VIA is marketing its new ART-3000 mini-PC as an embedded solution for industrial and commercial purposes. But you know what? This little guy has enough oomph to function halfway decently as a low power, small form factor desktop. Or as SlashGear points out, you could use it as the basis for a carputer, thanks to the rugged, fanless case design and easy mounting capabilities.

The computer has a 1.3GHz VIA Nano processor, Chrome9 graphics, and the VIA VX8000 media system processor. It can support 2GB of storage in a single memory slot. And there’s a 2.5″ SATA hard drive bay and a CompactFlash card slot for flash storage.

The ART-3000 also has a number of USB, COM, and serial ports as well as a VGA and LVDS outputs, 2 LAN ports, and mic and line jacks. The computer is shock-resistant when using a solid state disk instead of a hard drive, and has removable wall mount brackets.

Drivers available for Ubuntu, Windows XP, and Windows 7. The system is also available to OEMs with Windows XP embedded and Windows CE 6.0.

Chip maker VIA has a rather tiny share of the PC CPU market. So perhaps it’s appropriate the company is focusing heavily on CPUs for tiny PCs. And that doesn’t just mean netbooks. VIA is introducing two new desktop motherboards for small form-factor desktop computers, also called nettops. Both are designed to use VIA’s low power Nano processor, which competes with Intel’s Atom platform in the netbook and nettop spaces.

The new VIA EPIA-M800 Mini-ITX motherboard can use a 1.2GHz Nano U2500 CPU or a 1.3GHz U2250 processor. It supports DVI, HDMI, and dual gigabit Ethernet connections. It includes the VIA VX800 media processor.

The VIA EPIA-N800 Nano-ITX is the smaller of the two, measuring just 4.7″ x 4.7″. It supports the 1.3GHz U2250 CPU and has VGA, USB, and Gigabit Ethernet ports. It also uses the VIA VX800 media processor, has 6 USB ports, and 2 SATA II ports.

The VIA Nano is a 64-bit processor, unlike Intel’s 32-bit Atom. The new mainboards and processors support Windows 7, and while they’re designed for use in embedded devices such as kiosks or digital signs, they should pack enough oomph for a low power home media PC. They should be able to handle 1080p HD video and DirectX 9 graphics, as well as 6-channel audio.

via SlashGear

VIA is updating its low power line of Nano processors. The new Nano 3000 chips feature a 64-bit architecture and run from 1GHz to 2GHz. They’re all capable of handling 1080p HD video playback.

According to VIA, the new chips outperform earlier Nano processors by more than 20% in the PCMark 05 and 3Dmark 2006 benchmarks. In those same tests, the Nano 3000 processors outperform the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU by about 40% to 50%. Meanwhile, the new chips use up to 20 percent less power than VIA’s current offerings.

The VIA Nano 3000 chips are compatible with earlier VIA sockets, which means that PC makers can easily slot the Nano 3000 into motherboards designed for VIA C7, C7-M, Eden, and earlier Nano processors.

There are six models in the VIA Nano 3000 series. You can read more about them in the chart after the break.

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While Intel and AMD grab all the headlines in the US netbook and ultraportable market, chip maker VIA is making headway in Asia. The Chupin C855 is a Chinese 12.2 inch laptop sporting a VIA Nano processor and VX855 chipset which is capable of 1080p HD video playback.

The C855 isn’t unique. VIA is pushing the platform throughout the developing world with its Global Mobility Bazaar program. But the Chupin C855 is one of the first of these laptops to be reviewed.

According to the review, the laptop performs as promised, with hardware acceleration for H.264 and VC1 HD video playback.

When it comes to CPU performance, it looks like the 1.3GHz Via Nano U1700 offers similar performance to a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, although the Nano chip seems to be a bit slower at some tasks.

Oh, and as an added bonus, the reviewer decided to dissect the laptop so you could see the motherboard, wireless module, and other components. You can see more pictures at digi.sohu.com.

via Shanzai.com

Big name PC makers are pumping out tiny low power desktops, often called nettops, like nobody’s business. Or rather, like everybody’s business. But while most of the nettops coming from companies like Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and MSI are sporting Intel Atom processors and occasionally NVIDIA ION graphics, things are taking a different turn in Shenzhen, China, where at least a handful of computer manufacuters are building small, low power desktops around processors from chip-maker VIA.

VIA isn’t really a household name in the US or Europe, but in the early days of netbooks (you know, back in 2008), the company started to make a name for itself by offering the VIA C7-M and the VIA Nano processor as an alternative to Intel’s Celeron and Atom chips for low power mini-laptops. Intel pretty much trounced VIA in the western hemisphere, but in Asia VIA is making some headway by offering low cost, low power chips for many of the dirt cheap netbooks flooding the market.

Now Sanzhaiben reports that a Chinese PC maker is bringing out a line of VIA-based netops including one that uses a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor and VX700 chipset, and then another that will use VIA’s speedier Nano processor and VX855 chipset.

