AtomN550
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HP bringing dual-core Atom N550 to Mini 5103, other netbooks expected to follow
HP only just rolled out its Mini 5103 business netbook earlier this month, but it looks like it might already be set to get an upgrade -- a newly-discovered support document on HP's own site clearly lists the new dual-core Atom N550 processor alongside the current Atom N455 and N475 options. No indication of any other changes beyond that, but this should only just be the beginning of broader rollout for the dual-core CPU -- CNET says it expects a full refresh to hit HP's consumer netbooks next month.
ASUS prepping Eee PC 1015PN/PEM versions with new dual-core Atom
When Intel released the details on its dual-core, mobile Atom N550 processor earlier this week ASUS was one of the first to raise its hand with a netbook sporting the new CPU. Well, now we've got a few more details on the forthcoming Eee PC and unsurprisingly -- as it is coming from ASUS -- there appears to be a couple of different versions. The first is the 1015PEM, and according to TechInStyle, the small lappie will be powered by the new 1.5GHz N550 CPU, support up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and be €349 ($440 US) when it hits the market. However, we've also heard from ASUS's North American team of the 1015PN, which will add NVIDIA's Ion 2 platform to the mix and be landing stateside in September. Sounds like it could be one of the most powerful 10-inch netbooks to ever grace the planet, but unfortunately we don't have the exact specs and pricing on the latter one as of yet. Of course, as soon as we find out or see it hit Amazon we'll be reporting back. Update: ASUS has gone and made the 1015PEM official. Well, it did for a while, page seems to have been yanked. See the Notebook Italia coverage for confirmation of the specs.
Dual-core Atom-powered Gigabyte and Lenovo netbooks up for sale in Australia
As promised, we've been keeping an ear to the ground on Intel's new mobile, dual-core Atom processor, and as luck would have it a number of netbooks are popping up with the new CPU baked in...well, at least in the land down under. Australian e-tailer Pena.au has 10.1-inch netbooks from both Gigabyte and Lenovo listed on its site with the fresh 1.5GHz Atom N550 processor. The Gigabyte T1005M convertible -- or netvertible, as we like to call it -- is much like the T1000, and still has a 1,366x768 pixel capacitive touch display, USB 3.0 ports, and an eSATA jack. It sounds like a pretty impressive little system, but it's listed for 905 Australia dollars, which translates to about $800 US. That's a bit steep, but Aussies looking for something more affordable have the N550-powered Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 to choose from as well -- although that too is listed for a pricey $699 Australian (about $617 US). We're assuming the dual-core CPU adds about $50 to $75 to the average single-core netbook selling price, but here's hoping that the prices are a bit lower once they hit this side of the hemisphere.
Intel debuts dual-core Atom N550 processor, 70 million Atom netbook chips shipped so far
Intel first made mention of its upcoming dual-core Atom for netbooks back at Computex, and now it's making good on its promise with the ready-to-ship Atom N550. The chip operates at 1.5GHz, with 1MB of cache and support for DDR3 memory, and "similar" battery life to the Atom N450. Intel is billing it as a more "responsive" experience, which will make sense as a selling point to anyone who has attempted any serious multitasking on a netbook. YouTube and Hulu also get first paragraph billing in Intel's press release, and we'll be happy to test out those claims once we get our hands on a netbook with the N550 under the hood. Unfortunately, while Intel claims that netbooks based on the processor are available "in stores today," we don't know of any shipping just yet -- naturally, we have our eyes peeled. MSI and Lenovo actually denied plans for the chip to us, despite their inclusion in Intel's PR, but we do know the upcoming ASUS 1015N (which is also packing NVIDIA ION graphics) will pack the N550 when it hits. Hardly a landslide so far, but we're sure we'll eventually see enough N550 to be sick of it, in traditional netbook fashion. In semi-related news, Intel is also proud to announce that it's shipped over 70 million Atom netbook chips since it started on this crazy ultraportable journey back in 2008. PR is after the break.
Intel lifting netbook screen size restrictions for next-gen Atom netbooks?
Put on your conductor hat and overalls, because it's time to take the rumor train to Atomsville. DigiTimes is reporting that Intel is cooking up another new dual-core Atom processor, this one called the N550, and that netbooks using it will have to feature at least 1GB of DDR3 memory and 32GB of SSD or 250GB of platters. That's hardly revolutionary, but slightly more interesting is an allowance for netbook makers using the chip to bump up their maximum screen size to 12.1-inches. That's a sizeable increase over the current 10.2-inch maximum and could further blur the line between net and note... assuming this train reaches the station.
