I’m not entirely convinced that nettops are the new netbooks. But it seems like everybody and his kid brother is busy putting out a tiny desktop computer with a slow processor these days. But while you might be willing to put up with below-average performance on a netbook that gets excellent battery life and weighs […]
via
Posted inNews
Chinese netbook makers moving to AMD, VIA processors
Chinese white box netbook makers are reportedly starting to build mini-laptops equipped with VIA and AMD processors as an alternative to the Intel Atom-powered netbooks that have flooded the market over the last year or so. DigiTimes reports that shift is partly due to increased demand for these processors, and partly because the VIA chips […]
Posted inNews
Does the future of NVIDIA ION lie with VIA, AMD?
Intel has confirmed that the company plans to launch the next-generation Intel Atom “Pine Trail” platform before the end of the year. Whether PC makers will rush to adopt the platform before 2010 remains to be seen. But either way, it’s likely that the Atom N270/N280’s days are numbered. And that could be bad news […]
Posted inNews
VIA gets into the ARM-based Smartbook space – Video
There’s been a lot of talk about ARM-based netbooks or “smartbooks” with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, and NVIDIA. But long before Qualcomm coined the term “smartbook,” WonderMedia was using it to describe the company’s Prizm mini-laptop. WonderMedia is a subsidiary of chip-maker VIA, and the company first showed off the Prizm at CES in January. […]
Posted inNews
The VIA netbooks of Computex 2009 – Video
Netbooks and smartbooks with Intel and ARM based processors are getting a lot of attention at Computex 2009. But Sascha from NetbookNews.de took a tour of VIA’s showroom where he found dozens of mini-laptops, nettops, and even MIDs using VIA’s Nano and C7-M processors. While many of these devices will never show up in the […]
Posted inNews
Bad week for Intel, slapped with $1.45 billion fine, loses market share to AMD
It’s been a tough day or two for Intel. Yesterday Intel CEO Paul Otellini told investors that the market outlook was better than expected, and that Intel predicted growth in the all-in-one PC space that, along with Intel Atom powered nettops would help the desktop PC market grow a bit. But at the same time, […]
Posted inNews
VIA launches Surfboard C855 netbook reference design
VIA has produced a reference design for a netbook-sized motherboard that can handle 1080p video playback and 8 channel audio while using a low power VIA C7-M processor. The Surfboard C855 is designed to accommodate a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV CPU on an 800MHz bus. it also uses the new VX855 HD chipset. The board […]
Posted inNews
Hong Kong dealer offers MacBook-like netbook with VIA Nano CPU
A Hong Kong company is promoting a new mini-laptop with a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU, the new VIA VX855 chipset, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 576 pixel display, and a choice of a hard drive or SSD. Nothing too new there. But here’s the kicker: The product page is filled with images making it look […]
Posted inNews
VIA introduces multimedia chipset for netbooks with 1080p capabilities
Chip maker VIA has unveiled a new low-power media system processor capable of handling 1080p video. The VX855 chipset can handle hardware decoding of H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1, and WMV9 video formats. The chipset has a power draw of just 2.3 watts. The VX8555 chipset is compatible with VIA’s C7, Nano, and Eden processors. The Chrome9 […]
Posted inNews
VIA’s Tim Brown talks Nano – Video
The Intel Atom CPU may get all the attention, but chip maker VIA says that about 15 percent of the netbooks on the market run their chips. Right now, most of those computers are using the 4 year old VIA C7-M processor which is very low power, but doesn’t offer great performance when it comes […]