When Jason first played with JooJoo's tablet, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a 1.6GHz Intel Atom in the device's BIOS. Via the FCC, now we know for sure: It's based on the Atom processor, and as predicted, Nvidia's Ion.
Netbook graphics are inherently weak, especially with Intel's much-derided integrated graphics. But the new Nvidia Ion—like its predecessor—lets even a wimpy netbook Hulk out to play DX10 games and 1080p videos. The difference? It's a discrete graphics chip.
In today's Remainders: a celebration. Photoshop turns 20 and reminds us why we love it with laser-eyed babies and an Earth with AT-ATs. We've also got possible iPad preorders, definite MobileMe and Chromium OS improvements, PMA bummers and more.
Intel's Pine Trail Atom chips are pretty disappointing in the power department, so it's good to see Nvidia step up with a new, Pine-Trail-compatible line of Ion chips. If you want to watch HD YouTube on a netbook, read on.
A few months ago, 5 master modders were tasked with building one crazy Nvidia ION ITX-based PC using the best user-submitted designs posted at Modders-Inc. A final winner has now been selected, and it looks pretty amazing, no? Pics!
Acer's funky book-sized AspireRevo nettop just got a little better…and a touch pricier. This R3610-U9012 model has Windows 7, a dual-core Atom 330 processor, double the RAM (2GB), and full Ion graphics. It also keeps support for 1080p HDMI output.
Crazy parties aren't the only things set to arrive with Windows 7. The HP Mini 311, a respectable little 1080p-pumping machine in its own right, could possibly get a slight upgrade around the same time the OS arrives. Updated.
A ton of good news about Adobe Flash 10.1: Full Flash is coming to Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, WebOS and Windows Mobile. and it'll be actually GPU accelerated, meaning you can play back YouTube in HD perfectly. But the bad news?
Wow, this could be my fallback plan for a lightweight entertainment PC if the Eee Keyboard ends up sucking. The EB1501 is the first EeeBox with an optical drive, Windows 7, and a classy new design.
This might just be the netbook we've been waiting for: An Nvidia Ion-powered HP Mini with an 11-inch, 1366x768 display for 400 bucks. And you can actually buy it soon! September 23. Did I mention it plays 1080p video awesomely?
We heard an updated EeeBox was coming, and now what could be a killer entertainment PC is up on Asus USA's site. The EB1012 packs an Atom N330 processor, 250GB hard disk, 2GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.
It has been months since Lenovo announced that its IdeaPad S12 would be the first netbook (or borderline notebook) with Nvidia's Ion, but it has since been MIA. Lenovo says, the system will now ship during the Windows 7 timeframe.
With the IdeaPad S12, Lenovo, as rumored, is first out of the gates with a netbook based on Nvidia's Ion chipset, and it's a hell of a promising start: this 12-inch netbook promises the whole HD-playing, game-conquering Ion experience for around $500.
Acer's Revo, a tiny desktop that'll be "well under" $500, is the first computer with Nvidia's Ion netbook platform. Why care? Because it's got a crappy Intel Atom processor and plays HD Blu-ray movies flawlessly.
We're gonna see Nvidia's Ion platform in dirt-cheap desktops first, but Taiwan rag Commercial Times says Lenovo looks like the first to put it in netbooks, starting with 11.6 and 12.1-inch IdeaPads. [Digitimes via Electronista]
PC perspective took an Nvidia Ion reference platform—all the guts crammed in a box—for a test drive and found the performance very much lives up to the hype: It blows away every other netbook.
Tom's Hardware says it's for the sad and neglected Mac Mini. Apple Insider says it could make more sense inside a revamped Apple TV. Either way, a dual-core Atom with Nvidia's 9400M sounds nice.
Netbooks are pathetically weak machines. So Nvidia is infusing Intel's Atom with its GeForce 9400M to make netbooks suck less. Or at the very least, let you play Call of Duty 4. On a netbook.
