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

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 NEC first announced it would be entering the netbook fray, my initial reaction was “my, what an ugly little netbook.” After all, the only thing that seemed to set the NEC LaVie Light apart from the throngs of other netbooks was a rather boxy looking case with an unfortunate color scheme (A black PC with a white keyboard? Really?). But it appears that the case isn’t just ugly. It’s also sturdy.

APC Magazine reports that the NEC Versa N1100 (which is the name the netbook gets when its shipped to the Asia Pacific region), is built with a magnesium alloy which can withstand pressures of up to 150kg or 330 pounds for up to 5 seconds. In other words, if you sit on it, you probably won’t break it.

In fact, the folks at NEC went a step further and tested the netbook by throwing some fake sweat on it to see if the finish on the case or keyboard rubs off when wet. You know, in case the big guy sitting on your netbook in the subway happens to be sweating up a storm.

Of course, while NEC claims that this netbook is more durable than others, the company is not putting its money where it’s mouth is. NEC offers a standard warranty which does doesn’t cover “impact damage or physical abuse.” In other words, don’t sweat anywhere near your netbook. Just take their word that you could without causing any real damage. Mmm hmm.

You can read more about the NEC Vesa N1100/Lavie Light in the Liliputing Product Database.

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