Thanks to everyone who contributed to my last post cheap laptops, cheap laptops II & cheap laptops III. Here I have compiled some more useful information on the best in cheap laptops.

Acer to ship 6 million Aspire One netbooks

With the constant barrage of Eee PCs and other netbooks it has been easy to overlook the Acer Aspire One netbook, yet the Aspire One steadily moves along to win the race as Acer confirm that their Aspire One is on line to ship 6 million units this year.

Acer’s nice 6 million figure puts the Aspire One ahead of Asus’ estimated 5 million Ee PCs, and the reason Acer takes and holds the lead is due to the Aspire One’s size and Acer’s ability to push the Aspire One worldwide.

Asus’ Eee PCs though have been forging the Eee market by market and is obviously not going down without a battle as Asus’ has already pushed out aggressive advertising, and Acer doesn’t have anything in their portfolio to match Asus’ S101, well not yet anyway.

Asus S101 Eee PC Review Breakdown

Aimed firmly at the executive types, the Asus Eee PC S101 netbook is somewhat similar in look and feel to that of the Asus U6 ultra-portable rather than previous Eee PCs. The Eee PC S101 netbook weighs in at 1.1kg and incorporates a four cell battery which hides neatly in the machine’s base rather than poking out of the back.

The S101 is just 1 inch thick which makes it the slimmest Eee PC from Asus to date, and has brushed metal palm rests, chrome trim, and glossy lid. The S101 offers a 10.2 inch LED display which is backlit but can be turned off if needed, integrated Intel GMA 950 makes short work of running Skype, MS Paint, the Browser and a host of other programs.

With a good size touchpad, single strip mouse button with dual click, a nice 16GB SSD with support by a 16GB memory card SDHA slot so you can up the S101 to 32GB, and runs on Windows XP. The Asus Eee PC S101 costs more than previous versions due to its premium materials and processing power.

Asus B80A notebook for the business professional

Shortly after we see the Asus business minded B50A, Asus pushes out a more portable version to grab the business customer’s attention with their new B80A all black 14.1 inch notebook.

The Asus B80A offers up a 14.1 inch WXGA or WXGA+ display and gives the potential buyer the options of processors as Intel’s Core 2 Duo T9400, T5850, P7350 or P8600, with up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and the options of a SATA hard drive in 160GB moving up to 250GB.

Other features offered by the Asus B80A are…a 1.3 megapixel web cam, dual layer DVD writer, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, HDMI output, fingerprint reader, backlit, spill proof keyboard, and a six cell battery.

As yet though Asus isn’t letting on about when the B80A will become available or about what price range it will command.

Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop

The Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop is a great choice for the travelling business person as it weighs just over the 2 pound mark, runs on the Microsoft Windows XP operating system with 160GB hard drive and a battery with extra long life.

Acer’s Aspire One features an 8.9 inch CrystalBrite WSVGA LED backlit display with instant on to power up the mini laptop in just 15 seconds, and is powered by the latest Intel mobile processor an Intel 1.6GHz Atom N270.

The Aspire One measures 6.7 x 9.8 x 1.1 inches, and sports 1 GB of installed RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, 1.3 megapixel web cam numerous USB ports, multi-format memory card reader, and is available from Amazon.com .

Apple MacBook Air flies into public domain

Apple’s shiny new MacBook has now landed and MacBook-ers all over are recording their first impressions of the latest slightly re-vamped ultra-portable from Apple’s stable. And obviously there isn’t much to comment on the external with the only real difference being the new mini DisplayPort replacing the microDVI plug.

The real excitement is what’s under the MacBook hood, meaning those juicy integrated Nvidia 9400M graphics that brings enough juice to playback a YouTube video without overheating to extent.

Booting takes just 25 seconds with its 128GB SSD and runs cool and core shut down free, with the ability to manages a full HD video and it outputs to external monitors with no problems.

Alienware M17 first CrossFire X enabled notebook

Alienware has just revealed a relatively unsurprising new laptop called the M17, which shouldn’t be mistaken for the M17x. The Alienware M17 is a 17 incher and Alienware’s first CrossFire X enables notebook.

