If you ask me, this young lady looks a bit smug; still, she has not one but three of LG’s new X130 netbooks, so I guess she has cause to be. Behind the by-now-clichéd glossy pink, black and white lids there’s a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LCD display, while under the hood there’s a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and 1GB of RAM. In fact, if you’re thinking that this all sounds strikingly familiar then you’d be right: the only major change here is the standard 9-cell battery.
The LG X110 is, under its pleasant casing, basically an MSI Wind. What LG throw into the mix is integrated 3G, and it’s that which singles the netbook out in Register Hardware’s review. The 10-inch X110 has the usual Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive; it’s also available free, if you sign up with one of a number of mobile broadband contracts in the UK.
You’ve seen it live and bare, now see the LG X110 netbook stripped from its packaging and paraded. UMPC Fever have unboxed the 10.1-inch budget ultraportable and not stopped when they got to the plastic; they’ve also cracked the X110 open to scope out possible upgrade points.
Update: Check out the video unboxing after the cut
LG’s netbook – which we played with back at IFA 2008 - has now got a product page and a full name - X110 Momo – together with confirmation of the 3G WWAN connectivity. According to the LG people we spoke to back in August, 3G HSPA and GPS would be optional additions for the X110 Momo; only one version of the netbook is currently shown on the product page, including “3G embedded”, but the full specifications seem to suggest that multiple models will be available, with and without WWAN.
The biggest news this week has been coming out of IFA 2008, with SlashGear’s roving reporter there, Milena Glimbovski, sending back all the details of the hottest new hardware. The netbook train shows no sign of slowing, with LG’s X110 and Fujitsu’s AMILO Mini Ui 3620 finally stepping out of the shadows and getting full announcements. There’s too much good stuff to mention it all individually, so check out the IFA 2008 tag for SlashGear’s full coverage.
LG unveiled their new netbook, the X110, at IFA 2008 today, and while as expected it’s based on the MSI Wind, the company has added lashings of connectivity that push up both usability and price. That includes a choice of built-in 3G HSPA and GPS modules.
It’s become somewhat traditional to start the week’s review with what’s happening in the netbook world, a niche that’s arguably the fastest developing right now in consumer tech. Fujitsu kicked things off with the proclamation that budget ultraportables “don’t add up” and that the current race to the bottom line doesn’t give manufacturers enough room to make profit; Fujitsu were rumored the week before to be planning a netbook of their own, only with the emphasis on build quality rather than solely the price tag. Sony also picked up a few netbook-in-progress rumors, tipped for Q4 2008, and HP revealed that they’re working on a follow-up to the 2133 Mini-Note that will be less sturdy but also less expensive.
LG, too, are said to have a netbook in the works, with a model tentatively named X110 running Intel’s Atom CPU and made for them by MSI. It’s uncertain whether, if this turns out to be true, the X110 would be a rebadge of the MSI Wind or a whole new design. Finally, ASUS confirmed they wouldn’t be letting up the pressure as firm most associated with the segment; there’s talk of an “all day” battery and cloud storage option for release later on in 2008.
Latest company to be tipped in a netbook rumor is LG, with a Digitimes report claiming they had been looking for a manufacturing partner and, according to sources, settled on MSI. The budget notebook, apparently called the X110, is tipped to launch in October and, like many rivals, will use Intel’s Atom processor.
I confess, I’m preaching the dream but up until a month ago I wasn’t living it. The dream is, of course, distributed audio: I’m a huge fan of keeping all your music digitally on some server in your house, and streaming it wirelessly to whichever room you’re sitting in, but I’ve never had the money or time to set up such a system myself. Of course, for many DIY installers the flagship is Sonos’ incredible Digital Music System (reviewed by SlashGear last November), but there are other – cheaper – ways to enjoy your favourite albums while cooking, ironing or pooping.
TerraTec’s NOXON iRadio is one such way. A compact, 215×120x110mm box weighing just 1kg, it not only streams your digital music collection but can access thousands of internet radio stations, all played through the built-in speaker. An 802.11g WiFi adaptor takes care of wireless connectivity, as well as a standard ethernet port for network traditionalists, with control managed either by front-panel buttons or IR remote.
SlashGear Japan
