Asus Eee News, Mods, and Hacks

Windows 8: More Roadmaps

2009-11-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

From MSFT Kitchen -

Per a Microsoft roadmap released at the PDC 2009 Windows 8 is scheduled to be released around 2012. Hopefully not on December 21, 2012. Hehe

Malata R108TMalata R108T

2009-11-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

From Shanzai -

Shenzhen-based Malata has introduced its Malata R108T, a Windows 7" 10" tablet that comes in a range of color including Ferrari Red, Piano Black, Coffee, Gold and Champagne. Unfortunately, there’s no horizontal to vertical display support so using it as an eReader-type device is somewhat hampered.

Qualcomm mirasol color video ebook readers to ship in 2010

2009-11-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

From Slashgear -

Qualcomm is showing off its 5.7" mirasol ebook reader capable of full color and video playback, with minimal impact on battery life. While photo above is that of a mock-up, the display panel is an actual working unit.

Per Qualcomm, mirasol is able to enhance battery performance. A color e-ink video-capable Kindle would last roughly a day using the same battery; the same unit with a mirasol panel would last a week. In addition, the mirasol panel performs best in bright lighting. Text is crisp and readable at a XGA 1,024 x 768 resolution and around 220ppi.

Target delivery is H2 2010 and Qualcomm is already working with multiple OEMs.

Dell Streak

2009-11-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

Flash 10.1 Is Good News for Hackintosh Netbooks

2009-11-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

From Gizmodo -

One of the weaknesses of hackintosh netbooks has always been hi-def Flash but now Flash 10.1 has made HD YouTube and Vimeo videos almost watchable. While there are still some noticeable frame dropping, HD flash video (windowed and full-screen) didn't stutter like a slideshow, although YouTube encountered some issues with the CPU going into overload.

Google Holding Chrome OS Event Thursday

2009-11-17T15:27:00.000-08:00

From TechCrunch -

Google will hold a Chrome OS event at its Mountain View headquarters this Thursday morning to give a complete overview of the new OS, which they will launch next year. Google had previously announced Chrome OS in July, but gave very few details about it.

Weder Sam Ebook Reader

2009-11-17T00:31:00.000-08:00

Specifications:

* Display Technology: 6-inch E-ink Vizplex
* Resolution: 800(H) * 600(V)
* Black and White color for choosing
* Gray Scale: 8-Level Gray Scale
* Dimension: 160X116x9.0(mm）
* Weight: approx. 160g
* Text: TXT, PDF,DOC,HTML,PDB,EPUB.
* Image: JPG, BMP
* Audio: MP3/WMA/AAC/OGG/APE/FLAC
* Language: English, Russian , Chinese ,Franch,Germany,Spanish ...and more(11 languages）
* inner memory: 2GB
* Extend Memory: SD Card 1-16GB
* Power Supply: Li lon Battery 1000mA
* Download: USB HS 2.0
* Operating temperature: 0 to 40 degree Celsius
* Storage temperature: -20 to 55 degree Celsius

*Special Features:

1. Extremely low power consumption, each full charge can sustain 30days reading.
2. Passive lighting and diffuse surface relaxes your eyes and reduces eye strain.
3. The standard interface of SD card enables you to add books unlimitedly.
4. Cute, Light and thin. Easy to take.
5. Lessen travel pressure and add more amusement.
6. Support Gravity Sensor,portrait and landscape modes automatically switches

Price is EXW shenzhen price USD170 based on minimum order quantity of 500.

More info here.

Asus planning to acquire Toshiba notebook line

2009-11-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

From Digitimes -

Having previously outlined plans to become one of the top three notebook vendor in the world by 2011, Asus is now announcing it is in talks with Toshiba on the possibility of it acquiring the latter's notebook business. Per company chair Jonney Shih, talks have started but so far nothing has been finalized.

