The other interesting product that Toshiba revealed today was their dual screen 7-inch notebook / e-reader / whatever which we heard about early last month and just the other day (Toshiba GuideBook). It's really the Toshiba Libretto W100. It's here and it's real and it's coming by August. 

Let's start off with what I liked:

• Interesting form factor - how many dual screen notebooks / e-reader type devices are there? 
• Responsive touch screens - Dual 7-inch multi-touch capacitive displays, each with a 1024 x 600 resolution. Generally very responsive.
• Excellent virtual keyboard + haptics -  the touch screen that you can enable on one of the screens has haptic feedback which feels great, better than the iPad keyboard or anything I've used so far. There are multiple keyboard layouts that you can switch between (see video). Awesome size and weight and excellent build quality. Physical keys to pull up the keyboard or return to the home screen (did not work on my model).
• Size / Weight - The size felt exactly right and the screens are very readable. Also very, very light.

Here's what I did not like:

• Windows 7.. never feels right / natural on these small portable devices, especially trying to press buttons way smaller than your pinkie finger. Toshiba at least provided a custom build of Internet Explorer which came with features which make it easy to manipulate windows. 
• It felt sluggish. This was unexpected as it comes with Intel's new ULV platform although one of the lower end processors - the Pentium U5400 however it feels much slower than the average netbook, possibly due to the need to handle dual screens perhaps? 
• Battery life. The 8-cell battery will get you 4 hours of battery life max. The standard 4-cell battery lasts 2 hours at best.
• Noisy and quite warm - felt like a typical notebook in terms of heat and noise. Air was blowing out of the air vents full force and the top lid felt quite warm.
• Accelerometer speed - There's an accelerometer built-in so you can use the device both ways although it takes several seconds to readjust the screen, and it really only rotates in one direction. Turning it the other direction does nothing. 

It is coming by August, at least here in Japan. The real killer is the price. We are looking at just over $1,000 (120,000 yen). Distribution outside of Japan will be limited so if you want one you'd better pick one up.

Toshiba Libretto W100

• 7" 1024 x 600 displays (dual glossy screens)
• multi-touch capacitive
• Intel Pentium U5400 (1.2GHz, dual core) processor
• Intel HD graphics
• 2GB DDR3 RAM (soldered on board)
• 1.3MP webcam
• 62GB SSD
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• MicroSD card reader, card reader slot, 1x USB 2.0, headphone jack
• Mono microphone / mono speaker
• Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
• 8-cell battery (4 hours) or 4-cell battery (2 hours)
• 202 x 123 x 25.4 mm
• 699g (4-cell) or 819g (2-cell)

Hands on photos

Press shots

My hands on video

Toshiba Promo video 1

Toshiba announced a handful of new products today worldwide, two of which will of interest to Netbooked readers. Here's the first one, the Toshiba AC100 or Dynabook AZ as it is known here in Japan.

It's a 10.1-inch smartbook with Android 2.1 and powered by Nvidia Tegra 250 (1.GHz, Tegra 2). My initial impressions are good regarding the build. Thin and extremely light, trackpad is large enough and buttons aren't too stiff. Keyboard is solid and not cramped. While Android 2.1 was cool (with a custom interface), you'll have to get 2.2 to get Flash 10.1 running though you can install that yourself once it is available. Some things did not appear to be ready - instant ON for instance was not available on these demo models. Another point regarding Android is that it is built for touch screens and there is no touch screen here. Everything I have been reading about smartbook OSes indicates they are just still not ready.

