All three computers in the package will be preloaded with Windows 7, the full contents of which include:

* Space-saving HP Slimline desktop (s5212y)
* Thin-profile 18.5" LCD monitor (w1858)
* Media-savvy HP laptop (G60-535DX)
* Compact HP Mini netbook (110-1125NR)
* Speedy NETGEAR Wireless-G router (WGR614)
* Seamless in-home setup of the PCs and router by Geek Squad (4000954811)

The desktop features a dual-core 2.5GHz Pentium, 3GB memory, 320GB hard drive and double-layer DVD burner, while the laptop is your standard-fare 15.6-inch HP (320GB HDD, 3GB memory, HDMI-out). The netbook is the HP Mini 110, one of our favorite netbooks. Individually, none of these are really thrilling items, but selling them together for $1200 is a ridiculously great deal. That package would run you over $2000 normally, so if your entire household is in need of an upgrade, this looks like a real winner—certainly one of the best ways to save money with Windows 7 promotions. [Best Buy]

I've got to say for a company that has never made a computer before the Booklet 3G feels pretty darn good. It is made of the stuff MacBooks are made of. That is, a single piece of aluminum. The palm rest and bottom of the system feel a lot like the unibody Apple lappie and overall I'd say it's as solid. Less than an inch thin, the netbook weighs a bit more than average at 2.6 pounds, but that includes a whopping 16-cell battery that doesn't jut out of the back of the system like a tumor-looking growth. Nokia claims 12 hours of juice. Yeaaa, I will believe that when I test it.

The keyboard is a very pleasant surprise. Like the Toshiba NB205 or MacBook, it has an island style layout where the keys are isolated from one another, but they aren't all plasticky. My fingers loved the soft coated keys, but it would probably take them a bit of time to get used to the slightly cramped layout.

The Booklet 3G may have an HDMI out port on its left edge but all you have inside is an underpowered 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor. That should handle basic applications and 720p video, but 1080p doesn't stand a chance. Damn you, Nokia, for not including Nvidia Ion graphics! The 120GB hard drive will boot up Windows 7 Home Premium. Happy to see that Nokia didn't include the Starter edition, like most netbook manufacturers are planning to ship, though the Premium version will add to the price. (Side note: This could be why some netbook makers are going to continue with XP.)

Lots of companies are making netbooks, so why the hell would you buy a Nokia? Well, its bundled Nokia services (Ovi, etc.), GPS, and hot-swappable SIM slot make it different. Frankly it is the latter that I'm really feeling. Because I can never find a decent public Wi-Fi signal, I could easily pop a SIM into the right side of the netbook while its running (most netbooks with 3G have their SIM slots hidden behind the battery) and get on a 3G network. Some may opt to buy the netbook when it is subsided by a 3G carrier (AT&T is the rumor) and commit to service contract, but you should also be able to snatch up the thing without one and slip in a SIM from a broadband card or phone. Of course, if you don't have the right all you can eat/tethering plan, you might get destroyed by data fees.

The Booklet 3G's success depends heavily on its price tag when it hits Best Buy (it could ultimately end up at other retailers, but the blue shirts are getting it for sure this holiday season). The rumor is that it will be $600 (most likely unlocked). That is too much for a netbook, even this one. Here is hoping Nokia doesn't hit my wallet in the baby maker and the Booklet 3G isn't just another overpriced netbook. [Nokia]

The Windows 7 netbook, which'll be a Best Buy exclusive when it first goes on sale, has a fairly standard spec set, up until a certain point: A 1.6GHz Atom processor, 120GB HDD and 1GB of RAM are nothing to get too excited about, but the 12-hour claimed battery life, built-in 3G support and GPS unit, well, thanks, Nokia, for not making this as boring as it could have been.

The inventory shot doesn't just point to a $600 price—approachable, maybe, but not exactly low—it indicates that stock was showing up at Best Buy as early as September 25th, lending credence to the idea that this might be a Windows 7 launch product, meaning you'll be able to get your hands on it as soon as October 22nd. [Phonearena via BGR]

Unfortunately, it does seem to require some basic sewing knowledge—that's a problem for me, since my greatest sewing accomplishment is basically strapping a button to my coat with about half a spool of the wrong colored thread (and it still falls off every couple weeks). But if you're a real human being with basic skills (which I clearly am not), it should be a pretty simple project, and a nice way to customize and protect your laptop at the same time. [Ars Technica]

Sleek and sexy, this $467.78 netbook looks good enough to slice cake with. Its design mimics that of Apple's MacBook Air, right down to hidden monitor-out and USB ports. No word on how the lack of an optical drive is being dealt with though.

