Netbook Review, notebook review, tablet review, PC review » hd

A Screen Just for Gamers

Paul Merak — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:42:34 +0000

The manufacturing giant Sony has been going through something of a hard time lately. Relentless attacks on the company database has led to thousands of customer details being stolen, and the company is driving gamers away to other platforms. Nonetheless, Sony isn’t going down without a fight and has recently unveiled new hardware that looks [...]

Asus Eee PC 1015b and 1215b start at $290

Paul Merak — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:19:29 +0000

Since January, Asus has been showing its netbooks with AMD Fusion chips and now the company has released the details on the launch and the price. The 1015b and the 1215b will be available for sale in the US this April and the price will be at $290 and up. ASUS Eee PC 1015b 10.1-Inch [...]

Arrandale HD graphics able to overclock three times faster

Twinkle — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:40:18 +0000

Intel's Arrandale 32nm CPU along with 45nm graphics core is surely a technology to boast about. Known as HD graphics turbo boost technology which form the part of Intel's HD graphics integrated on these CPUs will be able to overclock graphics chip, it's working are quite similar to Turbo boost of the CPU. Nehalem architecture has a basic CPU clock speed. As some CPU overclock one or more cores, 2.26Ghz which is only possible on the core i5 640UM.Arrandale HD graphics turbo boosts from the default 166MHz to 500MHz whenever required.

ATI Redwood and Cedar to be in market in Q1

Twinkle — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:05:54 +0000

ATI to unveil two new chips and three new cards by Q1 2010. The Redwood XT which is a 40nm DX11 chip for mainstream market which is expected to rule over 4770 and 4670, while second one will rule over 4650 in the mainstream market called as Redwood or PRO.The 4550, 4350 as well as 3450 cards will be seen in the Q1 2010, and will be recognized as sub-Cedar part of the value market. There are chances that Cedar might be branded as Radeon HD 55x0 / 53x0, which totally depends upon performance and nonetheless it is ATI's marketing decision.

AMD official- Yes there’s scarcity of HD 5000 series

Twinkle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:28:13 +0000

Fudzilla interviewed AMD Product Manager Dave Baumann, in which he confessed that the outfit was facing serious shortages of all HD 5000 series product. He also added that there were certain problems in production with TSMC and was not in control by AMD. The production will surely take new turn in next few weeks. He also committed to increase its delivery to the fullest. The manager further said that, company is still on track to introduce Redwood and Cedar products in Q1 2010.

Radeon HD 5970 dual-GPU to be rolled out on 18th of November

Twinkle — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:51:31 +0000

The Radeon HD 5970, to be launch on November 18, is undoubtedly the fastest card. ATI / AMD has defined its specs, it has two RV870 GPUs runs @ 725MHz. The Radeon HD 5970 has 3200 shaders and comes with 2GB GDDR5 RAM. The Maximum Board Power reaches to 294W and 4.64 TFLOPs is the total GPU compute performance for the card. A great competitor for Geforce GTX 295.

Myka Fanless nettop unveiled – starts at $379

Twinkle — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:38:52 +0000

New ION powered fanless ION nettop powered by Myka has been launched. This ION nettop brings HUlu, Boxee content to your TV. Powered by a dual-core Atom 330 processors and ION chipset, you should have no problems in getting those HD videos to work flawlessly on your nettop.Comes with 4GB memory, 10 USB 2.0 ports, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, eSATA and LAN port. Prices starts at $379. Black and White are the colors available. You can order it from Myka and it will take a month or less for delivery.[myka]

HTC to enter netbook market

Twinkle — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:58:47 +0000

HTC has received pretty good recognition and is now considered one of the most reputed smartphone manufactures. Now, according to the latest news bits, there are chances that it might try it hands in the (over-saturated) netbook market.According to HTC CEO Peter Chou, they are very much interested in this category and they are looking forward to enter the netbook market.I am pretty sure that we will see something very unique and exiting, if, in case, HTC does enter the netbook market. We have seen some really great MID-like smartphones from them. To name a few, HTC TOUCH PRO 2 and the latest one featuring a capacitive display like iPhone, the HTC TOUCH HD 2Note that HTC did enter the UMPC market and they were not able to sell a lot of these UMPCs. HTC's UMPC known as the HTC Shift was a disaster; costing more than $1000; ran Vista on a 800MHz processor!Look out for our extensive HTC TOUCH HD 2 coverage at WindowsPhoneMix.com, our sister site about Windows Phones

