Asus Eee PC 1008P-KR Pineview netbook in pictures
December 1, 2009 at 3:47 pm
We already know that Asus is set to launch Intel Pineview-powered netbooks under the Eee PC 1008P and 1005P model names. From what we understand, these are just the Pineview (hence the ‘P’ in the model name) Atom versions of the 1008HA and 1005HA netbooks respectively. We now have pictures of one of the 1008P versions due to hit the market called the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 2 1008P-KR netbook.
The ‘KR’ part stands for renowned designer Karim Rashid, who has created this designer netbook. Judging by the pictures, it has been designed to resemble a clutch bag with its rippled exterior. Apart from the shell, the 1008P-KR appears to be very similar to its predecessor. It has the same ‘seashell’ shape and comes with flaps that cover its ports. Read more
Vendors to push higher margin 12-inch netbooks in 2010
November 28, 2009 at 6:20 pm
The definition of a netbook has changed somewhat since the first 7-inch Eee PC appeared just over two years ago. There has been a gradual trend upwards in display sizes, with 10-inch netbooks being the common standard. However, with 11.6-inch and 12.1-inch models released in the second half of this year, this segment is expected to get a big push from manufacturers in 2010 according to Digitimes.
This doesn’t mean 10-inch netbooks will disappear, however manufacturers will position them as entry-level devices to compete against the emergence of ARM-based smartbooks. Models with touchscreen displays will be displayed towards the mid-range market, whilst the 12-inch models are expected to drive profits. Read more
Intel’s 2011 Cedarview CPU 10-15 percent faster than Pineview
November 25, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Those hoping that Intel’s next generation of Atom processors will see a spike in clock speeds will be disappointed. Fudzilla is reporting that the Intel Atom Cedarview processors, due to launch in 2011, will see clock speeds just 10-15 percent above that for Pineview.
Intel Atom Pineview processors are set to launch in the New Year, with the mainstream processor being the 1.66GHz N450 Atom. However, it’s worth remembering that the Cedarview speed increases will come with a lower thermal envelope. The chips will also support a maximum resolution of 1080p@120Hz or 2560×1600@60Hz along with HDMI 1.3a, DisplayPort 1.1a as well as older VGA interfaces.
Fujitsu Lifebook MH380 Pineview netbook hits FCC
November 24, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Fujitsu looks set to release a 10.1-inch netbook with the upcoming Intel Pineview processor. The MH380 / M380 LifeBook models have appeared going via the FCC and there is little known about the models at this stage.
What we do know is that it will come with a 10.1-inch high-resolution (1366 x 768) display, 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor, Atheros Wi-Fi (Draft-N) and an Ethernet port. The schematics show that it will have easy access to upgrade components and a removable battery. As we approach CES, I suspect we will see plenty more Pineview-powered models coming through the FCC.
Via Netbook Reviews.
Intel’s Cedar Trail will be 32nm; supports DDR3 memory & HD video
November 20, 2009 at 10:50 am
Initial details on Intel’s successor to the Pine Trail chipset emerged yesterday. Whilst Pine Trail (and its processor codenamed Pineview) has not even hit netbooks yet, we found out that the next chipset will be named Cedar Trail. The next-gen Atom processor part will aptly be named Cedarview, following on the naming convention used with Pine Trail.
Fudzilla has some further information regarding Cedar Trail and confirms that it will use a 32nm fabrication process. The Cedarview processor part is likely to launch in 2011. It will include a new memory controller and will support single-channel DDR3 memory.
The Cedar Trail chipset will also support both HD video content and DirectX 10.1 graphics. This new graphics core will support LVDS, eDP, HDMI and DisplayPort that the forthcoming Pineview processor lacks. It will also include Blu-ray and twin-display support. We’ll bring you further details on the Cedar Trail chipset and Cedarview processors as we get them.
Intel Pine Trail successor ‘Cedar Trail’ to hit netbooks in 2011?
