Remember Crome OS – and the Chromebook?  Well, Samsung does, and they have introduced a new version of the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook priced at just $350 in the States.  That’s a significant saving from the original version offered for $430.  Unlike the Silver and White of the other models, this new Chromebook Series 5 comes in Piano Black.

Like the other models, the laptop has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, Chrome OS operating system, a 6 hour battery, and the ability to start up in less than 10 seconds.  It’s powered by the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor,16GB solid state disk, 2 USB ports, a webcam and mic, and SDHC card slot.  So,  aside from the color, it’s exactly the same as the Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks that went on sale this summer.

The new model includes WiFi, but not 3G wireless. Check it out here at Amazon US for $349.99.

Allthough they’ve only been available for purchase since June, Samsung is already discounting it’s Series 5 Chromebooks in the US.   The Wi-Fi only version is now $30 less at Amazon.com, priced at $399. The 3G version is now only $449 — down from its original $499.

Acer’s Chromebook are cheaper at $349 and $429 for the Wi-Fi and 3G versions, respectively —and of course, most Windows 7 netbooks remain substantially cheaper than all four.

Chrome OS hardware is still coming of age, of course, and it’s bound to take some time for people to warm up to the idea of a laptop with little more than a web browser on board. Once prices slide a bit lower, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if sales really take off — as was the case with another new product the general public wasn’t too hot on at first, the HP TouchPad. If Acer or Samsung can get a Chromebook model somewhere closer to the $200 mark, they’ll likely start flying off the shelves.

Budget netbooks seems to be all the rage these days, and along those lines, Samsung is preparing a new 10 inch netbook with a low power processor.  The new Samsung N102 will feature a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom N435 processor and run Windows 7 Starter Edition.  Truth be told, the N102 is just the Windows version of the Samsung N100 —a netbook that keeps the cost even lower by forgoing Windows7 for the open source MeeGo Linux and ship in India and other developing nations.

Aside from the 1.33 GHz processor, the Samsung N102 looks a lot like any other 10 inch netbook you’ve seen in the last few years. It has 1GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and Intel GMA graphics. The laptop has a 3 cell, 40Whr battery, 2 USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, and a SDHC card reader.

It’s not clear when, or whether this netbook will make it to the UK.

Remember that Samsung NC215 netbook with the solar panel on the lid we mentioned a while ago?  Well, today you can pick one up (if you’re in the US)  from Buy.com for $392.  Samsung first announced the NC215 netbook a few months ago in Kenya, and it makes a lot of sense for developing nations where access to sunlight is a lot more reliable than access to an electric grid.  Samsung promises that, direct sunlight, you can charge the netbook for two hours to get about one hour of run time.

The Samsung NC215 features a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor, 1GB of DDR3 memory, and a 250GB, 5400 RPM hard drive. It runs Windows 7 Starter Edition.  Wisely, Samsung fitted the netbook witha matte display, along with 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, an SDHC card reader, VGA and Ethernet, and 3 USB ports including one that can be used to charge mobile devices even when the computer is off.

At nearly $400, the Samsung NC215 is rather expensive for an Intel Atom-powered netbook, but it seems like an ideal solution for those looking for a computer that can be used off the grid while camping.

It looks like the Asus Eee PC X101 won’t be the only budget netbook running Meego Linux and a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom N435 processor. Samsung also recently unveiled a MeeGo netbook called the Samsung N100.  The only hitch is that it appears that the Samsung N100 will only be available in India, whereas the Asus Eee PC X101 will launch worldwide.

Only Gizmos managed to get their hands on Samsung N100.  It sell for about $275 in India and features WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 10.1 inch display. The N100 weights just  2.2 pounds and Only Gizmos report the build quality is pretty good.  In fact, the Samsung N100 looks an awful lot like the Samsung NC110 Windows 7 netbook.

