Samsung enters netbook fray with the NC10

Samsung Electronics entered the netbook market on Friday, announcing a lightweight mini-laptop with a 10.2-inch screen called the NC10.

The new netbook by the South Korean electronics giant shows how popular netbooks have become since their commercial introduction late last year. The devices have caught on because they offer people a low-cost, portable way to wirelessly access the Web.
The NC10 makes use of many of the best ideas found on netbooks today, including a larger screen for comfortable Web viewing.

Samsung said it researched the netbook market extensively before diving in, and found many people were frustrated with small keyboards and short battery life, so it included a larger keyboard and 6-cell battery for up to 8 hours of use.

The device is designed around Intel's Atom microprocessor and comes with Microsoft Windows XP. The company said it has no plans to offer a version with Linux.

The NC10 will be available from October this year in China, Hong Kong and South Korea as well as several countries in Europe, including the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia.

The device will hit the U.S. in mid-November, a Samsung representative said.
Although the company did not provide a detailed spec sheet, it did say the NC10 will come with either an 80G byte or 160G byte hard disk drive, a 1.3-megapixel digital motion camera, and wireless connections to other devices through Bluetooth 2.0 as well as wireless Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi 802.11b/g.

The company also boasted the durable materials used in the design of the netbooks, which come in white, black or metallic blue, saying they are built tough for a mobile lifestyle.
Samsung also included its "silver nano" antibacterial coating on the netbook's keyboard.
Samsung will join a host of rivals in the netbook market when the NC10 launches, including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Micro-Star International and the company that started the netbook trend, Asustek Computer.

As seen on PCWorld

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More Choices in Mini-Notebooks

Purchasing a netbook is becoming as complicated as ordering a Starbucks coffee. Since the Asus Eee PC 701 entered the market, consumers’ options have only increased.

Case in point: Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10. The 10.2-inch S10 is Lenovo’s first netbook product and features Wi-Fi and an Express Card slot so users can enable broadband connectivity. Built-in tools include a Web camera for video messaging, two U.S.B. ports, a 4-in-1 multicard reader and Microsoft Windows XP.

The 1-inch thick S10 offers 512 MB of memory and an 80-GB hard drive or 1 GB of memory and a 160-GB hard drive. The IdeaPad S10 will be available in November, with prices starting at $400. And because simplicity is overrated, the S10 also comes in five colors: white, black, pink, blue and ruby red.

By AZADEH ENSHA
Published: October 15, 2008

As seen on NYTimes

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RadioShack to sell Acer netbook for $99 - with 2-year contract

RadioShack will put an Acer Aspire One 3G Netbook on sale Sunday for $99. But there's a catch. You also have to buy a two-year AT&T DataConnect contract.

The Acer Aspire One grabbed 38.3 percent of Netbook market share in the third quarter, propelling it past industry pioneer Asus and its Eee PC 4G.
Acer's Aspire One normally sells for about $300.

The RadioShack-AT&T offer, as previously reported, is valid through December 20. The 2.44-pound, 9.8-inch by 6.7-inch Netbook includes:
• Built-in 3G capability
• 802.11b/g wireless (Wi-Fi)
• 8.9-inch LCD screen• Built-in Webcam• Intel Atom processor
• Windows XP Home
• 1GB memory
• 160GB hard drive
• Built-in memory card readers (dedicated SD and 5-in-1)

Other players in the Netbook market include Hewlett-Packard and Dell.

as seen on ZDNET

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