July 3 - 1:30pm EDT   Michael Arrington, the founder of tech blog TechCrunch, made good on his promise to create his own hardware company, with the launch of CrunchPad Inc. Based in Singapore, the firm will employ a total of 14 employees and its first and only product, the CrunchPad Internet tablet, is expected to be revealed at a press event scheduled for the end of July. [full story]

July 3 - 12:35pm EDT   EMTEC has recently showed off an upcoming nettop PC flying under the G-Box codename. The small form factor PC will be powered by the NVIDIA Ion platform that mates an Intel Atom CPU with the HD-capable graphics and system combo chipset. Despite this capability, there is a VGA output instead of HDMI, indicating the PC is aimed at a business environment, though a version with the video and sound signal port is expected to launch later on. [full story]

July 2 - 3:40pm EDT   Chinese electronics maker Inkia has recently launched a pair of nameless Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) powered by 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPUs, with both 7-inch and 5-inch versions. Each is equipped with an 800x480 resolution touchscreen, 1GB of RAM and solid state drive storage up to 32GB. The preloaded operating system is either Linux or Windows XP. Other features common to either system include 3G support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. [full story]

July 2 - 10:20am EDT   Archos on Thursday confirmed that it would port its Archos 9 PCtablet to the US. The ultra-mobile PC is due to arrive Stateside in the fall and is one of the first systems known to ship with Windows 7. Adding the OS both gives it reasonable performance with its 1.2GHz Atom chip as well as fuller support for the touchscreen features essential to the design. [full story]

July 1 - 3:20pm EDT   Wireless provider Cellular South on Wednesday announced it will soon sell its own subsidized 3G-capable netbook, the 10.1-inch Dell Inspiron Mini 10. Its version, like that for AT&T, holds an internal 3G modem that supplies long-range data access wherever the carrier has coverage. As a CDMA carrier, though, Cellular South will use EVDO instead of HSPA. [full story]

June 30 - 4:45pm EDT   Intel is said to be working on a reference design guideline that would allow its hardware partners to develop an HD video decoder and integrate it into Intel's Pineview desktop platform alongside a new Atom D410 or D519 CPU, Fudzilla reported on Tuesday. The current desktop Pineview platforms are not capable of HD video playback, and thus far, only NVIDIA is offering such a capability via its Ion chipset. [full story]

June 30 - 12:00pm EDT   BenQ recently announced the release of its latest netbook PC, the Joybook Lite U102. The PC is powered by Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and sports a 10.1-inch, 1024x600 resolution LED-backlit screen as well as built in Wi-Fi, all of which are par for netbooks. Where the U102 breaks from the norm is with its 250GB hard drive and optional 3G access. There is a dedicated shortcut key for switching between the two types of wireless networks. [full story]

June 29 - 11:50am EDT   Samsung will be one of the next PC makers to launch a netbook based on NVIDIA's Ion platform based on a combination of a leak. Shown briefly during an NVIDIA presentation, the N510 is now known by insiders for Blogeee to use Ion to significantly improve 3D graphics and HD video decoding. It will also be Samsung's largest netbook-class system with a 11.6-inch display, although a very narrow bezel should reduce the overall footprint of the computer. [full story]

June 26 - 4:05pm EDT   The most recent unofficial report regarding a rumored Nokia netbook has it being released in 2010 and using the open-source Android operating system from Google. According to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Daniel Amir, Nokia will sell the devices via wireless carriers, like it currently does with its cellular phones. In a research note issued on Friday morning, Amir said conversations with device manufacturers have confirmed this information, though he expects Nokia will face stiff competition from the established PC makers in the class. [full story]

June 24 - 5:20pm EDT   Lenovo is now shipping its IdeaPad S12 notebook PC in the US. The 12.1-inch netbook PC sports the prerequisite 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU and a 1280x800 resolution. The netbook will also be the first to offer NVIDIA's Ion chipset later this summer, giving it 1080p HD video and 3D video processing capabilities along with an HDMI output. The versions now shipping include an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics processor. [full story]

June 24 - 5:15pm EDT   ViewSonic announced on Thursday it is now shipping its first PC, the VPC100, which was first announced at the start of the year. The PC sports an 18.5-inch LCD with a 1366x768 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The processing components are fitted into the same, 1.4-inch thick case, including the 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard drive, which comes preloaded with Windows XP Home. [full story]

June 24 - 10:30am EDT   The first fruits of the Intel-Nokia partnership could come within a matter of weeks, the Taiwan-area Commercial Times newspaper claimed today. Stating the rumor as fact, it insists that reports of Nokia netbooks are true and that a portable based on Intel Atom chips could come as soon as this summer. Its details aren't known, but Quanta would be contracted to build the computer. [full story]

June 23 - 4:35pm EDT   The SK3-series convertible netbook from Kohjinsha spotted yesterday is due for a release in its home market of Japan this Friday. The tablet netbook weighs just 1.6lbs and sports a 7-inch touchscreen with 1024x600 resolution. It is powered by a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU and has 1GB of RAM. It is said to support Windows 7, though its 60GB hard drive will not be preloaded with the as-yet unreleased operating system, at least initially. [full story]

June 23 - 3:20pm EDT   Toshiba today quietly started offering its NB205 netbook within the US. First shown in American trim at the start of the month and already on sale in Canada, the netbook is slimmer than before but lasts much longer on battery, running up to 9 hours. A slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom N280 also sets it apart. [full story]

June 23 - 12:30pm EDT   Despite the prominent sales spot for netbooks, many of those buying the mini PCs are not only unsatisfied with the experience but often have unrealistic expectations, an NPD study shows. About 60 percent of those who bought netbooks mistakenly assumed the systems would have the same features and performance as notebooks. Among college-age buyers, 65 percent expected the systems to run faster than they did, and only 27 percent were impressed by the relative speed. [full story]