Astone's UltraMobilePC Surf

Looking at Astone's latest ads in PC Buyer's Guide, I notice they're building public interest on their own version of the Via Openbook MiniNote (I blogged about Via opening up the reference design for manufacturers).

As announced in the ad, the Astone unit will be powered by a C-7M processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, pumped with 2GB of RAM and have 60GB of storage. It will have an 8.9 " LCD screen, similar to the HP Mini-Note's. Connectivity options include the now standard 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 b/g WiFi and Bluetooth. The unit will also have a built-in card reader, 3 USB ports and a VGA out connector for outputting to a larger monitor.

Aside from a slight difference in specs, it's very much like the reference design opened up by Via. In case you've forgotten, here are images of that reference design:

Via Nano Running Crysis

Found a video of the demo Via Nano unit I blogged about 2 days ago. The video is posted along with first-hand accounts of the event and it's posted on TweakTown. I must say I'm impressed. This platform might prove its worth and become Via's chance to really make an impact in mainstream PC market.

Via And NVidia Launch Mini-ITX 2.0

As was previously announced, Via and Nvidia officially came out and formally presented their partnership to produce the most affordable Vista-capaable platform. PC Perspective ran a story with in-depth information on the expected performance of the upcoming platform. They even posted a picture of a sample board, with an 8600GT strapped on to the PCI Express slot. Digitimes also ran a story on the announcement, highlighting the two's support of Mini-ITX 2.0. Intel's entry to the Mini-ITX niche has been observed as "limiting", having a very basic graphics subsystem and no provisions for upgrades. Seeting up an official spec for Mini-ITX 2.0 is seen by analysts as Via's play to keep its dominance over it's Mini-ITX turf while attracting more of the mainstream market.

Mini-ITX 2.0 seeks to up the ante by allowing consumers more mainstream expansion choices while maintaining the 17 x 17 cm form factor. In more detail, 2.0 will require the following feature set on boards:

• Processor: High-performance, power efficient x86 processor, such as the VIA Nano processor;
• Memory: Support for minimum 2GB DDR2 SDRAM;
• Graphics: DirectX 9.0 integrated (IGP); DirectX 10 through an add-in card;
• Display: 1 VGA port for LCD display; 1 HDMI port on add-in card;
• HD Audio: 3 Audio jacks for up to 6-channel surround sound;
• Broadband Connectivity: 1 Gigabit Enthernet port;
• Storage: 2 Serial ATA II slots + 1 IDE (PATA) slot;
• Peripheral Connectivity: Minimum 4 USB2.0 ports;
• Expansion: 1 PCI Express 16-lane slot;
• Size: 17cm x 17cm;
• O/S Support: Microsoft Windows Vista; Microsoft Windows Vista Premium (through an add-in graphics card); Microsoft Windows XP, and major Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Suse Linux and gOS;

When compared to the current Mini-ITX offerings of Intel, these specifications are a boon for anyone seeking a low-cost solution for multimedia and gaming on the Vista platform. Clearly this strategy can open up a niche for Via in the mainstream market, opposite Intel's pushing the Atom platform (and their other Mini-ITX offerings) in the low-power niche that Via traditionally dominated. Now, only the market will say who's strategy will eventually pay off. Who gains more is will eventually be dictated by the consumers. I'm hedging my bets on Via gaining a bit on the mainstream market.

Via Lines Up Its Nano (Isaiah) Processors

Via made the headlines as it announced its line up of Nano processors. These were codenamed 'Isaiah' during its development. The web is awash with news from different sources, all chiming in their perspective of the future of the Nano processor. Infoworld, PC Pro, PC Perspective, PC Magazine, IT Pro and Trusted Reviews and CRN.com all did stories on it.

The Nano line will include two sets, the L-series on the high-power end and the U-series for low-power segment. The L-series will still have a lower power consumption than mainstream Intel and AMD chips, churning at 25 watts. The following variants are planned for the Nano:

• L2100 (Clock Speed: 1.8 GHz, TDP: 25 watts)
• L2200 (Clock Speed: 1.6 GHz, TDP: 17 watts)
• U2400 (Clock Speed: 1.3-plus" GHz, TDP: 8 watts)
• U2500 (Clock Speed: 1.2 GHz, TDP: 6.8 watts)
• U2300 (Clock Speed: 1.0 GHz, TDP: 5 watts)

As previously mentioned, Via is eyeing to market the chips to the UMPC and notebook crowd. Recent pronouncements that NVidia is working with Via for a chipset solution that will work natively with Via's Nano strengthens Via's claims that it will produce a platform that will be the cheapest Vista-capable solution in the market. A desktop version is not far off it seems. Via and NVidia are expected to announce the details of their venture by next week.

