At this point, we’re not really sure which date has been discussed more in the history of humanity — the Mayan doomsday prediction or Microsoft’s October 22, 2009 launch of Windows 7. Lenovo’s S12 was originally supposed to be the first ION-sporting netbook on the scene, but the Chinese company opted to hold back the NVIDIA infusion till Windows 7 showed up, and has been shipping a version of the 12-inch IdeaPad with only standard netbook specs so far. Well, come this Thursday it’s out with the old and in with theHD video-decoding new in Japan, where the ION-powered S12 will be unleashed with 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, a 1280 x 800 glossy display, multicard reader and a HDMI port for company. Priced somewhere near ¥68,800 (about $757), the new machines (available only in white) are likely to dip below $600 when they make their inevitable journey Stateside.

From engadget
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We’ve got a VAIO P in the house, and we thought it’d only be fitting to put the quintessential “it’s not a netbook, we swear!” up against the quintessential netbook, ASUS’s Eee PC (in convenient 7-inch and 10-inch flavors). Stand by for further impressions, but boy is that screen densely packed with pixels.

Gallery: VAIO P vs Eee PC… fight!

From engadget

While we got some early time with Dell’s super-secret Adamo prototype, it looks like we weren’t the only ones — and it also looks like we didn’t get the whole enchilada: there’s a wicked-sexy white version hiding in the Palms as well. Still no more details than before, but bub.blicio.us was also allowed to boot the aluminum ultraportable, so at least we know that there’s chips in that box. We’re actually headed back to check out the Mini 10, so we’ll dig for even more (and try to get pictures in a better-lit room), but for now check these latest Adamo pictures in the gallery.

Gallery: More Adamo Images

From engadget

We hit up Dell for a few more minutes with the sleek new Studio XPS 13 and 16, and our positive early impressions just got better with time. We’re really digging the leather panel on the lid, and while the machines are total fingerprint magnets, when they’re cleaned up they’re pretty eye-catching — particularly the light-up circles on the hinges and the backlit keyboard and mouse buttons. Even the bottom is slick — it’s nicely detailed and the whole things lifts off (Dell calls it a “garage door”) for easy access to the RAM and hard drive. We nabbed a ton of shots, check it out in the gallery!

Gallery: Dell Studio XPS 13 and 16 hands-on

from engadget

Viliv’s S7 “productivity MID” got announced in August at the Intel Developer Forum, and, while we were impressed by the form factor and the promise, it’s always hard to get too excited without a full spec sheet and an MSRP. Now at CES we’re still in the dark about price (and availability), but are finally hearing just what’s going on under the keyboard; Atom processors in 1.3GHz and 1.6GHz flavors, a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 screen, 1GB of RAM, and either 16GB worth of SSD or 60GB served up on platters. Wireless connectivity is handled over 802.11b/g, WiMAX, and HSDPA, and the device promises “blueray HD video playback” — which we’re taking to mean it can display 1080p footage without completely choking, but we’re not sure just where that video would come from given the lack of optical drive. But, hey, look at that sexy picture! Rest assured we’ll prop this up against a VAIO P as soon as we can get our hands on one.

[Via UMPC Portal]
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from engadget

We just caught up with the Dell Mini 10, and while it’s not as crazy hot as the white Adamo, it’s still pretty sweet — much nicer looking than the Mini 9, and more compact than the Mini 12. No wonder Dell’s calling it a “perfect 10.” The multitouch trackpad is really similar to the one on the newest Macbooks, but it’s a little less intuitive — the buttons are pushed into the corners, so a middle press doesn’t do a lot. On the other hand, it’s a little more useful — not only can you do the usual zooming and scrolling, laying three fingers on the pad brings up a slick little launcher screen. Too bad we don’t have pricing or availabilty — if this thing comes in at a reasonable number, it’s going to be our favorite netbook. We stacked the 10 up against the 9, the 12, and a MacBook Air, check it all out in the gallery below!

