The PsiXpda is a capable, small, but expensive Netbook.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET)LAS VEGAS--I had a brief chance to check out the new PsiXpda ultramobile PC at a CES party Wednesday night. As has been written elsewhere, this is a cleverly packaged tiny Netbook with a solid spec sheet and full connectivity options (Wi-Fi and 3G). It's about $700, and a nerd's delight. The keyboard is small but not too small, and the screen is bright and legible, although it's only 5 inches diagonally, cramped compared to most Netbooks.
Social Media Club founder Chris Heuer and the PsiXpda at CES 2010.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET)Nice design features include a slide-out, tip-up screen. It has a capacitive touch surface, and in a clever twist, some of the glass off to the right of the screen works like a trackpad, while touching the screen directly gives you the one-to-one mouse tracking you'd expect. (There are two mouse buttons to the left of the screen.) The PsiXpda has an Atom CPU and ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
LAS VEGAS--Lenovo has made an impressive splash at this year's CES and the main halls haven't even opened up yet: its bold new takes on ultramobile notebooks--the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, Skylight, and IdeaPad S10-3t--have caused a big stir and bigger discussions as to whether each will perform as well as they look. In a one-on-one hands-on today, we got a chance to spend time with all three and their more buttoned-down IdeaPad S10-3, and our impressions are positive but mixed.
To start with, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a fascinating idea. The sleek round notebook has a form almost like the old clamshell iBooks from years ago, or a Motorola PEBL as a laptop. Textured surfaces on the inside and a shiny, translucent ruby lid give the machine an instantly eye-catching appeal. The showcase feature of the U1--the undocking of its 11.6-inch screen to become its own handheld Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered tablet--is accomplished via a pin dock at the base of the screen that activates Wndows 7 when attached, or turns ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
HP)
One of our favorite Netbooks of 2009 was the HP Mini 5101. Part of HP's business line (as opposed to its consumer line), we liked the system's rugged metal construction and easy to use keyboard, along with its reasonable configuration options (although those have since been outshined by other Netbooks).
The Mini 5102 has a tweaked keyboard with widely spaced flat-topped keys and is also spill-resistant. Like many HP business systems, it includes HP's DriveGuard accelerator technology, which parks the hard-drive head when a fall is detected. The body, with a magnesium alloy base and anodized aluminum enclosure, feels like a much more road-worthy product than typical plastic Netbooks.
One interesting extra is an optional carrying handle, similar to ones we've seen on Netbooks aimed at the education market. It felt a bit too clunky to us, but perhaps if you're looking to go bag-free, it's worth a look.
It's still a 10-inch system, but both 1,024x600 and 1,366x768 displays will ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
Gateway)
Acer/Gateway is smartly combining Intel's new Atom N450 Netbook processor with our preferred Netbook price: $299. The new Gateway LT21 is a 10-inch 1,024x600-pixel Netbook, with a large six-cell battery in either "Extended" (5600mAh) or "Standard" (4400mAh) designs, for up to a purported 10 hours of battery life.
Other than the inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi (in select models), and some basic multitouch gestures on the touch pad, this is a standard off-the-shelf 10-inch Netbook. The new design tweaks include a larger keyboard than previous Gateway models, which reminds us of the flat-topped, tightly spaced keys on Acer's Timeline series of laptops.
The Gateway LT21 will be available in Cherry Red, NightSky Black, and Glacier White, all of which feature a subtle wave pattern in the lid. Starting at $299, they will be available starting later in January.
The Compaq Mini 102
(Credit: HP)We've always been more partial to the Netbooks put out by HP's business side, but budget-conscious buyers can get largely similar systems from HP's consumer side, with lower starting prices.
The line, anchored by the Mini 110 is getting a modest makeover, morphing into the Mini 210. New to this model are optional colors, including Black Crystal, Silver Crystal, Pacific Blue, and Sonoma Red. Most importantly, the awkward side-anchored mouse buttons have been moved to a more traditional spot below the touch pad, fixing one of the major annoyances of the Mini 110.
The HP Mini 210
(Credit: HP)These 10.1-inch systems will include the new Intel Atom N450 CPU, along with a redesigned island-style keyboard. Starting at only $299, which is what we like to see from basic Netbooks, you can trade up to more RAM, a bigger hard drive, or an optional HD video accelerator, but no Nvidia Ion (for that, you'll need to get the 11-inch HP Mini 311).
There's ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
HP)
Sitting halfway between the consumer Mini 210 and the business Mini 5102 is the HP Mini 2102. Technically part of HP's business line, it still shares more of its DNA with the company's consumer Netbooks than with the high-end metal-clad Mini 5102 model.
