Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Samsung are preparing to launch a new, 11.6-inch netbook, the N510, and rather than Intel’s Atom Z5xx series of processors they’ve picked the 1.66GHz N280. The N510 will also use NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset, paired with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive.

The presence of Ion will make the N510 capable of high-definition video playback, which should make the WXGA 1,366 x 768 more usable. Rival machines such as the Acer Aspire One 751, which have similarly-sized displays but use Atom Z5xx series processors and standard netbook graphics, have proved woefully underpowered for HD content.

Other Samsung N510 specs include WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and wired ethernet, together with an integrated webcam and microphone, multi-format memory card reader, 6-cell Li-Ion battery and Windows XP Home. It’ll apparently be priced at around €570 ($799), which is mighty-expensive for an Atom-based netbook.

According to an internal Microsoft tipster, the upcoming Zune HD will be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, and be priced from $249 to $280 for the entry-level model. The company is considering a 64GB Zune HD later on in the model year, but the first of the PMPs will arrive in September; that tallies with previous rumors that fingered September 5th.

The source – a software engineer within Microsoft who claims that, while he chose to leak independently, his actions are known and unofficially sanctioned by the company – also suggests that movies are finally coming to the Zune Marketplace, and that the team are working on the final licensing agreements with the major studios. That content will be available in HD.

If that starting price turns out to be accurate, it will position the Zune HD above Apple’s rival iPod touch PMPs. The Zune’s Tegra HD-capable chipset, HDMI output and AMOLED multitouch-capable display are likely culprits for pushing up prices; it remains to be seen whether Microsoft can sufficiently persuade consumers that their platform is finally better than Apple’s.

We’ve been quietly crushing on the Mobinnova élan Smartbook since its Computex debut, and this preview video from NetbookNews does little to dissuade that feeling. Based on NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset, the promise is both high-definition support and up to 24hrs of audio playback from the super-frugal platform.

The élan has an 8.9-inch display and a distinctly nifty hinged port panel on the back, which should do a decent job of keeping dust and other things out of the sockets. It weighs 1.84lbs and has integrated WiFi and 3G connectivity, plus it’s fanless.

We’re promised a second video with a walkthrough of the élan’s software soon, but we already know it has a custom 3D GUI and support for Office documents, YouTube and Hulu video. More on the hardware specs of the Mobinnova machine here; we’re not entirely sure of when it will arrive, but it could be the tipped model expected at $244 on Black Friday.

SlashGear stopped by the Pepcom Digital Experience in New York this week, and caught up with one of the more interesting netbooks on the horizon: Lenovo’s S12. While it may physically resemble one of the company’s previous models, albeit with a larger 12.1-inch display, what makes the S12 really special is the NVIDIA Ion chipset inside. The demonstration – which you can see after the cut – showed silky-smooth simultaneous HD encoding and playback.

In fact, the Lenovo S12 was using its HDMI port to output 1080p content onto a big-screen HDTV while also re-encoding a 1080p clip into an iPhone-friendly format. Both moved on at a fair clip, and the playback was completely smooth and unaffected by the encoding process.

When you consider that the S12 is otherwise pretty much identical to a mainstream netbook today, it’s all the more impressive. As well as Ion there’s a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and up to 320GB hard-drive, together with WiFi, Bluetooth and an ExpressCard slot. Full specifications are here. The Lenovo S12 with NVIDIA Ion is expected to go on sale this month, priced at $499.99; cheaper models, lacking Ion, will start at $449.99.

NVIDIA will be releasing a netbook that sports the Tegra chip by the end of the year the company confirmed today. This will be the first time the chip has been used in anything other than the Zune HD player.

The Tegra chip sports a 720p resolution for HD video while maintaining low energy usage at 150mW. The prototype is being shown of the netbook that was built by Mobinnova, featuring an 8.9-inch screen.

Other suspected specs include a webcam, Wi-Fi, 3G and Windows CE. However, NVIDIA made a point of noting Android may be used. The pricing is expected to be the equivalent of $244 on Black Friday this year.

HP have announced a new range of consumer desktop PCs, together with an update to their MediaSmart Server software for TouchSmart PCs. Slimline, Pavilion and Elite desktops have all been announced, together with a new Compaq Presario desktop. In addition, HP have announced that select consumer PCs bought from today onwards will be eligible for their Windows 7 Upgrade Program.
Both AMD and Intel processors are available across the ranges, and Blu-ray is also an option on some models. The Pavilion Slimline kicks off with an AMD Athlon single-core LE1660 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 320GB hard-drive, climbing to a Pentium dual-core CPU, twice the RAM and a 500GB drive. As for the Pavilion, that kicks off with an AMD Sempron LE1300, while the Pavilion Elite starts with a dual-core AMD Phenom II X2 and rises all the way to an Intel Core i7-920 with 6GB of DDR3 RAM, 750GB storage and a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics card. Finally the Presario machine has an Athlon X2 dual-core CPU, 3GB or RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics.

