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Our eyes have been peeled for hands-on info concerning the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator we posted about back in. When rumors arose that HP had thrown the HD video accelerator into a new edition of one of its netbooks, we just couldn’t wait to see if it works.

So, does it?

CNet tested the new accelerator with Flash 10.1 on a netbook, and delivered some solid video footage of it as well. Since the Nvidia Ion isn’t currently available for netbooks built on the Atom N450 CPU, Broadcom’s Crystal HD chip seems to be the best way to get Flash 10.1 on a netbook. Flash 10.1 is the first version of Flash to be supported on the Broadcom Crystal HD CPU.

Unfortunately, CNet’s tests haven’t led to the astounding revolution Broadcom Crystal HD was supposed to be – the netbook achieved some amount of success after a few adjustments, but didn’t get up to the standard of what we think a HD video accelerator should be.

Their advice? Wait for software updates from Adobe and/or Broadcom before dropping cash on a netbook, if you want to be able to watch HD video instead of a HD slideshow.

Be sure to check out CNet’s video here.

LG has just announced a pair of new netbooks and a new notebook, ripe and ready for eager eyes at next week’s CeBIT conference in Germany.

The first is the LG T280 notebook – a sleek looking machine priced around $1000 with variations based on configuration. The specs for the LG T280 notebook are as follows:

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 11.6-inch display
• 1366 x 768 resolution
• Options of Intel 1.3GHz Pentium dual-core or Core 2 Duo processor
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• 320GB or 500GB hard drive options
• 2GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi
• Six-cell battery

Next in line are LG’s new netbooks. They look pretty standard, packing Intel Atom N450 CPUs, but the LG X140 and X200 netbooks have some visible differences when you look beneath the veneer.

The specs of the X140 and X200 netbooks are as follows:

The X140

• Windows 7 Starter
• 10.1 inch LCD display
• 1024 x 600 pixels
• 1GB of RAM
• 160 GB hard drive
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• 1.3-megapixel webcam
• Six-cell battery
• SIM card access

The X200

• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 1GB of RAM
• 250GB hard drive
• Chiclet-style keyboard
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• USB ports
• Weighs 2.7-pounds

LG’s past netbooks have included the LG X20 and LG X30. LG netbook offerings have historically been capable but bland, though LG did make headlines by delivering its X120 and X130 netbooks in Iraq and Jordan last August.

Via ZDNet.

Smartbooks will be making some crazy gains by 2015, according to ABI Research. But what the heck is a smartbook?

ABI Research analyst Jeff Orr has an answer that does a good job of distinguishing smartbooks from netbooks:

“As ABI Research defines it, a smartbook is a low-powered device running a mobile operating system that is always connected, either via Wi-Fi or (more often) using cellular or mobile broadband. Smartbooks can take many different shapes. They are a subset of MIDs (mobile Internet devices) and netbooks, and address the same potential users, usage, pricing, and market needs. The difference is that they don’t use x86 processors.”

ABI’s new research study claims that 163 million smartbooks will ship in 2015. It’s a pretty long bet, but considering that the first smartbooks appeared in 2008, it will be an ambitious target for manufacturers to hit.

If vendors bring smartbook prices below $200, the gains could be even greater.

Via ABIResearch.

Wow. The Associated Press is reporting that kids in Pennsylvania, having been issued laptops from their school, have allegedly been recorded doing “inappropriate things” in their own bedrooms – recordings taken at the directive of school administrators. Tech security personnel attempting to track down stolen machines activated the laptops’ webcams in order to find out where they had been taken.

This sounds like a poorly thought-out idea from school authorities with, hopefully, good intentions. Incompetence is the name of the game here, and considering the vast number of netbooks distributed to kids in the US and abroad, the problem could be broader than we think.

Check out the footage below for more on this story.

Via AssociatedPress.

T-Mobile USA could be sidling into the netbook market alongside competitors Verizon and AT&T, according to blog TmoNews. The new entrant to the netbook arena is expected to offer the Dell Mini 10 netbook by the end of March this year. The Dell Mini 10 has historically been sold by both AT&T and Sprint Nextel.

T-Mobile has been working hard to climb ranks in network buildout and 3G access, despite trailing behind bigger names. It’s making up the difference by deploying an HSPA+ nework upgrade. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week, T-Mobile announced that its first HSPA+ device, webConnect Rocket Laptop Stick, will be available this March.

