Two big hitters to use VX900 in upcoming netbooks

A report in Indian media has indicated that both Lenovo and Samsung will release new netbooks featuring the VX900 media processor. Both companies enjoyed sucess with previous VIA-based netbooks, Lenovo with their IdeaPad series and Samsung with the NC20, which was the first netbook to sport a VIA Nano processor. The reports says the netbooks may be available as early as June. - Electronista The companies previous versions VIA-based were available in Australia.

VIA's Nano shown to best Intel's Atom in Lenovo IdePad S12

Computer Power User has given a fair and balanced review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, an ultra mobile notebook that's been around for a while now but is still readily available on New Egg and at other online and retail sales spots in the US. In Australia you can pick them up for as little as $692 from Electronic Bazaar.

The model sporting the VIA processor is cheaper than the Intel one even though, as the test results from Computer Power User show, the Nano is the better performer. However, to be fair, the better processing grunt does result in a hit to the battery life.

Better performance, lower price, reduced batterty vs higher price, better battery, lower performance. You choose!

Sporty blogger reviews Lenovo S12 netbook

In the 80's you were either a nerd or a sports jock. Not both. These days everyone uses tech and everyone has an opinion on tech. This blogger, who claims to be a mighty sportsman, obviously has a long history of carefully considering his laptop purchases. He recently jumped into the netbook pool by choosing a Lenovo S12.

"No horsepower problems. The VIA NANO chipset is considerably more powerful than the ubiquitous ATOM chipset on most netbooks, even though the VIA clock rate is slower than the latest ATOMs(1.3 vs 1.6). Even with only 1 gig RAM, it rocks. I've got another gig of RAM ordered."

The review continues to delve into all of the features of the Lenovo S12.

Why choose the Nano version of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12

I have written here before several times that the VIA Nano version of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is cheaper than the Atom version. But aside from price, is there a good reason to choose it? An UberTechGuy - the nick name he calls himself, not my nickname for him - did choose the Nano version and here's why:

"I looked at all of the netbooks on the market and settled on the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 with the VIA Nano ULV 2250 (1.30GHz 800MHz 1MB) processor. Why VIA instead of Intel Atom? I liked the fact that it would address 3 GB of memory (RAM), had a very fast front-side BUS (quick communication between the processor and the rest of the system) and 1MB of video memory (fast video). Also, the reviews and benchmarks (speed tests) were very good. I should note that the VIA is a 64-bit processor."

Lenovo varieties

Everyone is always mentioning how the Lenovo S12 has two flavors: Intel Atom or VIA Nano. The Nano is cheaper. Why?
"The VIA has a slower clockspeed (1.3-GHz vs. the Atom’s 1.6-GHz) but in every other respect that matters it’s a more powerful chip: It’s got a faster bus (800-GHz vs. 533-Mhz) and twice the cache (1MB vs. 512KB). It’s also a 64-bit processor, although like most netbooks, the S12 I used ran the decidedly 32-bit Windows XP. (I don’t know if Lenovo intends to offer a version of the Nano-equipped S12 that runs a 64-bit version of Windows 7; it could be pretty darn cool.)" - Technologizer.
Then again, apparently the battery life is a little less - but that's what you get for more performance I guess.

Lenovo now cheaper but offers more

Lenovo have launched a new version of their IdeaPad S12 notebook that has a VIA Nano processor. Not only that, the RAM has increased from 1GB to 2GB and the hard drive size is now 320GB instead of 160GB. And it's cheaper than the Atom version which has the smaller RAM and HDD. Does this mean that the VIA Nano processor is so much cheaper than the Atom that Lenovo were able to increase other specs? I'm not sure, but what a good deal! - Gadgetmix.

Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 with Nano out in Taiwan

Lenovo have released a version of their IdeaPad S12 with a VIA Nano processor. It's not clear yet whether it will be released outside of Taiwan.
"The Nano U2250 powered S12 with 2GB of memory should end up some 25 percent cheaper than the Intel-based version without an OS. This sounds like a pretty fair deal, as the Nano U2250 is a decent CPU and the rest of the spec will probably remain unchanged."-Fudzilla.

VIA: Second largest processor supplier

Oooh, what a headline! Now, no, VIA has not toppled AMD off the second spot on the shelf and they're not likely too soon, or maybe not in the desktop space but they're making huge headway in the netbook and notebook space. Lenovo has just placed a huge number of orders with Taiwanese manufacturers, including VIA. The US$3.255 billion dollars worth of orders this week included US$50 million with VIA, making VIA the second largest processor supplier for Lenovo, second only to Intel. One of Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 models features a VIA Nano processor. - TradingMarkets

Lenovo IdeaPad S12: solid is the word

Netbooks are still often referred to a mini laptops and the word mini brings with it connotations of flimsiness, breakable even. People who've had a chance to play around with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, which features a VIA Nano Processor, think it's pretty tough:
"If you are looking for a solid and a strong laptop, this is the right laptop you can opt for. It has a solid battery too. It has solid hinges. Everything is good on it. Even the frame of the laptop is good. So, it is a durable laptop. It is not easy to break it or cause it damage. Besides, there are white laptops which look good, but you will face some problems when it comes to cleaning because white laptops get dirty very quickly. Black laptops, on the other hand, are not that bad when it comes to cleaning since they don't get dirty very easily."-Ultimate Product Reviews.

The supreme netbook processor?

A lot of reviewers have already tested the VIA Nano processor against the Intel Atom, by testing the Samsung NC20 against the NC10. Now everyone is getting in a fluff about testing the two versions of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12.
"Up until now, I think we’d all agree that the INtel Atom is the processor of choice when it comes to netbooks. As it turns out, one of its biggest competitors could be a better performer for about the same price. That seems to be the case with the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, a netbook that comes with a VIA Nano processor."-MobileMag.com.
The VIA Nano processor is breaking down assumptions.

Crunchgear take alook at the Lenovo S12

Crunchgear give a short review and a long review. I'll just give you a snippet of the short one:
"The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 represents one of the first netbooks to feature VIA’s Nano platform as a configuration option. You’ll gain some extra horsepower over Intel’s Atom setup while saving about $70 off the total system price, making the Nano a good option for those of you who want to watch 720p video."
So the S12 is not only a great notebook but a good option for a portable hi-def video player? Awesome.

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 may hit the right in between spot

According to a review on TechWoa.com, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is "neither a complete NoteBook nor a laptop". That may be just what consumers wants - the best of both worlds.

"Lenovo IdeaPad S12 has the option of having either a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 or Via Nano ULV processor with 1GB, 533MHz DDR2 RAM."

The review doesn't compare performance but it does note: "The Via Nano ULV processor is much cheaper than Atom."