Despite the shortcomings, it's hard not to get excited about VIA's Pico-ITX offerings: who cares if the capabilities are limited, they're just so adorably small we want to pinch their cheeks. Now VIA is making things even more efficient with a 500MHz board that can be cooled solely with the heatsink -- no fan required. Naturally, that step down in processor speed from the PX10000 won't exactly be much help to the folks sticking Ubuntu on these things, but the PX5000EG should be a boon to the embedded market and reliability nuts. Video is after the break.

You knew this day would come: Intel positioned Atom perfectly to compete with VIA's low-power offerings, and VIA is trying to stay one step ahead in the low power game with its Isaiah processor. Who will be the winner? Well, we'd say it's still a little early to call it, but German site Eee PC News did some quick and dirty benchmarks that show Isaiah on top by a decent margin. At this point the numbers are just in "ALU" and "FPU," but hopefully some real world benchmarks from some retail products can clear this up before long.

Following up yesterday's trash talk with a little action, NVIDIA has disclosed plans to create a sub-$45 processing platform which the GPU-maker is calling, "The World's Most Affordable Vista Premium PC." The architecture will combine VIA's Isaiah processor with an integrated NVIDIA graphics chipset, which the company claims outperforms Intel's Celeron-based, 945 IGP/ICH4 setup handily. Apparently, the combo is capable of 36 GFLOPS versus Intel's 6.4GFLOPS -- which we shouldn't have to tell you is a ton of GFLOPS. We're excited about the prospect of better performance in an integrated chipset (we've all suffered at the hands of the GMA950), but we don't want to see this end in a back-alley knife fight. Keep your cool, guys.

Not too long ago, we gave you loyal Cloudbook owners a chance to voice your opinion on how you'd change things. Fast forward a few weeks, and take a gander at what Everex has put together. Debuting today at CTIA 2008, the Cloudbook MAX not only boasts an 8.9-inch WVGA (1,024 x 600) display, Windows Vista, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated GPS receiver, 2-megapixel webcam and a battery good for four hours, but it also features an 80GB HDD, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, audio in / out and an S-Video output. Beyond all that, this thing gets energized by a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor coupled with the VX800 digital media IGP chipset, which touts full DirectX 9 support and video acceleration for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC1 and DivX video formats (plus a VMR-capable HD video processor, among other things). Lastly, the unit includes built-in support for Sprint's XOHM WiMAX network. Brimming with excitement yet? Start stocking that piggy bank -- this currently unpriced rig will be available in the latter half of this year across North America.

Read - VIA and Everex demonstrate Cloudbook MAX at CTIA
Read - VIA VX800 Series Chipset

Update: Looks like availability is now set for Q1 - Q2 2009. Thanks, Taylor!

It's huge, no doubt. But MIU's HDPC must be to pack such a broad list of specifications. First spotted as a prototype back in 2006, the 163 x 67 x 24.5-mm / 387-gram brick is now expected to go retail in July for up to ₩500,000 or a US-equivalent pricing of just $500. That's dirt cheap for what they seem to promise:

• 4-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen display which slides out and flips over for the cellphone interface
  
• Up to a 1GHz VIA C7M ULV processor and 4GB of DDR2 memory
  
• Dual, Windows XP / Linux Qplus embedded OS
• Unspecified cellphone radio
• Maximum 1.3-inch 60GB hard disk (or 4GB SSD) and miniSD/microSD expansion
  
• 7-hour battery (or 90-hours at low power)
  
• 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
  
• 2x USB, docking port, stereo speakers, QWERTY thumbpad and mouse
  
• What looks like a 5 megapixel camera
• DMB mobile television and external GPS add-on
  

All that tech allows the HDPC to function as a portable SatNav device, handheld gaming rig, cellphone, UMPC, PMP, eBook reader, digital camera, etc. Did we already tell you that it will cost less than $500? Oh right. See the unit in-hand after the break.

We're not suggesting you put any stock in rumors, particularly from DigiTimes, but there's something about the chatter that NVIDIA is in talks to acquire VIA that makes sense -- or maybe we're just blinded by our desire to see all that unnecessary capitalization finally come together. Still, whispers are just whispers, and while we can see NVIDIA trying to bolster its GPU offerings with VIA's x86 CPU offerings -- and perhaps snag some of that Crysis-capable Isaiah thunder -- we'll believe it when we see it. After all, the last we heard NVIDIA was set to buy AMD, remember?

If that new HP Compaq 2133 is hitting your ultraportable sweet spot, there's more news on that front to drool over. UMPC Portal has word from a supposed industry insider that the computer is not running an Intel chip as previously suggested, but instead will rock the range of VIA processors. That means the computer could fight it out with Eee PC in the low-end with a C7 processor, or adopt one of those upcoming Isaiah chips and duke it out with Penryn ultraportables. If this is true it'd be a big win for VIA, and consumers might just get some budget-friendly excitement out of the deal as well.

