7 Tools To Make Your WinXP Netbook Shine

GigaOM has compiled a list of free tools that can help you make your Windows XP netbook a more productive device -

SyncToy: keeps any two folders in sync automatically

Tweak UI: lets you customize how Windows XP looks on small screens.

Virtual Desktop Manager: lets you use up to four virtual desktops to keep things easy to see on a small screen.

SharpKeys: lets you easily remap keys based on your preferences.

Foxit Reader: A PDF reader that handles documents better and faster than the standard Adobe Reader.

Xplorer2: A file manager that is highly configurable so you can better take advantage of the small screen and trackpad on the netbook.

Windows Movie Maker: makes it a breeze to create slide shows to using photos.

Download links here.

Inverse coloring on Eee PC 1000H 1 and 6 Keys

Eeeuser's ant has reported an interesting observation regarding the keyboard of the Eee PC 1000H. If you look closely you will see circles around the numbers 1 and 6 with inversed colors. Since as far as we know, Asus has never provided information on the details, it is anyone's guess what the circles are for. It has also been discussed in the forums but no one answer has been definitive.

Source article here.

Windows 7 deemed 'massive improvement' over Vista

From Engadget -

The folks at Tech Cast News have made a pictorial walkthrough of the Windows 7 installation process and some of its features, including Alt+Tab doppelganger Aero Peek, the icon-only Taskbar interface, and the Smart Folder-esque Libraries. Overall, they found the beta a major improvement over Vista.

Point of View Mobii PC Netbook

Via Fudzilla -

Netherlands-based manufacturer Point of View is now offering its own netbook, the Mobii PC Netbook for reportedly €280, or just under $400.

CPU : Intel Atom 1.6 GHz
Memory : 1024 MB DDR2
LCD Screen : 10.2" 1024x600
Hard disk : 160GB SATA
Operating system : Windows XP Home / Linpus Linux

Network
RJ-45 : 10/100Base-T
WiFi : 802.11b/g

Multimedia
Audio ports : 1x Mic out, 1x headphone out
Speakers : 2x 1w built-in
Extension Slot : 1x Express 34
Webcam : 1.3 Megapixel
USB Ports : 3x USB 2.0

Dimensions : 254 x 189 x 39 (mm)
Weight : 1.25kg

Warranty : 2 years Pick up & return (1 year on battery pack)

Product Page here.

OQO To Debut Model 2+ With 1.86 Intel Atom, Touch At CES

From Gotta Be Mobile -

Per a Digital Experience emailer -

OQO, Inc. announces the new model 2+ with the Intel® Atom™ processor, the world’s first PC OLED display, and worldwide 3G capability. Based on the 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB RAM, the OQO model 2+ offers performance up to twice as fast as its predecessor and includes an embedded touchscreen for easier input.

EMTEC bringing 10" Gdium to America for $400

From Engadget -

EMTEC will be debuting its 10-inch GDIUM netbook at CES in preparation for a US release. The Linux-based machine will come preloaded with various open source software including G-Key, a bootable USB key on which the Linux OS, applications, and personal data are stored. It will be available in white, black and pink for $400.

A message from John Lennon (OLPC)

A Matter of Inches

With netbook prices having plummeted down to the $200 level, not a few original Asus Eee PC 701 owners have been tempted to switch (or is it upgrade?) to newer models. A Pinay Mindset deliberates over this dilemma in choosing between an 8.9" model and a larger 10" unit.

With the price difference between the two at roughly only $40, the inclination to go with the larger one is practically irresistible. However in terms of ergonomics, the dimensions and weight of the smaller 8.9 unit are just about at the maximum for impulse tote-ability.

Quite an interesting read for a Sunday afternoon plus if you have an eye for beauty, you may want to check out the blogger's other blog - Pinay Pretty Faces. Gotta admit, we came across A Pinay Mindset through that. :)

Numer Three of the (German) Diary of HP2133

Submitted by Timm Mohn -

Asus Eee Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

From Engadget -

EEE PC News has posted the photos of a wireless keyboard and mouse for the Eee Box. While details are scant, the RF-based devices actually appear nice.

Hands On With The Intel Convertible Classmate

Gizmodo has a hands-on review of the new Intel Convertible Classmate.

Specs include an 8.9-inch 1024 x 768 touchpanel, 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 802.11n wi-fi, 1 GB RAM, a 60 GB HDD (or up to 8 GB SSD), webcam, and a day's worth of battery life.

Features include a quick launch panel optimized for touchscreen use; in tablet mode, there's a dedicated button that brings up the quick launch screen. Pertinent to its educational target market, Intel is also working with Lego to bring its popular Mindstorms to the platform. A nice touch is the touchscreen being calibrated not to recognize palm contact. Most kids write with their palm down on the table and it is likely kids will not adjust when writing with a stylus.

