You pay as much as a Macbook Pro to get there by the way, so an HP Mini 2140 that’s already being phased out by HP might not sound like that cool. Although the original entry price is $1999, you’ll get an early bird discount of $300 by registering till 14^th July Mid-night. There are other benefits like Group discounts in multiples of $1000s and 40%off on Certificate exams.

The conference runs from September 8th through 11^th in Gold Coast, Queensland. By that time the RC of Windows 7 is expected anyway. But the full version of Windows 7 won’t be available to the public until October 22^nd, or even later.

HP Mini was the first premium business netbook from HP, and it collected quite a few accolades along the way. The Mini 2140 netbook is equipped with a 10.2-inch 16:9 display. The included processor is the Intel Atom N270 CPU with 1.6 GHz and the Intel 945GSE chipset and an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 was built in as well. The netbook’s RAM could get expanded up to 2 GB and a common hard drive with a capacity of 160 GB was installed as well. There are also two versions of the drive: one with 5.400 RPM and one with 7.200 RPM. Its biggest drawback is the absence of 3G though, which is the main reason for which the 2140 is being phased out.

Think if you want, but this might be the back-bone of the latest rumor that Apple is dropping off any NVIDIA cards for future Macbooks. They are on the verge of renewing a contract with NVIDIA, and are believed to be skeptical about going for the contract again – as reported by Electronista.

NVIDIA is involved in another tussle with Intel where NVIDIA had filed a countersuit against Intel, accusing the semiconductor firm of a breach of contract. The response was following Intel's earlier formal complaint and accuses Intel of violating a 2004 license for NVIDIA by denying it the rights to build mainboard chipsets for Intel processors that use integrated memory controllers, which includes any Core i7 chip as well as newer Xeon chips like the 3500 and 5500 series – reports Electronista.

MID 5inch

The 5” TFT screen has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. It is powered by the Atom Z510 or you have an option of having the Z520 or Z530. The chipset is Intel US15W. The device has a 1GB on-board memory and supports Micro SD (T-Flash), in case you want to increase the memory. Also you get an option of a 1”SSD (PATA) drive of 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacity. Connectivity will be via the Wireless LAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth & GPS. The 5Incher also packs in a 3.2MP camera. The 350gm device has a dimension of L160 x W95 x H22mm and comes with a 2-cell Lithium polymer 7.4V (1900mAh) battery.

Other features include,

·         Network Interface: USB adapter

·         Support 3G

·         Audio: AC’97 Controller + speaker + headphone + stereo Mic

·         Webcam: 0.3 mega pixel

·         Power adaptor: Input 100-240V  Output: 12V 3A

MID 7Inch

The 7” version comes with an option of an Intel or a Via processor. The one with Via is powered by the VIA VT8430x ARM926EJ-S (250 MHz) DSP (200MHz) dual-core processor and supports Windows CE 5.0 or Linux as OS. 1GB of flash memory and 128MB of DDR2 memories are what this device will offer you. It has a better life than the 5” version obviously with the 2100mAh Lithium battery, which adds to the weight of this 7” MID of 650gm.

The Intel variant is similar to the Via one except the obvious - t uses the N270, for your kind information, along with the Intel 945GSE+ICH7-M chipset. It has the same memory and storage as the Via variant. It is run by a 2-cell 3000mAh polymer Lithium battery (7.4V). The Intel version is slightly heavier and bigger than the Via one with a weight of 700gm and a dimension of L 205 x W130 x H20.8mm

Additional features common to both are,

·         Built-in WIFI & GPS

·         Wireless 802.11 b/g WLAN

·         Support 3G

It is to be noted that both these MIDs are meant for OEMs, as in Inkia is actually looking for vendors who would buy and rebrand them. Price and availability are not known yet.

It has been said that Dell’s versions of MID are too boring for the carriers to accept the prototypes. They feel it is nothing special than the already abundantly available MIDs in the market. So the plan of releasing such devices has been postponed till the later part of this year, or heck it might be even scrapped altogether!

Dell says it is baseless though and continues to stress on the point that it is still in the experiment stages, but very much alive. Dell is rumored to be considering partnering with carriers in the same manner as 3G-enabled netbooks for the sale of these MIDs. Some rumors say that these Android MIDs will be powered by ARM-based processors, although WSJ reports of a Dell spokesman saying the company does not currently make any devices that use ARM-based chips. WSJ reports of two people who witnessed these prototypes to be iPod-like but slightly larger.

If the above rumors are true, Dell will join HP, another computer giant to foray into the MID market.        

The black matte body completes the executive look, with BenQ throwing in an appreciable larger keyboard. But the trackpad situated below the keyboard does not have mouse-keys.

Among other features are 4-in-1 card reader, 10/100 LAN, 3x USB 2.0, VGA out, audio jacks and wireless switch.

You get a pretty good on-the-go life with the optional 6-cell battery that should give atleast 6 hours of juice. The 1.3MP Webcam does not harm at all.