In case you’re wondering about Meego Linux – It’s a llight-weight Linux-based operating system designed for netbooks, tablets, and other devices with low power processors and small screens.

via MeeGo Experts

Although the solar powered  Samsung NC215S  netbook was scheduled to start shipping July 3rd that date came and went without any news.  Now, however, it has gone up for pre-order on Amazon in the US, but it’s not shipping yet.  According to Samsung, the delay is due to the  custom solar panels. The release date has been pushed back by a month or so and now Samsung plans to ship the NC215S in mid or late August.

The NC215S differentiates itself from the netbook crowd with a solar panel that is built into the lid of the netbook.  That gives it enough extra juice to provide 1 hour of run time for every 2 hours of charge time.  The netbook features a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor and a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel matte display. The solar panel is expected to generate enough electricity to provide 1 hour of run time for every 2 hours of charge time.

Samsung first introduced their Series 3 notebook line at an event in New York a few weeks ago. With  screen sizes ranging from 11.6 inches to 15.6 inches, Samsung has the entire range covered. The smaller models are thin and light, but lack optical disc drives or removable batteries. Samsung hasn’t announced an official release date, but J&R (in the States) is taking pre-orders for the 12.1 inch model for $749.99.

According to the product page, the notbook has a 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5-2410M processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, and Intel HD graphics. The laptop has a 1366 x 768 pixel display, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, and Gigabit Ethernet.

There are only 2 USB 2.0 ports, but the Series 3 notebook also has mic, headphone, VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet ports. It weighs 3.1 pounds and measures 11.8″ x 7.7″ x 1.2″ with a 6 cell battery.

thanks radiohead14!

There’s a new Samsung netbook in Italy called the Samsung NS310. The NS310 made it’s first appearance at CES and bears a strong resemblance to the current Samsung N310 Go netbook which was discontinued a few years back with its colorful case design and edge-to-edge glass display.  One potential drawback is the smooth plastic finish rather than the rubberized case on the older model.

Powering the  NS310 is a powerufl 1.5 GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core processor, 1GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, and a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display.Several Italian retail web sites have the NS310 listed with a 3 cell battery. The product descriptions also mention Xandros Linux in addition to Windows 7 but it’s not clear if it’s either/or a dual boot configuration.

Notebook Italia dug up a few hands-on videos of the NS310 from YouTube.

The netbook is selling for between 350 and 399 Euros in Italy.

iFixit got their hands on the new Series 5 Chromebook today and of course, they’ve already gotten down to business and posted a detailed set of teardown photos.  The fact that the screws on the bottom of the Chromebook are hidden by rubber feet barely phased them, after which , you can remove the battery by taking out a few more screws.   So, of course, that means no removable battery (unless you want to carry a screwdriver around with you).

The iFixit teardown also shows how to remove the wireless cards, solid state disk,  motherboard, and other components. Along the way we learn that the Series 5 has a 16GB SanDisk SDSA4DH-016G SSD, which is the same SSD used in the Google Chrome Cr-48 laptop. The notebook also has a Qualcomm Gobi mobile broadband chip and an Atheros AR9382 802.11n WiFi chip.

The teardown also confirms that the Chromebook has a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor and 2GB of DDR3 memory. You can find more details and photos at iFixit.

via Chrome Story

The Samsung NC110 is Samsung latest entry-level 10 inch netbook.  It weighs just over 2.7 pounds and features a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel matte display, a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor, 1GB of DDR3 memory and a 250GB hard drive.  The Samsung NC110 has a list price of around $330, you can often find this model for as little as $290 in the US.  So far we have not found it available anywhere in the UK yet.

Brad, at Liliputing, got a demo unit to test for a few weeks. The model he tested had a 48Whr battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. In summary, he found it to be quite a capable budget offering.  Notably, it had a decent touchpad, compact design, and a few features that you won’t often find in netbooks in this price range including decent speakers and Bluetooth.

The Samsung NC110 is a solid entry in the budget 10 inch netbook space. It’s not the most powerful mini-laptop around and it doesn’t have the highest resolution display or the longest battery life. But for under $300 you get a reasonably good keyboard, an adequate processor, quiet operation, decent speakers, and a matte display.

You can pick up the Samsung NC110 netbook from Amazon for $289.99 if you’re in the US. UK folks will have to wait for availability and pricing.