If it seems like pretty much anybody can call up a Taiwanese manufacturer these days and order a few hundred or thousand generic netbooks to slap their name on, that’s because it’s pretty much true. Case in point: UK retailer Marks & Spencer is now selling its own netbook with the catchy name of the MSNB-2009.

The netbook is nothing special. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, a 10 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 6 hour battery plus 802.11b/g WiFi and Windows XP.

The MSNB-2009 is manufacturer by Elonex for the store. There’s no indication why Marks & Spencer would decide to put out a netbook with last year’s specs right after Windows 7 was launched and right before Intel is set to launch its next-generation Atom processors in January.

via Expert Reviews

Virgin Media is offering a netbook called Freedom to customers that sign up for a wireless broadband service plan. Plans range from £31 to £58 or about $52 to $96. If those plans sound a bit steep, that’s because Virgin Media bundles its 3G packages with other services including landline telephones and TV.

Of course, Virgin isn’t the first company to offer a subsidized netbook to customers that sign up for service contracts. But most telecoms have partnered with netbook makers to offer models from Dell, Acer, Samsung, and others. It seems pretty clear that Virgin Media isn’t actually making the Freedom netbook in house. It’s most likely a (barely) rebranded version of the Zoostorm Freedom netbook. But this is one of the first cases of a telecom stripping all outside branding from a netbook name and offering the laptop under its own brand.

The folks at PC Pro got to spend some time with the Virgin Media Freedom recently, and they were impressed with the screen, touchpad, and overall build quality. The netbook has an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 120GB hard drive. it has 802.11b/g/n WiFi and comes with a USB 3G module, since there’s no internal broadband modem.

The Datawind Ubisurfer isn’t exactly the most impressive looking netbok. It’s got a small 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, a rather larger bezel around the screen, and a keyboard with an awkwardly placed right-shift key. But there is one thing that makes this little netbook stand out. When you pony up £159, or about $259 US for the netbook, you get 30 hours a month of free internet access over the built-in GPRS modem with a Vodafone SIM card.

That free internet access is available only in the UK, but there are roaming rates of 5p/minute elsewhere in Europe and the US. I think that’s about 8 cents a minute, US. Users that aren’t happy with the 30 hour/month limit can upgrade to an unlimited plan for £5.99 ($9.76) per month.

The Ubisurfer has 128MB of RAM, 1GB of flash storage, and features a Linux-based operating system. You can also get online using 802.11b/g WiFi. The netbook has 3 USB ports, mic and headphone jacks, and weighs 1.8 pounds. It measures 8.7″ x 6.5″ x 1.2″ and includes a web browser, word processor, PDF viewer, and other software.

Check out Pocket Lint for some hands-on photos of the netbook.

Update: Gearlog reports that the UbiSurfer will be available in the US this October for $199. The US version will include a CDMA module and 30 hours a month of free internet access for 1 year. via Engadget

sThe Samsung N310 isn’t available in the US yet, but UK retailer Ebuyer is now selling the laptop for £365, or about $600 US. The netbook features a rubberized case, a chiclet-style keyboard, and a long lasting battery. Samsung claims that the standard battery will run for about 5 hours, while there will be an extended battery option that should provide 11 hours of run time.

The netbook has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 glossy display, and runs Windows XP.

It looks like Ebuyer has an exclusive deal to distribute the netbook in the UK for now. Or at least the store has an exclusive on the blue version of the Samsung N310. It should also be available in red, but the press release doesn’t say anything about the red model.

via Eee PC.net

The Asus Eee PC T91 convertible tablet style netbook isn’t due out in the US until the end of July. But AsusTablet.com is reporting that the netbook could be available in the UK as early as June 22nd. It was reportedly due out even sooner, but there was apparently a distribution problem holding things up.

Now, this isn’t the first rumor I’ve seen regarding the release date for this long-anticipated netbook. Asus first showed off the convertible tablet at CES in January, but has been fine tuning the hardware and software ever since. My contact at Asus USA assures me the netbook won’t be available in the states for another month or so. But Asus does have a track record of staggering its global release schedule, so I wouldn’t put it past the company to launch the T91 in the UK this week. I just wouldn’t hold my breath.

via SlashGear

The plot thickens. Last week, Asus spokesperson John Swatton told Register Hardware that the company would soon be phasing out the popular Eee PC 1000HE and other netbooks in the UK market to focus on new models including the Eee PC 1008HA, 1005HA, and an as yet unnamed Eee PC 1000-series netbook. Then Asus France confirmed plans to do the same thing. But now it looks like Swatton is changing his story.