Wei-Zhi A81 MID – uses Cortex A8 processor

Brooke — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:51:48 +0000

Wei-Zhi has launched A81 HD MID, which. This unit has TI's OMAP3530 processor which is based on Cortex A8 processor. It features a 7-inch WVGA screen (800x480) and has built-in WiFi,BT and GPS. It even has support for flash-based browsing. It weighs just 390gm and measures only 18cmX11cmx1.5cm. It runs Windows CE 6.0 OS and costs $230 (1580 yuan)Available in silver and black color

Sigo S40 and Sigo S50 – runs 1080p videos

Brooke — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:46:56 +0000

How about having a device that can slip inside your pocket and play 1080p HD video playback? Here is one directly from China, from a company called Sigo. It has HDMI port too so that you can watch you videos on bigger displays in full glory.There are two Sigo MIDs that offers HD playback:

Sigo S40: It has 4.3-inch screen
Sigo S50: It has 5-inch screen

Supported codecs are AVC (H.264/VC-1) @ 30Mbps+ bitrates; MPEG-TS, MPEG4, XviD/DivX, Real 8\9\10, MKV, TS, MPG, AVI, VOB, RMVB and even FLV. Damn! This thing surely puts PMPs like iPod Touch and Zune HD to shame, at least in terms of codecs supported

Weibu N10A netbook out in Japan – ION powered netbook

Brooke — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:21:15 +0000

Many manufactures are churning out ION-powered netbooks as they allow the users to view HD content without any hiccups. Weibu, a Japanese manufacture, has unveiled Weibu N10A netbook, that comes with an 10.1-inch display (1024x600) and Nvidia's ION chipset. It retails for an affordable $556, which is a fine price considering the fact it packs an ION chipset.Another interesting fact to note is that it uses Atom 230 processor that is used in nettops. It features 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD and HDMI out.It is surprising to see Microsoft now allowing the use of nettop processors in netbooks. However, battery life is a big question mark as nettop processors are not as power-frugal as the ones used in usual netbooks.

Acer Ferrari One to feature ATi Radeon HD 4670 GPU!

Kamal DS — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:58:24 +0000

Acer Ferrari One (quick look) is a netbook with a lot of muscle power inside. Its XGP port caught a lot of attention when it is first unveiled. According to CNET, the XGP interface can be used to plug-in a dock that has the ATi Mobility Radeon HD 4670 GPU which has the capability of pushing a mighty 2048x1536 pixels on its external display. The dock also adds 6 USB 2.0 ports.So, if you think that its dual-core chip along with its internal ATi GPU was not enough, you can further have the boost by just plugging in an external GPU, which the Acer calls, DynaVivid Graphics Dock. This dock weighs 650gm and will be available for $199 in the month of November.

11.6” netbook ‘eNote Turnkey Solution’ to be launched by VIA – packs WiMax

Twinkle — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:02:15 +0000

There is a new 11.6-inch recently unveiled by the VIA called the eNote Turnkey Solution. This netbook comes with a VIA Nano (1.3GHz) processor and VIA Chrome9 Graphic chipset that is HD capable. It has an 11.6-inch display with1366 x 768 resolution. Other specs are standard.It is possible to get one with 2GB RAM too. This netbook won't be sold by the VIA directly. It may be ordered by the OEMs. They can configure it with WiMAX, HSDPA or EVDO modules. There is wide choice to choose between operating systems too, including Linux.The only thing not to like about this netbook is its small battery having capacity of just 2600mAh. Its weight is 1.3kg.No information regarding its pricing is known so far

