nettops
Latest
Giada intros i35G mini PC with Intel's Cedar Trail, NVIDIA GT 610 graphics
It's only been a little over a month since Giada first introduced that itty-bitty, Ivy Bridge-loaded i53 mini PC, but the outfit wants to have something for everyone and is now announcing a lesser-specced i35G series. Although not as powerful as its i53 brethren, the i35G's got some nice attributes of its own, including -- you guessed it -- Intel's Cedar Trail CPU, a hot-off-the-press GeForce GT 610 GPU and 2GB of RAM with the base model (up to 4GB) -- not to mention an all-in-one card reader, five USB 2.0 ports plus VGA, HDMI ports. Additionally, the standard unit comes with a 320GB hard drive, though if you're looking for a quick boost, it's easily upgradable to some solid-state drive goodness. Giada's letting go of its petite i35G starting at $274, but you'll have to call North America home, as it's only available in Canada and the States.
Zotac's ZBOX ID84 mini PC sports Cedar Trail CPU and optional NVIDIA, starts at $229
As recent history would kindly tell us, Zotac really, really loves its tiny computing boxes. Now the outfit's introduced yet another one to its mini PC mix: enter the ZBOX ID84. The standalone unit -- which lacks an HDD and memory sticks -- is set to be priced at a not-too-shabby $229, while the "Plus" model will carry a more expensive $319 price tag, but does come sporting a decent 320GB (5,400RPM) hard drive, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 520M GPU alongside the dual-core Intel Atom D2550 CPU. Ports-wise the ZBOX ID84 Plus is pretty well-stacked, sporting two USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, a notorious 6-in-1 card reader, gigabit Ethernet, plus DVI and HDMI. All in all, it looks like Zotac's latest miniature could get most anyone through the days, though we wouldn't blame you if you're interested in something with a little more power under the hood.
Foxconn fanless nano PCs get priced, dated and tweaked
Remember those Foxconn built nano PCs that surfaced back in May? The giant manufacturer recently made them official, detailing a few unexpected tweaks in a Russian language press release. Now decked out in a sleek black finish, the nettops will sport the same I/O, but one image courtesy of FanlessTech hints that DVI might be thrown into the mix despite lacking a mention in the official press release. The AT-5250 model won't be walking the Cedar Trail with an Atom D2700 as originally planned -- instead, its sights are set on a 1.86 GHz D2550. On the other hand, the AT-5600 will pack a Radeon HD 6320 alongside the anticipated AMD E450 APU. Surpassing their presumed sub-$200 price tag, they're set to ring up at $260 and $280, respectively, when they launch this September. Journey past the break for the translated press release.
Shuttle takes quiet nettops down the Cedar Trail, intros XS35V3 and XS35GTA V3
Nettops have slipped a bit out of vogue, but Shuttle is keeping the flame alive for those who like their desktops tiny and hushed. The XS35V3 and XS35GTA V3 have moved on to more contemporary Cedar Trail-era, 2.13GHz Atom D2700 processors that keep the power draw to a fanless 27W, even when everything is churning at full bore. That limit might get tested with the GTA variant, which brings in Radeon HD 7410M graphics for a lift to 3D performance, but neither mini desktop will exactly make the power company beg for mercy. Either is a barebones kit with the laptop-sized hard drive, optical drive and OS left to the buyer -- if you don't get them at the same time, you'll have only the HDMI, VGA, USB and card reader to keep you company. Europeans are currently the only ones getting a crack, where it costs €172 pre-tax ($214) for the XS35V3 and €233 ($290) to get its faster GTA cousin.
Ripple updates its Look nettop with Fusion E-Series chip, leaves its handsome design alone
We don't cover nettops a whole lot around these parts, but we were powerless not to gawk when Ripple Korea unveiled the Look, a shapely nettop with a slick paintjob to match. At the time, it packed a dual-core Atom processor and integrated Intel graphics, in keeping with nettops' reputation for not being the most powerful PCs on the shelf. The next generation might be a bit more capable, though -- Ripple just refreshed it with an AMD Fusion E-350 ("Zacate") chip, which means you can almost certainly expect a bump in graphics performance this go 'round. Other than that, the specs haven't changed much: like the previous generation, it comes with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. No word on pricing, though if the Fusion version is like its Atom-powered predecessor, you'll have your best chances of nabbing one if you make the pilgrimage to Seoul.
