VIA netbook and notebooks still strong in Asia

This blog has been pretty quiet of late, especially compared to the VIA Embedded News blog and the VIA Misc blog. As liliputing.com points out, VIA processors only showed up in a few netbook models in the US and the situation was much the same here in Australia. But at Computex last week VIA had a flipping row of netbooks and notebooks. Netbook News had a good look at them in this video.

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!

VIA eye-gouges Intel, or hopes to, says Gizmodo

The VIA Nano 3000 series was announced earlier in the week and the news has enjoyed broad coverage from IT media. But there's been no extra new per se about it so I haven't bothered linking to the dozens of sites that have posted their take on the Press Release - until now. Gizmodo have put a chisel in VIA's hands and cried "sick em" at Intel. The Atom processor still enjoys most design wins in the ultra mobile space (netbooks and light notebooks).
"Intel's gotten cocky enough in the space that we don't mind the competition one bit."
It looks like we're not the only ones who'd like to see VIA do some damage :)

Will vendors choose VIA Nano with Nvidia ION 2?

Netbookchoice is running the rumor mill, conjecturing about the processors that will be supported by Nvidia's upcoming ION 2 platform. Apparently Fudzilla said that ION 2 will support "VIA Nano, Intel ULV & of course Intel Atom". They wonder if this will lead to a wave of VIA Nano + ION 2 netbooks. That sounds kind of nice but there is a bit of an uphill battle with that idea. Intel simply has more marketing muscle and pull with manufacturers, to entice them to buy their own Intel platforms - CPUs and chipsets - for their netbooks. Then again, if it's cheaper and it's got better performance and battery life, manufacturers could be convinced that it will sell more.
It's too early to tell.

eNote solution on video

VIA have a released a video on YouTube which has one of their marketing peeps explaining the new eNote Turnkey solution - the one announced last week that puts a VIA 1.3GHz Nano 11.6" notebook with a Sequans Communications chip bringing WiMAX, HSDPA and EVDO to the package.

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.

Samsung NC20 stands out

The Samsung NC20 is now available in Australia and PC Authority has taken a look to see how it stacks up against its biggest rival, the Dell Inspiron Mini 12. Like most reviewers, the screen quality and size and the keyboard are all great draw points, as is the performance and battery life.

"Whichever way you cut it, the NC20 blurs the line between ultraportable and netbook with impressive aplomb. The higher screen resolution is a significant step up and this, coupled with good performance and great battery life, makes the NC20 an ideal travelling companion. A netbook success for Samsung's first entry."

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.

VIA dominates netbook choice

It's a good thing to see that in a round up of netbooks being trialled by jkOnTheRun's daughter, the majority feature a VIA Nano processor. It seems that the netbooks he recommends usually feature the cool CPU.
"It was good to hear her thoughts on all of the netbooks. She ended her visit convinced that a $400 netbook is all she needs, and she’ll consider that next time she plans to purchase a laptop."

More on the Kinpo

More news is out about the Kinpo netbook set to hit the shelves in China very soon. The screen size is 11.6-inch. So is it a netbook or a notebook? I think anything below 12 inches is a netbook.
"Coming to provide users with an alternative to the increasingly popular Intel Atom-based netbooks, the new Kinpo N03 is equipped with one of VIA's latest CPUs, a Nano processor featuring a core speed of 1.2 or 1.3GHz."-Softpedia.

VIA Nano chosen for new WiMax equipped netbook in China

Kinpo has revealed a new 11.3 inch netbook that features a VIA Nano processor and built-in 3G/WiMax which matches the Chinese standards. The netbook will apparently be available with a wide variety of configurations, including a choice of Windows Xp or Vista, hard drive sizes and up to 2GB of RAM.

"The company's choice of a Via Nano microprocessor over Intel's popular Atom processor shows the battle between the two processor maker continues to rage in the netbook arena."-PCWorld.com.

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."

It might be time to leave your Intel-powered comfort zone

Newsvine.com has published a review of the VIA-based Samsung NC20 notebook and they lead their introduction by pointing out that the unit doesn't have Intel inside. I think most people are out of that brand loyalty trap now aren't they, when it comes to processors? The NC20 has certainly helped VIA get a lot of good press, with a lot of reviewers comparing performance with Atom notebooks. Newsvine.com is no exception:

"However, it did better at video playback than an Asus EeePC 1000HE, a good Atom-powered unit, indicating that the Nano has a bit more oomph. The NC20 can even play a modest 3-D game like "World of Warcraft" if you can put up with some sluggishness."