one internal storage option for the ThinkPad X300: a 64GB solid state disk (SSD). There is no mention of a HDD, but surely there will be one available, otherwise the X300 will start off as an extremely expensive notebook. For those looking for optical storage, Lenovo hasn't forgotten about you and they do in fact include a DVD burner onboard.

Most importantly, Lenovo managed to pack all of these features into a 12.5" x 9" x 0.73" - 0.92" frame that weighs 2.5 pounds. The 2.5 pound weight is likely calculated with a 3-cell battery. Lenovo lists an upper limit of 3.17 pounds which probably takes into account a 6-cell or 9-cell battery.

We don't have any information with regards to pricing or availability, but stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Source from DailyTech

Toshiba ships best notebooks computers featuring rewritable HD DVD drive
Consumers have been healthy to have notebook computers for a piece today with home Blu-ray drives which could too pen to clean Blu-ray disks. Notebooks were too free that would make movies on interior HD DVD drives.

Information Week reports that Toshiba will get dealing in Japan this week the best notebook calculator which integrates a rewriteable HD DVD visual driving. A couple of Toshiba notebooks in the Qosmio Series 2 home will admit these HD DVD rewritable drives. One example will be free with a 17-inch cover featuring a 1920 x 1200 cover answer and one with a 15. 4-inch cover using a 1280 x 800 solution.

Those specifications should mean that the 17-inch notebook would be able to output full 1080p movies from HD DVD discs and the 15.4-inch version will be able to show 720p HD content. Both of these systems are far from what would be considered easily portable.

The Qosmio G40/97E 17-inch screen version is reported to weigh 10.6 pounds while the Qosmio F40/88EBL 15.4-inch version weighs 7.7 pounds. Information Week surmises from the size and heft of the machines they are intended to replace a separate computer and TV in cramped apartments in Japan.

Toshiba also says that both the notebooks will be capable of viewing one show while recording another thanks to dual TV tuners. The HD DVD drives themselves will be able to write to HD DVD recordable media as well as writing to normal DVD media with support for HD Rec extension.

The 15.4-inch Qosmio will retail for around $2,600 USD and the 17-inch version will retail for around $3,500 USD.

The HD DVD rewritable drives used in these Toshiba notebooks shouldn’t be confused with the HD DVD drives used in older Toshiba notebooks like the Satellite X205-SLI1 that would play HD DVD movies and write to standard DVD media only. Rewritable Blu-ray drives have been available for a while now on systems like the Dell XPS m1530.

It looks as though Dell has even more up its sleeve today after the announcement of the Dell Precision T5400 and T7400. Next up to bat for Dell is the XPS m1530 notebook.

The 15.4" XPS m1530 is the bigger brother to the XPS m1330 which sports a 13.3" display. Processor options for the new notebook range from a 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo T5250 on up to a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo T7800 processor. As with most new notebooks today, the XPS m1530 supports up to 4GB of DDR2 memory.

Customers can choose from either a 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS or GeForce 8600M GT for graphics duties while storage options are plentiful -- up to 200GB (7200 RPM), 300GB (5400 RPM) or 64GB (SSD) are supported. Other storage options include either a slot-loading dual-layer DVD burner or a slot-loading Blu-ray drive.

Other niceties include three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI output, Firewire, an 8-in-1 media reader, an ExpressCard slot and integrated 2.0MP camera. Options include an Intel 802.11n wireless card, Dell Wireless 5520 HSDPA, Dell Wireless 5720 EVDO and Bluetooth 2.0.



The XPS m1530 measures 14.06" x 10.34" x 1.28" and weighs 5.78 pounds with the standard 6-cell 56WHr battery -- a 9-cell 85WHr battery is optional.

Unfortunately for potential customers, Dell has skimped on the display as it is only available with a 1280x800 (WXGA) screen resolution -- a 1440x900 option would have been nice. In addition, Dell doesn't even give users the option of upgrading to LED backlighting (as seen on the XPS m1330).

