Posts in Notebooks
ARM Cortex-based Netbooks due soon
David Meyer | Oct 24, 2008
Netbooks using ARM's next-generation processor architecture will be announced soon, according to a senior executive at the company.
Rob Coombs, director of mobile solutions at the U.K. processor design company, told ZDNet UK on Wednesday that Cortex-A8- and Cortex-A9-based application processors would find their way not only into smartphones--as with most ARM architecture--but also into small, low-cost subnotebooks.
"In the future, we're going to be in Netbooks," Coombs said. "Expect announcements in the next few months."
Currently ubiquitous ARM-based smartphone processors are commonly based on the company's ARM11 microarchitecture. The successor to ARM11 will be Cortex-A8, and processors based on this architecture are scheduled to find their way into handsets next year.
Coombs said there are "people playing around with gigahertz speeds" using Cortex-A8 architecture.
Cortex-A9 is the multicore sister to Cortex-A8, and it is likely to go into use around 2010. Multicore processors provide power advantages, as multiple cores running at a lower speed can process more instructions per watt than can single high-speed cores.
Coombs declined to explicitly name manufacturers that might be gearing up to announce Netbooks using Cortex-based chips, instead referring to a published list of ARM's licensees. Cortex-A8 licensees include Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, PMC-Sierra, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), and Freescale Semiconductor. Those signed up to license the Cortex-A9 architecture include NEC, Nvidia, STMicroelectronics, TI, and Toshiba.
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Eee PC with dedicated graphics?
John Chan | Oct 23, 2008
Could this be what you will see on an Eee PC soon?
At a showcase of some of its latest products today, ASUS let us in on a little tidbit--an Eee PC Netbook with discrete graphics may be coming our way before the year is up. So far, all iterations of the Eee PC Netbooks make use of integrated Intel graphics. That's good enough for the casual gamer playing a game of Bejeweled or two, but certainly insufficient if you want to run a first-person-shooter or immersive racing game.
The ASUS spokesperson said that this is not the 10.2-inch N10 with Nvidia 9300M graphics, which has already been announced, but something in the Eee PC lineup of products. Though he could not be more specific about what other specs it will feature, we figure that the only way to differentiate a gamer-worthy Eee PC from the N10 will be the use of an SSD rather than a hard drive and perhaps a lower price.
We have mixed feelings about this. While the idea of an inexpensive Netbook capable of playing games is great, why does ASUS have to use the budget-friendly Eee PC brand for so many products? Also, why launch the N10 if something like that is in the works? We'll have to wait and see if the company really brings us this new Eee PC by the end of the year.
ASUS notebooks and handheld coming our way
John Chan | Oct 23, 2008
They have all been announced, but ASUS finally revealed the availability and pricing details of its P552w PDA-phone, the S101 Eee PC and its Bamboo series notebook in Asia Pacific.
The P552w will come in black or white and costs S$669 (US$476.87). We had a go at its Glide custom interface and found it pretty easy to use. It wasn't revolutionary considering there has been much work done by HTC and Samsung in this area, but it's still a good alternative to Windows Mobile's default interface. This handheld goes on sale in November.
The Eee PC S101 is a premium version of the regular Eee PC Netbooks, which is an oxymoron of sorts considering this range was meant to be budget second notebooks for most people. We do have to admit that it feels much nicer than a regular Eee PC with very clean lines and an appealing design. The 16GB version with Windows XP will be available from tomorrow, while the 64GB Linux version will start shipping later next month. Either configuration will cost the same, S$1,098 (US$782.66).
Lastly, the ASUS notebook with a bamboo finish will finally ship in November and cost S$2,598 (US$1,851.88). This is actually a modification of the U-series notebook and comes with pretty impressive specifications including a 12.1-inch display, 4GB RAM and dedicated Nvidia 9300M graphics.
Integrated Nvidia GPU gains a following
Darius Chang | Oct 23, 2008
The first MacBook Air didn't just herald an era of superslim thin-and-lights, it was also the first to sport a new low-profile Core 2 Duo processor. Now history is repeating itself. With the launch of its new MacBook series (pictured) using the integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processor, Nvidia's technical marketing director Nick Sta said that five other major vendors will soon follow suit.
Apple claimed the new integrated Nvidia performs five times better than Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator. The Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip (GPU) is not new and has appeared as a discrete GPU in other machines. However, this integrated model does not have dedicated video memory but instead "pulls" from the system RAM for video rendering. Hence, it is likely to perform slower than its discrete equivalent. In return, it was also reported that it uses less power and produces less heat than the latter.
At this time, there is no specific information on when these new products based on the integrated GeForce 9400M will be out, or from which vendor.
Via Engadget
Apple Netbook-clone spotted on Web?
Tom Krazit | Oct 23, 2008
Lenovo's first Netbook. Might Apple be working on something similar?
(Credit: Lenovo)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs danced around the idea of Apple releasing a so-called Netbook, but such a device might already be in the wild.
The New York Times' John Markoff reported Tuesday that anonymous sources at an anonymous Internet search company (wonder which one that is) have spotted the tracks of an Apple device with a screen larger than an iPhone, but smaller than a MacBook, in their visitor logs.
That is by no means proof that Apple plans to release a small MacBook in the Netbook vein, but could be evidence that Apple's plans for this category are a little more concrete than Jobs suggested during an earnings conference call.
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