Alpha 400 pays a high price for low cost

Ross Rubin put to test the Alpha 400 being sold for $170 over at Geeks.com and came away quite disappointed with the considerable compromises made to achieve that alluring price.

As is common with other netbooks, the Alpha 400 has the usual specs - 7", SD card slot, 3 USB ports, small keyboard, and 802.11b. But as is common, too, with the cheaper, non-Intel based so-called EPCs, it uses a 400 MHz MIPS processor, has only 128MB RAM, 1GB SSD, runs Linux (other EPCs run Windows CE) and has no webcam.

But beyond the specs, Rubin had little good to say about the device. Some of the main lowlights of his review include -

The lack of compatibility with x86 architecture means Linux programs need to be compiled specifically to run on it, and if ever many run slowly.

There is no browser-based Flash support.

Limited driver support means even some common USB flash drives are not recognized.

Trackpad buttons are small and stiff.

Rubin's summary says it all - "Perhaps the best thing that can be said about a $170 laptop is that it has a good shot of being 70 percent better than a $100 one."

Original review at Engadget.

OS X 10.5.5. on HP Compaq Mini 700

Uploaded by paolo6180 -

Unboxing the HP Compaq Mini 700

Uploaded by netbookitalia (no audio) -

Notebook PC Sales Outpace Desktops

From Silicon Alley Insider -

According to iSuppli, 38.6 million notebooks were shipped in Q3, up almost 40% year-on-year. In comparison, only 38.5 million desktops were shipped in the same quarter, for just 1.3% growth. Significantly, it was the first time, notebook sales were higher than desktop sales.

VIA Trinity Does HD Graphics On Netbooks

From ubergizmo -

VIA will be offering HD graphics to netbooks through its Trinity platform that pits a VIA Nano or VIA C7 processor with a VIA integrated Media System Processor and onboard S3 Graphics chip.

VIA has previously paired its processors with S3 GPUs in some netbooks but results have been inferior compared to NVIDIA's solution. The Trinity platform should be beefier, capable of handling DirectX 10.1, HD video and playback of Blu-ray discs.

Windows XP allowed to live again

Per BBC News, Microsoft has moved the January 31, 2009 deadline for PC makers to obtain Windows XP licenses to May 30, 2009. Microsoft has previously extended XP's availability for netbooks until 2010.

Windows XP was originally set to be discontinued on January 30, 2008 to pave the way for Vista. But the sudden surge of low-cost netbooks, of which a significant volume use Windows alternatives such as Linux, forced Microsoft to offer XP at a discounted price to protect its market share.

Vista's replacement, Windows 7, is due to be launched late next year.

MSI Wind U100 Touchscreen

Uploaded by zaprodk -

Windows 7 on MSI Wind

Uploaded by DavGerm4 -

Windows 7 Ultimate running on Asus Eee PC 900!

Uploaded by multimolti -

Second Part of the (German) Diary of HP2133

Submitted by Timm Mohn -

Episode 2: Eifersucht!

Dell Mini 9 Battery fiasco

Per a MyDellMini thread started by pmjzzz postulated that Dell Mini 9s are being shipped with two types of batteries, one with a design charge 35.5 Wh and a smaller one, with just 24.4 Wh.

He returned the smaller one for a replacement but got a similar unit. Both smaller batteries had serial numbers that started with KR, and were made in Korea / assembled in China, whereas the good battery's SN started with CN - made and assembled in China.

The ensuing issue elicited a lot of response (161 posts in two days) as other users began to contact Dell for replacement. Unfortunately, Dell's response wasn't exactly satisfactory for a lot of them, causing some negative feedback to be posted.

Further tests were ran and the updated results indicated the two battery types weren't actually as different as first assumed. Unfortunately, the damage has been done, prompting the forum admins to lock down the thread.

You can read the entire MyDellMini forum thread here.

Acer Aspire One with WiMax available Jan 19

Submitted by Steve -

Philippine-based online retailer PC Corner has posted a classified ad in Tipidpc forum announcing a new Aspire One with Wimax to be available January 19, 2009 -

Embedded WiMax + 3G included !!!!!
incoming.....Acer WebStore Promo
E.T.A. January 19, 2009

AO 110-L08b (Sapphire Blue) - PhP 12,995.00 (w/32.0Gb SDHC)
AO 110-L08w (Seashell White) - PhP 12,995.00 (w/32.0Gb SDHC)

Acer Aspire One® SSD
Intel® Atom™ N270
1.6GHz
1.0Gb
8.0Gb SSD
8.9in.
camera
wireless LAN
Operating System: Linux

Netbooks - Now With 1000% More Graphics!

