| When it comes to Tegra 2 Android tablets it appears Columbia has beaten everyone to the punch. Apparently they’ve already got a Tegra 2 Android tablet selling on the market thanks to local outfit Compumax. On top of that the company is about to launch a Windows tablet equivalent next month. Both claimed to be originals and not rebrands.
The “Hyper” Tegra 2 tablet sports a dual core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, Android 2.1, 512MB RAM and 32GB SSD and is priced at around $387 while the “PC Smart” Windows tablet has an Intel Atom N450 processor, 1/2GB RAM, 250/320GB HDD, 1.3MP webcam, accelerometer, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, mini VGA, USB ports, card reader, audio jacks, DVD burner, LAN and Windows 7 Home Premium, priced at $608. Given a built-in stylus we’re looking at a capacitive panel. Both sport 10-inch displays. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
News
Compumax Outs 10-Inch Android Tegra 2 and Windows Tablets
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:53Qualcomm CEO – Smartbooks are Dead. Killed by Tablets
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:53| Looks like Qualcomm’s IQ 2010 is already full of punchy headlines after CEO Paul Jacobs admitting during the open keynote that tablets such as the iPad had already occupied the niche they expected smartbooks to. Jacobs described tablets like the iPad as delivering the concept of “always-on, all-day devices” that smartbooks had initially promised.
Qualcomm makes it money through Silicon sales so the 1.5 GHz Snapdragon chip will simply make its way in tablets rather then Smartbooks. If the price point of these keyboard equipped all day computing devices had come out at their original price point of $200 we probably would have seen higher demand. As the market focuses on and leaves the traditional keyboard form factor by the way side, I have to wonder if we are going to be less productive on the road or if Apps can really fill the void of solid data entry. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
Samsung Announces Orion dual core 1GHz ARM-based CPU
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:53| Looks like Samsung who already has one of the fastest ARM processors on the market right now with the 1GHz Hummingbird CPU. Looks like they are keeping the bar high with by announcing a new 1GHz dual core chip called the Orion.
What does this mean? Well they are promising “5 times the 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung,” 1080p video encoding and decoding at 30fps, embedded GPS and on-chip HDMI 1.3a interface. The Orion chip also has a triple display controller, which means a phone or other mobile device can handle two on-board displays (say front and back), while at the same time pumping out a signal to a TV or monitor over HDMI output. Good news with the availability, the Orion will be shipping to certain customers toward the end of 2010 with mass production scheduled to begin in the first half of 2011. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
Dell introduces USB Sound Bar for netbooks, notebooks
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:52| There’s no shortage of portable speaker sets designed for laptops, because let’s face it — most netbooks have pretty lousy built in speakers. There’s not really that much setting Dell’s new PS511 USB Sound Bar apart from the crowd aside from the fact that it’s clearly designed with Dell netbooks in mind, blending quite nicely into the top of the laptop.
The speakers offer 2 Watt output and come with a hard shell carrying case. They connect to the netbook via USB. Dell offers the PS511 USB Sound Bar for $34.99. You can check out a video of the USB Sound Bar from last week’s IFA show after the break, courtesy of Netbook News. News Source: Liliputing |
 |
HP’s Zeen Android tablet spotted
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:51| Smudges and all, HP’s upcoming Zeen tablet has been photographed in the wild. The Android-powered tablet is set to ship in the coming months as part of a bundle with the Zeus photo printer. As you can see in the image (with some squinting, of course), there’s an unsurprising emphasis on print apps including offerings from HP themselves, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, Dreamworks, and Yahoo. Facebook, Internet, and Email icons are also displayed — so the tablet should offer a decent amount of functionality.
