Archos is planning to launch an updated version of the Archos 13 laptop. And as you’d expect from the name, the notebook sports a 13.3 inch display, which pretty much rules out anyone confusing it for a netbook — even though it has an Intel Atom processor. But here’s the unusual thing: It will use an Intel Atom D510 Pine Trail CPU. That’s Intel’s latest dual core, desktop version of its Atom processor with integrated GMA 3150 graphics.

Either this means that the rumor about Intel launching a dual core Atom chip aimed specifically at notebooks was wrong… or it’s true and someone at Archos didn’t get the memo or just didn’t feel like waiting.

The new Archos A13PS will also reportedly run Windows 7 Home Premium… and that’s about all we know for now. The laptop should be available in April.

via Engadget

Post from: Liliputing

Archos 13 shows that Atom processors aren’t just for netbooks anymore

We’ve seen a lot of super-slim, super-sexy nettops from Chinese PC maker Giada recently. But the company also makes netbooks — albeit slightly less inspiring ones. Johannes from NewGadgets.de got a good look at the Giada VIVA-NE200 at CeBIT earlier this month. You can check out his hands-on video after teh rbeak.

In a nutshell, the netbook sports a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, and GMA 3150 graphics. If those specs sounds familiar, that’s because they’re virtually identical to those of every other netbook launched since January.

The VIVA-NE200 supports up to 2Gb of RAM and a 250GB hard drive and pakcs 802.11b/g/ WiFi. It measures 10.2″ x 7.2″ x 1″ and weighs 2.5 pounds. The keyboard looks pretty standard, and the touchpad features left and right buttons on the sides instead of below th etouchpad.

The one distinguishing characteristic is the colorful lid which features a glossy pink background and a swirly white design.

Video after the break. It helps if you speak German.

Post from: Liliputing

Giada VIVA-NE200 netbook

There are well over 100,000 apps in the iTunes app store. While they’re designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, these apps will work on the iPad the day it starts shipping (which should be in just a few weeks). But Apple’s tablet has a larger display, faster processor, and a few other tweaks under the hood, so it’s likely that we’ll see a lot of brand new applications for the iPad in the App store soon.

But you don’t have to wait until then to start testing out new iPad apps. Because some are available to use right now. There’s a web-based eBook reader called ibis Reader which you can use to read books from a PC, iPhone, or Android device. And the company has announced that there’s now a version of ibis Reader that’s been optimized for the iPad.

Basically, the web app uses HTML5, which means you don’t need to install anything on your device to use the app — although the web app does recommend adding a shortcut to your home screen. When you create a free account and login, you can download public domain and free books from Feedbooks. You can also upload books in the EPUB format to the ibis Reader web site, allowing you to read them on any supported device.

Of course, calling ibis reader the first eBook reader for the iPad is sort of like calling web apps such as Yahoo! Mail or Google Maps some of the first apps for the iPad — because they’ve been around for years, but you’ll be able to use them. Still, it’s good to know that app and web developers are already preparing to make Apple’s first entry into the tablet market a useful device.

via BlankBaby

Post from: Liliputing

ibis Reader: eBook reader for the iPad already available

Netbooks and Notebooks

• HP Mini 311 notebook w/11.6″ HD display, NVIDIA ION graphics, Atom N270, Win XP for $379.99 – Amazon
• MSI Wind U100-439US 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N270, Win XP, 6 cell battery for $249.99 after rebate – Mwave
• Refurbished Augen E-Go 533 netbook w/7″ display, Windows CE, 128MB RAM, 2GB storage, WiFi for $118 – eCost
• Refurbished HP Mini 110 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N270, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $249 – J&R
• HP Mini 110 by Tord Boontje edition netbook w/Atom N270, Win 7 Starter, 3 cell battery for $298 – Microsoft Store

Accessories

• Kingston SSDNow V Series 30GB 2.5″ SSD (solid state disk) for $74.99 after rebate – Newegg
• Patriot 8GB SDHC Class 6 Digital Card for $14.99 – TigerDirect
• Kingston 4GB DataTraveler Hi-Speed USB Flash Drive, 4 Pack for $36.99 – Buy.com
• Kingston 16GB DataTraveler c10 USB Flash Drive for $29.99 – Buy.com

You can find more deals on netbooks, gadgets, and accessories in the Liliputing Deals section.