Compulab's Trim Slice on sale, for power users only
Remember the Trim Slice, that Tegra 2-powered nettop that surfaced back in January? Well, it's finally on sale, but the company would prefer that casual consumers hold off on buying. To recap, the chassis, just six tenths of an inch thick, is home to a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, GeForce ULP chip, SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM, 802.11n WiFI, Bluetooth, and a cornucopia of I/O ports. It starts at $199 for a model that lacks internal WiFi and storage (you can add these via dongles), and graduates to models with 4GB of microSD storage and a WiFi dongle ($219) and a "Pro" version with a 32GB SSD and wireless and Bluetooth dongles ($319). Whichever iteration you choose, though, you'll be greeted by a warning that the software remains a work in progress, so you'll probably want to stay away for now. Unless, of course, you're a developer -- or you really know how to have a good time.
Compulab makes a tiny Tegra 2 computer for the lilliputian community
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that you can fit a Tegra 2 in your pocket -- how else could we have these phones? -- but it's still impressive to see the dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and GeForce ULP chip find its way into a bona fide fanless nettop that sips just three watts under load. This Compulab Trim Slice isn't nearly as powerful as the AMD Fusion model we saw last week, but it sure is svelte, with a die-cast metal case just six-tenths of an inch thick despite cramming in a SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM and most every I/O port you could want. You're looking at four USB 2.0 sockets, SD and microSD slots, HDMI, DVI, RS-232, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks and S/PDIF out for sound, not to mention JTAG, UART and SPI interfaces for extending the system on your own terms -- and analog video-in, for crying out loud. Look for it in April, priced "higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet." Sound about right? Find another picture and the full PR after the break, while you make up your mind.
Acer updates Veriton all-in-ones and nettops for the business execs
Can't get enough updated products out the door this week, can ya, Acer? Well, today those spreadsheet-loving executives out there are in luck as Acer's updating its business-targeted Veriton line up. That attractive 21.5-inch all-in-one up there is the new Veriton Z410G, but it's more than just silver and black good looks -- it'll be avilable with a Pentium E5700 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive for $719. On the lower end there's the $599 18.5-inch Z2900G, which differentiates itself with a resistive touchscreen and an dual-core Atom D525 processor. For the smaller form factor inclined, Acer's also unleashing the $399 Veriton N282G and $449 N281G nettops. The former is powered by a dual-core D525 Atom processor and NVIDIA's Ion 2 platform, while the latter is stuck with an Atom D425 processor and Intel's GMA 3150. Both are outfitted with 320GB of storage and 2GB of memory. The prices do seem are slightly higher than Acer's consumer counterparts, but can you really put a price on Acer's added Veriton ControlCenter, which includes QuickMigration and PowerSaver software? Until Acer's next batch of updates, we leave you with the full press releases after the break. %Gallery-104321%
ViewSonic outs energy efficient, earth-friendly VOT125 nettop -- won't help that there oil spill
Way back at CES in January, we spied ViewSonic's full offering, and we caught wind then of the VOT125 nettop -- but we didn't really have any details to go on. Well, the company's officially announced the VOT125 PC Mini today, and the slim little guy looks pretty cute. Sold as a space-saving PC with green design, ViewSonic says that the VOT125 uses up to 90 percent less plastic than similar nettops, and consumes up to 90 percent less power, making use of a range of ultra low power Intel ULV CPUs. The VOT125 boasts 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, four USB 2.0 ports, plus DVI / HDMI. You can grab one up starting today, and it's got a starting price of $499. The full PR follows.
Onkyo busts out DP312 Ion nettop
Onkyo's just added the DP312 nettop to its lineup. This Ion-based box boasts a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB HDD, and a DVD player to boot. So far, it looks like you'll only be able to get this one in Japan, and sold without any peripherals, it runs ¥64,800 (that's nearly $700), and can be upgraded for an additional ¥20,000 to include 4GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD.
Asus Eee Box 1501 with Blu-ray on its way to Switzerland
Good news, everybody! If you're looking into one of Asus's Eee Box 1501 nettops but weren't exactly into the built-in DVD burner, well, better days may be ahead. It looks like a new version of the 1501 is on its way, this time packing Blu-ray. In case you've forgotten the specs, the Eee Box 1501 packs NVIDIA's Ion chipset, an Intel Atom 330 dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and an HDMI port for good measure. There's no official word on this yet, but the release of the Blu-ray boasting updated nettop looks likely for Switzerland in the near future, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for more information.