AT&T adds Samsung Go to netbook lineup, dumbs it down with Windows 7 Starter

2009-11-16T15:20:00.000-08:00

From Engadget -

AT&T has added a pair of Windows 7 Starter netbooks to its stable, the Samsung Go and the Acer Aspire One. Both will set you back $199 upfront (after rebate) plus a two-year data contract at either $35 a month for a 200MB cap or $60 a month for a 5GB cap.

Most people buy the $60 plan, meaning they fork over a minimum $1,639 over two years for a last-gen netbook running an OS that doesn't even let you change the desktop wallpaper. Not quite a good deal when you can buy an XP netbook on sale and get a regular free-on-contract USB data card that you can use on multiple machines.

Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT Tablet Notebook Shows Up In Australian E-Tailers

2009-11-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

From Netbooked -

The 11.6” Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT tablet convertible notebook which has been made official in Europe, has begun to pop up in Australian online stores priced between $1,354 - $1,599 AUD. ($1,263 - $1,492).

Australian specs for the 1820PT include 11.6” 1366 x 768 multi-touch screen display, Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.2GHz), 2GB RAM (DDR3), 250GB HDD, Gigabit LAN, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GMA 4500MHD graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium. 6-Cell 5600 mAh battery (8 hours). It is available in Black or Blue.

$80 Android Laptop, Menq EasyPC E790

2009-11-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

Uploaded by Charbax -

Samsung N510 pre-orders taken

2009-11-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

From ubergizmo -

Several European stores have begun taking pre-orders for the Samsung N510, a NVIDIA ION powered netbook. Other specs include an 11.6" 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet jacks and 3 USB ports, 5900mAh battery and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Price ranges between $575 and $583, or about $100 higher than the similar spec'd Asus Eee PC 1201N.

Hackers bypass Windows 7 activation

2009-11-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

From CNET News -

Hackers have managed to find a work-around on one of the key anti-piracy protections built into Windows 7, which allows the normal notifications to be turned off and let the user bypass activating the OS within the required 30 days. While the copy does not get confirmed as legitimate it can be used indefinitely.

xpPhone Runs Windows 7 and Has Several Screen Sizes

2009-11-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

From Gizmodo -

A new order page on XPPhone's site has new info on the netbook-like xpPhone. Apparently the device is customizable and will come in 4.3-, 4.8- and 7-inch touchscreens, with a 5-megapixel camera, Windows 7, and dual GSM/CDMA support as options.

Standard Configuration
• CPU: AMD Super Mobile CPU
• Memory: 512M/1G
• SSD: 8G/16G/32G/64G
• HDD: 30G/60G/80G/120G
• LCD: 4.8' TFT Touch-screen LCD 800 x 480
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA (HSDPA/HSUPA)
• CDMA/CDMA2000 1X/CDMA1X EVDO,TD-SCDMA, TD-HSDPA
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g,WiMax (optional), Bluetooth, Stand-alone, GPS
• Camera Specifications: CMOS, 300k/1.3 Million/5 Million
• Ports: 1 x earphone jack, 1 x mic jack,Docking Connector (includes VGA output signal ), 1 x USB 2.0, SIM Slot
• Battery: Removable Lithium-ion
• Talk time: about 5 hours,Stand by time: about 5 days
• Real life: about 7 hours(Standard), about 12 hours(Large)
• Weight: 400g (include battery)

Intel to launch three Arrandale CPUs for ultra-thin notebooks in 1H10

2009-11-13T01:43:00.000-08:00

From Digitimes -

Intel plans to launch three 32nm dual-core Arrandale CPUs (Calpella platform), the Core i7-640UM (1.2GHz), Core i7-620UM (1.06GHz) and Core i5-520UM (1.06GHz) with price in thousand-unit tray quantities of US$305, US$278 and US$241, respectively, in H1 2010 for ultra-thin notebooks. Prior to that Intel plans to let its dual-core Core 2 Duo SU9600, SU9400 and SU7300, Pentium SU4100 and SU2300, and single-core Celeron 743 CPUs (Montevina platform) prop up the ultra-thin notebook market in Q4 2009.

