UK Netbook Review

Nvidia has put an end to all the rumours surrounding the next generation of their Nvidia Ion graphics solution by officially introducing it at CeBIT 2010. As a quick refresher, NVIDIA ION couples the low power Intel Atom-processor with NVIDIA graphics to deliver improved HD video playback, and 3D graphics acceleration for games.

LaptopMag has an interesting comparison between Nvidia’s Ion and Broadcom’s HD Accelerator.  Both of these are solutions to the same problem – getting HD playback on your netbook.  Because while netbooks continue to evolve, and the next generation netbook platform has arrived (Pinetrail) HD video playback is still inexplicably absent on most standard netbooks.
The two solutions [...]

DigiTimes is reporting than an Ion 2-powered Eee PC device will launch in April with a 12-inch display. We’re curious to see how this pans out, since Nvidia’s Ion 2 was originally due to launch in ‘late 2009′, but Nvidia kept very quiet about it as late as CES 2010 earlier this month. Then we learned, according to the latest rumours, that Ion 2 may be nothing more than just a re badged existing Nvidia graphics card.

We wrote a few weeks ago about a post at Semiaccurate questioning the merits of Nvidia’s upcoming Ion 2 chip and today new details emerge via some sleuthing by French Blogeee.net. It was also odd that we heard absolutely nothing from Nvidia regarding Ion 2 at CES 2010.

The current generation of netbooks is mostly based on Intel’s Atom N270 or N280 processors.  For graphics, they are split into two groups, those utilizing Intel’s GMA 950 integrated graphics, and those that replace the Intel graphics chip with the more capable Nvidia Ion platform.  However, Intel’s next generation Pine Trail chips will have the [...]