While most of us have already forgotten about netbooks, Asus is said to launch a new line of ultra-mini laptops a few moments ahead of CES 2012. Now, whether it will be at hit is another question, but in the meantime, we’re talking about the next generation of netbook devices, dubbed Eee PC Flare, which boasts some nice and vivid seashell covers that hide underneath the new N2600 and N2800 Atom CPUs, 12-inch displays, powered by AMD’s Fusion APU lineup and those fancy chiclet keyboards. For now, the Taiwanese corp is planning to launch two models in that size: The 1225B AMD Fusion and 1225C with Cedar Trail, but if rumors are correct, we should expect some 10-incher flavors in the long term, as well (with the 1025C and 1025CE versions). Stay tuned for much more to come.

Update: As promised, we have some more details about the new collection of netbooks from Asus, called Eee PC Flare. Basically, there are four major models included: At 10-inch, there’s the 1025C that comes with a 1.6GHz Atom N2600 dual-core GPU, 1GB of DDR3-1333 memory, an integrated Intel UMA graphics, built-in Altec Lansing stereo speakers, three USB 2.0 ports,  802.11b/g/n WiFi connectivity, 2-in-1 media card reader, VGA / HDMI outputs, a six-cell battery, and 0.3 megapixel webcam up front. It will be offered for $299 with one of the following flavors: Red, Blue, Gray, Pink, and last but not least, there’s a Windows 7 for the OS running on board. The Eee Pc Flare 1025CE is pretty much the same, only with a 1.86GHz Atom N2800 dual-core processor and a few more bucks ($319) to cover the cost.

On to the 12.1-inch models, the 1225B includes a 1.6GHz AMD E-450 dual-core CPU, a a 1,366 x 768 screen resolution, 2GB of DDR3-1333 memory, integrated Intel graphics, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 2-in-1 media card reader, a six-cell battery, and a  a 0.3 megapixel webcam on top. It comes with a Windows 7 Home Premium and ships next month in black, red and white colors. The last one in that group is the Eee PC X101CH version that is aimed at entry-level users, with a 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 display, 1GB of RAM, integrated graphics, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB and VGA ports. It’ll only set you back $269 and not a penny more.

[via Notebook Italia]

While many details about Samsung’s 10.1-inch Alex Chrome OS netbook are still unconfirmed, a few other  laptops, running Google’s latest and greatest Chrome OS platform, are breaking a cover nowadays. For instance, Sammy’s 12.1-inch Series 5 ChromeBook device, which boasts an ultra-slim 0.79-inch chassis atop, along with 16GB of storage (mSATA solid state drive) and a dual-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor on board. There’s also a 802.11 WiFi and 3G connectivity bundled inside, together with an HD webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, a 12.1-inch, 1280 x 800 display and battery pack, delivering up to 8.5 hours of continuous work. Hopefully all of you will be able to get one from Amazon and Best Buy from June 15th and on, while prices start at just $429 for the WiFi-only version and jump to $499 in case you’d like to nab yourself the 3G-enabled flavor instead. Full PR after the break.

Update: Apparently, the guys over at Engadget have been fortunate enough to get their hands on a brand new Samsung ChromeBook device at Google’s I/O 2011 event, and luckily they’ve shared those moments on a nice 3:44 minutes video. check it out after the break.

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NEC has officially unveiled LifeTouch Note, a new 7-inch netbook device, based on Google’s android 2.2 platform on board. The Note, which boasts a 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen with a 2 megapixels webcam on front, offers a powerful Tegra 2 chipset, along with up to 8GB of memory, optional 3G connectivity, WiFi, GPS navigation feature, SD card reader and an SDHC slot. We still don’t know when exactly this new NEC Froyo netbook will be out in Japan. However, we do know that it would go for ¥45,000 (about $540) or somewhere around. Hit the jump to watch the video demo.

[via Akihabara News]

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It’s not just about tablets or smartphones these days, there’s also a very fine line of netbook devices getting released. And the latest in that “still-relevant” category is Toshiba’s ultra-portable series that includes the Mini NB505 and the Mini NB305 machines, both said to have 1GB of RAM, along with a 250GB hard drive, nice chiclet keyboard and Windows 7 Starter for the OS. However, while the Mini NB505 packs an Intel Atom N455 processor and runs for $300, the Mini NB305 which appears to be a bit more powerful, comes with a dual-core Atom N550 processor and costs eighty bucks more ($380). In addition to that, both versions will be offered in wide range of bright and vivid colors at your choice, so if netbooks are still your thing – go for it.