Everex's site has been updated with a new CloudBook ship date. The little 9-inch, Via-based laptop with 7-inch display, 30GB disk, and 5-hours battery is now expected to pop with a gOS Rocket on Walmart.com and ZaReason.com February 15th. A day earlier would have required a pink version which nobody wants... at least not yet.

[Thanks, David]

Sure, you might've napped through the marketing speak and blearily paged through the tech documentation, but apparently you haven't heard all there is to know about the new Isaiah architecture from Via. The folks at [H] Enthusiast got to see the chip in action, and were most impressed by the 1.8GHz bugger's ability to run Crysis. Apparently the folks at Via are fairly certain their chip can best the upcoming UMPC-friendly Silverthorn chips from Intel, and it seems like Crysis is about as good a benchmark as any. We're sure to hear more about this little rivalry in the coming months, but we like the way things are headed.

[Via Wired]

Remember how we told you Everex's little gOS-sporting Cloudbook was headed to Wal-Mart this month (today, to be specific)? Well hold your check book, friend-o -- they ain't done with it. According to the company's director of marketing, Paul Kim, the system requires, "A couple of last minute software tweaks," before it's ready for prime-time. There's no word on when it will make an appearance, though we're inclined to think this won't be a major delay... but you never know. Should shipments alight, we'll be the first to share the good news.

Via's on the CPU warpath today, announcing a new line of 64-bit 65nm processors, dubbed Isaiah. The little Bible-themed chip-maker that withstood the AMD-Intel duopoly where others, like Transmeta, folded, is claiming that their new architecture, developed in conjunction with subsidiary Centaur, is four times as efficient as current generation Via CPUs, while remaining pin-compatible with C7 chips, as well as retaining the same thermal envelope (read: they don't make any more heat). Available in clock speeds up to 2GHz (to start) with FSBs at 800 and 1,333MHz, dual 64KB L1 caches, 1MB L2 cache, and Adaptive PowerSaver energy reduction technology, expect these chips to start showing up in the first half of this year. Those interested in geeking out further on Via's new gig can hit some of the technical details after the break.

Got that song stuck in your head? You know, the song. Go ahead, hum a few bars, nobody's going to notice. "This was a triumph..." Bet it's in there now! Now, while you spend the next 6-8 weeks trying wrench that beautiful melody from you head, you can concentrate on the harm you've caused to innocent weighted companion cubes over the world, and think about making restitution. Take this homage built by Magnus Persson, for example: it allows the cube to fulfill a higher calling as a case for a VIA Epia EX1500G, and it looks pretty too -- it's almost like that little incident never happened!

German hardware outfit Maxdata have converted Via's simply named NanoBook prototype into the awkwardly named Belinea s.book 1 Mini-Note, powered by Via's miserly 1.2 GHz C7-M processor. But just because it's short on electricity (and branding smarts) doesn't mean it's totally watered down: you've got an 840x480 screen, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, and a DVI port all prettied up in a 2.2-lb., €629 ($924) piece of kit measuring a svelte 9-inches by 6.75-inches by 1.16-inches. But that's not the best part: we're still digging that detachable Skype handset. Hey, 1995 called. It wants its mobile phone design back.

[Via The Inquirer]

We finally got a chance to play with the petite and purple MTube -- unfortunately, it wasn't powered up! All we can really attest to is the size and design, the former being relatively tiny, and the latter coming off as so-so. Still, it will be interesting to see where they take the WiMAX functionality and Linux-based OS. Word is there's an active model somewhere around CES, and you can bet we'll be hunting it down, Predator-style.

If you think the market for small, white, Linux-based UMPCs is overcrowded, you're wrong. Dead wrong. Enter the Taiwanese-made E-Lead Electronic "Noahpad" PC, a tiny little laptop which the company affectionately refers to as a "classmate, roommate, and travelmate." The system is based on a 1GHz Via Eden CPU, has 512MB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, a touch-based (rather than tactile) keyboard, and a 7-inch LED-backlit display. The Noahpad comes default with Ubuntu 7.10 installed, though the device is apparently capable of running XP as well -- if you just have to. Among the more interesting aspects of the unit are its unique split keyboard (which appears to be where the "Noahpad" touch input is put into action) and flipping / folding hinge design, that -- according to the company's promotional material -- will allow you to use the system in all sorts of bizarre ways (see above). The UMPC is set to be unveiled at CES this January, but for now you can hit the via and read links for more info.

[Via Pocketables]