Google's Chrome OS-running Cr-48 netbook is quite a hot item nowadays, so coveted that, despite only being available directly from Google, it's already become available for sale in China.

As you will certainly remember, search-engine giant Google officially introduced a couple of weeks ago its first-ever netbook, the Cr-48, meant to offer at glimpse at the future Chrome operating system's capabilities, and made it available within its Pilot program (sort of a beta-testing initiative).

However, as GizInChina reports, it seems that, if you happen to live in China and you have 7,777.77 Chinese yuan (roughly 1,170.84216 U.S. Dollars) to spare, you'll be able to get one of the new Cr-48 netbooks even if you haven't qualified for the aforementioned program, since the item was listed as being available for saleon one of China's largest online sales portals, Taobao (with no less than 77 pieces being available in stock)

While the photos posted within the respective listing seem to be genuine enough (we've also added them to our article, so you can check them out directly), there's very little technical info to go on, the vendors informing possible customers that the device sports a 12-inch display, an Atom CPU running at 2.66 Ghz, a built-in 3G module and 64GB of built-in flash memory.
As far as we're concerned, the listing on Taobao has two possible explanations: either we're talking about clones (which shouldn't be much of a surprise, given the fact that, after all, Chine is the land of knock-offs), or about genuine Cr-48 netbooks that were more or less voluntarily misplaced (we seriously doubt that Google would actually sell these things in China, since it's not doing it anywhere else around the world).

However, we wont' probably get to know the truth about these netbooks unless someone actually gets to purchase one, and if one of you happens to do so, please, don't hesitate to drop a line in our comments section.

The latest MSI VR430 incorporates a brand new aesthetic concept to the personal laptop computers. Featuring MSI exclusive ECO Engine, this power management function helps to extend the battery life while performing various tasks.

It sports a brilliant 14.1-inch LCD monitor (1280x800) that offers impressive details and vivid colors. The VR430 has a slim design and weighs at most 2.2kg is much more portable in the market, making it a suitable choice for business professionals on the move.

With built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam and internal microphone, the VR430 allows you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video, suchas participating in video conferencing in order to enhance your work efficiency. Additionally, VR430 has a 4-in-1 card reader and 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitates connection with various types of computer peripherals.

Mouse Computer Japan announced a new LuvBook, the TW600X that will retail at just 99,750 yen(~S$1590) and comes with a Blu-ray drive.

The specifications are not too shabby, it comes with a 15.4” WXGA screen. The laptop is powered by a Core 2 Duo P8700, 4GB of DDR2 (PC2-5300) RAM, 320GB of HDD, Blu-ray reader with DVD Super Multi and aan average Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD. The OS that comes with it is a Vista Home Premium SP1. Some of the outputs are USB2.0 × 3, HDMI output port × 1 and a Express card slot.

After having officially launched its new Core i7-based Studio XPS 435 desktop behemoth, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell has finally decided to allow its customers to purchase the new 10-inch Inspiron Mini netbook. The new Inspiron Mini 10 has just gone on sale in the U.S. with a starting price tag of just $399. Unfortunately, users will still have to wait for their purchased systems to arrive, as the preliminary ship date is April the 2nd.

The latest Inspiron Mini 10 netbook comes as Dell's response to the high number of 10-inch netbooks that have recently been launched on the market. It still boasts Intel's Atom platform, but provides users with some slightly different configuration options, including a new processor. In fact, the Inspiron Mini 10 is among those few netbook systems that allow users to choose from either a 1.33GHz Atom X520 CPU, running at 1.33GHz, or a 1.6GHz Atom X530. The difference between the two options will up the price tag by $50,over the basis of $399.

Other system specifications are pretty much what you would expect from a netbook, that is, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB, 5400rpm SATA hard drive. Aside from these options, users will be left with choosing the netbook's coloring theme. The basic Inspiron Mini 10 model comes with a black color option, but for an extra of $30 users will be granted the opportunity to choose between “alpine white,” “new cherry red,” “ice blue,” “jade green,” or “promise pink.” If you decide to go for the last one, Dell promises to donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity.

Additional features include a built-in WiFi g connectivity option, integrated webcam and a 3-cell battery, which doesn't sound very promising if you are looking for a longer battery life.

The Eee PC T91 tablet PC is the first major departure from the traditional and comprehensive range of Asus Eee PC netbooks. The first rumours of such a defice surfaced in October last year, three months before the company officially unveiled it during its CES keynote.

