AT&T to Offer Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and 12, and LG Xenia with Mobile Data Plans
April 2, 2009
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
Release Dates for LG X120
March 23, 2009
We are finally getting some release dates for the upcoming 10-inch LG X120.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the X110 would be available in the US before July, with a European release this month (March) for the X120.
Engadget found a press release from LGE stating the following shipping dates:
- March - Japan
- April - Europe and 20 other nations
Chances are high that the “20 other nations” includes mostly Asian countries. Whether the Intel Atom-based X120 will be available in the US or not remains to be seen. The earlier report was mainly focused on the X110 being LG’s entry into the US PC market. It’s possible the X110 and X120 could be made available in the US around the same time - AT&T has apparently expressed an interest in selling netbooks from LG, and they already have a solid relationship with them through their cell/mobile phone sales.
Read:
- LGE.co.kr - Translated - English
via Engadget
LG X120 - Taken Apart
March 11, 2009
If you are interested in seeing what’s under the hood of the upcoming LG X120, Linus Tech Tips Blog has taken apart a European model. The European model at least has a glossy screen (and when the LG X120 is available in the US, it will probably have the same display as well).
It’s easier to take apart than some - once the bottom screws are removed, and the keyboard is gently pulled up, there are two more screws and then everything comes apart.
From the included photos, RAM and the 2.5 Serial ATA (SATA) hard-drive are easy to swap/upgrade. The Wireless/PCI-Express card(s) (WiFi) is easy to change if you need to as well - from the photos, you can see the layout, right next to the HDD.
Even though it’s similar to the LG X110 (at least as far as specifications), Linux mentions that the X120 has improved in a lot of areas:
… the fit & finish of this new model is definitely improved. It’s stylish looking and I LOVE the keyboard/touch pad. Someone finally got it right. Too many times I’ve seen “perfect keyboard except…” and touchpads that are just ridiculously small. This 10″ model has crammed in everything you need, a decent-sized touch pad, and normal button positions.
Read: Linus Tech Tips Blog
via liliputing
LG X110 in the US Before July, X120 in Europe This Month
March 7, 2009
Earlier this past week, Skott Ahn, the president and CEO of LG’s mobile communications business, gave some release dates for the 10-inch LG X110 and the LG X120 (aka the Xnote Mini/Xenia series).
In an interview with Forbes magazine, Ahn said that LG will be entering the US PC market before July, with the X110. The X110 is already available in other major markets. The unsubsidized price will be around $400. This matches some tentative information that came out back in the middle of last month that AT&T would be selling some netbooks through the AT&T stores, with the LG Xenia being mentioned (and a subsidized price of $279 USD) as being sold with a mobile broadband data plan.
The X120 will be available later this month in Europe. No date was given for the X120 in the US.
LG’s spokeswoman Judy Pae said “We expect the global market for netbooks will show continuous growth” and Ahn mentioned that LG Electronics is trying to find a balance between traditional laptops and smartphones, saying “A lot of experiments are taking place to come up with something between smart phones and laptops….There is a gap, for sure, between the two categories, so we are experimenting to see which products fit our customers’ unmet need.
Read: Forbes
via LAPTOP Magazine
LG X120 - More Information, Press Release
February 17, 2009
Back in January at CES, the new 10.1″ LG X120 had been demonstrated by LG. Last week, an LG Xenia (Xenia = X, X110 or X120) had been recently mentioned as a candidate for one of the netbooks/ultraportables that AT&T was considering offering through their stores (along with data plans/contracts). This week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) LGE has began talking about specific details of the sequel to their LG X110.
The major differences over the X110 - it’s got a “Smart-On” system, which is another type of “Instant-On” functionality. The X120 is also going to be geared towards mobile broadband carriers.
It also has “Smart-Link” which is similar to some of the software that Apple uses when people migrate their data from one Mac to another or allowing the MacBook Air to use another computer’s CD or DVD drive. Smart-Link allows you to use a USB cable to copy data from another machine to the X120. The press release mentions that you can use Smart-Link to transfer files from another computer’s CD or DVD drive.
