Left: IdeaPad S12 / Right: IdeaPad U150

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and IdeaPad U150 are a lot alike. They’re both thin and light laptops that weigh about 3.1 pounds or less. They both have high resolution displays and full sized keyboards, as well as touchpads that feature distinct left and right buttons.And they’re both relatively affordable, with IdeaPad S12 prices starting at $429 (or $599 for a model with NVIDIA ION graphics), and the U150 going for $650 and up.

But on the inside, these are two very different machines. The IdeaPad S12 has a relatively slow Intel Atom N270 CPU while the U150 uses faster Intel CULV processors. The review units I’m testing right now are rather interesting, in that the S12 has NVIDIA ION graphics, while the U150 on my desk has Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics and a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 dual core processor.

In a nutshell, the S12 has better graphics, while the U150 has better overall performance. Both can handle most day to day tasks, including playback of 1080p HD video.

What surprised me though, was given just how similar these two laptops are, how different they look. Asus has two very similar models along the same lines. The Asus Eee PC 1201N with NVIDIA ION graphics and the Asus UL20A with an Intel CULV chipset. The two laptops look an awful lot alike, and even share interchangeable batteries. That’s not at all the case with the Lenovo IdeaPad U150 and S12.

First, the S12 has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, while the U150 has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel screen. The case design is also quite different, with the S12 featuring a glossy lid while the U150 has a matte, textured pattern. The S12 has a keyboard which I find much more comfortable. Laptop Magazine refers to the U150 keyboard as “mushy,” and I can’t think of a much better word to describe the tactile sensation of pressing down on its keys. And the S12 is noticeably bigger than the U150.

Those are just a few of the cosmetic difference. You can see more in the photo slideshow embedded after the break. Which design do you like better? I have to admit, the U150 looks more attractive due to its two-tone design and slimmer profile. But I can’t get over how much I prefer typing on the keyboard of the IdeaPad S12.

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Pierre over at Blogeee [translate link] was lucky enough to spend some quality time with two of the hottest Asus models around right now – the UL30A and 1201N. Naturally, he figured the rest of the world might like to see how the two systems look side-by-side.

The UL30A, of course, is technically not a netbook – it’s larger (with a 13.3″ display), heavier, and runs a Core2Duo SU7300 processor. The 1201N, of course, is Asus’ droolworthy, new Atom-and-Ion powered 12″ netbook.

If you’re trying to decide between the two, this post might not help a heck of a lot. The Ion graphics are pretty tempting. Of course, so is the SU7300 processor. And they’re pretty similar for battery life. Hmm…This could be a difficult choice for a lot of people.

Check out Pierre’s post, and share your take in the comments!

Although it’s not set to go on sale in the UK until early next year, Electric Pig managed to get their hands on the higly-anticipated Asus Eee PC 1201N.

As Electric Pig notes, the 1201N is somewhat of a beefed-up 1005HA. It sports a larger 6 cell, 5200mAh battery, HDMI output, and a 12″ 1366×768 display. In their initial handling, the 1201N didn’t disappoint – not surprising with the dual-core Atom 330 and Nvidia ION internals.

Check out the full unboxing photos at Electric Pig!

Over the past few months, the low cost ultraportable notebook space has expanded to include a new class of device. While 10 inch and smaller netbooks are still playing an important role in the field, there’s been a new crop of devices with 11 to 12 inch displays selling for $600 or less. While these laptops including the Acer Aspire 1810T, Dell Inspiron 11z, and Asus UL20A are larger and generally more powerful than most netbooks, as well as more expensive, they’re still a lot cheaper than the ultraportables of yesteryear. And they tend to weigh less than 4 pounds, which is always a good thing.

But just to show you why I don’t expect to make a habit of covering 13 inch or larger laptops anytime soon, I’ve put together a little photo shoot that shows the difference between three laptops I happen to have at Liliputing HQ this week (yes, the photo shoot took place in our laundry room… you have a problem with that?): The 10 inch Asus Eee PC 1008HA, the 11.6 inch Acer Aspire 1410, and the 13.3 inch Asus UL30A.

While the Acer Aspire 1410 is just a little bit larger than the Asus Eee PC 1008HA, the Asus UL30A is clearly in a completely different class. Sure, it weighs just 3.9 pounds, but it’s a heck of a lot bigger and bulkier. And while that makes it a better choice for anyone looking for a larger machine that won’t cause eye strain, it’s not quite as portable as the other two laptops.

You can check out more photos of the three laptops after the break. While I think it should be pretty clear which computer is which, for the sake of reference, the Asus Eee PC 1008HA is black, the Acer Aspire 1410 has a blue lid, and the Asus UL30A has a silver/gray lid.

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I’m about to pack up the Samsung Go netbook which I recently reviewed. But before it goes, I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to photograph all 7 mini-laptops I’ve had sitting on my desk for the last few days. If you’ve been reading the site, you’ve already seen most of these little guys. But you probably haven’t ever seen them all in one place before.

In the photo above, you can see the following computers, clockwise from the top left: Lenovo IdeaPad S12, Acer Aspire 1410, Asus Eee PC 1101HA, Dell Inspiron Mini 10v, Asus Eee PC 1000H, Samsung Go, Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2.

After the break you can see a slideshow showing some of these netbooks together. By request, a few of the photos show the 11.6 inch models (the Aspire 1410 and Eee PC 1101HA) next to a couple of the smaller 10 inch netbooks so you can get an idea of the size difference. In my opinion, it’s not that big, and if you’re going to give me a 1366 x 768 pixel display I’d rather have it on an 11.6 inch screen than a 10.1 inch display. But since all of the 10 inch netbooks featured here have 1024 x 600 pixel or lower resolution screens, the point is kind of moot.

