| Disappointed that the $150 Kmart tablet turned out to be just barely usable? Don’t worry, the folks behind the Augen GenTouch78 are working on a next-gen model that should address at least some users’ complaints.
The company says it’s working on a new Augen GenTouch Espresso line of tablets which will feature 7 to 10 inch capacitive multitouch displays. The new tablets should be ready for introduction at CES in January. The GenTouch78 is a 7 inch tablet with a resistive touchscreen display. You have to press the screen pretty hard to get it to notice you, and out of the box the screen isn’t very accurate either. Fortunately Augen issued a software update that lets you calibrate the display. But a capacitive multitouch model sounds like a much nicer option. Unfortunately there’s no information about the processor, price, or availability of third party apps for the new GenTouch Espresso line of tablets. But the reason Augen created so much buzz in the first place was because the company actually managed to get a low cost Android tablet into a major US retail store at a time when few alternatives were available. I’m not all that confident that Augen’s new devices will be all that exciting in January, with Samsung, Toshiba, and other big companies expected to start launching their own tablets as soon as this week. Engadget snagged a few pictures and some pricing information. Apparently the new models will range from $200 to $400, and unlike the current Augen GenTouch78, they’ll have accelerometers. It looks like the buttons will also be on the front of the tablet this time around. News Source: Liliputing |
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News
Augen is prepping next-gen tablets
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 06:11HP Mini 210 netbooks go dual core
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 06:10| HP is updating its Mini 210 line of netbooks. The biggest change is that you can now pick up this mini-laptop with 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 or 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475 processor, or a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core CPU.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. HP also gave the netbook a redesign so that a high capacity 6 cell battery ships standard with the new Mini 210. On older models the 6 cell battery was only available as an option, and it stuck out from the back of the netbook. The new HP Mini 210 6 cell battery sits flush with the back of the unit. HP is also offering 5 new colors: charcoal, crimson red, lavender frost, luminose rose, and ocean drive. HP says the new Atom N550 processor boosts performance enough to support 720p HD video playback — although to be honest, I’ve rarely had problems playing 720p video on netbooks with single core Atom processors. The tough part is playing HD Flash video, and for that you’ll probably still want to pick up the HP Mini 210 with the optional Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator. Other options include a higher resolution 1366 x 768 pixel display and integrated GPS with HP Navigator software. The new HP Mini 210 is available starting today for $329.99 and up from hpdirect.com. News Source: Liliputing |
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MSI introduces WindBOX III nettops with Core 2 Duo chips
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 06:10| Nettops are tiny desktop PCs with low power processors and low price tags. The general idea is that, like a netbook, these machines use less power than bigger machines and are designed to serve the needs of people who don’t necessarily need a supercomputer in their home office, living room, or wherever else you see fit to put the little computer. But I’ve never been 100% sold on the need to shove Intel Atom processors in the little guys, because let’s face it — you kind of expect at least a little more power from a desktop than a netbook.
That’s exactly what the new MSI WindBOX provides: a little more power than a typical nettop. Instead of netbook parts, this tiny desktop computer is choc full of the parts we’d expect to see in an Intel CULV-powere notebook. The WindBOX III has an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and Intel GS45 + ICH9M chipset with GMA 4500 graphics. It can support 1080p HD video playback, DirectX10 graphics, and comes with DVI and HDMI outputs. There are also 6 USB ports, 2 powered COM ports, and two internal mini PCIe slots. The nettop has built-in 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth.The computer supports up to 4GB of RAM. There’s also a VESA mount making it easy to attach the computer to the back of a monitor or TV. The MSI WindBOX III isn’t the first nettop to pack an Intel CULV processor instead of an Atom-based chipset. ViewSonic also offers a model. But the more the merrier. News Source: Liliputing |
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Samsung launches NF series netbooks (NF310, NF210, NF110) with dual core Atom
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 06:09| Samsung is evidently trying to set a new a new standard in mobile computer design with its recently introduced NF series netbooks. Mobile computer designers have reached an impasse, Samsung must have thought, and so, instead of relying on the trusted old ultra-thin netbook design that everyone everywhere seems to be so crazy about, they’ve employed a netbook design that’s thick around the back end and tapers towards the front (where the palm rest is). It may not look like much, but I think it kind of makes a statement. Something along the lines of, “I’m the new hotness.”
