Hyper Electronics and Communication

If you’re looking for a 13.3-inch ultraportable with some style, reasonable performance and a sub-$1,000 price tag then, according to NetbookLive, you should immediately be wiring your money to ASUS.  They’ve been reviewing the ASUS UL30A, and reckon it’s actually the best ultraportable on offer in its price-bracket.

Earning particular praise are the specifications – which start with Intel’s Core 2 Duo SU9600 from the company’s CULV range, and then bolt on 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard-drive and GMA 4500 graphics – and the connectivity; ASUS stuff not only WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth inside this particular notebook, but the UL30A also gets an integrated 3G modem.  The battery – rated for up to 9hrs – managed a healthy 6, and build quality is high.

In the minuses column are a chiclet keyboard that shows more flex than you’d want, an insanely glossy display and a mere 0.3-megapixel webcam.  Not bad at all, and while we’ll save our own enthusiasm until we have a chance to go hands-on with the ASUS UL30A ourselves, this certainly seems to be a vote for the compact ultraportable.

Fresh details and this rather fetching official render of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9700 (aka the BlackBerry Onyx) have emerged, courtesy of CIO.  Prematurely distributed by T-Mobile USA, they confirm that the Bold 9700 will pack both 3G and WiFi, together with support for UMA VoIP.

“The BlackBerry ‘Onyx’ sports a premium experience and design with a high-gloss black finish and leather grain detail on the back. Boasting features such as high-speed 3G Web browsing, Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail and support for corporate and personal e-mail options, the ‘Onyx’ will satisfy all your on-the-go needs. Also the phone comes preloaded with mobile applications from BlackBerry App World, including Amazon MP3 store for quick and easy music downloads and TeleNav GPS Navigator for turn-by-turn directions.” T-Mobile USA

The Amazon MP3 store app being preloaded suggests that RIM and the online retailer have done a similar deal to Palm and the Pre, making on-device downloads of music far more straightforward.  It’s unclear whether this app is different to the one currently available to download separately for BlackBerry devices.

CIO snapped through a T-Mobile embargo to release the image and details, the official break date of which was early November.  The carrier suggest they’ll have the BlackBerry Bold 9700 on the market before the end of the year, so it looks like there’s a roughly 1.5 month window in which it’ll hit shelves.  No idea of pricing, but this is a top-end smartphone so figure in the $200 region with a new contract.