Via Introduces OpenBook Mini-Note

Via introduced the latest iteration of it's OpenBook series of ultra-mobile PCs, the OpenBook Mini-note. The reference design has an uncanny resemblance to the form factor of the HP 2133 Mini-Note, with the exception of the faster processor. Both designs share the 8.9" LCD screen configuration, with the Mini-note upping the ante by having provisions for built-in broadband connectivity to WiMAX, EV-DO, W-CDMA, or HSDPA services in addition to the now standard WiFi through a factory-configurable device module.

The Mini-note will be powered by a 1.6 GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor and will accommodate up to 2GBs of RAM. This is an offshoot perhaps of the decision to make it capable of supporting Windows Vista. Though the VIA VX800 Digital Media IGP chipset it has for video isn't the most powerful in the mobile computing space, it will certainly be enough to support DirectX 9.0 3D graphics up to a resolution of 1024x600. That being said, I would opine that it would comfortably work with MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VCI and DiVX for the multi-media entertainment needs of prospective owners.

It would be exciting to see what final product OEM's and ODM's could produce from the reference design.

Via PX5000EG and The Naked Pico

While we're talking about Via, watch this video feature about their latest Pico-ITX board. The PX5000EG uses an ultra-low voltage VIA Eden processor running off 1 watt of power. There's an announcement towards the end of the video about how to enter a contest to win your own Via Artigo Builder Kit.

Isaiah, Where Art Thou?

A lot of news recently about Via's other products(most recently, its latest Pico-ITX board), but nary one about Isaiah-based products. Most of articles about the Isaiah have to do with conjecture at this point. No product announcements of any sort. That's opposed to Intel's Atom, with a few final products already announced and waiting to be launched. One of them, MSI's Wind was already launched in some countries, AFAIK. No announcements have been made of any Isaiah-powered product that will launch in the next few weeks.

When will they launch an updated Zonbu Mini Desktop with Isaiah in it? Any products that will compete with say the likes of the MSI Wind? Or at least a Via Artigo powered by the Isaiah chip? I'm waiting, still.

Via Isaiah, Intel Atom Benchmarked

Engadget linked to a translated German site showing that the Via Isaiah edged out Intel's Atom in benchmarks they performed. Now, these results may seem slanted towards making Isaiah look good, but bear in mind that these tests performed were limited to ALU and FPU benchmarks. One CPU is bound to get an edge over the other depending on how the internal instructions of the chips handle math and so forth. I guess every geek out there who has staked an interest in these low-power processors is waiting for a more conclusive set of benchmarking, but that'll come in time. These chips aren't as widely available as we'd like, after all. Most of the samples (for both) have been sent to manufacturers, OEM's and ODM's. As the market churns out UMPCs, mobile phones and sub-notebooks using these 2 processors, more extensive benchmarks can be performed. I eagerly await for that to come.

Here's a screenshot of the result from the benchmarking they performed:

NVIDIA-Via Join Forces to Fend Off Intel and AMD

NVIDIA has released more details about the much-touted tie-up with Via in this article from CNET.com. The deal would pit a combo of NVIDIA's soon to be released IGP and Via's Isaiah with the existing discreet graphics products of AMD and Intel. This comes at a crucial time for NVIDIA. Analysts are starting to question the long-term viability of their products in the face of increasing consolidation on the part of AMD and Intel to include graphics into their individual product offerings.

To stress the cost benefits of this future platform, NVIDIA is drawing direct cost comparisons with Intel's existing IGP solutions for multimedia-enabled machines. They say their solution would perform better compared to a similarly-priced option from Intel. Here's a copy of the comparison they presented to analysts at a recent event:


This development is an interesting historical point in the evolution of the role IGP solutions will play in the ever-heightening green consciousness of consumers. It also emphasizes the need for cheaper but better hardware to deal with the demand of current household computing needs. To be more specific, today's computer must be able to play multimedia content and be cheap enough to be adopted in the home. NVIDIA and Via are in effect creating a product platform that will appeal to both green computing advocates and cost-conscious consumers. This post in Ubergizmo also opines that this increases NVIDIA's chances of fending off moves by Intel and AMD to consolidate graphics into their own platforms, thus ensuring they will still be relevant to the PC for the foreseeable future.