The HP Pavilion Slimline s500 series begins at $289, while the Pavilion p6000 series starts at $269. Meanwhile the Pavilion Elite e9000 starts at $599 and the Compaq Presario CQ5000 is $379.

Gateway have rolled out two new small-form-factor (SFF) desktop PC ranges, its SX Series and DX Series, offering a choice of AMD or Intel processors, HDMI connectivity and compact desk footprints. The first SX model is the Gateway SX2800-01, a Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz desktop with integrated GMA X4500 graphics, 4GB of DDR memory, 640GB hard-drive and a DVD burner.
Meanwhile the two first DX Series models are the DX3400-03 and the DX4820-02. The former has an AMD Phenom X4 9750 2.4GHz processor with 8GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1TB hard-drive, ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics (with 1GB of memory) and integrated WiFi b/g. The later uses Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66GHz processor, with 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 750GB hard-drive, and NVIDIA GeForce G210 graphics (with 512MB of memory).

All three systems have gigabit ethernet, a multiformat card reader, at least eight USB ports, VGA or DVI as well as HDMI outputs, and HD audio support. The two Intel-based systems also have Firewire and eSATA ports, while the AMD-based DX model has an integrated TV tuner. Gateway are also hawking their FHD monitor series, the 21.5-inch FHD2101 and 24-inch FHD2402, which both support 1920 x 1080 Full-HD resolution.

The new PCs will be available in the last week of June, priced at $499.99 for the SX2800-01, $749.99 for the DX4300-03, and $899.99 for the DX4820-02 (which also comes with a 23-inch 1920 x 1080 LCD monitor). The FHD2101 LCD display is $199.99 while the FHD2402 is $269.99; both are available now.

Acer have announced new 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch notebooks, the Aspire Gemstone Blue range, priced from just $479.99. The 15.6-inch AS5536 has a 16:9 display, AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.1GHz dual-core CPU, 3GB of RAM and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, together with a 320GB hard-drive, DVD burner and WiFi b/g/n.

As for the AS7735Z, that has a 17.3-inch 16:9 display, Intel Pentium T4200 2.0GHz processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and Intel’s GMA 4500MHD graphics. There’s also a 250GB hard-drive, DVD burner and WiFi b/g/n. Both machines have a webcam, multi-format card reader, and a multitouch capable trackpad.

The Acer Aspire AS5536 is available now, priced from $479.99, while the AS7735Z is also on sale now, priced from $599.99. As of the end of the month, they’ll be joined by the Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue AS5739G, with a 15.6-inch display, Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 2.1GHz processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT130M graphics with 1GB of discrete memory and a Blu-ray drive. It also has a 250GB hard-drive, fingerprint reader, WiFi a/b/g/n and the multitouch trackpad; it’ll be priced from $749.99.

Microsoft have confirmed that their upcoming Zune HD touchscreen PMP will use NVIDIA’s high-definition capable Tegra chipset. Speaking in the official Zune Insider podcast, product team member and show host Matt Akers revealed that the recent rumors about Tegra’s adoption were true, describing the Zune HD with the NVIDIA chipset as “like a mini laptop in your hand.”
Also tipped by Akers are “much better battery life” and graphics acceleration, both well publicized advantages of Tegra by NVIDIA. The chipset offers 1080p video output via an HDMI port, together with hardware graphics acceleration and multiple power-saving features; the Zune HD, meanwhile, will support 720p output to a connected high-def monitor and HD Radio.

The PMP will go up against Apple’s newly-boosted iPhone 3G S, which uses a PowerVR SGX video chipset that also promises HD support and improved graphical capabilities. We’ll have to wait until September, when the Microsoft Zune HD is tipped to launch, to find out which takes the top spot.

Maingear have announced a new PC that can’t decide quite whether it’s for gamers or HTPC enthusiasts. The Maingear Axess HD Gamer has its sights on your living room, and uses a low-profile aluminum case; however inside there’s an Intel Core i7 processor, up to 12GB of DDR3 memory and dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT graphics cards in SLI configuration. The Axess HD Gamer is also the first system to come with the Phantom Lapboard.
Other specifications include a Blu-ray drive, 8-channel audio with pre-amp, S/PDIF digital audio output and Vista Home Premium with its media center UI. Storage is courtesy of two 3.5-inch SATA drives, offering up to 2TB of space, or alternatively twin SSDs.

Up front there’s an OLED display for status information – including song or artist for music, or alternatively movie title – plus a multi-format memory card reader. Connectivity includes DVI-D, VGA, HDMI and component out, plus dual gigabit ethernet, eight USB 2.0 ports, two 6-pin FireWire ports and eSATA.

