Hong Kong Phooey

Wow, this is hot.

Source - LinuxJB

[Updated: 4 May] Laptop Magazine’s mini-review on the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is up, link here.

Still want to know more about the ASUS Eee PC 900? jkkmobile just released a 34 minute long video review which is so far the most thorough review on the Eee PC 900, check it out.

Source - jkkmobile

jkOnTheRun posted an article on how to downgrade the Windows Vista version of the HP 2133 Mini-Note to Windows XP, I’ve linked the instructions below from bsumpter over at notebookreview.com’s forum since Heyman just asked for it, hope it helps.  Full thread on the post is linked here.

1) Plug in USB DVD / CD drive, insert WinXP disk.
2) Boot computer, hitting F9 at bootup to choose boot volume.
3) Choose your DVD / CD drive to boot from, then hit any key to boot from CD.
4) During XP setup, blow away all existing paritions (leave the small 400mb if you ever plan on reinstalling Suse Linux - I did not).
5) Format as NTFS - I used the “Quick” option as it takes forever the other way.
6) Install XP as normal from here forward.
7) Once installed, grab the Broadcom Ethernet driver and install it via CD or SD card:
http://www.broadcom.com/support/ethe…me_desktop.php Once you have a working NIC, connect to the internet, activate your copy of XP, and go to the “Windows Update”.
9) From Windows Update, choose “Custom” and install all of the hardware drivers it offers.
10) Reboot.
11) At this point, everything should be working except sound and HP Quicklaunch button support.
12) Download the KB888111 patch and install for the first part of the sound fix:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/…howtopic=47079
13) Download the Vista sound drivers for the Mini-Note from the HP website:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport…tem=ob-59522-1
14) Run the install for the file above. It will unzip to a folder of your choosing, try to run, and then bomb because you don’t have Vista.
15) Go to Device Manager, double click on the “?” for sound device, choose Update Driver, and point it at the Vista driver folder unzipped by the above application.
16) At this point, you should have sound when finished.
17) Install the HP QuickLaunch button drivers (it’s under “Official Site 1″):
http://notebook.free-driver-download…s-2000-XP.html
1 Ignore the popups for new hardware during this install - they will go away on their own.
19) Hit the “Start” button, click “Run”, then type “msconfig”.
20) Once inside msconfig, click the “Startup” tab on the right, and turn OFF “smax4pnp”.
21) Reboot.

Source - bsumpter via jkOnTheRun

Two versions will be launch in Hong Kong and both will be running on the VIA C7M 1.2GHz processor.

The Linux version will feature 1GB Ram on board together with a 120GB Hdd; price: HK$3,999 (US$513).

The Vista version will feature 2GB Ram on board together with a 160GB Hdd; price: HK$4,999 (US$641).

Both very interesting video, the comparison on HP’s Vista version and the ASUS Eee PC running on WinXP might bot be the best comparison but nonetheless gives you a vague idea on the booting speed on both different processor.

Source - PCMPodcast

My new entry over at CNET Asia Community Blog is up. This week’s entry, “The ASUS Eee PC 900 Mess”. Click here for the read.

Following my previous post on ASUS Eee PC 900 Battery - 4,400mAh or 5,200mAh or 5,800mAh?, ASUS Hong Kong finally announced that they will be exchanging all 4,400 mAH capacity batteries with the 5,800 mAH capacity batteries, that is, if your Eee PC 900 was purchased in Hong Kong since launch date (19 April). For information, please contact ASUS HK Royal Club, Tel: 2958 1620 (Kowloon); 35824770 (Hong Kong Island). Full press release (in Chinese) as follow -

Source - ASUS

In my previous post, ASUS Eee PC 900 Launch Imminent, I linked up some pics from an unboxed article (dated 12 April) from XEPC.org where they showed that the battery capacity of the ASUS Eee PC 900 was at 5,200mAh.

In an even earlier article from one of the top local computer magazine (dated 15 April), PCMarket, it showed a higher capacity battery at 5,800mAh (PCMarket clarified on the 19 April that ASUS will be shipping the 4,400mAh battery instead, strange it showed a 7.2V output, seems like it’s from the Eee PC 701 instead)).