Acer Aspire Revo 3600 Nettop sports Dual-Core Atom 330

Twinkle — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:39:28 +0000

Acer is soon going to unveil its Dual Core nettop, Aspire Revo 3600 at IFA. This model brings in a dual-core Atom 330 processor and 4GB RAM instead of the single-core Atom 230 and 2GB RAM. Instead of weak GMA 950 Intel Graphic Chipset, it packs in a mighty Nvidia's ION chipset which should be able to play your HD movies just fine. It also has HDMI port and VESA mount.There is no word on its price, release date or the OS which it will carry. However, we expect the OS to be nothing but Windows 7

ASRock ION 330 Nettop now available in the US markets – Nettop with built-in optical drive

Twinkle — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:14:14 +0000

You can now have the ASRock ION 330 nettop, the nettop with an optical drive in the US. The ASRock ION 330 has following specs:

Dual-core Atom N330 processor
NVidia ION chipset
2GB RAM
320GB HD
DDVD-RW Super Multi drive
6 USB ports
VGA and HDMI ports

ASRock is also bundling an instant on OS which must be a customized and slimmed-down version of Linux capable of doing some basic tasks like web-surfing and chatting. 1080P HD video can be played as it has an ION-chipset.[ASRock ION 330 Nettop homepage]

Lenovo postpones the launch of Lenovo S12 netbook until Windows 7 release

Jane — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:46:36 +0000

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is one of the netbooks to have HD capabilities, thanks to the Nvidia ION platform. Sadly, Lenovo still has not released this powerful netbook to the masses. Reason: Windows 7. Yes, Lenovo has decided not to release their S12 netbook until Windows 7 is released.Equipped with an already obsolete processor, Intel Atom N270, this netbook has a sharp display for sure as it packs in 1280x800 pixels in its 12-inch display frame! Anyway, we will see how this baby performs with Windows 7

Point of View Mobii ION 230 Netbook – ION inside!

Peter — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:22:34 +0000

Point of view has rolled out its own netbook, Mobii ION 230. Oddly, unlike most netbooks, it comes with an Intel Atom 230 processor that is used in Atom powered desktops. As its name suggests, it comes with the powerful ION chipset and an HDMI port for HD video playback.Specifications:-

10.2-inch display
NVIDIA ION GPU
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
Wi-Fi
HDMI output
Headphone, microphone ports
1.3 MP camera
2 USB ports
3/6 cell battery 2200/4400 with up to 2/4 hours usage time

The Mobii ION 230 netbook is available in black, red and white and should be released in a few weeks. The price is not yet known.

MSI X600 now available in Europe – selling in Germany at 749 Euros

Peter — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:27:58 +0000

MSI's new thin notebook has now landed on European shores and is now available in Germany at a price starting at €749. The new X-slim X600 notebook is based on Intel's CULV platform. Unlike most thin and light notebooks, it features discrete graphics, courtesy of ATi. The ATi's GPU, HD 4330 comes with 512MB of memory which is a welcome addition to the 15.6-inch LED-backlit glare screen that has a resolution of 1366x768. It is equipped with 6-cell Battery and weighs just over 2kg.You also get two years warranty with this thin notebook.

Samsung NC10 WiMax version now available

Peter — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:02:44 +0000

Samsung is now offering its popular netbook, NC10 with WiMax radio. However, it is available in only the black model (NC10-12PWBK). It will set you back at a high cost of around $500. There are no changes in its specs although speakers are now 2W instead of 3W and HD audio has been added.NC10 (with 3.5G) specifications:-

10.2-inch 1024x600 Display
Atom N270 processor
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
802.11 b/g(+WiMax)
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
1.3MP Webcam
6-Cell battery
Windows XP Home.

Asus Eee PC 1000HV does 720p video fine, but not 1080p

Peter — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:22:23 +0000

The Folks at eeepc.it were able to get their hands on the EEE 1000hv, which is basically an EEE 1000HE with ATi 3450HD GPU. With ATi GPU, the first thing that comes to mind is: performing a video test to test its video capabilities. So, they tested two videos: one 720p and other 1080p on the ASUS EEE PC 1000HV. 720p video played just fine on the EEE 1000HV, but it 1080p video suffered from sound lag.

