Case Logic e-sling for Netbooks

I mentioned seeing an 8.9″ Asus Eee PC 900A netbook on display at a local Best Buy. I also happened to see some cases from Case Logic that appear to be designed for netbooks - they prominently mention 7″ - 10″ devices (the larger one will apparently go up to 12″). They are a part of the “e-sling” series. I did a photo comparison of the two (see bottom of this article).

Keep in mind that this appears to be custom made for netbooks (and portable DVD players, although it was on display with the 900A), and as such, it’s not a sleeve you fit inside a larger bag - it’s made to be the main bag for toting your netbook and accessories (mouse, A/C adapter, maybe spare battery). It seemed well made, and there is definitely an audience for it, but the prices seemed a bit high.

The model I saw was the XNTM-3 - 10.5″ x 7.6″ x 1.5″ and it looked like it would have no problem at all with the Eee PC 900A. There is a larger model, the XNTM-4 (11.8″ x 9″ x 1.3″ instead of 10.5″ x 7.6″ x 1.5) which can hold some 12″ ultraportable laptops. The XNTM-4 would definitely hold the Lenovo IdeaPad U110s and the Sony VAIO TT series.

Model: XNTM-4
- Best Buy - $59.99 (check link for “Store Availability”)
- Amazon.com ($51.91 shipped with Amazon Prime)
- Buy.com ($50.99 Shipped)

Model: XNTM-3
- Best Buy - $49.99 (check link for “Store Availability”)
- Amazon.com ($45.80 shipped with Amazon Prime)
- Buy.com ($44.99 Shipped)

Model: XNTM-1
- Amazon.com ($33.58 shipped with Amazon Prime)
- Buy.com ($32.99 Shipped)
- (Best Buy carries it online only)

I’ve posted some comparison photos of the XNTM-3 (medium version) with the 8.9″ Eee PC 900A that was on display. Unfortunately because of the packaging, you couldn’t really open up the e-sling for further inspection, but you can at least get an idea on size. The sling strap along with some packaging materials were inside, which makes the case look “puffed out” as it were.

Click “Read More” if you don’t see them:
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Asus Eee PC 900A at Best Buy

I needed something at a local Best Buy this weekend and headed over to the closest one. They happened to have an Asus Eee PC 900A on one of the laptop endcaps (a display on the end of one of the laptop aisles). This is good from a visibility perspective, since it’s by itself and is highlighted, although I wonder if some people walk right past it without realizing what it was.

I also came across a case designed for netbooks apparently, the Case Logic e-sling (photos with the Asus Eee PC 900A)

The specifications of the 900A on display:
- Asus Eee PC 900A (White)
- Model: 900A-WFBB01
- SKU: 9050206
- 1GB RAM, 4GB SSD, Linux
- Price: $329.99 (I can’t explain the price - it maybe a clearance model)

These are also other Eee PC models available at some Best Buys if you are curious to see them at a Best Buy near you (check links below and then “Store Availability”):
- Asus Eee PC 900 EEEPC900-BK039X with Intel Celeron (SKU: 8905973) Black, $399.99
- Asus Eee PC 1000HD 1000HD-BKBB1 with Intel Celeron (SKU: 9050171) Black, $379.99

I snapped some photos, you can see them below (click “Read More” if you don’t see them).
Read more

Acer Aspire Ones with 160GB HDD, 6-Cell Batteries

Looks like the newer revisions of the 8.9″ Acer Aspire One have started to show up at mainstream retailers in the US, and they are actually in stock at Amazon.com. They are priced higher than the 120GB, 3-cell versions they maybe replacing (hard to say if these are being replaced yet or not), but given the cost of 6-cell batteries individually, they are still about the same price as if you bought a 3-cell version and then upgraded later on. The Black version of the Aspire One is actually $30 cheaper.

They were available for pre-order before now, and a few retailers had them in stock here and there, but with Amazon stocking them, hopefully we’ll start seeing them in physical / retail stores like Circuit City and Best Buy.

