Gigabyte launches Q1105M ultraportable notebook
Gigabyte is often on the cutting edge of portable computer technology. It was one of the first companies to introduce 9 and 10 inch mini-laptops with Intel Atom processors and touchscreens that you could swivel and use in tablet mode — albeit at rather high, un-netbook-like prices. Now the company has introduced a new 11.6 inch laptop… with specs straight out of 2009.
For the most part, the Gigabyte Q1105M looks like a perfectly respectable thin and light notebook. It’s just a bit disappointing to see a new machine with an Intel Pentium ULV processor in the day and age of Core i-series chips. The 3 cell, 2200mAh battery is also nothing to write home about.
Rounding out the specs are an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 2GB of DDR3 memory, integrated Intel GMA 4500 graphics, WIndows 7 Home Premium, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, HDMI output, 3 USB ports, mic and headphone jacks and a flash card reader.
The laptop has a 0.3MP camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 3.5G antenna for an optional 3.5G mobile broadband module.
The Gigabyte Q1105M measures 11.5″ x 7.8″ x 1.3″ and weighs 3.3 pounds. I haven’t seen any information about pricing or availability yet.
The recently introduced Acer Aspire One 752 thin and light laptop goes on sale in Japan on April 23rd. The notebook has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display. And while most models in the Aspire One series have Intel Atom processors, this notebook has a more powerful Intel CULV processor and integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics.
When I reviewed the Acer Aspire 1410 with a Core 2 Solo SU3500 processor and Windows Vista a last month, I found that it was much faster than your average netbook when it came CPU-intensive tasks like transcoding audio and video files. But there was one thing it still couldn’t do: play HD and high quality Flash videos on its high resolution 1366 x 768 pixel display.
Lenovo has finally gone and made the IdeaPad U150 thin and light computer with a CULV processor official… in Japan anyway. We’re still waiting on a US announcement, but here’s what Lenovo Japan is telling us about the machine:
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.
Asus isn’t the only company gearing up to launch its newest thin and light laptops with Intel CULV processors this week. Amazon is now taking pre-orders for the Acer Aspire Timeline AS180T and AS1810TZ, both of which will be available on Thursday, October 22nd.
Amazon is taking pre-orders for the Asus UL20A-A1 laptop for $589.99. The laptop will be available to the public on Thursday, October 22nd. This will be the first 12 inch laptop from Asus featuring an Intel CULV processor. It’s similar to the Asus UL30A in many respects, but it has a smaller screen, less RAM, and a smaller hard drive. It also gets slightly less stellar battery life.
Look, I understand that companies like to distinguish the US, European, and Asian models of various computers. But usually this is done by adding a letter or two to the end of the model number. In Toshiba’s case, the company is launching its upcoming 11.6 inch and 13.3 inch thin and light laptops with Intel CULV processors under three completely different product lines.
With Windows 7 launch day coming up fast, it looks like PC makers and retailers are getting ready. Amazon is a choc full of information today about upcoming laptop specifications and prices. I already told you about the Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810T/TZ and the Asus UL20A. But here are a few more thin and light laptops that popped up on Amazon today:
I was pretty impressed with the Acer Aspire 1410 (also known as the 1810T in many parts of the globe) when I had a chance to review it. The 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 processor and GMA 4500MHD graphics were a nice step up from the Atom/GMA 950 combo you get with most netbooks. But at 11.6 inches and 3.1 pounds, the Acer Aspire 1410 isn’t much bigger or heavier than a typical netbook. But that Core 2 Solo processor wasn’t a miracle worker. The machine still struggled with some CPU-intensive tasks, like playing HD Flash video.