This is a guest post by Daniel Shain of  LaptopLogic.com - a great place to find more information on ultraportable laptops or read up on the latest laptop news.

Ever since the infamous Intel Atom N270 came out and dominated the netbook world, we have known that mini-notebooks could be efficiently used, and even multitasked with, as long as you kept your activities within a narrow spectrum of activities. You could surf the web, you could do word processing and use chat clients, and you could perform light multimedia tasks like watching streaming video.

But what if someone told you that for $50, you could add watching HD movies and even (gasp) playing games such as World of Warcaft to your netbook’s repertoire? Because that’s exactly what nVidia has done with the release of the Ion platform.

The new chipset will still use an Intel Atom processor, but nVidia will replace Intel’s GMA 945 integrated graphics with its own GeForce 9400M. According to nVidia, this new chipset will outperform the old one by as much as ten times (or 1000%). This means that, in addition to giving users the option to output HD video with HDMI and play certain games, new netbooks featuring Ion will be able to run more modern operating systems like Vista or Windows 7 without problems. Currently, it’s hard to find a netbook that runs as well on Vista as it does on XP or Ubuntu Linux. What’s more, nVidia claims the new chips will hardly raise the price of netbooks. They estimate it will only cost about $50 more to buy an Ion netbook over the current platform.

That all sounds like good news… but aren’t we missing something here? If a netbook can play games and handle HD video, is it really still a netbook? And let’s not forget that $50 can represent as much as a 17% increase on a $299 netbook, so it’s not quite as innocent as it seems. The real point to consider here is this: Why do people really want netbooks? Are gamers really going to flock to these new Ion machines? Will movie buffs be rushing to buy an external Blu-ray rig so they can watch on their new netbooks? nVidia claims they are doing this to give the user more options, and as far as we’re concerned more options is always a good thing. However it remains to be seen if users really want their netbooks to be more than low cost, lightweight, surfing and chatting machines.

nVidia is expecting the first Ion netbooks to hit the market in mid 2009. Keep on the lookout for others with the same idea – AMD, owner of graphically savvy ATI, is set to release their Yukon platform later in the year.

Tinybook

Just received the following from F&S International Limited (unedited) -

NEW! 7 inch Tinybook(Widows,WIFI,GPS,USB2.0)

CPU400Mhz+RAM 64M+ROM 1G

MOQ	PRICE
Sample	$145
10 pcs	$128
50 pcs	$125
100pcs

 

Upgrate! 4.3 inch UMPC(Widows,WIFI,GPS,1.3M Cam,USB2.0)

CPU400Mhz+RAM 128M+ROM 2G

 

MOQ	PRICE
Sample	$139
10 pcs	$129
50 pcs	$127

Solution for Acer Aspire One Slooooow SSD

If you are like many other Acer Aspire One owners who are exasperated with the ever so slow SSD, do yourself and check out this Aspire One User forum thread.

Basically the suggestions are to use the Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) in Windows XP or the File-based write filter to tweak the SSD into faster writes.

Complete instructions are in the thread.

Read the Aspire One User forum thread here.

Mac OS X Netbook Compatibility Chart

Boingboing has compiled a Mac OS X netbook compatibility chart. And based on the chart, it is pretty easy to see that there are only two choices - MSI Wind and the Dell Mini 9. Between the two, the former has a bigger screen and full function keys, so I guess that is why I have a MSI Wind U100 and not a Dell Mini 9. :)

Legal issues aside, you can find guides for turning your netbook into a hackintosh here.

Amazon OLPC orders in danger of cancellation

From Engadget -

Amazon U.K. has indicated that orders for the Give 1, Get 1 OLPC program are in danger of being canceled if OLPC start mailing the laptops. Amazon has a strict policy of shipment within 30 days and has sent out a flurry of warning missives as that period draws to a close.

Update: OLPC is shipping some units now, missing Amazon UK's cut-off by one whole day.

Lenovo IdeaPad S9 Now Available in U.S.

From Laptoping -

Geeks.com and Buy.com are now offering the 2.4-lb Lenovo S9. Standard features include 8.9" 1024x600 LED-backlit display, 1.6GHz Atom N270, GMA 950 graphics, 512MB DDR2 RAM, 4GB SSD, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, stereo speakers, 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Ethernet LAN, two USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 media card reader, VGA output, and Linpus Linux Lite operating system. Geeks has it at $344.99 while Buy.com has it at $359.46.

CLEVO at CeBIT 2009

From Clevo -

CLEVO is the professional notebook computer manufacturer for distributors, and is also one of the world's most preferred OEM/ODM partners.

