Samsung to introduce NVIDIA Ion-powered netbook
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Jun 29th 2009 10:08AM
posted Jun 29th 2009 10:08AM
According to a mag called Netbook Italia (which might have something to do with computers) Samsung is developing a new NVIDIA Ion-powered netbook platform, with the first such device making the scene in Europe as early as July. The N510 boasts a 1.66 GHz N280 processor, 11.6-inch WXGA display, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3-in-1 card reader, and a 6-cell battery. The addition of a GPU should help out quite a bit when viewing HD video, although we're guessing this could take its toll on battery life. Either way, we'll find out soon enough.
Update: According to CNET, Samsung has confirmed the N510 (with the above specs) for a July release.
[Via Engadget Spanish]
Update: According to CNET, Samsung has confirmed the N510 (with the above specs) for a July release.
[Via Engadget Spanish]
slap a atom 330 in this badboy and give it to me for $399US and we'll call it a date
Never gonna happen for $399, maybe after rebate.
Can someone explain to me how Microsoft can dictate netbook/pc specs for computer manufacturers. Since when did it have this power?...and wtf?
Hmmm, why oh why would Microsoft 'dictate' what hardware their OS is going to run on?
Vista sure had its problems early on, but more than a little of those were a result not only of people putting it on their own sub-par hardware, but PC manufacturers putting it on brand new, sub-par hardware. In addition, Microsoft caved on some of the proposed features (and required specs) for Vista because PC manufacturers wanted to put it on their garbage machines.
Last I checked there were at least a few other options for operating systems. Microsoft isn't telling netbook and PC manufacturers they can't offer those operating systems, which would allow for lower-end hardware specs. They just might be telling them that if a box is going to have Windows 7 on it, it had better meet minimum requirements. Vista has forced them into that position - they absolutely cannot afford for 7 to be a flop too.
$299 please.
I don't care its not Samsung. Samsung will charge at least $650 for it.
Urgh just come out with one already to shut up the "Ion" peeps who show up in every netbook thread.
My netbook is fine, it plays games fine, it outputs to my plasma fine, the only thing it doesnt do is play fullscreen flash videos, and not because it doesnt have Ion, but because Adobe are lazy.
My netbook does not need Ion adding to the price.
Oh - well that's you sorted then - and no-one else would be interested, obviously.
Then the games you play on the go aren't the games that some others might want to...
How does L4D perform on your netbook?
I guess it also plays 720p (high bitrate) and 1080p (any bitrate) fine as well huh.
My phone plays back on your plasma. Now try playing blu-ray disk with external blu-ray drive and tell me its smooth as silk.
Forgot to ask: is your plasma full HD or is it 768p?
CRYSIS: Netbook Edition.
oh, give it up already!
Okay, let's get a move on, Samsung. If you can somehow beat the Lenovo s12 Ion release, you will win my cash. Make it happen.
I'd be willing to pay double if they could get it out before/early August
I'm just waiting for an Ion netbook to make itself available with Win7 and I'm sold. It's that easy for me; I'm sure it's equally as easy for most others (save for those holding out for 330, which is understandable, too.)
First one to hit the market available is going to rake in a lot of nerd cash.
Do you have some kind of disability stopping you from installing Win7 yourself?
This is gonna be badass. Just look at that dude's head. He knows it.
I was gonna say that as well.
Battery life is going to suck 'ion' these.. pointless on netbooks. keep adding battery life and forget about making these things more powerful. You want to impress me... how about a netbook that lasts 24 hours for that long flight to Thailand.
Ugh, 11.6 inches? Just call it a NOTEbook already...
Agreed. I don't consider anything over a 10" display to be a netbook. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the industry seems to think "netbook" means "Atom or Ion-powered laptop". I think better criteria would be:
- 10" or smaller display
- SSD hard drive AT LEAST as an option
- no optical drive
- maximum of 3lbs.
If you can fit that criteria, I don't care if you shove an i7 in there, you can call it a netbook. Otherwise, just call it a laptop. The bottom line here is that "netbook" is now becoming a buzzword, and these companies are simply using it as a way to sell people another computer (whether or not it is actually a netbook or not).
I think 11.6" is fine for a netbook as long as they keep the same overall size as the 10" that are out now. those 10" netbooks have pretty big bezels around the screen, so fitting a 11.6" screen while keeping the overall size of the netbook should be possible.
anything less than 3lbs in the base config, a screen size not more than 12" and a fanless architecture (through use of Atom processors and SSD drive) counts as a netbook to me.
i just find it nuts that people wan the ION so they can play high def movies on a net book. last time i checked no matter how good of a screen you have an how much power you have a netbook/notebook will not be as good as playing on a desktop, and serious people you going to watch a whole damn movie on a little 10 inch screen. i can understand if your on an airplane or at work. but i feel everyone is bitching about hi-def on a netbook. be serious. thank god we are reaching the 10hrs of battery life after how many years. seems like no matter what comes out there is always someone complaing about something silly as a hidef playback
I often take my desktop on the train in the morning, or on plane journeys. I find that *so* much easier than taking my netbook out with me.
If only it had better video playback.
Ohhi, what's this? Is this an HDMI out? Oh lordy, is that a VGA out w/ a line out? Man, does that mean I can basically use this as a portable HTPC? Woooow! Cool!
By your logic I could basically call anyone who watches movies on a computer screen period an idiot. Why watch it on a ~17-19 inch screen for desktops and 15.4 inch screen for most laptops when you can watch it on a much larger television?
1. Because we can.
2. Because we probably hook it up to the TV anyway. I know I know, it's the year 2009 and we have this technology that lets you do it. Amazing isn't it?
3. Hard to lug around a real TV as a portable solution.
exactly. i have a Mini 9 and it's absolutely perfect for watching 700MB DVD rips while on the go. Movies on the Ipod Touch are good too, but best on short trips, like a 30min episode on the subway or bus. A netbook is perfect for flights on train rides, and if the source is good, a 700MB avi looks great; I have absolutely no need to watch HD video on the screen that it's not designed to be watched on.
Battery life isn't really important here... The choices are between playing the content, and not playing it. If there's a battery hit to play higher-end content, that's better than not being able to play it at all; lower-end content should still have similar battery life.
While a dual-core atom would *really* help here (especially with properly multithreaded codecs such as CoreAVC), being able to use DXVA or CUDA for playback (with CoreAVC (CUDA), MPC (DXVA), or the various commercial players (DXVA)) will allow these netbooks to play 1080p content (which they couldn't before) and play more 720p content (with careful tweaking they could play perhaps 90% before).
A step in the right direction. Now if only Intel would produce a dual-core atom for netbooks that could enable/disable the second core on the fly; maximum battery life, with performance when on AC when needed.
With a dual core I could play my 720/1080p d/x/vid/mkv files ?
maybe with html 5 video the ion will be useful, for flash video it does nothing to help performance.
As demonstrated in the picture, you can power it with static electricity by rubbing it on some guy's head.
That's what she said.
Since it's nvidia we can assume one of the functions in the chip won't work because of a hardware bug, I wonder which one it is though, exciting stuff.
Let's just hope the whole chip doesn't bake itself loose this time :)