I’ve been rounding up a lot of ultralights(more about that next week) - I wouldn’t call this a netbook - and this looks to be one of the purdiest of the bunch. The 5101 will cost about $449 and runs an Atom processor. It has a 10-inch screen and full keyboard.
Look for more of these “ultralights” to pop up this year. Notebook manufacturers have realized that selling a tiny laptop for $5 and a few bottle caps was not a very good strategy and so they’re rethinking this whole “netbook” moniker. You’ll see ultralights - smaller notebooks with more powerful hardware - and MIDs like the iPod Touch or whatever Nokia is planning.
Short Version: The LX195 is great back-up solution for both PCs and Macs. It’s a tad overpriced and lacks expandability, but is still a solid Windows Home Server.
Oh, and there’s a contest.
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HP has replaced its Mini 1000 series of netbooks with the Mini 110 series. Not a whole lot has changed, except that you’ll be able to customize things a bit more.
While students everywhere are preparing to rock the F out this summer, HP has just announced its line of back-to-school notebooks — a cruel reminder to you kids that summer is short and you should always be focused on studying and using your indoor voices.
Don’t count AMD as being out. In response to the ever growing netbook/small laptop market, AMD has announced their new CPU “Congo”, along with putting it into the updated HP Dv2 which is coming out on June 10th. We liked the original Dv2 — however, adding a little more grunt to it with the improved AMD processor can only be a good thing.
We’ve always had a thing for HP’s Minis — from their understated and practical design to the simple Mi OS, they’ve always been among our favorite tiny laptops. This latest iteration ups the specs just a tiny bit; you can choose a 1.66GHz Atom N280 instead of the 1.6GHz N270, and they’re promising full HD support if you opt for the nicer LED-backlit screen and the upcoming video accelerator. Form factor appears to be more or less unchanged, but that’s a good thing.
As with before, you can get an XP edition with less RAM and less storage for $330, or you can go for the $280 Mi version, which has more of both. I’ve never understood that pricing strategy. There’s also a shiny black business version, but its merits (apart from being black) are not well-explained.
It’s hard to beat the sex appeal of HP’s TouchSmart PC. It has 4GB of Ram, a 500GB hard drive, 802.11 b/g/n, and of course that large 22-inch touchscreen with HP’s proprietary software suite. To bad Vista is at the core but you could always upgrade that to Win7 RC.
HP had the Windows Home Server market all to itself until recently. First it was CyberPower, now Acer has entered the market with a small footprint WHS. The Acer Aspire easyStore AH340-UA230N might be the best deal out of all of them though.
Uh oh! The hottest computer trend in recent memory, the “overheating and exploding battery,” has found a new victim: HP. A bunch of batteries were shipped from August 2007 to March 2008, two of which “overheated and ruptured, resulting in flames/fire that caused minor property damage.”
Sounds serious! Are you affected? Handy chart inside.
When HP and AMD pitched the idea of a laptop with price and capabilities between those of netbooks and regular notebooks, I was intrigued. Although many have been seduced by the netbook’s siren song, I’ve always been put off by their micro keyboards and tiny, low-res screens. Yet do I really need to lug my MacBook Pro everywhere I go when I’m just planning on editing a couple posts and checking my email?
The dv2 is HP’s answer to this dilemma. Almost as small as a netbook, and almost as powerful as a regular laptop, they said it would be the best of both worlds. Of course, the risk was that it would have the worst of both worlds instead. That turns out not to be the case, and the dv2 is a smart little machine — but it’s still far from perfect.
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Costco has a pretty enticing deal for those of you looking for a home media server. You can get the HP EX485 750GB MediaSmart Windows Home Server for $547.99 which includes an extra 500GB Western Digital SATA drive for a grand total of 1.25 terabytes.
I remember the HP Blackbird as being pretty much the zenith of custom computer-building. Its second-to-none specs and stunning design put it ahead of everyone else — although its was monumentally expensive. The Firebird is a sort of companion piece to the Blackbird: quieter, more compact, less powerful but still potent, and significantly less expensive. We got the latest version, the 803, to test out. Is it a good deal or is it style over substance?
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HP is really taking the Windows Home Server thing seriously, eh? The company first launched WHS systems over a year and a half ago and we are already on the second generation. This time around though, HP is launching the MediaSmart LX195, which comes in at a lower price, but does sacrifice a bit to get there. That’s fine with me though.
Leaked info about this server appeared a few weeks ago and everything seems right one. What we have here is a single 640GB HDD, encased in a non-expandable case. The LX195 maintains Gigabit Ethernet and four rear panel USB ports just like its big brothers, but the CPU drops down from a 2.0GHz 64-bit Celeron to a 1.6GHz Atom. Plus, it only sports 1GB of RAM. But the unit comes in at $390 and runs Windows Home Server.
Business types take notice, HP has a new line of notebooks that will not impress your associates with a radical design, but should get the job done. The ProBook S-Series combines modern specs with good, clean lines at affordable prices. Kind of like what the Lenovo/IBM ThinkPads have been doing for years- well, except for the affordable part.
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It kind of looks like the dv2 that Devin has for review, but it’s slightly chunkier, if only a smidge. The dv3t (wth does the ‘t’ stand for?) is now available from HP with a starting price of $799. The 13.3-inch notebook measures in at 1.25 inches thick and weighs in at 4.93 lbs and is being marketed as an entertainment notebook with its 16:9 HD (1280×800) screen.
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The Blu-ray drive that will be coming with the HP dv2 “ultra-slim” notebook is looking really nice. It’s shiny, gorgeous, and incredibly thin. I thought I better get some pictures of this sexy accessory up so you guys know how HP rolls with this new stylish line of not-netbooks-but-not-notebooks.
Click on through for a couple more pictures. Sexy time!
It seems that HP has an upcoming MediaSmart Server that’s a tad different than the current models. Specific details aren’t available just yet besides what is shown by the pic. But, we’re mighty good at speculating based on a couple of images.
You’ve seen the second commercial from Microsoft’s Laptop Hunters series, right? You know, the one where G-diddy picks up the HP HDX 16 over a MacBook Pro. I won’t get into the PC vs Mac argument, but Giampaolo chose poorly because he didn’t know what he actually wanted.
If you’re ready to jump head first into the pool of netbooks then consider HP’s Mini 1000 line. They’re comparably priced and spec’d out to compete with the rest of the lot, but if you’re still a little uneasy about the whole thing then read on for a list of pros and cons for the machine I’ve been lusting over since last year.
We told you it was coming, and put our hands on it at CES, and now HP has released the Pavilion Dv2. Hitting that potential sweet spot between the netbook and normal high end laptops, this HP appears to have quite a bit going for it.