Post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day

One upon a time, the Commodore name was synonymous with PCs that fit snugly into a (bulky) keyboard. And if one guy has anything to say about it, the Commodore name will rise again.

Commodore USA is a new company that’s working to get the rights to use the name for a shiny new PC-in-a-keyboard. The new model will feature an integrated touchpad, optical disc drive, flash card reader, and media buttons. In the back, you get a range of ports including VGA and DVI outputs, 4 USB ports, Ethernet, and a couple of serial ports — remember those?

On the inside, you get an Intel Core 2 Duo or Core Quad CPU, up to 2 Terabytes of storage and a choice of Windows or Linux (although the web site points out that you can also install OS X yourself).

The keyboard is 2 inches tall and 17.5 inches wide. And unlike another PC-in-a-keyboard that we’ve been hearing a lot about lately, it doesn’t run on batteries or wireless connect to your PC. So this thing is really meant for use in the office, not the living room.

via Engadget

Post from: Liliputing

Commodore keyboard PC: The Eee Keyboard doesn’t have much to worry about

Netbook operating system Jolicloud is available as a free download for pretty much any Intel Atom or VIA C7-M powered netbook. The OS blurs the lines between the desktop and cloud-based applications like Facebook, Google Docs, and Gmail. And as of today, it’s available in both English and French.

Later this week, the Jolicloud team plans to launch a German language version of the operating system. In other words, the goal isn’t just to make sure the operating system runs on as many different netbook models as possible. The goal is to make it available for as many netbook users as possible too.

I’m still not convinced that’s going to be enough to convince a huge number of people to use Jolicloud instead of Windows or the upcoming Google Chrome Operating System for netbooks. But while Jolicloud is a download-and-install-it-yourself operating system for now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company is working behind the scenes to get some PC makers to preload the OS on their netbooks.

Post from: Liliputing

Jolicloud netbook OS goes international

Image credit: NVIDIA (Zotac card may look different)

NVIDIA’s new ION platform offers high(er) performance graphics for netbooks and nettops with low power processors. We’ve already seen a number of 10 and 12 inch laptops and a few desktop PCs that will come preloaded with next generation ION graphics. But for the first time, NVIDIA has also gone ahead and given hardware makers the ability to sell standalone PCI Express cards with NVIDIA ION graphics. And Zotac is the first company to take NVIDIA up on that offer.

The Zotac ION upgrade kit comes with a small form factor motherboard and a Zotac ION graphics card with 512MB of DDr3 memory, 16 shaders, and DirectX 10.1 support.

The video card features hardware acceleration for MP4, DivX, AVC, and H.264 video as well as Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta. It also includes an HDMI output for connecting an external display.

The PC card features NVIDIA CUDA, which means you also get hardware acceleration for some image and video processing software, allowing you to do things like edit or transcode videos much faster than you would normally be able to do on a machine with an Intel Atom or similarly low power chipset.

There’s no word on pricing or availability yet.

I know a lot of you are waiting for a drop-in solution for existing netbooks. I wouldn’t hold my breath. While NVIDIA says it’s physically possible for one of their hardware partners to design a mini-PCIe card that you can throw in a netbook much the same way you can a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, the company isn’t officially supporting that kind of use. Instead it’s working with PC makers to release netbooks with ION graphics preloaded, and offering a platform for making desktop graphics cards like Zotac’s.

Theoretically there’s no reason you have to use this video card with an Intel Atom processor. It should work just fine with a higher performance processor — but there are plenty of desktop graphics cards that will work just as well.

via SlashGear

Post from: Liliputing

Zotac introduces NVIDIA ION upgrade kits — for desktops

Remember that shiny new Acer TimelineX 1830T thin and light laptop I told you about yesterday? It’s still not for sale yet, but Acer’s gone ahead and added an official product page. While we’d been hearing that it would sport a Core i5 chip, Acer says this is the laptop will be powered by a Core 2 Solo CPU — which doesn’t really do much to differentiate this model from the Acer Aspire 1410/1810 notebooks that are currently available

The new system will support DDR memory though. And I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a Core i5 version down the road — probably for a higher price.

