Acer Aspire One A110L, A150L, A150X - Specs, Prices
July 3, 2008
Some models of the Acer Aspire One are starting to shape up, specifications wise (with the specifications changing from earlier information).
Notebooksbillinger.de’s has a product page for the 8.9″ Acer Aspire 150X (Blue) with these specifications:
- 120GB Hard drive (5400rpm)
- Intel Atom N270 1.6Hz CPU
- 1GB of Memory
- Windows XP Home
We pretty much knew they were going to bump the hard drive up from 80GB to 120GB based on what we saw earlier this week with some UK retailers, so it’s nice to see it confirmed elsewhere.
EeePCNews.de is showing some pricing information for the Aspire One models (also confirming the above 150X):
- Aspire One A110L - 329 EUR ($522 USD) - 512MB Memory, 8GB SSD, Linux
- Aspire One A150L - 359 EUR ($570 USD) - 1GB Memory, 120GB HDD, Linux
- Aspire One A150X - 399 EUR ($633 USD) - 1GB Memory, 120GB HDD, Windows XP Home
All have both blue and white versions. That seems pricey, but these are kind of a step above the other netbooks as far as design/features.
Read:
- Notebooksbillinger.de (German)
- EeePCNews.de (German)
- Via Laptoping
Microsoft Relaxes Windows XP Restrictions for Netbooks
July 3, 2008
Looks like Microsoft is backing off on some of their previous demands in regards to allowing OEMs to keep installing Microsoft Windows XP on netbooks. Microsoft had already extended the End-of-Life for XP on these devices (on June 30th, most manufacturers had to stop offering Windows XP on mainstream laptops).
Previously, they had placed the following restrictions on netbook / sub-notebook manufacturers:
- Screen sizes must be 10.2-inches and under
- Hard drives must be 80GB or under
- No touch-screens.
The extension was to allow netbook customers to use XP, which performed much better than Windows Vista on such limited hardware platforms (although some Vista drivers have slowly been changing that on certain machines). I think a part of it was also to try and discourage OEMs from offering Linux on these devices. The restrictions were put in place to insure that it didn’t hurt Windows Vista sales.
Now the restrictions are:
- Screen sizes must be 14.1″ and under
- Hard drives must be 160GB or smaller
- Touchscreens are allowed.
Also, it’s mentioned that the CPUs are limited to single-core chips that max out at 1GHz, with 1GB of RAM or less. That’s a little tricky because there are definitely machines that exceed the CPU or memory specifications but which are still selling with XP (maybe not on the memory, but the Intel Atom clocks at 1GHz). Obviously a dual-core CPU would be able to run Vista much better than a single-core.
Read: InfoWorld (via GottaBeMobile)
Acer Aspire One Pricing - UK
July 2, 2008
Acer has clarified their pricing for the 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One, at least for the UK.
As of today according to Register Hardware / ComputerActive magazine, Acer’s starting price for the Aspire One will be £220 (including VAT), which is around $440 USD (depending on exchange rate).
This is for the basic version of the Intel Atom-powered sub-notebook, and it would have an 8GB SSD, 512MB memory, and would be running Linux.
The price is slightly higher than originally announced.
One notable change (and no word on how it will affect the price of future models) is that Aspire Ones that originally listed 80GB HDDs are now going to have 120GB HDDs.
Read: Register Hardware
MSI Wind U100 Unboxing, UK Availability
July 2, 2008
Looks like the MSI Wind U100 is starting to show up in the UK, as of yesterday.
Morgan Computers is showing it in stock (via Mobile Computer) for £329.99 excluding VAT (around $655). This is the 10″ version, with an 80GB hard drive and Microsoft Windows XP Home (hence the higher price).
HEXUS.channel spoke with MSI UK’s product marketing manager, Richard Stewart, who confirmed that yesterday (July 1st) was in fact the launch of the MSI Wind in the UK. In addition to Morgan Comptuers, play.com and Ebuyer would also be stocking it at some point.
Also, an unboxing video has been posted on YouTube, from somebody who received their MSI Wind (apparently in Italy).
Read:
- HEXUS.channel
Asus Confirms Eee PC 904 HD?
July 1, 2008
If PC Retail is correct, it looks like there will be another official member of the 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC family (in addition to the Eee PC 900 and Eee PC 901).
They are claiming that an Asustek spokesman told them that the Intel Atom-powered Eee PC 904 HD would be launching in the UK “within a matter of weeks” at a price of around £250 ($500 USD).
As mentioned earlier, it differs from others in the 8.9-inch series in that it offers the same chassis and full-size keyboard as the 10.2-inch Eee PC 1000(H).
With the “HD” in its name, it’s clear it’ll be using a conventional hard drive instead of a Solid State Drive (SSD).
Read: PC Retail
(Thanks to Jan for the article link)
Everex Cloudbook - 10.2-inch Models, Updated Release of 8.9 Max
July 1, 2008
PC Advisor is reporting that Everex is planning an even larger netbook / sub-notebook type of device, sometime in November of this year, with a 10.2-inch display.
In addition, they maybe accelerating the release of their 8.9-inch Everex Cloudbook Max to the end of August for Japan and Taiwan, and September for the US (instead of later in the year as originally reported), with a WiMax-version due in September.
The 3G options (HSDPA and HSUPA) leave the “mini-laptop” open to bundling with a 3G contract (and perhaps a cheaper price up front).
The information is said to come from First International Computer (FIC), who manufacturers the 7-inch Everex CloudBook and one curious note is that instead of strictly staying with a VIA C7-M 1.6GHz CPU, Everex has opted for a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU as well, with a slower VIA CPU.
Models:
- CE2A1 - 1.2GHz Via C7-M, 1GB RAM, 60GB HDD (Taiwan for around NT$14,000 (£230, $460))
- CW0A1 - 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows XP, (Taiwan for around NT$15,000).
Read: PC Advisor