All in, there are a total of three NF series netbooks, which according to Samsung, deliver enhanced mobility and eye-catching design. A “powerhouse of practical technology to help you stay connected without compromising on a stylish design,” it says here. The first NF series netbook (pictured above) is the Samsung NF310, which boasts an Intel Atom N550 (Dual Core) processor, DDR3 memory, 1366×768 resolution widescreen display, and Windows 7. It looks like the Samsung NF310 is going to be Samsung’s first netbook carrying Intel’s latest N550 dual core Atom processor under the hood. The second one in the series is the Samsung NF210, a real mobile computing powerhouse according to its listed specs which mention it having up to 14 hours of battery life with its 6 cell 8850mAh battery. Finally, there’s the Samsung NF110, apparently the most affordable model in the new NF series, meant for those who just want to get in on the netbook craze without spending a crazy amount of money for what can be considered as high-end specs. All of the Samsung NF series netbooks will be available first in Europe in October before going global. More information will be available in a future post. News Source: Electronic Pulp |
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Acer’s Next Generation Nettop – Aspire Revo RL100
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:13| It’s been a year or two since Acer originally debuted the original Acer Aspire Revo series of nettops but now the company will be showing off their next generation Revo nettop – The Aspire Revo RL100 at IFA starting at the end of this week.
The Aspire Revo RL100 is thinner than the first generation with an almost Playstation inspired design. On the inside is an AMD Athlon II Neo K325 processor (dual core, 1.3GHz), Nvidia ION graphics, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, N Wi-Fi, DVD burner, LAN, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI,S/PDIF and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. The wireless remote control (Revo Pad) looks rather interesting – A square slab with illuminated touch sensitive keys displayed on the surface, a multi-touch trackpad and volume control. It slides back into the nettop chassis when you’re done with it. Benchmarks show a WEI score of 3.9. A Street Fighter 4 benchmark demo squeezes out 21 – 31 FPS at 1280 x 720 resolution. The Aspire Revo RL100 is being released in Asia right now, price unknown, and is just going official in Europe. News Source: Netbook News |
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ASUS Eee PC 1215N About Launch In The US
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:13| The 12.1-inch dual core, ION 2 (yes, it’s 16-core) and Optimus powered ASUS Eee PC 1215N is about to launch in the US as many US based sites have published their reviews on the 12-incher.
The 1215N is definitely the best performing 12-inch Eee PC netbook out there with improved battery life thanks to Nvidia Optimus on board to conserve battery life when not chewing on graphics or HD content. Notebookreview noted poor speaker quality, an average display, good build quality, a very flexy keyboard with “clicky” keys and performance in between 10-inch netbooks and larger thin and lights. 3D games at native resolution and low details are quite playable. WoW yields 45 FPS and Left 4 Dead 2 gives low 20 FPS. Battery life is an hour ahead of the last generation 1201N – 5.5 hours at 70% brightness. The ASUS Eee PC 1215N comes with a dual core Atom D525 processor, Nvidia ION 2 graphics, a 12.1? 1366 x 768 display, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD, Altec Lansing speakers, 0.3MP webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3x USB 2.0, 10/100 LAN, SDHC card reader, audio jacks inc. S/PDIF, VGA and HDMI, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Not one mention of when it will go on sale (I don’t see it up at any online stores other than ExcaliberPC) but I wouldn’t be suprised to see an official announcement later today from ASUS. Price we’ve already known – it’ll be available for just under $500. Update – TweakTown says it goes on sale today. News Source: Netbook News |
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WeTab OS Based On Meego? (Update: Delayed)
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:13| Update: Looks like we won’t be seeing the WePad at IFA starting this week as confirmed by a Neofonie rep. Not only that but it looks like the shipping date will be delayed from mid September (19th) to later September or early October (27th – 3rd). via nDevil.
While the German based WeTab 11.6-inch netbook based slate tablet is several weeks away from shipping (19 September) in Germany and currently outselling the iPad on Amazon.de, speculation circulates, fueled by a Financial Times article over there on whether or not the tablet will switch to MeeGo for the operation system. (I’m not sure of reasons – machine translated) There’s no confirmation and Neofonie CEO (WeTab creators) refused to comment on their relationship with Meego as well as Intel and Nokia not commenting on the situation. An early FAQ mentions their OS is “based on a recent and powerful Linux distribution. The entire user inferface was not developed from scratch and specifically for touch pads.” NewGadgets.de has been following the tablet closely since the beginning and believes that the current WeTab OS is actually based on Meego. We will eventually find out when the tablet starts reaching customers. News Source: Netbook News |
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Dell Streak to get Android 2.1 update Sept 1st… in the UK
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:12| The Dell Streak is a 5 inch Android tablet/smartphone that ships with Google Android 1.6. That’s right, it’s a nearly state-of-the-art machine with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, a 5 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, and an operating system that’s a few iterations behind the latest version of Google Android.