Considering the printer/tablet bundle will probably only set you back $399, the Zeen-Zeus pairing may be a very enticing option for those in the market for a low-cost Android tablet. As long as you’re looking to pick up a printer, too, of course. Engadget reports that the Zeen’s software has been refined and previously-reported touchscreen issues have been addressed, but there are still some kinks to iron out. They’re also reporting that the standalone Zeen SKU has been cancelled — so it’ll only be available as part of the bundle. News Source: Liliputing |
 |
Archos 101 – 10 inch Media Player Hands on Video at IFA 2010
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:15| Archos 101 is a 10.1 inch model is the largest of the bunch with 1024 x 600 resolution with a capacitive touchscreen display. It has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, support for 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics and 720p HD video playback. It weighs less than a pound and is less than half an inch thick.
The Archos 101 will be available with 8GB to 16GB of internal storage space. It also has 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity with VGA & HDMI ports. It’s expected to sell for about $300 in October. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
Samsung Announces Orion dual core 1GHz ARM-based CPU
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:14| Looks like Samsung who already has one of the fastest ARM processors on the market right now with the 1GHz Hummingbird CPU. Looks like they are keeping the bar high with by announcing a new 1GHz dual core chip called the Orion.
What does this mean? Well they are promising “5 times the 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung,” 1080p video encoding and decoding at 30fps, embedded GPS and on-chip HDMI 1.3a interface. The Orion chip also has a triple display controller, which means a phone or other mobile device can handle two on-board displays (say front and back), while at the same time pumping out a signal to a TV or monitor over HDMI output. Good news with the availability, the Orion will be shipping to certain customers toward the end of 2010 with mass production scheduled to begin in the first half of 2011. News Source: Netbook News |
|
ASUS Launches Official Store, Profits Go Up
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:14| ASUS is inching towards an ecosystem around their netbooks to battle paper thin profits. They’ve got an upcoming online store with app downloads, cloud services and what not and now they’ve just got up their ASUS Shop. A place to buy official accessories such as cases, batteries, bags, peripherals and warranties.
So far, the ASUS Store has launched in several European countries and the UK. There’s a campagin running until Oct 15 – You have a chance to win an ASUS Eee PC netbook with accessory pack if you shop now. Check out the ASUS Shop. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
Toshiba AC100 Now Available in the UK, Froyo Update Coming
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:14| Over in the UK and waiting for some smartbook action? You’re in luck as Toshiba UK just tweeted earlier today that you can now officially order the Toshiba AC100 directly from their website priced at 293 pounds. This is the Wi-Fi model. 3G models are still a couple of weeks away they say. (Some other retailers probably have it in stock too, for example WebElectricals.co.uk)
On the same note, Chippy has been told by Toshiba that the Froyo (Android 2.2) Android update will be coming in 6 weeks. That’ll very likely make the AC100 usable along with adding speed improvements overall. The Toshiba AC100 packs in a 10.1? 1024 x 600 display, 512MB DDR2 RAM, 8GB SSD, Android 2.1 and Nvidia Tegra 2, HDMI, USB, mini-USB all weighing in at 0.87 kg. We’ve just finished reviewing the Toshiba AC100 so make sure you get the full details on that. Check out the Toshiba AC100 at Toshiba UK News Source: Netbook News |
 |
VIA plans to launch a dual core Nano chip
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:14| Intel has the lion’s share of the netbook market to itself right now, with its Atom chips powering almost every low cost 10 inch notebook available in the US and Europe. But AMD is taking aim at the space, with its current Nile chips and upcoming Ontario chips. And chip-maker VIA also has a new play up its sleeve.
