ACER PLANNING LAPTOPS WITH NVIDIA ION 2 CHIPS?

Nvidia hasn’t released its ION 2 platform yet. But according to a report in DigiTimes, Acer has placed an order with Nvidia for the purchase of ION 2 chips.

Unlike the existing ION platform which has an Intel Atom N270/N280 processor and Nvidia GeForce 9400 GPU, the ION 2 platform is designed to work with Intel’s upcoming Pine Trail processors which have memory, graphics and processor functions integrated onto a single chip. As a result of this, Nvidia will not be able to totally eliminate Intel’s graphics solution. So the ION 2 chips are more likely to function as discrete GPUs and users will be able to switch between integrated and dedicated graphics solutions.

The ION 2 chipsets are also expected to be available with VIA chips. Nvidia isn’t sharing any details but more information may emerge at CES in January.

NVIDIA TO LAUNCH TEGRA 2 PLATFORM AT CES

Sources claim that NVIDIA is going to announce new Tegra-powered devices at CES in January. The company will also introduce its next generation Tegra chipset in January.
Nvidia’s Tegra platform combines a low power ARM-based processor with Nvidia graphics.

The Tegra chips are designed for use on small devices and would offer high quality video and graphics performance. As ARM processors are highly power efficient, you will also get excellent battery life. But not many devices use the Tegra chipset at the moment. There is the Zune HD which can play 720p video for up to 8.5 hours. There are also a few smartbooks.

The new devices will reportedly include smartphones, tablets, smartbooks and netbooks. The products are expected to start coming in early 2010.

EEE PC 1201N: THE FIRST ASUS NETBOOK WITH NVIDIA ION

Eee PC 1201N: The first Asus notebook with Nvidia ION
Asus is finally ready to launch its Eee PC 1201N. It is the first ION-powered laptop from Asus.

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is equipped with a high resolution 1366 x 768 pixels display. It is powered by an Intel Atom 330 dual core processor with NVIDIA ION graphics. Actually, very few notebooks in the market have a dual core Atom 330 processor. The notebook will sell for around $499 and several online dealers have already started accepting pre-orders for $485 to $499.

In design the Eee PC 1201N isn’t much different from the other Eee PCs like 1101HA, 1008HA, and 1005HA. The machine measures 1.3 inches in thickness and at 3.2 pounds, it is slightly heavier than other notebooks recently released by Asus.

The 1201N runs Windows 7 Home Premium. Up to 2GB of RAM and up to 250 GB of storage can be installed. There are 3 USB ports, an SDHC card Slot, a VGA output and an HDMI port. Other features include Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11b/g/n.

The Eee PC 1201N is expected to be available in the US in mid-December.

LENOVO IDEAPAD S12 NOW AVAILABLE WITH NVIDIA ION AND WINDOWS 7

Lenovo has equipped its IdeaPad S12 with Nvidia ION chipset. The new and improved S12 can handle full 1080p HD video. The machine is now available for purchase.

The ION-equipped S12 was supposed to be the first NVIDIA ION netbook in the US, but that distinction ultimately went to HP Mini 311. Lenovo delayed the device because it wanted to release it with Windows 7. Now Windows 7 is here, so is S12.

The IdeaPad S12 is powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor with 2GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB hard disk drive. The 12.1 inch display has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. Other notable features include 3 USB 2.0 ports, WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, HDMI, multi-card reader and integrated webcam. It runs on the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The above version of the S12 retails for $599. A higher end model with 3GB RAM and a 320GB HDD is available for $649.

NVIDIA TO GIVE AWAY ION-POWERED NETBOOKS

Nvidia certainly wants to show off the capabilities of its ION graphics. The graphics chip maker is running a contest in which participants can win an HP Mini 311 laptop, an HDMI cable, HP external Blu-Ray drive, a laptop case and a truckload of software including some high end games. The contest is open through November 22nd.

The HP Mini 311 is famous for being the first netbook to feature Nvidia’s ION graphics. It has an 11.6 inch display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 3GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The device runs on the Windows 7 Home Premium. Other features include WiFi and Bluetooth.

Winners will also get 3 Blu-Ray movies and a $50 credit to rent or download movies from CinemaNow. Nvidia said that it will give away 12 of these packages. Contest details can be found at the NVIDIA website.