At CeBIT 2009, CLEVO will present a series of our Notebook PCs ranging from good value to super performance.TN70M is a compact size for you to take, work and play anywhere. The 7-inch touch panel gadget with 922g weight gives the most sensational and unparalleled computing experience. To enhance multi-media and entertainment computing, M86TU incorporates advanced nVIDIA newest graphic card wiht GDDR3, HDMI....which allow you to show off its high performance in its best light. M86TU is best-in-class at gaming arena. L390T with Intel Montevina platform and detachable VESA mount on back of screen, it offers more flexibility in positioning itself.

Intel Convertible Classmate PC: The Touch Netbook to Emulate

From Laptop Mag -

Intel will officially release its tablet style Classmate PC at the 2009 CES in Las Vegas. Intel's units are produced by its OEM partner CTL. Aside from the swiveling 8.9" touch screen, it will have a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, a 60 GB hard drive, and Windows XP. It will also be preloaded with software that takes advantage of the touchscreen including Vision Objects Pen Input, which turns handwriting into editable text and contains a virtual keyboard.

The new Convertible Classmate will not replace the original clamshell Classmate PC (aka the CTL 2go PC) but will be sold alongside the latter.

HDD vendors to offer low-cost 2.5-inch HDDs for netbooks

From Digitimes -

Major hard drive manufacturers Seagate Technology, Western Digital and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies are all now developing low-cost 2.5-inch hard disk drives for use in netbooks and other low-cost PCs. The HDDs are targeted to be 40-50% less expensive than existing 2.5-inch entry-level HDD models. Initial storage capacity will be 80GB based on a single platter and may be increased to 100GB or 120GB if cost control proves effective.

Availability could start as early as the Q2 2009. Their availability is expected to have a negative impact on the promotion of SSDs.

Win an Acer Ultra Mini PC from The Gadgeteer

The Gadgeteer and Staples have a contest with the winner getting a $349.98 Acer Ultra Mini PC Netbook. To join all you have to do is to leave a comment at their site, listing five of your favorite sites (other than The Gadgeteer) that you visit everyday.

Only one entry per person. They will randomly pick the winner on 12/22/08. The contest is limited to U.S. residents 18 years and above.

You can join here.

Medion Akoya E1210

From ubergizmo -

Rumors are that a UK superstore will soon offer the Medion Akoya E1210 for just £272. Configuration will likely include - 10" TFT widescreen, 1.6GHz Atom, 160GB SATA HD, 3-cell battery, and Windows XP.

Axioo PICO DJM 616

Another 10" netbook, this time it is the Axioo PICO DJM 616, as featured in Eee PC Blog -

The Axioo PICO DJM 616 10-inch netbook bears striking resemblance to the MSI Wind, both in physical appearance and in specs. Its features include a 1.6GHz Intel Atom, a 1.3MP camera, a 160GB SATA hard disk, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, a 3-in-1 card reader, 1024×600 LCD, 3-cell battery, and possibly Bluetooth.

While it could pass for a Wind rebadge, the Axioo is actually made by another manufacturer. Pricing is unknown yet, which is a pity, since it could be its main selling point, given its very common appearance and specs.

Asus Eee PC System Shrinker

From ubergizmo -

Asus has released a Windows utility, Eee PC System Shrinker, that scans your whole system and delete unnecessary files to free up space.

You can download it here.

From the Diary of a Netbook

Here is an entertaining video (in German) submitted by Timm Mohn -

OS X Realtek Wireless Driver for MSI Wind Released

From GottaBeMobile -

A Realtek employee has responded to requests at the MSIWind.net forum for Mac OS X drivers for the RTL8187SE WiFi card in the netbook by emailing the Realtek WLAN Client Utility program to one of them. The RTL8187SE doesn’t show up as an airport card, but does provide full Wi-Fi functionality for OS X Wind users.

MSIWind.net forum thread here.

Asus Eee Box B203 Getting a Faster, Cheaper CPU

From Gizmodo -

Asus is updating the Eee Box B203 with an Intel Celeron instead of the Atom, while the rest of the specs remain standard stuff: Windows XP (although Vista is recommended), an 80, 120 or 160GB hard drive, 4 USB ports, a flash card reader, DVI out, Ethernet port and wifi. Pricing wasn't available.

Asus Eee Box B203 Product Page

SMS Text Messaging with GMail

Per the Official Gmail Blog you can now send SMS messages direct from your Gmail window. Just click on Settings, and go to the Labs tab. Scroll down until you see "Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat" and select Enable and Save Changes.

SMS messaging is currently limited to U.S, mobile phone numbers, including those on roaming. But Google expects it to include international numbers in the near future.

