Three new computing form factors emerged at the Computex show this week, each likely to provide a platform where desktop Linux will thrive. The three platforms include low-cost notebooks dubbed "netbooks," low-cost desktops dubbed "nettops," and new "Mini-ITX 2.0" boards supporting x16 PCI Express expansion, SATA-II, and more.
Intel's first Centrino Atoms were announced back in early April, but that initial round of Z-series processors were aimed primarily at Intel's mobile Internet device (MID) format, and other embedded applications. This week, Intel followed up with a second wave of Atom processors, targeting simple desktops and notebooks which the chipmaker dubs "nettops" and "netbooks," respectively. Formerly code-named "Diamondville," the new Atom N270, aimed at netbooks, and the 230 processors, targeting nettops, are accompanied by matching 945GSE and 945GC chipsets and zp230 SSDs (solid state drives).
Intel's netbook-oriented N270 showed up in three N270-based netbooks, all claimed to have superior battery life. All will be available with either Linux or Windows XP, which Microsoft will support on netbooks through at least June, 2010, it has said. Microsoft also announced that Windows XP will be supported on nettops, though it did not say for how long. "Support" here applies only to high-volume OEM licensing here, not your corner PC shop, which is free to install XP for as long as Microsoft sells single-quantity licenses.
Here's a quick look at the new Atom-powered Asus, MSI, and Acer netbooks:
Asus Eee PC 901, 1000, and 1000(H) -- Asus has upgraded its popular Xandros-based Eee PC netbook with three new models that swap out the earlier 900MHz Celeron with a 1.6GHz N270 Centrino Atom. The Eee PC 901 offers an 8.9-inch screen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 20GB SSD (solid state disk), 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and the fast new 802.11n WiFi version. The Linux-only 1000 and Linux/Windows XP 1000(H) models offer a 10-inch screen, 2GB of RAM and larger storage options. Asus claims 3.2 to 7.8 hours for the various models, depending on workload and screen brightness setting.
MSI Wind NB U100 -- MSI's new N270-based netbook can be overclocked from the default 1.6GHz up to 1.9GHz, according to the company. The Wind NB U100 offers a 10-inch 1024x600 display, 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, webcam, 802.11b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth wireless. The Linux version of the netbook, a $400 model (compared to the $500 Windows XP version) that runs a version of Novell's SUSE Linux, is touted for its five hours of battery life.
Acer Aspire One -- As reported earlier this week, the Aspire One is equipped with the 1.6GHz N270 version of the Centrino Atom. Selling for $380 when it ships in the third quarter, the Aspire One offers 512MB or 1GB of RAM, 8GB flash, an 8.9-inch, 1024x600 display, WiFi, a webcam, and an optional 80GB hard drive. The initial Aspire One will offer Linpus Linux Lite a version of Linpus offering an "Easy" mode for novice users and designed to run on low-end PCs, ultra-mini PCs (UMPCs), netbooks, and MIDs, says Linpus Technologies.
Although no low-cost, scaled-down "nettop" desktops based on the 230 were on display at Computex, Intel announced a Mini-ITX motherboard that incorporates the CPU. Selling for around $80, the D945GCLF mobo has serial, parallel, and IDE interfaces, six USB ports, 10/100 Ethernet, and HD audio, says Intel.
The board uses an Intel 945GC Northbridge similar to the N270's 945GSE, but with several additional features. These include multiple high-definition audio streams and "jack re-tasking." There's also a PCI Express x1 ("by one") interface that Intel says will support ExpressCard (PCMCIA cards connected via PCIe) and LPC (low pin-count) interfaces for serial, PS/2, and other common interfaces. A 945GCm with enhanced power management will also be available.
The highly integrated D945GCLF board has a single DIMM socket, which accepts up to 2GB of 533MHz or 667MHz DDR2 RAM. It also includes a PCI slot, two 3Gbps SATA ports, and an IDE connector that is said to support up to two ATA devices. Power consumption appears to range from five Watts in sleep mode to as high as 52.5 Watts with a PCI expansion board installed. Intel pegs the total TDPs for the Atom 230, 82945GC, and 82801GB in a range between 12-29 Watts.
The third major platform unveiled at Computex is Via's Mini-ITX-2. The updated Mini-ITX specification retains the same 6.7-inch square (17 cm square) form-factor used in the original Mini-ITX spec, but adds a x16 ("by 16") PCI Express lane, with the aim of enabling external graphics cards and other high-throughput add-in cards. Also required by the spec are dual SATA-II ports, gigabit Ethernet, and support for both Linux and Windows Vista operating systems.
While cool, the announcement of Mini-ITX 2.0 appeared to be mostly about providing a platform for Via to showcase its new Nano processor and VX800 and VX800U integrated chipsets. After all, mini-ITX boards like the D945GCLF, based on Atom processors, lack the required x16 PCIe expansion to called be called "Mini-ITX 2.0." No actual boards were ready to demonstrate by showtime, however.
Computex was host to several announcements regarding Intel's MID format, which is designed for wide handheld devices with 4- to 6-inch displays, often with slide-out mini-keyboards, somewhat similar to Nokia's N810 tablet PC. Most notably, Wind River announced it would introduce a vertical-market Linux distribution called Wind River Linux Platform for Mobile Internet Devices that is designed around Intel's Atom processor. The platform will integrate open source, Intel-sponsored Moblin development technology for MIDs.
Finally, there was plenty of action at Computex on solid-state drives (SSDs), which are found in netbooks such as the Asus Eee PC, with SSD announcements both from Intel and Sandisk. Intel announced a low-cost, NAND-flash-based SSD called the Z-P230, which uses a parallel ATA (PATA) interface to save power, and sells for $25 in a 4GB version, or $45 for 8GB. (A 16GB version will come later.) SanDisk launched a line of SSDs (solid state disks) aimed at ultra low-cost PCs (ULCPCs) and netbooks. Due in August, the pSSD line includes 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB models with claimed read performance of 39MB/s and streaming write speed of 17MB/s. There was no big news from the Intel- and ST-backed Numonyx, a start-up developing phase-change flash memory, however.