It will be available in Taiwan, Thailand and China shortly but no word on European or US release yet. Also unclear is the price, but should not be more than the standard range.

The N310 has an award-winning design along with its 10.1-inch glossy display panel that comes with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Adding to its youthful aura, it comes in four different shades – although these shades are restricted to the exterior only. The edges are gone and give way to a smoother pebble-like curve. Samsung claims of a 93% keyboard for better functionality and comfort.

The system specifications are not much different from the already available NC10 with the same Intel Atom N270 processor, Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics, 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB HDD. Along comes a 1.3MP webcam and 3-in-1 card reader. Connectivity is taken care of by the Bluetooth, HSDPA, 802.11g WiFi and WiMax. It is little lighter and thinner than the N110 at 2.7-pounds and 1.1-inch respectively.

Now the battery life is up to 5 hours with its 4-cell battery that’s being provided with the N310 in Europe and Korea. The Samsung Go that will be available in the US will have an extended 8800mAh battery that should give more than 10 hours of mobility.

 It has been almost two weeks since the first leaked pics of the Dell Vostro 1220 were uploaded on the Internet. Now, Dell has officially announced the launch of the new Dell Vostro 1220 in Japan. This 12.1-inch stylish, ultraportable laptop was designed exclusively for business travelers who are unwilling to compromise on performance, battery life and security for a thin and lightweight design. According to Sam Burd, global vice president, Dell small and medium business, "Today's globe-trotting entrepreneurs need a laptop that is powerful and long-lasting. That used to mean carrying around an ungainly device, the Vostro 1220 combines performance, built-in security and long battery life with useful features like videoconferencing to be the ideal weapon of choice for any road warrior."

The users can choose between various processor options that include the 2.2GHz Celeron, 2.4GHz Core2 Duo, or 3.06GHz Core2 Duo. This laptop supports up to 8GB of RAM and up to 500GB of HDD or 128GB of SSD (for Windows users). There is also an option for a 16GB solid-state drive (for Linux users) that keeps the price lean while supplying some of the benefits of flash memory. The Vostro 1220 features multi-factor authentication and encrypted hard drives with Wave Systems software that can easily encrypt data without impacting system performance

This device has a 12.1-inch WXGA (1,200 x 800) glossy display which is powered by either a 4-cell battery or a 6-cell battery.  Other features on this laptop include:

·         WiFi and Ethernet

·         Three USB 2.0 sockets

·         FireWire

·         VGA output

·         ExpressCard slot

·         Multicard reader

·         1.3 megapixel webcam

·         Blu-ray combo drive (optional)

·         Clearwire and Sprint-friendly internal WiMAX (optional)

·         Fingerprint reader

The Dell Vostro 1220 is about 1.5-inches thick and has a weight of 3.36 pounds. It will be available in two colors Obsidian Black or Deep Cherry Red. The company has priced the base model of Vostro 1220 at $799 with a 2.2GHz Celeron M processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a DVD burner. Dell will start shipping this model in July.

“I believe MSI’s latest X-Slim Series is a complete line of products designed to set new industry standards and the introduction of the X-Slim Series will further strengthens our position in the notebook market and helps us reach a new development milestone,” said Mr. Joseph Hsu, chief executive officer of MSI.

X400

It sports a 14-inch display panel with 16:9 aspect ratio and "theatre-class" LED backlit screens. MSI adorned the outer edge by adding a silver trim to the edges and around the touchpad and the palm rest has a textured, leather-like covering – as observed by laptopmag. It will have 2GB of RAM, 250GB of hard disk and will be powered by Intel’s ULV processor. The 4-cell Li-poly battery should give about 4 hours of juice while keeping the weight to 1.5kg.

X600

The X600 is the largest of the product line with a 16-inch display. Its larger display allows for a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad. Unlike the X340 and the X400, the 16-inch X600 will have a 512MB ATI 430 discrete graphics card. It will be powered by the Intel Core 2 Solo 3500 processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and comes with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed.

Both models are less than one-inch thick and are featured with a 16:9 theater-call LED screen, full I/O ports and optional Blu-ray drives.

The new X-Slim X400 and X600 notebooks should be made available in the second quarter of 2009.Pricing is not revealed yet.

This is only slightly more expensive than the standard Windows XP SKU that costs €349 and comes with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. The reason for this small price difference can be traced back to Windows’ specification of a netbook’s configuration for having to be able to run Windows XP, which is generally - 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, probably an Intel Atom processor, and a 9 or 10-inch display. But you don’t have that limitation with Linux; also the cost of Linux goes down significantly to be able to pass on the profits to the customers.

Our kid will sport the same 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor though, along with the 945GSE chipset. Other specifications include,

·         a 1.3MP camera

·         weighs 2.9 pounds

·         measures 10.2″ x 7.4″ x 1.1″ in dimension

·         802.11b/g WiFi

·         3 USB ports

·         a 6 cell battery

It is not clear whether this will be released outside France or not.