If you were expecting to get your hands on ASUS 1215N dual core netbook in early September, you may have to wait a while. The device was listed as out of stock on Amazon and it is not clear when it will be available in stock. The device is one of the most anticipated netbooks and does pack a punch (is a bit expensive too):

• Intel Dual Core Atom D525 (1.8GHz)
• Nvidia ION 2 graphics with 512mb dedicated video memory
• 12.1″ WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
• 2GB DDR3 RAM (2x1GB), 4GB Max
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive
• Windows 7 Home Premium  (32 Bit)
• HDMI out; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; 10/100 LAN
• 0.3MP Webcam
• 500 GB web storage
• 6 hours of battery

Unfortunately, this device does not have USB 3.0 nor does it have a long battery life. The price is not something you want to write home about. At $499, netbook fans may be better off picking up a regular laptop.

Toshiba Libretto is not another flimsy tablet. It has a 1.2 GHz Intel Pentium U5400 Processor and 2G of RAM. It has a 62 GB SATA hard drive too. Windows 7 fans are going to love this device as it runs the premium version of that Windows. The 8 cell battery won’t run for days, but it should last you for a while.

Here are the full specifications for this device:

• Dual 7-inch widescreen, multi-touch TruBrite LCD screens
• Screen rotation with 3D accelerometer
• 1024 x 600-pixel resolution.
• 1.2 GHz Intel Pentium U5400
• 64 GB Serial ATA solid state drive
• 2 GB of installed DDR3 RAM
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
• 1.0-megapixel HD webcam with Face Recognition capabilities
• One USB 2.0 port
• Memory card reader compatible with microSD/microSDHC cards
• One headphone jack
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 8-cell battery
• Weight: 1.8 pounds

The device is currently shipping for as low as $1099.99. If you are not impressed with iPad or want to get your hands on a device that could technically be used as a netbook, Toshiba libretto W105 could fit the bill.

We have known for a while that dual-core netbooks are on their way. ASUS and Acer have already announced their new netbook models, taking advantage of dual-core processors. HP is expected to join them soon. HP Mini 5103 is a brand new, dual-core machine that is 20% faster than its predecessors and will offer up to 11 hours of battery life. This netbook is expected to offer better graphics capablity and can play back 720p videos.

Mini 5103 is a high-end netbook, which means you get a fast hard drive, optional broadband and GPS capability, and a decent spill-resistant keyboard with it. The device is expected to ship for $399. It is slated to start shipping on September 17th. These dual-core models may be a tad bit more expensive, but they can handle those complex computing tasks much better.

ASUSteK is behind some of the most exciting netbook models money can buy at this point. ASUS Eee PC 1215N is another powerful netbook, in the process of being officially launched, that further blurs the line between laptops and netbooks. The device is expected to start shipping on August 31st and packs a whole lot of power. As you can see in the below video by Netbook News, this netbook has a pretty decent sized screen and is capable of handling some more complex tasks (in comparison to other netbooks) thanks to its Intel Atom D525 (1.80GHz) processor and NVIDIA ION Graphics.

Here are the full specifications for ASUS Eee PC 1215N:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• 12.1″ LED Backlight WXGA screen (1366×768)
• 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz Bluetooth 3.0
• 250 GB Hard Drive
• 0.3 MP Webcam
• 1 x VGA Port (D-sub 15-pin for external monitor) 1 x HDMI 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x LAN RJ-45 2 x Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in)
• Card Reader: MMC/ SD(SDHC, SDXC)

The device has been performing well in tests too. At $499.99, it is one of few netbooks that come close to performance to laptops. It is a great choice for those looking for a high-end netbook that is portable and offers a decent amount of computing power.

Netbooks may have been having a hard time keeping up with all those fancy tablets and smart-phones, but they are about to get a major boost from Intel. Intel’s dual core processor may not be super-fast, but it should help netbook makers get more going for their netbook models. ATOM N550 is a dual core processor (compatible with DDR3 memory) that will make its way to Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu, and Lenovo netbooks in the very near future. Acer certainly seems happy with this development:

We are pleased to select dual-core Intel Atom processors for Acer netbooks, helping to empower netbook users achieve even more – both at work and at leisure.

Netbook makers may still end up selling less units that they were hoping for just a year ago. But the netbook experience is going to become richer for netbook fans.

