Lenovo's New IdeaPad S110 "Mini Netbook"

Even though Lenovo's IdeaPad S110 netbook, the one complete with the Intel Atom Cedar Trail processor, has yet to be officially announced, Lenovo has still gone ahead and released a promotional video for the 10.1" laptop. Aside from the video, tech site Pro Vantage already lists the S110 206932U model complete with the Atom N2600, 1GB of RAM, 320GB HDD and Windows 7 Starter for $321 which means an "official" announcement is right around the corner.

According to Lenovo's video, the IdeaPad S110 is .62" thick and weighs in at 2.5lbs with a redesigned chassis that differs from Lenovo's standard design. The 10.1" screen is advertised as being HD and the device itself comes with a 98% full-sized keyboard with AccuType curved keys. As far as connectivity goes, the video shows USB 3.0 but nothing else. You'll have to wait for the official announcement to get every detail. The video also pointed out an optional 2MP webcam as well as WiFi and 3G connectivity.

The device will ship in a plethora of colors and so far black, white, red and blue S110 devices were shown in the video. Aside from the Windows 7 OS, the S110 also has instant-on OS for quick access to the internet without having to boot from the main operating system.

One interesting thing to point out is that the company avoids calling the IdeaPad S110 a netbook. Instead, Lenovo calls it a "mini netbook". Maybe the company thinks that netbooks get negative reviews thanks to their low performance? Regardless, a small, 10.1" laptop with an Atom CPU is usually considered a netbook, so the fact that Lenovo calls it a "mini netbook" won't really change things in the eyes of the tech world.

No word on an official release date but you can be sure there will be one soon. Keep checking back for more updates on the Lenovo IdeaPad S110 as well as everything else in the mobile tech world.

Source: New Technik - Lenovo IdeaPad S110 'Cedar Trail' Netbook Leaks (Video)

Short-throw projectors only require half the projection distance of traditional projectors. The projector can be placed just a foot or so from the screen. This is nice because it keeps the projector and screen near each other instead of having a long throw projector that people can accidentally block.

Acer's Aspire 1820PTZ Convertible Tablet

Ever wanted a laptop that seamlessly transforms into a media tablet? Well then your in luck because Acer has designed just that. The Acer Aspire 1820PTZ is a netbook in which the screen can be turned 108 degrees and set flat to become a working digital tablet.

Everybody wants their netbooks to be compact and easily transportable. The Aspire comes in weighing 1.72kg and is a little thicker than many netbooks. But then again other netbooks don't have a tablet built into them. The battery in the back causes the machine to prop up in the back and that combined with the slight heaviness of the screen will cause the device to tip over if the screen is tilted back too far. Full dimensions for the Aspire come in at 11.22 x 8.22 x 1.12/1.36 inches.

The overall feel of the Aspire is solid which is good considering the whole thing is plastic. Reports show that there doesn't seem to be any keyboard flexing and everything appears aligned when the lid is closed. Some concerns with the screen rotation and flipping hinge have arisen with people concerned about how long the small piece of equipment will be able to handle the slightly heavy screen. But that is all just speculation for now.

Keys on the keyboard are slightly large and completely flat. This doesn't allow for much space between the keys which will take some getting used to. However, the overall feel of the keyboard will be usable for many users. The trackpad is slightly small though it did the best it could with the space it had to work with. The trackpad seemed to be quite responsive

The Aspire's screen the layer on top of the screen is very firm, most likely because of the digitizer. However, reports of poor color and contrast seem to be related to the top layer. Reports of bad viewing angles, especially in portrait tablet mode, have also been seen. A high pixel density gives the screen a nice, sharp look and while the default color profile is lacking, it can easily be fixed with some calibration.

The Aspire also comes with a multi-touch screen which supports both your fingers and a stylus. The device even tucked away a stylus for you in a slot below the screen. You are technically supposed to switch your tablet between finger and stylus mode depending on which on you are using but the Aspire doesn't seem to have any problems differentiating between both though your finger works best in finger mode as does your stylus in stylus mode.

The screen itself can only be rotated in one direction, indicated by a directional arrow on the central hinge. However, once you put the Aspire into tablet mode, the screen is rotated into the correct orientation by an accelerometer. Screen rotation can take anywhere from 1 to 3 seconds depending on the number of windows you have open at the time. Two magnets have been added to the device to keep the screen in place while in tablet mode which seems to be very helpful.

Considering the Aspire is small, the built-in sound is also small. But unfortunately the sound is also very soft, even when turned up to max volume. However, the sound does appear to be fairly good in a small room or office. The spdif out works very well based on other reports.

Performance wise the Aspire seems pretty quick and good for general use. It comes with Windows 7 64-bit pre-loaded. As far as video performance goes, the Aspire does pretty good. It runs standard definition videos with no problems and even high definition videos with no problems. The Aspire comes with a built-in webcam and mic which work decently. Built-in 802.11n WiFi works well and the Aspire even has Acer's Signal-Up technology which helps boost WiFi range.

The battery life on the Aspire seems to last a very long time, probably somewhere around 7 or 8 hours and the processor runs at 1.2GHz most of the time. There isn't a lot of heat distributed by the machine and some heat does resonate out of the vent located on the left side of the device but it isn't anything to worry about. Some slight whirring comes out of the aforementioned vent but it is nowhere near intrusive or disruptive.

Overall the Aspire 1820PTZ comes with tons of stuff loaded onto it and runs really well. The ability to transform into a fully-functional table makes it all that more useful and especially handy for people who need a good business device for traveling. If working on the go is something you do a lot, you may want to check out Acer's Aspire 1820PTZ.

---

Looking for a Technology Rental to help you GO? Call 800-736-8772 today to reserve a Laptop Rental for your next trip.

HP Mini 2140- An all aluminum netbook with a brawny SSD drive

One of the biggest complaints of netbooks is their anemic hard drives, often less than 20GB of storage. For a mobile professional, this might not be enough space to store large presentations, images, or videos, and may not be enough space for someone to install all of the software they need to run outside of the office. HP stepped up to the plate and delivered a new netbook with an 80GB SSD drive, or the option of 160GB 5400rpm or 7200rpm SATA drives, the Mini 2140- an all aluminum notebook weighing only 2.62 lb and just over an inch thick, great for people who need to downsize how much baggage they carry.

The 2140 features a 10.1" LED lit screen that displays either 1024 x 576 or 1366 x768 resolution. The notebook also has a specially designed keyboard, that is 92% full size, and uses keys coated with a special treatment that protects the print from wearing off with use.