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Netbooks Grow Up with Intel’s Ultra Low Voltage Platform

Netbook Dad — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:31:07 +0000

Netbooks are really good at what they do: provide a very portable, long-lasting small notebook at a very low price. However, what if you really need some additional horsepower? What if you want more than a 10-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel LCD screen? What if you actually want to view some of that 720p video footage that you just shot on your new Nikon D300s dSLR Camera? And what if you want to do all of that but still have a light and compact laptop with great battery life that doesn’t cost too much more than a high-end Netbook?

Well, the answer is something old becoming new again. Companies like Intel are repurposing mature chip designs and running them through their latest silicon process technology. The results are a smaller, more capable processor that uses little power (only 10 Watts for a Dual-Core CPU) but offers many more transistors (410 million) versus a comparable Atom (47 million). Intel is calling their latest platform Ultra Low Voltage (ULV). You may also see Consumer ULV (CULV) listed on various websites. However, in an effort to make things more confusing, Intel will label their parts as Core 2 Duo, Solo and Pentium CPUs. Either way, the results should be quite impressive for a Netbook Dad. In fact, Acer, with it’s Timeline series is claiming 8 hours of battery life from their latest laptops… Pretty Impressive for Dual-core laptop.

In the coming months, you will begin to see many ULV Laptops coming to a retailer near you. with screens as small as 11-inches, these smaller laptop packages will promise greater mobility. Some will eliminate the optical drive, most will be under 1-inch thick, but all will trend towards a competitive price. In fact, Intel and Microsoft are highly motivated because the margins for this platform are much higher compared with traditional netbooks. So expect to see as many product variations and competitiveness in this space as you have for Netbooks.

Intel Ultra Low Voltage Processor Specifications

For those Netbook Dads who may be searching for a nice laptop for you kid as they go back to school, here is a list of processors from Intel that you may find inside:

	Processor Number	Cores	Clock Speed	Max TDP(Watts)	L2 Cache	Silicon Tech	Price (per 1k)
Core 2 Duo	SU9600	2	1.60 GHz	10 W	3 MB	45nm	$ 289.00
Core 2 Duo	SU9400	2	1.40 GHz	10 W	3 MB	45nm	$ 262.00
Core 2 Duo	SU9300	2	1.20 GHz	10 W	3 MB	45nm	$ 262.00
Core 2 Solo	SU3500	1	1.40 GHz	5.5 W	3 MB	45nm	$ 262.00
Core 2 Solo	SU3300	1	1.20 GHz	5.5 W	3 MB	45nm	$ 262.00
Pentium	SU2700	1	1.30 GHz	10 W	2 MB	45nm	$?

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ASUS Eee PC 1005HA 10-inch Seashell Netbook

Netbook Dad — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:43:56 +0000

The 10-inch Eee PC 1005HA is ASUS’ latest netbook to continue the “Seashell” design philosophy. This model will be available in multiple configurations at a lower price point than the 1008HA. The 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 WSVGA LED backlit display also incorporates a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The 1005HA will be available with either an Intel Atom N280 or N270 Processor with 1GB of DDR2 RAM.

The 1005HA carries over the same outstanding keyboard of the 1008HA. All buttons are properly configured and well spaced.

Coming in at a thicker than the 1008HA at 25.9 to 36.5 mm, the 1005HA is able to offer ports that are not hidden behind doors. With the additional thickness, ASUS is also offering three removable Lithium-Ion battery options:

3-Cell / 23Wh / 4 hours
6-Cell / 48Wh / 8.5 hours
6-Cell / 63Wh / 10.5 hours

Specifications

10.1-inch 1024 x 600 WSVGA LED backlit display
Intel Atom N280 or N270 Processor
160GB Hard Drive plus 10GB of Eee cloud storage
1.3-megapixel webcam
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Windows XP Home
Three USB ports
SD/SDHC card reader
Ethernet port
VGA port
262mm(W) x 178mm(D) x 25.9mm~ 36.5mm(H)
1.27Kg with a 6-Cell battery, 1.1Kg with the 3-Cell battery

Resources

ASUS 1005HA product page

ASUS 1005HS driver download support

More information of ASUS’ “Seashell” design philosophy

The 10-inch ASUS Eee PC 1005HA netbook is available at Amazon.com.

