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The 10.1″ screen has widescreen look to it. Looking at the 1366×768 pixels resolution, it is clear that the LG X20 netbook has an aspect ratio of 16:9. This makes the screen really great for watching movies. The display is a TFT LCD screen. It is powered by an Intel N450 processor, humming away at 1.66GHz. Graphics is handled by the onboard intel 3150 graphics. RAM is upto 2GB apparently, so that is definitely a good news. There are several model numbers to be reckoned with for this one device — X200, XB200, XD 200 and XV200. It is clear though that there in only one model. Hence, these separate model numbers probably refer to the various regions in which this will be sold. According to the manual, it will be available in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, China, India, Singapore and Korea. it has WiFi (b/g/n), 250GB HDD, 1.3MP webcam, HSPA 3G (hence the FCC approval) and Bluetooth as well. There’s no information on release or pricing but do expect a higher than usual price for this netbook. The design and the slightly higher specs like Bluetooth, larger HDD and more RAM, will likely increase the retail price. The isolate style flat keys keyboard also adds a touch of class to the X20. In the US, this is might be subsidized by carriers although there is no such talks as of yet.
Unlike the LG XNote LGX30, which uses the Poulsbo platform, the NB300 is using (supposedly) the Pineview platform. So it can be expeced in the first quarter (Q1) of 2010. As was last heard, Intel is still planning to announce the Pinetrail and Pineview Platforms in early 2010. The announcement would likely see a deluge of new Atom-based netbooks following it, offered by most of the major and minor players. The NB300 is also highly likely to show up on the roster of one or more US carriers because it is apparently packing a Qualcomm 3G chip (the Gobi2000) so that it can connect to 3G network natively. Out of all the companies that have been making netbook so far, only a few have reached a stage where people readily accept what they are offering. And although Toshiba is a well-known and well-respected brand in the notebook market, its netbooks have been received with a lukewarm response. Acer and Asus are currently enjoying a lot customer attention and hence they can afford to produce a wider array of netbooks. Even though Atom-based netbooks are extremely similar to each other, certain smaller component and design decisions actually influence the buyer’s decision a lot. Toshiba has so far kept its build quality more or less intact but the company needs to up the Ante a bit more to strike it better in the already saturated market.  The HP Mini 311 A blogger at MyHPMini had recently spotted a new HP Mini series netbook hiding in the HP support pages. The model named appeared to be HP Mini 210. Then he uncovered the fact that this was indeed a new netbook that was coming up from HP and it is going to be a Pinetrail netbook. That was some time back. Now, NetbookNews has spotted the same model in some Spanish store. It is of course not up for sale yet but the listing sure gave away the specs. So what is it like? Well, sadly it turns out to be yet another netbook (YAN!) that has all the typical specifications — 1GB memory, 250GB HDD, 10.1” display, powered by Atom N450 (Pinetrail) and running Windows 7 starter. The price was apparently 277 Euros., which is basically hovering about the $400 mark. Of course, the price may vary when this reaches the US simply because there’s a difference in the economy. But there is no reason to believe that this will be anything out of the ordinary in terms of success. But since we do not know abou the screen resolution or other options yet, passing verdict on this one is rather difficult. After all, they might decide to add SSD, Bluetooth and modem options. In that case, it would become pretty interesting. Also, we have no clue what it looks like. So that might be another point for it. However, looking at the HP Mini 110, which this model will likely succeed, there isn’t much hope for it to be anything but the usual stuff. With so many Pinetrail Netbooks coming out one after another it would be hard to decide exactly which one you want to go for. Nevertheless, the offerings are (going to be) much varied and it should not be all that hard, given that you budget and needs are already pegged down.
A new netbook from LG has been spotted at the FCC, it is from the company’s XNote Series of Netbooks and is extremely handy and slim. What it isn’t is a netbook that is based on Pinetrail, Intel’s next generation Atom Processors. With the official launch of Pinetrail Atom chips rumored to be early next month and other companies already lining up their offerings, you would think that LG would be preparing something with the Pinetrail instead of the Poulsbo generation that uses Atom Z Series CPUs. This netbook is an 11incher and has a native display resolution of 1366×768. As mentioned earlier, it is powered by an Atom Z series processor along with a GMS 500 series graphics chip. RAM is likely to be the netbook standard at 1GB, which is pretty pathetic no matter which way you look at it. When it comes to storage, LG has gone the SSD route and that might mean a hefty price tag for this pretty average netbook. But at least it will be faster than your usual fare. It has the usual bells and whistles – 2 USB ports, WiFi b/g, 1.3MP webcam and optional Bluetooth and HSPA modem. It has VGA out and no HDMI, which is only to be expected. From the pictures it is apparent that the netbook has the non-tradional, isolated keys style keyboard which is becoming more and more common now. Over all, the slightly stylish features of the XNote series remain but only a decent price tag will sell this netbook in this recessive and saturated market. The older platform (Poulsbo) is going to be another setback.