Toshiba AC100 / Dynabook AZ

• 10.1" 1024 x 600 display (glossy)
• Android 2.1 OS
• Nvidia Tegra 250 processor (1 GHz - Tegra 2)
• 7 hour battery / 1 week standby time
• 512MB DDR2 RAM (fixed)
• 16GB flash memory (3.5GB reserved)
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Mono mic, stereo speakers
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX, audio jacks
• 1x USB 2.0, 1x mini USB ports, SDHC card reader
• HDMI out
• 7 hour battery (180 hour standby)
• SIM card slot behind battery (3G ready)
• 262 x 190 x 12 - 21 mm size
• 870g / 1.9 pounds

Hands on video:

Hands on photos:

Press shots:

Promo Video (Toshiba UK)

The Toshiba AC100 / Dynabook AZ is coming in August here in Japan, priced somewhere between 40,000 - 50,000 yen (perhaps $300 - $400). First, a Wi-Fi model will be released then 3G models with carriers. If this does indeed reach the market at the expected release date then this make the Toshiba AC100 / Dynabook AZ the first major smartbook on the market. (yeah, there's the Compaq AirLife, but where's that? Only in Spain so far)

Well well, there are a few more new Acer Aspire notebooks / netbooks shipping in the US now. The long awaited 11.6" Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T series is now up on Amazon.com and shipping!

There are two models up though only the lower end model is currently shipping.

First is the Core i3-330UM model, in Black, priced at $599.99 with 3GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB HDD. Then there's the Core i5-430UM model, also in Black, priced at $699.99 with 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD.

Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T

• 11.6" 1366 x 768 display
• Intel Corei3-330UM / Core i5-430UM processors
• Intel HD graphics
• 3GB / 4GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB / 500GB 5400RPM HDD
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 3x USB 2.0, HDMI, Card reader, audio jacks
• 1.3MP webcam
• 6-cell 4400 mAh (8 hours) - or 5800mAh, not clear
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 1.4 kg / 3.09 lbs

Just the other day, Acer officially announced their new Acer Aspire lineup for the US, with only the 11.6" Acer Aspire One 721 going on sale. Now the 10.1" version of the 721, the Aspire One 521 is on sale at Amazon.com and shipping, priced at $349.99. It's available right now in Onyx Black and Antique Brass.

This netbook would be the most powerful 10-incher on the market right now - AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor (1.7GHz, single core) and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. Furthermore there's a HDMI out port which is almost unheard of on netbooks this size. The main downside would be lacklustre battery life which I would estimate to be around 3.5 hours (the official specs give a 5.5 hour battery)

Acer Aspire One 521

• 10.1" 1024 x 600 display
• AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor (1.7GHz, single core)
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB 5400RPM HDD
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 3.0+HS
• 10/100 Ethernet
• Webcam
• Card reader, audio jacks, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI
• Windows 7 Starter
• 6-cell 4400 mAh battery (5.5 hours)
• 2.76 lbs

Check out the Acer Aspire 521 at Amazon.com

I've got my hands on the new HP Pavilion DM1z (or the DM1a as it is called in Japan). This is the Japanese model I have here and as you can see it comes in a gold-ish type color. It's using the same chassis from the original HP Mini 310 and HP Pavilion DM1. I've reviewed the HP Pavilion DM1 previously and I am disappointed that the ergonomics haven't been improved here. The keyboard is / was a little cramped and the trackpad still has stiff and noisy buttons.

Hands on, unboxing video:

The DM1z runs on AMD's latest Nile ultrathin notebook platform with a single core Athlon II Neo K125 (1.7GHz) processor as seen on the recently released Acer Aspire One 721, ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB 7200RPM HDD and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

HP Pavilion DM1z (DM1a)

• 11.6" 1366 x 768 display
• AMD Athlon II Neo K125 (1.7GHz single core)
• AMD M880G chipset
• ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics
• 2GB PC3-6400 DDR3 RAM (1GB on board, 1 free slot, 5GB Max)
• 128GB SSD / 250GB 7200 RPM HDD
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 10/100 LAN
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• VGA, HDMI, USB 2.0 x 3, RJ45, shared audio jack, card reader
• VGA webcam
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit + SplashTop OS
• Altec Lansing speakers
• 6.5 hour 55Wh 6-cell battery
• 1.53 kg / 3.37 lbs

Taking a look under the access panel there's room for upgrading the 2.5" SATA HDD, 1x DDR3 RAM slot (1GB on board), half sized Mini PCI-e slot with Wi-Fi and am empty mini PCI-e slot that has no connector soldered on board. SIM card slot behind the battery although there was no hardware built in for it here.