It's still a couple of months away from release though with the expected UK availability date penned for late April. This is a little later than earlier reports, which suggested a March release date timeframe. We managed to grab some hands-on time with a pre-production Eee PC T91 sample last week and while there are a few things still subject to change, the device is mostly ready.

The first and most important feature on this Eee PC is its touch-sensitive display (with the typical 1,024 x 600 native resolution) which is attached to the rest of the machine via a 180-degree hinge. This hingealso rotates by 180 degrees and enables the T91 to transform itself from a traditional netbook into what Asus claims is the smallest and slimmest tablet PC to date when the display is folded back over the keyboard.With an 8.9-inch screen diagonal like the Eee PC 900 and 901, it's smaller than a lot of the netbooks on the market today. The rest of its measurements are 225 x 164 x 25.2-28.4mm (W x D x H), which means it’s smaller than the Eee PC 900/901 and like those models, it too weighs less than 1kg with the battery attached.

These measurements may be a concern for some – especially those with bigger hands – as typing can be quite cramped on the keyboard if you’re using it for long periods of time. The good news is that there's a larger 10-inch version – the T101 – on the way as well for those who feel that the T91's slender measurements are a little too lean.

Even before opening the lid, it's clear that the T91's design is quite different to anything we've seen before in the Eee PC line up. The white finish will be familiar, as it's been around since the Eee PC 701 took the market by storm 18 months ago now; however, unlike the original Eee PC 701, the T91 has a glossy finish.This unfortunately attracts finger prints pretty easily – the worst culprit for this is the black bezel around the display. The glossy touch-sensitive display will also attract finger prints as well, but that’s a given for any device with a touch screen – the way to minimize finger prints is to use the included stylus, although the touch screen does work reasonably well with just your finger.

While we’ve only seen the white version of the T91, Asus tells us that there are other colour options available. These are Black, Pink, Champagne and Navy – the black will likely attract finger prints in exactly the same way as the bezel, but since we’ve not had time to look at the others, we can’t pass judgement on how receptive they are to finger printing.

LG Electronics has launched a new netbook, the LG-X120, that comes with 3G HSPA connection and in a compact, portable design.The netbook features a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, SRS WOW HD and TruSurround XT.

With Smart-Link technology and a simple USB cable, LG-X120 connects to regular computers to share files or install new applications, accessing data even from the computer's CD or DVD drive. An advanced security function allows users to safely share files while connected to other devices, without compromising important information.

The LG-X120 features a soft textured, classic whiteexterior and has a matt surface that resists fingerprints and scratches. Weighing in at 1.2kg, the laptop has a battery life of 3.5 hours for the 3 cell battery and 7 hours for the 6 cell battery.

LG-X120 will be available in March in Europe. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 12 wil be available through select Croma Stores in India before the end of January fo Rs. 31,000 .

"The Mini 12 is designed specifically for mobile, hi-def lifestyles" said Girish Mehta, Director of Consumer Marketing, Dell India. "With its slim lightweight design and 12" widescreen display, the Mini 12 is the ideal on-the-go Internet companion for today’s mobile generation".
With a starting weight of 1.24kg and only 0.92 inches thick, current standard featureson the Inspiron Mini 12 include Windows XP Home, built-in webcam, 1GB of RAM and 80 GB hard drive. It also features built-in Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless and a 12.1-inch WXGA display.

MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is pleased to announce the newest addition to its Gaming Notebook Series - GT627. The new GT627 is the first in the MSI Gaming Notebook series to feature the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS graphics processing unit (GPU). This revolutionary GPU delivers blazing-fast mobile gaming and supports NVIDIA CUDA technology enabling MSI customers to experience the wide range of CUDA-based applications-such as heart-stopping GPU-accelerated game physics and video conversion. The GeForce 9800M GS also saves power and increases computing efficiently by handling video decoding, allowing the CPU to focus on other tasks.
"We are excited to offer the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS GPU in the GT627 Gaming Notebooks," said Andy Tung, Vice President of Sales, MSI US. "This GPU will allow us optimize performance and deliver unparalleled graphics for gamers on-the-go."

"Whether viewing or editing photos, finding directions, playing a game,or watching a hi-def movie, the MSI GT627 with the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS GPU runs silky smooth, with amazing visuals," said Rene Haas, General Manager of the notebook business unit at NVIDIA. " With the GeForce 9800M GS handling the graphics, video and physics acceleration, MSI customers will be ready for the visual computing movement."

