NetbookTech

Qualcomm and NVIDIA are making sure their netbook oriented products will work well under the upcoming Windows 7 OS. Qualcomm announced an updated version of their Gobi2000 3G embedded chipset with support for Windows 7 while NVIDIA announced new certified WHQL drivers that will make their new Ion platform compatible with Windows Vista (and hence Windows 7).

Qualcomm’s updated second generation Gobi2000 3G embedded chip is designed to allow mobile devices like netbooks and notebooks access multiple 3G networks such as HSPA or EV-DO.  The new Gobi2000 module features:

• Adds support for additional radio frequencies within the 800MHz and 900MHz bands including UMTS900
• Improved uplink capabilities with support for up to 5.76 Mbps via HSUPA
• Support for assisted GPS and gpsOneXTRA Assistance Technology
• Includes Qualcomm’s MDM2000 chipset

The company is currently sampling chips and expects to have systems with the chipset during the second half of this year.

Separately, NVIDIA announced that the new Ion platform has been certified for the Windows Vista OS (and hence will work just fine for Windows 7). What this basically means is – the Ion platform now has certified WHQL drivers for the Vista OS. According to NVIDIA, Microsoft has certified the Ion platform to perform the following:

• 1080p HD video including Blu-ray movies
• DirectX 10 support
• Support for Premium Windows Vista features such as Aero glass and Flip3D
• GPU acceleration for faster photo editing and video transcoding

[via PC World]