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Ion netbooks head-to-head: Atom, overcharged?
It's been more than a year since NVIDIA announced its Ion platform, promising to bring HD video and gaming to the underpowered Atom CPU. After all the hold ups, we started to wonder if we'd ever see the platform packed inside a netbook, so imagine our surprise when no less than four Ion-based machines launched in the past few months. With bigger screens, better specs, more graphics muscle and, of course, the resulting higher price tag, each of these Ion machines promises quite a bit, but which one lives up to the hype? We got them all together and spent the past few weeks testing the ASUS Eee PC 1201N, Lenovo IdeaPad S12, HP Mini 311 and the Samsung N510 -- follow on past the break for our complete faceoff. %Gallery-81099%
Lenovo IdeaPad S12 gets ION powerup on October 22 in Japan
At this point, we're not really sure which date has been discussed more in the history of humanity -- the Mayan doomsday prediction or Microsoft's October 22, 2009 launch of Windows 7. Lenovo's S12 was originally supposed to be the first ION-sporting netbook on the scene, but the Chinese company opted to hold back the NVIDIA infusion till Windows 7 showed up, and has been shipping a version of the 12-inch IdeaPad with only standard netbook specs so far. Well, come this Thursday it's out with the old and in with the HD video-decoding new in Japan, where the ION-powered S12 will be unleashed with 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, a 1280 x 800 glossy display, multicard reader and a HDMI port for company. Priced somewhere near ¥68,800 (about $757), the new machines (available only in white) are likely to dip below $600 when they make their inevitable journey Stateside.[Via Netbooked]
Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 with NVIDIA ION on hold pending Windows 7 debut
We were all excited for Lenovo's NVIDIA ION-powered IdeaPad S12, which was gonna be the first netbook to market with the HD-capable chipset -- but alas, it was not yet meant to be. Gizmodo reports the company has decided to delay the portable until the end of October, just after Windows 7's launch on the 22nd. By then it'll have to face competition from Samsung, whose $599 N510 will launch first in September, and possibly a rumored HP device coming in the next few weeks. We can take solace in the fact that the ION upgrade will only add $50 to the current $499 tag, but having to wait
Lenovo IdeaPad S12 not-a-netbook sized up
The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 just started shipping last week, and it looks like units have begun to arrive -- the folks at GottaBeMobile just posted up some quick impressions of their review unit. Sadly, it's sporting Intel GMA 950 graphics instead of the NVIDIA Ion chipset that's available for $50 extra, so it runs pretty much like every other 1.6GHz Atom machine with 1GB of RAM in the world. Hopefully those Ion units will arrive soon -- in the meantime, hit the read link to see how the S12 stacks up against the S10. (Hint: it's way bigger.)
Video: Lenovo's Atom-based IdeaPad S12 starts shipping with handling
It's 12-inches so technically you won't find Intel calling it a netbook. But don't let semantics come between you and Lenovo's $499 IdeaPad S12. Inside you'll find a very netbook-y 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor with GMA 950 graphics, 1280 x 800 resolution, 1GB of memory and 160GB disk, 802.11b/g WiFi, and 6-cell battery. Only the black model is shipping in the US while the white and VIA Nano editions are still tagged with that standard Lenovo "ships in more than 4 weeks" placeholder. Click through for a bit of hands-on video from a show that shall remain anonymous even from those in attendance.
Lenovo S12 gets a VIA Nano option
Wanna trade in some battery life and get a bit of extra speed in the deal? Lenovo is now offering its spanking new S12 netbook with a VIA Nano ULV 2250 processor and VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics instead of the usual Intel Atom / GMA 950 combo, which should offer a little more pep (at least in some applications) and lops $50 off the original's spendy $500 asking price. The Nano setup will draw more battery than the Atom, so you might want to invest that extra cash in another battery if you can track one down, but at least the $450 price includes a 6 cell as standard.
Lenovo IdeaPad s12 now available (at least for pre-order)
At long last, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is available for pre-order. The 12.1-inch, WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution netbook, if you've forgotten, boasts an Intel GMA950 chipset (and will have NVIDIA's Ion chipset as an option in September), an Intel 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. It also has a full sized keyboard, and optional 1080p video playback. Starting price for the base model is $499. Hit the read link for the full host of options -- we'll let you know when it's shipping!
Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video
Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we're beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it's hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here's a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.[Via GottaBeMobile]
Lenovo's IdeaPad S12: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset
We've seen NVIDIA's Ion placed within a nettop, a motherboard, and now (at long last), a laptop. Yep, the machine you're inevitably peering at above (Lenovo's S12) is both the company's first 12.1-inch netbook and the planet's first netbook with Ion baked in, and it's likely just a snippet of the kind of material we can expect to see at Computex. Frankly, this is one of the first netbooks in ages that has managed to get our blood moving, with a 100-percent full-size keyboard, the promise of 1080p video playback (for an extra $50), a sub-3 pound weight and a starting tag of just $449. Other specs include a WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution LED-backlit panel, Intel's 1.6GHz Atom CPU (the one big "ugh"), 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. Thankfully you'll find Windows XP running the show, and you'll be able to grab your own starting next month. Full release is after the break.
Lenovo's ION-based S12 makes netbooks exciting again (update: less than $600)
We don't have a lot of information at the moment, but CNET is reporting that Lenovo is getting ready to launch the world's first ION-based netbook. While CNET doesn't give it a model number, the filename used on the image reads "LenovoS12netbook" and is said to pack discrete graphics and NVIDIA's Ion processor chipset.Technically, the 12-inch laptop is too big for netbook classifaction and too chubby to be a CULV thin-and-light. Then again, those are classifactions of Intel's making which doesn't mean a whole lot to the boys from NVIDIA.Update: PC Perspective has additional detail about the S12: 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, full-size keyboard, and what looks like an HDMI-out when it lands in July or August for less than $600.Update 2: Interesting. Netbooknews.de has a proven record with insider-netbook news and claims that the S12 will eventually include a Via Nano processor option.[Via PCPer]
Hands-on with Pentax's new Optio lineup
There doesn't seem to be a lot of excitement when Pentax releases new cameras in its Optio range -- do you people only love them for their DSLRs? -- but nonetheless, we gave them the same hands-on treatment that everyone else gets. Below you'll find the new S12, E50, and M50 in all their seemingly-unpopular glory, despite the fact that they seemed like fairly stylish, solidly-built products to us. Still with us? Great, we've got a lot of multi-colored point-and-shoot action in store for you.%Gallery-15027%
Pentax fleshes out Optio line with S12 and E50 compacts
Two more for ya from Pentax -- the pocketable S12 and E50, which we're going to dig right into if that's okay with the crowd. The former features a 12-megapixel sensor, VGA movie mode, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD monitor, face recognition, 5-point autofocus, 21MB of internal storage space, support for SD / SDHC cards, USB 2.0 connectivity, video out (NTSC and PAL), PictBridge functionality and ISO up to 3,200. As for the E50, it trims down to an 8.1-megapixel CCD sensor, 2.4-inch LCD, 3-point autofocus system, 9.5MB of built-in memory and an ISO limit of 1,600, but most everything else mimics its aforementioned sibling. Catch 'em both this March for $279.95 and $149.95, respectively, and just in case you were curious to the whereabouts of the oh-so-similar A40, we're told that it's finally set to hit the streets next month for $299.95. %Gallery-14503%