There’s Nothing Special About the Epson Endeavor Na02mini-V Netbook
Sadly, the successor of the Epson Endeavor Na01 netbook, the Na02mini-V, has specs that don’t deviate much from the norm.
Epson’s new netbook will have a 10.1″ display with 1024×600 resolution, be powered by a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, and have 1 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive. It will also have Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, an Ethernet port, and a multi-card reader.
The standard battery on this upcoming machine isn’t anything to boast about either, but rumor has it that there may be an option to upgrade to a greater-celled battery, which could last up to 10 hours.
The new Endeavor will be available in November and carry a price tag of ¥39,800, or roughly $430.
Via Engadget.
Epson Endeavor Netbook Gets Even Blander
Epson of Japan is delivering a white version of its previous netbook, the Na01 Endeavor.
The new Na01 Endeavor Mini White is exactly the same in terms of specs – it offers an “Atom N270 processor (1.6Ghz), 1GB RAM, a 160GB HDD, Ethernet, Wifi, Bluetooth, three USB ports, a multicard reader, a One-Seg digital TV tuner, Windows XP and a 10.2-inch LCD screen with 1,024×600 resolution.” From a purely design standpoint, the new white version resembles a clunkier MSI Wind U100H or less-classy Samsung NC10.
We don’t know if the Epson netbook will ever see US shores, but frankly I don’t think anyone’s holding his breath. The Na01 Endeavor may be the blandest, most excruciatingly base netbook ever, even if it does its job well. If computers had feelings, I’d kinda feel bad for the little guy!
The white Na01 has also gotten a slim price cut, dropping it 6.4% for a mildly cheaper $480.
Via CrunchGear.
Coming This January: New Packard Bell Dot Netbook
Packard Bell is joining the frenzy of new netbooks this season, coming to the fore with its new Dot to be released this January.
As in the case of the Epson Endeavor, which we covered in our November 19th article, the new Packard Bell netbook seems aimed at competing in terms of cost and nothing else.
The Dot netbook will feature – as if we need to tell you – the 1.6GHz Intel Atom chip, 160 GB of storage, 1 GB RAM, Windows XP, and Wi-Fi. Mildly notable is its five-in-one card reader, and the fact that a 3G version should be forthcoming in the near future.
Packard Bell is not particularly well-known for avant-garde ideas but is certainly a competitor in nearly every market it joins. However, that hasn’t stopped netbook review sites from criticizing the Dot’s almost completely standard hardware and capabilities. Gizmodo, mocking the trend that netbooks have taken towards the mainstream, joked that in the future we should “look for netbooks to be fashioned from straw, beads, puff paints and other craft materials as they are hand-manufactured to raise money for local soccer teams.”
We can’t really say they’re wrong – at one point, netbooks only ran Linux, which is notoriously unfriendly to the consumer of average technological competence. Now XP is standard, with toys such as webcams and touchscreens becoming the norm. When the ASUS netbook, Wind netbook, and Mini-9 came to the market with similar statistics as the new Dot they were carving out a new market – however, by technological standards, Packard Bell is late in the game. We should be expecting better things at this point.
Regardless, there remains the possibility that the Dot will be very cheap, a factor that may be its only boon when it hits the market. We’ve got no complaints about that!
Check out Gizmodo’s review here.
