NEC is updating its line of LaVie Light netbooks with some shiny new Intel Atom Pineview processors. On the outside, the ntoebooks look a lot like the company’s earlier models. But on the inside they pack 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processors and GMA 3150 graphics.

The NEC BL530/WH6B has a 10.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. This model runs Windows 7 Home premium and has a 7.6 hour battery. It weighs about 3 pounds.

NEC has a slightly cheaper model called the BL350/WD which has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel screen, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter Edition. This model has a 4.1 hour battery and weighs 2.6 pounds.

It looks like there will alo be BL340, BL330, and BL310 models, but either Google Translate is failing me, or PC Watch doesn’t make it entirely clear how each of these models differs from the others.

NEC is also launching a new line of LaVie M thin and light laptops with CULV processors.

via Netbooked

The NEC VersaPro VS-7 blurs the lines between a typical netbook and a higher end ultraportable. On the one hand, it’s thin and light like a netbook, weighing just 1.6 pounds and measuring 0.6 inches thick. It also has a low power 1.84GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor.

On the other hand, Akihabara News reports that it costs about twice as much as a typial netbook and has a case designed to resist up to 330 pounds in pressure.

Akihabara News has published a mini-review of the VersaPro VS-7, and found that the machine was more than capable of handling basic computing tasks including playback of 720p DiVX video. It also did a decent job with PhotoShop CS3. For more info and a bunch of photos, check out the complete, if somewhat short, review at Akihabara News.

The NEC VersaPro UltraLite VS may be a small and light computer with an Intel Atom processor. But its high price tag (around $1000) firmly prices it out of the netbook categroy. But the laptop may have one feature that almost makes it worth the price, if you happen to have a whole lot of cash burning a hole in your pocket. It’s thin. Like super, duper thin, measuring just 15.8mm  thick at its thinnest point and 19.4mm at its thickest. That’s about 0.62 to 0.76 inches.

Akihabara News got some hands-on time with the laptop recently, and shot a few photos to show just how slim the laptop looks in person. The answer? Very. Hit up the photo link for more images.

NEC has introduced yet another netbook, the LaVie Light Lui. Based on the fact that I have yet to see a single NEC netbook hit US shores to date, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that this one might hit Asia and/or Europe, but probably not US shores.

But it’s too bad. Because this looks like the best NEC netbok to date. It sports a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive, as you’d expect from a netbook running Windows XP Home. It also has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 1.3MP webcam. But it also has a battery which NEC claims is good for 8.5 hours. If the battery lives up to the hype, that would certainly make it one of the longest lasting NEC netbooks, and it would rank up there with the Toshiba Mini NB205 and Asus Eee PC 1000HE or 1005HA for having on of the best batteries around.

NEC designed the netbook to work with its Lui remote desktop system, which means you can login to a Lui home server with the LaVie Light Lui.

via Akihabara News

NEC is introducing two more netbooks in its LaVie Light lineup. Both models will have a 10.1 inch, 1024  x600 pixel  display, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1.

The LaVie Light BL100 will have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and a 16GB solid state disk.It’s only available in white.

The NEC LaVie Light BL300 will have a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor and come with a choice of both a 16GB SSD and a 160GB hard drive. It will come in red, white, or black.

The BL300 will actually come in a few different flavors. The base model will be the BL300 with a 3 cell battery. The BL310 will have the same basic specs, but will come with Microsoft Office. And the BL350 will have a higher capacity 7 hour battery.

The netbooks will weigh between 2.4 and  2.9 pounds depending on the battery and storage configuration.Price will range from the equivalent of about $520 for the BL100 to $725 for the BL350. All three models should be available Thursday. Keep in mind, netbook prices tend to be higher in Japan, so if and when these machines ever make it overseas, I’d expect to see a price drop.

via CrunchGear

NEC’s first foray into netbook territory was the Lavie Light laptop, which stood out from the competition primarily due to its boxey design and ability to withstand sweat. Now NEC is back with a mini-laptop that’s super thin, super light, and has a price tag reminiscent of ultraportables of yore.

The NEC VersaPro VS measures between 15.8mm and 19.4mm thick (about 0.6 inches to 0.8 inches), and weighs just 725 grams or about 1.6 pounds. The laptop has a 10.6 inch, 1280 x 768 pixel display, a 64GB solid state disk, and a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540. NEC is setting the pre-order pricing at 99,750 yen, which is about $1050 US, but Engadget reports that the MSRP could nearly double to 176,000 yen or about $1856 once it hits stores in Japan this July.

If you’re one of the two or three people in the US  that had your heart set on picking up an NEC LaVie Light netbook when they became available, it looks like you may be out of luck. NEC is reportedly pulling out of the global computer business and will only offer computers in its home market of Japan starting in July.

NEC’s been having a tough time of it lately, and announced plans to eliminate 20,000 jobs earlier this year.

I have to say, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the LaVie Light, but I’m still sad to see that it won’t be made widely available.

via Small Laptops

NEC is rolling out an updated version of its LaVie Light netbooks. The new models come in multiple colors including ping, blue, black, and white. And they sport 10.1 inch display, which would be roomier than the 8.9 inch screen on earlier models if NEC hadn’t decided to throw a 1024 x 576 display in there.

While the true 16:9 aspect ratio display may look a bit better for watching movies than the more common 1024 x 600 display you’ll find on many other netbook models, those extra pixels come in handy when you’re trying to do things like, oh I don’t know… read web pages?

via Portable Monkey and PC Watch

When the first pictures of the NEC LaVie Light netbook hit the web last week, I wasn’t impressed. The computer looks boxy and appears to have an enormous bezel around the screen. The folks at Engadget Chinese have had a chance to check one out in person, and they say it’s not quite as bad as the promotional images make it look. I remain skeptical, but I find pictures don’t always do these tiny laptops justice. Sometimes you’ve got to see one up close or hold it in your own hands.

Under the hood, the NEC LaVie Light seems to be as capable as any other netbook. It’s got an 8.9 inch display, a 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU. It weighs just 2.6 pounds. And it turns out the screen can be pushed back to a 180 degree angle, which makes it a bit more flexible than most other netbooks. I can’t think of too many reasons you’d want the screen to rotate to a 180 degree angle unless you happen to enjoy placing a computer on the floor and typing with your toes. But in a market flooded with netbooks that have nearly identical specs, it’s nice to see NEC offer something distinctive.

via Engadget

I’ve gotten so used to writing phrases like “virtually ever major computer maker besides Sony and Apple have released a netbook,” that I’m always a bit surprised when a company I’ve heard of but completely forgotten about decides to pump one out. With that in mind, today’s netbook announcement is brought to you by NEC.

The NEC LaVie Light has all the usual specs you’d expect from a netbook, including a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, an 8.9 inch display, a 160G HDD, and 1GB of memory.

The netbook has 802.11b/g WiFi, 3 USB ports, a 1.3MP camera, and an SD card slot. It measures 9.8″ x 6.9″ x 1.4″ or 250mm x 176.5mm x 36.5mm and weighs 2.6 pounds or 1.17kg. Oh yeah, and it’s kind of ugly. But if you like the boxy look, I guess there’s no accounting for taste.

via Akihabara News