Tag: nettop
Where are all the Ion netbooks?
by Jim on Aug.23, 2009, under Hardware, Laptops
I have been waiting eagerly for the past year for a Ion powered netbook to replace my 12″ Advent radiator; however, no-one seems interested in releasing a 10-12 inch netbook (whether 12 inch counts as a netbook is another topic for another day.) I have had a look at all the other smaller machines on the market, that have a dedicated graphics card such as the Dell M1330 toa even the MacBook. In the case of the MacBook I would have to sneak a dual boot Windows/Linux it and wipe all memory it had of OS X! The problem with these machines is the same one that plagues my Advent — they get too hot under heavy use.
The heat levels are mostly down to the Core 2 processor used by most of these portable laptops, so the only way I can avoid one of those is to head down the netbook path; however, every single one of these machines uses the same Intel graphics that’s in my Advent. Sure, you can install Compiz on them with ease, but you can’t use them for a quick gaming session. The only game I really play much is Trackmania, which on the lowest settings almost runs on an Intel machine; however, any onboard by ATi or nVidia would easily cope with the game. I thought that the Ion netbook would solve my problem…
During the back end of 2008 Nvidia announced the Ion platform, which at the time looked like it would shake up the netbook market. Whilst it has managed to find its way in to nettops, not a single netbook has been released in Europe or the US which uses the platform. A few months back Lenovo announced the S12, the first ion powered netbook; however, they decided Europe did not need the Ion in their version. Still there are no signs of the Ion variant coming out in America. Next came OCZ, with an Ion powered Neutrino, the DIY netbook. Announced at Computex this June, but no sign has been seen of the thing since.
There are a few items in Asia that are interesting, such as a dual Atom powered machine with the Ion chip, but importing can cost a lot once you get stung by the duty fees. Even better you will find yourself with no support!
So just when will the Ion based netbooks start coming out over here! No-one seems to be able to get their act together and just release one, just paper release after paper release!