Unsurprisingly, none of this comes cheap. The Maingear Axess HD Gamer range starts from $1,799, but expect to pay far more than that for the kind of maxed-out system the company are talking about here.

Microsoft and NVIDIA are working together to optimize Windows CE for Tegra-based Smartbooks, with NVIDIA exec Mike Rayfield describing Android as having a “rough user interface”. Windows CE, meanwhile, has a “low memory footprint and a good collection of apps” and “is a rock-solid operating system that has been shipped billions of times” claimed the general manager for NVIDIA’s mobile business unit.

Their work centers on best balancing Windows CE’s use of the 750MHz ARM11 processor and the 1080p high-definition capable graphics chipset that make up Tegra. The upshot will be longer battery life and improved graphical capabilities, such as 1080p output via HDMI. NVIDIA is still working with Google to develop a Tegra-friendly Android build, but it will be around a year before there’s a version suitable for Smartbooks he suggests.

One of the key drawbacks for Android in Tegra implementations is its lack of hardware graphics acceleration support. All video and graphics rendering is currently done in Java code, which Rayfield says is too slow for HD; Google would not comment on Rayfield’s statements.

Rayfield also declined to comment on recent claims that Microsoft have decided to use NVIDIA’s Tegra platform for their upcoming Zune HD PMP. “Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that,” he told Computerworld, “so until they comment, I can’t.” However he did confirm that NVIDIA are working to optimize Tegra for use with Windows Mobile, a fact which will likely reignite speculation that upcoming Microsoft smartphones might use the HD-capable platform.

It doesn’t take much to differentiate your netbook, what with most sharing the same hardware, so Pegatron have managed to surprise and delight by slapping Yahoo!, Google, MSN and Skype keys on their Vivid prototype. To be honest, though, they didn’t need to bother: all they needed to highlight was the fact that this is one of the rare machines with NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset.


Spotted at Computex a few weeks back, the Vivid also has a matte-finish display and an integrated battery. The speakers are squeezed into a metal-mesh cylinder in the hinge, and there’s the usual array of audio in/out and USB ports.

The Vivid also runs a full version of FireFox and can play YouTube video. As well as having the long runtime promised by Tegra, it can also output 1080p through the HDMI port. Still no word on when we can see the Pegatron Vivid on shelves; we’re also hoping it’ll come in a few different colors.

Rumors that Microsoft were eying up the NVIDIA Tegra platform for an upcoming smartphone have circulated for some time now, but it seems the company’s new PMP may have beaten the cellphones to it. According to PC Perspective, NVIDIA have confirmed that the Zune HD will use the Tegra chipset for its 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen and 720p HDMI output.

In fact, they’ve been sitting on the news since Computex, seemingly unaware of how “news worthy” it was. There’s no official confirmation from either NVIDIA or Microsoft, and we’re not really expecting them to discuss it until closer to the Zune HD’s launch, but it would certainly make sense given Tegra’s graphics prowess and low-power demands.

The Zune HD has a 480 x 272 display, HD Radio receiver, WiFi and an internet browser based on Mobile Internet Explorer. According to the most recent rumors, it will arrive in the US on September 5th.

We got plenty of advance word about this one, but EVGA has finally gotten fully official with its Mac Pro-friendly version of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 graphics card, which is now available to order from the Apple Store for the not so low price of $450. That'll of course get you a card that's mostly identical to its less-than-new PC counterpart, including 1GB of DDR3 memory, a whopping 240 processing cores, a memory clock speed a 2,584MHz, memory bandwidth of 159GB/sec, and a pair of dual-link DVI ports that can each drive a 30-inch monitor at 2,560 x 1,600 with ease -- assuming you can still afford a pair of 30-inch monitors after you shell out for one of these, that is.

After rumors back in April that HP were planning to launch a 3D laptop courtesy of NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D technology, now comes word that Acer are planning their own 3D rival. According to Campbell Kan, VP of Acer’s mobile computing business unit, the 15.6-inch Aspire 3D laptop will arrive at the end of October 2009, and require stereoscopic glasses in order for the 3D effect to be viewed.

Initial uses for the visual technology will include 3D movies and gaming, and Acer will preinstall software that, it claims, is capable of taking 2D footage and converting it into 3D. The hardware has been jointly developed with Wistron, though beyond that Acer have given no suggestion as to whether it will use NVIDIA’s system. However it’s worth noting that Wistron were the OEM tipped to supply HP’s 3D laptop.

Since the machine will run Windows 7, Acer are declining to comment further on any more details until the OS has been released. However they did confirm that they are working on a version which does not require 3D glasses; that, though has “quite a few technological obstacles to overcome” says Kan.