NewEgg are already selling the laptop from their web pages.

Features of the MSI Wind U230 12 ” laptop:

12.1-inch screen with 1366 x 768 resolutions. The rest of the specs include 2GB of memory, either a 250 or 320GB HDD, 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, three USB ports, D-Sub and HDMI outputs, 1.3M webcam, and a 4-in-1 card reader. 297 x 190 x 31 mm 6-cell battery and weigh around 1.5kg. Both the Wind12 U230-033US with Neo MV-40 CPU and 250GB of HDD and U230-040US with X2 L33 CPU and 320GB of HDD space

Prices range from $429.99 to $479.99

The ASUS Eee PC 701 is back yet again with yet another slate tablet mod purposely made for those occasions where the modder wanted to verify actor roles at IMBD in front of the TV. He bought a used Eee PC 701 and touchscreen kit off of Ebay and proceeded to hack the innards with details that go over my head. He is going the Linux route and I’d be pretty interested to see that how goes with a touch screen.

Just a couple of pictures for now but I’m hoping he’ll add some more stuff to see.

With the first and second generation of netbooks (9-inch and early 10-inch ones) there were all sorts of hacks and mods including plenty of touch screen mods. As today’s netbooks get slimmer so does the possiblity for modding. Ever see a touchscreen mod on the Eee PC seashell series? There just not enough room for one. How about the 10-inch Dell Mini series? Barely enough space as well but one brave modder decided to put a Dell Mini 10v to the test and successfully installed a touchscreen. That’s the first as far as I’m aware and perhaps the last!?

Weatherjx, the modder, comments on how well put together the Mini 10v is that is there is barely any space left inside, actually not enough in this case he had to snip parts of the casing off to fit in the touchscreen controller board.

I see a couple of people comment how useless a touchscreen might be on a netbook but actually it really is quite handy as I’ve learnt with the T91MT. At least for web browsing I found myself barely using the trackpad and just touched on the screen to scroll and click links. Probably even better on the Dell Mini 10v as it’s buttonless trackpad gets its fair share of complaints.

Dell expands their business-class thin-and-light notebook product lineup with today’s introduction of the new Vostro 3000 series. Available in screen sizes ranging from 13 inches up to 17 inches, the new 3000 series features the latest Intel Core processors, high-end graphics, and built-in security.

The Vostro 3000 series is currently made up of the 13 inch Vostro 3300, 14 inch Vostro 3400, 15 inch Vostro 3500, and 17 inch Vostro 3700. Common features across all the 3000 series include:

• Core i3 to Core i5 processors
• Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit
• 2-4GB of RAM
• 250-500GB 7200RPM SATA HDD
• DVD+/-RW drive
• Intel integrated graphics up to NVIDIA GeForce 310M graphics
• Built-in webcam and microphone for videoconferencing
• 802.11 g/n Wi-Fi
• Support for up to 6GB of memory
• Optional fingerprint reader
• Full data-encrypted hard drive
• Dell DataSafe online backup

Additional info on the systems follows:

Dell Vostro 3300 notebook specs and price:

• One of the thinnest 13 inch notebooks with built-in DVD drive
• 13.3 inch HD Wide LED anti-glare display
• Up to 6GB of memory
• Mobile Intel HM57 Express Chipset
• 4 cell Lithium Ion battery or optional 8 cell battery
• Available in Aberdeen Silver, Lucerne Red, Brisbane Bronze
• Integrated speaker
• 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSATA/USB combo port
• 5 in 1 media card reader
• 34mm ExpressCard slot
• VGA video connector
• Measures 12.8 x 9.02 x 0.79 ~ 1.13 inches
• Weighs 4.01 lbs with 4 cell battery and no drive
• Starting price of $69

Dell Vostro 3400 laptop specs and price:

• Mobile Intel HM57 Express Chipset
• 14 inch HD wide LED anti-glare display
• 2 integrated stereo speakers
• 6 cell lithium-ion battery (or 4 and 9 cell available too)
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSATA/USB port
• 8 in 1 media card reader
• 34mm ExpressCard slot
• HDMI port
• VGA port
• Measures 13.35 x 9.54 x 0.86~1.16 inches
• Weighs 4.56 lbs with 4 cell and optical drive
• Up to 8 hours of power with 9 cell battery
• Available in Aberdeen Silver, Lucerne Red, Brisbane Bronze
• Starting price of $649

Dell Vostro 3500 notebook specs and price:

• 15.6 inch HD wide LED anti-glare display
• HM57 Express Chipset
• 2 integrated speakers
• Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1
• 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0/eSATA port
• 8 in 1 media card reader
• 34mm ExpressCard slot
• HDMI port
• 6 cell lithium-ion battery (4 or 9 cell optional)
• Measures 14.76 x 9.84 x 0.90 ~ 1.23 inches
• Weighs 5.10 lbs with 4 cell battery and optical drive
• Available in Aberdeen Silver, Lucerne Red, Brisbane Bronze
• Starting price of $649

Dell Vostro 3700 laptop specs and price:

• Core i7 quad-core processors available
• Mobile Intel HM57 Express Chipset
• 17.3 inch HD+ Wide LED anti-glare display
• 2 integrated stereo speakers
• Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1
• 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port
• 8 in 1 media card reader
• 34mm ExpressCard slot
• VGA and HDMI port
• Measures 16.17 x 10.67 x 1.06~1.35 inches
• Weighs 5.95 lbs with 6 cell battery and optical drive
• 6 cell lithium-ion battery (or 9 cell optional)
• Available in Aberdeen Silver, Lucerne Red, Brisbane Bronze
• Starting price of $679

Systems are available today in the U.S. and parts of Asia. Folks in Europe, Latin America, and other regions will be able to order them starting on March 16th.