MSI has also equipped the GT627 with a spacious 15.4" WSXGA (1680x1050) LCD, 2W internal speakers, and weight cartridge laser mouse to enhance the mobile gaming experience. The GT627 also features MSI's proprietary Turbo Drive Engine, which can overclock the notebook's Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (Penryn, FSB 1066) by as much as 15% at the touch of a button when in AC mode. When on the go, users can conserve the GT627's battery by taking advantage of the MSI's Eco Engine technology to switch between five power settings to ensure efficient power consumption.

MSI housed the powerful GT627 in its stylish anodized brushed aluminum gaming case. This solid enclosure features stamped aluminum sheeting in both the LCD lid and palm rest for increased protection and durability. However, despite the reinforced casing and a 6-cell battery, the GT627 weighs just over six pounds making it one of the most portable gaming notebooks in its class. Additionally, MSI also included an 802.11 b/g/n wireless modem and a Blu-ray player to make it a true mobile entertainment center.

Currently all netbook manufacturers are pounding the market with a barrage of netbooks. The intervening lull between successive netbook models is constantly shrinking, leaving consumers spoilt for choice and a tad overwhelmed.

HP is about to launch a new netbook, the Mini-note 2140, in February but a report about its successor has already emerged. Its successor, the Mini-note 2150, will have at least one additional feature in form of a built-in 3G modem, according to Digitimes. The 2150 is rumoredto be scheduled for a June launch. Nothing else is currently known about the 2150.

The 10.1-inch Mini-note 2140 will be launched in February with prices beginning at $500.

The ASUS F50 and F70 notebook series come with cutting-edge design and innovative multimedia features to satisfy users who want high definition audio visual entertainment and extensive multitasking capabilities on the move.

The F50GX features integrated graphics solution which offers performance comparable to a dedicated graphics card. The F70SL features a massive 1TB of storage for user to backup and even store large High Definition videos conveniently.

The ASUS F50 and F70 notebooks also come standard with high definition audio quality and 16:9 Full High Definition display with high contrast rate, brightness and color saturation for superior audio and visual enjoyment

With the built-in HDMI port, users can connect their notebookslarge external LCD displays or other HDMI-capable devices for a full cinematic experience and entertainment versatility.

After much anticipation and a series of articles surfacing on the web, prior to the debut of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dell has finally introduced its latest portable computer system, the Dell Adamo. Claimed to be the company’s response to Apple’s thin MacBook Air, or to the Envy notebook from HP’s Voodoo PC, the Adamo appears like yet another sleek-looking 13-inch notebook waiting to be embraced by all those tech fashionistas out there. There aren’t any specific technical details, but the laptop is expected to become available later this year.

A number of blog sites have managed to grab several pictures of Dell’s new pride and joy, which can also be seen in the gallery below. As you’ll be able to appreciate for yourself from these images, the Adamo appears to have combined just the right design elements, allowing it to appeal to those consumers out there that are looking for a PC response to Apple’s MacBook Air.

Despite no specific details on the part of the Round Rock, Texas-based PC vendor, the Adamo is expected to come out with a rather expensive price tag, specifically due to its unique design. Additionally, Dell has said that in the development of the new Adamo it has made useof high quality materials, yet another reason for which the upcoming thin laptop is probably aimed at those with more “generous” pockets.

Dell’s Adamo is undoubtedly thinner than most notebooks on the market, but given these early pictures, it doesn’t appear to be a real competitor for the MacBook Air. However, Adamo’s design features could also set the system as a real challenger for Apple’s MacBook Pro.

The device has been showcased at CES, which is where Dell has also introduced a couple of other new products, including the new Mini 10, another of the company’s portable computer systems ready to take advantage of Intel’s successful Atom platform. The fellows over at engadget were lucky enough to get a hands-on experience with the new Dell laptop, also providing a photo gallery and a video.

Acer has announced a new limited period special festive offer from Jan 9 – 20, 2009 on its entire range of Netbooks for the Indian consumer.The Aspire One netbook will now be available for Rs. 14,499 during this time. The fully loaded Windows XP Home version of the Aspire One will be available for Rs. 16,499.

The Aspire One is available in five colors - Sapphire Blue, Brown, Black, Pink and White. With an LCD size of 8.9” and weighing less than one kilo, the Aspire One comes with anergonomically designed keyboard which is 89% of a full-size keyboard and a battery life of up to 3 hours.

The Aspire One is equipped with the latest Intel Atom processor technology, Linpus Linux Lite or Windows XP Home, and has 1 GB of RAM installed with up to 160 GB of HDD.

In many ways, the Acer Aspire One is like the little sibling of MSI’s Wind. Besides sporting the same Intel Atom N270 processor running at 1.6GHz, 1GB of RAM, and Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics, the two netbooks share a similar look and feel.

