Nvidia: ION outperforms Intel’s Pine Trail platform by 5-10x

Whilst we are still yet to see official specifications of Intel’s next-generation Atom ‘Pineview’ processor and it’s platform dubbed ‘Pine Trail’, it has not stopped Nvidia from claiming that its ION platform will outperform Intel’s platform.

Nvidia ION pairs its 9400M GPU with an Intel Atom processor. As Intel’s Pineview processor moves its graphics to the processor, some analysts have commented that this could be bad news for Nvidia. However Dave Ragones, Nvidia product manager, disagrees. Read more

Atom N270/N280-based netbooks unlikely to get Windows 7

Netbook manufacturers may end up keeping any models based on Intel’s N270 or N280 Atom processors running on Windows XP rather than upgrade to Windows 7. The rationale behind such a move is that due to intense competition in the netbook segment, putting prices up (as would be the case with Windows 7) would put them at a strategic disadvantage.

It is believed that the latest quotes from Microsoft on Windows 7 is around the $45-$55 mark. This compares to the OEM price of Windows XP which is around $25-$30. Although, other rumours have pointed to an XP price as low as $15. The top manufacturers are still negotiating with Microsoft to try and bring the price down.

However, vendors do not see Windows 7 being a big selling point when it comes to netbooks as they believe that most consumers believe Windows XP is good enough for a netbook. At the moment, Windows 7 is only being considered for the next generation of Atom ‘Pineview’ processors including 1.66GHz Atom N450 based devices.

Update: Samsung has said that it “will run Windows XP for as long as we can,” speaking to Laptop Mag. It said that as things stand, it wasn’t convinced of Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Via Digitimes.

Intel’s take on restricting netbooks to 10.2-inches

Intel was accused of colluding with Microsoft from some quarters when supposed maximum specifications for Windows 7 Starter Edition were revealed. These specs relate to being able to stick Windows 7 Starter Edition on a netbook, which is likely to be a much cheaper proposition than using more expensive Windows 7 SKUs such as Home Premium.

Whilst most of the specs were very similar to that seen currently (for XP), there was one significant change. To get a discounted Windows XP licence, a netbook can be no bigger than 12.1-inches, however to qualify for Windows 7 Starter Edition license this screen size requirement has been reduced to just 10.2-inches. Some say that this has been done to limit cannibalisation of notebooks, which have been hit hard from the growth of the netbook segment. Read more

Nvidia expands ION brand to non-Atom CPUs

Nvidia realises that is onto a good thing with ION. Not only is it a cool name, it has also created some good brand awareness out of what is effectively a 9400M GPU tagged onto an Atom processor. As a result, it is allowing companies to use the ION brand, even if it is not paired with an Intel Atom CPU.

Nvidia confirmed that “MCP79, ION and Geforce 9400M are the same thing” to Fudzilla. It is therefore up to its customers whether it wants to mention the 9400M CPU or just the ION name. It is hoping that this may help to sell more products on platforms based on Intel Core 2 and CULV processors.

First details on Intel ‘Pineview’ Atom N400, D400 & D500 processors

The first details have emerged regarding Intel’s next-generation of Atom processors codenamed ‘Pineview’. According to industry sources in Taiwan, Intel is planning to launch the single-core Atom N400 series targeted for netbooks. The single-core Atom D400 and dual-core Atom D500 series will be targeted to the nettop market. This will be paired with the Intel NM10 Express chipset (codenamed ‘Tiger point’).

The first next-gen netbook Atom processor will be the N450, which will replace the 1.6GHz N270 Atom. The Pine Trail platform will see the current three-chip system move to two-chips, leading to lower costs, greater power efficiency and performance. For example, the new two-chip design (Intel N450 Atom + NM10 chipset) compared to the old three-chip platform (Intel Atom N270 + 945GSE + ICH7M) will result in a 64 percent space reduction from 2174mm² to 773mm². Read more

AMD looking to produce Intel Atom-beating CPU

Intel has had the netbook processor market pretty much all to itself up until now. However, AMD CEO, Dirk Meyer, has revealed that the company is currently developing a platform to rival Intel Atom. To compete, he expects the AMD platform to be more power efficient and cheaper than Intel’s Atom platform.

Samples of the new platform will not be released until 2010, so it will have to go head-to-head with Intel’s next-gen platform called Pineview. Strangely though, Meyer confirmed that the platform will be targeted to notebooks only and NOT netbooks. He once again talked about the ‘netbook’ term disappearing over time. Read more

WiMAX netbooks from Clevo, Onkyo, Samsung & Sony on the way

If you were wondering whether WiMAX would ever really kick-off, a number of WiMAX-enabled netbooks from different manufacturers have been announced this morning. First off, is the Samsung NC10 WiMAX (NC10-12PWBK). It doesn’t come cheap, however, at $519.99 and is available to purchase now in the US. Other than the WiMAX module, the specs are exactly the same. The vanilla NC10, which costs $380, comes with a 10.2-inch (1024 x 600) display, 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Wi-Fi (b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, a 1.3MP webcam and a 6-cell battery.

Intel along with UQ Communications is promoting the widespread deployment of WiMAX Services in Japan. UQ is committed to cover 90 percent of Japan with its WiMAX service by 2012 and sees the official UQ WiMAX launch on 1st July. As a result of this, several WiMAX-enabled netbooks and notebooks have been announced in Japan. Read more

Intel’s next-gen Pineview CPU “not validated” for Windows 7 Home Premium

Intel is not validating its next-generation of processor, dubbed Pineview, for Windows 7 Home Premium or higher according to a spokesman. What this basically means is that the Pineview processor will only be intensively tested with the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic Editions.

