Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

MSI has just introduced a new and colorful notebook.  This time they have strayed a little from the ever popular Wind, and released the VR220 YA Edition.  Of course, this new notebook is still on the smaller side and considered an ultra-portable thanks to the 12.1-inch display.  To begin with, the MSI VR220 YA will be available in a selection of four colors which include Denim Blue, Coral Pink, Wasabi Green and Empire Black.

So aside from the 12-inch display (which offers a 1280 x 800 resolution) and the fancy exterior colors, the VR220YA seems to be worthy of a purchase.  Beginning at $699.99 the ultra-portable features a dual-core Pentium CPU with Intel’s GMA 4500M on the graphics side.  Other features include up to 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a Super-Multi DVD drive, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, a 3-in-1 card reader and a 1.3-megapixel webcam.  The VR220 YA also has three USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, a VGA out, along with an optional TV tuner and up to an 8-cell battery.

Keep reading to check out the full release below…

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This one is not a Black Friday deal, but instead just another nicely priced product coming from Best Buy.  We had recently seen them drop the MSI Wind down to $349, and now they have further slashed the pricing for the Eee PC 900A.  It was not that long ago when it was dropped to $299.99, but now another 20 bucks have been cut, bringing the price down to just $279.99.

Just to recap, the 900A specs include an 8.9-inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, a 4-cell battery and will be running Linux. The Eee PC 900A is also available in either white, black or purple.

Product [Best Buy]

• Asus unveils the brushed-metal Eee PC 1002HA
• Dell quietly adds artwork options to the Mini 9, Mini 12 lineup, also adds pink, red
• Patriots QB joins forces with OLPC

Despite any feelings that you may have regarding netbooks, it is hard to argue against their popularity.  And if there is any doubt as to how popular they really are, you may want to ask Asus.  The whole netbook revolution is just barely one year old, and Asus CEO Jerry Shen has just given up some details on the sales figures for the Eee PC.

It turns out that they have already sold nearly four million Eee PCs, and have plans to reach the five million mark by the end of 2008.  Given the lower pricing that we have been seeing lately, coupled with the never ending lineup of new models, it seems only safe to believe they will reach that goal of five million.  Of course, that belief is coming from a regular netbook user.  I cannot help but wonder how many of those four million sales came from buyers (like myself) who started with an Eee PC 701 and moved on to other models in the Eee PC lineup as they were introduced.  Continue reading after the break.

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The pricing seems to be gradually getting lower and lower for the Eee PC lineup and the latest model to hit that magical sub-$300 price point is the Eee PC 900A.  For those (myself included) that have become confused as to just what each Eee PC model offers, this $299.99 Eee PC features an 8.9-inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 4GB SSD and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor.  This model is also running Linux as opposed to Windows XP. 

The product listing does not mention a battery size, originally the 900A shipped with a 4-cell battery, but with the lower pricing I would not be surprised to see this shipping with a smaller 3-cell battery.

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Perhaps HP is making an effort to clear some inventory in preparation for a refresh of the Mini-Note or maybe they are just looking to offer a little more competition in the netbook market.  Either way, it seems it will be the consumer who will be the winner because they have just announced a new, lower price on the low-end Mini-Note models.

The Mini-Note pricing will now begin at just $399, which will give you a very capable netbook running SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 and features a 1.0GHz Via C7 processor, 8.9-inch display, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, VGA camera and a 3-cell battery.  Interested in what else HP’s got?  Keep reading.

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Back when Dell originally announced the Inspiron Mini 9, one of the complaints that we saw come up often was that the Alpine White coloring came with a $25 price premium.  Well, in a little bit of good news, Dell has quietly lowered the price premium and it is now the same “Included in Price” as the obsidian black. Let’s just hope that anyone who may have already ordered an Alpine White Inspiron Mini 9 will receive some compensation if they have already been charged.

Product [Dell]

• Dell quietly adds artwork options to the Mini 9, Mini 12 lineup, also adds pink, red
• Asus unveils the brushed-metal Eee PC 1002HA
• Patriots QB joins forces with OLPC

The continuously growing netbook market welcomes a new member, this time it is LG Electronics which just announced the Xnote Mini netbook. Although Aving USA tagged the new LG machine as a mini-notebook, we’re still inclined to believe that the Xnote Mini should be called a netbook instead, if we are to judge it by the few specs and details available about the netbook.  Actually, the Xnote Mini’s Intel Atom processor gave away the fact that it is really a netbook.

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Sony announced their latest series in its VAIO notebook lineup - the VAIO TT series. Sony says that these notebooks would be the world’s lightest with Blu-ray disc technology. TT notebook models weigh around 1.3kg and measures only an inch thick.

But certainly, being thin and lightweight are not all there are to the VAIO TT notebook series. TT units to be released later would have various features specific to each of the notebook models. The Sony VAIO TT notebook series also feature an 11.1-inch widescreen display powered by the XBRITE-DuraView LCD technology partnered with an energy-saving LED backlight.  In addition, there is an HDMI output connector for connecting the notebook to an HDTV.  These Sonys use Intel’s Centrino 2 inside which should help with power consumption.

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Today, Samsung has officially unveiled their once rumored ultraportable X360 notebook. Judging from the specs, the X360 should be a decent around town or traveling notebook with its light weight of just 2.8-pounds. Not to mention its slim design which measures in anywhere from as thin as 0.66-inches up to a still thin 1.2-inches at its thickest point.

In addition, the specs are seemingly just as nice, the X360 will be powered by a Centrino 2 ULV processor and will feature a 13.3-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution. Other features include a standard 1GB of RAM that is upgradable to 4GB, your choice of a 64 or 128GB SSD or a standard 120GB hard drive. The X360 also offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR, an ExpressCard slot, three USB ports, HDMI, VGA-out and a 7-in-1 card reader. One item that is missing, but also comes as little surprise is that the X360 does not offer any optical drive.

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Acer has announced that the Aspire One netbook is now officially available here in the US. Set to compete in the already overflowing market with the likes of the Eee PC from Asus, the HP Mini-Note and the upcoming Dell E mini.

The Aspire One will be available initially in sapphire blue or seashell white with a golden brown and diamond black model coming later this year. The notebook will be available in a few models, the AOA110-1722, AOA150-1570 and the AOA110-1566 which will retail for $379, $399 and $449 respectively.

All the models of the Aspire One will feature an 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 1.60GHz Intel Atom Processor N270 processor, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, built-in webcam, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, built-in card reader, 3 USB ports and an Ethernet port.

The AOA110-1722 will come with an 8GB SSD, 512MB of RAM, a 3-cell battery and running Linpus Linux Lite. The AOA150-1570 will offer a 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 3-cell battery and running Windows XP Home. The high-end model, the AOA110-1566 features an 8GB SSD, 1GB of RAM, ships with a 6-cell battery and is running Linpus Linux Lite.

The Aspire One, which is currently available can be found directly from Acer and also at Best Buy, Circuit City and CDW.

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