The difference is that the Acer has a slightly smaller form factor and an 8.9-inch screen, while the Wind’s screen is 10.1 inches. In our benchmarks, the similarities continued: The Aspire One performed nearly identically to the Wind in almost all of our tests, chugging through the Photoshop script in just 729 seconds, a second faster than the Wind. It also lasted a few minutes longer in the battery drain test—not surprising, given its smaller screen.

The One’s keyboard is the same size as the Wind’s, but thankfully it doesn’t employ the latter’s irritating reversal of the Ctrl and Function keys.

The touchpad feels like it’s covered with the same paint as the rest of the machine, which meant we couldn’t tell just by touch whether our fingers were on it. Acer also decided to put the mouse buttonson either side of the touchpad instead of below it, which makes pointing and clicking awkward.

One big advantage the Aspire One has over the Wind is its 120GB hard drive, which is 50 percent larger than the MSI machine’s drive. Also, the screen is glossy, while the Wind’s is matte. The choice between reflective and matte is largely a personal one, but we prefer the lesser of the two glares.

In a fair fight against the Asus Eee PC 901, the One clearly emerges as the victor. And, though it has flaws that the MSI Wind doesn’t share, the One has a significant advantage over even that model: It’s $150 cheaper, despite its much larger hard drive. In our opinion, that $150 buys it a bit of slack.

Check out our other NetBook reviews.

Lenovo announced today the highly anticipated ThinkPad W700ds Mobile Workstation, designed as the first portable computer system that can provide its users with a dual screen configuration. The company's new addition to the ThinkPad lineup combines some of the highest levels of computing performance with a unique design that delivers a range of functionalities, specifically required by professional users in areas such as digital content creation, oil and gas exploration, computer-aided design and photography.
“The ThinkPad W700ds dual screen mobile workstation challenged our international development team to engineer a notebook to fit the way workstation users work - in the office and on the road,” said Mark Cohen, vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Lenovo. “Bringing this level of innovation to the most extreme PC users required continually balancing size and functionality with keeping the PC cool and quiet. This mobile workstation is the result of where Lenovo innovation and performance intersect.”
The specifications on the new ThinkPad are pretty much in accordance to what has been rumored ever since the very first details on the system have been leaked on the Internet. The W700ds is built to equip some of the latest Intel high-end processors, optional HDD/SDD RAID setups, NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics, an impressive 8GB of DDR3 RAM memory, dual-link DVI/Display Port/VGA support, a 7-in-1 card reader, no less than five USB ports, WiFi, optional WiMAX, a smartcard reader and hard drives with full-disk encryption. You shouldalso take into account the dual thermal solution and that optional digitizer, just to get a complete image of the new portable workstation from Lenovo.
Due to its technical specifications and overall dimensions, the new Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is far from your everyday portable computer system. It is specifically built to accommodate the requirements of professional and high-end users, who aren't likely to be intimidated by its starting price tag, of $3.663.

The Wireless USB Keypad with Trackball is one of the coolest additions to you notebook, provided that your portable computer doesn't sport its own separate numpad. If you're all fed up with the fact that each time you have to do some calculations or simply work a lot with numbers you make many mistakes because of the linear number keys, then this gadget is your savior. Just connect it wirelessly to your notebook or netbook, and start doing things the way you were used to.

This accessory has been designed to bring you the functionality and comfort you've been expecting from a full-scale computer keyboard, while you're working on your notebook. And when it comes to typing numbers on smaller laptops, a lot of people start to long for their desktop computers' 100% keyboards.

You can now take full advantage of the Wireless USB Keypad with Trackball's features, as it sports a 19-key array complemented by 13 hotkeys that can be assigned to trigger certain functions to make your Office and multimedia routines easier and more comfortable. Moreover, as if all that was not enough, you also get two mouse buttonsand a 1000 dpi resolution trackball. Some of the numeric keys have dual functionality, which can be accessed using the NumLock button acting like an FN one.
The hotkeys will bring Mouse Left Key, Mouse Right Key, Num Lock, Window Magnifier, www, Email, Media, Power Point, Word, Excel, Play/Pause, Prev Track, Vol +, Stop, Next Track, and Vol - commands at your fingertips. Yet you must bear in mind that the Word, Excel, and Power Point will work with “old” office only.

Even more, the Wireless USB Keypad with Trackball comes with increased comfort, for it relies on 2.4GHz radio communication to link with your computer. It only needs 2 AA batteries and a free USB port to plug in your wireless USB receiver. The Wireless USB Keypad with Trackball can be yours for the very decent price of $37, and can make both a great addition to your portable computer and a great gift.