Here’s a rundown of the specs:

• Display: 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixels
• CPU: Core 2 Solo
• Graphics: Intel HD graphics with 128MB dedicated memory, DirectX 10 support
• OS: Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows Vista Home Premium,
• Memory: Ships with up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM (supports up to 4GB of DDR2 or DDR3 memory)
• Storage: SATA hard drive
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet, optional Bluetooth and 3G modem
• I/O: 5-in-1 card reader, HDMI, VGA webcam, 3 USB ports, mic, headphone
• Battery: 6 cell, 5800mAh, 63Whr
• Dimensions: 11.22″ x 8.03″ x 1.10″
• Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Color options: Black, brown, red, silver

It looks like the new model is a fraction of an inch thinner than the Acer Aspire 1410/1810. But otherwise, it looks physically quite similar.

There’s no word on pricing yet, but SlashGear notes that Acer has posted product pages for new 13 to 15 inch TimelineX models with Core i3, i5, and i7 chips. They could start shipping as soon as next week.

Post from: Liliputing

Acer officially outs the TimelineX 1830T thin and light

Shuttle has introduced an updated version of its XPC X50 all-in-one desktop. The new Shuttle XPC X50V2 model swaps out the Intel Atom 330 processor from the original model for a new dual core Intel Atom D510 Pine Trail CPU with integrated GMA 3150 graphics.

The updated all-in-one desktop also uses half the power of the original model and has a passive cooling system, which means you shouldn’t hear any fan noise.

The desktop has a 15.6 inch, 1366 x 768 touchscreen display and ships without RAM or a hard drive. There’s room for a 2.5 inch HDD or SSD and the computer supports up to 4GB of RAM.

The Shuttle XPC X50V2 is available in Europe for €353 or about $486 US.

via SlashGear

Post from: Liliputing

Shuttle XPC X50V2 is a barebones, Pine Trail powered all-in-one PC

Corning is probably better known for making glassware and ceramics than computer components. But apparently Corning is branching out. The LG X300 thin and light notebook is the first computer to feature Corning Gorilla glass in the display.

Gorilla Glass is described as “an environmentally friendly alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass” for portable displays. The glass is designed to be lightweight, and “damage resistant.”

Corning says Gorilla glass can be used in cellphones, laptops, and tablets.

The LG X300 is a thin and light laptop with an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and a 2GHz Intel Atom Menlow processor. It has a 128GB SSD and a fanless case design, which means it should be practically silent. It weighs just 2.1 pounds.

Unfortunately, while the LG X300 may have a low power processor and look rather netbook-like, word on the street is that it’s going to sell for north of $1000.

via GottaBeMobile

Post from: Liliputing

LG X300 notebook display uses Corning “Gorilla glass”

The Fujitsu MH380 netbook features a distinctive design with a tiny touchpad and a large circular area for scrolling. But apparently Fujitsu decided the netbook’s red and black color scheme wasn’t eye-catching enough, because now the MH380 is available in pink… with hearts strewn across the lid. Seriously.

Under the hood, the pink MH380 hasn’t changed a bit. It still has a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Starter Edition, and a 6 cell battery as well as 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX.

via Netbooked

Post from: Liliputing

Fujitsu MH380 dresses up in pink — looks even sillier

Tired of reading news about computers with 9 to 12 inch displays? Here’s a roundup of some of the latest posts from mobiputing for the smartphone geek in you:

Windows Phone 7 Series

Microsoft unveiled a ton of details about its upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series mobile OS. Here are some details:

• Windows Phone 7 Series: Limited multitasking, no memory card support
• Windows Phone Marketplace: The only place to get Windows Phone 7 apps (officially)
• Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 app launch partners, development platform details

And if you can’t wait for Windows Phone 7 Series devices to start hitting the streets later this year, Microsoft has released the developer tools for the platform, complete with an emulator — which has already been extracted from the developer tools for examination.You can also try out a Windows Phone 7 Series theme for current Windows Mobile phones.