Specifications are the same between all three models:
- Intel Atom 1.6GHz
- 1GB of RAM
- 160GB 5400rpm HDD
- Windows XP Home
- 6-cell battery

Models:
- LU.S050B.133 - Sapphire Blue - $529.99
- LU.S040B.162 - White - $529.99
- LU.S410B.024 - Black - $499.99

Asus Eee PC 900HA at Amazon

A new 8.9″ Eee PC has shown up at Amazon - the Asus Eee PC 900HA (Amazon link). It’s actually very affordable - $349.99 - that’s a very close competitor to the similarly priced Acer Aspire One.

As far as specifications and where it fits into Asus’ lineup, it’s closer to an Asus Eee PC 901 (minus the SSD) than the Celeron-based 900s.

This didn’t show up on the roadmap that came out back in July. Presumably it’s a result of Microsoft loosening the standards for Windows XP Home installs on netbooks back in early July. Even though that took place before the Eee PC roadmap in July came out, these are planned months in advance so it’s understandable why it wouldn’t have appeared on the roadmap. The low price could also reflect the impact that Acer and others are having.

Specifications:
- Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU
- “Shiny Black”
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- Windows XP Home
- 4 Cell Battery

You also get 10GB of Asus’ Eee online storage.

Amazon page: Asus Eee PC 900HA

Thanks to Tim for sending the link and pointing out that the roadmap doesn’t have it.

HP Pavilion dv3500t Announced

HP has rolled out a new 13.3″ ultraportable, the HP Pavilion dv3500t, which is HP’s first 13.3″ offering in the US. The display itself has a 16:10 ratio. It’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo (T5800 up to a T9400) running on Intel’s Centrino 2 platform, and weighs in at around 4.12 pounds with the 6-cell battery (there is a 4-cell available and you can drop the weight down even further weightsaver in the Smart Bay instead of an optical drive).

Should you install a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you can bump the memory all the way up to 8GB.

The hard drive options are nice as well - you can go upto 400GB with a 5400rpm drive.

Among the features:
- NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS (512MB dedicated memory)
- Optional LED-Backlit panel
- Optional backlit keyboard
- “innovative liquid metallic design”
- Blu-Ray options
- Smart Bay

It has an HDMI 1.3 port, as well as dual headphone jacks and a mini-remote control, which if you combine the optional Blu-Ray Drive (BRD), you would have a nice little multimedia package. They’ve also included software to facillitate the multimedia functions.

It’s already listed on HP’s website under HP Pavilion Notebooks (“Mobility”) and is available for purchase, starting at $999.

HP 2133 Mini-Note - Rebates, Update Soon?

Either HP is getting ready to announce an update to the 8.9″ HP 2133 Mini-Note, or they are feeling the heat of the competition from other netbooks (remember, HP was one of the first to roll out an 8.9″ netbook with quite a few compelling features). They are offering pretty hefty rebates on certain models at certain retailers in the US (loaded with either SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 or Microsoft Windows Vista).

Amazon is offering from $50 rebates on these models:
- KR922UT#ABA - 1GHz, 4GB SSD, 512MB RAM, SUSE Linux - $432.58 after rebate
- KX868AT#ABA - 1.2GHz, 120GB 5400rpm HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows Vista Home Basic - $529.99 after rebate

Amazon is also offering $100 rebates on these models:
- KX869AT#ABA - 1.2GHz, 120GB 5400rpm HDD, 1GB RAM, SUSE Linux - $403.39 after rebate
- KX870AT#ABA - 1.6GHz, 120GB 7200rpm HDD, 2GB RAM, Windows Vista Business - $643.99 after rebate

At $403.39, the KX869AT#ABA in particular is a good deal - 120GB Hard Drive, 1GB RAM.

Mwave.com’s HP 2133 Mini-Note listing also mentions “while supplies last” with some models

No price changes have shown up at Amazon.co.uk as of yet.

Just over a month ago, we mentioned reports that HP was looking at upgrading the Mini-Note with VIA’s Nano CPUs - this would be a welcome upgrade for the Mini-Note line, as the biggest complaint many had was the original VIA CPU (especially in light of Intel’s Atom).

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