The lack of LED backlighting shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, however, as Dell ran into shortage problems with LED-backlit displays on the m1330 and supplying larger 15.4" panels could have been problematic for the company. Hopefully, Dell can get the kinks works out in the future.

Dell's new XPS m1330 is available now at a starting price of $999. Customers can choose Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate for the operating system while Alpine White, Tuxedo Black and Crimson Red are your colors of choice for the notebook itself.


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Dell is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Precision lineup with the announcement of the Precision M6300 notebook. The new notebook replaces the old Precision M90 and is aimed at the business market.

The M6300 features a 17" "Road Ready" chassis design (magnesium alloy). The use of lightweight materials has allowed Dell to trim the weight of the M6300 to 8.5 pounds compared to 9 pounds for the older M90. The M6300 also makes use of a metal display backing to aid in rigidity and durability.

When it comes to hardware specs, the Santa Rosa-based M6300 doesn't disappoint. The notebook features NVIDIA's Quadro FX 1600M with 512MB of TurboCache (256MB dedicated). Dell offers the M6300 in WXGA+ (1440x900) and WUXGA (1920x1200) screen resolutions with TrueLife or anti-glare screen coatings. Unfortunately at this time, LED backlighting will not be available for the M6300 although company representatives note that the option could be made available at a later date.

On the processor front, the M6300 will make available Intel's new Core 2 Duo X7900 processor which clocks in at 2.8GHz (800MHz FSB). As is standard fare with most Santa Rosa notebooks today, the M6300 supports up to 4GB of DDR2 memory. Dell notes that the M6300 can support the full 4GB (rather than 3GB) due to 36-bit addressing when paired with a 64-bit capable operating system.

Storage options abound for the M6300. Dell offers traditional HDDs up to 200GB in size with a 7200RPM spindle speed as well as a 120GB encrypted HDD. Dell will also make available a SanDisk 32GB solid-state disk (SSD) for those that crave the ultimate in performance and durability. Optical drive options include an 8x DVD, 24x CD-RW, 8x DVD+/-RW and a Blu-ray drive (2x writeable).

For those that need wireless connectivity, Dell offers its branded 802.11a/g/n network solutions as well as competing solutions from Intel. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and the Dell Wireless 5510 HSDPA (AT&T) card are optional.

Other features include six USB 2.0 ports, DVI, VGA, S-video, FireWire, 5-in-1 media reader, Express Card slot and an optional UPEK fingerprint reader.

Dell claims that the M6300 will operate for up to four hours on its standard 9-cell battery and is Energy Star 4.0 compliant in all of its configurations.

When it comes to operating systems, Dell will offer Windows XP, Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. RedHat Linux 5.1 will also be made available in October.

"Customers buy workstations because they need maximum performance to get a job done, said Dell Product Group VP Vivek Mohindra. "The M6300 is ideal for customers who want to run demanding professional applications no matter where they are."


Source from DailyTech

Asus launches a high-end leather-clad notebook



Dell isn't the only company these days with a sexy 13.3" notebook to brag about. Asus today announced its sleek new 13.3" U3 (LED backlit, WXGA) which is based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform.

The U3 piano-black LCD cover, while the rest of the notebook is constructed of magnesium aluminum alloy. Asus even throws in a genuine leather palm rest for good measure.

When it comes to the guts of the machine, the U3 can accept Core 2 Duo processors up to T7500, Intel Turbo Memory and up to 2.5GB of DDR2 memory. An NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G GPU is provided (128MB of dedicated memory). Up to a 160GB HDD is supported by the U3, but it does not have an integrated optical drive. Users will have to go with either an external USB 2.0 or Firewire drive in order to read CDs or DVDs.

Connectivity options are plentiful on the U3. Asus provides Intel's 4965AGN wireless network adapter, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, GPS and a built-in 3G module for mobile broadband. Potential customers will also be happy to note that Asus has also included an HDMI port and eSATA on the U3.

Asus' U3 weighs in at 3.86 pounds with its standard 3-cell battery.

Asus has not released pricing for the U3 yet, but expect for it to retail in the neighborhood of $2,000 USD.


Source from DailyTech