Gizmodo: atom centrino

Sharp-Willcom D4 UMPC With Intel Atom Centrino, Vista Hits the States on June 20th

Sean Fallon — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:10:00 EDT

If, for some reason, you were interested in picking up one of Sharp-Willcom's new D4 WS016SH UMPCs, the device will be available in the States starting on June 20th from GeekStuff4U. Personally, I would not be thrilled about dropping $1,526.33 on a device running Vista huffing and puffing with only a 1.33Ghz processor and 1GB or RAM—but to each his own. [GeekStuff4U via BGR]

Sharp-Willcom D4 UMPC First with Intel Atom Centrino, Windows Vista Too

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:30:50 EDT

Looking something like the love child of an OQO and an HTC Tilt, Sharp-Willcom's new D4 WS016SH UMPC is apparently the first of its type to have the new Atom Centrino fizzing away inside. That 1.3GHz Atom Z520 is matched with a five-inch LED back-lit 1024 x 600 touchscreen, 1GB of memory, a 40GB drive, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR. If that sounds like a lot in a tiny package then you'll like this: this Japan-only computer also runs Windows Vista Home Premium. Maybe that's why the guys over at Akihabaranews think its looks are great, but its performance is unimpressive.

The diminutive device measures just 3.3 x 7.4 x 1.0 inches, packs in a QWERTY keyboard and weighs just one pound. It's configured to use Japan's PHS system for phone calling, apparently coming with an external Bluetooth phone device that'll let you place calls over the PHS network. It also appears to have a built-in one-seg TV tuner, and memory expansion through a microSD slot.

It's Japan-only for now, due to that PHS system, and costs around $1,280. [Akihabaranews via Av Watch]

Intel Sets Low Price for its Atom CPU

Kit Eaton — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:43:29 EDT

Intel has set a price for its low-cost N270 notebook CPU: a mere $44. Now that actually does seem pretty cheap to us, so perhaps Intel's promise of much cheaper computers in the future will come true. At the same time Intel announced two 65nm Centrino CPUs, both aimed at the entry-level laptop market. The Celeron 585 is a 2.16GHz processor costing $107, and the 575 runs at 2GHz and costs $86. It's just possible Intel's "nettop" design will work out after all.[Digitimes]

Intel Atom Will Bring Cheaper "Nettop" Computers

Mark Wilson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:48:53 EDT

Intel promised that their Atom chips (click here if you don't know what the hell an Intel Atom chip is) will bring us cheaper computers great for surfing the web and general, lighter task loads. But I think I speak for the whole room when I say, how cheap is "cheaper?"

A standard PC setup with DVD drive (and we're assuming with monitor) would run just $199 to $250. Intel calls the system a "Nettop," and it will use the Atom Centrino processor to run Vista without Aero, XP or Linux (depending on target price and intended application).

A laptop with the same specs won't run much more, estimated at only $250 to $300.

But given the inexpensive price of many full-blown Core 2 Duo laptops and desktops, it's hard to see these moderate price breaks ushering in an Atom revolution. For developing countries and educational purposes, on the other hand, the Atom is a tad more exciting. [pcworld]