Tech Check: Net Books Round Up
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Remember the days when a laptop costed £10,000 and you needed a forklift to carry it? Things have certainly improved a bit since then. In October of 2007 South Korean Computer manufacturer Asus introduced the world to its Eeepc. What separated this device from other ultra portable computers on the market was that fact that while it was still very small it was also very cheap. The 701 was the first model to be released and featured a 7 inch 800x480 resolution screen, 2GB of solid state memory, 512mb of ram, Wi-Fi, an SD card slot & 2 USB ports all for the meagre price of just $299! (UK obviously saw a slight price bump).
The device was no slouch in the processing department either, packing a throttled 900 MHz Intel Celeron processor and eventually shipping with the choice of either Windows XP or Xandros Linux operating systems. The Eeepc would go on to become an overnight hit as the masses clambered to grab a piece of ultra portable low cost computer goodness. Click the link to read the rest of the article.
Since then almost every well known computer manufacturer on the planet has flooded the market with a whole range of low cost ultra portable laptops. On June the 3rd 2o08 intel introduced a line of processors specifically designed for use within these types of machines which called the Atom. A large percentage of the newer machines now utilise this processor. While clock for clock it is actually slower than the original 900mhz Celeron used in the Eeepc, the first version to ship was the 1.6ghz version which is said to have a similar clocked speed to the 900mhz Celeron yet also incorporates improved hyper-threading technology which helps when running multiple applications at once and is also said to be less power hungry. I have put together a round up of some of the new and upcoming models which are definitely worth taking a look at if you’re thinking of investing. Bare in mind, pictures can be deceptive, these things are pretty damn small.
The device was no slouch in the processing department either, packing a throttled 900 MHz Intel Celeron processor and eventually shipping with the choice of either Windows XP or Xandros Linux operating systems. The Eeepc would go on to become an overnight hit as the masses clambered to grab a piece of ultra portable low cost computer goodness. Click the link to read the rest of the article.
Since then almost every well known computer manufacturer on the planet has flooded the market with a whole range of low cost ultra portable laptops. On June the 3rd 2o08 intel introduced a line of processors specifically designed for use within these types of machines which called the Atom. A large percentage of the newer machines now utilise this processor. While clock for clock it is actually slower than the original 900mhz Celeron used in the Eeepc, the first version to ship was the 1.6ghz version which is said to have a similar clocked speed to the 900mhz Celeron yet also incorporates improved hyper-threading technology which helps when running multiple applications at once and is also said to be less power hungry. I have put together a round up of some of the new and upcoming models which are definitely worth taking a look at if you’re thinking of investing. Bare in mind, pictures can be deceptive, these things are pretty damn small.
1. MSI - Wind U100: Slightly larger and a little more expensive than some net books on the market, the Wind is a sharp looking device. It pack the 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor, a 10inch (1024x600 res) screen, 1GB of DDR2 ram, an 80/160gb hard drive, 802.11B/G Wireless, Bluetooth 2.0 , 3 USB ports, 1.3mp camera, SD card slot and a the option of a 3/6 cell battery. It is available in black/white/pink colour ways and comes with the choice of Windows Xp or Linux. The Wind has received glowing reviews across the board and is said to be a strong performer. Prices range from £280 - £370 depending on the configuration and where you buy. The Wind has also been rebranded under a number of different name including the Medion Akoya and Advent 4211 (available for £279.99 @ Pc World).MSI Wind - Homepage
MSI Wind - Laptop Mag Review
MSI Wind - Buy @ Play.com
2. Acer - Aspire One: Renowned forselling some of the cheapest laptops available Acers entrance into the net book market was always going to start with a low price tag. Like the wind the Aspire One is nicely styled and comes with a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom. It packs a smaller 8.9 inch (1024x600) screen to the wind as well as 802.11B/G Wireless, 3 USB ports, a 0.3mp camera, SD card slot and a 3/6 cell battery. It is available in a number of configurations with 512/1 GB of Ram, A 120GB Hard Disk / 8GB solid state disk and Linpus Linux and XP flavours. It comes in a range of 2 tone colour ways, black/blue, white/black or brown/black (and solid black in some countries) Again the Aspire has received positive reviews and has good build quality. The mouse button configuration is slightly strange though as they flank the track pad as opposed to being placed in the standard position, below. Prices start as low as £229 and max out at £300.Acer Aspire One - Homepage