Of course if you have enough cash in your pocket the M17 can be outfitted with a Core 2 Quad / Extreme CPU, twin ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs, optional ATSC HDTV tuner, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 640GB of HDD space in a RAID 0 array, a WXGA+ / WUXGA panel, optional Blu-ray reader, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a dual-layer DVD writer, and a facial recognition sensor.The Alienware M17 weighs in at a hefty 9.5 pounds and has a 12 cell battery.

New Apple MacBook Pro with Windows 7 Installed

The guys over at PC Magazine Labs decided to try an early build on Microsoft Windows 7 on a new Apple Macbook Pro, and using Bootcamp achieved a clean install of Microsoft’s new operating system over Vista which was already on the system.

The guys couldn’t simply upgrade due to the Apple MacBook Pro not running SP1, and obviously it should be recognised that Windows 7 build 6801 does look an awful lot like Windows Vista.

Basically the installation process cruised in smoothly, the MacBook Pro restarted itself a couple of time, but unfortunately they had to configure the startup to PS X and had to manually switch back to complete the process.

Asus 12-inch ZX Netbook S101 Follow Up

Of late we have been on about Asus’ extensive range of Eee PCs in their product portfolio, but if you think the Eee PC range is big then you should check out Asus’ laptop line up some time because currently Asus offer in excess of fifty differing models of laptop.

And there is rumour that another one is on its way, this time a 12 inch laptop with a 16.9 aspect follow up to the svelte 10.2 inch Eee PC S101.

So as this new one exceeds Jerry Shen’s maximum size spec for the Eee PC series which is 10 inches, this one falls firmly into the Asus XZ-series. We can expect to see this new laptop launch come year’s end.

Christmas 2008, laptops and Broadband the perfect gifts

According to researchers, approximately four percent of sales on one website were “free laptop” deals during July, and has risen to twenty-seven percent this month and is looking to overtake standalone broadband by the year’s end.

A spokesperson for Phones 4U said: “Since launching laptop-broadband deals on Phones4u.co.uk, we have seen significant sales growth month-on-month and predict that laptop-broadband deals will be top-sellers this Christmas.”

Free laptops are available from providers such as AOL Broadband and 3 Broadband along with retailers such as the Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u. 3 has reduced the price of their cheapest free laptop deal with 5GB mobile broadband with an HP 2133 mini notebook.

HP price drop on Envy 133 and Blackbird 002

Good new for those who are looking for a PC for Christmas as HP has dropped priced on two of their products, the Envy 133 from their Voodoo PC range, and the HP Blackbird 002 gaming desktop PC.

The Envy 133 offers 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Intel GMA X3100 processor, 2GB of RAM. 80GB, 4200RPM hard disk drive Bluetooth and WiFi with Windows Vista Business.

The Blackbird 002 offers 3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, an ATI Radeon HD3870, 2GB of RAM, 320GB SATA hard disk drive and runs Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium.

Fujitus LifeBook U820 now available in two versions

The Fujitus LifeBook U820 is now available to purchase, and what’s more is there are two versions; one Windows Vista Business version with a 120GB hard drive , and the other a Windows Vista Home Premium version with a 60GB hard drive.

Spec wise both versions of the Fujitsu LifeBook U820 are the same and offer a 5.6″ WXGA Crystal View display with touch screen, Intel® Atom™ Processor Z530, and 1 GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM memory.

Other specs include Integrated Webcam and Fingerprint Sensor, Integrated 1.3 mega-pixel webcam, Fingerprint Sensor, Built-in GPS receiver and integrated Garmin Mobile PC, Integrated Bluetooth, 10/100 Ethernet and Atheros XSPAN (802.11a/b/g/draft-n).

Asus Eee PC 901 gets black leather makeover

There always seems to be another Asus Eee PC on the horizon but this time Asus bring us a luxury leather clad Eee PC 901 mod, apparently crafted in fine workmanship with gloss black leather finish.

Shame a whole cow needed to be sacrificed in order to spruce up the Asus Eee PC 901; after all it’s not that great a netbook, but arguable someone will fall in love with it.

The Asus Eee PC 901 black leather clad mod netbook still incorporates exactly the same specifications as before, just a new wrapping to set it apart from the other abundance of Asus Eee PCs out there.