I think I'll put off upgrading until this is released. This is even better than I had hoped for. The low-power features of Via's Isaiah combined with NVIDIA chipset. Having both in a single board will surely perform well on the graphics end and still save on power consumption. This will turn out as the perfect solution for my needs. I'm thinking a Zonbu based off this platform would be even better.

Cloudbook Max Announced

Ars Technica broke the news that Everex announced the 2nd-generation to follow the Cloudbook. The 10-incher they're calling the Cloudbook MAX is a bit larger than its older brethren. It does up the ante as well when it comes to connectivity. It will have an embedded mobile WiMAX chip which will allow access to Sprint's XOHM broadband service. Other hardware highlights would be the 1.6GHz VIA C7-M Processor ULV, 1GB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM (up to 2GB), 80GB Hard Disk Drive, 8.9"WVGA TFT Display (1024 x 600 supported). The unit will ship with Windows Vista Home Basic.

Ars Technica does caution that Everex may have jumped the gun when they announced this, as the Cloudbook MAX is set to launch sometime early 2009. I'm thinking along the same lines. I'm also wondering about their choice of operating systems for this unit. Vista would run slow on a machine this spartan. Wouldn't it make for a better user experience if they just ship it with an updated version (hence, snappier) of gOS Linux? We are talking of a 2009 launch date, so that may change with time.

UMPC's Hit the Philippines

On my way home I bought a copy of the latest PC Buyer's Guide. It's a month old, but as things go this magazine's always late to arrive on store shelves. Anyway, I was gladly surprised that local brands have been eagerly tailgaiting the success of the Asus Eee PC. They've come out with their own UMPCs.

I have been writing a lot about UMPCs lately because of my personal interest in low-power devices. I've always envied geeks in the US, specifically because new products frequently grace their shores earlier than Asian countries. The Asus Eee PC started a different trend, launching first in Taiwan, where Asus is considered as superstar computer company. And so it's success in the Philippines has opened the doors wide for other brands to get in on the UMPC bandwagon.

Two of these brands are Redfox and Astone. I've known Redfox for years. I started seeing motherboards under that brand as early as my freshman year in college. It was only after I built my first PC some 5 years ago that I realized that Redfox was actually a brand that went to ODMs and OEMs for the actual manufacture of their products. I've since used 2 Redfox motherboards and 1 Redfox ATX case to build machines. My current machine uses what's called the Biostar NF61S Micro in other countries. Astone is another brand that has successfully made a good break in the local PC and gadget market. I currently have an ATX case that's sold under their brand.

Now back to UMPCs. Redfox has 2 entries to the Philippine UMPC segment. The Wizbook 800 and the Wizbook. The specs are as follows:

WizBook 800

• Processor: AMD Geode LX700 L1 & L2 cache 128kb, 400Mhz
• Memory: 256 MB
• Hard Drive: 20GB Nandflash
• Display: 8" WXGA TFT Screen
• Lan: RJ-45
• Modem: 802.11b/g wireless PCMCIA slot
• Battery: 2200mAh
• Weight: Under 1.2 Kg
• Other : SD/MMC/MS CARD reader, DC in 12V, 2xUSB slot, microphone input

WizBook

• Processor: AMD Geode LX800 L1 & L2 cache 128kb, 500Mhz
• Memory: 512 MB
• Hard Drive: 60GB Nandflash
• Display: 10.2" WXGA TFT Screen
• Lan: RJ-45
• Modem: 802.11b/g wireless PCMCIA slot
• Battery: 2200mAh
• Weight: Under 1.2 Kg
• Other : SD/MMC/MS CARD reader, DC in 12V, 2xUSB slot, microphone input

Astone's entry is interestingly an ODM version of the Everex Cloudbook. They've chosen to call it the using a rather boring misnomer "Astone UMPC". Feature for feature, it's relatively the same as the Cloudbook except for one minor detail -- Astone's UMPC has a touchscreen. That feature was omitted from the Cloudbook even if that was a feature in the reference design that Via had from the ODM (more about the differences in a previous post).