November 19, 2009 at 12:24 pm
We haven’t even seen Intel’s next-generation Atom ‘Pine Trail’ platform hit the streets yet, but Fudzilla is already reporting on its successor. The next-next-generation platform is codenamed Cedar Trail according to its sources (continuing the woodland theme) and will launch at some point in 2011.
There’s little other detail, but I would suspect that this platform would see Atom move to a 32nm fab process to make the chipset even more energy efficient. Whether we will see a significant increase in clock speeds remains to be seen. Intel is expected to launch its Pineview processors for netbooks and nettops at the CES show in January.
Lenovo Pineview-powered 10-inch netbook hits FCC
November 16, 2009 at 11:27 am
Lenovo is set to launch a new 10.1-inch netbook based on the new Pineview Atom processor according to a new listing over at the FCC. The Ideapad netbook, codenamed FL5-B3, sports a 1.66GHz N450 Atom CPU, 2GB RAM and a 250GB HDD.
It is interesting to see the netbook armed with 2GB RAM, which likely means that it will come with Windows 7 Home Premium, given the licensing restrictions over Windows 7 Starter. The 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and 5,400RPM hard drive.
It uses a chiclet keyboard and, unusually, the touchpad has no buttons that I can make out. Apart from that, the design is mostly similar to existing Lenovo Ideapad netbooks. It does have glossy internals though, making this a fingerprint magnet. This model will probably make an appearance at next year’s CES trade show in January.
Via Wireless Goodness [via SlashGear].
Intel plans “fast transition” to next-gen Pine Trail platform
November 9, 2009 at 9:01 am
Intel will be moving quickly to its next-generation Atom platform for netbooks & nettops, dubbed Pine Trail according to sources at X-bit labs. They managed to get hold of a document that says: “Intel is planning for a fast transition to Pine Trail. To generate excitement for the platform ahead of launch, Intel is planning a press release in late December publicly disclosing the details of the platform.”
Further details on the Pine Trail platform (and Pineview processors) are expected on 21st December. Manufacturers are expected to have products using the new chips, including the 1.66GHz N450 Atom, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2009) from 4th January.
The new Pineview processors are built around 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. The benefits of moving from 3 chips to 2 chips are power efficiency, lower costs that enable more fanless netbook designs. The specs and price-points of the various chips are as we have seen before; check them out after the break. Read more
Asus planning big line-up for CES 2010
November 6, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Asus will be showing off a number new of devices come next January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. We will get the first glimpse of the company’s 1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom-powered netbooks, the 10-inch Eee PC T101 convertible tablet, as well as several smartbooks and ultra-thin devices.
It will also be showing its first entry into the e-book reader space with a 9-inch model along with several Google Android-powered smartphones (only the Acer Liquid has been announced right now). Asus’ 1.83GHz N470 Atom netbooks will not be presented until CeBIT 2010 in March.
Via Digitimes.
Moblin v2.1 ‘project release’ for netbooks available to download
November 4, 2009 at 11:44 pm
The project release for Moblin v2.1 is now available to download for Intel Atom-based netbooks (& nettops). The Linux Foundation must be working hard behind the scenes as it wasn’t that long ago that they delivered v2.0.
This new release brings a number of significant improvements including 3G and Bluetooth (device discovery and pairing) support, enhanced browser functionality, UI enhancements, integrated Moblin Garage (online application store) as well as a number of performance and stability improvements.
We’ve listed the full Moblin v2.1 feature summary from the press release after the break. You can download Moblin 2.1 here or check out a number of screenshots of the new release here. Read more
Acer unhappy with Intel CULV processor performance
November 3, 2009 at 6:03 pm
It seems that Acer is not too happy with the performance of Intel’s CULV processors. The chips, mainly used in ultra-thin mini-notebooks ranging from 11.6-inches onwards, are not living up to the company’s expectations according to an earnings call last week.