Intel claims that Home Premium is not “the right solution” for netbooks, so you’ll you have to install it at your own risk when the new Pineview CPUs appear in netbooks at the end of the year. “We are not going to validate it with Home Premium because we don’t believe it’s the right solution (for a netbook)” says Mooly Eden, VP of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group. Read more

Moblin gets Linux distro backing & Android app support

Moblin, the Intel-backed Linux operating system tailored for netbooks, has been growing in momentum over this past week at Computex Taipei. It has been pushing Moblin V2.0 along with the Linux Foundation, who took control of the project in April.

A number of operating system vendors (OSVs) have already committed to Moblin. This includes Linpus, who will offer its Moblin V2 Linpus Linux Lite in two versions, one with a Linpus UI and one with Intel’s UI. Canonical will release an “Ubuntu Moblin Remix”, whilst Novell demoed its SUSE edition of Moblin Version 2 on Acer and MSI hardware at Computex. Xandros also demonstrated its “Xandros Moblin 2 solution” on an Asus Eee PC in at Computex. Read more

Intel previews next-gen Pineview CPU for netbooks

Intel’s Sean Maloney, Executive Vice President, kicked off the company’s keynote to talk about a number of developments as well as giving the first public demo of Pineview, Intel’s next-generation Atom processor for netbooks.

Pine Trail is a two-chip platform. The Pineview processor features a CPU, GPU and memory controller on a single die. Combining this with Intel’s Tiger Pint I/O is what makes up the Pine Trail platform. Read more

HP and Dell to launch ION netbooks in Q3 2009

It’s a bit disappointing that we haven’t seen more big name manufacturers announcing ION netbooks at the Computex show, the only new ones we’ve seen are from the likes of Telecast and Weibu. However, both Hewlett-Packard and Dell are expected to launch netbooks using the ION-platform in the third quarter of this year according to Digitimes.

The main big profile ION netbook that has been announced so far is the Lenovo Ideapad S12. Other big names such as Asustek and MSI are also looking to launch ION products in the second half of this year.

However, Intel is looking to spoil the Nvidia party. According to the report, Intel is “reducing its offer of price incentives to PC vendors who are considering Ion-based products”. It is also closely monitoring vendors’ Atom inventories, to prevent them from dumping chipsets bought at a discount and using the CPUs with Nvidia’s ION. Is Intel not learning anything from its EU anti-competitive ruling and subsequent €1.06 billion fine?

Psion backs down in ‘Netbook’ trademark dispute

Psion has announced that it has reached an “amicable agreement” with Intel regarding the trademark dispute surrounding the ‘netbook’ term. What this means is that Psion will now voluntarily withdrawn all of its trademark registrations for ‘Netbook’.

Psion had trademarked the term back in 2003, but no longer made products under the “netbook” name. However, when the mini-notebooks started getting popular Psion made new claims on the name. “Psion has agreed to waive all its rights against third parties in respect of past, current or future use of the ‘Netbook’ term,” read the statement.

The case escalated to the point of Psion claiming $1.2 billion in damages suffered as a result of infringement on its netbook trademark. Psion was one of the first manufacturers to make micro-sized laptops – back in 1999 its Psion 7 used an EPOC operating system, an early version of the Symbian OS found in mobile phones of today.

Intel: Netbook cannibalisation at 20 percent

Intel has given an indication as to how much the netbook segment is cannibalising sales of notebooks. According to Christian Morales, Intel’s European Sales Chief, sales of netbooks is “less than speculation” at around 20 percent. Netbooks have grown at a phenomenal rate since their introduction almost two years ago. Their low prices has certainly provided a catalyst for growth amid the global downturn.

On a global basis, netbook sales were around 16 percent of all notebook sales. This number was higher in Western Europe, with the UK and Italy having a netbook penetration reaching 25 percent. “We have seen some cannibalisation of Celeron by Atom,” Morales said. However margins for the Atom processor are still higher than that for the older Celeron processors. Read more

Big blow to ION, Intel certifies HD Broadcom chip for Pine Trail platform

Intel’s Pine Trail platform only has two chips compared to the three found in current Atom-based netbooks. The move means that the platform should be cheaper, have better performance and lead to great battery lives. However, by moving the GPU and memory controller onto the Pineview processor means that the graphics side may suffer.

Intel has realised this and has therefore certified a HD decoding chip from third-party Broadcom. This is likely to be a big blow to Nvidia, whose ION platform is compatible with Pineview. Intel will offer the Broadcom BCM70015 GPU as an option to its partners when the Pine Trail platform launches in Q4 2010. Read more

Video: Moblin v2.0 Netbook Beta Walkthrough

We already reported on the Moblin v2.0 Beta that launched earlier today, which comes with some quite big improvements from the previous version, including a brand new user interface. For those that have already downloaded the beta or those that are about to, I thought I’d flag an interesting video into some of its features.

The video is created by the development team behind Moblin and walks through some of the most important parts of the Moblin OS. The video was recorded a little bit before the beta so some of the bugs that are visible have already been fixed. It’s one of the most attractive UI’s that we’ve seen from a Linux kernel and we’re looking to test drive it ourselves shortly. In the meantime, check out the video after the jump. Read more

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