HP calls it an "economical choice for mobile professionals who need a companion PC for on-the-go computing." The Mini 2102 is available in only basic black, instead of the colorful palette of hues found in HP's other Netbooks.
While the rounded edges remind us more of the HP Mini 110 and Mini 210, you still get your choice of Intel Atom N450 and N4470 processors (the latter will not be available until March), and 160, 250, or 320GB 7,200rpm hard drives.
The 10-inch display is stuck at 1,024x600-pixel resolution, unlike the Mini 5102, which can be upgraded to 1,366x768 pixels--once you've tried an HD Netbook screen, either of the 10.1- or 11.6-inch variety, it's hard to go back.
Starting at $... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
Lenovo)
Lenovo is having a field day this CES with reinventing portable devices. As if smartbooks and hybrid tablet/notebooks weren't enough, the newly-announced IdeaPad S10-3t sounds even more enticing to purchase.
While many swivel-screen Netbooks have shown more promise than actual performance, the details here are eye-catching. New Atom processors up to the Atom N470 and a 10.1-inch screen are accompanied by up to a 320GB hard drive and a four- or eight-cell battery.
The "Natural Touch" panel is multitouch and, to our excitement, capacitive like an iPhone's, avoiding the awkward world of pressure-based resistive displays used in stylus-based touchscreens. The Dolby sound and hi-def screen suggest the S10-3t could be a decent media machine as well, especially when folded over into a very commuting-friendly form. 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, and WiMax are supported. 2 USB ports, VGA-out, and a multi-format carder round out the features.
At a starting price of $499, the S10-3t isn't cheap--but it could be an excellent set of features
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Tablet and Netbopk combined: the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
(Credit: Lenovo)Tablets are rapidly becoming the hot chatter-buzzword of 2010. Netbooks were very 2009. Combine them both and perhaps you end up with a great idea--at least, so hopes Lenovo. In one of the boldest moves in laptop technology at CES, the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid doesn't just flip its screen to become a tablet--the screen detaches completely as its own separately powered computing device.
Perhaps it sounds too good to be true, and we're both skeptical and very curious here at CNET. At an estimated cost of $999, the U1 will have in its main body an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor, and its 11.6-inch multitouch screen will house a separate ARM processor and battery. Both devices will produce completely different experiences, however, according to Lenovo's press release. Availability hasn't been revealed yet, but Lenovo should release those details soon.
In its notebook form, the hybrid will run Windows 7 Home Premium and
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Pick your color (as long as it's black or red).
(Credit: Lenovo)Lenovo's ThinkPad brand has been successful and durable, but also a bit staid. The company's recent announcements on the ThinkPad Edge brand and the compact X100e are attempts to shake up the landscape a little for professionals, and for those who desire Netbooks in the corporate world.
Starting at $449, the X100e doesn't feature an Intel Atom processor--rather, you have your choice of AMD Athlon Neo (single or dual-core) or Turion dual-core CPUs. Notably, this is the first ThinkPad to use an AMD processor.
A full-size raised keyboard, similar to the design in the new Edge line, features slightly concave keys for more comfortable typing. The build is sturdy, and the X100e comes with a standard suite of ThinkPad professional software.
Other features include ATI Radeon 3200 HD graphics, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 display, three USB ports, 802.11n, and optional Bluetooth/3G. Oh, yes: it also comes in black or racy red.
The X100e is currently advertised on Lenovo's Web site, ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Acer has unveiled the latest entry to its hot Aspire One Netbook line--this one powered by Intel's new N450 Atom processor.
The newly-launched Acer Aspire One AO532h, driven by Intel's next-gen N450 chip, is designed to offer better performance and longer battery life than older Netbooks. Acer claims the new machine can last up to 8 hours with the standard 6-cell Li-ion (4400 mAh) battery or 10 hours with a high-density 6-cell (5600 mAh) battery.
The N450 processor frees up space by integrating the graphics processor onto the CPU, so Netbooks can be smaller and thinner. The Aspire One AO532h comes in just under an inch thick and weighs a bit over 2.5 pounds while sporting a 10.1-inch screen, according to Acer's specs.
The new Netbook comes with 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB SATA hard drive, a 10/100 Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi, a media card reader, and a Webcam. Acer also includes a multi-gesture touch pad that lets you use glide, pinch, and swirl your fingers to more easily move around the screen. The keyboard is 93 percent standard size, according to Acer, so it should be less cramped than many other Netbook keyboards.
Like most Netbooks, ... Read More