As for the US model - It doesn't seem to be out yet and from what we've seen in pictures it may be coming in the standard silver color. I'm guessing there will be a dual core model as well. 

Stay tuned to this post as I update the comments with my thoughts, benchmarks and all that.

Update 3: Just got the official word from Nvidia that confirms that the 1201PN that is selling now does not include Optimus technology. You will have to wait for the upcoming 1215N or 1015N.

Update 2: It's now shipping at Amazon.com and ExcalliberPC.com

Update: Pre-order has hit Amazon.com - Silver model priced at $484 - No shipping estimate but from the merchant below - it's expected today.

The 12.1” next generation ION powered ASUS Eee PC 1201PN has just started to go on sale in a few countries (like Australia and New Zealand) and it has been up for pre-order for a while in other countries (Germany) and now the 1201PN is up for pre-order in the US, at ExcaliberPC.com, priced at $499 with an ETA of Jun 11. I’m pretty sure that means we’ll see it pop up in other online stores during the week.

The specs: 12.1” 1366 x 768 display, Intel Atom N450 processor, Nvidia ION 2 graphics, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB HDD, HDMI out, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 0.3MP webcam, 6-cell 47Wh battery (6 hours) and Windows 7 Home Premium.

The big question is whether or not this model comes with Nvidia Optimus. There has been news going either way on this. The latest showcase at Computex tells us that it is coming with Optimus. On the other hand, the global ASUS Eee PC 1201PN product page has no mention of this feature.

Source: ExcaliberPC.com

Update: It's now also available at Newegg

The AMD powered 11.6" Toshiba Satellite T215D notebook that went official yesterday and was scheduled for a June 20th release is now already available to buy at J&R.com

There are two models, both having ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi,  eSATA / HDMI and Windows 7 Home Premium

The higher end T215D-S1150 model is priced at $500 and has an Athlon Neo K325 processor (1.3GHz, dual core). The lower end T215D-S1140RD is priced at $470 and has an Athlon Neo K125 processor (1.7GHz, single core).

Check out the Toshiba Satellite T215D at J&R.com

Could the Acer Aspire One 721 be the first out of the new upcoming batch of Acer netbooks and notebooks? The product page is now up at Acer US and late last month it showed up on Amazon.com priced at $430 - it's actually shipping now!

The specs for this model (Mesh Black): 11.6" 1366 x 768 display, AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor (1.7GHz single core), ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, 2GB DDR3 RAM (2 slots), 160GB HDD, b/g/n Wi-Fi, gigabit LAN, webcam, 6-cell 4,400mAh battery (5 hours). There is also a higher capacity 5,800mAh battery that should get you more.

Check out the Acer Aspire One 721 at Amazon.com

I've finally got my hands on a Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11 which has been selling for a month or two already. You can pick one up at Amazon, TigerDirect or Newegg for $250

This is a second generation Zotac nettop, with a dual core Atom D510 processor and next generation ION graphics. The design looks very similar to the first gen Zotac MAG designs except these feature a screwless design which I'll get to shortly.

Unboxing video:

Included in the box: stand, VESA mount, power brick / cable, CD for drivers (Windows XP / 7 / Linux), screws for mount, manuals and the nettop itself.

These are bare bones nettops so you will need your own RAM, storage and OS. I just transplanted the stuff I had in my Acer Aspire Revo nettop. Thanks to the screwless design you don't need to use a screwdriver at all, even to install storage. This has to be the easiest nettop to upgrade ever. Last thing you'll need are peripherals to control the thing! The nettop itself may be cheap but add on all those features and the price adds up.

