When the Samsung NC10 was first announced a few weeks ago, Samsung said the laptop would cost £329, or about $590 US. Now it looks like Samsung could be preparing to slash the price to £299, or about $530 US. It also looks like the netbook will come with a 160GB hard drive standard, not the 80GB HDD we’d originally been expecting.

It’s not clear at this point whether the Samsung NC10 will be available in the US or not. But if it does hit the States, odds are it will be priced lower still. Computers tend to cost a bit more in the UK than the US.

via Engadget

Before there were netbooks running Linux and Windows XP, there were handheld PCs, running EPOC or Windows CE software. They may not have been able to run full fledged desktop applications like Firefox, Office, or OpenOffice.org, but they were good enough to give you some mobile computing power on the go. But for some reason, the handheld PC fell out of fashion a few years ago. Cellphones and laptops took their place, to some degree. But laptops didn’t have the battery life or ease of use of handheld PCs and cellphones didn’t have the large screens and full keyboards.

But the rise of the netbook apparently has some manufacturers taking another look at the idea of handheld PCs running stripped down operating systems like Windows CE.

The latest netbook/handheld PC running Windows CE is the Cuol Book, available in the UK from Robert Dyas. This odd little system has no trackpad or touchscreen to speak of, but comes with a mouse. It has a 7 inch display, measures just 21cm x 15cm, or about 8.3″ x 5.9″ and weighs just 680 grams or about 1.5 pounds.

The Cuol Book runs Windows CE 5.0, which is a bit outdated. But the system includes a web browser, Skype, and some basic Office applications as well as a media player. It has a 533MHz ARM CPU, 1GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM and a 3000mAh battery which should provide 5 hours of operating time.

It also includes 2 USB ports and a mini USB port and a SD/MMC card reader. If you’re looking for a small device with long battery life and a full sized keyboard (and no trackpad), the Cuol Book actually looks kind of cool. But at £159.99, or nearly $300 US, I’m not sure why anyone would really choose this over a cheap netbook like the Asus Eee PC 2G Surf of the Acer Aspire One, both of which can run Windows XP or Linux.

thanks John!

The Advent 4211 netbook was basically a rebranded version of the MSI Wind. It’s successor, the Advent 4213 is something else. Blogeee suggests it’s a rebranded ECS G10IL, but it doesn’t really look like one to me. The status LEDs and ports are in different locations. I’m going to go with PC Pro’s suggestion, which is that the 4213 is an upgraded version of the 4211 with many of the same parts, but a new case and a few new goodies on the inside.

For example, it has a 160GB hard drive, which is twice the storage you’ll find on the Advent 4211. And the 4213 includes an HSDPA module for accessing wireless broadband networks. For the most part, the new computer’s specs look a lot like the older model: 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, and a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display in a 1.4kg (3.1 pound) package).

UK retailer PC World is selling the Advent 4211 4213 for £350, or about $620 US.

Update: Pierre from Blogeee has convinced me. It’s a rebranded ECS G10IL. The ports do seem to line up. And while I can’t see the LEDs on the pictures of the trackpad, that’s probably just because they’re not lit up in the publicity photos.

UK PC maker Zoostorm plans to launch a tiny computer aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 14 next month. Shiny Shiny reports that Zoostorm’s Fizzbook is based on Intel’s Classmate PC (not the Classmate 2 or the tablet version), and includes a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of solid state storage, and should get about 4.5 hours of battery life.

The computer will run Windows XP. And in a break from Classmate PC tradition, the Fizzbook will use an Intel Atom CPU rather than the older Intel Celeron M chip. The Atom offers a bit more power with lower power consumption.

The Fizzbook will carry a price tag of around £199. There are also plans to release a second version with an 8.9 inch display. I’ll assume it will be based on Intel’s Classmate 2 design until someone comes along and proves me wrong.

[via Eee PC.net]

Want a tiny laptop, but don’t feel like shelling out a few hundred to get one? As expected, UK wireless provider Orange is offering customers the chance to pick up an Asus Eee PC 900 for free starting this Saturday. And by free, I mean you have to sign up for a monthly service plan that will set you back £25 each month for the next two years. Break your contract, and Orange sends someone to break your kneecaps repossess the computer you a bill for the PC?

There are some limitations on the plan. For example, you get just 3GB of bandwidth per month with your subscription. But hey, if you were looking for a limited data plan anyway, why not get a free-ish laptop too?

[via Eee PC.net and Pocket Lint]

The Elonex webbook looks interesting enough on paper. The laptop packs a 10.2 inch display, 1.6GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 80GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, runs Windows XP, has 3 USB ports and weighs just 1.3kg. Oh, and you can pick one up for £264 or about $525 USD or get one free when you sign up for a wireless data plan with Carphone Warehouse.

The only thing that gives me pause? The fact that the computer in the pictures seems to have a real keyboard and a digitally rendered display. Call me silly, but I’m always a bit wary of placing orders for a product that doesn’t actually appear to exist yet.

[via Cloudbook UMPC]

The folks at What Laptop managed to get their hands on an Advent 4211, which is basically a rebranded version of the MSI Wind laptop. The Advent 4211 sells for £280. That’s the equivalent of about $555 US, but unlike the MSI Wind, the Advent 4211 is only available in the UK.

Asus has let loose with the UK pricing for its latest Eee PC models, and overall the prices don’t look that different from the US versions. The 901 will set you back £299 or about $592 US, while the 904 will run £269 or about $533 US. The Eee PC 1000H (with an 80GB hard drive) will retail for £349 or about $691, while the Eee PC 1000 (with a 40GB SSD) is priced at £369 or about $731.

These prices include VAT, which explains why they may be a bit higher than the US versions in some cases.

Asus has also posted a handy little comparison chart that shows how the various Eee PC models stack up against one another.

[via Mobile Computer Magazine and Slashdot]

Asus is sending out emails to UK Eee PC 900 owners letting them know that they will not be able to trade in their 4400mAh batteries for higher capacity 5800mAh batteries.

Asus is releasing some more details about the upcoming Eee PC 901, Eee PC 1000, and Eee PC 1000H. When the company unveiled the machines at Computex last week, we got a look at the Taiwanese prices, which ranged from the equivalent of $559 to $658 USD. But it looks like it will cost a few bucks more to pick up an Eee PC in the US or UK.

If you live in the UK and bought an Eee PC 900, odds are you got stuck with a 4400mAh battery rather than the 5800mAh battery that the company sent out to early product reviewers. Responding to customer complaints, a few weeks ago Asus promised to offer UK customers a way to upgrade their batteries. The upgrade will cost you £10, but it’s better than nothing, right?

Asus has confirmed that the Eee PC 900 will ship in the UK with a 4400mAh battery, while customers in the US and several other markets will get a higher capacity 5800mAh battery. The Eee PC 701 2g Surf, for comparison, comes with a 4400mAh battery with an estimated life of just about 2 hours, while the Eee PC 701 4G comes with a 5200mAh battery that gets 2.5-3 hours.

Asus has officially launched the Eee PC 900 in the UK today. The next generation Eee PC model will carry a suggested price tag of £329, which is about $647 US, but computers tend to cost a bit more east of the Atlantic.

Looking for a good deal on an Eee PC in the UK? Online retailer PixMania is offering £10 off all Eee PC laptops if you use the code EEE10 at checkout.

That might not seem like a lot of money, but when you’re talking about a computer that sells for between £191.60 and £241.60, every little bit counts.

PixMania has the Eee PC 701 4G available in several colors, as well as the 2G Surf model in white. The discount code is good until April 28th.

[via Discount Shopping UK]