Netbook Lounge » japan

Epson Japan adds second color option for Endeavor Na01

Stuart — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:26:03 +0000

Back in November, Epson Japan released the rather bland Endeavor Na01, its first venture into the netbook market. Initially released only in black, the company has finally released a second color — white, of course — but there is another plus. The retail price has dropped by 3,000 yen (about $32) so if there have been no other drops since the original hit shelves, that should price it at around $450 in Japan.

Other than the new white theme, everything else is the same on the Na01 — 10.2-inch LCD with WSVGA resolution, an Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Intel 945GSE Express Chipset, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, and a total weight of 1.28kg.

Source: Akihabara News

Gachapin & Mukku netbook – another gem from Japan

Stuart — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:12:37 +0000

Japan never fails to deliver the cuteness, and following the popular Hello Kitty netbook by Sotec (Onkyo Japan) last year, Kohjinsha and Bandai are set to release another colorful and kawaii (that’s Japanese for cute) netbook.

Akihabara News has the scoop on a new netbook for kids based on Fuji TV stars Gachapin (a dinosaur) and Mukku (a bigfoot) and the very… very green netbook is full of images and references to the popular show.

The specs aren’t bad either despite the target audience being children who probably don’t care about performance speed too much. Powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, the Gachupin and Mukku netbook also comes with 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and a 1Seg digital TV tuner that would let the kids watch Gachupin and Mukku on their netbook if they wanted.

Pricing is very high even by Japanese standards with this unique netbook likely to set you back a whopping 79,900 yen or in more familiar currency to most readers, about US$876.

Japan’s top ten selling netbooks of 2008

Stuart — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:08:51 +0000

BNC Japan has released a list of 2008’s top ten best-selling netbooks in Japan and the guys at Akihabara News have posted it.

Its always interesting to see how netbooks sell across the world compared to the United States, where we recently learned Acer was in charge of the market, largely thanks to its popular Aspire One netbook. Well, said machine isn’t quite the king in Japan, although the gap between it and the top ranking netbook — the ASUS Eee PC with 4GB SSD — is just over 1%. ASUS and Acer have a see-saw battle for the top five, before Kohjinsa stakes a place with its SA5KX08AL (80GB HDD) netbook in sixth place.

1. ASUS Eee PC (4GB SSD) 20.9%
2. Acer Aspire One (120GB HDD) 19.5%
3. ASUS Eee PC 901-X (12GB SSD) 16.8%
4. Acer Aspire One (160GB HDD) 5.1%
5. ASUS Eee PC 1000H (160GB HDD) 4.7%
6. Kohjinsa SA5KX08AL (80GB HDD) 2.6%
7. ASUS Eee PC S101-X (16GB SSD) 1.9%
8. Onkyo C101-4 (120GB HDD) 1.8%
9. ASUS Eee PC 701-SD-007X (8GB SSD) 1.8%
10. HP FR082PA (160GB HDD) 1.6%

From Asia come the BenQ Joybook Lite U101 and FRNU302/BK Kouziro

Stuart — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:35:02 +0000

There are two new netbooks on the scene in Asia. Well, one is not so new, but getting its first release in its maker’s home nation.

BenQ has launched its BenQ Joybook Lite U101 netbook in Taiwan, where it was developed, but not distributed until now. It has already started shipping to China, where about 20,000 units are expected to be out and about before the year is out. It is debuting in Taiwan and about 3,000 units should be in circulation before 2009 kicks in. The U101 features a 10.1-inch screen with an LED backlight and 1280 x 800 resolution. It is, of course, Atom-powered with an Intel 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and has options of 120GB or 160GB hard drives, and 4GB or 16GB SSDs. OS-wise, you can choose from Windows XP Home or Linux, and in Taiwan at least it’ll set you back around US$500.

Out of Japan comes the FRNU302/BK Kouziro, released by Frontier. Spec-wise, it is pretty much exactly the same as the BenQ Joybook model, except the OS options are Windows XP Home or Pro, and Windows Vista Premium. This one is set to retail at a starting price of around US$530 in Japan.

Annnd… the Hello Kitty netbook unboxing

Stuart — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:13:57 +0000

Okay, two unboxing posts in a row seems like overkill, but I couldn’t help myself with this one being a lover of all things Japanese and kawaii (that’s the Japanese word for “cute”). Remember the Hello Kitty netbook we posted about last Friday? Well, right out of Japan is another unboxing via Akihabara News, with a stack of photos. Sadly, no video, but the cute, limited edition (only 500 released) C101K3W comes with eleven Hello Kitty wallpapers and looks as cute as you’d expect, although some might wonder why it is white and not pink, with the latter being the color always associated with Hello Kitty.

As if there wasn’t enough Hello Kitty merchandise…

Stuart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:24:58 +0000

Any Hello Kitty lovers out there? Admit it, you’d love a Hello Kitty netbook and now is your chance with Onkyo Japan’s newly released Sotec DC10 themed after the cutesy icon of Japanese pop culture. The netbook comes with an exclusive Hello Kitty wallpaper and casing artwork.

The specs are of the usual netbook standard: 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive. The price for this limited edition luxury? A whopping $890.95, which may cross it off many Christmas shopping lists, although it is only available in Japan or at GeekStuff4u.com. Still, it is likely to have its fair share of buyers, like perhaps Mariah Carey.

Source: Akihabara News

Epson Japan releases the Endeavor Na01

Stuart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:20:55 +0000

More news from Japan, this time directly from Akihabara News, and Epson Japan has finally launched a netbook it first signalled its intent to last October. Titled the Endeavor Na01, it is a standard notebook sporting a 10.2-inch LCD with WSVGA resolution, an Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Intel 945GSE Express Chipset, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, and a total weight of 1.28kg.

This fairly bland design is priced at around $480 and right now only available in Japan, with no word so far on international distribution plans, if any.

Dospara offers “limited edition” Prime Note Cartina UM

Stuart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:33:00 +0000

Dospara out of Japan has emerged from the shadows with a new netbook called the Prime Note Cartina UM. For some odd reason, it is listed as a limited edition, with only thirty models available, a curious decision given the same-as-usual specs and a nice, but hardly awe-inspiring look.

Priced at Â¥39,980 ($410), the Atom-fueled Prime Note Cartina UM comes with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, an 8.9-inch display (1024 x 600 pixels), a 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Linux OS with Windows XP driver disk, 802.11b/g WiFi, and a battery with about two hours of life per run.

Source: Lilputing via Akihabara News

Toshiba to release its first netbook in Japan

Stuart — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:17:50 +0000

TechFresh via Akihabara News in Japan is reporting that Toshiba has decided to release its first netbook in the Japanese market. Titled the NB100, the netbook features an 8.9 inch LCD screen with 1024×600 resolution, a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and WiFi capabilities.

It comes in a choice of three designs – Cosmic Black, Champagne Gold, and Bright Silver – and with either either Ubuntu or Windows XP. Massively overpriced at US$757 in comparison to the Europe where it would have retailed for about US$472, Toshiba have decided to tack on a 20% discount, dropping it to around US$600 – still fairly pricey, but a better deal than the original.