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F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano


What do we have here then? An OEM netbook, looking remarkably like a recent ASUS iteration, has come to our attention with some bold claims in tow. Spec'd with a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor and S3 Chrome 9 graphics, this promises to be one of the most potent netbooks yet and backs up that claim with up to 4GB of memory and 500GB of storage. The major attraction of all this extra juice is full 1080p video playback, which is somewhat confounded by the 1024 x 600 resolution and 10.1-inch screen, but can be pumped out to an external display via HDMI. Expect this to be rebadged and hitting store shelves some time soonish, at which point we may consider the distinction between netbooks and laptops entirely academic.

[Via liliputing]

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.

Tongfang debuts VIA Nano-based S30A thin-and-light laptop


VIA's Nano processor may have been making the rounds of netbooks and nettops lately, but the company isn't overlooking the processor's potential for more traditional laptops, and it now has a pretty impressive example of the latter in the form of Tongfang's new S30A thin-and-light. In addition to that sporty paint job, this one packs a 13.3-inch display, a 1.3GHz VIA Nano U2250 processor, discrete S3 Chrome 435 ULP graphics, a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, an ExpressCard slot, and a built-in DVD burner -- all of which still manages to fit in a 1.3-inch thick, three-pound package. Unfortunately, there's no word on a price or release date just yet, and there's a good chance it'll be showing up under something other than the Tongfang brand whenever it is actually released. Head on past the break for a quick video hands-on from VIA itself.

[Thanks, Stew]

VIA Nano-powered Shuttle XS29F gets official


Well, Computex Taipei still hasn't formally kicked off, but it looks like it's close enough for VIA and Shuttle, who have now gotten official with that Nano-based small form factor PC that first surfaced earlier this week. Now dubbed the Shuttle XS29F, this particular version comes equipped with the low-power combo of VIA's Nano U1700 CPU and VX800 media system processor, along with support for up to 4GB of RAM, your choice of SATA II storage options, both VGA and DVI ports, four USB 2.0 ports and, perhaps most importantly, a maximum power consumption of just 50 watts for the entire system. That, as VIA helpfully explains in the video after the break, means the system can ditch all the usual fans and heatsinks and remain nearly silent during operation, not to mention let you save you a bit on your energy bills. Still no word on a price, sadly, but we're hoping Shuttle will be a bit more talkative once Computex opens its doors.

11.6-inch Dr. Mobile FreeStyle netbook makes its video debut


Dr. Mobile had its first few 8.9-inch FreeStyle Minis on display at CES, and we've already gotten a glimpse of VIA's 11.6-inch FreeStyle prototype, but the VIA-sponsored How To Be Mobile site is now showing off Dr. Mobile's own version of the larger thin and light netbook which, as you can see above, comes in many flavors. Expectedly, the specs are pretty much in line with VIA's prototype, and include a 1.3GHz Nano processor, a 1366 x 768 resolution on that 11.6-inch screen, up to 4GB of RAM, your choice of SSD or standard hard drives, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam, among other standard features. With the Dr. Mobile name, however, comes a slew of different style options that range form basic white and black to metallic red and eye-catching yellow option that sports a carbon fiber-type finish. Still no word on pricing, unfortunately, but it looks like they should be rolling out in the next month or so. Head on past the break for the video.

When netbook processors compete, everyone wins

When netbook processors compete everyone wins
You know the drill: the Atom is the king of all netbooks, with a domain stretching as far as the eye can see. But, upstarts like the Via Nano and AMD's Athlon Neo are encroaching on Intel's domain, and Crave took the time to pit examples of the three against each other in a series of benchmarks to see which should rule the land. Rather sadly for us, each of the three tests had a different winner, with the Atom N280 excelling in multi-tasking, the Nano U2250 best for iTunes encoding, and the Neo MV-40 quickest under a Jalbum-based benchmark. So you know what that means: everyone gets a prize, nobody has to go home crying, and you should just go ahead and buy whichever netbook you like best already.

Update: It's actually unclear which proc won which test, as the table at the source shows one thing, but the text swaps the Neo and Nano around. But, again, there's not much between these three.

Samsung 12.1-inch NC20 with VIA Nano power ready for Stateside purchase

A friendly tipster has pointed us over to NewEgg where Samsung's much loved NC20 is ready for purchase and presumably delivery. Mind you, this isn't just another Atom-based netbook. This 12.1-incher is one of the first to ship Stateside with a Via Nano processor of any type, the 1.3GHz U2250 in this case. You're also looking at Via Chrome9 integrated graphics, 160GB 5400rpm disk, 1GB of DDR2 memory, and 6-cell Li-ion battery. $550 is the pre-tax price for clicking all the way through to purchase where we suspect you'll be treated to a ship date. One thing's for certain; it'll be later than March 6th.

[Thanks, angelwolf71885]

VIA's 1080p-lovin' VX855 chipset emerges in MacBook Air knockoff


We've already seen one legitimate laptop maker botch up its specification sheet within the past 24 hours, so we certainly wouldn't put it past a KIRF-maker to pull a similar trick. At least on paper, Top Crown Technology Limited's simply-titled 3G Notebook includes a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU, the newfangled VX885 Media System Processor, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display (1,024 x 576), Chrome9 graphics, a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, 3-in-1 multicard reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5G WWAN and a pair of built-in speakers. The only problem is the backwards Apple logo and the absolute assurance that this thing will be just marginally less craptastic than the "world's cheapest laptop." For shame.

