Jkk points us to a quick video of the upcoming Samsung N310. Take a look a the video below. As I mentioned when we first saw the N310, I don’t quite see how customers will differentiate this from the N110. Both are running extremely similar specs and the only major differences seem to be aesthetics and a chilet keyboard on the N310 vs. a standard laptop keyboard on the N110 [Portal comparison of N110 and N310]. It seems like some people might be turned off by the single color matte design of the N310 but I think it looks decent. The largely rounded edges and giant Samsung logo on the back make the unit look somewhat fat. If Samsung is really intending for the N310 netbook to be semi-rugged, I don’t understand why they didn’t take additional steps such as fitting it with an SSD.

File this post into the better late than never category.

Samsung started into the ultra mobile PC market with the original Q1 [Portal page] from there, they upgraded to the Q1 Ultra [Portal page] which added a split keyboard, increased the screen resolution, and made some other upgrades. Now Samsung is getting back to its roots with the Q1EX which was spotted at CES 2009.

The Q1EX looks like a more refined version of Samsung’s original slate UMPC, the Q1. They dropped the split keyboard from the Q1 Ultra and moved to the Via Nano platform for processing. They were able to get the price down to a pretty reasonable price, but they made some compromises like battery life and no more keyboard.

Laptop Mag got their hands on a Q1EX for a review session. They found the price to be more reasonable than the predecessors, but didn’t like the reduced battery life and lack of an effective method of text input. I would say that the unit is definitely an upgrade over the original Q1 which would be great for anyone who enjoyed using one. There is also a pretty cool organizer case which has a keyboard that attaches to the Q1EX to make text entry a bit easier (pictured below).

The SWD-M100 Mondi [product page] is the WiMax device that was spotted at MWC in Feb. There in Barcelona it was seen running Windows Mobile 6.1 which didn’t really get too many people excited. It looks like we might find out more soon though. Phone Scoop have found a new image on a Samsung RSS feed.

The device is potentially very interesting. If it uses a fast, Cortex-core  processor, Windows Mobile 6.5 and the new Opera Mobile 9.7 browser then it will meet a lot of wish-lists, spot-on. Until we get further info though, we’re still left with the same specs as we had before:

• 4.3 inch touchscreen
• Wimax, Wifi and Bluetooth
• Dual cams ( 3M + 0.3M pixels )
• Micro SD
• TV out
• Windows Mobile 6.1 with Opera web browser

Fingers crossed that it comes in HSDPA flavour.

Update: Samsung Mondi is now in the database with links, videos and specifications.

via Samsung’s First Wimax Device Spotted (Phone Scoop).

Via JKKMobile.

Laptopmag.com seems to get their hands on netbooks before anyone else these days. Not only did they get a Samsung NC110 before the unit was announced, but they had enough time to review the whole thing and record a nice video overview that compares the new N110 to the old NC10.

Take a look at the video.

Today we saw the introduction of two new netbooks to the Samsung line. Samsung entered the netbook market in October of 2008 with the respectable NC10 [Portal page] which had a solid economy design, and impressed people with its battery life. Now Samsung updates the NC10 to the the N110, and introduces the NC310. Laptopmag.com already got their hands on the N110 and gives us a nice review (linked below).

You won’t be surprised at the insides of the N110; not only are they similar to almost every other netbook out there, but they are actually identical to the NC10:

• 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB HDD

The N110 is also still has the same 1024×600, 10.2 inch screen. However they did make some improvements. The exterior of the netbook is all new. The unit definitely looks more sleek than the original. The touch pad is bagger, and perhaps most importantly, the battery has had an increase in capacity. The battery has jumped up to a 5900mAh rating, over the original 6-cell’s 5200mah, yet the size remains the same which is great. It seems as though they have squeezed a bit more room out of the keyboard as well. It definitely looks a bit nicer than the original, though they are still using very standard laptop key style, while we see many other netbooks jumping over to the chicle style keys. Read the entire N110 review from Laptopmag.com.