But UK carrier O2 says it will begin rolling out a software update to customers on Wednesday, September 1st. Unfortunately, the update will only bring the tablet up to Google Android 2.1. Users will have to hold on a little longer for Android 2.2 which brings additional features including a faster Java compiler, installing apps to an SD card, and an option to “update all” apps from the Android Market. That said, the O2 software update is expected to bring 720p HD video recording capabilities, multitouch gesture support. support for live wallpapers, and the ability to use multiple mail accounts, among other things. Word on the street is that US customers may not get the Android 2.1 update at all, and instead will have to wait until Android 2.2 is available later this year. On the other hand, with early builds of Android 2.1 for the UK version of the Dell Streak hitting the web early, I wouldn’t be surprised to see unofficial versions for US users soon. News Source: Liliputing |
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ViewSonic’s 7 inch Android tablet gets official
Submitted by shc-boomer on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:12| ViewSonic has officially unveiled its upcoming Android tablet. The ViewSonic Viewpad 7 has a 7 inch display and will run Google Android 2.2 Froyo. The company isn’t providing detailed specs, so we don’t know what kind of processor the tablet will have, but we do know that it will have what ViewSonic calls “phone functionality,” which means it will be able to connect to cellular networks and make phone calls.
That also means it will be able to access the Android Market. Google tends to restrict access to devices that function like smartphones — although some tablet makers seem to have found ways around that restriction. While there’s no word on the CPU, we do know that the tablet will have WiFi and 3G capabilities, Bluetooth, and an accelerometer. It will suport A-GPS and has a SIM card slot and micro SD card slot. The ViewPad 7 will have two cameras, with a VGA camera on the front and a 3MP camera on the back. ViewSonic will show off the ViewPad 7 at the IFA trade show in Berlin starting later this week, so hopefully we’ll find out more about its chipset and internal storage soon. News Source: Liliputing |
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ASUS Eee PC 1215P and 1018P Sporting Dual Core Atom Processor
Submitted by shc-boomer on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 06:16| More netbooks with Intel’s super cool dual core Atom N550 spotted!
First up is the 12.1? ASUS Eee PC 1215P which lists 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD, Wi-Fi and Windows 7 Home Premium are listed, priced at 447 euros at some German store. I’m a little worried that there’s no ‘N’ in the product name which means that there’s Nvidia ION on board. Following that is an ASUS Eee PC 1018P model sporting the dual core processor over at some Belgium store. No specs listed but it’s priced at 414 euros. News Source: Netbook News |
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Tegra 2 Benchmarked, Tops Smartphones
Submitted by shc-boomer on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 06:16| Chippy over at CarryPad is working through benchmarks for his newly acquired Toshiba AC100 over in Europe (see his first impressions and hands on videos) and first tests show huge promise in terms of performance – it’s clearly faster than any smartphone out there as seen in his chart below (cut off).
He was able to play 13Mbps 1080p H.264, 8.5Mbps WMV and 6.5Mbps video with no issues (apart from the default player crashing occasionally), and Raging Thunder 2 at the default 1024 x 600 resolution on the AC100 is apparently blistering fast. Great to hear about the performance. Battery life on the other hand, particularly on the AC100 at it is now, is not looking as great. Chippy and I have been testing standby time (with screen off, Wi-Fi) and the battery dies…. overnight. Clearly there is some kind of hardware / firmware issue at play here. My tests show the battery dead in around 12 hours. Battery life tops out at 6 hours, 5 hours is what you’ll get most of the time with typical usage. News Source: Netbook News |
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Samsung Galaxy Tab CDMA tested in wild again; official accessories outed
Submitted by shc-boomer on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 06:16| It’s starting to feel like everybody has a Samsung Galaxy Tab but us, though hopefully that will change shortly after IFA 2010 next week. The 7-inch slate has now shown up in Israel, complete with a CDMA radio, supposedly in the hands of a security app developer there. Meanwhile, details on the Samsung Galaxy Tab’s accessories have been spotted, including a QWERTY keyboard dock and Table Charging Station complete with HDMI connectivity.
