News Bits: Dell Low-Cost Subnotebook, Dell XPS M1530 Updates, Asus M70, PS3 Laptop

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Dell to launch low-cost subnotebook in June

According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell is planning to launch a low-cost 8.9-inch mini-notebook this June. It will be an Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-Note competitor. It will be produced by Compal Electronics and carry a starting price tag of $399.

Full Story (WSJ.com)
Via (Laptoping.com)

Alienware launches new AlienNetwork digital channel initiative

Alienware is introducing a new initiative called the AlienNetwork. AlienNetwork is a digital channel Alienware designed to help it share information with the public and provide customers with a way to communicate directly with the company. A pilot episode of a new video series will be launched on April 29 featuring a question-and-answer session with top executives including General Manager Arthur Lewis and VP of Product Development Frank Azor. Questions may be submitted on the AlienNetwork home page about the new m15x gaming notebook and its upcoming counterpart, the 17-inch m17x.

Full Story (Alienware.com)

Dell XPS M1530 gets LED, Full HD display options

Dell has updated the display offerings on its 15.4-inch XPS M1530 notebook. New options include a WXGA+ (1440x900) LED backlit display and a Full HD WUXGA (1920x1200) glossy display, $150 and $100 upgrades over the stock WXGA+ glossy display respectively.

Product Link (Dell.com)
Via (Engadget.com)

Asus introduces M70 multimedia notebook

Image couresy PCLaunches

Asus today released the M70 multimedia notebook, featuring a 17-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) widescreen display. Key features include a Blu-ray drive, built-in Altec Lansing speakers, Dolby Home Theater, and an ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics card with 256MB of memory. The notebook is based on Intel's Santa Rosa Centrino platform with available 45nm Penryn Core 2 Duo processors and up to 4GB of RAM. The M70 packs two 500GB hard drives for a total of 1TB of space.

Full Story (PCLaunches.com)
Via (Engadget.com)

Ben Heck creates PS3 laptop

(view large image)
Image courtesy Engadget

Ben Heck has created another masterpiece - this time it is a PS3 laptop. It has a 17-inch 720p display, HDMI-DVI connection, built-in keyboard, USB ports, speakers, and a headphone jack. The PS3 laptop weighs in at an astounding 16 pounds. Ben Heck donated the laptop to Engadget and they plan to auction it off for charity.

Full Story (Engadget.com)

Assassin's Creed reviewed

A comprehensive review of the new PC game Assassin's Creed has been posted in the forums by member The Forerunner. Assassin's Creed is a third person action-adventure title developed and published by Ubisoft. The game mixes stealth, action, and platforming elements to create a very unique experience. The game also incorporates real historical information and figures from the age of the Crusades. Assassin's Creed is also the very first game to make use of Ubisoft's Scimitar engine.

Continue reading in the forums

[Thomas]

16 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG, that'll crush your leg.

[Hahutzy]

That's also the first thought that came to mind.

But let us all hope that Dell won't be using crappy VIA processors as well.

Because the EEE needs a real competitor...

[Dustin Sklavos]

Dell's subnotebook will probably be Atom powered.

Did anyone notice that ASUS's M70 packs in all this power and then a breathtakingly lame Radeon HD 3470? Really? That's the best we can get in a 17" multimedia notebook?

[scythie]

Did anyone notice that ASUS's M70 packs in all this power and then a breathtakingly lame Radeon HD 3470? Really? That's the best we can get in a 17" multimedia notebook?

Noticed that, too... A big downgrade from the M50's GeForce 9500 GS.

[Tailic]

I hope Dell can put the Eee back into its place, Asus is getting a bit carried away right now with no competition. I also hope it isn't a Via cpu too, a cheap AMD cpu would do nicely.

It'd be nice if they could get even cheaper but with this recession I doubt it.

[Myrk]

I can only guess, but the m70 looks like it is ONLY thought to be for TVstreaming watching blu rays and that stuff, not gaming, and if only LIGHTEST gaming...
I would have expected a better graphics card, seeing that the m50 has a better one (mid lvl vs lowlvl)
A 3670 would have fitted quite nicely, but price was most likely an issue
A DELL subnotebook? would be interesting to see, does anybody know which platform it will be running on? the new AMDTI platform (which would be faster in terms of graphics) or INTEL based?
i would have like to see an 10" subnotebook, well, one cannot get evcerything i guess ^^

[skywalker]

The Asus M70 geared toward a multimedia notebook while their gaming series would still be the G1/G2 series.
It's nice to see more low-cost subnotebook

[menos]

It's nice to see more low-cost subnotebook

That's right! Lenovo! Wake up, there is no leak about X100!

[yuio]

hmmm.. I like that m70... wonder how much it would set a person back...