News

Asustek Ships 700,000 Eee PCs (in September)

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Last week, MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales revealed that MSI has been shipping 150,000 – 200,000 MSI Wind U100s a month (not counting rebadged Winds), with the Intel Atom CPU shortage (as well as 6-cell batteries) having an impact on sales. Keep in mind that … Read more

MSI Wind U100 – New Models, US Retail Sales

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MSI Wind PC A lot of new information about 10″ MSI Wind U100 as well as sequels and where the U100 is headed came out last week in an interview conducted by Joanna Stern of LAPTOP Magazine with MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales, Andy Tung.

Among the numerous items discussed, shortages of Intel’s Atom CPUs, as well as the problem that some retailers (Amazon in particular) have with keeping 6-cell battery versions in stock. Tung claims the 6-cell version shortage will be over by the end of October.

The fabled 9-cell battery is from a third party manufacturer and not from MSI, and it could provide over seven hours of battery life.

Also, the Wind U100 will be (finally) available through a national retailer in the US this week.

Highlights of the U100:

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Case Logic e-sling for Netbooks

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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

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Asus Eee PC 900 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).

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Toshiba Demonstrates SCiB Battery Technology

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Last week at CREATEC 2008 (a consumer trade show held in Japan every year), Toshiba showed off some new battery technology that could shake up the notebook battery market (and how we think about batteries and battery sizes in general). The technology is called “Super … Read more