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The Cloudbook, or also known as one of the Eee PC competitors that did not get such a warm welcome into the market, has just received a nice little update.

Everex has expanded on the Cloudbook line, and added the C1201V, which is essentially the same model as the original C1200V, except with a few key items improved.

The C1201V will of course be priced a little higher, now coming in at $449, but for that extra money you get Windows XP pre-installed along with a 60GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. While original Cloudbook owners could fairly easily install XP with an external CD drive or USB flash drive, the RAM was a pretty big upgrade, as it required taking most of the netbook apart.

In addition the same original features will still be included, which were a 7-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution, 1.2 GHz VIA C7-M processor, VGA quality webcam, built-in card reader, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and four USB ports.

The newly updated C1201V can be found at either CircuitCity or TigerDirect.

Via [Cloudbook UMPC]

Everex has announced their plans to release, sometime in November, a 10.2-inch 3G-capable notebook. Lots of details are still not confirmed, but it is expected to be a follow up to the WiMax-enabled Cloudbook (with an 8.9-inch display) that is on track for an August release.

The new notebook will feature a 10.2-inch WSVGA LED screen with a 1024 x 600 resolution, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 2 USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader, an express card slot, offer support for up to 2GB of RAM and will be powered by either an Intel Atom processor or similar VIA processor. It will also have an option for WiMax support. Also still unclear is whether it will ship with a 4-cell or 6-cell battery.

As of now, pricing information is still not mentioned, but given the 3G option, this could be a more popular option, at least with those carriers who have a 3G network in place.

Via [InfoWorld]

Eee PC competitor Cloudbook CE1200V dropped it’s price $50 from its initial January price of US$399 to US$349 in WalMart stores.

The Cloudbook is marketed as a beginner’s laptop.  It comes with the most popular applications such as those made by Google, Mozilla, Skype, and OpenOffice.  A Linux-based mobile device, it can perform basic activities such as e-mail, web browsing, play music and basic manipulation of pictures.

Only nine inches wide and two pounds heavy, the Cloudbook uses the gOS Rocket operating system and a 1.2 GHz VIA processor. The device features wireless LAN, a built-in webcam, a memory card reader, high-definition audio and stereo speakers.

Read [Cloudbook Everex UMPC]

A few more images have popped up online showing off the newly announced Cloudbook Max from Everex. Overall it looks like it has a nice design, although it seems to be a little “puffy.” A few things to note based on the images (as compared to the current model):

• The empty space below the display has been filled-in by the larger screen.
• The speaker appears to be one long section, instead of the current two smaller sections.
• The trackpad has been switched to the more familiar style.
• The internal webcam has been centered, as opposed to being off to the right of the display.
• The addition of the external 2.0-megapixel webcam.
• The indicator lights (power, Wi-Fi, ect) are now on the outer edge of the notebook, as opposed to the current models which are under the lid and hard to see unless you open it up.

Keep reading to check out the rest of the images…

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Everex has unveiled their next generation Cloudbook during CTIA, dubbed the Cloudbook Max. The Max, unlike the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition adds more than just the addition of WiMAX, but improving quite nicely on the overall specs as well.

Upgrades from the current Cloudbook are seen in just about every area of the notebook, ranging from the larger display with higher resolution, a faster processor, larger hard drive and multiple added connection options. Also notable is the have included a ‘normal’ trackpad and have still managed to keep it pretty close to the original Cloudbook in weight. The Max is being listed as weighing less than 1kg, while the current model weighs 0.91kg.

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It seems the Cloudbook has expanded its availability, both Circuit City and “The All-New” CompUSA are now offering the Everex branded UMPC. Perhaps this will make the Cloudbook seem a little more like a ‘real’ computer if its not being purchased from Wal-Mart. As of now the better deal seems to be at Circuit City as they are currently offering free shipping on any order over $24. Similar to Wal-Mart, the Cloudbook is available as an online purchase only. With such a rough start and a so-far rocky set of reviews (mostly due to the installed gOS) it is nice to see the ultra-portable expand into more “big-box” style stores, even if they only have it available online.

Product [Circuit City] Product [CompUSA] Via [Cloudbook UMPC]

In an ultra-mobile that mimics both the Cloudbook and the Tango X, the new device that will be hitting the Japanese market offers a nice ‘upgrade’ of specs over the US released Cloudbook.

The Japanese Cloudbook features the same sized 7-inch display but offers it as a touchscreen and also includes Bluetooth and 802.11a right out of the box. In addition it retains the Via C7-M ULV processor, 30GB hard drive, 512MB RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, and the 0.3-megpixel webcam. The Japanese Cloudbook is set to be released on March 22 and retail for ¥59,800 (about $600 US).

[Update] The Japanese version will take on the model number of CE1200J as opposed to the US model number CE1200V, it will also come pre-installed with Windows XP as opposed to gOS.

Via [akihabara news] Via [Ultra Mobile Life]

Another variant of the Nanobook or Cloudbook has popped up. This time its set to hit the stores in Indonesia and has been dubbed the Zyrex Ubud, but in a nice twist it will not be running a modified version of Linux, instead they opted for Windows. Which version is still not clear as Cloudbook UMPC is reporting that it will be running Windows Vista Starter Edition, however the website for the Ubud is listing the OS as Windows XP, possibly consumers will be given a choice.

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We saw the Eee PC pick up an incredible, almost cult like following and with that came more mods and hacks than most of us could even imagine. It has taken some time, the Cloudbook has gotten off to a slow start, but that seems to be coming to an end. A decent community is starting to get going behind the Cloudbook, albeit not as large or devoted as the Eee PC has, but still its getting there and I am sure it will continue to grow with time. With the community getting behind the Cloudbook we are beginning to see some cool new mods, along with some tips and tricks that make the gOS-based ultra-portable a little more user friendly.

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While the Cloudbook may have gotten off to a rough very rough start, it seems we have some traction building. Initially you had to either make that purchase at ZaReason (who quickly dropped the Cloudbook after all those initial problems) or by placing your order, for delivery only at Wal-Mart.

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