NetNote design wins announced - sort of

VIA issued a Press Release on Friday announcing some design wins with their VIA Surfboard NetNote Edition. The announcement was made at their Autumn Global Mobility Bazaar gathering in Shenzen China. The NetNote, as you may remember, is 10.2-12.1" notebook with a VIA Nano processor and the VX855 chip, capable of playing HD video. No details were released about the specifics of the design wins, like manufacturers and models, but they did release some details about features.
"Along with high bit-rate 1080p HD video playback capability, many of the NetNote systems also offer additional value with external MP3 control decks that can be operated without having to boot the OS, digital TV modules that receive CMMB standard digital video broadcasts from both satellite and terrestrial transmitters, and FM transmitter functionality that allows users to tune in car radios or cell phones to pick up broadcasts from NetNote devices."

NetNote name not liked but NetNote Surfboard design given thumbs up

Yesterday I questioned the usefulness of another name for another segment of the mobile space, when VIA announced a new NetNote platform. It seems I am not the only one wondering if we really need yet another name for a portable clamshell design. LegitReviews, although they like the NetNote platform, dubbing it a possible rival to NVIDIA's ION, they don't have positive comments for the NetNote name itself: " ... can Via really see the term 'netnote' taking off? Those delusional pills must be strong... "
CrunchGear seem to get the idea a bit more: "Netbooks are too underpowered, notebooks are too bulky and expensive – “SILENCE!” shouts VIA. All hail the new “NetNote” category, if you please. We’re basically talking netbooks with 10- to 12-inch screens that can handle 1080p HD video without breaking stride."
But the title of their article does hint at them being a little underwhelmed by all this segmentation of the market: "VIA searches for portable computing Goldilocks zone with ‘NetNote’ platform".
VIA may be splitting hairs with the new NetNote category but manufacturers need to. Consumers want specific features and they don't want to pay for what they don't want. So manufacturers are keen to get the balance right with different platforms.

ANOTHER category: NetNote

Sometimes it's useful to coin a new phrase, develop a new terminology, for a new segment in the IT market. Sometimes marketing peeps in companies just like to come up with new words. When I first saw the title of VIA's Press Release, "VIA Unviels SurfBoard Platforms and Turnkey Systems for New NetNote Category" I thought ... "Oh no! Here we go again! What is it this time? Smaller than a netbook? I thought that was a smartbook!?" But actually, there may be a plausible reason for the new NetNote term. Whether or not it'll become a mainstream term is far less likely, however.

Have you ever taken the back off a notebook or netbook? Underneath you'll find an odd shaped motherboard that has the graphics and processor embedded on it. For a quick and easy way for manufacturers to make a netbook, VIA launched the SurfBoard platform in March this year. It paired the then quite new VX855 media system processor with a C7-M. Today VIA has improved the specs by offering the Nano as an option as well, plus support for an HDMI port and 3G module options.


Rather than decreasing the size of the platform they're targetting, the NetNote SurfBoard platform is aimed at notebooks which are 10.1" - 12.1" and crucially, supporting 1080p HD video. They must also be ultra-portable (fat and heavy designs need not apply) and cheap (sorry, not a good marketing word, but that's the cold hard fact). So it's in those four factors where the distinction lies for VIA between a notebook and a NetNote: medium size screen, supports 1080p playback, light and thin, and affordable. That's not to say that there aren't notebooks that fit that description already, but they may not be VIA-based, so I guess there's the fifth distinction!


The Press Release goes on to highlight VIA’s GMB Alliance, which sees VIA working closely with Chinese manufacturers. VIA are holding another GMB event in China, Friday week, where they’ll be demonstrating the NetNote turnkey solution.