Note that while it might be free for your to send SMS messages to your friends via Gmail, recipients might get charged if they incur fees, especially if they don't unlimited text message plans.

World's Smallest Optical Mouse

From the Tech eblog -

At only 42 x 21 x 17.65mm, the Z-Nano Mouse is claimed to be the "world's smallest optical mouse" It features precise laser tracking, USB connectivity, ultra bright LED indicator lights, and the ability to personalize the device. Available now, priced at $60.00.

You can watch the video here.

Alpha MIPS netbook just $190

Yet another sub $200 non-Intel powered netbook - This time, jkOnTheRun has featured a MIPS-powered 7" netbook, the Alpha 400 MIPS netbook. It runs Linux, has 1 GB SSD, 128 MB RAM, and a SD slot.

It is available through Geeks.com.

So the emerging cheap EPC (as these are commonly referred to by Chinese manufacturers) wave continues...

Nvidia chipset support to come for Intel Atom

From Digitimes -

Nvidia's MCP79 chipset will soon support Atom CPUs, however the support will only initially apply to nettops and not netbooks. MSI, Asus, and Gigabytes are all expected to launch models based on the new combo.

Aftermarket 10-cell battery creates Eee PC 901: Hammerhead Edition

From Engadget -

A 13000mAh after-market battery was recently offered at eBay. Although it seems intended for the Asus Eee PC 1000 series, it fits the 901 as well - albeit creating a weird, aesthetically-challenged unit that only a true Eee fanatic would love.

Eeeuser forum thread page here.

Ebay auction page here.

MSI to Demo Touchscreen Wind

In an interview with Laptop Mag, MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales Andy Tung revealed the following:

The Wind U100 and U120 will be parallel products in the U.S. The U120 will have a new design, WiMax/3G options, and will hit the U.S. market next month.

The Wind U110 and U115 will also be released next month and have the newest Intel Atom platform (Intel Atom Z530). The U115 will have both an SSD and a hard drive. You will be able to turn off the hard drive completely to save battery power, resulting in 10 hours of battery life.

MSI will show a touch enabled-Wind at the CES next month.

MSI will not bring Linux netbooks to market in the U.S.

You can read the complete interview here.

Contract-laden 3G Acer Aspire One hitting US at just $99?

From Engadget -

If the above image turns out to be legit, Radio Shack is set to offer an Acer Aspire One for just $99 so long as you sign up for a minimum $60/month data plan with AT&T. That comes to something north of $1,500 over the life of the contract, which is hardly a steal - but then it is sounds a lot better when compared to the 2-year $35/month sub$200 smartphone bundles being offered.

Acer Now No. 1 in Netbook Sales

Per DisplaySearch, the netbook category grew at more than 160% Q/Q in Q3’08 as most of the top tier brands have now entered the market. Asus, which had essentially created the market in late 2007, lost significant share as Acer surged to the top spot, capturing more than 35% of this market.

The market started in late 2007 with the introduction of the Asus Eee PC 701 4G and sold less than 1 million units. But by the end of 2008, sales its expected to exceed 14 million units and is poised for for dramatic growth, propelled by low prices and a user experience that much more closely mirrors a typical PC, as the majority of these devices run Windows XP or a Linux OS.

With the lone exception of Apple, all of the top 10 PC brands have entered the mini-note PC market, initially as a response to the competitive threat posed by Asus, but also to satisfy demand from customers.

Significantly, per 3rd quarter 2008 sales, Acer now leads the netbook market with 38.3%, ahead of pioneer Asus, which has 30.3%. HP came in third at 5.7%, followed by MSI, 5.7%, Dell 2.8%, OLPC 2.3, Medion, 2.3%, Kohjinsha, 1.0%, Intel Classmate variants, 1.0%, Lenovo, 0.7%, Toshiba, 0.5%, and the rest, a combined 9.1%.

BenQ launches 10.1-inch netbook

From Digitimes -

BenQ has launched its Joybook Lite U101 netbook with an LED-backlit 16:9 screen. It is now available in Taiwan and China and will soon be offered via telco bundles.

Gateway returns to Singapore with a barrage of four laptops

Asiaone Digital -

Gateway, now owned by Acer, has returned to Singapore after leaving almost eight years ago with the launch of four new laptops, including a 8.9" netbook, the LT1001g.

The $688 LT1001G looks remarkably similar to the Acer Aspire One and comes with 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1 GB RAM and 160 GB hard disk drive and weighs just 1kg.