• Processor: VIA C7-M ULV 1.2Ghz (FSB400) on-board
• Chipset: VX700
• Graphics: integrated VX700
• Audio: VT1708A, with 2 internal 1.5W built-in speaker
• Memory: 1GB DDR 667
• HDD: 30GB (1.8" HDD)
• Monitor: 7" LCD Touch Screen with Handwriting capability, WVGA 800x400
• LAN: 10 Base-T/100 Base TX LAN
• Bluetooth: Yes, USB interface
• Modem: none
• Wireless LAN: Yes, IEEE 802.11b/g, USB 2.0 mini card
• Battery: 4-cell 2200mAh
• I/O: DVi-I, USB 2x, mic-in/Array Mic 1x, Headphone out/Line-out 1x, RJ45 1x
• Webcam: Yes, built-in 0.3MP Camera
• Card Reader: Yes, 4-in-1 (for SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro)
• Dimension: 9.1" x 6.7" x 1.16" (230x171x29.4mm)
• Weight: 0.97kg

The Wizbook 800 is priced at Php 17,000 on the street. The 10.2" Wizbook foes for about Php 3,000 more. Now the Astone UMPC is priced a bit more heftier at Php 24,000. All do not ship with an OS, which in the Philippines translates to something like, "humiram ka ng CD sa kaibigan mo". Now some may interpret that as illegal, unless what you're talking about is getting an Ubuntu CD. Go get Ubuntu if your planning on getting one of these babies. And do me a favor and hint me in on how they run on Linux! :-)

Via Sends Out Isaiah Samples

I've written about my anticipation of Via's Isaiah and Intel's Atom processors in the past. The two have a huge potential when it comes to reducing power-consumption of everyday machines if the chips crossover to the desktop space. And I believe they will. In time, that is. But right now, I believe the focus is to get them to the UMPC market. So I was glad to read that Via is already sending production samples to manufacturers. That's a foot in the door. I'm eager for news of these gadgets coming to market soon.

Intel's Atom

A few weeks back, Intel let the cat out of the bag and officially announced the branding of their Diamondville and Silverthorne chips. You can read more info about the Intel Atom here. Intel's strategy for marketing this chip seems to be twofold. First is to supply the chip for a new segment of the tech market, the niche that Asus was able to maximize when it brought the Eee PC to market -- the niche between laptops and PDA/smartphones. A lot of buzz around blogosphere has the Atom competing with Via's Isaiah for a place in devices like the second version of the Everex Cloudbook, Asus Eee PC 900 and the HP 2133.

Now the second purpose (and I'm guessing this will come much later) would be to market it in Asian countries where cost is the number one consideration. Intel certainly explored that segment in Asian markets when it released the D201GLY board to Asia. This product would appeal to those seeking a cheaper computing platform to build devices from. It will also appeal to those who require low-powered devices. The Atom processors are touted to consume only half a watt. Another thing going for this platform is the fact that Intel has already announced that they are already developing the dual-core version of the Atom. So investing on the platform would make sense for those looking for a steady upgrade path. In contrast, Via's Isaiah is compatible with the current hardware of the C7 (codenamed: Esther), it's previous generation of low-wattage chips.

Looking at developments in the last few months, I am quite glad I'm still waiting it out before I upgrade. The next few months will bring more "green" computer hardware to market, all geared around the platforms of these low-voltage processors. Whether its Via or Intel, it will all come down to price and availability. That being said, Intel may have an upper hand in countries like the Philippines where they already have an established distribution network.

Now, all I need to do is wait for the sweet spot.

Via's Isaiah

While looking at the usual news about upcoming processors, I found 2 articles that interested me. you can read here: http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/via-cpu-isaiah.ars/2, http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=511. They detail what's known so far about the next-gen Isaiah processor from Via. The processor is touted to have 2 to 4 times the speed of the current C7 processor, but will have the same low-power profile and thermal envelope. Smaller but more powerful. What's not to like about it.

Missed This Tiny PC...

I missed this tiny PC in my previous round up of low-powered computing devices. It's a more interesting option for me because this is a builder's kit and not a completely built up unit. I'd like to have one of these just to satisfy my craving for building something. Check it out: