Since day one, Intel’s Atom chips have come in two flavors: desktop and mobile. While the desktop chips have come in dual core and single core versions, the Atom chips designed for netbooks and other portable devices have traditionally been single core only. But it looks like that could soon change.

PC Inpact reports that Intel may be working on a dual core Atom chip for netbooks. It will reportedly be called something like the Atom N500, which makes sense, since the latest dual core chip for desktops is called the Atom D510 — and most of the company’s netbook-specific chips have started with the letter N, such as the Atom N270, N280, N450, and N470.

Up until now, any PC maker that wanted to build a laptop with a dual core Atom processor had to use a desktop chip such as the Atom 330 dual core CPU found in the Asus Eee PC 1201N. But those chips tend to draw more power and generate more heat than chips designed for  netbooks.

Bear in mind, even with two cores, an Atom chip is an Atom chip. They’re designed as low cost, low power alternatives to beefier processors. As such, I’d expect the Atom N500 to be a little faster than a single core Atom processor and better at multitasking and other tasks which can benefit from multiple cores. But don’t expect miracles.

There’s no word on how much the Atom N500 would cost or when it would be released. And right now, this is just a rumor, although PC Inpact reports that the information comes from companies that work with Intel.

via Blogeee

At first glance, the Asus Eee PC 1201N looks virtually identical to several other 12 inch laptops from Asus including the UL20A and 1201HA thin and light laptops. But while the Asus Eee PC 1201N may have the same chassis as other Asus notebooks, it still breaks the mold in a few important respects.

This is the first notebook from Asus to offer NVIDIA ION graphics instead of the integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics that typically come bundled with first generation Intel Atom processors. Second, this is one of the only laptops on the market with a dual core Atom 330 processor. The CPU was initially designed for low-powered mini-desktop computers called nettops. But the Atom 330 is still a relatively low power CPU. And in the Eee PC 1201N it offers just a little bit of a performance boost, which helps this notebook to outperform other 11 and 12 inch notebooks with NVIDIA ION graphics and single core processors.

On the other hand, the Atom 330 is a bit more power-hungry than a single core Atom chip, and the Eee PC 1201N doesn’t get the same kind of battery life I’ve come to expect from Atom powered notebooks.

The demo unit Asus sent me to review features a 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 dual core CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium.  It has 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth and a 0.3MP webcam.

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It feels like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset is everywhere at CES this year. HP has been showing off a prototype device based on the platform. Lenovo is showing the Skylight smartbook and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid with Snapdragon. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The 1GHz chip can handle HD video playback, supports GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G, and features always-connected capabilities so that you can receive incoming emails, IMs, and other messages on a device even while you’re in standby mode. In other words, it brings a lot of the features you’d expect from a smartphone to a smartbook.

But Qualcomm isn’t stopping with the current generation. Hexus reports that a 1.3GHz version is in the works, as is a dual core 1.5GHz version that supports 1080p HD video playback.

Like the current generation Snapdragon chipset, the new version will be available for use in phones, tablets, and smartbooks.

via SlashGear

Remember Haleron? They’re the company that surprised and kind of horrified the world a few weeks ago with the announcement of the Swordfish Net102 netbook that sports two separate Intel Atom N270 processors. Not a dual core CPU — two separate CPUs sucking up your power and most likely not talking to one another properly to actually help improve performance.

But it looks like Haleron also has a slightly more sane-looking netbook called the Swordfish Net 20 that swaps the usual Intel Atom N270/N280 CPU for a dual core Atom 330 processor. This chip is usually found in desktops since it consumes more power than the N2xx series processors. But it has a pretty strong track record of playing well with Windows and Linux.

The Swordfish Net 20 includes 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive (or an optional 250GB HDD), a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel LCD, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 3 USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, a 1.3MP webcam, and a 5-in-1 card reader. It has a 6 cell battery and features an unlocked 3G modem. The laptop sells for $499.

Haleron also makes several lower cost netbooks with single core Intel Atom N270 processors.

via Netbook News.de

Asus has a reputation for launching a new netbook model every other week for the past two years. While the pace seems to have slowed recently, the company is keeping the tradition alive with its Eee Box nettop computers. I’ve kind of lost count of how many Eee Box models are out there, but with the B201, B202, B204, B206, B208, EB1006, EB1012, there are at least 7 different configurations out there. And I hope you’re ready for one more, because Eee PC.it has picked up some details about a new EB1501 moel.

The main thing that sets the new model apart from the crowd is the inclusion of a slot-loading DVD burner. Eee PC.it can’t say for certain whether it will actually be built into the nettop or if Asus will be shipping the desktop with a USB disc drive.

