That Vivienne Tam designer edition HP Mini-Note that was spotted last month is apparently real. And it’s coming soon. HP plans to release this netbook in December. But that’s not the interesting part.

HP is working on a next generation Mini-Note computer. And while it’s not clear if this will be the first model in that line to hit the streets, it certainly doesn’t look like the current HP 2133 Mini-Note on the inside or out. Aside from the red color and floral patterns, this puppy sports an Intel Atom CPU.

I’d been assuming that HP would throw a VIA Nano processor in its next generation Mini-Note for three reasons. First, because HP already had a relationship with VIA. Second, because the VIA Nano is designed to provide an easy upgrade path from the VIA C7-M chip used in the current generation of HP Mini-Notes. And finally, because if VIA doesn’t have something lined up with HP, who exactly is the company expecting to use the next generation mobile chip?

No word on the screen size, storage capacity, or RAM for the Vivienne Tam edition Mini-Note. And no word on the price. But it appears that the netbook will run Windows Vista. I certainly hope it has either the same high quality 8.9 inch, 1280 x 768 display that you can find in today’s Mini-Notes or better yet, a 10.2 inch screen with the same resolution.

Keep in mind, it’s certainly possible that HP could offer a wide range of Mini-Notes in the future, with some models using the Intel Atom chip and others using the VIA Nano. But at the moment, things don’t look good for VIA.

via Engadget

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7 replies on “Is HP giving up on VIA?”

  1. Why does HP insist on shooting itself in the foot with it’s netbooks? First it uses the stinking C7 Via processor, then when it fixes that issue by making a Atom powered unit it saddles it with Vista. Apparently HP thinks netbooks should run slowly. At least with Vista you can always upgrade to XP or Linux.

  2. It is a 10.2 inch.
    Anyways, this Mini-Note comes with the Atom…, well wait for CES

  3. I have no idea who Vivienne Tam is but id guess its some douchebag designer but it did bring up something you might want to cover: skins.

    Ive checked out a few places that sell laptop skins and some of them have for netbooks but usually just the EEE. Ive seen them from 12 to 24$, some are just skins for the lid while others also skin the section surrounding the track pad and some are simply stunning (and necessary for people who have the Dell black fingerprint collector)..

    Maybe you could do a round up of the best skins sites and which ones carry the most varieties of netbooks..

  4. I have a bit of evidence pointing toward the 10 inch screen… it seems that this “Brad” fellow posted this on Oct. 16:

    “The Wall Street Journal reports that HP will release a netbook with a 10 inch screen this year. Since all of HP’s current netbooks have 8.9 inch screens, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume this is the next-generation HP Mini-Note we’ve all been waiting for.” … 😉

    But seriously, the one alluded to in this quote could be an upgrade to the current one and still be a build totally different from the Vivienne Tam job, as Brad suggested.

    Judging by pictures, I wonder if the V. T. model is going to be up to the build quality of the current Mini-note. It looks as though there may be more case showing around the keyboard, implying plastic construction.

    I suppose HP would be saying, “If we make ’em high quality they gripe about the price and, if we make ’em cheap, they gripe about the quality.” 🙂

  5. I hope it has the same screen as the Mininote. If the Mininote had an Atom I would have bought one by now.

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