ZOTAC LAUNCHED NETTOPS WITH NVIDIA ION

Zotac, a company known for manufacturing graphics cards and motherboards, have launched a line of nettops running on Intel Atom processors and Nvidia ION graphics.

While one of the nettops, the Zotac Mag HD-NS01, features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 processor, the Mag HD-ND01 has a 1.6GHz dual core Atom 330 processor. Other specifications are more or less the same for both nettops. Both devices are equipped with Nvidia ION graphics, 160GB hard drives, 2GB of RAM. Other features include Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, 8-channel audio, Gigabit 10/100/1000 Ethernet, HDMI, eSATA, VGA output and 6 USB ports.

Pricing and Availability
There is no information regarding pricing or availability.

NEW 12 INCH ASUS EEE PC WITH NVIDIA ION

Bloggers have come across a new Asus Eee PC at a Chinese online retailer’s store. The new model is called Eee PC 1201n. It will be powered by the Nvidia Ion graphics.

There has always been a lot of hype surrounding the ION GPU from Nvidia. It is well known that netbooks coming with integrated Intel GPU aren’t very good at playing back 1080p HD Video, but the presence of the Nvidia ION is expected to improve the situation considerably.

In other specifications the Asus Eee PC 1201n will be similar to most other 12-inch laptops. For instance, it will come with an Intel N270 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 1,366x768 display.

No information regarding pricing or availability has been announced as yet.

NVIDIA TO RELEASE ION LE

Graphics card maker Nvidia will soon release a light edition of their popular Ion chipset. The new version – Ion LE - will be slightly underpowered. It will also have a lower price. While the full edition of Ion chipsets will be able to run DirectX 10, the lighter edition of Ion will support only DirectX 9. Ion LE will still be able to decode 1080p video content.

The Ion chipsets are commonly paired with netbooks using the Windows Vista operating system and the Intel Atom processor. While Ion is not the best graphics card out there, it is still a great option for most users who are not into heavy gaming. Nvidia said that Ion LE products will be compatible with the soon-to-be launched Windows 7.

NVIDIA ION NETBOOKS TO BE LAUNCHED SOON

Although Acer is all set to unveil the first NVIDIA Ion powered nettop PC, the Acer AspireRevo, netbooks with this technology is still a speculation.

While rumors have been circulating for a while about NVIDIA Ion packed netbooks with nothing concrete, pocket-lint.com has reported that a number of companies are getting ready to announce NVIDIA Ion powered netbooks as early as June and some of them are even all set to release these netbooks by July. However there was no indication of which companies will make the announcement and according to their source, “confirmed that there will be some big announcements from ‘key’ players at Computex, the annual PC trade show in Taipei at the beginning of June.”

With this technology, along with the standard Intel Atom chip the netbooks will use the brand new graphics chip from NVIDIA called ION which will allow users to handle more challenging applications than ever before. With NVIDIA ION, playing games like Spore or Portal and viewing 1080p content will be possible in a netbook. You can even get your hands on applications like Cooliris and access Google Earth which is not feasible with any of the current netbooks.

NVIDIA MIGHT BE SHACKING UP WITH VIA

There is a reason why we bring you so much news related to tech companies. They are the ones that shape the computers you get tomorrow so it is with great anticipation that we announce that NVIDIA is in the processes of purchasing a large stake in the company VIA.

INTEL POUNDS NVIDIA ABOUT ION

You're well aware that NVIDIA and Intel are not the best of friends. Your probably more aware that Ion from NVIDIA plans to boost graphic performance in nettops and netbooks which include full HD playback.

NVIDIA ION TO SUPPORT MORE THAN JUST VIA AND ATOM

Unless you've been living under a rock in geek world you are probably aware that NVIDIA and Intel are at it again in another one of their famous spats. So far neither company has gone to any legal lengths, but there has been a lot of word swapping and not too kind at that either.

NVIDIA ANNOUNCES NEW CHIPS AT CeBIT

ATI was not the only one who decided to announce new GPU's at CeBIT currently underway in Germany. NVIDIA has also chosen the occasion to let the wraps off its new GeForce GTX 280M which (according to NVIDIA) is "the fastest laptop GPU on the market, with up to 505 more performance than previous generation enthusiast laptop GPU's"

NVIDIA ION PLATFORM COMING SUMMER?