According to the lucky app developer, the Samsung slate is fast and a serious iPad contender, with slick Flash playback on the Android 2.2 OS installed, together with strong audio performance (they had to use their own CDMA network equipment, since this seems to be a Galaxy Tab headed to the North American market and, from what we’ve heard, Verizon specifically). Only blot on the scorecard is GPS that is apparently sluggish initially, though after it locks it apparently works fine. As for the accessories, an iPad-style carry case which doubles as a stand for watching videos will supposedly be €41 ($52), the Table Charging Station will be €54 ($69) and the 83-key keyboard dock will be €82 ($105). There are also various cables and adapters. News Source: SlashGear |
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Zotac Announces CULV Based ZBOX Series
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 06:11| If you’ve been eyeing a nettop but aren’t quite sure they’ll be powerful enough for you, then you might be interested in Zotac’s latest nettop offerings. Intel CULV replaces Atom guts with these new nettops but they still keep the ION graphics found normally with Atom nettops, all within Zotac’s familiar ZBOX chassis that is already available in several models. Not sure if it’s ION 2 or ION 1 however.
There’s the ZBOX HD-NS1 which sports a dual core Intel Celeron SU2300 processor or the lower end HD-ND22 model with a single core Celeron 743 processor. Both models share Nvidia ION graphics, Gigabit LAN, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI, DVI, 2x DDR3 RAM slots, 1x 2.5? storage, 6-in-1 card reader, eSATA, 6x USB 2.0 and 7.1 audio channel with S/PDIF out. They’ve been announced over in Hong Kong and I haven’t seen any listings elsewhere yet. News Source: Netbook News |
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JooJoo Tablet Software Update Makes Life A Little Easier
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 06:11| I was left with a rather bad taste lingering in my mouth after seeing one review for the JooJoo 12-inch Linux based OS earlier this year but that didn’t stop one user, who is still using it today and has just noticed that the lastest software update adds a few things to make life easier – First, and glossed over in the source is language support for the keyboard, then USB support, ability to calibrate the touchscreen and local password saving.
Engadget tested out the firmware and found that password saving enables them to view Twitter without having to constantly enter login details. USB support speaks for itself. There’s a clip at the source showing streaming 1080p video off a USB stick and making use of the Nvidia ION on board. If you’ve changed your mind about this tablet, head over to TheJooJoo.com and order yours today for $499. News Source: Netbook News |
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ExoPC Tablet Finally Gets Preorder and Shipping Dates
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 06:10| One of the upcoming, rather promising Windows 7 tablets, the ExoPC, has finally got some shipping dates set. Members of the ExoPC forum get special treatment with the first batch of 1,200 units up for pre-order for them. That’s followed by a small 120 units that will be sent to partners and tech sites for review. Finally, the tablets will start shipping on Sep 30 (I’m not sure where exactly it is shipping to). One last date is October 15 – Ciara Vibe will pick up the tablet rebranded in Canada and US pre-orders will be available online.
To recap why the ExoPC is quite promising, it has a unique touch focused GUI that’s easy to use and quite snappy built on top of Windows 7 interface. There’s a HD 1366 x 768 capacitive multi touch display. 1080p HD support with a Broadcom Crystal HD card with HDMI output (mini). Specs – 11.6? 1366 x 768 display (multi-touch), 2GB DDR2 RAM, Atom N450 processor, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, Broadcom Crystal HD card (1080p video), 32 / 64GB SSD, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB 2.0 x 2, audio and mic jacks, mini HDMI, SDHC card reader, accelerometer, light sensor, 1.3MP webcam, 5 hour battery with a 950g weight and 14mm thickness. Check out our hands on we did with the ExoPC a couple of months ago at Computex 2010: News Source: Netbook News |
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More Asus Eee PC 1015PEM dual core netbook details emerge
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 06:10| Someone at Asus appears to have hit the wrong button this morning. While the company hasn’t officially announced its upcoming Eee PC 1015PEM netbook with a dual core Intel Atom 550 CPU yet, reports of its existence started making the rounds yesterday. Then sometime this morning, the official product page went live… briefly. It’s now missing, but you can still see a listing for the Eee PC 1015PEM in the “all products” page at Asus.com.