Previously we had mentioned that it had a 10.2″ widescreen display - in fact it has a 16:9 10.1″ display, with a resolution of 1024×576
Read more
Netbooks Available in AT&T Stores Soon?
February 13, 2009
Engadget has news that a market research firm has been conducting an online survey indicated that AT&T is considering carrying netbooks/ultraportables in AT&T stores.
This is on the heels of a Fortune Magazine interview with the AT&T executive responsible for the AT&T side of the iPhone agreement with Apple, where he mentioned that netbooks were his next target, with plans to use them to sell AT&T’s 3G mobile broadband plans.
On top of all of this, LAPTOP Magazine has an interview with Glenn Lurie, the AT&T executive mentioned above, where he confirms that AT&T plans on adding netbooks to their stores, with this response to LAPTOP Magazine’s questions:
LAPTOP Magazine: Will people be able to buy a netbook in an AT&T store at some point?
AT&T/Glenn Lurie: Yes, at some point we will carry them and many types of devices in our stores. I see us including netbooks, MIDs, e-books, portable navigation, and all types of connected devices. I also see these devices being in the traditional big-box retailers and their Web sites.
Quoting the AT&T survey material (from Engadget):
Introducing….The Netbook at AT&T
Netbooks represent a new category of ultra-mobile laptops that are small-sized and lightweight. They are optimized for wireless Internet access and browsing needs.
It then mentions some of the benefits (”compact and lightweight, easy to carry around”) and common specifications (screen size, weight, battery life) as well as mentioning no internal optical drives.
Then we have this:
Read more
LG X110 Review (Pocket-lint)
January 28, 2009
Right on the heels of another UK review of the 10″ Intel Atom-based LG X110 netbook, comes Pocket-lint’s review of this rebadged MSI Wind U100.
Unlike the other review, this model did not have a 3G modem built-in, and LG told Pocket-lint that 3G was not going to be standard in UK models.
They do mention one aspect that’s overlooked in a lot of netbooks, there is an option with the X110 to switch the audio between SRS TruSurround XT and SRS WOW HD. The speakers in most netbooks don’t really do it justice, given the size and limitations of the platform.
A huge criticism is the battery life with the included 3-cell battery. At this point, it’s a given that you should pick up a 6-cell model of any netbook you are buying (assuming it has that options - some such as the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 have a similar configuration with fewer cells). They do mention one nice aspect which the other review did, and which explains why the cheaper 3-cell X110s are around - in the UK you can pick some X110s up for free provided you sign a mobile phone or mobile broadband contract with a mobile phone dealer.
This is probably the most concise verdict/summary I’ve seen of a netbook:
The X110 fails to deliver in many areas as a competing netbook, but would serve well as a bedroom internet machine
Read: Pocket-lint
LG X110 Reviewed (Register Hardware)
January 23, 2009
Register Hardware has published a review of the 10″ Intel Atom-powered LG X110 / Xnote Mini. The X110 is LG’s first netbook, but it’s not exactly new - it’s a rebranded version of the 10″ MSI Wind U100. There are a few notable differences - the model reviewed came with a HSDPA 3G modem for mobile broadband access. You can use your SIM card without having to attach a USB dongle - a much better solution, especially for one of these devices that might be slipped into and out of backpacks, etc., on a frequent basis.
The interesting thing on this model - it’s “free”, provided that you engage in a two year contract with a 3G/mobile provider (which may or may not cost more in the long run, depending on provider and options).
In addition to the 3G modem options and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, the styling is slightly different as well, and you get a choice of pink/white, black/white, or silver for colors. In the UK, LG offers Cyberlink Youcam software for the 1.3MP built-in camera.
It does only come with a 3-cell battery, and that was a major concern in the review.
Read: Register Hardware