The device in the images looks extremely similar to all the current ThinkPad models and it has all the signature features that are visible on other devices of the line. The highlighted enter key, the touchpad and the navigation nub between keys g, h and b are all similar to what we are accustomed to see on standard ThinkPad devices. There is also a visible ThinkPad branding on the device. But there are quite a few differences that are startling for most regular ThinkPad users. First, the size of the device seems quite smaller than the regular ThinkPads, which is why the netbook form factor claim is validated by the images. The traditional keyboard has been replaced with a keyboard that has isolated flat keys. Although this style is becoming popular on mid-range and high-end portables, the ThinkPad series has always retained certain legacy features for its dedicated business clientele (like the navigation nub). The styling also seems to be different. This is probably the only ThinkPad in the market (if it is real) that has a white outer body. Almost all ThinkPads so far have been black or at least a very dark color and nothing close to white. A new netbook model from Lenovo was also spotted on the FCC’s database and it is being concluded by many the rumored ThinkPad and this new model are one and the same. Whatever it is, more rumors peg this device around 5th January in 2010. The name has been apparently been settled as X100e. There was some confusion with suggestions of the device being called X200e.
The Easel by Litl is a new netbook device that will run a custom OS that is also designed by the company. The company’s aim is to make the netbook as family-friendly as possible. By that they do not mean censorship a la child browsers. What they mean is that the device will be easy enough to be used by everybody in the family – from the youngest to the oldest members of the family. The main focus is the OS here, which is designed like a pack of cards with color codes representing different categories. There are three colors working here – blue, white and black. The blue cards represent things that are permanent on the machine, like settings, network, security, etc. The white cards represent Internet things. So you have firefox, probably some instant messenger client, etc. The black cards are like widgets. So you can have diverse things like weather apps, calculators etc. The focus is clearly on the basic use and getting online. Social networking and social media integration might also be there, although such features are not explicitly mentioned. The netbooks looks nice and friendly with rounded edges and chunky buttons. The main concern is that it might turn into a vaporware. Many companies before Litl have promised to completely change the way you interact with your computer but no one has been able to deliver something that really made people take a break from the Windows or Mac OS routine and switch to the system. I am not mentioning Linux because it sounds like the OS is based on Linux and all Linux OS’ heavily borrow from both the major OS’ mentioned. Update: Litl has release this netbook on the 4th of November and they are calling it the Webbook. Details in a separate post.
Intel’s Pineview is the code name for the next generation Atom chips that will power highly portable devices. The Pineview has not reached a stage where it is available on models that are hitting the shelves in this pre-holiday season but they are going to start appearing early next year for sure. The new chips are expected to couple more processing power with better energy efficiency. The unannounced Asus Eee PCs that have been dug up differ from the current models only on the point of the processor being used. For the other things they are still carrying only 1GB of RAM and 160GB of storage. It can also be speculated that the design of the models will remain the same as well. So over all, people will get better multi-tasking performance but RAM-dependant tasks will still hit a bottleneck. However, since these are pre-release details, they might not remain the same when Asus finally gets around to making these models public. Since they are already on the FCC’s list pending approval, them turning up right before the holidays kick in is not very unlikely. Of the two models that have been found, at least one seems to be carrying a 3G modem onboard for mobile Internet connections. That should make the model very attractive to holiday shoppers, given the usually low price point of Eee PCs of that configuration. |
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LG X20 was last seen in this year’s CES at Las Vegas this January. The world had pretty much forgotten about the netbook till it was again recently spotted passing through the FCC’s mandatory approval process. Being from LG, this netbook pays attention to the way it looks. The lines are much cleaner and the over all finish is definitely towards the slimmer side.
Toshiba has obtained the FCC’s approval for one of its latest netbook offering — the NB300. The details are scanty at this moment. It is more or less certain that this netbook will be similar in size to Toshiba’s existing offerings — the NB200/NB205.
Whoever figured out that spying the FCC’s list of pending approvals would be a good idea, did something extremely right. It has been a busy few months for all the tech companies and with major start-of-the-year events coming up, there’s no space to breathe post the holiday product release rush.
Rumors and spy shots have been doing their rounds on the Internet that carry the news of a ThinkPad series netbook that is being developed by Lenovo. There has been no official word on the matter but everyone is fairly certain that the images that have been leaked on the Internet are indeed of a genuine ThinkPad device that comes in the size that can only be called a netbook.
Tech bloggers at Engadget have dug up a new netbook that is about to make a splash on the market with a new fangled OS running on a cute looking portable. The company behind the device and the custom OS has been hitherto unknown and the promise they are making is quite daring indeed.
The FCC has sprung a leak somewhere and through it we are getting all sorts of pre-launch news that is not supposed to reach the public. Through this channel we are getting new of new Asus Eee PC models that seem to be sporting the new Atom Pineview processor.
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