Manufacturers of MIDs, portable media players, e-readers, and tablets will be soon able to reap the benefits of Marvell’s new ARMADA 610 chipset.

The new design incorporates a gigahertz-class ARM v7 compatible CPU, 3D graphics (including Open GL ES 1.1/2.0 and Open VG support), as well as  full 1080p processing. On top of that, ARMADA 610 supports HDMI and USB 2.0 and up to 4 simultaneous displays at resolutions up to 2000×2000.

Marvell is also providing a reference platform called Bonnell which combines the 610 with wifi and cellular connectivity options. The chipset is compatible with Linux (including Android), Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded CE.

Early samples are have been provided to manufacturers, but there’s no telling when we’ll see the first devices on retail shelves – or even what form they’ll take.

You can check out the full press release from Marvell over at their official site.

via Slashgear

According to a MIPS press release, the company is set to demo an 8″ netbook powered by free software. According to Lemote, who manufactures the Yeelong8089, the Android machine is completely closed-source free.

From the BIOS out, everything preloaded on the 8089 is completely free and open source. The result: a low-cost,  lightweight, and compact netbook that should be extremely hacker-friendly. According to Lemote, this is the word’s first computer to ship with entirely free software.

Hardware-wise, the system sports an 800Mhz Longsoon processor, 1024×600 8.9″ display, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and SD card reader. Additional configuration options include 512MB or 1GB DDR2 memory, 2GB/8GB SSD or a 160GB HDD, webcam, and a USB wifi adapter. There’s even an internal USB connection for expansion.

via ZD Net

It’s fairly common practice for companies to re-brand a product if they think it might lead to sales of a few extra units. That looks to be the case with the “new” Gateway EC1805U thin and light, which bears a striking resemblance to parent company Acer’s Aspire 1410.

Let’s take a look at the internals: Intel SU3500 processor, 2GB DDR2 memory, 250GB SATA hard drive, 11.6″ LED display, HDMI output, and Windows Vista Home Premium SP1. Yep, that sounds exactly like the innards of an Aspire 1410 that happens to be sitting on retail shelves right now.

The EC1805U goes for $449 on Amazon and will start shipping on December 9th. The same unit with Acer branding? $23 less. Personally, I’d probably pick up the Acer and pocket the savings.

via Netbook Tech

You may never have heard of Flextronics, but there’s a decent chance you’ve already used a product they produced. The Singapore-based design and manufacturing concern has been churning out electronics for years through a massive network spanning 30 countries.

And your chances of using a Flextronics-produced netbook are about to go up as well. According to Digitimes, the company has struck a deal with HP to produce two million netbooks at the rock-bottom price of $45 per unit. The industry average sits around $70 right now, so this deal could well push other manufacturers to drop their prices to compete.

That drop adds up to substantial savings for HP on this order – around $50 million. However, as with other cost-reducing measures there’s no guarantee that this means HP netbooks will hit retail shelves at lower price points.

Here’s hoping.

Over at the official Pixel Qi blog, Mary Lou Jepsen has announced that production is under way on the first batch of their much-heralded displays. Brad reported recently that we would see Pixel Qi kick things off mid-December, so it looks like they may actually be ever so slightly ahead of schedule.

According to Jepsen’s post, the first run will be used in “specialized tablet devices with multi-touch.” She also states that the displays in such devices will become thinner over time, though some customers have stated a preference for a more traditional thickness.

Hoping to get your hands on a Pixel Qi display of your own? Good news – Jepsen says that in Q1 2010 the company will be making a limited number available for DIYers. Details have not been announced, and she asks that individual requests are held until how-to information has been posted.

You’ll also be able to catch Pixel Qi at CES in January 2010 though Jepsen didn’t reveal who they will exhibit with. Not yet, anyway, so stay tuned!

I may only have been posting here for a couple weeks, but it’s pretty obvious that there are two major sects in the “netbook crowd”: those looking for the best battery life possible and those looking for the best performance they can cram into a tiny package.

If you count yourself among the latter, the results from the power-hungry users at the MyHPMini forums should be right up your alley.

Several members have managed to crank the Mini 311’s Atom from the 1.6GHz stock speed up to an impressive (if not slightly dangerous) 2.1GHz. Speeds just under 2.0GHz, however, seem to yield a solid performance boost without sacrificing stability. Several users also report pushing the Ion GPU to more than 500MHz.

So how do they do it? Using Asrock’s OC Tuner utility. By making a simple addition to the program’s config file, they’ve been able to overclock the Mini to their hearts’ content.

The site offers a complete look at overclocking your Mini’s CPU and GPU – well worth a look if you’re anxious to extract every ounce of horsepower you can from your netbook.

via MyHPMini

While AMD was in no rush to challenge Intel on smaller netbooks, it seems pretty clear that 11.6″ machines is where they’re drawing the line in the sand. Models like the Asus 1201T are starting to appear running the Neo processor, and now we’ve got two (possibly) from MSI set to land on U.S. soil.

As spotted by Wireless Goodness, the MS-1241 and MS-1243 have hit the FCC. One of the models could very well be the Wind U230, which was already known to be running AMD internals. The “discovery” of the MS-1241 is a bit odd, though, since that tag is already on the U210 – which has been available in the U.S. since September 1.

Details in the manual are sketchy (as they typically are in laptop/netbook product manuals). There’s mention of the AMD Yukon L335, integrated graphics, 802.11 wireless, Bluetooth, 3.5G support, 1.3MP webcam, and VGA and HDMI outputs. A TV tuner option is also available.

One thing I like about the diagrams – the bottom of the unit looks as though a single cover will provide access to all the parts DIYers typically want to swap. Hooray for less screws to lose!

via Netbooked

Pierre over at Blogeee [translate link] was lucky enough to spend some quality time with two of the hottest Asus models around right now – the UL30A and 1201N. Naturally, he figured the rest of the world might like to see how the two systems look side-by-side.

The UL30A, of course, is technically not a netbook – it’s larger (with a 13.3″ display), heavier, and runs a Core2Duo SU7300 processor. The 1201N, of course, is Asus’ droolworthy, new Atom-and-Ion powered 12″ netbook.

If you’re trying to decide between the two, this post might not help a heck of a lot. The Ion graphics are pretty tempting. Of course, so is the SU7300 processor. And they’re pretty similar for battery life. Hmm…This could be a difficult choice for a lot of people.

Check out Pierre’s post, and share your take in the comments!

While I’m guessing this news has nothing to do with thre recent (and awesome) addition of QuakeLive to its ever-expanding stable of apps, ReadWriteWeb has pegged Jolicloud as one of the top web products of 2009.

They’re in pretty select company, too, earning a spot with the likes of Freshbooks, Spotify, and HootSuite.

RWW list Jolicloud’s easy access to both desktop and web-based apps, social features, and its attractive interface. Hey, let’s not forget about that rapid boot – which at 11 seconds is every bit as fast as Google Chrome OS.

Been wanting to purchase a Gigabyte netbook, but you wanted to hold off for a model with cutesy vectors on the lid? Your wait is over!

So long as you’re heading to Taiwan, that is. The cutesified M1022x pictured above is only available there – and while I’m not sad about missing out on this particular version, it sure would be nice if manufacturers would start offering more personalization options.

It can’t really be that hard – most screen bezels are held on with four screws and come apart in a matter of seconds. And I’d be willing to pay Dell-esque prices if it meant I could pick up a snazzy lid like the ones they offer for their Inspiron laptops.

What about you? Are you willing to shell out a few bucks in exchange for a little personality?

via Netbook News