The specifications don't have anything worth getting excited about except for that last item:

• Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 2GB RAM
• Intel 945 chipset
• 12.1-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution
• 320GB HDD
• Two USB ports, mini-HDMI port, 2-in-1 headphone/mic jack
• 802.11b/g, 10/100 Ethernet
• Six-cell battery
• Windows 7 RC1 with Vista Home Premium license

Yes, the iiView A2 runs Windows 7 RC1, but comes with a Vista Home Premium license so that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium when the time is right. iView explains that this OS decision was made because Vista just doesn't "provide an adequate experience" on netbooks. (Does it provide an adequate experience on anything?)

This is the best looking netbook I've seen so far and a great deal for those craving the style of Apple's line, but dreading the price tag. All that's left is the wait until the iiView A2 hits US shelves. [CNET]

Rob's chart, with all its scary red marks and mysterious orange ovals, has the tendency to give the impression that the outlook is fairly bleak; almost every row of "confirmed working!" ticks is broken up by at least one pesky caveat, and some netbooks on the list are not sold anymore. But your prospects really aren't so bad. Buck up, kids! Here's what that chart means, practically, with a real-world rundown of what these netbooks can offer, what they can't, and how best to try your hand at Hackintosh.

The HP Mini 1000
Status: In production
Now that the Dell Mini 9 has passed on, in retail terms, this is your best option. Main components are compatible across the board.
What you get: A well-styled 10.2-inch machine with respectable guts, a notoriously great keyboard and an increasingly reasonable price. In fact, the slightly smaller Windows-less 16GB SSD version, a prime candidate for OS X-ification, is listed on Best Buy's site for $280 right now.
What you sacrifice: I think the styling works; some people get turned off by the large bezel around the screen, though it's on par with other 10-inch netbooks. Many Hackintoshers find little gremlins after install—lack of fan speed control and temperamental Wi-Fi control, to name two—which can generally be fixed, though rarely simply. By and large, though, this is as good as OS X gets on a cheap netbook.
Resources: Install guide, with video; support forums.

Dell Mini 9
Status: Out of production
This was, and still is, a fantastic candidate for Hackintoshing. As such, they're not that easy to find for a reasonable price. Even Dell's been getting in on the post-Mini-9 action, rereleasing the little laptop for brief period last week. UPDATE: The Vostro A90, the Mini 9's equally Hackintoshable business counterpart, is still around in some retail channels.
What you get: Just like the HP, Dell's Mini 9 lays claim to near-total hardware compatibility, including mobile broadband support. The fact that everything just kinda works is pretty wild, if you think about it.
What you sacrifice: Battery life isn't great. And since release, the Mini 9's hardware has aged a bit. That said, entry-level netbooks all more or less live on the verge of obsolescence by definition, so having a slightly older Atom processor than your friends shouldn't be much of a concern.
Resources: Our definitive install guide; support forums.

Dell Mini 10v
Status: In production
For some time after release this Mini 9 replacement was held up by Mac driver difficulties. Now it works fairly well, and could serve as a replacement Mini 9 for some Hackintoshers.
What you get: In some ways, this is better than the Mini 9. It's a newer unit, updated to address some of the general population's broader problems with the Mini 9: The screen is slightly larger, and more importantly, the keyboard has some room to stretch. It's cheap—often cheaper than the a coveted used Mini 9—at about $300 new.
What you sacrifice: The Mini 10v is patchier than its predecessor across the board. The onboard microphone is difficult to get working, video drivers are still a little precarious, often causing crashes when external monitors are connected, and sleep and hibernation modes aren't very reliable, which is crucial for a totable netbook. If you're willing to bet on driver support improving, it's a prudent purchase. That's a big if, by the way.
Resources: The Anguish Install+Fixes Guide; User forums.

Lenovo S10
Status: Out of production
Like the Mini 1000, the S10 is a worthy replacement for the Mini 9. Or, it was, before it was replaced by a touchier, more erratic S10-2. (More on that below).
What you get: Another capable machine, though it was—and still is—a little too expensive for what you get. Hardware works across the line, down to the webcam and two-finger touchpad scrolling.
What you sacrifice: Ethernet doesn't work, which could kill the S10's usefulness as a travel device (old hotels, etc) and the 3-cell battery is a little anemic. It too suffers from age: The cheapest version and most popular spec comes with 512MB of RAM, which will suck the joy right out of your OS X experience.
Resources: Multi-boot guide (attached to linked post in PDF); User forums.

