Tiny notebooks became "netbooks". Fine. Now tiny all-in-one desktop machines of the iMac/Dell XPS One pedigree, have become "nettops". MSI, maker of the popular "Wind" netbook, has announced the "Wind Neton" line of nettops, essentially flat panel monitors with little Atom-powered computers inside, perfect for browsing the web and doing basic computing tasks.

Prices will start around $400 and go up depending on screen size, with optional touch screens and operating system choices. The "M16" model has a disc-drive; the sleek "M19" [pictured] does not.

Will the "nettop" terminology stick? It might for a while, but I have a suspicion that within a couple of years we'll just be calling these sort of devices "computers", as the all-in-one PC merges with connected HDTVs.

MSI All-in-One Nettops previewed [Chinese.Engadget.com]

MSI has just announced its Wind Neton line of nettops - basically an all-in-one computer that aims to compete with iMac and Dell XPS One computers for the greenbacks in your wallet. As with netbooks, the Wind Neton won't come with heavy hitting hardware - instead, it will be powered by similar Intel Atom processors within, making it suitable for the most basic of tasks such as Web browsing and a spot of word processing. Don't expect Crysis to run on the Netop though. Depending on the screen size, prices will start from $400 upwards. It is interesting to note that the Wind Neton will come with optional touchscreens for greater flexibility in navigation.

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But rather than focus on philosophy, I'll say that the Inspiron Mini 12 feels better than any netbook I've used to date...even if it cheated a bit in the process.

Design
The build of the Mini 12 is excellent. Even with the extended battery, it feels light and easy to toss around. But it's more than the weight that makes it so comfortable to carry. Its bottom has a sandpapery texture, which grips a hand with confidence.
You'll also notice that the side profile is tapered along the bottom edges. I don't know that it makes any difference in how the computer actually rests on a table, but it looks nice enough.
The Mini 12's keyboard is still not full-sized, but it's adequate to feel comfortable and satisfyingly clicky. Meanwhile, the trackpad does leave something to be desired. The texture is simply off to me, simultaneously smooth and bumpy, it almost feels like a skin rash. The right and left mouse buttons below tend to recess when pressed more than any laptop I've ever used. It's and off-putting sensation at first, but I grew to appreciate the mechanical feel.
As for the screen, it's a luxury to use. The experience is completely different than an 8.9-inch display that you find in most standard netbooks nowadays (including own Dell's Mini 9). There's decent color, solid contrast, and sharp 1280X800 resolution...but just moderate brightness. The max setting was just adequately bright, which considering the fact that LCDs fade with time, is something to keep in mind—especially if you like to fry your eyes like I do.

The biggest surprise of the testing had to be how cool the system ran. The bottom didn't heat my lap at all, feeling only lukewarm to the touch. I can only assume that the larger case mixed with a low wattage processor dissipates heat very well. However the engineering worked out, I'll take it.
But if there was one thing I would change, it would be the charging and power light. It sits on the hinge in a prominent position that you can see even when closed, but it's far too dim, and it's viewable from a very limited range of angles. Put it this way, for the first day I had the system, I thought Dell had omitted this light altogether.

Ultimately though, it's just a nice looking machine that feels great to put yours hands on, a far cry from the humble original Eee and something you'll be proud to pull out at board meetings and pretentious coffee shops alike.

Function
So here's the rub: While I love the Dell design, the hardware/software combination has slowed the Mini 12 to barely usable levels. The model I tested was the $550 base system with a 1.33GHz Atom, 1GB of RAM and 40GB hard drive. That system should be alright for XP (though we'd love to see a 2GB RAM upgrade option), but it's just not enough to power Vista. And you can only buy the system with Vista. UPDATE: Dell has informed me that they plan to expand the OS options by the end of the year.

The system crawls with constant multi-second stalls, and effective multitasking is pretty much impossible. Sadly, there's not much more to say on the topic. Simple mental math tells us that this system shouldn't be running Vista as it skirts the minimum requirements of Home Basic, and our real world testing shows us the same thing. Of course, Vista alone doesn't mean you should pass over the Mini 12. Just expect to reinstall the OS with the purchase and come to terms with the fact that your paying licensing rights for an OS that you won't use.

Battery Life
I tested the battery life through MPEG4 video playback with the default processing settings and the screen at max brightness (max, to me, is the ideal viewing brightness).