The folks at Notebook Italia caught a glimpse of the page before it disappeared. It looks like in addition to the 1.5GHz Intel Atom Dual Core N550 processor, the netbook has a few other new features, including support for DDR3 memory, Bluetooth 3.0, and USB 3.0. Asus will apparently offer three different battery options, including a 48Whr, 56Whr, and 63Whr hour battery, which the company claims should be good for up to 10, 11, or 13 hours of run time, respectively. Like most other Eee PC models, the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM will have a 10 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of memory, and run Windows 7 Starter Edition. News Source: Liliputing |
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Acer Aspire One D255 dual core netbook now available… from HSN
Submitted by shc-boomer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 06:09| Several PC makers have announced plans to start selling netbooks with dual core Atom N550 processors over the last few days. But Acer beat them all to the punch by introducing its Aspire One D255 netbook way back in July. Now the company has beat them again, by actually starting to sell the Aspire One D255. That makes it the first netbook with a dual core Atom N550 processor to go on sale in the US.
So which prestigious computer shop managed to snag the Acer Aspire One D255? HSN.com. That’s right, the Home Shopping Network. Go figure. Anyway, the Acer Aspire One D255 is available for $399.90. It comes in four color choices, red, black, aquamarine, or sandsonte. All four models feature identical specs, including: * 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core CPU You can find more details at HSN.com. I suspect we’ll see this and other Atom N550-powered netbooks pop up at other retailers soon. But right now it appears to be an HSN exclusive. News Source: Liliputing |
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ASUS Eee PC 1015PN ION 2 Netbook Coming September
Submitted by shc-boomer on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 06:13| Yesterday we heard about the ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM, supposedly the first dual core Atom N550 netbook to be arriving as early as next week in Singapore and following soon in Europe (it went official for a short while up at ASUS’ product pages, but is down now).
Well, depending on where you live you might see the ASUS Eee PC 1015PN first. It is basically the same netbook with a dual core Atom N550 processor with Nvidia ION 2 graphics, and it’s heading to the US in September. No word on price yet however. This could probably end up replacing the 1015N. Both had matte displays so it’ll be interesting to see if they go on sale with glossy displays. We checked out the Eee PC 1015PN back at Computex 2010 however at the time it rocked a single core Atom N475 processor. News Source: Netbook News |
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HP Mini 5103 with dual core Atom N550 CPU tipped by HP service manual
Submitted by shc-boomer on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 06:12| The HP Mini 5103 is the latest business-class netbook from HP. It follows the HP Mini 5101 and 5102, and for the most part, this model looks a lot like its predecessors. It has an aluminum and magnesium alloy, all-metal case. It comes standard with a 7200RPM hard drive or an optional solid state disk, and options include a high resolution display, a capacitive touchscreen display, or a Broadcom Crystal HD video decoder.
But while the HP Mini 5101 shipped with an Intel Atom N280 CPU and the Mini 5102 came with a choice of an Atom N450 or N470, the HP Mini 5103 is currently available with Atom N455 or N475 chips. The main difference between these processors and earlier ones is support for DDR3 memory, and that hardly seems worth creating a whole new netbook model number. But it looks like HP may have something else up its sleeve. The folks at Netbook News.de spotted a service manual for the HP Mini 5103 which mentions another option for this netbook: a dual core 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 processor. That makes sense, since Intel recently announced that the chip would be available in a number of netbooks including models from HP, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, and others. The rest of the specs for the new HP Mini 5103 appear to be unchanged, so I think the only major change will be the addition of the new processor. The HP Mini 5103 is already available for purchase from HP.com, but the dual core processor option is nowhere to be seen. News Source: Liliputing |
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ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM Is The First Dual Core Atom N550 Netbook On The Block
Submitted by shc-boomer on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 06:12| ASUS has beat everyone to the punch when it comes to shoving that dual core Atom N550 (1.5 GHz) into a netbook and will very shortly be releasing the ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM which is basically a 1015PE with the dual core processor.
The ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM will have a 10.1? 1024 x 600 display, 1 – 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB HDD, GMA 3150 graphics, support 720p (I guess that means out of the box, and Flash) and come in four colors – red, black, white and pink. Price is 349 euros and it should be available somewhere in Europe any day now and in Singapore from next week. (Update: ASUS UK tweeted an October release) I would wait for the ASUS Eee PC 1015PN and 1015N. News Source: Netbook News |
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