Sure, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts. But if you’r the superficial type that likes to judge a netbook by its cover, Packard Bell’s got a real looker for you. Notebook Italia dug up some photos of a new Packard Bell Valentino Rossi edition of the company’s dot notebook.

Rossi, in case you don’t follow Italian motorcycle racing, is… an Italian motorcycle racer. The design’s pretty slick, and succeeds at making this one of the few designer edition notebooks I’ve seen that actually could have some unisex appeal.

Unfortunately there are pretty much no details on the specs. The notebook does look like a dressed-up version of the Packard Bell Dot M/U, which in turn is a rebranded version of the Acer Aspire 1410. So I’m guessing you get an Intel CULV processor, GMA 4500MHD graphics, and a reasonable amount of memory and hard drive space as well as a 11.6″ display. But that’s just a guess.

Hit up Notebook Italia for more images.

via NewGadgets.de

Notebook Italia has scored a little face time with some new Packard Bell models, including the 10.1″ dot S2 [translate link] and the 11.6″ Butterfly XS [translate link].

The Dot S2 (in black and red on the right-hand side of the image above) will feature an Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB SATA hard drive, and the usual wireless and wired connectivity options. It looks as though the 10.1″ S2 will also ship with Windows XP Home. Prices are not confirmed, but should be in the range of 250-300€.

As for the XS, it will feature Intel’s beefier SU4100 processor, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB SATA hard drive, a 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Expect a second model as well – possibly featuring the Core2 Solo SU3500 and an upgraded 320GB hard drive.

Both the XS and Dot S2 look like they’ll ship with multi-touch capable touchpads.

via Netbook Choice

A few days ago Acer introduced the Aspire Timeline 1820P, an 11.6 inch laptop that’s nearly identical to the Acer Aspire 1410 I recently reviewed except that the 1820P has a higher capacity battery and a touchscreen display that can be folded down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode. But as with almost every 11.6 inch and smaller laptop Acer has introduced over the last year, the Acer Aspire 1810TZ isn’t alone. Acer is also launching an identical laptop under the Packard Bell name, and the folks at Portable Gear.nl got a chance to check one out in person.

Like the 1820P, the  Packard Bell Butterfly Touch has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. It reprotedly has an 8 hourbattery and should be available for 599 Euros on October 22nd.

You can find more photos at Portable Gear.nl. You can also check out a video of the laptop in action after the break.

via Netbook News.de

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The reports of the Packard Bell Dot netbook’s death appear to have been mildly exaggerated. I reported back in March that Packard Bell was pulling the plug on its 8.9 inch version of the Dot, a netbook which is little more than a rebranded Acer Aspire One anyway (Acer owns the Packard Bell brand). But Notebook Italia is reporting that the Dot has been reborn, in the form of two new laptops.

The Packard Bell Dot S has a 10.1 inch display and the Dot M has an 11.6 inch. 1366 x 768 pixel screen. They’ll come with WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G options and multitouch trackpads. The rest of the specs are pretty much par for the netbook course, with 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drives, webcams, and 5-in-1 flash memory card readers. The Dot M will have a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU instead of the more common 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor. This CPU should offer better battery life, but marginally slower performance.

The notebooks look a lot like recently announced laptops from Acer. But I have to wonder, can you get away with calling an 11.6 inch laptop “Dot?” I mean, the name works for an 8.9 inch netbook, but Packard Bell is sort of pushing the boundaries of netbookdom here.

According to Notebook Italia, the Dot S will run 299 Euros and should hit the streets in some areas this week. The Dot M will be availale later in April for 399 Euros.

via Blogeee

Packard Bell is pulling the plug on its Dot netbook, which is basically just a rebranded version of an Acer Aspire One with an 8.9 inch display. Packard Bell is owned by Acer, and Acer has been busy introducing netbooks with 10 inch screens, so I’m not surprised to see Packard Bell kill off the Dot.

The netbook was supposed to go on sale in the UK in January for £299, but never made it to market. At least one French retailer does appear to have the Packard Bell Dot in stock, so it does look like the company managed to produce a few units before ending the product line.

Packard Bell is expected to launch a new model in the future. My guess is it will be based on the Acer Aspire One AOD150 netbooks with 10 inch displays.

via SlashGear

Packard Bell’s Dot netbook, which bears a striking resemblance to the Acer Aspire One (which makes sense since Acer owns Packard Bell) is popping up throughout Europe. Trusted Reviews notes that the Dot will be available in the UK in January for £299. Meanwhile, Blogeee reports that the Dot is already listed at French retailer Darty’s web site for 379 Euros.

Apparently the Dot isn’t just limited to Europe though. Chilean web site Tecnoblog has posted a brief review of the netbook, which it says will be available in Chile in a few days.

The Packard Bell Dot has the same basic chassis, keyboard, and overall layout as the Acer Aspire One. It is painted a different color and it has the Packard Bell logo instead of the Acer logo. But that’s about it for the differences. Both netbooks have 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel displays, 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPUs, 1GB of RAM, a multi-format card reader, 802.11b/g WiFi, 3 USB ports, and a 3 cell battery with an optional 6 cell version available. The Packard Bell Dot does seem to come with a 160GB hard drive standard, while the Aspire One comes with a variety of solid state disk and hard drive options. And like the Aspire One, the Dot can be configured with a 3G modem.

A few days ago I mentioned that Packard Bell is putting out a netbook. Packard Bell was recently acquired by Acer, which probably explains why the netbook looks a lot like the Acer Aspire One. Thanks to Cloudbook UMPC and Eee PC.net we now have a slightly better picture of the Packard Bell dot (PDF link), which is apparently what the company has decided to name the netbook.

The dot will sport an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU. It runs Windows XP, has 3 USB ports, 802.11b/g WiFi a webcam, a 5-in-1 card reader, and an optional 3G wireless module.

The press release makes it a bit difficult to tell whether the Packard Bell dot will ship with a 3 or 6 cell battery. It state that “there’s even room for an extra 6-cell battery for heavy-duty use.” There are several ways to read that. It could mean you’ll get a 3 cell battery, but a 6 cell version will be available as an accessory. Or it could mean it ships with a 6 cell battery. I’m guessing the former is the case.

The dot will be available in Europe starting in November for €399 or about $590 US.

Speaking at an event in Budapest today, Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci announced that Gateway, a company Acer recently acquired, would be launching a netbook soon. Lanci also said that Acer plans to release updates to its Acer Aspire One lineup, which could include a model with a larger screen.

It’s not clear at the moment what will set the Gateway netbook apart from the Acer Aspire One or other low cost ultraportable laptops. As French news site Blogeee points out, Packard Bell is putting out a new netbook as well – and it looks almost exactly like the Acer Aspire One. Packard Bell was also recently acquired by Asus Acer.

Lanci does seem to believe that netbooks are the future of mobile computing. While laptops were once seen as a second PC to compliment desktops, he says laptops are increasingly becoming primary computers. Netbooks, thanks to their small size and weight are becoming the new laptops – the computers you want to take with you when you leave the house.