So far we've all been stuck with the lousy processors of the Atom with our netbooks. But come summer NVIDIA hopes to change that with the introduction of their new Ion platform which they claim will be able to do justice to World of Warcraft and L4D, although we hear Crysis fans will have to look elsewhere. NVIDIA also boasts that it can handle full HD video playback without a hitch which means that Hulu HD should no longer be a wish on your future netbooks.

According to NVIDIA the platform consumes 12% more power than the comparative than Intel's 945GM/E-based solutions.

The platforms should cost between $50-$100 and will hit us this summer in two flavors of a desktop version and netbook version.

NVIDIA SHOWS WINDOW'S 7 VIA ION PLATFORM

So its no surprise that better performance was bound to come to netbooks, as they seem to be outpacing their notebook and desktop counterparts in the sales arena. And if you have been keeping up with the tech news you know that NVIDIA has been planning to enter the netbook arena with its Ion platform.

MACBOOKS HAVE ISSUES WITH RAM AND FAULTY NVIDIA GPU?

I thought Macbooks were the best notebooks ever? I guess even the best have their problems as reports of RAM and NVIDIA chip problems continue to surface about Apple's new Macbook systems. Apparently installing 4GB of DDR3 RAM from Apple or third party sources is causing the Macbook's and the Pro's to freeze up. The problem can be fixed by dropping the RAM down a notch to 2 or 3 GB.

In terms of the NVIDIA chips, we're also hearing that the new MacBook Pro's NVIDIA 9600M GPU suffers from "bad bump" problems which troubled the previous versions of the system. This causes black screens, video errors and a whole host of other problems.

Its not sure if this is affected by batch or if this is a bigger problem. Either way lets hope Apple fixes this before they begin to get the bad rap Microsoft is used to.

NVIDIA BRINGING 9400M TO ATOM NETBOOKS

Finally we're getting somewhere in the netbook mess. According to Digitimes NVIDIA is working on bringing its 9400M chipset (the same one powering the uber sexy Macbook's) to netbooks and nettops near you.

The obvious reason is for graphics performance but also for video playback and more demanding applications and maybe a few games or two.

NVIDIA and Intel are working closely to bring the compatibility to the new wave of systems and just in time as more and more people are kicking their Dell's and HP's through the window for smaller and cheaper systems like the Acer Aspire One and Dell Mini 9.

The only drawback is that the support will only affect nettops in the first phase with support for netbooks coming later on.

NVIDIA WANTS IN ON ATOM

NVIDIA has not been too quite about its plans to enter the netbook market. Just the other day it was officially announced that they would build in support for Atom on their new MCP79 chipset, s this latest news doesn't seem to be a surprise.

QOSMIO X305 SPELLS GLORY FOR NVIDIA

AMD ought to have been being dressed in a smile when Alienware revealed that its M17 laptop would be appendage with 2 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs in CrossfireX design. Now its moment in time for the green team to take pleasure in the limelight as Toshiba's Qosmio X305 features not 1, not 2, but 3 NVIDIA GPUs. Bundled inside that gruesome unique shell is a brace of enthusiastic Geforce 9800M GTS GPUs in SLI compilation, and a Geforce 9400M IGP. Thanks to NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI, the Geforce 9800M GTS GPUs will only punt in as and when necessitated, keeping operation fresh and hushed at all other times.

The end result, states NVIDIA, is a laptop that distributes "record-breaking gaming presentation at high resolutions". Conversing of resolutions, the Qosmio X305 - regardless of its triple-GPU integrity - provides a 17in display with only a 1,680x1,050 resolution. The system is obtainable in 2 models; the Qosmio X305-Q706 and Qosmio X305-Q708, the concluding of which beefs things up with the toting up of a quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor and a 128GB solid-state drive. Prices begin at around £1,300 and go uphill of £3,000 depending on design. It might be one of the mainly powerful laptops around, but definitely it should have been made obtainable in green?

NVIDIA 9400M PROPS OUT AS A COOL PERFORMER

The NVidia 9400M graphics accelerator chipset claims to offer, an all augmented presentation at a low cost. The NVidia 9400M GPU has freshly been treated as the hardware behind the recently intended MacBook Pro. While Steve Jobs has been screaming the advantages of the 9400M from upon high, a graver look should certainly be taken into the impending of this new-fangled chipset. As the 1st truly realized incorporated notebook GPU, Rene Haas of NVidia has animatedly projected out that the price first-class will be negligible for consumers comparing a notebook with a 9400M versus the more emblematic incorporated video offerings.