Google Android

Here are a few of the niftiest Android apps I tested this week:

• Wuzhenhua Player is a media player that can handle WMV, FLV, Xvid, and other video formats
• xScope: Web browser with tabbed browsing, innovative 1-finger zoom feature
• Opera Mini 5 beta web browser now available for Android
• Amazon Kindle app, video on demand coming to Android?

iPhone and iPod touch

And here are a few new and old iPhone apps.

• AOL Lifestream for Android, iPhone: It’s like Friendfeed for your phone
• TeamViewer launches remote desktop app for the iPhone (run Windows on your iPhone… sorta)
• Public Radio Player 2.1 for the iPhone is an alternative/supplement to the NPR News app

OK, technically a few of those stories are more than a week old. But this is my first roundup, so cut me some slack.

Post from: Liliputing

This week in mobiputing

The Samsung N210 netbook features the usual raft of netbook specs including a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. But Samsung has given this mini-laptop a few distinctive design elements which make it stand out from the crowd.

First, the netbook is largely fingerprint-proof thanks to a new case design. The lid has a glossy finish, but it features a tough, clear piece of plastic resting on top of a textured pattern. The demo model Samsung sent me to review is white, but the laptop is also available in black (outside of the US, at least).

Around the edges of the laptop you’ll find some chrome elements, which is something Samsung has been offering since the launch of its first netbook, the Samsung NC10.

Another nice touch is the non-glare, matte display which looks better in bright light or direct sunlight than a glossy display.

Samsung has also given the N210 a new keyboard layout, with an island-style design and rounded edges.

Right now the Samsung N210 is only available at Best Buy in the US, where it sells for $379.99.

You can check out my unboxing and first impression video after the break.

Post from: Liliputing

Samsung N210 unboxing – Video

I can’t count the number of times I’ve looked at a netbook and thought, “You know what would make me like this computer more? If it looked like a Teddy Bear.” Mostly, that’s because I don’t know how to count to zero. But it looks like someone certainly thought it would be a good idea to turn a netbook into a cartoon caharacter.

The Bandai Namco Rilakkuma netbook pictured above is actually the second generation version of this laptop. The first model had a lower resolution screen and a lower price tag.

Akihabara News reports the new Rilakkuma netbook has an 8.9 inch, 1280 x 768 pixel touchscreen display, a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU. 60G hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and perhaps most surprisingly, a DVD Super Multi Drive which lookslike it doesn’t fit so snuggly in the chassis — which is hardly surprising, since most 10 inch netbooks don’t have room for a disc drive, let alone a 9 inch model.

The laptop also has a 1Seg digital TV tuner for Japan, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Winodows 7, complete with a Bandai Namco custom desktop wallpaper. The laptop should be available in June for 90,000 Yen, or about $994 US. Because Teddy Bears don’t come cheap. And neither do netbooks with TV tuners, touchscreen displays, HD displays, and DVD burners, apparently.

Post from: Liliputing

Bandai Namco Rilakkuma Netbook has more… personality than most

Netbooks and Notebooks

• 20% off any Dell Outlet Inspiron Mini 10 w/ a Designer Cover – Dell Outlet (coupon: SL2VSGMS1QM?TV)
• Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Atom 1.6GHz 12″ Netbook for $329 + free shipping - Lenovo (coupon: USPS12555)
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Atom 1.6GHz 10″ LED Netbook for $250 + free shipping – TigerDirect
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 10.1″ netbook w/Atom N450 for $313.65 – Lenovo (coupon: USPSTPATRICKSDAY)
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible tablet style netbook w/Atom N450 processor for $479.99 – Amazon

Accessories

• Targus Notebook Wireless Rechargeable Optical Mouse for $14.99 – PC Mall
• Targus Wireless Mini Optical Mouse for $7.99 – PC Mall
• OCZ Agility Series 60GB 2.5″ SSD for $164.99 – TigerDirect
• Iomega eGo II 500GB Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive for $64 + free shipping - Dell

You can find more deals on netbooks, gadgets, and accessories in the Liliputing Deals section.

Post from: Liliputing

Deals of the Day