Lenovo S10-2
Status: In production
This bears the outward appearance of a minor update to the S10. As far as Hackintoshing is concerned, it's a major step backwards.
What you get: Compared to the S10, a better touchpad, bigger keyboard, nicer case design, slimmer profile, more default RAM, and lower price. Great!
What you sacrifice: Any semblance of usability in OS X. Adding to the lack of ethernet support, everything from sleep to external video to stability is lost, to the point that the S10-2 isn't really much of an option.
Resources: The same S10 guide, with caveats; User forums.

MSI Wind U100
Status: Out of production
A perennial Hackintosh classic, it's still a safe choice, and fairly easy to track down used.
What you get: A Mini 9 level of compatibility, with very similar hardware. Styling is clean, but not as pleasing as the Dell, Lenovo, or HP alternatives, and the keyboard is usable.
What you sacrifice: Again, we're dealing with old-ish hardware here, and again, the three-cell battery won't run marathons. The touchpad is janky, and, I almost forgot, this guy really doesn't like them.
Resources: A whole bunch of install guides and support info.

Acer Aspire One
Status: In production
A hugely popular, widely available and all-around decent netbook, the Aspire One is a cautionary tale: No matter how tempted you are to pick one up, Hackintosh development has come too slowly to justify buying one for that. This rule applies to other netbooks not shown, too.
What you get: An expensive-looking, cheap-as-chips workhorse.
What you sacrifice: Virtually everything, including the biggest dealbreaker of them all: Wi-Fi. Lots of netbooks don't work, but I wanted to include this one as an example: Just because a netbook is wildly popular and bolstered by a huge community of support forums doesn't mean that Hackintosh will eventually work. Some hardware and software issues are just beyond the hobbyists' purview, so don't buy a netbook with the hopes that issues will be resolved. They might not be, and you'll be stuck swapping out hardware components just to get basic features working.
Resources: Install guide with some fixes, wi-fi recommendations; user forums.

Despite losing its greatest soldier (well, almost), the Hackintosh netbook movement is still alive and well, to the point that buying one of the more compatible netbooks listed above with the express purpose of turning it into an unofficial mini-MacBook is a great idea. Take your pick.

Tegra is a huge strength for tiny devices like the upcoming Zune HD, but in a full-sized netbook, it'll have a hard time running media or multitasking. OS is a problem too—does anybody actually like Windows CE? Maybe a Linux distro (or Chrome OS) could work, but even that's kind of pushing it. Regardless, it's rumored to have a September release date, though of course we hardly know anything about the product and don't have any particular reason to trust that date. Come on, Nvidia, just stick the Tegra in a bunch of smartphones where it belongs! [Semi-Accurate News via Crunchgear]

Needless to say, if you want to run OS X but can't afford a pricey Mac, this is definitely the way to go. And all you need to do is follow these instructions to get your OS up and running. Better hurry though, this could be your last chance. [Dell]

And that is the selling point, almost entirely, over other netbooks. It's prettier (admittedly, it is). But that's less compelling now that it was six months ago, when netbooks were universally miserable looking machines. When I asked what distinguishes the Vaio W from the other third wave premium netbooks—notably the Asus Eee Seashell and HP's new aluminum and magnesium-clad Mini, which are just $430 and $450 respectively, Sony pointed at its "stunning" colors, like its "very stylish" brown. That would hold more weight if this lovely paint job and design (I dig the trackpad a lot) were applied to metal, so it came with a notably superior build quality too. But it's plastic.

Your only choice is which of the three colors you want. There's a single hardware configuration, and the specs are pedestrian, save for the 1366x768 10.1-inch screen: Atom N280, 160GB HDD (5400rpm), 1GB RAM, wireless N, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, and a pair of USB ports.

To their credit, Sony has learned from the Vaio P (though it has a totally different audience) and plans to make it painfully clear that users shouldn't expect an experience comparable to a regular notebook. Talk of establishing a "clear gulf" between their netbooks and "mainstream" notebooks also made it clear to me they're not interested in dabbling in netbooks that straddle the weird, blurry line between netbook and notebook in either with experiments like Ion, either.

I'll withhold final judgment until I use it, but so far Sony's first ever bona fide Vaio netbook is having the extremely odd effect of just making the Vaio P not-a-netbook look even better. (As long as it's running Windows 7.) If I'm going to pay extra scratch for design, I might as well go all the way, right?

Sony DEBUTS HOT NEW Mini Notebook IN COOL NEW COLORS

VAIO W Series Ideal for Casual Computing and Staying Connected

SAN DIEGO, July 7, 2009 – Sony today took the wraps off its chic new line of mini notebooks- the VAIO® W Series.

Featuring an ultra-portable design, the W Series is perfect for using as a secondary PC, in any room of the house, for surfing the web, checking e-mail, and social networking.