Samsung also announced the NC310 today which is an interesting looking netbook. The NC310 seems to be a bit less worried about a slim design, and instead adds a bit of ruggedness to the netbook. Strangely, they went with the chicle style keyboard on the NC310, but not the NC110. The internal offerings are identical to the N10/110 except right off the bat Samsung tells us that the NC310 will have optional 3G or WiMAX. The NC310 seems to share a bit of styling from the HP Mini 1000 [Portal page] with a non-protruding bezel around the screen. I can’t say I’m a big fan of the giant, raised Samsung logo on the top of the lid, and I seems like consumers might have a hard time seeing the difference between the N110 and NC310.

[Netbooknews.de] and [Liliputing]

Welcome to this week’s netbook roundup. In this space every Monday I’ll highlight netbook news items that might not need their own individual posts but may still be interesting.

• Black Samsung NC10 now shipping, slightly cheaper — The slightly modified black Samsung NC10 [Portal page] with larger trackpad is now shipping and can be bought for less.

• Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Review — Laptop Mag reviews the Dell Mini 10 [Portal page]. “Dell’s first 10-inch netbook has a compact chassis, good keyboard, and a crisp 10-inch display, but we wish it offered better battery life for the price”.

• New Acer netbook hits the FCC web site — Looks like there might be a different new Aspire One 10″ netbook in the works. FCC docs give a few hints.

• HP Now Offers Extended Battery for the HP Mini 1000 — HP has released the extended battery for the HP Mini 1000 [Portal page][Review]. It will run you $119.

• First look at the Eee PC 1008HA’s Eee Dock app – Video — The upcoming Eee 1008HA has some Asus built software that gets demoed on video at CeBIT 09.

The Q1UEX has hit the retail channels in the US. $729 for the Q1EX-71G. (NP-Q1EX-FA01US.) Lets take a closer look to see where we stand with this

• Resolution: 1024 x 600 [unknown if this is soft orhard touch]
• Processor: via nano ulv u2500 [expect Atiom 1.6Ghz performance]
• Processor speed: 1.2 ghz
• Hard drive size: 60 gb – 1.8 hdd [if it’s the same as the Q1U, can be upgraded to SSD]
• Memory size: 2 gb ddr2 667 mhz [2GB is good]
• i/o ports: 2-usb 2.0 3 in 1 card slot (ms sd(sdio) sdhc headphone out internal mic [No dock]
• Graphics: via chrome9 [better than GMA500!]
• hc connectivity: 802.11 b/g wireless bluetooth v2.0 wireless [no draft-n]
• battery: 4-cell lithium ion [That should be about 30wh – Expect 3hrs max based on what I’ve seen on the Samsung NC20. The VIA Nano is not a serious contender to Atom in terms of efficiency.]
• Operating system: genuine microsoft windows xp tablet edition software: samsung recovery solution iii samsung magic doctor samsung update plus easy display manger easy battery manager easy network manager easy speedup manager mcafee virus scan adobe acrobat reader
• Other: 1.3 mega pixel camera wrist strap & usb data sync cable
• I estimate the weight at 700gm

No 3G. No GPS.

If this has a hard-touch screen, it makes it a very interesting small tablet PC but at over $700, Samsung are obviously not aiming at a mass market.

I still don’t understand what Samsung are aiming at here.  They were prepared to take risks in the ultra mobile PC market in 2006 and 2007 but you can’t take risks with tablets in 2009 if you’re not bringing anything new to the party which makes me think that this ultra mobile PC is the result of a demand from a specific industry sector.

Anyone out there got any insights or thoughts?

Source: Samsung Q1EX-71G Now Available to Order, $729 | GottaBeMobile.com.

I’ve been asking questions in my head about this one ever since I saw it crop up at CES. Did Samsung produce this as a new ultra mobile PC concept or did a big customer put an order in for a specific device for a big project? Or are they trying to re-ignite the tablet pc or jump the ‘reader’ market?

For ultra mobile PC and TabletPC fans though, this could be interesting. Navigadget have spotted a GPS in the specs (indicating that Samsung might be targeting the transport industry?) and if it’s got a heavy touchscreen, it could be a great little TabletPC option.

It seems strange that Samsung, with their knowledge of both ultra mobile PC and Netbook markets, would produce a new ultra mobile PC out of the blue so my feeling is that Samsung are aiming at a specific customer with this one which means pricing will come with the usual premuim.

We should be getting hold of one in the next month so we’ll bring you the full details then. In the meantime, check out a few pics, some details and a possible price at Navigadget

Samsung NP-Q1EX — NaviGadget.