Intel’s dual core processors are coming to a netbook near you. We have known that for a while. It seems Acer Aspire One D225 is going to be one of the first devices that takes advantage of an Intel D550 dual-core processor. Many first-time netbook owners complain about the power and performance of their netbooks. With these new dual core processors, some of those issues should be going away. Acer Aspire One D225 is still not a top of the line netbook, but it does have a decent set of specifications:

• 1.5GHz dual-core Atom N550 CPU
• 1 GB RAM
• 250 GB Hard Drive
• 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• GMA 3150
• 10/100 Ethernet
• 6 Cell Battery

Acer Aspire One D225 is a pretty decent netbook (at least on paper). We still don’t know how well these dual-core atom processors perform for various tasks. But they should offer a better computing experience to their owners.

Apple iPad may be selling like hot-cakes, but there are still some folks who want to use their tablet like they do their netbooks or laptops. Plenty of hybrid cases have been released to the market to make life easier for those who may not be used to tablets already. Shenzhen Paoluy Silicone Technology is a company that intends to introduce a bluetooth case that turns Apple iPad into a mini notebook. The case was recently approved by the FCC and is expected to go mainstream soon.

As fun as playing with Apple iPad is, not everyone wants to use their hands to type things on their device. If you are a blogger or a business professional constantly entering information into your iPad, having a bluetooth keyword to get the job done is probably a better way to go. Since we are talking about a bluetooth keyboard, it means you will have to pay attention to its battery life. This device does go for 90 minutes per charge (or 100 days in stand-by mode).

The Shenzhen case can be a decent protective case for your iPad too. The case is expected to make its debut in the U.S. very soon. It won’t be the only case of its kind, but it does give Apple iPad owners the chance to use their iPad as a laptop.

Nokia Booklet 3G is one of the most interesting netbooks on the market. When it was released to the market, it was available only in limited quantity. In fact, it was not that easy for one to get hands on this device in the U.S. as these units were sold only in a handful of stores. After all this time, Nokia Booklet 3G is finally available in stock and being sold on Amazon and other stores. While that’s good news for netbook and Nokia fans, shouldn’t this have happened a while ago?

Nokia Booklet is still one of the best netbooks around. It may not have the fastest processor, but the difference in performance between this unit and the top of the line netbooks is not that much. Its long battery life and features such as GPS make this unit stand out in the crowd. Nokia Booklet 3G is not a gaming unit, so expecting it to somehow outperform laptops in that area is not fair. Considering that the device is now selling for much less than before, Nokia Booklet 3G is still a good option for those looking to pick up a solid netbook.

How would you rate Nokia Booklet 3G?

In the past few months, there have been a lot of talk about how netbooks are dying and they can’t be helped . We have always believed that there is a market for netbooks, but only for the right types of netbooks. Many first time netbook owners complain about their processors’ power. Some complain about their low level of RAM memory. Netbook owners can always add additional RAM to fix the second problem. Adding a more speedy CPU is not something they can do. The good news is more powerful processors will be making their way to various netbook models in the near future. Intel has already announced the first netbook-specific dual core processor and manufacturers have jumped on it.

Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and LG have all announced new netbook models to take advantage of multi-core processing technology. Other netbook makers are expected to join the competition soon. We can partly thank AMD for finally pushing Intel to bring dual-core processors to netbooks. Could dual core processors save netbooks? Not by themselves.

The iPad does not have the most powerful processor around. But it does have a processor that can handle the type of app that runs on it. The same approach should be used for netbooks. Nobody wants to use netbooks to run Adobe Premiere. Netbooks should be able to run those everyday apps without a hitch. That’s why we love the whole idea behind Intel’s app store.

Netbooks are not dead by a long shot. They may have gotten their spotlight stolen from them by tablets and all other alternative devices. The introduction of dual-core processors should give netbooks a much needed boost just as we get close the holiday shopping season.

Dell has been in the business of netbooks for quite some time. A couple of years ago, pushing netbooks and touting them as the next best thing would have been smart for the players in that market. These days, with all the alternative devices on the market, companies have a harder time pushing netbooks. Dell was never too fond of mini-notebooks to start with. So it’s no surprise to see it focus more on promoting its tablets. With Dell introducing Streak tablet just recently, you don’t have to be a genius to realize where Dell’s focus is set upon:

There are still a lot of netbooks being sold, but I think they’re going to continue to decline in terms of total mix versus what they did the last couple of years

Dell has never been a fan of netbooks. It may have given companies such as AsusTek a boost, but it does mean lower margins for all players involved. Dell has long been an advocate of full “laptop experience.” What would the company say about the “Streak experience” then?

All computer makers are in this business to make a profit. Of course, they want their customers to pick up those high-end devices. That’s why Apple’s focus on the high-end computer markets is so smart. Dell may be interested in pushing its tablets hard at this point, but is it a market it can win? That remains to be seen.