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Intel’s Pine Trail Atom Platform Headed for 2009 Q4 Release

Netbook Dad — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:00:40 +0000

Intel is redesigning it’s current Netbook/Nettop Atom platform for a 4th quarter 2009 release. The new Intel Atom platform, codename Pine Trail, will integrate entire northbridge onto the CPU. By moving both the memory controller and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) onto the CPU die, Intel will be able to increase performance, reduce power consumption, and reduce packaging.

Intel’s two chip headed netbook monster or the Pineview CPU and Tiger Point will also provide potential for fanless cooling and simpler 4-layer motherboard designs. It will also have nice little side benefit of making it difficult for companies like nVidia to sell integrated GPU solutions like ION, especially at a competitive cost.

Digitimes is reporting that Pine Trail could arrive as early as October of 2009:

Intel is scheduled to phase out its Atom N270 CPU by launching its successor – the Atom N450 – for netbooks in October at the earliest, according to industry sources.

Codenamed Pine Trail, Intel’s 45nm Atom N450 will be a single-core CPU with built-in northbridge functions, and will be paired with the new NM10 (Tiger Point) chipset.

Intel will issue last order notice for the Atom N270 in the first quarter of 2010 and the CPU will phase out before the end of the first half next year.

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The ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA 10-inch Netbook

Netbook Dad — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

ASUS Computer has taken your typical netbook image and raised it to 11. The Eee PC 1008HA 10-inch netbook is ASUS’ first Seashell design. Taking design queues from much more expensive ultra-portables, like the Apple MacBook Air, ASUS has produced a very elegant netbook.

With a height that tapers to an inch (18-to-25.7mm), the 1008HA is very thin for a netbook. Meanwhile, weighing in at just 2.42 pounds means that you will hardly notice it’s around. Incorporating a non-removable 2900 mAH lithium polymer battery, instead of Lithium Ion, ASUS claims a 6 hour run time. I’m not exactly sure how you would stretch it’s Intel Atom N280 that long, but we shall see.

The Keyboard layout of the Eee PC 1008HA netbook is outstanding. No longer does a Netbook Dad need to fight the infuriating battle of the 1005H’s Right Shift-vs-Page Up. All keys look well spaced and the placement is very functional.

ASUS has incorporated a 10-inch LCD screen with LED-backlighting in the 1008HA. The resolution is a netbook standard 1024 x 600 pixels and it does have a glossy coating. The top of the bezel also integrates a 1.3-megapixel camera.

Other notable bits include 802.11b/g/n as well as Bluetooth2.1 + EDR. All of the Two USB ports, 1 Ethernet, and dual audio jacks are hidden behind rubber doors on either side of the chassis. The single Mini VGA connector is cleverly hidden in it’s own bay underneath. All of this to make sure that you have clean sides.

You really don’t expect a 10-inch netbook to combine this level of style while still remaining usable. For this ASUS should be commended for raising the Eee PC 1008HA to height not yet seen.

Where to Buy

You can purchase the 10-inch ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell Netbook at Amazon.com:

Resources

ASUS Press Release

ASUS USA Eee PC 1008HA Product Page

More information on the ASUS Eee PC Seashell design can be found here.

