Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Via, NetNote, Surfboard, notebook, netbook | Themes: Laptops and Notebooks
It's a ntebook and notebook mashed up into one multimedia device.
Looking for a notebook but not in the mood to lug it around? Do netbooks look rather appealing but just don't have enough meat to chew on? VIA may have found a solution for the consumer looking for the in-between product, the missing link in the evolution from netbook to laptop. Called the NetNote, the device combines netbook portability with notebook HD entertainment capabilities, and is expected to hit the market later this month.
VIA's two Surfboard models--the VIA VT6552 and VIA VT6549--are the first on this platform, providing 10.2-inch and 12.1-inch screens, both supposedly providing flawless video playback of high bit-rate 1080p HD video. On a whole the platform features the VIA VX855 media system processor, and also provides consumers a choice of VIA C7-M ULV or VIA Nano processors, both utilizing a 800 MHz FSB.
On the graphics front, the new NetNote platform uses VIA's Chrome9 HCM integrated graphics processor, offering support for H.264, MPEG2, MPEG-4, WMV9, and VC1 decoding acceleration. The system specs say that the built-in display supports up to 1366 x 768 pixel, whereas external displays will offer up to 1920 x 1440 pixels. For consumers wanting a portable media player but not the bulk of a laptop, these two NetNote Surfboard systems may be the ticket.
"NetNotes are illustrative of the type of device that is possible after artificial restrictions on screen size, resolution and connectivity are removed," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Light, snappy ultra mobile devices with notebook-level functionality are what consumers want and what the NetNote category of device provides."
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If it has netbook-like battery life, I'm interested
Flawless HD playback? Don't we already have small notebooks that do that? Are they intending for these new machines to be inexpensive? Otherwise we would just buy full blown notebooks. But if you want one of these to play back HD video, where are you going to put the disk in, since they don't contain players? Are you going to rely on streaming HD over the net? Good luck with that.
About time we see this.
Via must probably mean Linux OS, or does the latest Windows 7 supports via CPU chips?
Via must probably mean Linux OS, or does the latest Windows 7 supports via CPU chips?
VIA chips are x86 chips. They should run Win 7, though I don't know about the drivers for the rest of the system
So basically, they're netbooks. Chrome 9 graphics are not really game-able and the only thing these should do well is play media.
It'd be great if there were some other companies that could get into the bigtime with CPUs or GPUs. It seems silly to be stuck with either intel or AMD and either nVidia or ATI. At least AMD is sticking around.
And yeah, I know that for CPU's the x86 stuff is limited to the companies that got the rights to make them at about the same time AMD did. I would think if a new player wanted to get involved they could buy one of the smaller companies that still has those rights.
the ion platform beat you to it VIA and also does it alot better
Why does VIA still make C7-M processors, do they have excess inventory or something? Besides that, competition is always welcome. Hopefully, these new "netnotes" use newer and faster Via Nano processors that can compete with Intel ULV, otherwise, I don't see any manufacturer picking their chips over Intel.
FFS! I'm so bored of companies attempting to sub class laptops for marketing purposes. It's a freaking laptop whatever way you cut it!
Was it true that the Via chips only use single core processors (without something similar to hyperthreading)?
Why does VIA still make C7-M processors, do they have excess inventory or something?
C7's run cooler and lower-power than Nano. They can't match its performance, but there's still demand for the TDP to be low.
Was it true that the Via chips only use single core processors (without something similar to hyperthreading)?
As far as I know there isn't any dual-core Nano available.
And on the Graphics side, since VIA basically owns S3, it reminds me that they released a new line of Chrome 500 cards over the last year promising to best the competition in its price segment for media. I would have liked to see a benchmarking of it, but no such luck. I think Tom's missed a chance on that one since nobody else was reporting on the actual rather than claimed performance.
And on the Graphics side, since VIA basically owns S3, it reminds me that they released a new line of Chrome 500 cards over the last year promising to best the competition in its price segment for media.
Yeah, I was hoping for the Chrome 500's to do well, but I guess it's hard for S3 and Via to compete against ati and nvidia, especially since ati has been so agressive in cutting prices.