Lenovo is taking its ThinkPad X100e laptop and delivering a 10-inch variant for the netbook lovers among us. The new machine hasn’t been given a new model name, for some reason, but it will come with a 10-inch display, Intel Atom N450 CPU, and variable amounts of RAM and HDD space, going all the way up to 4 GB and 320 GB respectively.

To contrast, the notebookier X100e computer has an AMD Athlon NEO CPU, 11-inch screen, 450 GB of storage, and 4 GB of RAM.

The netbook version of the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e will come with Intel integrated graphics and Windows 7 Starter edition. You can expect it in the next few weeks in the $500 price range.

Via Nexus404.

It’s been a while, but we’re back at it. ASK NBB #8: Netbooks With Big Batteries And SSDs has been revealed! Check it out here.

Everyone’s looking for mobility in new gadgets, but there’s one frontier few manufacturers have sought to expand – the path to the dark side.

Sometimes you just have to take things into your own hands, and that’s just what some hackers at HackADay have done. By adding an LED light into the lid of the netbook, the keys will be illuminated for a very low cost.

While USB powered reading lights accomplish the same thing, hacker Vikash didn’t want to carry around another device to light up his machine – a Dell Vostro, or Dell Mini 9.

To get this one done, you need to hook up the LED to the Ctrl key with a small programmable chip, controlling the LED light independently of the OS. He’s got the code for that, if you want to go all out.

Check it out here.

Image via HackADay.

CaseCrown’s soft suede netbook sleeve is a classy but functional piece that’s will complement any 10-12 inch netbook on the market today. It has a faux-suede exterior and a bright orange nylon interior lining, which adds a bit of energy to the setup.

The CaseCrown netbook sleeve has an exterior zipped pocket, ideal for accessory storage and transport. It comes with a detachable shoulder strap, so you can travel light with just your netbook or stow it in your backpack or briefcase when you have more to lug around.

The 7mm thick lightweight padding on the inside will protect your netbook from light knocks and falls, and the non-scratch zipper will ensure that your machine remains pristine.

You can get this piece of art from Gearzap for only £19.47 ($31.50) with a 12-month warranty.

The bestselling netbook on Amazon right now is the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE, retailing for $368.59. Why’s it so popular?

One reason could be the extremely classy ASUS Super Hybrid Engine, a tool that allows users to, upon the tapping of a hotkey, speed up the processor for performance or slow it down to extend battery life. This, combined with the ultra-efficient Intel Atom N450 CPU, allows users to get up to 14 hours of juice.

Also encouraging such efficiency is the LED-backlit 10.1″ screen, coming in at 1024 x 600 pixels. Other features include 802.11/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Windows 7 Starter, Bluetooth, a Plug-and-Play flash card slot, 0.3 megapixel webcam, 1 GB of RAM with the option to upgrade, and a massive 750 GB of Hybrid Storage (250 GB in the HDD and 500 GB on ASUS’ web servers.

What more needs to be said? Go get yours now for only $368.59.

Via I4U.

Word on the net says that MSI’s much-anticipated dual-monitor netbook, first seen at CES 2010, will be making an appearance on store shelves within a few months.

The netbook packs two 10″ monitors, one of which can be used as a keyboard with haptic feedback. While initial expectations were that MSI’s dual-screen netbook would run Windows 7, an interview with LaptopMag reveals that it could actually end up running the Google Chrome OS.

MSI says it will launch the netbook with 4.5 hours of battery life and e-reader capabilities. They may also add in a 7″ version of the tablet netbook by the time the original is released in Q3 or Q4.

As can be expected, info on pricing is not yet available, but I’m sure MSI will be doing its best to get the word out once a few more months go by.

Via I4U, image via Engadget.

Clear is offering a deal you certainly don’t see every day: an older netbook with a hefty subsidy and WiMAX access for connectivity. If you get WiMAX in your area, this should be a tantalizing deal, considering the fact that WiMAX is cheaper than 3G. Clear will give you its netbook with a two year netbook deal at $45/month with the first 6 months subsidized to $30 apiece.

The machine itself is a Samsung NC10 running a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270, priced at $199. Other features are more or less standard issue, if your standard is netbooks from a year ago: 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB HDD and 6 hours of battery life.

Via jkOnTheRun, image via Clear.

