1201
Latest
ASUS hops on the AMD train with Geode-based Eee PC 1201K
AMD has picked up a fair bit of ground in the netbook space lately with support from the likes of HP and Acer, and it looks like it's now added yet another big partner -- ASUS is relying on some AMD hardware for its just-announced Eee PC 1201K netbook. That's an AMD Geode NX 1750 processor backed up by a SiS 741GX/966L chipset, to be specific, which is complemented by some mostly ordinary specs otherwise, including a 1GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 0.3-megapixel webcam, a built-in memory card reader and, somewhat interestingly in light of yesterday's news, Windows XP Home for an OS. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you can check out the complete spec list and a few more images at the link below.
NVIDIA Ion 2 now official; Acer, ASUS and Lenovo at the ready
NVIDIA's Ion 2 chipset -- or "the next generation of Ion" as the company clunkily calls it -- hasn't exactly been a secret, but NVIDIA is finally signing on the dotted line and giving up the deets on the new Intel Atom-compatible graphics chipset. It hasn't been a secret that Ion 2 uses NVIDIA's new Optimus GPU switching tech to automatically toggle between the Pineview chipset's integrated GMA 3150 and a discrete NVIDIA Ion GPU, but we can now confirm that both the 16-core Ion chip for desktops and eight-core unit for netbooks are based on the GeForce G210 GPU. That means Ion 2 should support HDMI out, 1080p Blu-ray and Flash playback, Windows 7 Home Premium, and mainstream gaming out of the box. (Take that, Broadcom Crystal HD.) And unlike Ion numero uno, NVIDIA's also promising up to 10 hours of battery life on netbooks -- thanks to Optimus the system knows when to shut off the discrete GPU when not in use to save power. How about some actual systems? While the Acer Aspire 532G netbook already popped up at MWC, NVIDIA is promising 30 more Ion netbooks, nettops and all-in-ones before the summer. To kick it off, NVIDIA confirmed that ASUS will update its Eee PC 1201PN netbook, Eee Top 2010P, and Eee Box with the new graphics solution, while Lenovo's C200 and Acer's Aspire Revo will also get in on the action. We got to see the Revo strut some Blu-ray playback, so hit the break for some video footage and the full PR. %Gallery-86770% %Gallery-86776%
ASUS Eee PC 1201HA now on sale in the US
A little later than mid-November, sure, but ASUS has finally unleashed to the US masses its 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201HA. Available at Best Buy for a penny under $330, it's got all the standard affairs: 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520, 1GB RAM upgradeable to 2GB, 160GB HDD, WiFi, and a touted 6 hour, 38 minute battery life. The catch here is Windows XP -- sorry 7 lovers, but if you're feeling particularly adventurous, there's always Chrome OS.