Specs include -

Specifications
Processor: Intel® Atom Processor N270
(1.6GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB)
Operating System: Geniune Windows® XP Home Edition
Display: 8.9" WSVGA Ultrabright™ TFT Active Matrix (1024x600 max. resolution)
Chipset: Mobile Intel® 945GSE
Memory: 1024MB 553MHz DDR2 single-channel memory
512MB on board, 1 DDR2 slots total, 0 DDR2 slots available
Hard Drive: 160GB 5400rpm SATA1
Media Reader: Multi-in-1 memory card reader
Secure Digital™ (SD), Mini Secure Digital™ (Mini SD™), Micro Secure Digital™ (Micro SD™), Multi Media Card™ (MMC), Reduced Size MMC (RS-MMC), Memory Stick™ (MS), Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, xD-Picture Card™
Video: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 providing integrated 3D graphics and upporting Microsoft® DirectX® 9 3D hardware acceleration
Audio: Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) support
MS-Sound compatible
Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in digital microphone
Network: 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet
Gateway 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection
Webcam: 310K pixel integrated webcam
Ports/Other: 3 USB
1 VGA
1 RJ-45 LAN
1 microphone
1 audio slot (HP/SPKR/line-out)
1 AC adapter connector
Dimensions: 29mm (H) x 249mm (W) x 170mm (D) with 3-cell battery pack2
36mm (H) x 249mm (W) x 195mm (D) with 6-cell battery pack2
Weight: 1kg (system unit only); 1.26kg w/ 6-cell2
Battery: 3-cell lithium-ion (2.2AHr)
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor limited warrantys

Gateway LT1001g product page here.

$100 Laptop Still $400, But Now With More Advertising

From Techdirt -

In an attempt to boost the needed economy of scale to lower production cost, OLPC is asking media companies to donate airtime and ad space for a marketing campaign to promote its "Give One, Get One" program, where customers pay $400 for an XO of their own, while another one gets donated to the foundation's cause. The aim is to achieve the volume necessary to bring down the XO laptops to the $100 price point.

In the meantime, the competition that OLPC honcho Negroponte hates so much is driving prices of other netbooks closer and closer to $100. It will soon be a matter of time before someone breaks the barrier, but it surely won't be the OLPC, with or without the competition.

First View Electronics Windows CE netbooks

More EPCs (low-cost Windows CE/embedded Linux-based netbooks), this time from First View Electronics -




The bottom two models, PC701 and PC703, are Windows CE-based netbooks with non-Intel processors.

Specs for PC701 -

Feature
-7 inch Digital LCD screen,VGA 800*480 pixels.
-Linux OS or Windows CE
-Processor: XBurst 336 MHz 32-bit Processor
-ROM: 512MB ~16GB Nand Flash
-RAM: 128MB
-2 x USB 2.0
-Input Device: Keyboard and Touch Pad
-Network Access: Ethernet 10/100M , built-in WiFi 802.11b/g , CDMA & GPRS (through optional Express Card)
-Support SD/MMC card.
-Support .mp3 .wma .wav .wmv .asf .avi .mpg .mpeg .mp2 .mp4 .mov.
-Built-in 32bit CPU, with high processing power but low energy consumption

Specs for PC703 -

-7 inch Digital LCD screen,VGA 800*480 pixels.
- Windows CE 5.0
-CPU: Z228
-Processor: Jade 532MHz 32-bit Processor
-ROM: 512MB ~2GB
-RAM:128MB
-3 x USB2.0
-Input Device: 80pcs Keyboard and Touch Pad
-Network Access: Ethernet 10/100M , built-in WiFi 802.11b/g
CDMA & GPRS (through optional Express Card)
-Built-in Mic / Stereo Speaker
-Support SD/MMC card
-Support .mp3 .wma .wav .wmv .asf .avi .mpg .mpeg .mp2 .mp4 .mov
-Built-in 32bit CPU, with high processing power but low energy consumtion
- All kinds of Xiptech application software packages
- Internet surfing, information searching and news reading
-Instant online: Skype / MSN / QQ
- Movie and music downloading and enjoying
- Flash movies and games
- All types of games simulation

$119 7" Mini Notebook

F&S International Limited has the following product -



Specs include -

● Operation system: Linux (support office media photo E-mail etc)
● Display: 7 inch TFT LCD
● CPU: XBurst 400 MHz CPU 32
● Network Interface: 10/100M Ethernet Access
● Network Access: ADSL WiFi CDMA GPRS(optional)
● Wireless network: USB external Intel Pro802.11b/g/Wireless network solution
● Memory: 128M RAM
● HDD: 1GB NAND Flash
● Sound effect: Built-in high-effect audio stereo speakers built-in microphone
● 80 keys keyboard with touch pad
● USB Port: USB 2.0 *3ports
● Card reader: SD
● One VGA connector
● Battery:2100mA,4 Core: 4 hrs Actual battery life depending on operating conditions and settings
● Weight: 0.625kg
● Dimensions: 210mm x 140mm x 33mm
● Color: Black, White, Green, Blue, Red, Orange (Optional)

Pricing is as follows:

FS-U7B	NO WIFI	FS-U7A	WIFI inside
MOQ	PRICE	MOQ	PRICE
Sample	$139	Sample	$169
50 pcs	$119	50 pcs	$145
100 pcs		100 pcs

Cuddly MSI Wind PR Photo

Got this cuddly photo in the email. Presumably it is an MSI Wind PR photo. Just wanted to share it.

