Cheap and tiny netbooks on eBay sport VIA CPUs

If you want a netbook for under AUD 100, check out eBay where you'll find small VIA Arm-based netbooks. This one has a buy now price of 87.99. It's got a 7" screen, 300MHz CPU and 128MB RAM. With those specs I'd probably call it a MID or a smartbook more than a netbook. Youd' have to use this for pretty basic stuff and although it's capable of multitasking, it would be pretty slow at doing it. There's a discussion about it on the whirlpool forums.

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.

Now you can get 10 inches for $100

A 10 inch netbook featuring a VIA manufactured ARM SoC processor has got itself some attention on several English language tech sites after being showcased on a Chinese website. Toysandgadget.com is where I found out about it - and the name of that website is quite to the point. With such low specs, it's hard to know whether to place this device, from Science and Technology of Shenzen, as a toy or a true gadget. For $100, it's coming close to a consumable device for many income levels.

Toysandgadget.com point out that this is perhaps the first netbook to have been released at that $100 range that has a 10 inch screen instead of 7 inch. 7 inches really is like a toy, but 10 inches is easier to work with.

With China being so close to Australia, it's a wonder these low priced netbooks haven't hit our shelves as yet. They sell cheap set top boxes and DVD players at major grocery stores here - why not cheap netbooks as well?

Not as cheap as I thought

In Bangkok, Thailand at a computer market you can get a 10.2" VIA C7-M based small notebook, much like the PHV102, for 9600 Bhat, or US$ 289. Now that's not as cheap as I thought it would be. Perhaps you can barter? Here's the vid from netbooknews.de:

Pretty standard but oh so affordable

This small notebook really isn't that exciting, until you here the price. First, the boring bits:

1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor
1GB DDR2 RAM

160GB SATA HDD

10.2" 1024x600 screen

3 cell battery

black finish

Unconfirmed: built in webcam and the usual ports

Told you, not that exciting. But wait! It costs US$ 185!! That's just so cheap! It's called a Phecda PHV102 - Liliputing

Netbooks and VIA enjoy gains

John Peddie research has released figures showing a jump in growth for the GPU market, including sales increases for VIA of 100% in the last quarter. The growth has been accounted for because of IGPs being used in notebooks and netbooks, sales of which increased by 27% in Q2. Fast on the heals of the announcement that the US has climbed out of recession, things are also looking up for GPU manufacturers - except for Nvidia, which lost 4% market share in the same period.

"A total of 119.45 million units were shipped in the third quarter, exceeding the record 111 million units in the third quarter of 2008," said Dr Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research.

"So the market has caught up with, and exceeded, last year's highs. The crash of Autumn 2008 is now behind us." - V3.co.uk

Put your pedal to the, er ... OLPC

I'm not sure if this model OLPC netbook is the VIA based version or not, but look, it has ever lasting power - or at least as long as your legs can take you!

"There are already hand cranks available that let you charge up an XO Laptop while you’re not using it. But now the folks at OLPC Afghanistan have built a machine prototype that lets you charge the laptop while you’re using it by connecting a hand crank to a pedal. In other words, you can sit at a desk and pedal away to generate electricity while your hands are free to actually use the computer." - Liliputing

Asus Eee clone with VIA Nano

China, there is a growing business of manufacturers who take a design from a major manufacturer and copy it, altering it a bit but keeping the look fairly similar. In this case the EEE 1002HA Asus netbook design has been copied, but on the inside is a VIA Nano processor instead of an Atom.

"The VIA NANO runs at a clock speed of 1.3GHz. VIA’s new VX855 chipset allows one to enjoy 1080p videos on the tiny 10-inch screen of this cloned netbook and that too with jus 20-30% CPU utilization." - Gadgetmix

HP 2133 gets new lease on life

The HP 2133 Mini-note was a major design coupe for VIA, being a big brand name manufacturer. It was also one of the first netbooks with a high res screen. If you bought one, you may look back on your purchase now with a tinge of regret because unlike many newer netbooks, the HP 2133 Mini-note can only manage 480p. Well, here's a fix, a way to boost the HD resolution by installing a Braodcomm Crystal HD Enhanced Media Accelorator.

