NetbookTech

Intel pumps up the speed of the Atom Pinetrail platform with today’s introduction of the Atom N470 processor. Clocked at 1.83GHz, the Atom N470 becomes the highest clocked Atom processor for netbooks yet.

The N470 comes with 512k of L2 cache, DDR2-667 support, and of course, integrated graphics built directly into the CPU.

Intel expects major OEMs to introduce systems based around the new processor over the coming months.

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ASUS introduced their latest Eee PC Seashell 1008P netbook series designed by award-winning NY-based designer Karim Rashid today at CES 2010 in Las Vegas. The new series has the following features:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM
• 250GB hard drive
• 10.1 inch LED-backlit display with 1024 x 600 resolution
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Optional 3.75G and WiMAX
• 6+ hours of battery life
• Low-profile keyboard with large multi-touch trackpad
• Soft-touch surface easy on the wrists
• Windows 7 Starter
• High-gloss case is soft to the touch
• Measures 1 inch thick and weighs 2.42 lbs

The new 1008P is available in two colors – hot pink (see below) and brown gold (shown above and just below).

Although not formally announced as of yet, the new HP Mini 210 netbook featuring the new Intel Pine Trail platform is already up for sale at eCost.com. You’ll find several models at different price points at eCost.com as well as several color choices but more on that in a second.

The support page for the Mini 210 is also up over at HP’s website here. After perusing through the user manual for the Mini 210, I discovered that select models for the 210 will feature a multi-touch enabled display! Nice!

Other interesting tidbits include

• Chiclet style keyboard
• Mouse buttons are below the touchpad
• Speakers are located at the front of the netbook
• Right side of the netbook has (from left to right) a media card reader (supporting MS, MS PRO, MMC, SD/SDHC, xD-Picture Cards), power switch, 2 USB ports, Ethernet port, security slot
• Left side (from left to right) has power connector, battery light, VGA port, drive light, USB port, audio out/microphone jack
• Select models will support WWAN with SIM card located behind battery
• Supports 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• Media controls on top of the keyboard
• Touchpad is gesture enabled
• One memory slot
• Sadly, there doesn’t appear to be an HDMI port with the Mini 210

OK, back to the eCost listings.  Color choices for the Mini 210 appear to be Matte Black with a pattern, Sonoma Red, Pacific Blue, and Black.

The lowest priced Mini 210 is a $321.99 model known as the 210-1010NR (which also is out of stock) with features including:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 10.1 inch flush glass display
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB HDD
• Windows 7 Starter
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• Media card reader
• 802.11 b/g
• Built-in webcam and microphone
• Solid black
• 3 cell battery

Next up is the black Mini 210-1030NR priced at $345.99. Specs are the same as above except the 3 cell battery is now a 6 cell battery.

Next is the Mini 210-1055NR priced at $366.99 (and out of stock) which appears to have the same specs as the previous model above (6 cell battery etc). I suppose the price adjustment is due to the color variations available. You can choose between Matte Silver with a pattern, Matte Black with a pattern, and Pacific Blue.

Finally, there’s the Mini 210-1080NR which comes with a larger hard drive (250GB 7200RPM HDD) as well as the six cell battery. Price for this system is $398.99.

Unfortunately it appears touch-screen versions of the Mini 210 are not available as of yet. Bummer.

Via News.com

Ah good ol LaptopMag. You can always count on them to offer the very latest in netbook and laptop reviews. Their latest set of netbook reviews offer a peak into what to expect out of Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks. The N450 is at the heart of the new Pine Trail platform which includes a new Atom processor core with integrated graphics in the core and a new chipset with reduced power requirements. In short, Pine Trail appears to promise minimal performance gains while achieving noticeable power consumption savings.

The first of two reviews from the publication was the newly announced ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-P. Similar to the extremely popular ASUS Eee PC 1005HA, the new 1005PE-P offers a larger hard drive (250GB), a better keyboard, and of course, an incredible battery life – thanks in no small part to the new Pine Trail platform. Here’s a blurb from the summary:

“While Intel’s new Atom N450 processor doesn’t really improve performance, the extra endurance it provides will certainly be welcome among netbook users. At $379, this netbook is a bargain, undercutting the Toshiba mini NB205 by $20 while lasting longer on a charge. We give the edge to the NB205 because of its more comfortable touchpad and mouse buttons, but the 1005PE is a still a stellar value.”

The second review is of the new MSI Wind U135 netbook which offers an extremely competitive price of around $329 dollars while also featuring the new Atom N450 processor. Unfortunately it appears the U135 doesn’t quite have the battery life of its competition with LaptopMag timing battery life at around 5+ hours. That’s an incredibly poor showing for an MSI netbook.