MSI recently announced their latest U115 Hybrid notebook PC which claims to be the first in the world to operate both SSD (solid-state drive) and HDD (hard disk drive)simultaneously, and combine all the features of SSD and HDD for your enjoyment.

Incorporating MSI proprietary Hybrid Storage Technology, the battery life of U115 Hybrid is extremely long in "ECO on" mode, according to the manufacturer.

The U115 Hybrid is equipped with 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 10-inch LCD display with LED backlight for superior quality images, 802.11 b/g/n wireless, 4-in-1 card reader and preloaded withWindows XP Home operating system.

While in all honesty, you’ll probably never need a quad-core processor in your laptop, it’s nice to think about. And while you’ve got that on your mind, know that Acer has already heard your thoughts, and are answering them with the release of their new Aspire 8930G laptop, featuring an Intel Core 2 QuadMobile Processor Q9000.

According to Acer the notebook will feature “ four processing cores, 12MB of shared L2 cache, 1066 MHz Front Side Bus and clock speed rates upto 2.53 GHz.” To them, this makes the notebook an idealoption for “extreme users.”

And heck, as long as you’re being extreme you can be smart. The 8930G will run you a very reasonable $1,799 with the Q9000, an Nvidia GeForce 9700 GPU and a Blu-ray drive standard.

Back in late October, when Hewlett-Packard first introduced its latest addition to the netbook range of products, the company was said to be planning the release of yet another small-sized, portable computer system that would only be meant to compete in the European market. Said laptop was expected to come out as the Compaq Mini 700, pretty much offering the same technical specifications as the newly-launched Mini 1000. HP took its time in releasing the Compaq Mini 700, but the netbook is now apparently available in Europe and has already received a full bunch of tests and benchmarks, to provide interested users with detailed information on its capabilities.
Early last week, the system was announced in Europe as the new netbook on the market. This was roughly at the same time the Compaq Mini 700 was reviewed and benchmarked by the guys over at notebook italia. Aside from providing the results ofa series of tests, the Italian site had also dedicated an entire segment of the article specifically to the disassembling of the netbook, consequently providing users with an alternative view inside a system that was designed for ultra-portability and Internet-related applications.
From the start, we should mention that the disassembling part could potentially be used as a guide to how netbooks are built and how they can be upgraded in case of various possible accidents. The article offers an insight into how features that are generally available for portable PCs of larger size, can be cramped inside such a small form factor portable PC.
Also, if you happen to purchase such a netbook, the article could be useful, as it will provide you with details on how the storage and memory of the system can be upgraded for better performance.
The Compaq Mini 700 is similar to almost every other netbook on the market, boasting the same Intel Atom N270 and 945GSE Express combo that is available in most such products. The difference is in design and overall build quality.

Tai-Chi S, latest passive notebook cooler invention from Thermaltake, was designed base on the concept of chimney effect (Tunnel Effect). Through the hollow aluminum extrusion tunnels, the cold air is guided inward. Relatively, the hot air exhausts through the holes on top of Tai-Chi S, effectively dissipate heat without the usage of fan.

Tai-Chi S structures of solid aluminum as the body, and was reprocess Anodes treatment for unmatched beauty and quality with aluminum gunmetal finishing. Designed with tilt dynamic from top to bottom, Tai-Chi S balances withair convection and direct blown toward the heat source for fast heat exhaust, avoid system crash due to overheat. Tai-Chi S ergonomic and elevation design brings visual comfort; reduce eye-strain, and reducing typing discomfort.

Not only Tai-Chi S Notebook Cooler is in petite size, it also comes with a free, convenient travelling pouch, letting user carry it along with wherever Notebook may goes. Thermaltake Tai-Chi S Notebook Cooler delivers ultimate cooling solution and peace of mind for its user.

Asus, more famously known as maker of Eee PC netbooks, has spruced up its Eee Box line up with the addition of a Celeron-based B203.

The new Celeron-based B203 Nettop is expected not to have more changes as compared to its successor. The B203 features a budget-minded Celeron 220 CPU instead of the Intel Atom, has reworked hard drive options with increased storage capacity, offering a 120GB and 160GB version in addition to the 80GB offered in previous versions.

The B203 comes with four USB ports, a flash card reader, a DVIoutput, and Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Nettop runs Windows XP Home, and Windows Vista.

No details on pricing are yet revealed on the website.


Still the market watchers expect that it could undergo processor change and that can lower the price of the Eee Box from $350 to $240. It will thus allow the small form-factor desktop to better compete with similarly low-cost desktops and laptops.