But the EB1501 also has a few other features that make it a bit more attractive than your typical Intel Atom powered nettop. It sports a dual core Atom 330 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card and will come with Windows 7 Home Premium. It will have 6 USB ports, 2G of RAM, and a 260GB hard drive.

Update: Photo courtesy of NyTeknik via Engadget

The Intel Atom N270 and N280 processors found in many netbooks support a feature called hyperthreading which causes the Windows Task Manager to report that you’ve got a dual core CPU even when you don’t. If you really want a dual core Atom chip you’re going to have to look to the Atom 330, which is designed for desktops, not laptops.

Or you can take a completely off the wall approach and develop a computer with 2 Intel Atom N270 processors instead of one. Of course, I’m not really sure what the benefit of having two completely separate processors would be, but as the folks at Wired point out, it would probably at least serve to shorten your battery life. You know, if you consider that a benefit.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the Swordfish Net 102 product page is just wrong. I seriously doubt this computer actually has 2 processors, just like I’m reluctant to believe it has “dual Bluetooth” modules or an 83 key “keyborad,” because you know, that’s not an actual word.

If you feel like plunking down $449 to find out whether this machine actually does have 2 processors, let us know what you find out. The Swordfish Net 102 also reportedly has a 10.2 inch, 1024 600 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi and a built-in 3G module. It packs a 3 cell, 2450mAh battery and weighs about 3 pounds.

Update: It looks like the netbook really does have two processors. The company explains on its web page that the dual processors function best under Windows XP, although the computer can also run Windows Vista or 7. The Swordfish Net102 gets about 2.5 hours of run time from a 3 cell battery.

Most of the time when you spot the Ferrari brand name on a product, you can be pretty certain it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. Not that the cars, or souped up computers and other devices that bear the name aren’t worth the money. They generally pack in some features you won’t find on cheaper products. But they’re not exactly low cost. And that’s why the Acer Ferarri One laptop confuses me a little. This little 11.6 inch laptop packs a bit more horsepower than your typical netbook. But at $499, it’s not really that expensive, and it’s also pretty underpowered for a premium ultraportable.

The laptop has a dual core 1.2GHz AMD Athlon X2 L310 CPU which helps set it apart from the crowd. But while it should offer better performance than a single core Intel Atom chip, it’s not exactly a blazing fast CPU. The computer also has a port for an external graphics card, which is rather unusual. It has ATI Radeon 3200 graphics built in, but if you need a boost, I guess it’s nice to know you can plug in a supported external card.

Xavier from Notebooks.com got a closer look at the Acer Ferrari One and shot a brief video which you can check out after the break.
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If you’ve been holding off on picking up an Acer Aspire Revo nettop until the dual core option was available, it looks like the wait is almost over. Acer is launching a version of this tiny desktop computer with a 1.6GHz Atom 330 dual core processor, 4GB of RAM, HDMI output, and NVIDIA ION graphics today at IFA in Berlin.

The new model is called the Acer Aspire Revo 3600, and like its siblings it has a VESA mount that lets you attach the computer to the back of a monitor to pretend you have an all-in-one desktop PC.

No word on the price or availability yet.

via Engadget

HP is bringing out two new CPU upgrade options for its Pavilion dv2 laptop. The dv2 has a 12 inch display and weighs less than 4 pounds, making it a bit bigger and heavier than most netbooks. But the AMD Neo processor and ATI Radeon graphics give it significantly better performance when it comes to handling video games and watching high definition movies. Unfortunately, the CPU is pretty sluggish.

But now it looks lke HP will begin offering the notebook with a choice of a dual core Congo CPU or an Athlon X2 dual core processor. Both of these chips will likely boost performance for average, non-graphics related tasks. You’ll also probably have a better experience with Flash video, which tends to rely on the CPU, not the GPU. No word on what the new processors will do to battery life.

via SlashGear

The AMD Neo chip is sort of, kind of, AMD’s answer to the Intel Atom CPU that has become so popular in netbooks. AMD isn’t really going after the cheap ultraportable market that Intel has virtually conquered. But the Neo is designed for larger, pricier machines that offer better graphics performance while still costing a lot less than a sub-4 pound notebook would have cost a few years ago.

The problem is that when it comes to everything other than graphics, the Neo doesn’t really outperform the Intel Atom CPU by a wide margin. In recent tests and reviews, the HP Pavilion dv2 (the first computer using a Neo CPU), scored well on graphics benchmarks, but was sluggish on other tests and got lackluster battery life.

But AMD may have an answer for some of those problems… in the form of a dual core Neo processor. AMD is expected to ship a dual core Athlon Neo for thin and light laptops by the end of the quarter, which means we could see them show up in computers as early as this summer. The original single core Neo chip doesn’t handle multitasking all that well when compared with Intel Atom N270/N280 processors that support hyperthreading. A dual core CPU will probably fare much better.