Asus just kicked out two new 10.1-inch tablets, powered by Nvidia Tegra 2 for the graphics and a pair of QWERTY sliding keyboard mods that miraculously  turn them into light and portable laptops. Sort of. But you have to admit it’s still convenient to type on physical keys rather than the virtual alternative. Basically, there are two models that fall within this category: The Eee Pad Slider (to the left) that boasts a IPS, 1280 x 800 resolution touchscreen with some sort of mechanism that looks exactly like a slider mobile phone (where the screen slides in and out), and the Eee Pad Transformer which probably got its inspiration from Lenovo’s U1 Hybrid laptop – and that means a detached screen which you can reattach to the typing base at your own will. And while the slider weights only 2.2 pounds and packs up to 1 GB of memory along with 16/32GB of storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, optional 3G connectivity, HDMI out, mini USB, a 1.2mp front facing camera plus a 5mp one (with LED flash on the back) and a MicroSD card slot, the Transformer on the other hand, boasts pretty much the same, only with one extra USB hub, a card reader and battery pack that is claimed to deliver up to 16 hours of work. And best of all, both devices will arrive preloaded with Google’s android 3.0 platform, which you might also know as Google’s Honeycomb. As for prices, Asus says that you’ll have to shell out between $500 to $800 for the Slider and about $400 and $700 for the Transformer flavor. availability is rumored for early Q2. Full specs after the break.

Update1: We’ve added a couple of  hands-on videos, courtesy of JkkMobile. Check ‘em out after the break.

Update2: We now hear rumblings that Asus’ latest and greatest hybrid model, known as the Transformer, is going to live in the UK around May or June for £379 ($595), while the base unit will cost you a £100 ($155) more. As for the Slider version – which seems even more attractive IMHO – word on the street is that we’re looking at a July / August release with a whopping £429 ($675) price tag.

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So, Lenovo is officially back to this netbooks/tablets game after freezing its high-end U1 Hybrid project for a while in order to do some serious thinking. And as we’ve said, they are back again, appear ready and able to kick some real ass with what’s now being called the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid with LePad tablet. So what has changed, you’re asking? The new skin version is now powered by Google’s Android 2.2 version (called LeOS) instead of the sluggish Linux Skylight platform. Additionally, you’ll be getting even more powerful processors inside, as the U1 base unit is now equipped with a 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-540UM (optional i7) and the LePad tablet boasts a 1.3GHz Snapdragon flavor. Design wise, the netbook station now has a nice and more efficient chiclet keyboard within, along with a dimpled trackpad at the bottom and an overall sense of high and lavish style. Other than that, we’re glad to see substantial improvements in the LePad screen as well. The 10.1-incher is much more responsive than its sluggish and resistive predecessor, and seems to have a 1280 x 800 capacitive multitouch panel on board. Switching between Windows (base unit) to Android (tablet) is as simple as docking and undocking the LePad unit from its U1 platform. The process for itself often seems super fast when it comes to disconnecting between the two devices, while a bit slower the other way around. As for pricing and availability, the LePad is coming at ya (in case you live in China) sometime this quarter with a base price of $520, while the full package, including both the tablet and the U1 unit will run you for a whopping $1300. Expensive! Regretfully, there’s no further info about US availability at the moment, but you can take a look at. Engadget’s Joanna Stern hands-on video or read the full PR after the break.

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Lenovo has just rolled out a new line of S series netbooks (not to be confused with the previous line) that includes the IdeaPad S205 which comes with an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 16:9 widescreen display, paired with an AMD dual-core E-350 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and a bunch of storage capacities at your choice and up to 750GB HDD, max. Naturally, there’s a 802.11b/g/n WiFi connection inside, along with a 6-in-1 card reader, an optional 3G, HDMI output and 3 X USB 2.0 ports. Up next in that group is the IdeaPad S100 which boasts a 10.1-inch display, tucked with a dual-core Intel Atom N570 CPU, up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel’s GMA 3150 for the graphics and 320GB of storage on board. Other specs worth the mention  are the 802.11b/g/n WiFi connection, Bluetooth, a 2-in-1 card reader, 2MP webcam and couple of USB 2.0 ports. At this point we should add that both devices are said to be available  at the beginning of March, with prices that start at as low as $329. Hit the jump to read the full PR.

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Gigabyte has just added two interesting ultra-portable devices to its burgeoning netbooks lineup. These are the M1005 and Q2005 – both equipped with Intel’s latest and greatest Atom N550 processors, both to run a windows 7 platform inside, along with Intel’s GMA 3150 graphics and up to 2GB of RAM. And while the Q2005 is your usual 10.1-incher with a dual-core CPU, the M1005, on the other hand, comes with a vertical docking station – exactly the kind that Gigabyte’s “Booktop” M1022 version already had. Price and availability are yet to be determined.