An excerpt from the verdict says it all:

“If you can swing the extra $50, we recommend the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE and its 5 extra hours of work and play time. But, if you’re really watching the bottom line, the U135 is worth a look.”

DigiTimes is reporting Foxconn Electronics will be launching two white-box netbook systems featuring the new Intel Pine Trail platform. Known under their code names, NS20 and NS24, the new systems are expected to offer fairly standard netbook features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, integrated webcam, and a media card reader. No word on the availability of the new systems.

ASUS formally announces their new lineup of Eee PC Seashell Series netbooks today with support for the new Intel Atom processor platform. The new Seashell models include the 1005P, 1005PE, and 1001P and feature ASUS’s proprietary Super Hybrid Engine which tailors the netbook’s “energy consumption patterns to suit any task at hand, optimizing energy efficiency and reducing power usage by up to 15%.” ASUS claims battery life reaching up to 14 hours on a single charge (although Engadget in their recent review of the 1005PE got around 8 to 10 hours of power).

The updated Seashell netbooks feature dual operating systems – Windows 7 or Express Gate which lets users boot up in just 8 seconds to surf the web, browse pictures, chat and play games online. Stay tuned for more info on these netbooks at CES 2010.

Now as I said earlier, Engadget recently reviewed the 1005PE netbook and found the following:

• Processor and graphics performance is slightly better with the Atom N450 vs the Atom N280. Probably not noticeable enough for most people
• Battery life is where it’s at – you’ll get around 20 percent more battery life with the 1005PE

Here’s a blurb from the review:

“If you’ve been waiting for Pine Trail netbooks hoping for noticeably better performance and graphics, you’re not going to get it — and the truth is you probably won’t even notice the difference between the 1005PE and older Diamondville-based Eee PCs until you start using it on battery power alone.”

Dell announces a new updated Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with support for the new Intel Atom N450 processor which integrates the memory controller and graphics core into the processor core. The updated Mini 10 features a sleeker chassis, ergonomic key caps for increased typing comfort, and a textured deck.

As with the original Inspiron Mini 10 product launch, the new Mini 10 will be available with several configuration options – many of which will not be initially available (honestly – it’s a bit annoying that Dell does this – roll out the product early before all the options are fully available). Features and specs for the updated Mini 10 include:

• 10.1 inch display with either 1024 x 600 resolution or 1366 x 768 resolution coming later on
• Built-in speakers with SRS Surround Sound
• Optional HDTV tuner
• Optional location-aware GPS configurations coming later
• Broadcom Crystal HD for smooth HD playback – coming in Q1 of 2010
• 802.11 b/g/ Wi-Fi
• Bluetooh and Mobile Broadband configuration options
• 1GB DDR2 memory
• 160GB or 250GB HDD
• Choice of 3 or 6 cell integrated battery with up to 9.5 hour battery life
• Choice of Windows 7 Starter (for $79.95), Windows XP Home or Ubuntu
• Weighs around 2.7 to 3 lbs with 3 cell battery. Weighs 3.1 lbs with 6 cell battery

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Christmas comes a bit early for Intel Atom fans as Intel announces today the introduction of new Atom processors which feature the integration of the memory controller and graphics core directly into the CPU. The new Atom processors are the Atom N450 for mobile systems (such as netbooks), and the D410 and D510 for desktop systems with the D510 being a dual-core processor. All three Atom processors are paired with the new low-power Intel NM10 Express chipset.

The latest Atom processors remain Intel’s smallest chips, built using their 45nm high-k metal gate manufacturing process.  With the integration of the memory controller and graphics core onto the processor die, the new Atom platform (code-named Pine Trail) now comprises of two chips (CPU + chipset) instead of the previous generation of three chips (CPU, chipset, I/O controller hub) which means a reduction of cost, overall footprint, and power consumption.

According to Intel, the new Atom platform results in a 20 percent improvement in average power and a total footprint reduction of approximately 60 percent for netbook systems. For entry level desktops, the new platform reduces the footprint by up to 70 percent and reduces TDP by approximately 50 percent.

Here are some of the details to the new Atom platform.

• The Atom N450 processor is a single core processor with 512k of L2 cache and a 7 watt total kit TDP including the chipset
• The Atom D410 processor is a single core processor with 512k of L2 cache and a 12 watt total kit TDP including the chipset
• The Atom D510 processor is a dual-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache and a 15 watt total kit TDP including the chipset

All three new processors are clocked at 1.66GHz. Pricing and availability will be announced in January with new systems set to be available starting on January 4th.

AND.. as for systems featuring the new Atom platform, Intel announces that there are over 80 design wins to-date including vendors such as ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, MSI, Toshiba, Samsung and Fujitsu.

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