"With the Broadcom card installed, he was able to watch 720p and 1080p video on his netbook. It’s also worth pointing out that the HP 2133 was one of the first netbooks with a high resolution display to hit the streets. It has an 8.9 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel screen.
He even found that he could play Blu-Ray video as long as he paused for a few seconds to let the video buffer first." - Liliputing.com

3G plus netbook at bargain price

I haven't seen mobile communications or 3G service providers in Australia sell contracts with netbooks. Smartphones, absolutely, but nothing larger as yet. In Taiwan, the Kinpo NO3V 11.6" netbook is available with a 2 year 3G contract. The specs read like a familiar recipe: VIA Nano 1.3GHz, VX800 single chip solution, 160GB HDD, webcam, Ethernet, car reader, USB, etc. With the two year contract the price is really a great deal - $US285 (approx). Here's a video review of the Kinpo:

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.

Not high marks - but cheap as!

The Sylvania Gnet 13001 is a re-hashed, re-positioned version of a netbook, once called a NanoBook, which was first available almost three years ago. Sales were confined to South East Asia but now it's available on Amazon and eBay for around $200, according to RateNetbooks.

"We have to be clear, that this laptop impresses in virtually no way other than the price. It is running a lightweight, non Windows OS and still features relatively poor performance."

That may sound harsh but it's fair. It is after all running a VIA C7-M processor, not the snappy power efficient VIA Nano. But $200 for some people makes this almost a consumable item or a toy for a child's present.

Larger than others

The Samsung NC20 which is usually referred to as a notebook and not a netbook, has a 12.1" screen and here's something I didn't know, the touch pad is larger than most as well.

"Another excellent feature of this laptop is that it actually has a larger touchpad compared to most of the netbooks. The full-size keyboard seems to be easy to use; however, there seem to be no quick launch buttons. This however is a common thing for most netbooks."-PCHijack.com

VIA Nano in Shanzai clone

A netbook that looks just like an Asus 1002H but isn't, features not only a VIA Nano processor but the VX855 chipset which makes it HD playback capable, unlike the real deal. Shanzai.com have a whole bunch of photos of the copy-cat and suggest that the VIA Surfboard platform is an attractive option for brand cloners in the China manufacturing scene, because of the 1080p support it provides.
"It's been a year now since VIA Technologies launched their GMB alliance, a project that brings together key manufacturing and infrastructure partners players in Shanzhen. The idea being that by working closely with the manufacturing base in China, VIA will see improved up take of its processors, luring the shanzhai crowd away from Intel. One of the tempters that VIA is using to achieve this is it's HD capable VIA VX855 chipset, featured on their surfboard reference design (below), a specially designed netbook mainboard that is being offered to partners in the GMB."

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."

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."

12 inch becomes the new netbook

Netbooks were small notebooks, so small in fact that they felt a bit like pretend notebooks when you picked them up. But 12 inches seems to be the new trend. A 12 inch version means that you don't need to squint or scroll so much and the keyboard size is better for adults. Digitimes reports that VIA chips are being sought after for new 12 inch designs:
"The new products will be marketed as netbooks, although they will feature screen sizes in excess of 12 inches. However, don't expect them to be as thin and stylish as CULV-based products, nor as powerful for that matter. On the upside, they could end up rather cheap, and offer punters a cost effective alternative to cramped netbooks or pricey thin-and-lights. " - Fudzilla.

Get the most battery life out of your netbook

Anyone who has a notebookor a mini-notebook must be concerned about the most important mobility factor,the battery life of their portable computer. People make the choice to buy amini-notebook instead of larger notebooks because they need a computer on thego. But it’s not just the weight and size that makes a mini-notebook portable;it’s the ability for the device to operate without mains power for an extendedand useful period of time. In this article, I’ll give you some useful tips tosqueeze some extra juice out of your mini-notebook’sbattery.

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Tongfong S30A: The zero figure notebook

There’s no doubt that mini-notebooks have been given a new spice of life with the VIA Nano processor. Many mini-notebook manufacturers have gone for the VIA Nano because of its low power consumption. Be it Samsung, Lenovo or HP – they all have VIA Nano powered mini-notebooks. The opinion is unanimous – the VIA Nano is the ultimate processor when it comes to modern day mobile computing … and now that includes notebooks. The VIA Nano processor has shown up in one of the thinnest notebooks I have ever seen. The leading Chinese manufacturer, Tongfong, has put the VIA Nano processor in its flagship notebook, the S30A.

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VIA Nano can get you a bigger screen!

In this world of cutting technology, netbooks and mini-notebooks are getting remarkably popular. When people choose a model, it's often a toss-up between portability and display size. If you're worried by the Atom chip manufacturer’s confession that it won’t cope so well with screens larger than about 10 inches, don’t worry, VIA Nano powered netbooks are the ultimate solution. The latest example is the Samsung NC20, which supports resolutions up to 1280x800 on it's 12.1” screen. The VIA Nano has no problems with that!

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