Lenovo cuts price on IdeaPad S10

As we have been predicting all along, the netbook market will gradually become cutthroat. And it is happening sooner than expected. Engadget has reported that just 24 hours after HP reduced its Mini 1000 by $40, Lenovo has intro;d a new S10 configuration that offers a much better bargain than existing models.

Now for just a few dollars more, you can get one with 1GB RAM and 160GB HD.

Alpha 400 MIPS 400MHz 128MB 1GB 7" Linux Ultralite Notebook

Geeks.com is now selling the 7" Alpha 400 for $189.95. Features include -

Netbook form factor
Linux 2.4 Operating System
MIPS XBurst 400 MHz 32-bit CPU
128 MB RAM
1 GB NAND Flash Storage
10/100 MB Ethernet interface
802.11b wireless
Supports External Hard Drive up to 160 GB
Supports SD Card up to 32 GB
Xiptech application software packages (Xip office, Flash player)
7-inch digital panel 800 x 480 true-color
Keyboard with TouchPad
Supports File Sizes up to 8 MB
Built-in SD Card slot
Battery Charging Time: 4.5 - 5 hours

Uses:
Internet surfing
Instant online communication, chatting
Music downloading and enjoying
Flash movies and games
Picture and image sharing
Languages learning
Personal diary

Office Assistant:
AbiWord, XipTable and PDF Viewer
E-mail management
Daily work plan and management
E-book reader

I/O ports:
Three (3) USB ports
RJ-45 Ethernet port
Headphone in
Microphone in

Dimensions (closed):
1.1 x 8.25 x 5.6-inches

---------

At $189.95 the price is simply too close to the entry-level but more "full-blown" 7" netbooks like Asus Eee PC 701 sell for. Lower-end netbook appliances (like the Alpha 400) with embedded OS, limited RAM, SSD storage will only start selling once they hit below $100.

HP's Mini 1000 offers Qualcomm Gobi WWAN chip as option

From Engadget -

According to jkOnTheRun those uncomfortable with choosing a dedicated AT&T or Verizon WWAN module for their HP Mini 100 can opt for the Qualcomm Gobi module which theoretically allows the use of either AT&T or Verizon.

HP Mini 1000 to Get $40 Price Drop

From Laptoping -

The HP Mini 1000 is now priced starting at $359.99, after a $40 reduction. For that you get an 8.9-inch display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM (free upgrade from 512MB), an 8GB SSD, 3-cell battery, and Windows XP Home.

Replacing the Eee PC's Celeron with a Pentium

Gury Hwa has posted step-by-step instructions in his guryhwa1121's blog on how to replace the Asus Eee PC 701's Celeron processor with a ULV PM 753 1.2G 2M L2.

Open XML-HTML Translator Add-in for Firefox demo

For Firefox users -

Uploaded by interopbydesign -

"The goal of the Open XML Document Viewer project is to facilitate the viewing of Open XML documents in roaming scenarios, providing a web friendly format that provides form factor and platform independence. This demo shows integration of the translator into a Firefox add-on on Windows and Linux. Project details at http://www.codeplex.com/OpenXMLViewer"

Intel is betting on Moblin and the MID

Per jkOnTheRun, Intel is considers MIDs as a big focal point of their strategy and that they fully expect them to take off soon, with a lot of new MIDs at the CES in January. Intel is also expecting netbooks to continue to be the hot sellers next year, which seems contrary to previously announcements the company is rethinking its position in this market, having deemed it incremental (see Intel rethinks Netbooks - and why).

In addition, to help clear up the constant confusion between netbooks, MIDs and UMPCs, Intel has also provided their internal definitions - netbooks are clamshell notebooks with a 7 - 10.2-inch screen that is "purpose built for Internet use." MIDs are pocketable devices with a 4 to 7-inch screen that take a clamshell, slider or tablet form and are custom built for "Internet-based targeted usages" such as productivity, entertainment, information or communications. MIDs will focus on one of these usage scenarios in a given device and be sold as a consumer product in stores.

With those definitions, I am not sure how Intel would categorize the expected new wave of super-cheap clamshells with embedded OS, SSD, QWERTY keyboard, 7" screens, and non-Intel processors (actually morphed PDAs) that will likely be sold in drugstores, chain stores like Target, WalMart, etc as consumer devices?