Acer Aspire One - Trusted Reviews
Acer Aspire One - Buy @ Play.com
3. Asus - Eeepc 901: Asus’ latest incarnation of its ground breaking EeePC differs quite significantly in both looks and spec from the earlier models. Again we see the 1.6 GHz atom on board and an 8.9 inch (1024x600) display plus the usual SD and USB ports. Asus have in addition offered a couple of distinguishing features. As well as the standard 1GB or ram, you get the options of a 12GB/20GB sold state disk; no hard disk options are available however. Asus have thrown in Bluetooth though coupled with the faster 802.1.1N standard (as well as B/G) plus a 6 cell battery said to offer over 6hrs of juice! Colour options are white, black and, pink. Os options are XP/Linux. All this does not come cheap though; prices start at £300 and can hit £375 at certain retailers.Asus have also released a whole host of variations of the EEE which is are actually very difficult to keep up with. There is the 1001 which is similar to the 901 but just with a larger 10 inch screen and keyboard. We also have the 904 and 904HD which feature a 8.9 inch display in a 1001 chassis and a hard drive option. We even have variations of the older 900 model except now with the new Atom processor and Hard drive option. See Asus' website for more details as it's all got very confusing!
Asus Eee - Homepage
Asus Eee Pc 901 - Trusted Reviews
Asus Eee Pc 901 - Buy @ Play.com
4. Lenovo - Ideapad S10: Only just announced recently the S10 will not be released in the UK until November/December, however it looks like it will be well worth the wait. As well as an Atom processor the display is a 10.2 inch (1024 x 600) LED backlight panel, and the touchpad includes multi-touch (meaning it accepts multiple finger inputs, like the iphone). WiFi, Bluetooth, Express Card, 4-in-1 card reader and a 1.3 mega pixel webcam are all included too. The device will ship with either 512/1GB of ram as well as 80/160GB hard drive options in a number of colour ways. A 9-inch screen version with the same chassis to the 10 inch will also be available in Europe and a few other territories. Lenovo have a great reputation and always produce devices of a high standard, definitely one to watch.
Lenovo Ideapad S10 - Engadget
Lenovo Ideapad S10 - Engadget
5. Dell - Inspiron Mini 9: Dells net book effort will fit in to the low budget category. Intel’s Atom is present again and Dell have opted for a choice of 8/16GB solid state disk options. You can also expect the usual 802.11B/G Wireless, 3 USB ports, integrated webcam, SD card slot and a 4 cell battery. Prices are said to start at around £269.
Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - UK Homepage
Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - Engadget
Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - UK Homepage
Dell - Inspiron Mini 9 - Engadget
6. Samsung - NC10: After a long period of silence Samsung finally decided to show their cards and the result is the tasty looking NC10. Nothing particularly unusual here but of course given their industry clout you can always rely on Samsung to put together an attractive package. The spec is actually very similar to the Lenovo S10, A 1.6GHz Atom 270, 1GB ram, 160GB Hard Drive, SD card slot, 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth 2.0, 10.2 inch (1024x600) screen. Samsung have however been kind enough to chuck in a 6 cell battery said to offer an up to a claimed 8 hours of battery life. This one is also said to be priced pretty aggressively with Samsung looking to bring it in around the £300 mark. Colourways will be black, blue and white. Said to be releasing in November.
Samsung NC10 - Engadget
With so many options we really are spoilt for choice. Be sure to look out for the Gigabyte 912M, Toshiba NB100 & the ECSG10IL (being sold @ PC world re branded as the Advent 4213), they look promising too. For in depth reviews, info and chat about net books and ultra portable computing devices I recommend visiting www.umpcportal.com it is a top site.
Samsung NC10 - Engadget
With so many options we really are spoilt for choice. Be sure to look out for the Gigabyte 912M, Toshiba NB100 & the ECSG10IL (being sold @ PC world re branded as the Advent 4213), they look promising too. For in depth reviews, info and chat about net books and ultra portable computing devices I recommend visiting www.umpcportal.com it is a top site.
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