The W model comes in three vibrant colors- berry pink, sugar white and cocoa brown. A more subtle shade of the exterior hue finishes the inside of the PC while the touchpad is lined with a splash of brightness.

"The W Series lets you quickly look something up online whether searching for a recipe in the kitchen or relaxing on your recliner- there's no need to trudge upstairs to your office," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of the VAIO business group at Sony. "And it's sturdy enough for the kids to use, making it perfect for every member of the family."

The W Series incorporates a high-resolution, 1366 x 768, LED backlit 10.1-inch (measured diagonally) ultra-wide display, making it easy to view two full web pages- no side-to-side scrolling necessary.

The model features an isolated keyboard with springy and responsive keys making it comfortable and easy to use. Its carefully designed touchpad and mouse keys make the PC functional and mouse movements easy to control.

-more-

The W Series unit is ENERGY STAR® 5.0 compliant, EPEAT Gold registered and incorporates eco-conscious features such as a mercury-free LED backlit LCD. Its corrugated cardboard packaging is comprised of 95 percent recycled content. Sony will also help recycle your old PC (www.sony.com/green; recycling fees may apply).

The model comes with VAIO Media plus Multimedia Streaming software, a media sharing application that lets you wirelessly stream content across DLNA®-enabled devices throughout your home network. Stream video, music and pictures from your W Series to your compatible primary PC or PLAYSTATION®3 and vice-versa and enjoy your content anywhere in the home including on your big-screen TV.

Easily transfer data, such as photos from your digital camera or music from an MP3 player, to and from the PC with the unit's two convenient USB ports. Incorporated Bluetooth® technology enables peripherals such as a wireless mouse to be utilized without tying up the unit's ports.

A built-in webcam and microphone let you video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required.

A roomy 160GB hard drive has been included providing ample storage for all your photos, files and videos. It comes pre-installed with Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition operating system.

The VAIO W Series mini notebook will retail for about $500. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/w. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and at other major retailers around the country starting next month.

[Sony Style]

The two did say that they're going to be sharing Nokia's HSPA/3G modem technology so Intel can put those into their own equipment, and that they're going to be all up in the open source world. Other than that? Not a whole lot going on. Sounds to us like Nokia's going to be making some more N800-like devices with Intel inside. [Nokia]

Steven Guggenheimer, general manager of Application Platform & Development Marketing, outlined the plan in a speech yesterday at Computex. The theory behind the push, according to the report, is tied up with Microsoft's overstrict definition of "netbook", as gleaned from Windows 7 Starter Edition's alleged maximum specs.

The thinking is, I guess, that Microsoft would look bad for deeming one notebook as eligible for the discounted OS and not another, when the only difference between the two is an inch in screen size or a extra stick of RAM. By changing the term from "netbook" to the more descriptive, performance-aware "low cost small notebook PC," they can base the slim version of Windows 7 around that term's definition—which they are free to write—and avoid clashing with the public's broad preconceptions about what a netbook is.

Microsoft is planning to outline this plan in more detail today, but from here it looks a little silly. Microsoft can construct as many internal device categories as it wants, but to customers, a netbook will still be a netbook, and Windows 7 Starter Edition will be unreasonably exclusive. [Digitimes]

It's actually not a bad little system for a low-powered (some would say under-powered) home theater PC. It's got the Atom 230 system, a 2.5-inch HDD of unspecified capacity, a Blu-Ray drive, 1GB of RAM and HDMI out, all in one diminutive, delicate package. If you've got the kind of living room where a vase would seem less out of place than a HTPC (that excludes mine), it's a pretty cool idea. No word on price or availability, as it's probably just a proof of concept. [via Engadget]

A hard limit on what exactly constitutes a netbook was somewhat inevitable with the arrival of Windows 7 anyway, given the position Microsoft finds itself in: Home Premium runs just fine on netbooks, but computer makers aren't going to want to pay full licensing fees for a low-cost, low-margin computer, and Microsoft charging different prices for the same bits based on the hardware it's installed on would open up a Pandora's Box so horrible not even Demon Ballmer could close it.

The boundaries give Intel even more breathing room against Via's Nano play for the 11-12 inch space and Nvidia's Ion, which is finally showing up in more than generic plastic boxes for testing. It also lets them maintain cleaner stratifications between the emerging thinner, nicer side of netbooks and the new sorta thin, sorta light, sorta cheap notebooks coming down the pipe.

At the same time, though, you have to wonder if this instinct to keep netbooks inside this very tiny, very hard little box is exactly what's going to make them extinct within a couple years. You know, besides that Apple tabletmajig. [The Inquirer]