The point is regardless of how Intel categorizes them, whether as netbooks or MIDs, these will surely eat into Intel's projected market. It would be interesting to see Intel's position on MIDs down the line once the trickle turns into a flood of ultra-cheap MIDs and netbooks, all using non-Intel processors.

HP Mini 1000 Netbook Now Shipping With 3G Internet Capability

From Gizmodo -

The HP Mini 1000 now has official support for 3G WWAN Mobile Broadband out of the box and with support for multiple cell carriers. The option costs an extra $200.

HP Product Order Page here.

COBY Plans MIDGET PC for $100 in March

Arkansas Indymedia is reporting that Coby Electronics, well-known (if not respected) for low-cost electronic gadgets sold through drugstores, discount stores, etc., plans to introduce the first under-$100 laptop in the USA, Midget PC, by March 2009.

The Midget PC will initially have a 7" screen, followed by a 9" model. These will be branded "PoqetMate-7" (pronounced pocket-mate) and "PoqetMate-9. Preproduction units appear to be about the same size as the Asus Eee PC 701.

The netbooks will most likely be manufactured in Coby's own factory in Foshan China and will use Loongson processors that are generally used in personal media players and handheld gadgets. The use of such processors indicate an embedded operating system as well.

Coby expects the $100 netbook market to be over 100 million units but doesn't expect to monopolize it as competitors are a given.

Coby's entry into the market, as well as the expected horde of competitors that will follow, are exactly the reasons why we think the real reason both Intel and AMD are antsy about the netbook market (Intel rethinks Netbooks - and why). They simply can't (or won't) compete in the low-end, low-margin market segment of netbooks. And not because this segment is incremental. At 100 million units, how can it be incremental?

Toshiba Australia gives customers free netbook

From Eee PC Blog -

Toshiba Australia is offering customers who purchase a Toshiba XV500 series LCD HDTV with a 37, 42 or 46 inch screen between the 1st of December, and 15th of January a free Toshiba NB100 netbook that usually retails for $799. Customers can redeem their netbook at this website.

Buffalo Offers New SSDs For Dell Inspiron Mini 9

From ubergizmo -

Buffalo is now offering 16GB and 32GB SSDS for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook. The extra storage won't really improve performance but at least it enables you to store your data, music and video.

A Pink and Cheaper Acer Aspire One in Japan

From Akihabara News -

Acer Japan is reducing the price of the 8.9" Acer Aspire One by 5000 Yen (42€). Specs remain the same - Atom N270 (1.60GHz), 1GB of RAM, and 945GSE Express chipset. Available colors - Pink, Gold, Brown, and traditional Blue Sapphire.

gOS Cloud - First Hands on

ASUS Eee PC 1002HA Review

Latop Mag has a review of the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA. Quick summary is as follows:

Specs as reviewed:
CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM/Expandable to: 1GB/1GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 160GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 10 inches / 1024x600
Size: 10.4 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 2.6 pounds
Price as Reviewed: $499

Pros
Sleek design
Multi-touch trackpad
Spacious keyboard
Good Wi-Fi performance

Cons
Awkwardly placed right Shift key
Shorter battery life than comparable netbooks
No extended battery option

You can read the full review here.

HP Vivienne Tam Edition Mini 1000 Digital Clutch now available

From Engadget -

HP is now offering the Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000. Aside from the aesthetic add-ons, the 10" netbook has ordinary specs - a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom with 1GB of RAM, up to 60GB hard drive - and a fashionably jacked-up price of $699.

MSI Wind DIY Two button mousepad

Using only simple tools (exacto blade, small saw, plus some ball pen springs) shenaniganz08 of the MSI Wind.net forum was able to mod his MSI Wind into having a two button mousepad.

You can read the step-by-step instructions in the thread here.

ASUS Introduces World's Smallest Desktop PCs with HD Capability

From Asus -

Taipei, Taiwan, December 2, 2008 – ASUS today unveiled HD versions of its popular Eee Box—a tiny 1L-sized desktop PC—that it launched in June 2008. With the new Eee Box B204 and B206, users will be able to enjoy viewing hardware-accelerated HD content on LCD TVs, monitors and projectors via an HDMI output—making them ideal for families seeking a simple, space-saving home entertainment solution. The Eee Box B204 and B206 are also preinstalled with Eee Cinema, a full-featured media player that enables users to play high definition content easily. Eee Cinema offers superior format compatibility and extensive media library management options. To help users navigate Eee Cinema’s comprehensive features speedily, both the Eee Box B204 and B206 come with a convenient remote control.