Fujitsu LifeBook N7010 with secondary touch-screen

Along with the U820 Fujitsu has push out a 16 inch LifeBook, the Fujitsu N7010 which packs a second 4 inch touch-screen just above the keyboard. This 4 inch touch-screen isn’t a SideShow display but looks to be more of a secondary monitor.

This should mean the user can replace the default launcher application with any window of their choosing and includes full screen video which is a nifty trick to say the least.

Other specs on the Fujitsu LifeBook N7010 are…256MB ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics, 2.26GHz P8400 Core 2 Duo, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 320GB drive, 4GB RAM, Blu-ray, Bluetooth and WiFi.

HP Compaq CQ-50 139WM

If you are looking for a reasonably priced laptop the HP Compaq CQ-50 139WM springs to mind, a low priced laptop computer with some nice 2.00 GHz Intel Celeron Processor 575 processor power.

The HP Compaq CQ-50 139WM packs 2048MB DDR2 of memory, 160GB hard drive, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, and has a 15.4 inch BrightView technology display.

The Compaq CQ-50 139WM also features a SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW optical drive, 802.11b/g WLAN, 3 USB ports, integrated microphone, six cell Lithium-Ion battery, and runs on the Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic operating system.

Hewlett-Packard’s CQ50 139WM, although not a top spec laptop does offer reasonable features and is now available.

CyberPower Gamer Xtreme M1 Laptop: Intel Penryn, CrossFireX Dual Graphics

CyberPower Inc. has announced the Gamer Xtreme M1 notebook PC, an Intel® Penryn Core™ 2 Duo / Extreme-based notebook gaming system that features ATI CrossFireX™ dual video card technology for handling the most graphic intensive computer games and applications.

The Gamer Xtreme M1 delivers an impressive feature set that does not break the bank with Intel’s Penryn based Core 2 Duo T9400 processor running at 2.53GHz 1066FSB and 6MB L2 Cache; 17” WUXGA (1920×1200) LCD display; and dual ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 512MB video cards with CrossFireX technology.

The CyberPower Gamer Xtreme M1 is available in a number of custom-built configurations to satisfy both gamers and mobile power users. The base configuration includes 4GB (2×2GB) PC3-8500 DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM Memory; 320GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive; 8X DVD-RW drive, and integrated HD stereo sound.

Other standard features include a 7-in-1 media reader for transferring and reading images from digital cameras and other devices; a biometric fingerprint reader; built-in 2.0 megapixel camera; Intel 802.11n wireless LAN; Bluetooth support; and an RJ-45 jack for 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet networking.

Available ports for key peripherals include three USB 2.0 ports; built-in IEEE 1394 FireWire Port; VGA port for using an external or second monitor; and one HDMI connector, which make the Gamer Xtreme M1 a useful entertainment notebook for connecting to large TV panels with multi-channel audio systems.

The Gamer Xtreme M1 is preloaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (32-bit Edition). The system weighs just 7.71 lbs. without Battery Pack.

The CyberPower Gamer Xtreme M1 can be ordered direct from CyberPower and further customized to suit your needs from the company web site.

The CTL 2go PC netvertible tablet

CTL is planning to sell a limited number of their 2go PC netvertible small tablets in December, but should begin retailing come January and will be the first tablet netbook to become available in the United States market.

The CTL 2go PC netvertible offer up an 8.9 inch display and is powered by an Intel 1.6GHz Atom 270 processor, and packs 1GB of RAM along with 60GB HHD, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and the final version of the CTL 2go PC will carry a six cell battery as opposed to the four cell in test models.

Toshiba Qosmio X350-Q708 with 3 NVIDIA GPUs?

If you happen to be loaded with spare cash you may like the Toshiba Qosmio X350-Q708 gaming notebook, it’s the latest new gaming notebook from Toshiba that boasts 3 NVIDIA GPUs.

Yes, you read correctly, the Toshiba Qosmio X350-Q708 is the world’s first gaming notebook to incorporate an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, and two NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTS GPUs, and that’s a lot of GPU.

MSI EX623 Blu-ray entertainment notebook

MSI has announced the new EX623 16 inch notebook with true 16.9 widescreen display, and a Blu-ray drive as standard. The MSI EX623 is based on Intel’s Centrino 2 platform with a Core 2 Duo CPU.