VIA had a few successes in the early days of the netbook. The HP Mini 2133 launched in 2008 with a VIA chip, and the Everex Cloudbook which turned out to be more exciting before it launched was also powered by VIA technology. In the last year though, VIA has had far more success in China and developing nations. Still, the company’s upcoming dual core chip sounds interesting. VIA is still pushing it as a low power chip, but with a TDP of 20W, the company’s upcoming processor will likely end up in larger notebooks rahter than netbooks. The chip will have a 2GHz clock speed and a 133MHz BUS as well as 2MB of L2 cache. VIA also plans to launch a quad-core CPU by the end of 2011, with support for DirectX 11. Something tells me that chip will use even more power. I could certainly see a 2GHz dual core Nano chipset finding its way into thin and light notebooks. Lenovo tried out a Nano chip in an early version of the Ideapad S12 notebook before phasing out that product line. News Source: Liliputing |
 |
LG plans to launch smartphones with NVIDIA Tegra 2 chips
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 09:13| NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset combines a low power dual core ARM-based processor with powerful graphics capabilities. The result is a low power platform that can handle 3D graphics and HD video playback. So far we’ve seen the Tegra 2 chipset in the Toshiba AC100 smartbook and upcoming Toshiba Folio 100 tablet, but not much else.
Now LG says it plans to bring a line of smartphnes with Tegra 2 chips to market later this year. Right now the fastest phones on the market have Apple’s A4, Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon, or Samsung’s 1GHz Hummingbird processor. None of those are dual core chips. The upcoming LG phones sound like they’ll be multimedia powerhouses, as well as excellent little gaming machines. On the other hand, LG probably should have proof-read its press release before announcing that “Tegra 2 includes the world’s first dual-core CPU,” because I’m pretty sure that’s not true. News Source: Liliputing |
 |
Elonex eTouch Budget Android Tablets – IFA 2010
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:39| While Samsung’s Galaxy Tab won the crowds yesterday, Elonex was sitting in the background trying to draw people in with their array of ten tablet / touch enabled budget devices, a couple including the eTouch 7-inch and 10-inch Android tablets. If Augen’s GenTouch78 got you all hot and bothered then read on.
No word on what OS version is on board these two tablets but it’s somewhere between Android 1.6 to 2.1. Most likely 2.1 as even other cheap tablets manage that these days. Pricing is expected to be 99 pounds for the 7-incher and 159 pounds for the 10-incher. Not sure if that price includes the keyboard case that turns the tablets into a netbook form factor. Here’s Charbax giving us a hands on look with this tablet. News Source: Netbook News |
|
AMD Geode Based ASUS Eee PC 1201K Makes It To Italy
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:39| Earlier this year ASUS went official with a new addition to their 12-inch lineup – The ASUS Eee PC 1201K, however instead of going for better specs with more power the 1201K goes in the other direction. It swaps out an Intel Atom processor for a cheaper but more power hungry AMD Geode NX 1750 processor (1.4GHz with 14- 25W TDP), SiS 741GX graphics chipset and swaps out Windows 7 for Windows XP. Clearly an 12-incher for the budget minded.
It has finally been found on sale in Italy priced at 329 euros ($329). Other specs include 1GB DDR2 RAM, n Wi-Fi, 6-cell 4.4ah battery, 10/100 LAN and a 0.3MP webcam. News Source: Netbook News |
|
Packard Bell DOT SE 10.1? Netbook with Dual Core Atom N550 – IFA 2010
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:38| Sascha managed to get his hands on the Packard Bell DOT SE netbook with the latest Intel Atom N550 Dual-Core processor. The Packard Bell DOT SE has a 10.1-inch display with resolution of 1024×600 pixels, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB hard drive, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 1.3 megapixel web camera, Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, 5-in-1 card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, VGA, weighs about 2.8 pounds, 6-cell battery with up to 7.5 hour of run time, and Windows 7 Starter Edition.
News Source: Netbook News |
 |
10.1-Inch Fujitsu LifeBook T580 Tablet PC Officially Announced
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:38| Fans looking for a powerful 10-inch tablet convertible PC will be interest in this – Fujitsu’s LifeBook T580 10.1 inch tablet convertible, of which we got a sneak peak at some of the specs last month. This isn’t over at IFA instead Fujitsu is giving us a preview on video from their offices in Germany. They’ve also got the product page up.