The three 32nm CPUs will target the mid-range and high-end markets, and when they are launched, Intel will phase out the Core 2 Duo SU9600.

Qualcomm Shows Lenovo Smartbook

2009-11-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

From PC World -

Qualcomm recently showed off a Lenovo-made Snapdragon-based smartbook that will be formally launched at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. It sported a Linux-based UI that consisted of six large widgets, including ones for e-mail and Facebook and will reportedly support HD video. And while the Snapdragon chipset is ARM based, which seldom supports Flash, the smartbook was demonstrated playing YouTube videos. It has also already secured operator backing from AT&T.

A smartbook is basically a mini-netbook, with feature-wise, being somewhere between a amartphone and a netbook. It also has a lower price and longer battery life than the latter.

Intel changes mind on netbooks: "Dual core Atom 330 is too hot"

2009-11-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

From Newswireless.net
-

Intel has recently decided to restrict the use of the dual core Atom 330 from netbooks, due to the thermal issues associated with the processor and need for an internal cooling system. This disappointing news may well explain reported dumping of the chip, and also Intel's rumored "fast track" plans for the next generation of netbook processors.

The clamp-down on netbook use emerged recently when computer manufacturer Haleron launched a two-chip N270 model, instead of the dual-core 330, because benchmarks suggested it was not only better on power drain, but also for office tasks.

The N330 only started shipping in September but is rumored to be available from Intel's at discounts as high as £39.

BoEye MID700 unveiled with Android OS, vaguely familiar form factor

2009-11-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

From Engadget -

BoEye recently demo'ed at the Dubai GITEX its new Android MID, the MID700. Aside from the bigger size, its design has some iPhone like touches, including the silver bevel, capacitive glass touchschreen, a front-facing webcam, and a solitary button on the bottom of the screen. A nice touch is the use of the open source Android OS from Google and a rumored sub-$300 price.

NVIDIA tablet mystery solved: an ODM Tegra prototype

2009-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

From Engadget -

NVIDIA's Jen-Hsun Huang was pictured with yesterday with what appears to be a Tegra prototype from an ODM called ICD. While there is still no official confirmation on specs, rumors are it is running Windows CE with a resistive touchscreen. Planned upgrades include Android, capacitive screen, and multiple screen sizes. Planned launch is March 2010.

Shanzhai rotating touchscreen netbook, Win 7 ready?

2009-11-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

From Shanzai -
A rotating touch screen netbook from an unknown manufacturer is now available in China for about 2500RMB or approx $370. The device appears to be based on the Menlow platform. Specs include the N270 Atom, 945GSE, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, camera, card reader, built-in 3G, and a 10.1" touch screen.

Unfortunately the software lacks refinement. Its OS, Windows XP, was simply not designed for a touch screen. The question then is the device Windows 7 ready?

Exclusive Video of the Litl Webbook

2009-11-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

11.1" Dell clone gives Chinese school kids some Latitude

2009-11-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

From Shanzai -

An obscure Shenzhen ODM is pushing a Dell Latitude 2100 clone, marketing it to school children. Given the original is perhaps the most child savvy of all current netbook designs, it is not a bad idea, especially since the clone is expected to retail for half the price of the original, about $250. Specs include a slightly faster N280 chip, 160GB drive and a larger 11.1" 1366 x 768 screen.

Connect-A-Desk: Mobile Laptop Harness & Desk

2009-11-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Best Buy stocking Nokia's Booklet 3G on November 15th

2009-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

From Engadget -
Best Buy Reward Zone members can now pre-order the Nokia Booklet 3G, which will be made available to the general public on November 15. It will be sold for $299.99 with a 2-year AT&T data contract or $599.99 without contract.

OSX 10.6.2 (Vanilla Kernel) on Atom (MSI Wind U100) is a no go

2009-11-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Uploaded by prasys -

"Bam , all it does is restarts. currently the beta kernel doesn't support Atom processors anymore. I guess Apple must have removed the IDs for Atom CPU support. Anyway , we'll have to wait for the final verison"