Feature wise the MSI EX623 offers, NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS graphics, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, up to a 320GB hard-drive, Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n, eSATA port, stereo speakers, subwoofer and a 2 megapixel cam in its screen bezel.

It is a shame that because of the 1366 x 768 resolution, the MSI EX623 isn’y capable of displaying full 1080p high definition and for some strange reason lacks an HDMI output.

Gateway MC7801u Laptop

Taking a look at the Gateway MC7801u you’d thing on first sight it was in the high end grouping of retail laptops yet the Gateway MC7801u 16 inch laptop’s pricing places the laptop firmly in the mainstream area.

The Gateway MC7801u offers the user a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, Intel GMA 4700MHD graphics, HD friendly 16 inch edge to edge glass display, backlit keyboard, 4 USB ports, optional WiFi and Bluetooth, DVD burner.

The Gateway MC7801u laptop commands a reasonable price , and that’s mainly due to the lack of a Blu-ray drive, but it’s still a good choice for those who don’t rely on Blu-ray discs.

Asus N50V 15.4-inch Laptop

Another N-Series laptop from Asus is the stylish N50V, a 15.4 inch laptop which suits students and home users that require a powerful multimedia experience and doesn’t mind having to hard over a few extra pennies.

The Latest edition to the Asus N-Series, the N50V boasts a “SHE” which is a Super Hybrid Engine that consists of the “EPU” Energy Processing Unit, and the Power4 Gear Hybrid which brings up to thirty percent extra battery life.

Spec wise the Asus N50V offers an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9400/P8600/P7350, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 512MB VRAM graphics, 4GB of DDR2 RAM< 500GB HDD, 15.4 inch WXGA/WXGA+/WSXGA+ AI display, 2.0 megapixel web cam, DVD burner/Blu-ray Drive, Bluetooth and runs on Windows Vista OS.

Asus N80V 14.1-inch Laptop

Asus has announced yet another laptop addition to their N-Series of notebooks, the Asus N80V, which is a 14.1 inch laptop which is an Intel powered laptop with standalone NVIDIA GeForce 9 series graphics.

The Asus N80V features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9400/P8600/P7350, with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with 512MB VRAM graphics, 320BG HDD, Intel PM45 Express Chipset + ICH9M.

The N80V also incorporates Dolby Surround decoding to bring impressive quality sound, Asus Express Gate for an eight second boot time, fingerprint reader, face recognition tech, 1.3 megapixel web cam, Bluetooth, and runs on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.

Dell Inspiron Mini 12-inch gets reviewed

Dell at last gained the courage to officially introduce their 12 inch Inspiron Mini netbook late last month, and the guys over at Laptop Mag put the Dell Inspiron Mini 12-inch through it’s paces and give it a review.

They seemed to like the relatively expansive display, the spacious keyboard, and the apparently “excellent” battery life. There isn’t much to not like with the Dell Inspiron Mini 12-inch on the surface but it did apparently take some time to boot up.

Then came the biggest complaint that the Dell Inspiron Mini 12-inch was “sluggish” while performing under Vista along with apparently “lethargic” hard drive. So in the words of the critics…”Mini 12 doesn’t have the right hardware to handle this OS.”

What laptops would you like for Christmas and why?

The festive season is almost upon us and how many parents are being asked by their kids for a new laptop? Quite a few I would imagine, or even maybe your spouse is looking to find one under the Christmas tree, but just what laptop would you choose?

There are many great laptop deals about if price is your concern, or if you require high spec laptop there are a few of those as well. Apple, Asus, Compaq, Dell, Sony, and an abundance of other manufacturers are pushing out new laptops to entice your Christmas cash.

Asus has pushed out two the N80V and the N50V, there’s the Compaq CQ50 139WM, or the Apple MacBooks, or how about a Dell Inspiron Mini 12-inch laptop? there are many more ranging from the low end east on your wallet to the high end professional machine, all either available now or will be soon.

So I’d be interested to know. What laptops would you like for Christmas and why?

Tags: acer, Apple MacBook, asus, Blackbird, Gateway, HP Compaq, netbooks