Gallery: Dell Mini 10 hands-on

From engadget

First stop at CES Unveiled tonight was MSI’s booth to check out the new X320. Always good to us, MSI gave us some exclusive time with the very slim and affordable ultraportable (the video below gives a good glimpse of the hardware). When MSI first told us about the notebook (then called the U300) they said we would be “shocked” by its ultra-thin stature. Indeed we were  pretty damn shocked when we laid eyes on the thinner than a rail 13-inch notebook.   Think MacBook Air (those clever guys at SlashGear even grabbed some shots of it next to an Air). More impressive is that even despite its thinness it packs a good amount of ports, including 3 USB, Ethernet, VGA Out and a mic and headphone. It also has a card reader. As for weight, we sure believe the 2.9 pound claim since the notebook was very light. Like the Wind, the X320 has a minimalist design and is available in champagne, black and white.  The glossy champagne lid wasn’t flashy and we appreciated how the MSI logo centered on the lid was backlit (stealing yet another design cue from the Air). Under the lid is a 13.4 inch glossy display surrounded by a fairly thick, glossy black bezel. The X320 has a full-size keyboard with a similar feel to the one on the Wind. While the trackpad is large and spacious, there is that same single mouse button that we didn’t exactly love on the original Wind.

Did we mention that this system will retail between $700 and $900? No longer will you have to pay top dollar for one of the thinnest laptops on the market and Intel’s Atom Z520 processor receives the thanks for that. The pre-production model that we saw packed 2GB of RAM and was running Microsoft Vista Basic. Of course, we can’t really judge the performance from the brief hands-on, but we did test application open times and they were nowhere near as sluggish as we saw on the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 with the same processor and Vista, but only 1GB of RAM. Let’s hope that extra memory really pushes performance a notch above what we saw on the Mini 12. According to MSI, the flush with the system battery will provide 10 hours of battery life in its ECO mode. We look forward to testing that. Shocked is definitely our reaction to the X320. Not only because it is so slender, but also because this type of ultraportable notebook will be more affordable than ever at a price point between $700 and $900. We plan to check out the system more at the show. MSI plans to ship this notebook in April.

from laptopmag and crunchgear

We just bumped into LG’s X120, a barely-differentiated followup to the X110 that’s floating around the show floor. There’s still a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and a 10-inch WSVGA screen, but what’s new is the Splashtop-powered “LG Smart On” OS, which does the quick boot thing we’ve come to know and love on many ASUS products, the Voodoo Envy 133 and elsewhere. The effect, as always, is pretty stunning, and the OS should be helpful for a quick look at the web or to hop on IM over the laptop’s WiFi connectivity. The netbook itself seems to have been tweaked a tad on aesthetics, but it’s still a bit thicker than we’d like at this point for the netbook market. We’re short on further details, but since the X110 did 3G, there’s a good chance that’ll be in play as well — we’re still waiting on PR from LG. In the meantime, you can check out a video of the startup after the break.

Gallery: LG’s new X120 netbook with Splashtop-powered instant on

From engadget

MSI’s Wind U100 had a good run, but now it’s time for the U120 to take over. We caught wind of this one just a few days back, but once the show floor opened we were finally able to feast our eyes on one. We’ve gotta say — it looks mighty good, so feel free to have a look in the gallery below to see if you agree.

Gallery: MSI Wind U120 hands-on

From engadget

Designed for harsh field conditions where hands-free operation is desirable, the Zypad WR1100 is designed to meet MIL-STD-810F environmental and MIL-STD-461E EMI requirements, says Parvus. The GPS-enhanced device is aimed at military, homeland defense, first responder, security, and emergency service field and in-vehicle applications.

Parvus Zypad WL-1000 (Click for details)

The first Parvus Zypad, the still-supported WL-1000 (pictured at right) shipped in 2006. Later that year Frost & Sullivan awarded the device a 2006 Product Innovation Award in the field of “ambient intelligence.”

Whereas the WL-1000 offers a choice of Linux or Windows CE, the new WR1100 is offered exclusively with Linux. In place of the Raza Microelectronics 32-bit MIPS-based AU 1100, the WR100 is equipped with a Marvell PXA 270 clocked at 416MHz, and it comes with 256MB RAM, 128MB flash, and an SD card, says Parvus. The device offers a higher-resolution (640 x 480) 3.5-inch touchscreen that is said to be protected against water and dust ingress.

