NVIDIA Ion 2 to be compatible with Pinetrail, coming in early 2010

Good news for those who eternally swear against Intel's GMA graphics which is still being used in its latest Atom platform. NVIDIA has revealed that its upcoming Ion 2 chipset will be compatible with the new Pinetrail Atom platform as many had hoped, and that it will be available some time in early 2010. No word on whether it will come in the form of a mini-PCIe card or not, but it's coming. And it's going to be great. Well, great compared to Intel GMA graphics, anyway.

Source: [Engadget]

Pinetrail: Intel's Atom D510 processor and NM10 chipset get tested

Intel's Pinetrail Atom platform isn't just intended for netbooks, but also nettops, or as Intel likes calling them, entry-level desktops. The first entry-level desktops with Pinetrail are expected to hit the market by January 2010, and they will be fitted with either the single-core Atom D410 CPU or the dual-core Atom D510 CPU (partnered with the new NM10 chipset which was previously referred to as Tiger Point; see a better explanation of the Pinetrail platform here).

If you plan on getting any of the new nettops that will come out running on Pinetrail in January, then you might want to check on the benchmarks ran by Tom's Hardware, comparing the performance and power consumption of the new Intel dual-core Atom D510 with the last generation Atom and a low-end Pentium E-series processor. The results are not in the least bit surprising. The Intel Atom D510 didn't show a significant increase in performance. In fact, it even failed to complete some tests and constantly crashed during testing. However, it did show a significant reduction in power consumption, and if you're after low electric bills, I'm sure you'll find that to be very good news.

There's a lot more information to be digested about the new Pineview Atom desktop processor, so head on to Tom's Hardware for the full test results.

Source: [Tom's Hardware]

Samsung N150 netbook with Pineview Atom CPU surfaces

It seems each and every netbook manufacturer you can think of has announced their own variation of a new netbook with Intel's Pinetrail Atom CPU running under the hood. Except a few, and one of those few is Samsung. So does this mean that Samsung won't be part of the Intel Atom N450 CPU bandwagon? Of course not. The company probably forgot to issue an announcement, or perhaps they ran out of ink while they were printing out the press release. Fortunately, the FCC and an online retail site named Neobits were glad to help Samsung let loose a few pieces of information about their upcoming Pinetrail Atom-based netbook.

ECS intros TIGT-I motherboard with Intel Atom D510 CPU and GMA3150 graphics

Your next nettop/SFF PC motherboard has just arrived, courtesy of ECS. Pictured above, the ECS TIGT-I motherboard features an integrated Intel Atom D510 processor (clocked at 1.66GHz) with GMA3150 graphics, the standard configuration for Intel's recently announced Pinetrail platform. Built in a Mini-ITX form factor, the ECS TIGT-I motherboard offers a built-in Ethernet port, high definition audio, 2 x SATA3.0 Gb/s, 1 x PATA, 4 x USB 2.0, 2 x DDR2 800, and 1 x PCIe x1 expansion slot. ECS's press release boasts that this mobo saves 50% power but increases up to 20% performance than the previous generation. Plus it will be perfect for fan-less systems, small form factor PCs or other portable devices. Hard to argue with that.

Source: [ECS]

MSI Wind U160 previewed in classy press shots

Not content with having announced two new netbooks powered by Intel's Atom N450 processor, MSI has let yet another Wind netbook into the spotlight way before its official unveiling early next year at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas. Seen above clad in a shiny golden brown outfit, the MSI Wind U160 is MSI's third official netbook to have Intel's new Pinetrail Atom CPU working in its innards. MSI hasn't revealed a lot of information about the Wind U160's actual specs besides the fact that it will carry a 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU, but come its official unveiling at CES 2010, we should be able to know just about everything there is to know about this netbook. Until then, have at a few more press shots, available for viewing below to those who continue reading.

Dave Explains: Intel's new Pinetrail Atom platform detailed

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Today we had a total of five different netbook models announced with Intel's new Pinetrail Atom N450 processor (the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380, Asus Eee PC 1005PE, MSI Wind U130 and 135 and the Dell Inspiron Mini 10). But what exactly is this new processor all about, and how does it differ from the N270/N280 Atom CPUs that we've been hearing about in netbooks for the past year? In a way, Intel's Pinetrail platform of CPUs heralds a new age for the company's aging x86 processors. And things can only get better. Continue reading for a more in-depth explanation.

