All about laptops and netbook!
Archive for August 14, 2008
Acer Aspire One – Ubuntu netbook
Aug 14th
ACER’s Aspire One is a solid netbook, but it can be much more.
In the last two weeks, I’ve been using it as a full notebook, running office applications, editing digital photos, surfing the Web and watching videos on a robust, full-featured system. The remarkable thing is, I’m doing it on a such a small, lightweight computer (less than a kilo) that has only 8 gigabytes (GB) of storage and 1GB of memory.
The key to unlocking the Aspire One’s power was to replace the Linpus Lite Linux operating system that comes installed with the netbook with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron).
Linpus Lite, based on Fedora, is a good choice for first-time Linux users because it shields them from the complexity of the operating system. On the other hand, the simplified approach also makes it unwieldy to add programs that do not come installed, or to customize the system to work the way you want.
I chose Ubuntu as a replacement because it’s a great, user-friendly Linux distribution and I’ve always wanted to run it on a notebook.
The first challenge in installing the new operating system was the absence of a CD-ROM drive. Fortunately, I found an excellent guide (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne) that stepped me through the process, which entails using a USB drive in lieu of an install CD.
A few caveats before you decide to jump in.
First, you will need another machine with Internet access to download the latest version of Ubuntu and Live USB, a program to create the boot USB disk.
Second, you will need a wired connection because Ubuntu’s default drivers will not work with the netbook’s Atheros wireless card when you first boot it. This shouldn’t be a problem if you have a standard wireless router—just connect the netbook to one of the LAN ports with a cable and you’re ready.
Third, because Ubuntu is not tailored to work with the Aspire One’s hardware, some features—the Wi-Fi indicator light and hibernate—will not work. Other functions work only partially.
Further reading @ Philippine News
MSI Wind U90 launches in Europe next week
Aug 14th
The MSI Wind U90 is to launch in Europe next week, but won’t be available to the US.
If you’re thinking it looks familar, it’s because it first appeared at Computex a few months ago. You may also be familiar with the U100 which looks practically the same, the differences being that firstly as mentioned, the U90 will not be launched in the US and secondly, the display size is different. The U900 will come with an 8.9 inch whereas the U100 screen is 10.2 inches. The resolution remains the same at 1024 x 600.
As you can see from the above picture, the 8.9 inch screen has been packed into the same chassis as used for the U100, but with a black bezel around the screen. Hopefully this will mean the MSI Wind U90 is cheaper than the U100.
Via: Liliputing
A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.
MSI Wind U90 launches in Europe next week
Inspiron Mini from Dell still to come?
Aug 14th
Dell were expected to launch the Inspiron Mini at their event held on the 12th of August but instead, released several business focused laptops. However,there are still many of us waiting eagerly, hoping that the next few days will bring an announcement from Dell regarding the Inspiron Mini.
Why are so many hopeful of an announcement? Well, even though there are many other ultraportables around, there is a least two very good reasons why many are after the Inspirion Mini. If you’ve looked at Dell computers before, you’ll know that dell let you customize your order. This could potentially mean that Dell could be the first company to offer mini laptops with the customizations you want. The other reason being that the preconfigured model could be retailing for as low as $299 which makes the Inspirion Mini even more desirable.
With the back to school/college shopping rush looming, Dell should be working towards releasing the netbook as soon as they can to cater for this market although, they are running out of time if that is their goal. It could mean that an announcement is due any day though, so fingers crossed.
Via: Liliputing
A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.
Inspiron Mini from Dell still to come?
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