[via Netbook News]

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It looks like Intel’s Atom cpu may be living its final days inside Acer’s new line of netbook devices – At least when it comes to the company’s Aspire One 522, a 10.1-incher that packs a 720p screen display along with an AMD Fusion flavor, or to be more specific, a 1GHz AMD C-50 Ontario APU. That’s right fellows, Acer’s new netbook series is presumably pumped up with AMD’s powerful Fusion processors. Now that’s a breath of fresh air, isn’t it? But don’t you get too excited in here, because it’s not available for purchase Stateside, at least not at the moment, and the rest of the specs are mostly your standard netbook, which means the ordinary webcam, paired with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connectivity, 3 x USB ports, a VGA output, 500GB HDD, a 6-cell battery and an HDMI input. Still interested? Make sure you’re willing to shell out 12,829 baht (or $425) at one of Thai’s popular e-tailers.

Update: And looks like Acer’s latest and greatest Aspire One 522 netbook with AMD Ontario CPU on board just showed up on Amazon for $329.99 that will also buy you Radeon HD 6250 graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, HDMI out, Windows 7 Starter OS, and a 4400mAh battery pack. Pretty cool, isn’t it? Well, considering the fact it’s a 10-incher device we shouldn’t expect more. In any case, the shipping shouldn’t take that long.

[via NetbookNews]

Toshiba has recently announced two new additions to its most popular netbooks lineup: the NB500 and the NB520. Both models, slated for release during the first quarter of 2011, are said to include a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display, along with up to 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, 3 x USB ports, Windows 7 Starter edition, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 10 hours battery pack. The main difference between the two, and probably the one you’re wondering about, is a pair of built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers (2 watts each) that will help you take your NB520 sound experience to a whole new audio level. In addition to the physical differences, the NB520 also comes with an Atom N550 processor while its younger brother, the NB500, boasts a slightly slower CPU, an Atom N455. Unfortunately, there are no leaks of information about the prices of these netbooks, but color wise, both models are claimed to be available in a good selection of bright and vivid colors including Brown, Blue, Lime Green, Turquoise and Orange – coated with a soft rubber flavor. Full PR is right after the break together with Toshiba’s official NB520 video.

[via Pocket-lint]

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Well, we knew it was only a matter of days before Dell’s new hybrid machine, the Inspiron Duo, would officially become real. And while the 10.1-inch tablet / netbook device isn’t exactly available for pre-orders yet (Dell says it should probably go live soon), we can finally tell you what’s on it, when it’ll be out, somewhere around the first week of December. Generally speaking, the basic model will run you for $549 (about £450), packing a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, along with 2GB of RAM, 250GB of storage, a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator, and Windows 7 Home Premium for the OS. However, there are plenty of optional extras that can be added to Dell’s ordinary bundle, such as the JBL speaker dock, that will definitely upgrade your day-to-day experience and make it, in our humble opinion, a lot more comfortable. But it would cost you a lot, a hundred bucks more. So there you have it – make it yours or let it go – it’s your freedom of choice.

Update: And looks like the 10.1-inch Dell Inspiron Duo tablet / netbook hybrid is finally up at Dell‘s online store and available for purchase, starting at $549 for the base mode, which packs (as you already know) a dual-core Atom N550 processor, together with Windows 7 Home Premium for the OS, 2GB of RAM and plenty of other goodies on board. Full PR after the break.

[Dell]

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We’re not quite sure what the advantage is of launching a “business netbook” instead of a “regular” one, but frankly it really doesn’t matter as long as it gets the latest and greatest hardware around. And when it comes to netbooks, we basically talk about anything that is similar to HP’s recent Mini 1103 lineup, or in other words, a 10.1-inch display, paired with Intel Atom N455 / N475 processors, 1GB of RAM, six-cell battery and a 250GB hard drive. And given that it’s for “business” uses, you’ll also receive HP’s business applications (QuickSync and QuickWeb) along with your choice of Windows 7 Starter, SUSE Linux, or FreeDOS for the OS inside. Did we mention it’s only 299 bucks?

At this point you’re probably rather confused as to what netbook, if any, you really need. Generally speaking, it’s not as hard as you might imagine, particularly when most ultra mini laptops are usually packing Intel’s most recent Atom processors (e.g single-core Atom N450, 455, 470, 475 or dual-core Atom N550) along with 1GB of RAM and GMA 3150 card for the graphics. That been said, there are however a few exceptions to this specific rule. One of them is the new Asus Eee PC 1215T netbook which comes with a single core 1.7GHz AMD Athlon K125 processor and offers 2GB of DDR3 memory (instead of the common 1GB) and a 320GB hard drive on board. The 12.1-inch (1366 x 768) system is now being offered on Amazon for merely $436 as potential buyers are likely to get it together with a 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, three USB 2.0 hubs. 0.3MP webcam and Windows 7 Home Premium for the OS platform. Still confused?

