NetbookShow

Despite the fact that it wasn’t the most popular tablet on the market HP’s TouchPad did get a ton of air time when the company dropped its price tag down to just $99.99. Of course, this price tag was due to the tablet’s demise but you most likely already know that. What you may not have known is that HP came forth to debut a tablet long before the TouchPad was even announced dubbed the HP Slate.

This Windows powered tablet never hit the market for normal consumer consumption with the company instead targeting it towards the business world. Well, it seems that the tablet’s first iteration was successful enough because HP has announced today that they will be following the device up with a second generation appropriately dubbed the Slate 2.

This tablet will be made available sometime this month starting at $699 featuring an 8.9-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution, Intel Atom processor, 64GB of SSD storage and of course Windows 7.

Will this tablet fare well on the market? We haven’t a clue but stay tuned as we’ll keep you posted.

MSI has just announced the availability of two new notebooks – the X460 and X460DX. Featuring an ultra slim profile, and 14″ displays, these notebooks are designed for professionals on the go. The computers pack Intel Core processors, Intel Integrated GMA HD or NVIDIA GeForce GT540M video cards, Microsoft Windows 7, up to 6GB of RAM, 500-750GB of hard disk space, and THX TruStudio PRO.

What’s great about these notebooks are their touted battery life of 8 hours – something you don’t hear very often these days but as usual, battery life depends on what you do with the notebook. Other features include Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) 2.0, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, and an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam for video chatting purposes. The notebooks are available now from Newegg and Amazon, with prices starting at $799.99.

Samsung unveiled its latest ZX310 9 Series premium lightweight laptop last week at CES. The new ZX310 9 Series is thinner than the Mac Book Air and is constructed from duralumin that is double the strength of aluminium and is used in the construction of aeroplanes.

Beneath the duralumin case lyes an Intel i7 processor, up to 8GB memory, a 256GB solid state drive and it has a 13.3 inch display. The Samsung ZX310 9 Series has been specifically designed with power users and mobile professionals in mind.

The ZX310 9 Series runs Windows 7 and has a 12 second boot time, allowing for quick on the move access, a 1.3MP HD webcam, a touch sensitive gesture pad and is fitted with a powerful lithium-polymer battery.

Unfortunately no prices ahve been made available by Samsung at the moment but the ZX310 9 Series is expected to start shipping in April 2011.

The debate between tablet and netbook is still raging even though they clearly have different usage scenarios. The Jumper JK01-TT runs Windows 7 and ships with a wireless keyboard, mouse, and stand. The iPad has its phone OS and well, doesn’t offer desktop experience with its optional keyboard dock.

The Jumper JK01-TT comes with a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel multitouch display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250G hard drive, 2MP webcam, and 802.11b/g WiFi and 3G. For connectivity it out does the iPad with its, 3 USB ports, a 4-in-1 flash card reader and apparently has a VGA/HDMI combination output. Its battery is less then desirable at only 3000mAh battery. The JK01-TT’s dimensions are 11.4″ x 5.9″ x 0.8″ and weighs 2.6 pounds.

If this tablet actually has an HDMI Port on an N450 processor I would be surprised, as it would be the only N450 on the market that does so. The Jumper JK01-TT is actually on sale at Ownta.com for $671.65.

One nice feature in Windows 7 is that it gives users a bit more control over their power settings. But in some cases, even without tweaking your PC to adjust the CPU clock speed, shut down the hard drive, display, or other tweak other features Windows 7 may still help you squeeze more life out of some batteries — either that, or Asus decided to throw a higher capacity in the Windows 7 version of the Eee PC 1008HA. Either way, Chris Guthrie at Netbook Reviews decided to compare battery performance on a Windows XP version of the Eee PC 1008HA and a new model running Windows 7.

The result? The Windows 7 model ran for more than an hour longer. With the brightness set to full, WiFi and Bluetooth on, and the processor set to run at 1.75GHz, the computer ran for 6:07:30. The Windows XP version ran for just 5:03:18 under the same conditions.

Chris used Battery Eater Pro for his test. I’ve stopped using that particular test, since it taxes the CPU non-stop until the battery dies which doesn’t really provide a good picture of real world usage. In other words, it’s quite likely that you may be able to get another hour or two of battery life out of the new Eee PC 1008HA. I haven’t had time to test the battery on my review unit, but you can be sure I’ll be paying close attention to battery performance in light of Chris’s findings.