Mobinnova Elan Netbook – offers 5 hours of video playback!

Paul Merak — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:06:41 +0000

Small netbooks are becoming rare and most manufactures are jumping to the bandwagon of 10-inch netbooks, but that did not stop Mobinnova to release a netbook with 8.9-inch screen. This netbook is as big as a hardcover book. It comes with a rather shabby 800MHz ARM CPU, but do not underestimate this little machine as it comes with Nvidia Tegra GPU, which takes care of its audio and video. No words on pricing and availability yet.Features:-

8.9-inch screen
NVIDIA Tegra-based platform
QWERTY keyboard and touchpad
5-10 hours continuous HD video playback
24 hours of continous audio playback
Wi-Fi and 3G
3D Graphical User Interface
Microsoft Office and Adobe document viewer
Webcam

RealPlayer Mobile coming to Linux netbooks

Paul Merak — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:56:22 +0000

RealNetworks is soon going to release RealPlayer For Mobile for the Linux netbooks running Ubuntu (both ARM and X86) as-well-as for the upcoming instant-on Linux OS (Presto OS). To add icing to the cake, folks at RealNetworks claim that it would be able to play most HD video too. Of course, it would be hardware-dependent.It will be able to play most of the audio and video formats out there. However, it won't be able to play the DVD and FLV format (used in Youtube and Hulu videos).They claim that it would be run WVGA (800 x 480) video silky smooth, but to get the 1080p video running, you will a Z530 processor with HD graphics accelerator.

HP Mini 110 and 1101 launched

Paul Merak — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:22:30 +0000

HP has announced to to refresh its Mini 1000 series by launching two new models, mini 110 and mini 1101. Both of the models will offer enhancements and some features that were deliberately omitted from the original mini 1000 (example: VGA out and faster HDD)Both mini 110 and mini 1101 will now feature VGA-out port as-well-as faster Hard Disks (160GB @ 5400rpm). If that was not enough for you, HP is also going to offer a dedicated HD-decoder chip from Broadcom as an option for those who love watching HD movies on the go.Click on read on more!

EEEbox B208 HD coming to UK soon

Paul Merak — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:16:29 +0000

EEEbox B208 HD, which sports the mighty Atom 330 dual-core processor will soon be released in UK at a price tag of 500 pounds! Ouch, that would hurt anyone's wallet in such hard times. Anyway, here are its specs:

Atom 330 dual-core processor
2GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD 4530 graphics
Wi-Fi support for b, g and draft-n networks
HDMI-out video port
160, 250, or 320GB hard drive
10GB EEE storage

The overall package is pretty neat and you get a lot for 500-pounds.[ASUS B208 HD webpage]

HTC TOUCH HD as a Mobile Internet Device (MID)- Review

Paul Merak — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:55:22 +0000

This time we are going to review it from a different perspective - AS A MOBILE INTERNET DEVICE. If you have been following the windows mobile scene from the past couple of years, you must have observed that the display size of the mobile phones has decreased in size over the years. Whether we all like it or not, but it was the iPhone that brought the big screen to attention to the mobile phone manufactures.

OQO Model 2+ supports decoding HD 1080p videos [UMPC]

Paul Merak — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:56:16 +0000

The OQO Model 2+ has built-in hardware accelerated decoding (Poulsbo chipset using Intel GMA500 integrated graphics with the PowerVR core), which fully supports both 720p and 1080p HD content. Although, for full HD resolution, connect the OQO to an external 720p/1080p display using HDMI. The OQO model 2+ support HDMI monitors up to 1920×1200 resolution. [...]

Internet Mobile 6 now available for the HTC TOUCH HD!

Paul Merak — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:27:57 +0000

Paul at Modaco has made a custom ROM in which he has integrated IE mobile 6. Though Microsoft said that the IE mobile 6 won’t be available as separate download for the current devices, ROM cookers have found ways of streamlining it inside the ROM itself. And since this is a ROM upgrade, it will [...]