Like Intel Atom-based nettops, the goal with these devices is to keep down the size, and if you believe the listed specs, they don’t get much smaller than this. The computer pictures above measures just 5.3″ x 4.8″ x 1.4″ and weighs just 0.67 pounds.

The PC features a S-Video and VGA outputs, 3 USB ports, and Ethernet and also has a slot for a WiFi/Bluetooth antenna. It has 5.1 channel audio and the VIA Nano powered version will support 1080p video playback and 3G wireless broadband.

via Cloned in China

Chip maker VIA isn’t really in the PC making business. But the company does have a history of putting out reference designs that are often adopted by a number of computer makers. And the company’s latest reference design is one that VIA calls the eNote Turnkey Solution.

It packs an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU, and VX800 chipset with Chrome9 graphics and support for DirectX 9. The laptop also comes with options for WiMAX, HSDPA, and EV-DO/W-CDMA wireless connections.

It weighs 2.86 pounds and measures 9.4″ x 6.9″ x 1.4″. Update: As pointed out in the comments below, these dimensions seem a bit fishy for a laptop with an 11.6 inch display, but this is what the press release says.

It packs a 2 megapixel dual-headed webcam, 3 USB ports, a VGA output, audio I/O jacks, and a 4-in-1 card reader. It has a 4 cell, 2600mAh battery that VIA says should provide 3 hours of run time.

No word on when we might start to see computer makers release laptops based on this design or how much they’ll cost. But VIA Nano powered machines typically cost less than similar laptops with Intel Atom or NVIDIA ION chipsets.

VIA plan to show off the design at the 4G World show in Chicago next week, but you can check out a short video of the Turnkey Solution after the break.

via SlashGear

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The Asus Eee PC 1002HA is a classy looking netbook thanks to its brushed metal finish and nice wide keyboard and touchpad. But I get the sense that it’s high price tag was holding it back a bit, and the cheaper Eee PC 1000HE, 1005HA, and other more plasticky netbooks from Asus have probably been better sellers.The Eee PC 1001HA cost about $499 at launch (although you can now pick one up for about $356 after rbate).

Now it looks like a Chinese company has decided to create a knockoff of the Eee PC 1002HA, but rather than slap an Intel Atom chip inside, the company has opted for a VIA Nano processor, which actually performs better under some circumstances, but which I believe sells for a lower price than Intel’s Atom processors.

No word on how much the knockoff will cost, but the odds of finding this machine outside of China anytime soon are slim to none.

via Shanzai.com

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 laptop is available with a choice of an Intel Atom or VIA Nano processor. And while Lenovo plans to make a third option, with an NVIDIA ION chipset that combines the Atom CPU with an NVIDIA GPU available, right not it looks like if you want HD video performance, you’re better off going with the VIA Nano version… which also happens to be about $70 cheaper.

I reviewed the Intel Atom-based version of the S12 recently, and while the 12 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display is great for displaying web pages and images, the Atom processor isn’t really up to the task of pumping out HD video or high quality Flash video on that screen.

CrunchGear, on the other hand, discovered that the version with a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU can handle 720p video in WMV, DivX, XviD, Quicktime, and MP4 formats. The laptop still has issues playing HD Flash video in full-screen mode. But it can reportedly handle standard definition Hulu content.

On the down side, the VIA Nano CPU uses more energy than an Intel Atom processor. And while I was able to get about 5 hours of run time from the Atom powered version of the laptop, the VIA Nano model tops out at about 4 hours.

Taiwan’s Kinpo Electronics has introduced a new mini-laptop that stands out from the crowd a bit in a few areas. First, the Kinpo N03 (PDF link)has a VIA Nano processor. That’s not that unusual these days, especially on an 11.6 inch model with a 1366 x 768 pixel display. But the laptop also has integrated 3G and WiMAX support, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth.

The N03 can handle up to 2G of RAM and runs wither Windows XP or WIndows Home Basic. The laptop has a 4000mAh battery, 3 USB ports, a 2.5″ hard drive or a solid state disk, and an SD card reader. It weighs less than 2.9 pounds and measures 11.1″ x 7.8″ x 1.1″.

It looks like you can pick one up in China from Alibaba for $350, but I wouldn’t expect to see this laptop released globally at that price, (or with the Kinpo brand name still attached).

via PC World

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is larger than a netbook, but smaller than most notebooks. It has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display and a full sized keyboard. But the unit I reviewed has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and integrated graphics, which means the performance is on par with you average netbook in most circumstances. And thanks to the high resolution display, some tasks like HD video playback, actually work better on a standard netbook than on the IdeaPad S12.

Still, if you’re looking for a cheap, light, and portable notebook but don’t want to compromise on the screen resolution and keyboard you could do worse. Lenovo also offers a version with the VIA Nano processor instead of the Intel Atom, and an NVIDIA ION-based version is expected soon, with a more powerful graphics processor.

The unit reviewed has 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 802.11.b/g WiFi, a 6 cell battery and runs Windows XP Home Edition.

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