I haven’t shown every combination of each netbook next to the other, because that would have taken all day. But these photos should give you an overview of how these 7 models stack up against one another in terms of size and design. You can view higher resolution versions of the images either by hitting the full screen button in the slideshow or by visiting the photo album in the Liliputing Forum.

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There are a growing number of Intel Atom powered mini-laptops with 11.6 and 12.1 inch screens. And I happen to have two of them at Liliputing HQ this week, so I decided to take the opportunity to do a little photo shoot comparing the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (white) and Asus Eee PC 1101HA (black).

The Lenovo laptop has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display. This particular model also has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor but it’s also available with a VIA Nano CPU and an NVIDIA ION powered version (with an Atom processor and NVIDIA graphics) is expected to be available later this year.

The Asus laptop has an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor that can be overclocked to run at speeds a bit above 1.7GHz.

In terms of size, the two laptops are almost the same. The Eee PC 1101HA is a little smaller overall, although it’s maybe a fraction of an inch higher in the back. Both have nice wide keyboards, neither of which is without quirks. I have an easy time typing on the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, but I keep hitting the Fn key when I’m reaching for the Ctrl button since the Fn key is all the way to the left unlike on most other keyboards I’ve used. The Asus keyboard does have a shift key on the right side that’s properly placed so you won’t accidentally hit the up arrow when you’re aiming for it, but the shift key is a bit on the small side.

You can check out a photo slideshow of the two laptops side by side after the break, or visit the Liliputing Forum for higher resolution versions.

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If those images of the upcoming Nokia Booklet 3G released this morning looked a little shiny and photoshopped, Reuters has proof that the device is real. A Reuters photographer has snapped a few photos of the netbook in real world settings, including the one shown above.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the laptop. For instance, it’s described as having an Intel Atom processor, but it’s not clear if we’re talking about a low power Intel Atom Z520 CPU, a more common Atom N270, or an upcoming Atom Pine Trail processor. The fact that the netbook has an HDMI output sort of rules out the Atom N270 unless there’s also a dedicated graphics processor. But we won’t know all the details until the Nokia World event on September 2nd.

Update: A Nokia spokesperson confirmed to All About Symbian that the Booklet 3G will have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor.

via SlashGear

Bottom to top: IdeaPad S12, IdeaPad S10-2, Eee PC T91

The Eee PC T91 isn’t just the first touchscreen netbook from Asus. It’s also the company’s smallest netbook to date. While it sports an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen display, the T91 is actually a little smaller than the first generation Eee PC 701, measuring just 8.9″ x 6.5″ x 1.1″ and weighing just about 2 pounds.

I don’t happen to have an Eee PC 701 lying around, but I do have a handful of other netbooks and mini-laptops. So I pulled out two 10 inch netbooks: my trusty Eee PC 1000H and a Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2. I also snapped a few photos of the T91 with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, which has a 12 inch screen. These images serve both to show just how small the T91 is and how large the S12 is compared to a typical netbook.

You can find the images after the break. Click on any thumbnail to see a larger version.

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The two latest members of the Lenovo IdeaPad S-series have a few things in common. They both have 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processors, integrated GMA950 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drives, Windows XP, and a version of the Splashtop quick-start software. But there’s one big difference between the two laptops… and I do mean big. While the S10-2 sports a typical netbook-style 10 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, the IdeaPad S12 has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel screen.

Along with the larger screen, the S12 has a larger keyboard and room on the chassis for a few other goodies including an ExpressCard slot and hardware buttons for controlling the computer’s volume.

I have to say, the S12 definitely feels enormous by netbook standards. But it’s still relatively light, at about 3.5 pounds. And the extra screen resolution definitely comes in handy when working on documents or viewing some web pages. Unfortunately, the Atom processor and integrated graphics aren’t up to the task of pumping out Flash video in full-screen on the high resolution 1280 x 800 pixel screen.

I’ll have more details after I’ve spent a little more time with these machines. But in the meantime, you can check out a bunch of pictures of the two laptops. I also threw in a few images of the S10-2 next to my trusty old Asus Eee PC 1000H, because it’s the other netbook I happened to have lying around. As you can see, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is a little smaller than the Eee PC 1000H. But overall the two netbooks are pretty similarly sized.

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The HP Mini 1000 and HP Mini 110 may look a lot alike at first glance. But the newer Mini 110 is a bit thicker and heavier than the Mini 1000.And if you don’t beleive me, you can check out a series of photos posted by JMacalinao over at the MyHPMini forums comparing the two. It’s worth pointing out that the HP Mini 110 in these photos has a bulky 6 cell battery while the HP Mini 1000 has a 3 cell battery that sits flush with the netbook.

And while the extra size means there’s room for a full sized VGA port and a faster, 5400rpm hard drive instead of the 1.8 inch, 4200rpm hard drive in the HP Mini 1000, you can still snag the older netbook from some retailers while supplies last if size is more important to you than performance.

And while we’re comparing thin netbooks with their thicker siblings, Eee PC.de has posted a series of images showing just how much bulkier the Asus Eee PC 1005HA is than the super-slim Eee PC 1008HA. Some users will find the tradeoff worthwhile, since the 1005HA gets over 8 hours of battery life, while the 1008HA tops out at around 5 or 6 hours. Both of these models are currently in production (which is more than I can say about the HP Mini 1000).