Congatec BM57 fits mobile Core i7 onto tiny mobo
Should you be lusting after some of that Core i7 oomph but have a distaste for the large thermal and physical footprint of desktops, you'll want to hear more from Congatec. A relative unknown hailing from Germany, the outfit has just announced its BM57 small form factor setup, which looks to be ideal for homebrew HTPC enthusiasts -- primarily because its i7-620M CPU is both powerful (up to 3.33GHz with Turbo Boost) and relatively easy to cool (35W TDP, including chip-integrated graphics). The kit is able to support up to 8GB of dual-channel DDR3, as well as drive two video outputs concurrently. Choices include HDMI, DisplayPort and VGA, leading to some tantalizingly versatile possibilities for the creative self-builder. Prices are not yet available, but the BM57 will be demonstrated at the International Gaming Expo in London at the end of this month.
Mouse Computer Lm-mini20 nettop crawls out with NVIDIA Ion
ASUS and Acer have made sure we'd never have a shortage of Ion nettops, but it appears Mouse Computer is sneaking through the cracks with its Lm-mini20. Unlike the company's CD drive packing netbook, there isn't really much of note here. The 34800 yen ($376) version has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, 160GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, and NVIDIA ION graphics. And you can configure the standing mini-desktop to your hearts content with a larger hard drive and more RAM. We can't exactly say we are waiting for this little guy to hit the U.S. market when we have the competent ASUS Eee Box EB1501, but if you must have a Mouse Computer, at least for the jokes, you can hit the source link and order it up.
NVIDIA Ion 2 coming in early 2010, compatible with Pine Trail
Well, here we go: NVIDIA just gave us the heads-up that the next generation of Ion chips (which we'll be calling Ion 2 until it gets a proper name) will be compatible with Intel's new Pine Trail platform and arriving in Q1 of 2010. That's good news, seeing as the Pine Trail-based Eee PC 1005PE we just reviewed didn't offer much of a performance benefit over the older Diamondville chips and definitely couldn't bust through the first few seconds of a YouTube HD clip. Though we got NVIDIA to confirm that it'll improve some of the battery life concerns we've had, we couldn't get much out of them in terms of how Ion 2 will play with the Intel GMA 3150 GPU that's now integrated into the Atom N450 die. NVIDIA also didn't hold back when it came to Intel's reliance on third-party HD accelerator chips for video duties -- they think customers want richer gaming and multimedia experiences on netbooks than Atom alone can offer, and they don't seem to care that Intel keeps calling Ion "overkill." All drama aside we're looking forward to just getting some YouTube and Hulu HD playback on our netbooks -- we'll see what NVIDIA has to show off at CES.
ASUS Eee Box EB1501 primed for $479 Amazon pre-order
We'd been wondering when ASUS' NVIDIA Ion and optical drive packing Eee Box EB1501 would touch down on US soil, and lo and behold today it's showing face for all those eager enough to pre-order. The device is available at Amazon for not a dollar less than $479 (though it does have free shipping), and if you'll recall, the box is boasting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom dual core N330, NVIDIA Ion graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive. All that and you get Windows 7 Home Premium rather than the ever-graying Windows XP. Of course, if you're looking for all that in a mobile form factor you can always wait on the $499 ASUS Eee PC 1201N, but for set-top duty, feel free to unleash the credit card right now.
Switched On: Windows 7, Non-Starter Edition
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Microsoft is making many well-received improvements in Windows 7, but may be in for a black eye on its Starter Edition because of growing misconceptions that it has optimized and recommended the limited Starter Edition for netbooks. For instance, the ad copy for the Apple commercial jabbing Starter Edition almost writes itself. "Hello, I'm a Mac." "And I'm a PC." PC is trying to juggle. "Hey, PC. What's with the juggling act?" "It's my new operating system. See, it only lets me run three programs at a time so I need to stop doing one thing when I want to do another. Really keeps me on my toes thinking about which three programs I should use. Of course, I could upgrade to a more expensive version that gives me the capabilities I should have had from the beginning." PC drops the balls. "Hmm, really? Every Mac lets you run as many programs as you want out of the box." "Well, that would be nice. I'd sure like to send someone an e-mail about that." "That's a good idea, PC. Why don't you?" "Because I had to quit my e-mail program to say that." PC starts trying to juggle again. Cut to iMac with "Mac" desktop
