PACKARD BELL DEBUTS “DOT” NETBOOK

Well, it looks like Acer's considerable influence is starting to have an impact on Packard Bell's "trendy" new ways, with the company now trotting out its new "dot" netbook, which bears more than a passing resemblance to Acer's own Aspire One. Those similarities also extend down to the netbook's specs, which include an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display, the usual Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery, a built-in webcam and card reader, and a slightly bigger than average 160GB hard drive. Somewhat notably, you'll also apparently be able to snag an optional 3G module, and it looks like Windows XP is your only OS option on this one. No word on a release 'round these parts just yet, unfortunately, but those in Europe can look for it to land there in November with a starting price of €399 (or about $580, though that'd no doubt be cut down for a US release).

[Via PC Launches]