Being 10-inch in size, you could easily mistake this for a netbook but it’s clearly not aimed at that market. It’s packing Intel Core i processors, up to Core i5. The market it is aimed at will rejoice at the inclusion of a resistive touchscreen, 4-point touch at that and with integrated stylus. Other specs include a 10.1? display, ambient light sensor, optional 3G/UMTS, GPS and Windows 7 Professional. Weighs 1.4kg. No price just yet but it will go on sale in late November. News Source: Netbook News |
 |
O2 pushes Android 2.1 update for the Dell Streak in the UK
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:37| It took a few days longer than expected, but UK wireless carrier has begun offering Android 2.1 for the Dell Streak. The tiny tablet or oversized smartphone initially shipped with Google Android 1.6. The update adds support for multitoch gestures, live wallpapers, multiple email accounts, and 720p HD video recording.
You can grab the download from the Dell mobile web site, which also has instructions. Bear in mind, this update is intended for for O2 customers in the UK. Dell and AT&T have no plans to offer an Android 2.1 update in the US, and instead will offer an upgrade to Google Android 2.2 later this year. News Source: Liliputing |
|
Samsung Galaxy Tab launch details starting to appear
Submitted by shc-boomer on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 04:37| Samsung still hasn’t put an official price tag on its much-hyped Galaxy Tab 7 inch Android tablet. But we’re starting to hear reports that you’ll be able to pick up the tablet from wireless carriers in the US and Europe.
O2 Germany posted a message on Twitter saying that the telecom would offer the tablet for €99 starting in October, but you’ll have to sign up for a €27.50 per month plan to get that price. There’s no word on what an unsubsidized Galaxy Tab will cost. In the US, Boy Genius Report says that the tablet will be coming to Sprint in November. There’s no word on pricing, but if BGR’s information is correct, the tablet could support both 3G and 4G mobile broadband. But at this point, there’s no official word from Sprint, so I’ll put this one in the News Source: Liliputing |
|
Toshiba Folio 100 Tablet Debuts – IFA 2010
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 06:12| As expected Toshiba’s Folio 100 tablet has made it’s debut at IFA 2010. This is basically the tablet version of the AC100 smartbook with the same Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and similar specs – Android 2.1 / 2.2, 10.1? 1024 x 600 display, 16GB memory, n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, HDMI, USB, mini-USB, SD card reader, 7 hour battery and a 1.3MP webcam. The tablet has a thickness of 14mm and weighs 760g.
On the software side, we’ve got the same Opera Mobile on board as seen on the AC100 and most likely the same office suite. The new feature is a service called Toshiba Places, where you can download music and video content. We’ll see more of this tablet later at this event. News Source: Netbook News |
|
Archos 101 Android 2.2 Tablet is 10.1? for only $299
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 06:12| The Archos 101 is a 10.1 inch model is the largest of the bunch with 1024 x 600 resolution with a capacitive touchscreen display. It has a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, support for 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics and 720p HD video playback. It del weighs less than a pound and is less than half an inch thick.
The Archos 101 will be available with 8GB to 16GB of internal storage space. It also has 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity with VGA & HDMI ports. It’s expected to sell for about $299 in October. News Source: Netbook News |
|
ASUS Eee PC 1215N Now Shipping In The US $499
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 06:11| Update: The ASUS Eee PC 1215N is up at Amazon.com as well but both black and silver models are out of stock.
Earlier this week we saw the ASUS Eee PC 1215N 12-inch ION 2 powerhouse netbook making the review rounds in the US but no one mentioned a release date, and no stores have it in stock except one – ExcaliberPC. Turns out, they now have the 1215N in stock, both in black and silver, priced at $499 with free shipping. The specs listed – 12.1? 1366 x 768 display, Intel Atom D525 processor (1.8GHz, dual core), Nvidia ION 2 graphics, Nvidia Optimus, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD, 0.3M webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 6-cell 6 hour battery and Windows 7 Home Premium. News Source: Netbook News |
|