NetbookShow

The Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P is a thin and light laptop that looks a lot like the Acer Aspire 1410/Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T series. But there’s one major difference: The 1820P has a touchscreen display that can be folded down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode.

We first heard about the Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P a few weeks ago. But now the folks at Notebook Italia have had a chance to spend some hands-on time with an Aspire 1820PT. They report that Acer has included some touch-friendly software including a TouchPortal which features a photo viewer, music and video player, and several other widgets. You can also print photos by dragging them to a printer icon.

There’s also a TouchMemo utility for writing notes with your fingers or a stylus.

The AcerAspire 1820PT has an Intel core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU, GMA 4500 graphics, 4GB of RAM, up to 320GB of hard drive space, and a 1366 x 768 pixel display. It reportedly gets up to 8 hours of battery life and should be available in blue, black, and red.

While Intel and AMD grab all the headlines in the US netbook and ultraportable market, chip maker VIA is making headway in Asia. The Chupin C855 is a Chinese 12.2 inch laptop sporting a VIA Nano processor and VX855 chipset which is capable of 1080p HD video playback.

The C855 isn’t unique. VIA is pushing the platform throughout the developing world with its Global Mobility Bazaar program. But the Chupin C855 is one of the first of these laptops to be reviewed.

According to the review, the laptop performs as promised, with hardware acceleration for H.264 and VC1 HD video playback.

When it comes to CPU performance, it looks like the 1.3GHz Via Nano U1700 offers similar performance to a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, although the Nano chip seems to be a bit slower at some tasks.

Oh, and as an added bonus, the reviewer decided to dissect the laptop so you could see the motherboard, wireless module, and other components. You can see more pictures at digi.sohu.com.

Microsoft has been offering low cost Windows XP Home Edition licenses to PC makers selling netbooks for nearly two years. In order to qualify, a netbook needed to have a small screen, slow processor, and no more than 1GB of RAM or 160GB of hard drive space. As a result, nearly every netbook released over the past two years met those specifications. But here’s the thing: If you’re not interested in keeping the price down, the sky is the limit, because those restrictions don’t apply to laptops with Windows Vista, or even Windows XP Professional.

Now that Windows 7 is just around the corner, Asus Japan has apparently decided to give the Eee PC 1005HA a business-class upgrade: by sticking with Windows XP, but loading the computer up with Windows XP Professional.

The Eee PC 1005HA Business edition is virtually identical to the versions currently on the market. But the new model has a silver and black chassis instead of a solid black one, and 2GB of RAM. The rest of the specs are prety much what you’d expect, including a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display. 160GB hard drive, and 10 hour battery. The Eee PC 1005HA Business edition is due out today in Japan for about $715.

Keep in mind, Asus is launching updated versions of its Eee PC 1005HA, 1008HA, and 1101HA laptops with Windows 7 in the US, Europe, and other parts of the globe later this week.

PC maker ii-View has announced it will be bringing its A2 laptop to the US. The ii-View A2 is a 12.1 inch notebook with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, a 1280 x 800 pixel display. 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. it features 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and a 6 cell battery and runs Windows 7.

We’ve been hearing about the ii-View A2 for the last few months, but honestly I didn’t expect to see it released in the US. But according to a press release, the Hong Kong-based company plans to start shipping the laptop in the US on October 22nd for $399.

The Samsung N130 netbook is already on sale in Europe and now, it’s also available for pre-order on Amazon.

The N130 features a 10.1″ screen display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, an Intel GMA 950 graphics chipset, 1 GB of RAM, and a 160 GB hard drive – pretty typical specs for the average netbook. The N130 can come with either the Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter OS.

The Samsung N130 netbook is available in pink for $350.99 and in blue for $362.43 and if you’re not in a rush to get yours, they also come with free super saver shipping.

Is the Nokia 3G Booklet netbook really worth what consumers are paying for it? Let’s think about this for a second. Sure you can get one at Best Buy for $299, but don’t forget that there are other related costs as well. The subsidized price of $299 requires that users also sign a 2-year data plan contract. So technically, that’s another $60 per month for the next two years. Total costs for the two years add up to a whopping $1,700.

Sound tempting yet? You could always get an unsubsidized netbook for double the price – $599. Of course, this is pushing into the range for laptop pricing. Decent laptops sell for around this range, so why not just buy a more powerful machine instead? In Nokia’s defense, there are some perks to the Nokia 3G booklet netbook. It has a relatively sturdier aluminum construction, built-in GPS capabilities, HSPA wireless communications, and an above average battery life. But are these perks really worth an extra $300, especially in this economy?

We’re not advocating any machines over others. We’re just providing some food for though. Have any thoughts? We’d like to hear from you so feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment!

The multi-touch version of the ASUS Eee PC T91 series, the T91TM has arrived in Germany, and is up for pre-order at Amazon.de where it will be available from October 22 priced at 506 Euros.

Comes with the same Atom Z520 (1.33GHz) processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD, GMA 500 graphics but now with Windows 7 Home Premium and of course, a multi-touch display.

HP Home & Home Office has now made available the 11.6” Mini 311 notebook and 10.1” HP Mini 110 netbooks with Windows 7.

For the HP Mini 311, upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium from XP Home is a $50 upgrade. For the HP Mini 110 series, the upgrade from XP Home to Windows 7 Starter costs $30. You can also upgrade to a 250GB HDD if you choose Windows 7 Starter.

There’s also the HP Mini 110 Tord Boontje Edition which only ships with Windows 7 Starter.

There’s also a whole other bunch of HP products with Windows 7. No sign of the 11.6” HP Pavilion DM1 though…

Dell has now made Windows 7 available for the 10.1” Mini 10v and 11.6” Inspiron 11z netbooks. The Mini 10 does not seem to be available with Windows 7 strangely.

For the Mini 10v, upgrading from XP Home to Windows 7 Starter is a $30 upgrade. For the Inspiron 11z, upgrading from Vista HP to Windows 7 HP (64-bit) costs $30, or $130 for Windows 7 Professional.

Lenovo Japan is releasing the NVidia ION powered 12.1” Lenovo S12 netbook on the 22nd October, the day Windows 7 launches. It will cost 68,800 yen ($757). The US release should be up shortly, once Lenovo announces it’s Windows 7 lineup, if earlier news is correct which was that the ION version of the S12 would ship at the end of October and retail for $550.

This Lenovo S12 features an Atom N270 processor, NVidia ION (GeForce 9400M), 12.1” 1280 x 800 display, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 1.3MP Webcam. Runs Windows 7 Home Premium.

Ports: 4-in-1 card reader, 3x USB, VGA, HDMI, audio jacks. Has a 6-cell battery good for up to 6 hours. Weighs 1.55kg / 3.4 pounds. Only available in white.