Well, that was quick. A few days after I speculated that the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t could be the first netbook to ship with a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor, Lenovo has started taking orders for the N470-equipped model of the tablet-style netbook.

This version will set you back $649, but you get more than just a faster processor. You also get 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Add that to the speeders CPU and you might be able to justify the $100 premium over the base model of the S10-3t which ships with Windows 7 Starter, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. Both models have a 10 inch multi-touch display that you can use either in tablet or laptop mode.

I haven’t seen any benchmarks of the Atom N470 processor yet. The general consensus is that the 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor uses less power than the Atom N270 and N280 chips that have been available for the last year and a half, but it’s not much faster. I wouldn’t expect a huge performance boost from the 1.83GHz Atom N470 processor, but I’d be surprised if you didn’t notice at least some difference.

Lenovo says the laptop ships within 9 business days, so I’m guessing it’ll be at least a week before we see any real-world tests.

via Netbooked

If you couldn’t tell by the introduction of the new Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Asus Eee PC 1005P, Intel has officially pulled the veil back on its next-generation Atom processors. The new 1.66GHz Atom N450 and 1.83GHz N470 chips are destined for upcoming netbooks, while the D410 single core and D510 1.66GHz processors will grace nettops, all-in-one PCs, and other low power desktops.

What makes the new Intel Atom Pine Trail platform different from the Diamondville platform that’s been around for the last year and a half is that the new chips will feature integrated graphics and memory control functions. In other words, while the GMA 950 graphics that come with most Intel Atom N270 processors exists on the chipset, the GMA 3150 graphics that you’ll get with an Atom N450 processor are on the same chip as the CPU.

In practical terms, the new chips will use about 20% less power and feature a lower thermal design. That means it will be easier for PC makers to design smaller, thinner, and occasionally fanless netbooks. It also means that all things being equal, you should get better battery life from a Pine Trail netbook than one using the Diamondville chipset.

What you will not notice is huge bump in graphics or processor performance. The new Atom chips are more efficient, and in some cases a little more powerful. But they aren’t designed to bridge the gap between existing Atom processors and more powerful chips such as Intel’s CULV line. They’re meant to power the next generation of low power netbooks and desktops, which are generally defined as low power devices. And as battery life has become increasingly important in this space, the one major advantage you’ll probably notice is that the new chips help provide longer battery life.

The new Atom chips are designed using a 45nm process and they’ll use Intel’s new NM10 Express Chipset, which means that instead of getting a processor, memory controller, and chipset, now you just have the chip and chipset. The Atom N450 TDP including the chipset will be just 7 watts. The D410 chip + chipset will have a TDP of 12 watts, while the dual core D510 version will have a TDP of 15 watts including the chipset.

Intel says that we can expect over 80 netbook designs soon from major PC makers including Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, and Toshiba. The new models will start to hit the streets on January 4th, just before CES. Most will run Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic, while some models will be available with Moblin Linux.

The new Atom chips are designed using a 45nm process, and they’ll all use Intel’s new NM10 Express Chipset.

You can check out a brief video overview from Intel after the break.

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Intel is set to launch its new Pine Trail Atom platform in January, and we expect to see dozens of mini-laptop and desktop computers toting Intel Atom N450, D410, and D510 processors. But according to Fudzilla, there are more next-gen Atom processors on the way.

For instance, there’s the upcoming Intel Atom N470, which Fudzilla says should launch in the first quarter of 2010, possibly in February. While the Atom N450 clocks in at 1.66GHz, the N470 processor will reportedly have a faster clock speed of about 1.83GHz, and a price tag that’s about $20 higher.

Fudzilla also reports that Intel will be adding support for DDR3 memory to its Pine Trail processors later in 2010. Pine Trail chips integrate the CPU, graphics, and memory controllers onto a single chip, which means that you’ll get a new model number when DDR3 support is added. So the single core Intel Atom N450 and N470 processors launched early in 2010 will be updated to N45x and N47x models capable of using faster memory.

Intel is also reportedly adding DDR3 support to its desktop Atom processors, including the single core Intel Atom D410 and dual core Atom D510. At launch, these chips will support DDR2 memory, like their netbook counterparts.

Acer

It looks like Acer is preparing to launch its first netbook based on Intel’s upcoming Atom N450 Pineview processor. A new model called the Acer Aspire AO532h showed up on Acer’s support page recently. The laptop’s not available for order, and there’s no official press release yet. But if you scan the support docs, it looks like there are a variety of system configurations.

All of the laptops have Intel Atom N450 processors and Intel GMA 3150 graphics as well as 1GB of RAM, Ethernet, VGA, and audio jacks and 3 USB ports. Windows 7 Starter Edition comes standard. It looks like you’ll have a choice of a 160GB of 250GB hard drive, and a 1024 x 600 pixel or 1280 x 720 pixel 10.1 inch display.

The laptop will be available in black, blue, red, and silver and it includes a 3 cell battery. There’s no mention of a 6 cell option, but I’d be shocked if Acer doesn’t offer one.

