mininotebook

Perhaps the better question is, "Who isn't getting into mini-notebooks these days?"

The latest rumor floating around is that Korean electronics giant LG has asked MSI to build for it a tiny notebook based on Intel's Netbook reference design containing an Atom processor.

This one was started by Digitimes, and it says that MSI will make a Windows XP-based mini-notebook with an 8.9-inch screen, 2GB of memory, and a 120GB hard drive.

Those specs are closer to Hewlett-Packard's mini-notebook, the 2133 Mini-Note, released this spring, than MSI's much-talked about Netbook, the Wind. (MSI … Read more

After navigating some rough seas, Sony's Electronics division has been starting to right the ship.

Over the past year, the company has been forced to rethink its product lineup and catch up to competitors in some cases, but now the Japanese electronics giant's U.S. division is looking ahead and betting big on the future of flat-panel televisions and high-definition media.

CNET News.com sat down with the head of Sony Electronics' U.S. operation, Stan Glasgow, to talk OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) TVs, Blu-ray Disc, the importance of the PlayStation 3, consumer electronics, and the dwindling margins … Read more

Scheduled to start shipping today, the MSI Wind has been delayed--blown off course, if you'll forgive the unavoidable pun. Citing battery shortages because of the fire at LG Chem's Ochang plant this past March, MSI has delayed the launch of its mininotebook until June 27. On that date, the company will begin shipping an XP version of the Wind with a 3-cell battery for $479. In July, MSI will start shipping the Linux version for $399 and an XP version with a 6-cell battery for $499. All models will feature an Intel Atom CPU and 10-inch screen.

Note: … Read more

First International Computer, a Taiwanese computer manufacturer and the parent company of U.S.-based Everex, announced two new mininotebooks at Computex this week. The field of tiny laptops is already starting to look crowded (with the HP 2133, Eee PC, and MSI Wind--heck, even Dell's working on an mini-laptop), but FIC has a distinguishing characteristic right out of the gate: the otherwise identical systems can be configured with either a C7-M processor from Via Technologies or Intel's new Atom CPU.

Both the Via-based CE2A1 and Intel-based CW0A1 feature an 8.9-inch screen and a 1.3-megapixel … Read more

Earlier we brought you details on the Aspire One--Acer's rival to the Eee PC 900. While you've been reading that, we've been hanging with our chums at Acer, getting a proper hands-on, and taking pictures. Lots of pictures.

Feel free to click through to the images now, but you might want to stick around for some details. Specs-wise, Acer's supplying both Linux and Windows XP versions of the One. Both models will use an 8.9-inch 1,024x600-pixel screen, the same 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom CPU that you'll find in the MSI Wind, … Read more

Qualcomm has introduced a mini-notebook made by Taiwan-based Inventec that costs around $299 and is equipped with 3G connectivity, according to IDG News Service.

Unlike the ASUS Eee PC, which comes in both Linux and Windows XP operating systems, Qualcomm's mini-notebook will initially run on Linux, though the company is also looking at using Windows Mobile 7 with its Snapdragon chipsets.

All these are still on the drawing board, but "similar products could be out by the end of this year," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president at Qualcomm. The company hopes to make a big bang … Read more

MSI put out a vague news release today that details some, but not all, of the specifications of its upcoming and unfortunately named Wind mininotebook. At the top of the release, it states the 10-inch notebook will "feature the new Intel Processor," but it fails to explain what that processor might be. An Intel Atom processor is a safe bet; the chips are expected to be released this summer.

The only mention of pricing in the release states that MSI Wind configurations will start at less than $500 in early June. The MSI Wind is available, however, for … Read more

We've seen a lot of activity lately around the concept of low-cost laptops powered by Intel's upcoming Centrino 2 and Atom CPUs, which promise decent performance and small sizes. Now DigiTimes is reporting that the CPUs to power these systems will be priced very aggressively by Intel, which means we should see these new systems at a fraction of the prices we're seeing in the current $2,000-plus UMPC market.

According to the DigiTimes report, "The CPUs include the Celeron 585 with a core frequency of 2.16GHz priced at US$107 in thousand-unit tray quantities, … Read more