But in fact, this is what you’ll be getting out of the first batch of the ASUS Eee PC 900 launched in Hong Kong on the 19 April, a 4,400mAh battery.

The ASUS Eee PC 900 features a 8.9″ active matrix TDT LCD screen with 1024×600 resolution; 1GB DD2 Ram; 20GB SSD and 1.3 mega-pixel camera. My Eee PC 900 runs on Linux and Firefox browser.  The whole thing do look small and feels incredibly light at 990g.  The wireless connection is slow at disconnecting and connecting but nonetheless still pretty smooth.

Retail price at HK$3,998 (US$513), but because of limited stock available at present, prices are up to HK$4,488 in Mongkok Computer Centre and HK$4,688 in Wanchai 168 Computer Centre.

As the Windows XP version are not available yet, expect another HK$680 if you want the retailers to install a copy of Windows XP licence for you, that is, if you can’t wait till they formally release it.  As for the screen protector, you can get it for around HK$150 (tight fit).
Read more »

Wow, what a trip to Singapore, will do a wrap up on that later tonight. While I was gone, ASUS Hong Kong launched the ASUS Eee PC 900 (Linus version) and the first batch was on sale yesterday. As I got back late last night (around 3:00am), I got a message that mine was ready for pick up today.

Okay, some pics for now and I’ll follow up with a more detail review in a few hours. If you have any questions, just post it up here and I’ll include them in the review.

Pic from XEPC.org

[13 April] Following my last post on the ASUS Eee PC 900, we learned that have just hit the FCC and the first unbox pics started surfacing so the launch date is imminent. Over the weekend, XEPC.org published the unbox pics of the ASUS Eee PC 900 and if you want to take a first look at it, the link is here.

Source - XEPC.org

[Updated: 15 April] Added the following video preview of the ASUS Eee PC 900 from PCMarket.com.hk.

Source - PCMPodcast

Following my last post on the HP 2133 UMPC, James Kendrick over at jkOnTheRun received a test unit for a week and he just publish a very long and thorough review on it. His take on the HP 2133 -

“I think HP has a real winner on their hands with the Mini. I find it to be a capable notebook computer that is highly portable and the build quality is outstanding. I also find it impressive that the total price swing from entry level (with Linux) to fully loaded is only $250 and there is no question in my mind that the Mini is the best built UMPC at this price level. I wish HP had put an Intel processor instead of the Via but that is probably my long-time prejudice against the Via rather than any actual observed issue. I find it delightful that HP will allow consumers to configure a Mini exactly as desired on their online store which is unusual for such a low-cost device. I would have no problem recommending the Mini to anyone looking for a highly mobile notebook with few compromises.”

If that’s not enough, check out his video review on the HP 2133. For your information, the HP 2133 is ready for order now in the US.

Source - jkOnTheRun

Pics from Engadget

[27 March] According to Engadget’s sources, the UMPC will be hitting the streets on 7 April. Love that screen size and VIA processor, no word on battery life yet. One thing for sure it would be tough competitor for the ASUS Eee PC and the Everex CloudBook. For more info, check out the article from Engadget here.

Source - Engadget

[Updated: 29 March]  Following Heyman’s comment on the HP 2133 UMPC’s weight, I went and double-check, the guys over at UMPC Portal listed the weight at 1.3KG, which makes more sense.

Pic from engadget

What they called an unconventional review, the guys over at X-bits Lab ran a very thorough review on the new Apple MacBook Air and their verdict,

“This notebook is beautiful, innovative, mobile and quite functional and hence is very appealing to users. We can definitely recommend it to many advanced users, but not to all of them. The thing is that MacBook Air is only good until you start looking at it as at a fully-functional universal computer system. This is where the new Apple solution cannot compete against other products with more ports, optical drives, wired network support, better balanced hardware configuration, etc.

In other words, Apple MacBook Air is not a notebook in the common meaning of this word, but a gadget with notebook functionality…In reality, MacBook Air is not a mainstream solution at all. It is an expensive specific toy for techno-maniacs with futuristic views.”

For full article, go the the link here.

Source - engadget