Samsung X360 handled, fights MacBook Air to the death

We're not just staring down a boring press release of Samsung's new X360, we actually got to fiddle around with it for a few minutes and came away fairly impressed. It has a build somewhere in-between the plastic-ish Voodoo Envy 133 and the rock-solid ThinkPad X300, though probably closer to the latter, and the sheen of Silver Nano Technology on the technology saves us from bacteria but adds a slightly cheap flavor to the keyboard. The isolated keys aren't as deep as those found on Sony's latest models, nor not quite as crisp as an Apple keyboard, but should make for a comfortable typing experience. The port layout seems reasonable, the LED-backlit screen bright and not-too-terribly-glossy, and the brushed metal finish on the back is surely a nice touch. We didn't play much with the Korean OS, but Samsung claims the next-gen 128GB SSD offers a 25-50 percent boot time bump. Up against the MacBook Air the X360 is significantly thicker, but actually a tiny bit (3 ounces) lighter. We'll leave it to you to decide the victor while we swap USB devices willy nilly in an attempt to finish this post.

T-Mobile set to offer Eee PC 901 GO with built-in 3G

T-Mobile has already offered up a standard issue Eee PC as part of a mobile broadband package, and it looks like it's now set to take things one big step further by introducing a special Eee PC 901 GO model with built-in 3G. As you may recall, a disassembled Eee PC 901 recently revealed some pretty clear accommodations for a 3G card, so this latest development is hardly a huge surprise, though it is certainly a welcome one. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of details just yet, but T-Mobile says the "jointly developed" ASUS Connection Manager will get you up and running within seconds, and you can apparently expect about to get about five hours of mobile broadband use out of the battery before it runs dry. Given that T-Mobile chose to make the announcement at IFA, however, we'd assume they'll have a bit more to say about it before all is said and done, and we'll be sure to let you know if they do.

Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Mini bends beneath our grubby paws

There's no nice way to say this, Fujitsu-Siemens: your Amilo Mini's keyboard flexes like a trampoline. Sure, there's an Atom processor inside here, a great 9-inch screen and some other fine tech specs, but in general this netbook just feels like a shoddy piece of work, and we expect more from a top-tier manufacturer (you do desire to be a top-tier manufacturer, right?) Take those trackpad-flanking mouse buttons, for example: how are we supposed to work 'em? Have you ever attempted to use this laptop? Let's hope Dell's Inspiron 910 can lift this form factor up from the mire and give it a shot at actually outlasting this faddish stage -- netbooks like this just aren't going to cut it.

Fujitsu announces M1010 netbook for Q4 launch

Fujitsu finally got official with its Amilo Mini netbook yesterday after not exactly keeping it a secret these past few months, and it's now gone out and announced another curiously similar netbook, the M1010, which may or may not actually just be slight variation of the Amilo Mini. Like the Mini, the M1010 weighs in at 2.2 pounds and will pack an 8.9-inch display, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, plus some removable clip-on covers in an "array of delightful colors." Fujitsu doesn't seem to be quite ready to go any further than that, however, which could certainly suggest that it's not one and the same as the Amilo Mini, as could the fact that Fujitsu describes the M1010 as "easy on the wallet," which doesn't exactly apply to the nearly $600 Amilo Mini. We should know for sure soon enough either way though, as the netbook is set to launch sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.

MSI's Wind U90 to boast 8.9-inch display

Well, that took long enough, now didn't it? We've been hearing about an 8.9-inch MSI Wind for months now, but it has just now popped up on the outfit's website. The Wind U90 will pack an Atom N270 processor, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, stereo speakers, microphone, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, 512MB or 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,024 x 600 resolution panel, 80GB hard drive and a 4-in-1 card reader. Additionally, you'll find an Ethernet port, three USB 2.0 sockets, VGA out, a 3-cell battery (optional 6-cell available upon request) and a weight of 2.2-pounds. Your guess is as good as ours when it pricing / availability, but hey, we're just thrilled to know this thing is destined to be more than a trade show crasher.

Keepin' it real fake, part CXXXVIII: HiVision knows that even netbooks need fake friends

HiVision (also known as Shenzhen), a Chinese OEM exhibiting at IFA, is completely unabashed about its collection of netbook look-alikes, which range from 400MHz ARM-based computers that could retail for as little $150, to full featured VIA-powered affairs. Everything was as plastic as could be, of course, but the HP Mini-Note rips were almost passable as sexy. Almost.

Demand for HP's Mini-Note growing fast?

HP has always been confident that the 2133 Mini-Note would sell quickly, to the point where the company planned to build some two million units this year, and it sounds like that bet's paying off -- China's Apply Daily is citing sources at HP Taiwan quoting worldwide sales growing 50 percent monthly. That's pretty good for one of the more expensive small laptops on the market -- we'll see if that rumored cheaper edition moves even more.