Zypad WR1100
(Click to enlarge)

Like its predecessor, the WR1100 is equipped with 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, a GPS receiver, and accelerometers. In addition, it provides a ZigBee short-range wireless option in place of the Bluetooth radio, and also offers options for an electronic compass and a biometric fingerprint sensor, says the company. Other options in the modular design include hot-swapping the GPS receiver with a GPRS cellular module.

The rugged device comes in a fiberglass-reinforced nylon/magnesium alloy case, and offers a rigid wrist support system with ergonomic positioning controls, says Parvus. Like the original Zypad, the WR1100 offers an orientation sensor that detects when the user lowers the arm on which the device is strapped, and automatically places the unit in a standby mode to conserve power. A “tilt and dead reckoning system,” meanwhile, can determine if a user is motionless or has fallen down, resulting in the transmission of a locator beacon signal.

Zypad WR1100, with and without wrist-strap
(Click on either to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the WR1100 include:

• Processor — Marvell PXA 270 416MHz
• Memory — 256MB RAM; 128MB flash
• Expansion — SD memory card interface
• Display — 3.5-inch VGA (640 x 480) color touchscreen; shock-resistant; optional night-vision compliance
• Keyboard — cursor pad and virtual QWERTY onscreen keyboard
• Pen input — stylus
• LEDs — power, charge, WPAN, WLAN, alarm
• Audio — AC97 codec; integrated mic and speaker; optional 3.5mm stereo or microphone sockets
• USB — 1 x USB Device port; 1 x USB Host port
• WiFi — IEEE 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth — Class 2; optional swap-out for ZigBee
• GPS — 12-channel receiver; DGPS and SBAS (WASS, EGNOS) support; optional swap-out for GPRS cellular radio
• Other features — accelerometer; biometric fingerprint reader; optional electronic compass
• Operating temperature — -4 to 140 deg. F (-20 to 60 deg. C)
• Shock and vibration — meets MIL-STD-810F (Methods 516.5, 514.5C-17)
• Weight — 1.4 lbs (645 gr)
• Power — 3.6V Li-Ion hot-swappable battery; optional AC adapter for 100-240V AC 50-60Hz 400mA input
• Operating system — Linux, based on kernel 2.6

Availability

The Zypad WR1100 is now available “from stock to 12 weeks lead-time,” says Parvus. More information may be found here.

Parvus is showing the WR1100 at its booth 1109 at MILCOM 2008 this week at the San Diego Convention Center. Sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the MILCOM show runs from Nov. 17-19.

From LinuxDevices

[Via Trusted Reviews and Pocket-Lint]
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from engadget

Thus far word on the street about Samsung’s NC10 has been good, but not exactly enough to distance it from the crowd. Laptop Magazine‘s full review of a Korean unit, however, found it to be exemplary, calling it “the most well-rounded 10-inch netbook on the market.” The netbook earned high marks thanks to a bright screen, comfortable keyboard, and amazing battery life of 7:34 with WiFi turned on. (That’s a bit suspect, though, as on a repeated test with screen brightness raised to 100 percent only 4:48 passed before it all went dark — another re-test at 50 percent is promised.) The only real complaints were a somewhat dainty touchpad and mediocre disk performance. Sadly no benchmarks were given to indicate how the thing performs against phlegmy fingers, so you’ll just have to test that for yourself this flu season.

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from engadget

Presumably in an (utterly futile) attempt to bring down the power grid all around the Mediterranean, print magazine PC World Greece benchmarked three powerful Nehalem desktop processors — the Core i7 Extreme Edition 965, and the apparently non-extreme Core i7 920 and 940. Names aside, performance from all three was extreme compared to most stuff currently on the market. The data for number nerds: in 3DMark06 the 920 finished ever-so-slightly behind the Core 2 Extreme QX9770′s 4,922 marks with 4,818 while the 940 and the 965 both opened a can of you-know-what at 5,282 and 5,716 respectively. More titillating figures await enthusiasts through the read link, but for you normal folk only concerned that Nehalem wouldn’t be fast enough to justify an upgrade (and you weren’t), rest assured that it triumphed in this no-holds-barred CPU cage match.

[Via techPowerUp! Forums, thanks sk]
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from engadget