In a new interview today with Register Hardware, Swatton says the Eee PC 1000H and 1000HE are the “most popular” Asus netbooks in the UK, and offer the best mix of price and value. Swatton says there are no plans to phase these models out… yet.

Asus makes different decisions about which computers to stock in each country where the company operates. Asus has not announced any moves to phase out the Eee PC 1000HE or any other existing models in the US. We’ll see if that changes once the Eee PC 1005HA, with its optional 10.5 hour battery, is available here.

You can read more about the Asus Eee PC 1000HE in the Liliputing Product Database. You can currently order the netbook for as little as $349.99 after rebate from ZipZoomfly.

Update: And now it looks like Asus France has announced that it will continue to sell the Eee PC 1000HE in that country at least through July.

Asus is finally getting ready to unleash its first touchscreen netbook on the public. The company first unveiled the Eee PC T91 at CES in January. But it won’t be in UK stores until late May or early June at the earliest, reports Electric Pig. There’s no word on a launch date or price for the US or other markets, but Electric Pig says the Eee PC T91 will run about £449 in the UK.

That’s about $677 US, but there’s reason to believe the netbook will be cheaper in the United States. First, most computers cost less in the US than the UK. Second, we’ve already seen stores start taking pre-orders for the T91 for closer to $549 (although that pricing was based on guesswork and is subject to change).

The Asus Eee PC T91 features an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen display that can be folded down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode. It has a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU,  and a 5 hour battery. The netbook will weigh about 2 pounds and run Windows XP and a suite of touch-friendly applications designed by Asus.

You can read more about the Eee PC T91 in the Liliputing Product Database.

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA has already stopped by the FCC, found its way onto the Asus support site, and started showing up for pre-order. Now Asus has made it official: The computer will be available in the UK next week, on May 15th to be exact.

The Eee PC 1008HA will be the thinnest and lightest 10 inch laptop in the Asus Eee PC line. It weighs just 2.4 pounds and measure 10.3″ x 7″ x 1″. The netbook is also the first member of the Eee PC family to have a screen that folds down behind the keyboard, which saves space. It has a 1.66GH Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display.

But there is a downside. The battery is not user replaceable. While Asus claims the battery will run for 6 hours, if it gets damaged and needs replacing you’ll need to send it back to Asus for repair. And there’s no way to carry around a spare battery unless you want to use a universal battery that you can plug in as if you were connecting your netbook to a power outlet.

The Eee PC 1008HA will be priced at about £379 (or $572 US) in the UK. There’s no word on when this mini-laptop will be available in the US yet.

The Samsung N310 hasn’t gone on sale in the US yet. But a few days ago it showed up in Korea. And now it looks like UK residents can get their orders in. The laptop is showing up on Amazon’s UK site, as well as a few other stores. The folks at SammyNetbook have uncovered a few stores taking early orders for the netbook, including Dabs, which appears to have the laptops in stock and ready to ship.

The N310 is one of the most unique looking netbooks around, with a keyboard that goes virtually from one end of the chassis to the other, and a screen covered in glass that does the same. The mini-laptop is also covered with a colorful rubberized coating that comes in red, black, blue, or turquoise.

The difference is mostly skin deep here though. Like most netbooks available today, the Samsung N310 has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display. It does have a battery which Samsung claims will last up to 5 hours, and an extended battery option which could run for up to 11 hours.

The Toshiba Satellite NB200 is a computer with many names. OK, just two. In Europe, it’s the NB200. In Japan it’s the Dynabook UX. But whatever you call it, the NB200 looks like a big step up from the original Toshiba NB100, an 8.9 inch netbook that was hampered by a cramped keyboard.

The folks at Megawhat.tv got a chance to check out the Toshiba Satellite NB200 at a UK event, and they seem pretty impressed. More importantly, they uploaded a video which gives us a better look at the computer’s hardware. Aside from an ugly looking 6-cell battery which sticks out of the back of the unit, the NB200 looks pretty slick. It has a nice finish, a keyboard that reminds me of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE keyboard, and a 10.2 inch display.

You can check out the video after the break.

via Netbook News.de

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