When Windows 7 was still in the works, many in the tech industry were eagerly anticipating a Netbook Edition of the OS. We were dismayed to see that Microsoft had ditched its plans in favor of the crappier Windows 7 Starter. However, it looks like many netbook users’ dreams have come true – a new, tweaked version of Windows 7 has been making its rounds on the Web under the moniker of Windows 7 Netbook Edition.

The OS is a customized version of Windows 7 Ultimate, ditching a lot of extraneous drivers, language packs, and additional features. It’s not made by Microsoft, but it’s expected to run on just about any netbook – even the oldest of the old.

Windows 7 Netbook Edition may be based on a pre-release version of Windows 7, so don’t be surprised if it implodes on you or kicks you out for not having a valid product key.

Via Liliputing.

MSI is planning to hit India’s netbook market hard in the near future, according to company representatives. It will deliver not only Atom netbooks but AMD-powered machines as well.

Their lineup is impressive – four netbooks, starting at Rs19,000, and ten notebooks starting at Rs38,000. MSI is adding hi-def displays to many of the netbooks, replacing the Intel chips with AMD CPUs to bypass Intel’s restrictions on certain displays used in netbooks. Samsung did a similar thing with its NC20 netbook last year.

Frank Hsu of MSI explained what MSI means to accomplish in India:

“We are targeting sales of around 60,000 to 80,000 units in India in 2010.”

MSI’s figures in India last year were between 12k and 15k.

Via DnaiIndia.

Lenovo has tried to update its S10 netbook before, and the results were less than impressive. Now the company is trying again with the Lenovo S10-3t tablet netbook.

The updated machine will cost $549 with a new processor option – the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 can be exchanged for a beefier 1.86 GHz Atom N470 for an extra $100. The new netbook rocks Windows 7 Home Premium, rather than Windows 7 Starter, which is absolutely worth it.

Keep in mind: with the $100 upgrade comes the Atom N470’s multi-touch capability. Other features include a 10.1″ screen, 2 GB of RAM, GMA 3150 graphics from Intel, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

You can get the Lenovo S10-3t netbook from the manufacturer here, or at Amazon for only $499 before the upgrade.

Via I4U, image via Amazon.

Meletronics is a Swiss retailer that recently got into the netbook category. Its inaugural netbook is called the M-Budget netbook, a machine with a green shell that, surprisingly, isn’t the ugliest we’ve ever seen. It’s going on sale for 333 Swiss Francs, or $324 USD.

The M-Budget netbook, also called the M0Budget MO-D250-0DGR, has an old school 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270, 160 GB HDD, and a gig of RAM – the classic netbook setup that’s fallen away thanks to a new generation of Atom CPUs. The machine comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a webcam, and a card reader.

Via Liliputing, image via Melectronics.

The Intel Classmate PC is getting some updates, including new Pine Trail CPUs and a sleek redesign by Intel. Designated the Convertible Classmate, Intel’s school-centric netbook currently features a 10.1-inch swiveling touchscreen.

The new Atom CPUs are 60% smaller and 20% more efficient than the old versions. The netbook will also feature optional 3G and WiMax connectivity. Larger screen sizes could be in the works for the Intel Classmate PC.

The Classmate PC began in 2007 as a response to and competitor to the OLPC XO netbook. It was redesigned once in September 2008, but this time around, the netbook could feature better graphics and 720p video.

Intel says Argentina is going to buy 250,000 Classmate PC netbooks later this year, to be delivered to 1500 schools by the UN. Brazil and Turkey have purchased Classmate PCs as well.

Via PCWorld, image via CrunchGear.

The Toshiba NB305 has been released with a price of $399. It’s essentially an upgrade to the NB205, coming with the same huge touchpad, metal keyboard, glowing power button and textured matte lid.

Toshiba has made this version a bit more attractive by tucking the battery underneath the chassis, rather than let it jut out the back. It tapers from 1.4 inches to 0.5 from front the back and is overall a slimmer version of the Toshiba build we’ve come to know and love.

Features include a 1.66 GHz Atom N450 CPU, Windows 7 Starter, a gig of RAM expandable to 2 GB and a 250 GB HDD. The NB305 has a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution on a 10-inch screen, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and an SD card reader.

Toshiba has boosted audio quality and volume  as well. As we noted back in August, the NB205 was a fantastic netbook beset by crappy audio. Supposedly, this has all been amended in the new NB305 netbook.

The Toshiba NB305 has an 8.5-hr battery life and you can get it at Amazon now.

Via MobileMag.