14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that the netbook frenzy has caught up with almost every major system vendor out there, including MSI, Acer, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Dell and HP, not to mention ASUS. However, these manufacturers aren't the only ones that have entered the netbook market with a product of their own; other names in the industry have also announced their products and among them, Smoothcreations is the latest to have introduced an Atom-equipped ultra-portable computer system, simply dubbed 'Slice'.
For most of you, Smoothcreations is a brand name for high-end desktop and portable gaming rigs, designed for the computer enthusiasts with only the latest in technology. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the new Slice, which basically has been designed to compete with all the other 8.9-inch netbooks out there that are also equipped with Intel's highly successful Atom processor. As you have probably figured it out, the Slice is a new netbook in an already crowded market.
You are probably wondering what Smoothcreations' latest portable system delivers over all the other netbooks on the market. Well, first of all, unlike all its other competitors, this 8.9-inch model will be equipped with 1.5GB of Gskill DDR2 memory and will be available with either pre-installed Windows XP or Vista. There's also a 100GB hard drive ready to deliver just enough storage space for your most important data. Not many details are available at this point, but from what we can see in the picture, the new netbook will provide an Ethernet LAN port, at least one USB port, one D-sub for connecting an external display and even a built-in webcamera.
The company's bet on the netbook market is based on its system's "hand painted" features, which will distinguish the Slice from any other netbook out there. "These custom painted "Slice" netbooks are not your run of the mill colored notebooks. Smoothcreations utilizes high grade automotive finishes, clear coats – we work close with Sikkens and Glasurit to make special poly carbonate finishes that ensure the paint finish is durable and resilient. Our competitors use colored injected plastic molds to their chassis to give it a quality like paint finish," says Mario Gastelum, director of product development and engineering.
No specific details on pricing were provided, but the systems will be available at NCIX and Smoothcreations.