ASUS Eee PC 900HD hits the FCC, reveals little

Hey, remember when the Eee PC was announced, and everyone got all hot and bothered, and we couldn't wait for it to ship, and we couldn't wait to get it into our hands? Then remember how ASUS created so many annoying variations that it became almost impossible to pay attention? Well, pay attention -- the Eee PC 900HD has hit the FCC. Excited? Yeah, we thought so. Hit the read link to see what the label and undercarriage of your new supposedly-hard-drive-equipped netbook look like, and feel free to browse some SAR reports while you're there. Of course, this reveals nothing about the actual hardware save for the fact that this bottom casing is different from previous models, so... that's one thing.

LG and Quanta settle 8-year long patent dispute

LG and Quanta have been going at it over patents for eight years now, with LG notably seeking an injunction against the importation of Quanta-built Apple, HP, Dell, and Sony laptops, and the Supreme Court ruling that LG wasn't entitled to additional royalties, but it looks like the fight's finally over -- both sides say they've come to an agreement and will now negotiate royalty rates. No further details, but we're told BMW sales near the offices of LG and Quanta's law firms just skyrocketed.

Dell Studio XPS 13 and 16 leak out, due in November?

We sort of figured Dell's Studio branding would come to the XPS line sooner or later -- the family resemblance between the Studio laptops and the XPS m1330 and m1530 is hard to ignore, after all -- and it looks like we don't have much longer to wait, if you believe these slides discovered by Jayson in the NotebookReview forums. The Studio XPS 13 and 16, due in November, will be Intel Centrino 2-based machines with hybrid SLI support, slot-loading Blu-ray drives, edge-to-edge glass displays with optional LED backlighting, backlit keyboards, and WiMAX and UWB support. We're digging the funky woodgrain on the Studio XPS 16, but it'll be interesting to see how much these cost if and when they hit -- the Studio line was supposed to sit in between the Inspiron and XPS lines, so we're hoping these'll also come in below the current XPS price tags. Check the other four slides, including the Studio XPS 13, after the break.

Psystar to countersue Apple for antitrust violations, will ask court to declare Leopard EULA void

Wannabe Mac cloners Psystar hired itself some hotshot lawyers to defend against Apple's lawsuit, and they're not wasting any time earning their fees -- as Psystar's hinted in the past, it's going to countersue Apple for antitrust violations and ask that the court declare the Leopard EULA void. That's a pretty longshot argument, especially since EULAs have traditionally been upheld in California and Florida and we find it hard to believe a court would find a company with ten percent marketshare to be abusing a monopoly position, but we'll see how everything goes down -- this one is going to have some fireworks

Dell Inspiron 13 now available build-to-order

Dell's Inspiron 13 made its Wal-Mart debut earlier this month, but now the budget back-to-school lappy is ready for you to trick it factory-style on Dell's site. Nothing too crazy on the options list, and it looks like you're stuck with some form of integrated graphics no matter what -- but hey, when the most extravagant configuration maxes out at $1,149, you can't be too picky.

Dell's new Vostro A860 and A840 laptops do Ubuntu, headed for emerging markets

While the Vostro 2510 might be Dell's primary bid for dual-use small business computers, that doesn't mean they have to keep beating the rest of the Vostros with the ugly stick. The new Vostro A860 and A840 feature spiffed up looks and aggressive prices for emerging markets. Unfortunately, "emerging markets" means we won't be getting these in the States for the time being. Both laptops are naturally light on specs, with 1GB of RAM, 160GB or 120GB hard drives, CD or DVD burners, WiFi and optional Bluetooth. The 15.6-inch A860 sports an "HD" resolution, while the 14.1-inch A840 runs at WXGA. Processors range from Celeron to Core 2 Duo, both laptops can be outfitted with Vista or Ubuntu, and they both weigh in around 5 pounds. Oh, and if you're more of a desktop sort, Dell is also offering the new Vostro A180 and A100 desktops, with the A180 offering a range of specs and both OS choices, while the A100 sticks with an Intel Atom processor and Ubuntu. No word on price for any of these yet, since pricing will vary from country to country, but we might be looking at a new low for Dell in both categories.

Dell's Inspiron 13 already reviewed: basic, but capable

Look, we know you've spent the last three or so hours toying around on Dell's build-to-order page, but be honest with yourself -- are you really willing to pull the trigger on an Inspiron 13 without taking one tiny peek at a review first? NotebookReview has snagged one of the new 13-inchers and taken it for a ride on the test bench, and overall, things are lookin' up. Reviewers found the design to be "sleek," the specifications to be "reasonable" and the price point "attractive." Beyond that, it also found the battery life to be surprisingly satisfactory, though the "cheap palm rests and noisy slot-loading optical drive" were small (albeit noteworthy) nuisances. In the end, critics summed things up by suggesting that if you're scouting "a basic mobile companion with good looks and a low price tag, then this is probably the right notebook for you." Hit up the read link for the full writeup and even a few benchmarks.