Wi-Fi Performance BIOS upgrade Information

Specifications

Display	10" LED-backlit WSVGA Screen (1024×600 pixels) with Color-Shine (Glare-type)
Operating System	Genuine Windows® XP™ Home GNU Linux
Processor	Intel® Atom™ N280
Default Memory	1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM
Hybrid Storage	160GB 2.5” SATA II 5400RPM HDD + 10GB Eee Storage
Wireless Data Network	WLAN 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz, Bluetooth2.1 + EDR
Battery	Slimmer and eco-friendly Li-polymer Battery, 6 hrs*
Multi-media Camera	1.3M Pixel
Audio Codec	Hi-Definition Audio CODEC
Speakers	Stereo Speakers
Built-in Mic	Digital Array Mic
Interface	1 x Mini VGA Connector, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x LAN RJ-45, 2 x Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in), Card Reader: MMC/ SD(SDHC)
Physical Dimensions	262mm (W) x 178mm (D) x 18~25.7mm (H)
Weight	1.1Kg (2.42lbs)
Colors	White, Black, Blue, Pink, Sapphire Blue, Ruby Red

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Windows 7 Starter is a Non Starter (MSFT)

Netbook Dad — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:28 +0000

Windows 7 Starter has received a lot of press over the last few months. Most of it bad, most of it deserved. As discussed previously, one of it’s biggest issues up until now was it’s 3 open application limit. That little restriction has wisely been removed by Microsoft. But all is not well, there are still many issues with Windows 7 Starter Edition for Netbook Dads.

Microsoft has very clearly laid out for us a list of Windows 7 features that the Starter edition will not include:

Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
Multi-monitor support.
DVD playback.
Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
Domain support for business customers.
XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.

I’m curious, how far did you get down the list before you uttered the phrase “…Are you kidding me?!?” I’m not sure how that list reads, but the elimination of Aero Glass and Personalization features above only make a Personal Computer not Personal. Something that even Microsoft should realize isn’t acceptable.

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NetHackintosh: Is my Netbook Mac OS X compatible?

Netbook Dad — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:52:54 +0000

Apple Inc. has made it pretty clear in it’s last two conference calls with investors that it has no plans on entering the “nascent” netbook business. In fact, Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer stated in April:

…when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience, and not something that we would put the Mac brand on quite frankly. And so, it’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in.

However, there are those aspiring Netbook Dads out there who have decided that given all of the limitations of the platform, they would give it a shot anyway.

And they have succeeded…. mostly. In the end, it all comes down to the components inside of you Netbook and if Apple OS X will support all said hardware. The short answer is: if you want to get a complete NetHackintosh experience, then you need to own an MSI Wind U100, Lenovo S10, Dell Mini 9, or HP Mini 1000. For all the long answers, check out the resource guide below.

Resources

Boing Boing has an excellent summation of all netbooks and their compatibility with Mac OS X.

Gizmodo has an excellent how-to article for configuring your Dell Mini 9.

OSx86 Project Wiki has all the hardware compatibility information you need.

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Is the $99 3G Netbook Really Like an MSN Rebate?

Netbook Dad — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:00:54 +0000

Silicon Alley Insider poses quite the interesting question about the latest 3G Netbook “deals”:

More cheap, subsidized 3G netbooks are on the way. Verizon (VZ) Wireless confirms that it will start selling netbooks this year, meaning it’s probably going to match the enticing $99 price that other retailers are selling at.

This is a smart move by the carriers. For a roughly $300 subsidy on the netbook — about the same amount they subsidize smartphones — they get someone locked into a 2-year 3G data contract at around $45-$60 per month. Over the course of two years, that’s $1100 to $1400 in revenue they wouldn’t have necessarily seen. And they get another subscriber to put in their quarterly report to Wall Street, showing that the wireless growth boom still has some steam.

But we can’t help but think back to the last time the computer industry got telecom companies to subsidize their sales. That was during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when dialup ISPs like Microsoft’s MSN offered $400 rebates on new PCs if you signed up for three years of dialup service. Microsoft eventually had to cancel the campaign because it was costing too much money. (And boy were those consumers screwed, stuck on $250-per-year MSN dialup contracts.)

You can read the entire article over at the Business Insider. What do you think? Do you really want a 2-year contract tied to a $400 computer?

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