Look familiar?
(Credit: Hannspree)A new player to the already-flooded Netbook market is here to say hello: Hannspree, the former world suppliers of utterly bizarre basketball, elephant, and plushie-shaped novelty TVs, has released its very own itty-bity Atom minilaptop for the U.S. to buy at last. Extreme similarities to the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 notwithstanding (thanks for the observation, Julie), we have one here at the office, and it looks OK. In fact, it looks like many, many other Netbooks.
The HannsNote here on our desk.
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)For $379.99, the 10-inch HannsNote (which sounds vaguely German) weighs 2.9 pounds, has a six-cell battery that to its credit is better integrated than some recent Netbooks we've seen, and comes with all the standard Netbook specs--160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 1.6GHz Atom N270, you know the drill. There are a few pleasant surprises, which we'll bullet below:
- 802.11 b/g and n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.0
- A matte screen
- 1.3 megapixel Webcam
- SD card reader
Some ideas for next time.
(Credit: Hannspree)While the beefed-up connectivity is appreciated, we wish this newcomer to the Netbook scene would have been even more aggressively priced. Consumers aren't exactly comfortable with putting their computing in the hands of Hannspree, and a little newcomer discount would be appreciated. You can get a Dell for less.
And our one other complaint: why the heck is this thing so boring? The HannsNote only comes in "Pearl Black" and "Pearl White." And talk about somber--they haven't even made a pink model, something even Sony's gotten into.
As for teddy-bear, dolphin, sushi, cucumber, Wolverine, football, tomato, french fry, or clown designs, we'll just have to wait and cross our fingers. In fact, it's not such a crazy idea anymore--someone's already beaten Hannspree to it. Come on, Hannspree, don't lose your wackiness now!
HANNspree--probably best known for its oddball LCD TV designs--has decided it's no longer satisfied being in just the TV and monitor markets and Monday announced the availability of two digital picture frames.
The $99.99, 8-inch wide-screen HANNspree SD80M4MB (catchy name, right?) features three, themed ceramic interchangeable faceplates: Christmas (HANNsxmas, pictured), birthdays (HANNssweet), and Valentine's Day (HANNsvalentine). The company also throws in two plain ol' frame backings so you can use the two faceplates that are not in use on the photo display as regular frames for photo prints.
The SD80M4MB is loaded up with standard digital photo frame features like the ability to play audio and video files, autorotation of images, slide-show functionality, calendar and alarm clock, a 6-in-1 memory card reader, a remote control, and 256MB internal memory.
If all that is more frame than you need or want, HANNspree is also shipping the SD7021. The features are cut considerably (for instance internal memory drops to a paltry 8MB) and it's smaller with a 7-inch wide-screen display, but it can be had for around $40. I doubt the quality of a $40, 7-inch LCD will be all that good, but it's certainly cheap and easy.
(Credit:
Pocket-lint)
To find out how many ways a TV can be designed, one need look no further than Hannspree--maker of any type of set you could fancy, from purses to giant fruit. (The answer, apparently, is infinite.)
Given that track record, the company's latest offering might actually be considered subdued by comparison, albeit contrived. The "Starlight Blue" bears a 3D design inspired by the night sky, with a finish that sparkles when illuminated. The specs alone wouldn't necessarily make this LCD an attractive buy, with 720p resolution and 500:1 contrast ratio, but that's obviously not the main selling point.
What may make it more attractive is its Jetsons-style contours, which would fit appropriately in many mid-century Shag-influenced decors. One can just imagine watching this while martinis are served on a tray by Rosie.
(Credit:
Shiny Shiny)
We've speculated before about LCDs possibly needing to find their way into different products as next-generation TVs loom with newer screen technologies, but this isn't exactly what we were thinking. Then again, if any company was going to make a purse TV, it would be Hannspree.
This is the company, you may recall, that's made a living out of creating TVs in the form of toys, basketballs, giant fruit, and countless other objects. So this handbag LCD doesn't seem especially weird in that context, with a 9.6-inch display, a handle that actually works, and even a genuine leather case. "Sophisticated style that will appeal to any woman that demands tasteful and unique decoration," as Shiny Shiny notes, sneeringly. And for you macho types, remember, in Europe men carry handbags all the time.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
We all know Hannspree is wonderfully bonkers. Why else would it sell displays that look like they fell out of a child's toy box? The latest example of its charming lunacy is the Hannspree Boston monitor--a 19-inch PC display with a wood-grain bezel.
Unlike recent offerings from LG and SweedX, it's not real wood--but it's a pretty close approximation. If you're a fan of retro designs, trees, or Crave's eco-happy sister site SmartPlanet, you should absolutely adore it. Here at Crave, we're not really feeling the whole wood theme, but the cylindrical aluminium stand at the rear is pretty cool.
We applaud Hannspree's attempts to branch out (bu-dum tish!) and do something a touch different. It makes a change from all the silver and black monitors we see every day, and at least it's a talking point.
(Source: Crave UK)
Do you remember the TV you had in the '70s? We're prepared to bet that if you do, you'll also remember that it had a sort of plastic wood veneer finish. Well, Hannspree, famous for its adorable fluffy TVs, has decided to throw the LCD kicking and screaming back into the decade of disco. Perhaps it's watched a little bit too much Life on Mars.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
From the front, you'd possibly never realise there's anything different about this TV. It has a normal, matte-black finish and sits atop two silver feet that Hannspree describes as "deer-horn style." It's only when you take a look at the rear you realize that this isn't the traditional boring black television. The back is awash with glorious wood-effect plastic.
As far as styling goes, you'll either love it or hate it. Here at the Crave UK office we conducted a deeply scientific straw-poll. The results were: those who had anything to do with making video loved it. Everyone else thought it was butt-ugly.
Apart from its wooden cabinet, the Hannspree Hannslounge has a 720p panel, with all the usual ways to get a picture on the screen. There's one HDMI input, two Scart sockets and component in. Around the side are composite and S-Video inputs for hooking up a camcorder.
One obvious problem is that with all this retro styling going on, Hannspree seems to have forgotten that we're well into the 21st century. This TV doesn't come with a built-in Freeview receiver, which, in this day and age, is truly unforgivable.
Hannspree does deserve one piece of credit. It includes an HDMI cable in the box with the TV. This may seem like a small thing, but HDMI cables aren't the cheapest accessory you'll ever buy, so it's a nice touch.
It's hard to knock Hannspree for this TV when most LCDs we see look exactly the piano-black same. It certainly won't appeal to everyone, but if you want something a little different to watch '70s sci-fi cop thrillers on, this could very well be the screen for you. Plus you'll have something to talk about if the conversation dries up at your fondue party.
(Source: Crave UK)
- prev
- 1
- next