Taking a look inside the Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11 (upgrading / setting up):

Will be testing it out with XBMC and Windows 7 Home Premium for benchmarking. I'm mostly interested in seeing power consumption levels and noise levels.

Photos:

The 11.6” Lenovo IdeaPad U160 is now available to purchase in the US directly at Lenovo.com.

There are two models up. The lower end model with an Intel Core i5-520UM processor (1.06GHz), 320GB HDD and Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. The higher end model has an Intel Core i7-640UM (1.2GHz) processor, 500GB HDD and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Both models come in a Dark Brown color, 4GB DDR3 RAM, b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Be warned that the U160 is far from cheap. Both models are priced over $1,000. I would expect a cheaper model (with one of the new Celeron or Pentium ULVs) to show up on Amazon at a later date much like the SU2300 version of the U150 did. The press release last month mentioned a base price of $699 with the lower end Celeron U3400 and Pentium U5400 processors. There was also a mention of a Core i3 processor.

Might have to wait a week or two as the estimated shipping date is “within 13 business days”.

Now, as for the AMD powered Lenovo IdeaPad U165 - Lenovo’s affiliate catalog mentions it won’t be selling directly from Lenovo.com and with a release date of 16th June. Don’t know how concrete that date is but the U160 was listed with a June 2nd release date so it’s probably not far off.

Check out the Lenovo IdeaPad U160 at Lenovo.com

Update: It’s back in stock at Newegg. Up at Amazon.com

Looks like I heard wrong. The next-generation ION (2), dual core Atom D510 powered Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11-U is now shipping in the US courtesy of Newegg, priced at $249.99.

This is a barebones model with the following specs: Intel Atom D510 processor, 1x RAM slot (DDR2-800), 1x SATA device, next generation ION, Gigabit LAN, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 6x USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, optical S/PDIF, eSATA and card reader.

Check out the Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11-U at Newegg

Finished my review of Dell’s latest Pinetrail netbook, the 10.1” Dell Mini 1012.

Perhaps to your disappoint, I’ve got the standard model with no bells and whistles (HD display, Broadcom card etc) but on the bright side it’s a quite a decent netbook. Battery life is much better than I expected (just over 8 hours with light web surfing) and that’s the mid capacity battery. Weakest part of the netbook is easily the ergonomics. Other netbooks offer better keyboard and trackpads.

Read the Dell Mini 1012 Review

Just very recently we’ve seen Acer go official with their AMD notebook lineup in Amsterdam and one of these notebooks, the 11.6” AMD powered Acer Aspire 721 is now up at Amazon.com, in a Mesh Black color, priced at $429.99 though it’s not in stock at the moment.

The Acer Aspire 721 (AO721-3574) features an 11.6” 1366 x 768 display, AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor, ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics, 2GB DDDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD, 1.3MP webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, HDMI, VGA, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and a 6-cell 4400 mAh battery good for up to 5.5 hours. Weight comes in at 3.09 pounds / 1.4 kg.

Performance is no doubt going to rock but the big question is going to be battery life. Heck, I’d be happy if this platform manages to squeeze out as little as an hour more than the older AMD platform which managed 2 - 3 hours at best.

Check out the Acer Aspire 721 at Amazon.com

The Dell Mini 1012 (new one with Pinetrail), like a lot of netbooks, does not have any access panels on the back so you can easily upgrade your netbook. Luckily, it’s very simple to upgrade with a few steps. The HDD and RAM are hidden directly under the keyboard, and to access the keyboard, we just remove three screws from the bottom.

Unfortunately, if you didn’t order your Dell Mini 1012 with a Broadcom Crystal HD card, then there won’t be a usable mini PCI-e slot. Like with Samsung netbooks, there is no slot soldered onto the motherboard so you can’t just slip your card in.

I’m done with the Dell Mini 1012 now. I should have my review up very soon. Despite not being overly excited about this one, especially in the looks department, there is a lot to like about it actually.