Base 3-cell Battery - 1 hour, 20 minutes
Extended 6-cell battery - 4 hours, 2 minutes

At a glance, this 12-inch Dell system looks to about as power efficient as the 10-inch MSI Wind, though it loses about 20 minutes on the 3-cell battery (we're guessing through a combination of more computational rigorous testing methods and a larger screen). Keep in mind that if you expect to hang out around a plug, the AC adapter is quite light, lacking any big power brick to speak of.

Back to Square One
Without opening the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 box, I would have expected exactly what I encountered—a solidly built system that shouldn't be running Vista. But even loaded with XP, and even in the $600 configuration that we'd recommend (1.6GHz Atom, 60GB hard drive, 1GB RAM and 6-cell battery), the system still begs the question of value. A slightly smaller, equally powered MSI Wind will run you $350. And you can get a slightly bigger Core2Duo Dell laptop for $600 easy.

It's true. From a performance standpoint alone, there's almost no question that the Dell Mini 12 isn't "worth it." But if you don't want to squint at a screen yet you still want a system that breaks the 3-pound barrier, then it's hard not to be a little infatuated with the Mini 12. Just rip Vista off that thing as quickly as possible. [Dell]

Here is the latest netbook that will be available soon in the market. The Le eCafe EC-800 from Hercules comes with an 8.9 inch display screen with Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, Wi-Fi connectivity, stereo speakers, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA connector and SDHC memory card slot. I am glad that the manufacturer offers a 6-cell battery for this netbook. The Le eCafe EC-800 Netbook will retail for 330 Euros upwards. [PMPToday via Laptop Notebook News]

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After being spotted a few times in the wild and after countless rumors, it seems that ASUS will finally launch its Eee Top all-in-one desktop computer tomorrow, according to IDG. The computer runs on an Intel Atom processor 1.6Ghz, the same one that powers most recent netbooks. The final specifications have not been released, but from the Eee Top is said to have a 15.6" display, although the ET1602 and ET1603 names would suggest a 16" display... There's also 160Gb of storage and an integrated webcam. I hope that they will come with 2GB of memory.

It is expected to cost $499, price that ASUS itself referred to in the pats.

Add a comment | From: Eee Top All-In-One From Asus to Be Released Tomorrow? | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals

With Epson's me-too generic netbook — yep, 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, 1024x600 display, etc. — it is time someone simply made a Netbooks On Demand service. Cafepress Netbook! Lulu Netbook! Your own logo on a netbook!

Here's the machine-translated blurb:

1024 × 600 dot liquid crystal display (WSVGA) for 10.2-widescreen display, nonglare panel. 10.2-inch LCD adoption of the keyboard has a 17mm pitch. Keystrokes 2mm. ... The main specifications, Atom N270 (1.60GHz), memory 1GB, HDD 160GB (5400rpm), chipset Intel 945GSE Express (built-in video capability), WSVGA 10.2-widescreen LCD display support, OS with the Windows XP Home Edition . Interface USB 2.0 × 3, IEEE 802.11b / g wireless LAN, Ethernet, mini D-Sub15 pin, SD Card (SDHC) / MMC / Memory Stick (PRO) support slot, and audio input and output capability.

The body size is 266 × 184.7 × 39mm (width × height × depth) and weighs 1.28kg.

7.4V/4400mAh batteries, approximately 3.2 hours drive time.

Source, machtrans [PC Watch via Engadget]

Just when you thought that the world has had enough netbooks, along comes yet another model - the Le eCafe EC-800 from Hercules. You get a slightly larger 8.9" display size compared to the original 8", and will feature the following :-

• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Stereo speakers
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• VGA connector
• SDHC memory card slot

Add a comment | From: Le eCafe EC-800 Netbook | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals

Right or wrong, netbooks have trained us to look at an Intel Atom processor, a gig of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard drive and a tiny screen at 1024x600 as a less than $500 purchase, especially when its being released by Asus. But the Asus R50a is almost $2,000, which is enough to plunge the jaw through the sternum.

Oh, sure, it's a 5.6 inch UMPC, which certainly counts. Sure, there's a 3G option. And sure, it runs Vista... although on a 1.33 GHz Atom, why would you want to? But with the guts of a netbook and the design of a Hong Kong PSP clone, it's really hard to justify the quadrupled price... especially when UMPCs are all but unusable anyway.

Asus R50a Now Shipping [Pocketables]