Expect this laptop to hit the streets in January after Intel officially launches its next generation Atom chips.

via Netbooked

File this in the category of “I’d be more surprised if it wasn’t happening,” but Samsung will introduce a line of netbooks with an Intel Atom Pineview processor in late January.

A Samsung representative confirmed the company’s plans to retool its netbook lineup with the next-generation Atom chips today at the Netbook World Summit in Paris. But it’s hardly surprising, since virtually every PC maker that produces netbooks with Intel Atom chips is expected to launch a Pineview model at some point.

There aren’t any additional details about Samsung’s upcoming models, but I suspect we’ll hear more about them at CES next month.

via Netbook News.de

Asus

It looks like some of the first netbooks from Asus to use the upcoming Intel Atom Pine Trail chipset will be minor variations on existing netbooks. We’d already seen evidence of a new Eee PC 1008P. Now there’s a BIOS file hanging out on the Asus support site for an unannounced netbook called the Eee PC 1005P.

According to Eee PC Italia, the P in both cases stands for Pine Trail, or Pineview, which indicates that the netbooks will probably be virtually identical to the Eee PC 1005HA and Eee PC 1008HA models that are available today, except that they’ll have next-generation low power Atom CPUs.

The BIOS update also appears to be focused on fixes for ExpressGate, which means that the Eee PC 1005P will feature the “instant on” environment that lets you load a web browser, chat client, Skype, or a handful of other applications within about 10-20 seconds of hitting the power button instead of waiting 45 seconds for Windows to boot. Honestly, I’ve never found ExpressGate software to be that useful, but it doesn’t cost anything extra.

Netbooks based upon Intel’s Pineview chip are starting to appear – albeit slowly. Today, Wireless Goodness caught a new arrival on the FCC website: Fujitsu’s Lifebook MH380. Here’s what is known about the MH380’s internals right now:

• Intel Atom N450 CPU at 1.66 GHz
• 10.1″ 1366×768 LCD display
• Atheros 802.11 b/g/n wireless
• Realtek 8103EL-GR 10/100 ethernet

No word on hard drive capacity or RAM yet, though it’s safe to assume the MH380 would sport at least 2GB DDR2 and 160GB or better for storage. It’s also worth noting that the FCC notes specify this is a pre-production sample, so the specs could change before it ever hits the shelves.

Via Netbook Reviews

With 2010 just around the corner, we’re going to start seeing a lot of netbooks with Intel Atom N450 and chips based on the new Pine Trail platform. It looks like one of the first could be a new model from lenovo which will feature a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and your usual netbook specs including a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel screen. 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi.

The FCC has published some documents related to the new machine including a couple of images. It looks like the mini-laptop will feature the standard Lenovo keyboard layout with the Fn key to the left of the Ctrl key. And unless I’m missing something, the touchpad doesn’t appear to have left and right buttons. Could they be integrated into the touchpad like those on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10v?

Lenovo’s been keeping pretty busy on the mini-laptop front lately. Last week Qualcomm announced that Lenovo would manufacture one of the first smartbooks with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a 3G modem for connecting to AT&T’s wireless network.

You can find a picture of the back of the netbook after the break.

via SlashGear

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Image credit: PC Games Hardware

Intel isn’t expected to officially launch its next-generation Atom processor line until later this year or early next year. But Fudzilla reports that two Intel Essential Series ITX motherboards with Intel Atom D510 and D410 processor are starting to appear at internet retail sites.

The D510MO motherboard uses a dual core 1.67GHz Intel Atom D510 CPU with 2×512kb of cache and a 13W TDP. It includes Intel GMA 3150 graphics built onto the same chip, so while the TDP may seem significantly higher than the Atom 230 processor that’s available today, when you take the graphics processor into account it’s not.

The second motherboard is the D410PT which sports the single core 1.66 GHz Intel Atom D410 processor.

Both boards are passively cooled, which means you won’t have any fans. They also feature Ethernet and VGA ports, 3 external USB ports and 4 internal ones, and 2 SATA II connectors. The D510MO board will feature 5.1 channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet, while the D410PT has 10/100MB LAN and doesn’t appear to have 5.1 channel audio.

I can’t find a retail link for the D510MO, but if you’ve got one handy, feel free to share it in the comments!

Virtually every netbook released over the last year and a half has had the same specs: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive. But the times, they are a-changing. With the launch of Windows 7, we’ve started seeing machines with 250GB hard drives. And now it looks like Intel could be ready to shake things up a bit more.

Fudzilla is reporting that Intel will adjust its memory restriction for netbooks when the company launches the Intel Atom N470 Pine Trail chip in March, 2010. At that point, PC makers will be able to use 1GB to 2GB of RAM.

Of course, most netbooks today support up to 2GB of RAM. But you need to upgrade them manually since they tend to ship with 1GB or less. But if Fudzilla’s info is accurate, we could start seeing low cost Intel Atom powered netbooks selling for $299 to $349 with 2GB of RAM, 160GB to 250GB hard drives, and Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter next year.

I reached out to Intel to see if I could get confirmation, and was told that Intel doesn’t comment on announced products. So let’s file this in the rumor bin for now.