Articles tagged with: cheap laptops

Toshiba is one of the last laptop manufacturers to launch a netbook, but it has finally caved and the NB100 will be on sale at the end of October in the UK. As far as netbooks go, the NB100 is one of a handful that actually embrace the concept fully, in that it’s small, light and cheap.

We got to spend some time with a pre-production model and made a video of our first impressions – after the cut.

Since it’s small, light and has an Intel Atom N270 processor, we're sticking with calling the N10 a netbook, but Asus has different ideas about this entry-level model in its new N-Series range of portable PCs.

Like the three Centrino 2 models in the range, the N10 is actually the product of Asus’s laptop division rather than the one that developed the Eee PC, and so Asus is classing it as a laptop rather than a netbook.

But while there are some obvious similarities between the N10 and other netbooks, there are also some rather striking differences. If you saw our earlier hands-on video, you’ll know that perhaps the biggest is that the N10 is first ever Intel Atom-powered portable with a discrete 3D graphics chipset – the nVidia GeForce 9300M GS .

Unofficial Windows XP drivers for the Intel Atom-powered Aspire One netbook have been available for a while, but now Acer has released the official set. There’s still no word on availability of a Windows XP version of the Aspire One, but now owners of the Linux model can at least install their own copy of the operating system and have all the hardware work as intended.

Lenovo has announced UK pricing and availability of its new IdeaPad netbooks. And that’s netbooks, plural – Lenovo has added a second model for the UK.

We reported on the IdeaPad S10 yesterday, with its Intel Atom processor, 10.2in LED-backlit screen and 85% full-size keyboard, but it’ll be joined in the UK by the S9 with its 8.9in screen. We’re still waiting for confirmation of both models’ specifications, but we do know that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are standard, as is an ExpressCard slot – something so far unseen on any netbook.

If you haven’t yet lost count of the number of models in the Eee PC range then expect to do so soon, because a snapped presentation slide suggests Asus plans 23 variants of its netbook.

However, that’s pretty much all we can tell you because the original Engadget report is in Chinese (and our Mandarin isn’t so hot). Besides, Engadget’s musings are based entirely on the slide snapshot and having studied the image, we have nothing to add. Well, other than to wonder one more why Asus seems intent on diluting the Eee PC brand so that only trace elements of the original concept remain.

Now head on over to Engadget to read its take on the Asus Eee PC pyramid.

[via Engadget]

If you own an Eee PC with a Celeron-M processor, here’s a useful tip. The Super-Hybrid Engine utility that’s designed for Asus’ Intel Atom-powered netbooks also runs on Celeron-M models, which means you can underclock your Eee PC 900 or 904 to get longer life from the battery.

Alas, this won't work on the Eee PC 701, since its Celeron-M processor is underclocked by default from 900MHz to 630MHz (though you can restore it to full-speed with these instructions).

Well, this is it – the last Eee PC-branded ultra-portable that Asus will be launching. Well, for the time being, at least. As with the Eee PC 1000, the Eee PC 904 isn’t really anything new – it’s just a repackaging of existing components intended to fill what Asus perceives as a gap in its line-up.

We’re less convinced of the need for what is essentially an Eee PC 900 in an Eee PC 1000 shell (which is itself just a scaled-up Eee PC 901), but that’s only because better netbooks than this are available from other manufacturers – and Asus is hardly likely to worry about that.

We’ve had cause to mention the Advent 4211 a few times in the last few weeks, but if you missed our previous coverage, here’s one-sentence recap: the Advent 4211 is essentially the MSI Wind U100 under a different name and with a much lower price.

MSI sells the Advent 4211 to Dixons Sales Group under an OEM arrangement and it does something similar with Medion and the Akoya Mini E1210 in Germany. The price difference, according to MSI, is due to the Advent having a lesser 12-month warranty (the Wind has two years) and less sparkly finish, but we suspect DSG’s more aggressive pricing strategy plays a part, too.

Although the Eee PC 901 is perfectly proportioned for a netbook, we can’t help but admit that even we find its compact keyboard a little too cramped for day-to-day use. If you don’t mind carrying a slightly larger and heavier laptop around though, Asus now has yet another Eee PC model that addresses this problem – the Eee PC 1000.

The Eee PC 1000 is essentially just a scaled up Eee PC 901 – it has the same case design and a largely similar specification. The two most obvious differences are the larger 10in screen and the bigger keyboard, but there’s one change inside, too. The Windows XP model now comes with an 80Gb hard disk, though you can still opt for a 40Gb SSD (with an 8Gb primary and 32Gb secondary drive) Linux model if you prefer.

PC World has kindly sent us an Advent 4211 for review – we say ‘kindly’ as we gather that these netbooks are in short supply at the moment and we’re sure PC World would much rather sell any boxes it can get its hands on than ferry them to journalists for review. And to make matters worse, we’re not even going to review the Advent 4211.

Why not? Because we’ve already reviewed it in the guise of the Wind U100 – yes, the Advent 4211 is nothing more than a rebadged MSI Wind netbook. Which is where things get interesting…