Fujitsu announces LifeBook MH380 with Intel Atom N450 processor

With the recent slew of Pinetrail Atom-powered netbooks from Dell, Asus and MSI, Fujitsu doesn't plan on being one to be left behind. The company has just announced its newest netbook offering with Intel's Pinetrail N450 Atom processor, and sure enough, it's got some features that differentiate it a bit from the crowd.

Pictured above, the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 features a 10.1-inch LED backlit screen with a native resolution of 1366x768 and 200 units brightness, built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Wi-Fi N, 1.3MP webcam, 100/10Mbps Ethernet, and an interesting combination of a multi-touch trackpad plus full-fledged scroll wheel for onscreen navigation. It comes standard with 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, 6-cell battery and an 82-key keyboard with 17.5mm Key Pitch and a 1.9mm comfortable stroke, which according to Fujitsu is tastefully done.

Fujitsu has also made the LifeBook MH380 usable as a 32GB flash drive, and by using a bundled compatible USB connector, you can download its contents to another computer and vice versa (if I'm not mistaken). I don't understand how there can be a 32GB limit to space/storage that can be shared, though. Its web site states that today is the netbook's official release, but it will likely hit stores only in January 2010. Continue reading for the full press release.

Asus Eee PC 1005P and 1005PE netbooks officially announced

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First Dell. Then MSI. You knew it was only a matter of time until you heard about Asus's offering with Intel's new Pinetrail Atom CPU under the hood. And here it is, though not quite live and in the flesh, the Asus Eee PC 1005PE. Announced alongside the Asus 1005P in Italy, this new netbook comes with Intel's new Atom N450 processor and offers no less than 12 hours of total battery life (or so Asus says). And it is quite believable considering how the new Pinetrail processors from Intel offer about 20% less power consumption by virtue of design.

As usual with Asus netbooks, the 1005PE will come with free online storage/backup space that goes up to 500GB and something new: ASUS Express Gate, a feature that enables a user to boot and operate the netbook in mere seconds, though not into Windows, but to a limited pseudo-OS which shows a user's photo gallery, e-mails and an option for a quick Internet search.

The new Seashell netbooks are expected to become available in January 2010 in five different colors (white, black, blue, red and pink) for 279 Euro or about 18,500 Pesos before taxes and subsidies.

Source: [Eee PC Italia]

MSI Wind U130 and U135 netbooks announced with Intel Atom N450

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Dell's not the only one getting into the Pinetrail Atom netbook game. MSI has announced not just one, but two netbooks carrying Intel's new N450 processor under the hood, and these are the MSI Wind U130 and MSI Wind U135. Aside from the Intel's new low-power CPU, both MSI netbooks offer usual netbook niceties like a 10-inch 1024x600 screen, built-in webcam, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4-in-1 card reader and WiMAX Forum certification (a first for any netbook).

Not much is known about the difference between the two models at the moment, but it's been said that the MSI Wind U135 has a chiclet keyboard while the MSI Wind U130 does not. Both netbooks are expected to be available in January from £229 (about 17,000 Pesos) for the Wind U130 and £279 (20,800 Pesos) for the Wind U135.

Source: [Netbook Choice]

Updated Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with Atom N450 CPU gets announced

Dell has just announced an updated version of its popular Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with Intel's new Atom N450 processor. The Atom N450 is part of Intel's Pinetrail family of processors, which features integration of the CPU and GPU on the same die and reduces power consumption by about 20% while also reducing the overall footprint. Available in four different colors, the updated Dell Inspiron Mini 10 comes with a 6-cell battery good for about 9.5 hours of use, the usual assortment of I/O ports with USB, VGA-out and audio jacks, as well as options for upgrades like a built-in TV tuner, GPS, WWAN, Bluetooth and a higher resolution screen at 1366x768. Pricing starts at a sweet $299 USD (about 13,948 Pesos), but you won't be seeing any of these babies until January 2010. Continue reading for a gallery of the new Dell Inspiron Mini 10.