Samsung N110 Shipping in the US

A few weeks ago, there were pre-orders available for the 10.1-inch Intel Atom-powered Samsung N110 in the United States.

At the time, the pre-orders were available through Buy.com, but Buy.com is now listing them as unavailable (they might have sold through their allotment or there was a delay).

However, as of some time last week, NewEgg.com is listing the Samsung N110-12PBK for $469.99 and it looks like it’s currently shipping, which matches the expected ship dates of the first half of April.

Specifications of the N110-12PBK:
- Intel N270 Atom (1.6GHz)
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- 1.3MP Webcam
- Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- 6-cell Battery
- Windows XP Home

The Buy.com model was listed as the Samsung NP-N110-KA01US, but it looks to be the same as the N110-12PBK.

Differences over the Samsung NC10 include a glossy display, a larger touch/trackpad, and a higher-capacity 6-cell battery.

Asus Eee PC T91 Touch Shows Up at the FCC

There is some good news if you’re in the US and have been waiting to buy one of the first mainstream “convertible” Tablet PC/Touchscreen netbooks. The Asus Eee PC T91 Touch has made it’s appearance at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That means it might start showing up for pre-orders later this month or next.

The Eee PC T91 is a touchscreen “convertible” - the screen can pivot, allowing it to lay flush against the keyboard and to be used as a Tablet PC, or it can be rotated into a position resembling a traditional laptop/notebook, with a normal keyboard (well normal = 92% or so, given the 8.9-inch display size). It’s possible that it will be the first of its type to be available in the US without the need to go through a 3rd-party importer.

While details about the T91 have been sparse in regards to plans for North America prior to now, it was believed that the T91 would be available sometime in the second quarter of this year. At this time, there’s not much in the FCC database though - just some photos and the FCC ID listing (MSQT91NE785H if you are curious).

About a month ago, Samsun Hu, who manages Asustek’s Asus Eee PC business unit, mentioned that Asustek believes that convertible/Tablet PC Eee PCs will account for up to 10% of the their Eee PC shipments this year.

Read:
- Full FCC Listing
via Netbook 3G (French) (English Translation)

Dell’s Future Plans for its Inspiron Mini 10 and 11

NetbookNews.de has gotten their hands on what could be the roadmap for Dell’s future plans in regards to the 10-inch Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook/ultraportable, as well as a new offering that will be slightly bigger and some changes to the Mini 10 and Inspiron Mini 12.

There are some exciting/interesting new things in store, including some options that we really haven’t seen offered from other manufacturers. Keep in mind that while some of these probably will happen, not all are guaranteed to. One option being mentioned is up to a 250GB hard drive, along with options for a 1.86GHz Intel Atom, and Microsoft Windows Vista. Vista doesn’t make that much sense, especially since Windows 7 is not too far off, but it will appeal to some business users (just as new Ubuntu Linux options will appeal to others). The 1.86GHz Atom doesn’t make much sense either, since the slide implies that it comes at a substantial cost for not much of boost in performance.

Last week, Dell started offering HD displays (1366×768) for the Mini 10, and in a few weeks, it looks like they will finally be offering options to upgrade the Mini 10s to 2GB of RAM. This was holding quite a few people back from taking a serious look at the Mini 10. The Internal TV Tuner, 250GB HDD, Ubuntu, and 6-cell battery options look to be offered around that time as well.

It looks like sometime in May there will be new Mini 10 models as well, with what looks to be a code-name of “Bear” aka Mini 1011, and offering an Intel Atom Diamondville N270 (currently the Mini 10s are running Atom Z520 and Z530 Silverthorne CPUs). It would be based on the Intel 945GSE platform instead of the Poulsbo. This is a curious change, but it could be a cost-cutting feature, perhaps offering the Mini 10 at a lower price, especially since the roadmap mentions “Best Value”. Many of the current Atom-based devices are running on the Intel 945 platform.

The current Mini 10, what’s called “Tiger” aka Mini 1010 is being referred to as “Media Centric”.

As we move towards and into the third quarter of this year, it looks like there will be a Dell Inspiron Mini 11, with an 11.6-inch display and a high definition display. It’s being called the Mini 1110, “Argos”, and is listed as “Very Thin and Light” and “Small Screen Ultramobile”, and will be offering a 250GB HDD, along with Windows Vista, with a suggested price of $499.

Going into the fourth quarter of 2009, there will be new Mini 10s that might be based upon the upcoming Intel “Pine Trail” or “Pinetrail” platform.

Read: NetbookNews.de (German)

AT&T to Offer Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and 12, and LG Xenia with Mobile Data Plans

Looks like the reports from the middle of February concerning AT&T offering multiple netbooks/sub-notebooks, or “mini laptops” as the AT&T press release calls them, are indeed true.

AT&T will be offering the Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, and LG Xenia (aka X110) in prices ranging from $49.99 USD to $249.99 when purchasing an appropriate mobile broadband package (along with the contract). If you want something more powerful, such as the 12-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X200, you are looking at $750 to $850 depending on the plan.

AT&T has put together what it’s calling an “Internet at Home and On the Go” plan that covers several situations (mixing mobile data and DSL), and included with that is access to AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots. The standard 5GB a month for $60 plan is still available for those who don’t need DSL.

In the reports from February, the HP Mini 1000 was mentioned in that mix of devices, but it’s been left out for now.