Asus has officially announced its Windows 7 lineup, and that includes an updated version of practically every Eee Family product launched during the second half of 2009 as well as the company’s new thin and light UL-series notebooks.

Here’s a brief rundown of computers that are available with Windows 7 starting today:

Eee PC netbooks, notebooks:

* Eee PC 1005HA – 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD
* Eee PC 1005HR – 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD
* Eee PC 1008HA – 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1-2GB RAM, 250-320GB HDD
* Eee PC T91MT – 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel multitouch display, convertible tablet, 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB SSD
* Eee PC 1101HA – 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB RAM
* Eee PC 1201HA – 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD
* Eee PC 1201N – 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 dual core CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, up to 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD

Eee Box nettops:

* Eee Box EB1501 – Atom 330 dual core CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, DVD burner
* Eee Box EB1502 – ?

Eee Top all-in-one PCs:

* Eee Top ET2002 – 20 inch, 1600 x 900 pixel display, 1.6GHz dual core Atom 330 CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD
* Eee Top ET2002T – same as above, but with a touchscreen display
* Eee Top ET2203 – 21.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, 1.6GHz dual core Atom 330 CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD
* Eee top ET2203T – same as above, but with a touchscreen display

UL-series thin and light laptops:

* Asus UL20 – 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 7.5 hour battery
* Asus UL30A – 13.3 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 10 hour battery

The Asus UL50A/UL50Ag/UL50Vg/UL50Vt/UL80V models and other larger laptops have also been updated.

In related news, Asus has posted the user manual for the Eee PC 1201 online, and as netbooked points out, it mentions a third, previously announced model called the Eee PC 1201T. The Eee PC 1201T doesn’t have an HDMI port, which would seem to indicate that it might not have ION graphics. There’s no word on what else might set it apart from the 1201HA and 1201N.

It’s Windows 7  launch day… and that means many of those pretty little netbooks and notebooks I told you about the other day that come preloaded with Windows 7 are now shipping. I placed an order for an Acer Aspire Timeline AS181T to review and it should ship in a few days. But I’ve already seen evidence that 10 inch netbooks from Asus, HP, Sony, and other PC makers have already shipped.

In related news, Lenovo has updated the IdeaPad S12 order page to reflect the fact that the $429 laptop is now available with a choice of Windows XP or Windows 7 Home Premium. What’s interesting is that there doesn’t appear to be a Windows 7 option for the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 at Lenovo.com. But you can order the company’s 10.1 inch laptop with Windows 7 Starter Edition from Amazon for $349.99. The same laptop is available from Lenovo.com for $299 and up.

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.

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.

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.

The Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810T will cost $599.99 and features:

* CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
* Display: 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pxiels
* Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD
* OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
* RAM: 4GB DDR2
* Storage: 320GB HDD (5400 rpm)
* Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, Ethernet
* I/O: HDMI, VGA, 3 USB ports, card reader
* Mouse: multitouch gesture support
* Battery: 6 cell, 5600mAh (rated at 8 hours)
* Dimensions: 11.2″ x 8″ x 1.2″
* Weight: 3.1 pounds

The Acer Aspire AS181TZ will run $549.99 and features:

* CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU4100 dual core
* Display: 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixels
* Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD
* OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
* RAM: 3GB DDR2
* Storage: 320GB HDD (5400 rpm)
* Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1
* I/O: HDMI, VGA, 3 USB ports, card reader
* Mouse: Supports multitouch gestures
* Battery: 6 cell, 5600mAh battery (rated at 8 hours)
* Dimensions: 11.2″ x 8″ x 1.2″
* Weight: 3.1 pounds

Possibly the best news here is that Asus doesn’t appear to be launching different versions of these laptops on different sides of the Atlantic. When the company introduced the Acer Aspire Timeline 1810 with Windows Vista in Europe a few months ago, the company shortened the battery life and called it the Acer Aspire 1410 in the US.

Of course, if you don’t need the extended battery life, dual core processor, extra RAM and hard disk space and Windows 7, you can still pick up an Acer Aspire 1410 with Windows Vista for about $430.