Sometime last year, MSI debuted another 12 inch notebook, the Wind U230 netbook which sported an AMD Athlon X2 L335 processor (dual core, 1.6GHz) and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics. Back then, it never went on sale, even disappearing a couple of times from MSI’s product pages.

Well, now the Wind U230 is back, and this time it’s selling already! (both black and white models) Amazon has on pre-order for $480. A couple of other places have had it in stock already such as Buy. I notice Newegg.com has confused the U210 as a U230 (sporting an Athlon Neo MV-40 processor). Newegg is now also shipping the dual-core U230 version. The MSI Wind U230 also comes with the MV-40 processor as well according to MSI’s product page

Here are the MSI Wind U230 specs: 12.1” 1366 x 768 display (glossy), AMD Athlon X2 L335 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 1.3MP Webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, HDMI out, 6-cell battery and Windows 7 Home Premium.

Up until now, any PC maker that wanted to build a laptop with a dual core Atom processor had to use a desktop chip such as the Atom 330 dual core CPU found in the Asus Eee PC 1201N. But those chips tend to draw more power and generate more heat than chips designed for netbooks.

Bear in mind, even with two cores, an Atom chip is an Atom chip. They’re designed as low cost, low power alternatives to beefier processors. As such, I’d expect the Atom N500 to be a little faster than a single core Atom processor and better at multitasking and other tasks which can benefit from multiple cores. But don’t expect miracles.

There’s no word on how much the Atom N500 would cost or when it would be released. And right now, this is just a rumor, although PC Inpact reports that the information comes from companies that work with Intel.

There’s the 12.1” DreamBook Lite U12 ION 2. Same deal with an Intel Atom N Pinetrail processor except this one comes with a color combination more easy on the eyes: Black on the inside and brown on the outside. The Atom N470 upgrade is $29 and the base price prior to that upgrade is $549 AUD ($502) which includes ION 2 by default.

Previously we saw the 11.6” DreamBook Lite U11a and heard it was coming with ION 2 graphics. That model is now available with ION 2 graphics (GT218M) for a $59 upgrade and an upgrade to an Atom N470 processor costs $29 which brings the base price up to $537 AUD ($491). Looks of other cool customizable options but it’s a shame in only comes in Red / Black.

DreamBook Lite U12 ION2

Some features are optional and not included in the base price above

• 12.1” 1366 x 768 display
• Intel Atom N450 / N470 processor
• Intel NM10 chipset
• Nvidia ION 2 graphics
• 1x RAM slot (2GB max)
• 2.5” SATA storage
• Card reader, VGA, audio jacks, LAN, 3x USB, HDMI
• 4-cell Li-poly battery (7.2V / 4600 mAh) OR
• 6-cell Li-poly battery (7.2V / 6900 mAh) no mention of battery life
• 1.3M webcam
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 3G module + antennas
• Windows XP / Vista / 7 / Ubuntu 9.10 Linux
• 1.45 kg / 3.2 pounds

Here’s another ultra-slim notebook from MSI, the X-Slim X360. This stylish notebook offers a 13-inch 1366 x 768 HD LCD display, an Intel Core i5-520UM processor, an Intel HM55 chipset, an Intel HD graphics card, up to 4GB DDR3 RAM, up to 500GB hard drive, a 1.3MP webcam, a 2-in-1 card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, an HDMI output, a 4- or 8-cell battery and is pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium OS. The MSI X-Slim X360 pricing and availability are still unknown at the moment.

Dell today introduced four new members from its Vostro laptop line up. Dubbed as the Dell Vostro 3300, 3400, 3500, and 3700, these models feature a durable aluminum case with three eye-catching color choices. The Dell Vostro 3300, Vostro 3400, 3500 feature a 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 15.6-inch LED backlit display, respectively. These laptops come equipped with an Intel Core i3/i5 processor with up to 8GB DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, a 512MB nVidia Geforce 310M graphics, a DVD burner, a 2.0MP webcam, a fingerprint reader and Windows 7. Meanwhile, the Vostro 3700 is a true desktop replacement notebook with a 17.3-inch display. This model is powered by Intel’s Core i7 quad-core processor and a 1GB nVidia Geforce GT330M graphics. The Vostro 3300, Vostro 3400, Vostro 3500, and Vostro 3700 retail for $669, $649, 649 and $679, respectively.

We’ve seen HP Mini 311 users overclock their beloved notebooks right up or slightly past 2.0GHz previously and now one dedicated user has put a lot of sweat and blood into building a fan control app which should benefit users on the other end of the scale - those who’d rather have a quieter Mini 311 rather than a speed demon.

I don’t know about the HP Mini 311, but it’s twin CULV brother, the Pavilion DM1 actually comes with an option in the BIOS to turn the fan off, and when idle, the notebook is silent but there’s an endless on-off cycling of the fan (at least from my experience) which probably might annoy some users.

This nifty software comes with four fan modes: Silent, Low, Mid or Smart modes. You can probably guess what those settings do.