Acer Chairman, JT Wang, said that whilst consumers are happy with the long battery life, the performance has been found wanting. To address this, Acer is expected to announce new ultra-thin devices in Q1 2010 that use new CULV (currently unannounced) processors. “This time we should be able to do it right,” Wang said.
Whilst it is vague in what Wang may have been referring to, it could be the new 32nm Westmere (Arrandale ) chips that combine a GPU and CPU into a single package. This design will keep consumption low and also provide a performance boost. The new chips are rumoured to have clock speeds similar to laptop CPUs but should benefit from hyper-threading.
Asus Eee PC 1008P & 1008PGO Pineview-powered netbooks hit FCC
October 28, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Two new Asus Eee PC netbooks have hit the FCC today, the Eee PC 1008P & Eee PC 1008PGO. Judging by the filing documents, these new netbooks will run on Intel’s 1.66GHz N450 Atom ‘Pineview’ processor. Other specs gathered from the documents include a 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), 1.3MP webcam and Bluetooth 2.1.
Given the model name, I would guess it will be very similar to the current Eee PC 1008HA model that has simply been refreshed to come with the new Intel CPUs. The GO version is likely to be the 3G-enabled version, following the similar naming convention used on other Eee PC netbooks today. There’s no details on availability outside the US yet, but we’ll keep you updated with future developments.
Via Liliputing.
Nvidia ION 2 set to launch by end of year?
October 27, 2009 at 2:55 pm
We are only now just starting to see Nvidia’s ION chipset hitting netbooks and the general consensus appears to be that it was well worth the wait (despite a hit to battery life). However, Fudzilla is reporting that ION 2 is scheduled to launch before the year is out and will deliver twice the graphical power of its predecessor.
I’d take the news with a pinch of salt as Nvidia would no want to cannibalize sales so soon after ION’s launch. Personally, I’d be surprised if we saw ION 2 netbooks before Q2 2010. The interesting part is that we are expected to see switchable graphics next year that will allow you to disable the Nvidia GPU to preserve the battery when not needed. That could be a real killer feature for netbooks going forward, marring an uncompromised computing experience with strong battery life.
In other news, Fudzilla is also reporting that netbooks based on 1.66GHz Atom Pineview processors will see their Intel suggested retail price drop from $299 to $249-$299. Whether this translates to cheaper netbooks for the end-consumer remains to be seen.
Netbook RAM restrictions lifted on N470 Atom models
October 26, 2009 at 3:04 pm
The main reason why we have seen such a large number of ‘cookie-cutter’ netbooks is due to hardware restrictions in place from both Intel and Microsoft. Both companies do not want this ‘value’ segment eating into profitable margins from their premium offerings.
The advent of Windows 7 has seen storage restrictions upped from 160GB to 250GB, although most of these W7 Starter models still only come with 1GB RAM. This will change, however, with the upcoming 1.83GHz N470 Atom (Pineview) processors. Fudzilla is reporting that Intel will be lifting the RAM restrictions on netbooks using this CPU.
This relaxation will come into place after March 2010 but only for the N470 Atom and not for the slower 1.66GHz N450 Atom. The N470 Atom will come with a NM10 southbridge as well as integrated graphics. Intel has guided to a price range of $299-$349 for these models, although I’m sure they will be pricier than that. It has also guided to storage of 160GB HDD or SSDs between 20-32GB. Somewhat cheekily it even recommends using Moblin Linux as the operating system of choice (Moblin was developed by Intel).
Intel’s 1.86GHz N470 Atom CPU expected in March 2010
October 16, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Up until now, the 1.66GHz N450 Atom processor has been the only Pineview processor for netbooks that has been leaked. Many of you were disappointed that Intel didn’t up the clock speeds on the next-generation Atoms.
Well according to Fudzilla, a 1.86GHz N470 Atom is also on the pipeline and is expected to launch in March next year (the N450 is rumoured to launch in January). The N470 Atom will cost $75, placing it $11 more expensive than the N450 at $64. It will be interesting to see the take-up of both of these new chips given that the N270 is selling for just $44.
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