There is a catch to all of this (besides the standard contract) - for now, it’s only being offered in select stores in the Atlanta and Philadelphia areas, but it looks like it will be nationwide later this year.

Read:
- Press Release (AT&T)
via GigaOm

Intel’s Austin Chip Design Team Looking Beyond Atom

The Austin-American Statesman has taken a fairly comprehensive at the Intel Corporation’s chip design center in Austin, Texas, along with the chip design team responsible for the Intel Atom.

The article mentions that Intel is aggressively looking to push Atom-based technology into other markets, not just laptops/netbooks. It also mentions “Lincroft”, which is the second-generation version of the Atom, and which is geared towards Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) as well as smartphones.

Lincroft is a major step up from the first generation Atom, as it offers built-in graphics processing as well as memory control, along with lower power requirements. All of that adds up to a smaller size for the platform as well.

In the midst of a lot of high-tech companies cutting back in various areas, Intel’s mobility group in Austin team is doing well, thanks to the Atom:

Despite a tough industry downturn, Intel now has more than 900 workers in Austin, more than ever at its 11-year-old design center.

The reason is the Atom family of low-power, low-cost processors, which Austin designers created and which has become a major new product for Intel.

Atom fueled a boomlet in the infant market for netbooks — small, affordable mini-notebook computers — in 2008.

Read: Austin-American Statesman

Dell Adds HD (1366×768) Displays to Inspiron Mini 10

It looks like the 10.1-inch Intel Atom powered Dell Inspiron Mini 10 will be the first of the mainstream Atom-powered netbooks/ultraportables to have a High Definition (HD) display. For $35 over the normal price, you can add the 1366×768 display to your build-to-order Inspiron Mini 10.

I thought the upcoming HD display version of the HP Mini 2140 might beat it, but the preliminary shipping date for the high resolution Inspiron Mini 10 shows April 15, 2009.

$434 USD will get you the following:
- 10.1-inch Anti-Glare 1366×768 Display
- Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz)
- 1GB RAM (maybe a limit of 1GB of RAM)
- Obsidian Black or Alpine White
- Windows XP Home SP3
- 160GB 2.5″ SATA HDD
- 802.11g
- 1.3MP Webcam
- 3-Cell Battery
- Intel GMA 500

For $50 more, you can upgrade the CPU to an Intel Atom Z530 (1.6Ghz).

You can pick up the Inspiron Mini 10 with the HD display here:
- Dell Home and Home Office Store

Asus Eee PC 1004DN - It’s Official

It’s official - Asustek issued a press release over the weekend for the upcoming 10-inch Asus Eee PC 1004DN, which will be the first Eee PC to feature an internal optical writer (Super-Multi DVD drive). This follows reports from last week that the 1004DN would be available in April.

It’s powered by the new Intel N280 Atom CPU (1.66GHz) and the Intel GN40 chipset, and features the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine. With the 6-cell 5200 mAh battery, Asustek claims a battery life of up 5.9 hours and a weight of just 1.45kg (3.19 pounds).

It will also feature an ExpressCard slot (which maybe an Eee PC first), while adding the “ASUS Data Security System” (ADSM) which is a fingerprint reader. They mention 720p High Definition playback, but from what I’ve seen, the specifications for the display are 1024×600.

Some sacrifices had to be made to keep the weight and size down, and it looks like the 1004DN features a 1.8″ 4200 RPM PATA hard drive (up to 120GB).

The HDD could be wrong, because for the graphics chipset, the press release states “ICH9Mb (Integrated GMA 4500M graphics core)”. That makes no sense whatsoever, because the 4500M is not available for this form factor/chipset, as far as I know.

Read: Asus.com
Thanks to Tim for the link

Samsung N110 Reviewed, Available for Pre-Order

Update: Available at NewEgg.com
- Samsung N110-12PBK - $469.99 - Intel N270 Atom, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 1.3MP Webcam, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR, 6-cell Battery

The next netbook/ultraportable from Samsung that’s available in the US may not be the 12-inch VIA-powered Samsung NC20. Last week, the 10.1-inch Intel Atom-powered Samsung N110 was announced and it’s available for pre-order.

LAPTOP Magazine mentions a release date in the first week of April, but Buy.com seems to be the only retailer currently listing it. Buy.com has a pre-order up for $441.99 (Normally $469 USD):
- Samsung NP-N110-KA01US (Pre-Order)

It’s still based on the Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) instead of the N280, and has a few other features found in the original Samsung netbook, the Samsung NC10, however there are a few other key differences over the NC10:
- Glossy display
- Different chassis (black glossy with a red border)
- Larger touchpad
- Larger/high capacity battery (5900 mAh)

Specifications:
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
- 93% Full-size keyboard
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB 5400rpm (2.5″ SATA)
- Windows XP Home
- 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0

Samsung claims a maximum of 1GB of RAM, but it remains to be seen if this is the case, since the NC10 was easily upgradeable as far as memory.

LAPTOP Magazine has published what maybe the first review of the N110, at least in North America. With their LAPTOP Magazine battery test, they were able to get nearly seven and a half hours out of the battery. It was highly rated by LAPTOP Magazine - they gave it their Editor’s Choice award.
via Portable Monkey

Note: If you are curious, you can download the user manual through the Samsung N110 downloads page

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