[Via NetbookNews]

VIA's VX855 Media System Processor handles the 1080p


Big news, folks -- 1008p is about to hit the minuscule PC market, and VIA's making darn sure it doesn't miss the boat. Hot on the heels of HABEY's BIS-6550HD announcement, VIA has stepped in to formally introduce its VX855 Media System Processor, which aims to bring hardware-based 1080p decoding to VIA-based rigs. The highly integrated single chip package sucks down just 2.3 watts and provides hardware H.264 video acceleration when snapped in alongside a VIA Nano, C7 or Eden processor. Other specs include a 400 to 800MHz FSB speed, support for up to DDR2 800 memory (4GB maximum), six USB 2.0 ports and the company's own Chrome9 graphics set. There's no mention of when this bugger will find its way into shelf-bound rigs, but we're hoping Computex sheds some light on the situation.

[Via HotHardware]

Samsung's NC20 reviewed ahead of US release

Samsung's NC20 reviewed ahead of US release
If all goes according to plan, Samsung's more-than-a-netbook NC20 is just a day away from its official American release, and, on this momentous eve, Laptop has graced us all with a full review of the thing -- or the Korean version, at least. We've been following the NC20's buildup closely, as it looks to slot in between flimsy netbook and a proper ultraportables in terms of size but at a sub-$500 price that's decidedly more Eee than X300. The review seems to echo that sentiment, with its VIA Nano processor found to be at least on par with Intel's Atom, if not slightly faster, and the 12-inch, 1280 x 800 display quite pleasing to the eye -- despite its glossy sheen. That (relatively) large size gives room for a comfortable keyboard, but overall this is a bit bulkier than its competition; heavier too, clocking in at 3.4 pounds with a 6-cell battery compared to about 3 pounds for a similarly powered Mini 12. Overall it sounds like a great device for those looking for a netbook with a little more to love.

Samsung's Nano-powered Q1EX UMPC loses its QWERTY, gains 4.5-hour battery at the FCC


Meet the latest iteration of the Samsung Q1 handheld: the NP-Q1EX. First spotted at CES in January, Sammy's going back to its UMPC roots by ditching the split QWERTY in favor of a clean, slate look that keeps the eye focused on the 7-inch, touchscreen display with 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution. Inside you'll find XP Tablet Edition running on a 1.2GHz VIA Nano ULV U2500 processor, VIA's Chrome9 HC graphics, 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a SiRF Star GPS receiver, SD card slot, and a rear-mounted camera of unspecified pixel density. The unit that passed through the FCC for US airwaves approval also features a 60GB hard disk and 4-cell, 4,000mAh lithium ion battery for up to 4.5-hours of battery life according to Samsung. A quick search through the Intertubes also reveals a retail price of about $775 at on-line retailers. No launch date yet, but it can't be long now can it? A couple more pics after the break.

[Via Navigadget]

Read -- Samsung official specs
Read -- $775 listing

NVIDIA Ion platform to support VIA Nano processors this year

It's pretty clear NVIDIA already has some big plans for its new nettop / netbook-specific Ion platform, and it looks like its reach is about to get broader still, with company president Jen-Hsun Huang reportedly confirming that the platform will also support VIA's Nano processor by the end of the year. As you may recall, the two companies had been in off and on talks about a partnership last year before things finally fell though in November, and there was even a point where it seemed like NVIDIA might actually acquire VIA. No word from Intel on this latest development, although it doesn't seem like it'll be affecting the Atom's status as the go-to processor in the short term. There's also unfortunately no indication as to exactly what sort of VIA-powered, Ion-based systems we can expect to see, although it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if they followed the Ion / Atom combo and went with a nettop first.

[Via GadgetMix.com]

TechCrunch's internet tablet gets a new prototype


TechCrunch's Michael Arrington has pulled together a squad to make this whole simple, cheap, internet tablet thing he started talking about in July, 2008 happen for real. Their goal is to make a tablet that browses and plays flash videos really well (pretty simple stuff) that costs around $200. Built by a team led by Louis Monier -- former CTO of Alta Vista -- "Prototype B" is a 12-inch touchscreener with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Internally, the "CrunchPad" has a Via Nano CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of flash memory, a 4-cell battery, and WiFi, plus a camera. In terms of software, the prototype runs a full install of Ubuntu with a custom browser. They estimate the total cost of the device at just over $200 to produce, and that a commercial model would realistically cost about $300. They don't seem to be heading toward production anytime soon, so don't cross your fingers, but you'll undoubtedly want to see if it's any good for yourself in the breathtaking video after the break.

[Via jkkmobile]

Samsung publishes NC20 user manual, new images surface


Eager to get your digits onto an NC20 keyboard? Sadly, we can't help you there, but we can point out something to whet your appetite until shipment day dawns. Samsung's UK branch has hosted up the NC20 user manual, and while it doesn't really offer too many nuggets that we weren't already aware of, it still proves that this here netbook will arrive with the oh-so-promising 1.3GHz VIA Nano U225 CPU. Additionally, you'll find a 12.1-inch WXGA display (1,280 x 800), VIA Chrome 9 HC3 graphics, a multicard reader, Ethernet / USB 2.0 ports, optional WiFi / Bluetooth and your choice of HDD or SSD. Check out the links below for more on the hardware details and a new load of press shots, and start saving you pennies now, 'cause early estimates put this one at around $500 or so.

[Via NotebookItalia]
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