

Acer Inspire One Netbook on Track to Outpace ASUS Eee

Acer’s Inspire One may get significantly less press coverage than Eee PCs and other netbooks, but the company says they are on track to sell six million units this year. This is one million units ahead of ASUS’s goal of five million Eees. Acer’s ability to push the Aspire One globally has been credited for the massive success. ASUS is expected to hit back with an aggressive advertising push.

HP Releases Mini 1000 Netbook – To Offer Linux Option

HP is attempting to revive the sluggish netbook market with it’s Mini 1000 netbook. The Mini 1000 will offer an aggressive price point, a polished Linux OS and a skinny aesthetic. As rumored, the Mini 1000 will be ditching VIA an sticking with an Atom 1.6GHz N270 processor. The system will also offer a 10.2-inch display at 1024 x 600 resolution. HP is offering 512MB, 1GB and 2GB RAM configurations, but those with Windows XP will be limited to just 1GB. On the storage front, the company offers the choice of a 60GB 4200 rpm HDD or a 8GB or 16GB SSD. The Mini 1000 also has an SD slot, VGA webcam, 802.11b/g, optional Bluetooth, Ethernet and dual USB plugs.
The netbook also offers a competitive choice between Oses. You can stick with your standard XP, but for $20 dollars less you will be suited with a specialized version of the Ubuntu-based Linux OS, codenamed "MIE."
The XP version is available today for $399, and the Linux MIE version will drop in January for $379.

Dell Launches the Inspiron Mini 12 in Japan

Dell has released a new member of it’s popular Inspiron Mini line, the Mini 12. The netbook is only available in Japan, but that will change soon. The computer comes with either a 1.3 GHz Atom Z520 processor or a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor. It can sport a hard drive up to 80GBs. It has 1GB of RAM, bluetooth functionality and WiFi. There is also a 12-inch 1280 x 800 display. Amazingly, it weighs only 2.72 pounds and is less than one inch thick.
It hits the States late next month with a suggested retail price of somewhere just under $600. Early units will come shipped with Vista with XP and Ubuntu variants available by the end of the year. Click here for a Dell press release and here for a hands-on report.
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