If true, it would be a big blow to Acer and leave the ION netbook market pretty much to Asus. It’s not clear whether this cancellation is on a global basis, although if those technical issues are true, then I don’t see why region would make a difference.

As a quick recap, the Eee PC 1201PN comes with a 12.1-inch (1366 x 768) display and is powered by a 1.66Ghz N450 Atom processor and next-generation ION. It is believed that this model does not come with Nvidia’s Optimus technology, although we’ll have to wait for official confirmation of this. Other specs include 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD (5400RPM), HDMI, W7 Home Premium, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and a 0.3MP webcam.

Via Netbooked.

This particular model has 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and Windows 7 Home Premium. Hopefully this means the 1201PN will be landing in other regions very shortly.

Via Netbooked.

The tablet wasn’t spotted booting into Android, but a 3D game was being demonstrated, most likely to show off Tegra 2’s gaming prowess. A couple of sites including Engadget and NetbookNews managed to go hands-on with the device and we’ve attached some video hands-on after the break.

The Eee PC 1215N tested came with the 1.66GHz dual-core D510 Pine Trail processor that is normally found in nettops. It was initially thought that the netbook would come with the upcoming 1.5GHz N550 dual-core processor that would have had greater power efficiency, but maybe Asus have decided against waiting for the new chip.

Graphics duties will be taken care of by next-generation ION and the included Optimus technology means that Intel’s GMA 3150 will take care of less-intensive duties. The 1215N will also come with a single USB 2.0 port and two USB 3.0 ports (as you can distinctly tell from the pictures from the blue internals). It will come with a 4400mAh battery.

Asus has also made some significant changes to the exterior. It now comes with a matte lid and palm rest and a much larger touchpad adorned with faux-chrome trim on the left/right sides. The 1215N also appears to be slightly thinner.

In terms of benchmarks, the Eee PC 1215N scored 5,806 3DMarks in the 3DMark03 test. This compares to 4,482 for the Eee PC 1201PN and 3,593 for the Samsung N510 that we tested earlier in the year. That makes it a nice c30 percent improvement over the 1201PN (single-core Pine Trail and next-gen ION). The 1215N scored 3.2 in Windows Experience Index (WEI).

Via NetbookNews.

His source for this news is Nvidia France, who has suggested that next-generation ION graphics is not synonymous with Optimus technology. If true, this is completely against my understanding of the next-gen ION part. ION 2 was presented to us as having embedded Optimus technology. At no point was it suggested that it is a feature that a manufacturer may or may not include.

It was also the main reason why we were looking forward to it so much, the technology gives users a great compromise between battery life and performance. We await to hear official word from Asus, but if this is true it will kill one of the biggest USPs the Asus Eee PC 1201PN netbook had.

The 8-core ION Acer Aspire One 532G has also been delayed by a month is now expecting to appear in early June also. It’s unknown what has caused this delay, although Nvidia claims it has nothing to do with them.

For those wondering how the Eee PC 1201PN will perform then NotebookCheck has the answers. They’ve taken an exhaustive look at the performance of ION 2 and used the Eee PC 1201PN to do the benchmarks.

In the 3D tests, the 1201PN beats all other netbooks tested to date, including the dual-core 1201N with original ION. There are also a number of game tests showcasing what kind of frame rates you should expect. As with the original ION, HD video playback shouldn’t be a problem. The 1201PN’s 6-cell 47Whr battery should give you around 3-6.5 hours of usage. Check out the full review here.

Member Darkhan, who is believed to have inside links with the company, has said that Nvidia Optimus and an Intel CPU refresh will hit the M11x in June/July. Good news if true, however I’d be a bit annoyed if I had just bought one, especially given the short timeframe before new models will appear.

Via Engadget.

Two cameras are included in the package (2MP on the front and 5MP autofocus on the back). Additionally, it has a 5-axis accelerometer, GPS, FM radio, 4GB of Flash storage and a 32GB-supporting SD card slot.

Other features include HDMI, micro USB, 3.5mm headphone socket, integrated 3G, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1. Pricing and availability remain a mystery for now. Check out some more pictures and a comparison chart after the cut.

Via Engadget.