First VIA Nano-based netbook spotted

Stop the presses, UMPC Portal (AVING really) spotted the first netbook pumping VIA's Atom-hating Nano processor at its core. The 10.2-inch Imini S1 Mini-Note from TongFang is just a customized VIA OpenBook reference design. Still, it does our Intel-weary, competitive hearts good to see a 1.2GHz VIA Nano CPU listed in the specs.

[Via UMPC Portal]

[brickwood @ Jun 3rd 2008 6:47AM]

when can we expect pricing/availability?

[deva @ Jun 3rd 2008 6:52AM]

uh.. why is the graphics on a AGP bus?!? Surely they should be using PCIE on everything by now?

[Superevil @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:50AM]

It's from Via so it has to be slower than anything that came out 5 years ago.

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:18AM]

Go VIA go

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:24AM]

It is a pity to see VIA side lined like this. I really hope that they come good. Though everyone gives credit to Intel for coming to the market so quickly with the Atom, it is the fact that big companies with immense broad base and large R&D budgets give so much more comfort to PCmanufacturers. Even if the VIA chipset is better right now, the money is always on Intel.

But we have to support these "little" guys, AMD too.

[bob e @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:38AM]

Seems like only last week those OpenBook reference plans from Via were released.

TongFang didn't waste any time.

Looks nice but where is the trackpad?

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:58AM]

look more closely. The trackpad is the same colour as the case.

[Froggy @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:49AM]

It looks like we got ourselves a race.

[J_RetSapDoog @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:59AM]

@bob e: That's what I was thinking. Didn't one of these blog sites just report about the reference design last month? Hmm...maybe they got wind of it late, or perhaps VIA put it in mfg's hands prior to promoting it.

@kccboy2004: Good eye on the track pad thing. The lighting difference is so subtle that you basically have to expect it to be there in order to see it. Hmm...sounds like philosophy. Ya gotta believe!

[HiddenDragon @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:07AM]

Since it's integrated graphics, it does not really matter if its AGP or anything else....

[Unknown @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:10AM]

VX700!? Why not VX800?... + VIA Nano 1.6ghz :-D

[Ted Mathews IV @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:29AM]

Intel kicked the bucket with atom. The lack of out of order execution is going to severly dampen the processors ability to do any intense tasks... Amd's and Via's mobile cpu support it and are going to be drastically faster.

[B @ Jun 4th 2008 4:32AM]

Depends on clockrates, power, things like SSE3 and multithreading. Atom starts at 1.6GHz where for alike power consumption Nano will have to be at 1GHz. Some tasks will be faster on former, some other on latter.

The major advantage which Atom has is manufacturing cost anyway. It cost pennies yet Intel sells it for tens of bucks.

[loosely_coupled @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:52PM]

I agree. Atom looks like a bunch of hype to me. The Core 2 Ultra-Low-Voltage chips blow Atom out of the water, and require only a bit more power. I Think Intel should retool 45nm Core 2 ULVs to be more efficient, and screw the atom. The only benefit is the size, which allows a lot more on a wafer, and thus the (seemingly) much cheaper price. However, with the top Silverthorne going for over $100, I'm not sure what advantage it will have.

Hopefully the Via Nano works well, and AMD gets a low power chip together.