[via Notebook Italia]

Remember that Dell Inspiron Duo we’ve seen not too long ago at Intel’s IDF 2010 summit? Well, now it has an official video teaser demo, which mainly focuses on the 10.1-inch tablet and the way it can be handled both in JBL speaker or netbook attachment modes. And, while this short 35-second footage doesn’t tell you very much at all about the package itself or any other specs this cool device boasts, we do like the ending part of it and to be more specific: the “coming soon” title that hints towards a possibility of a close and viable release or at least another glimmer of hope.

[via SlashGear]

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It seems that Acer is keeping up with its latest trends in exterior designs better than others. And the newest artifact to join the company’s most stylish and flashy laptop exhibition is the 10-incher Aspire Happy “eco-friendly” netbook. Available in Lime Green, Lavender Purple, Candy Pink and Hawaii Blue flavors, this dual booting system which offers both Windows 7 and Android 2.1 platforms preloaded on board, is now being marketed in Europe with Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 GPU, 250GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2GB of RAM and a six cell battery for £249.99 ($397) and not a single dime or penny more. Hit the jump to read the full PR.

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Samsung has just taken the wraps off its next 10.1-inch Atom N550 netbook. The 2.87 pounds unit, also known as the NF310, will reportedly feature Intel’s dual-core processor, along with a nine hours battery, and a Windows 7 Starter platform for the preloaded OS. And while you do get hopes by noticing the screen resolution is at 1366 x 768 and that the GMA 3150 graphics is much stronger than its predecessors, the rest of the specs, which apparently include an 802.11b/g/n WiFi connection, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, and 250GB of storage, will no doubt bring you right back down to earth when this $399 lappy goes live, somewhere this coming fall. Full PR after the break.

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It’s day two at Intel’s IDF 2010 summit and it’s finally heating up, literally and metaphorically, as Dell officially announces a neat 10.1-inch swiveling netbook / tablet hybrid machine, running Windows 7 Premium for the OS and boasting Intel’s dual-core Atom N550 processor under the lid. Sure, we’ve already seen these kind of prototypes in the past (Lenovo anyone?), but nothing that could really make us satisfied like Dell’s new Inspiron Duo device. Unfortunately, we’re still in the very early stages so nothing juicy to share – that means you’ll have to wait for a while in order to get price, availability details and other interesting specs – but hey, you can always hit the jump and check this fresh jkkmobile video that will give you a good sense of style, before you take or decide not to take any further steps.

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Samsung is not just about tablets. As you can see, its range also contains some new ultra-portable laptop devices that blend in with the most contemporary technology such as 4G connectivity which Sammy has stuffed into its latest and greatest 10.1-inch N350 netbook, in the form of dual-mode LTE and HSPA+ support. Other than that, it’s basically what you’d expect from a lavish netbook these days, with this top-notch dual-core Atom N550 processor inside, paired with 250GB of storage, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, multi-card reader, a bunch of speedy USB hubs and a 3-cell battery that is claimed to deliver up to 6.7 hours of continuous work. European prices are considerably high, €429 (about $555), but there’s a good chance they will go down a bit when this thing comes out somewhere this autumn.

[via Mini-notebook-laptop]

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Oh what a hottie we have in here…A brand new Eee PC netbooks lineup with Intel’s dual-core, mobile Atom N550 processor included? Apparently yes, that’s exactly what Taiwanese corp Asus is planning for us in the coming months. The first version in that group is the 1015PEM, which boasts the new 1.5GHz N550 CPU, paired with a 10.1-inch (1024×600) LED display, 0.3MP webcam, up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 160/250/320 GB HDD at your choice, Intel’s GMA X3150 for the graphics and Windows 7 Starter edition for the OS platform – all priced competitively at €349 (about $440). The second group member is the 1015PN, which is rumored to make a US debut next month with NVIDIA’s Ion 2 module and some other cool goodies inside. Stay tuned for a lot more to come.

Update: Looks like Amazon is finally stepping up and offering the 10.1-inch Asus 1015PN netbook with both Intel’s dual-core 1.5GHz Atom N550 processor and Nvidia ION 2 graphics for $429.99 only. Shipping dates, however, are yet to be determined.

[via Notebook Italia]

Seems like Dell is keeping up with their most awesome ultra-portable netbooks lineup fresh with this nice, slick and colorful (over 130 different covers from Dell Design Studio including collections from OPI, Threadless, and PRODUCT RED) Mini 1018 device. The new release runs £279 (about $435) in Europe, and in return you’ll get a nice batch of top-notch components, including a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor, a 10.1-inch WSVGA 1,024 x 600 display, 1GB of DDR3 memory, 250GB hard drive, a front-facing webcam, 802.11n WiFi connectivity, dual SRS Premium audio speakers and last but not least, a Windows 7 Starter version that’s supposed to handle the entire platform under the hood. Dell says that world wide shipping should take place “soon” – In case any of y’all (non European residents) wondered.

[Dell]